Birchbox is a $10 monthly subscription that provides members with
5 deluxe beauty, skincare and hair care samples in sometimes-cute little boxes
that
contribute to clutter can be repurposed as gift or storage boxes.
Posts are going to be pretty primitive for a bit as I play catch up (sorry,
guys) so let’s get straight to the quick and to the pointless.
Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo and
Conditioner-$28 for full sized shampoo, $32 for full sized conditioner
MakeupDrop Original-$20 for full sized
I greatly dislike getting hair care samples in subscription boxes
but I appreciate how large Davines shampoo samples usually are this one did a
surprisingly good job at washing my hair. I was able to get a decent lather
going without much effort. I love that the conditioner was custard-thick. It
didn’t provide the best moisture but it worked better than my last couple of
Davines conditioners. The smell of this duo was herbal, almost like cooking
with sage and thyme; it wasn’t my favorite scent but it was acceptable. I do
wish conditioner samples were bigger than shampoo samples.
This, surprisingly, was the stunner of the box. Holy crap, as
bold of a red as this shade is, I’m in love with the rosy glow it leaves on my
cheeks (swatched below). It isn’t that raw flesh pink either but a deep blushing red. I’m not
too sure about the cooling sensation I’m supposed to feel. I get a little bit
of a cooling feeling when I get a direct breeze on my face from my tower fan
but really, there’s no real minty fresh face feel to this blush. I’m tempted to
try it as a lip stain. The shade was so beautiful that I ended up buying two
gel blushes by The Sephora Collection (I had a $5 store credit to burn and some
samples to claim).
I love something between a cream cleanser and a foam cleanser.
Creams are incredible. Think Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, any drugstore cream
cleanser really. Then there are the cream cleansers that just drive me nuts
like La Roche Posay. The other end of the spectrum is the foaming cleanser. These
are hit or miss for me, mostly miss. I often find foaming cleansers too drying.
Many gel cleansers that foam just create a slippery film on the surface of my
face and strip oils from my face but not much else while non-foaming cream
cleansers are hydrating but add a filmy layer on my face without feeling like
they removed any dirt at all. Real Chemistry created a lice marriage between the
two types of cleansers. I didn’t find that it stripped too much oil from my
face (though it can be slightly drying if I’m too vigorous about agitating) and
I felt like it actually did clean my face without adding an extra layer of
cleanser film. The only slight con to using this product is it takes a while to
wash it all away. This might be great for some people to give that assurance
that their face is actually clean but it wasn’t the best quality for me because
I’m constantly running late and the entire process just slowed me down a bit in
the mornings. Still, I would award a B+ for functionality.
Same hydrator, different brand. I do enjoy the sample size, it’s
fairly generous at 10mL. A little bit goes a long way and even though it did a
great job at hydrating without the oily feeling that comes with cream
moisturizers, it’s fairly easy to go overboard with application and end up with
a tacky face. I tried wearing this on top of the Caudalie Vinoperfect serum
that I’ve been using for the past few months now and I felt over-hydrated and a
little tacky so I think I will be putting this away until the windy autumn
months where my foundation coverage will be a little heavier and my
moisturizers will be need to be more of a gel texture.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more upset with any tool that I’ve
received in a subscription box. The silicone sponge is a cute concept and all
but this little guy was so tiny that it was hard to use on my entire face and I
don’t wear under eye concealer so its purpose was lost there as well. I feel
like I would have had more luck with this sample if I enjoyed full coverage
base makeup but since I usually go for a mostly sheer makeup look, the heavy,
streaky application with this sponge just didn’t work for me. A ton of people
complain about streakiness when applying with a silicone sponge but clearly the
answer is to blend everything out with either a sponge or a brush. Here is
where I ask “Then why use a silicone sponge?” No fucking clue. This product
makes no sense to me outside of the novelty of it all. I can save on the amount
of wasted product by applying with this but I would just be removing any excess
product with a brush or sponge anyway so I reiterate, “No fucking clue.”
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| Arrow Cooling Cheek Tint sheered out (left) and unblended (right) |
I enjoyed July's Birchbox. I
loved the Arrow cooling cheek tint and Real Chemistry foaming cleanser. I was just grateful that the shampoo and conditioner were samples that were somewhat suited for my hair type (coarse and frizzy) even if not exactly a product intended for black girl hair. I won't scoff at a new tool (generally) and the Dr. Jart+ hydrogel will get some love in the near future.
Thanks for putting up with the shittier post today, again I'm playing serious catch up and the 4 month old remora won't let me out of her site long enough to eat dinner, let alone blog, so I sneak them in when I can. Things will get better. In the mean time, thanks for your patience.
