I received:
In a stunning turn of events, Birchbox managed to present me with an almost entirely usable box in January. The most shocking item in this box was the Stila Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in the shade Notte. I had a previous run-in with this product in the shade Perla and that did not go over very well due to the shade. Some of the previous issues persist with this product, but at least I was able to wear it for more than 5 minutes to get an idea of how it works. I still find the scent and flavor to be a bit annoying; the scent is like an offensively sweet cupcake while the flavor itself is powdery and sweet. The application was a bit patchy as well but I do love the shade. I didn’t feel like I got the “butthole” lip look so that was a bit of a plus. Really, this lipstick wins points with me only because of its beautiful date-night shade.
Nelson J Beverly Hills Forever Smooth Cream was so forgettable that I’ve forgotten just about everything about it. It’s not a product that I would ever use on my hair so I tried it out on my eldest, Lizzie. She has very fine, 3B/3C hair so I thought sure, she might be the proper phenotypic demographic for this product. Unfortunately she has a fear of robots and loud noises and this was a blow-out cream so I was unable to use it as recommended, instead using this as a leave-in conditioner with less than stellar results. There was no added volume, no real moisture, no detangling properties. It was really just an added step that was ultimately unnecessary. I’ve found that of all the products I’ve used so far oil seems to work best on this kid’s hair, giving it curl definition without weighing it down. I’ve encountered a couple of conditioners in the past that help, including Briogeo Amino Rice Milk, but Garnier Sleek and Shine is definitely the Holy Grail here.
I could have used Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer about 3 months ago at the onset of autumn. This is a deeply moisturizing cream that doesn’t leave my face feeling coated or greasy at all. Since it’s so rich, this tube might last me a bit beyond forever, which I’m ok with. I already have a ton of moisturizers to get through but the hoarder in me is always thrilled to see more. I feel that this is better suited as an evening moisturizer because it is so thick and I do have combination to oily skin. I’m constantly concerned about a too-heavy moisturizer interfering with my base makeup throughout the day.
January was a great time to receive a new serum (primer?): the minuscule one I received in the December Birchbox lasted me just about a month of frequent use. Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner applies more like a very light moisturizer than a serum. After mulling this over I think I’ve come to the conclusion that this was a primer, not a serum, however I feel like it was marketed more as a serum than anything. I cannot attest to it reducing my pores at all, though I find that to be a dubious claim to begin with. I also failed to notice a different in the wear time of my makeup, but then I prefer textures similar to the Smashbox Photo Finish primer.
The Espresso Yourself Pallet is perhaps the fifth item I’ve tried by The Beauty Crop and this brand might be one of my favorite discoveries thus far. The shades are a perfect trio of neutral browns consisting of two shimmers and a darker matte shade. While not particularly exciting to look at, these are shades I could easily wear everyday to look awake and put together with a basic brown or black eyeliner.
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| The Beauty Crop (Left) and Stila Liquid Lipstick (Right) in direct natural light |
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| The Beauty Crop (left) and Stila Liquid Lipstick (right) in ambient natural light. |
I quite liked January's Birchbox. I got some use out of everything in the box and I adore the liquid lippie and the travel friendly eyeshadow trio. I've already blasted through the serum (primer?) and am currently in the midst of working on the facial moisturizer, though that one only gets used at night due to its thicker consistency. In all seriousness though, there is no way this box could have been a fail after I saw the Stila shade in January's box which also happened to just barely exceed the cost of the box on its own. Everything beyond that was just a bonus.
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