February 2018 Birchbox Review

It snowed quite a bit today and felt like February outside so sure, why not throw in a February review mid-April? I feel like Birchbox did not really try in February and yet I still managed to benefit a bit in value in just the first item I noticed.

February's box included:

• The Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - $11.53
• Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray - $3.00, Cruelty Free
• CLEAN Reserve Amber Saffron Eau de Parfum - $3.68
• MAC Cosmetics False Lashes Mascara - $2.00 (estimate)
• ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm in Berry Busy - $14.00 Vegan, Cruelty Free

 

The Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream was the first true repeat item I’ve received from Birchbox since subscribing over a year ago (reviewed here). So far as repeats go, I’m glad it was this useful sample instead of say another makeup item or a repeat dry shampoo. The size very generous and I’m. It even a quarter of the way through the tube I received in October, though I’ve been using and reviewing other eye creams in between as well so that is definitely a factor. Plus one for Birchbox for giving me something useful.

I’ve seen Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray at least twice now in subscription boxes (reviewed here, and here) and I’m tired of it. As my eldest’s hair gets longer and dryer, Briogeo becomes less effective. It was great for curl definition about a year ago but now it is just too lightweight to be effective. On the other hand, something like Cantú leave-in conditioner is too heavy and weighs down her curls. Right now the only thing working there is hair oil and nothing more. I will continue my search for the white whale that is the perfect hair care product for Lizzie. Olive on the other hand has such thick curly hair that Briogeo is just a joke when attempting to tame that mane. "I can't even..." seems appropriate here.

So far I’ve enjoyed all of the CLEAN Reserve brand perfumes I received. February’s offering was the Amber Saffron Eau de Parfum. I'm kind of pissed, I lost this perfume somewhere. Even if it wasn’t a favorite, I would have used it regardless just to switch things up. It smelled great: gourmand, musky, sexy. On me however it turned into an odd, peppery scent. Not offensive, just not the right fit for me. Needless to say, this scent did not get me laid. 

The MAC Cosmetics False Lashes Mascara is a bit of a misnomer. This tiny tube of mascara is deceiving firstly in that the tube is hard. I was hoping it would be spiteful so I could squeeze as much product out of the tube as possible. The brush, while not small, takes up a majority of the contents of the tube so really there is very little product to work with. Really though, it’s Birchbox so I don’t ever expect decent sized samples. Here’s where the misnomer comes into play. The formula is. Or overly wet and does a great job at defining lashes but other than that there is no notable increase in length or volume. It just provides very nice natural looking lashes. Roll a tear and you have a smudgy mess though. The volume seemed so minimal that I cannot tell if the brush was effectively coated to give an accurate. No volume was provided on the packaging so the value is just an estimate

 

My least favorite item in the box was the ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm in the shade Berry Busy. I learned as a child at Sally’s and other no-name beauty supply places that I cannot wear color changing makeup, lipsticks in particular. They claim to be based off of one’s personal skin tone or pH (either claim is horse shit) but really any that I’ve encountered just turn the same unflattering-on-me shade of pink due to the ingredient Red 27 that happens to be water activated (think atmospheric moisture). Into the Gloss does a great job of translating this into laymen’s terms while The Beauty Brains provide more thorough science and detail. While I never would have spent money on this product, the temptation and allure is always there and I couldn’t help but try and hope. I can guarantee that I would have the same naive hope if I ever get my hands on Lipstick Queen’s Hello Sailor for whatever reason.

Left: single swipe, Right: built up swatch

Aside from the shade of the product itself, the package design is pretty cute. The quality of the packaging itself leaves a bit to be desired considering the retail price of this balm is $14. The tube is a sturdier plastic but I would be hard pressed to call it $14 worth of plastic, even if it is Birchbox’s in-house brand. The stick applies smoothly enough, about as well as quality Chap-Stick, not as great as “newly” formulated Burt’s Bees but not as poorly as the ultra waxy Burt’s Bees from yesteryear. 

The mascara was alright but the only item I was truly excited to see was the Wonder Eye Cream, which I very recently received in a previous box, bringing the value of this box to about $12.53 (estimated). I've used up the Briogeo already and I've either used or lost the perfume, over which I'm still annoyed. Since I've both swatched and worn the lip balm I cannot pass that off to anybody so it looks like it will be an evening balm that I either will wear for nighttime hydration or for the days where I'm feeling like a particularly chapped hermit.