Birchbox is a $10 monthly subscription that sends members 5 beauty, haircare or skincare samples straight to their doorstep. Admittedly, the sizes aren't the largest but Birchbox does provide customers with high end and occasionally relatively unknown brands. I like to think of Birchbox as a low risk, mid range to high end discovery box. The best part, items can be purchased in the Birchbox Shop with each dollar spent being converted to points that can be used towards future purchases in the shop. Occasionally Birchbox will send out bonus foil packet samples and I really must find out how they determine which subscribers will receive bonus items and which ones won't. This month, including bonus items, I received 8 items and the box itself was pretty darn cute.
Real Chemistry 3-Minute Peel -
$11.50
Ouai Leave-In Conditioner
- $5.53
Juara Candlenut
Body Crème - $2.33
The first bonus item I received was the Estèe Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex II, which is a lot of words for “Eye Treatment.” This was more of a jelly than a gel or cream and had the oddest texture. It felt almost powdery, the quality I like about some of my favorite serums but it also had an almost petroleum texture it at the same time. It was as if it wanted to feel greasy but was unable to commit to that texture. I wasn’t a fan of this eye treatment upon first application but after about 30 minutes it left my eyes feeling hydrated without feeling too coated in Crisco and Vaseline. I liked it even more after it penetrated my skin overnight. I woke up with the skin around my eyes feeling very supple. Holy shit, did I just change my mind on a $60 product that I will never drop that kind of cash on? I need to find a dupe, stat. Oh, and it occurred to me that the 0.5mL probably cost far more to package than to product. I mean, FAR outside the profit margin.
I
tried the Real Chemistry 3-Minute Peel in one of my first Birchboxes from Ipsy back in 2017 and I don’t recall disliking it. There was just a general indifference.
This should be right up my alley since I was absolutely that kid in school who
liked peeling dried Elmer’s School Glue off of my hands. Instead I’m always
left feeling like it’s just a bit too gimmicky for my taste. There’s also no
mild exfoliation upon initial application as it is a smooth, clear gel that
happens to pearl up when rubbed into clean dry skin. I’m pretty sure it’s the
product itself that is pearling, not any dry facial skin, none of the clumps
contain hair or anything.
My Ouai Leave-In Conditioner sample was gone three days after I got it. It only lasted two uses for 1oz. That stuff was amazing in Lizzie’s hair. I realize I say that about a lot of lightweight leave-in conditioners, sorry, but this one is pretty great. It is light weight, sprayed without clogging the nozzle, was very hydrating without weighing her curls down and actually penetrated. A few spritzes were more than enough to effectively condition her air and give it a healthy shine. I wish there the sample was large enough to try on Olivia’s hair (we’re talking type 3A/3B compared to 3B/3C. It actually makes a huge difference in performance.) I may have to make a Sephora run someday for a few Ouai products.
I received what I guess could be technically considered a full sized item in the form of ModelCo’s Luxècreme Long Wear Lipstick. Birchbox sent one shade out of a trio kit but the lipstick itself is a full sized bullet in the color Sienna. I found the texture to be smooth and creamy but unfortunately when swatched I realized it’s not a color that will work for me. I had to refrain from wearing it on my lips so I could pass it on to somebody at work so sadly I cannot attest to its long wear claim. It would have been nice if the shade pulled more brown than pink, or even a brick red but fortune was not on my side in March.
I’m
intrigued by Smashbox Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer but I remain on the
fence. I seem to be having a hard time finding bullet lipsticks to use it with.
Over the weekend I tried wearing it over Wet n Wild’s lipstick in Cashmere, one
of my few traditional formula lipsticks. Cashmere is a deep espresso brown with
a slightly frosty satin finish so I thought “Why not?” I applied and blotted
twice before adding Insta-Matte on top. The formula is not transfer-resistant,
it’s not long lasting at all. Perhaps the most damning characteristic against
the product is that it pulls up lipstick that is already on my lips. I’ve tried
applying it from the tube, with my finger, with applicators, each method
results in less than desirable results.
Juara Candlenut Body Crème is my second foray into Juara products and let me say, it smells
great. The formula is non-greasy and while I find it doesn’t hydrate my hands for
very long the scent subtle enough and smells enough like a sensual candle that
I would be willing to use it to give my husband a back rub (if full sized),
thus resulting in another pregnancy that I’m perfectly good without at this
stage in life. Wait, would an almond scent candle be considered a sensual
scented candle? Probably not, but I have a very bland life.
The
other bonus samples I received were the R+Co TELEVISION Perfect Hair Shampoo
and Conditioner. 7mL is a ridiculously tiny amount to work with, especially
with my hair length and thickness so really I’m only able to comment on the
scent of these two products. The shampoo smelled like a mix of floral perfume
and black pepper. The foil packet was so small I couldn’t even get a full first
lather in and had to supplement with a random shampoo I had just hanging out in
the shower caddy. I couldn’t detect any real scent in the conditioner because
the smell of the shampoo was so overpowering that it lingered in my nose for
the next several minutes. This foil packet was all insufficient to get any idea
of how the product works.
While it wasn't the most thrilling box ever, I did end up with a shload of items, a few of which were new to me and a couple of which I absolutely loved. The value of my box came out to be about $41.60 which is a great investment at the $10 price point considering just about everything will get used. It was a month with very few legitimate gripes. I wish I could make March my baseline for minimum Birchbox acceptance criteria.
While it wasn't the most thrilling box ever, I did end up with a shload of items, a few of which were new to me and a couple of which I absolutely loved. The value of my box came out to be about $41.60 which is a great investment at the $10 price point considering just about everything will get used. It was a month with very few legitimate gripes. I wish I could make March my baseline for minimum Birchbox acceptance criteria.
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