I am a product junkie. Always on the prowl for the perfect product; the magical potion that will “fix” everything wrong. Heads up. If I ever stay at your house, I will probably use some of your product. Always questing. Which is why, this year for my birthday, I subscribed to Birchbox. If you aren’t familiar with the company, Birchbox is a monthly-subscription service that sends you four or five sample-sized beauty/lifestyle products in a lovely box. I’ve had it for two months now and I love it. It is always such a nice surprise when the box arrives- makes my day! I loved Coralie’s friend Courtney Taylor’s awesome guest post on her beauty favs and thought I would do something similar. If you aren’t into product reviews, then you may want to give this post a pass… but, then you would also miss two travel tips and learn what kind of adult, gummy multivitamins are the best. You wouldn’t want to miss that. So, here we go! Here is what I received in my last two Birchboxes:
June 2014:
suki® exfoliate foaming cleanser– This was the stand out product for me in the batch. It was lemony, sugary, rinsed clean, and had the appropriate level of abrasiveness in an exfoliating cleanser. This is a product I might actually buy this. COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face– I was excited by the premise of this but am still not sold after using it twice. A little goes a long, long way, and the coverage is meh. It is mineral-based which means it slightly burns my skin like mineral makeups. But, I like that it is SPF without feeling like sunscreen.
Folle de Joie eau de parfum– This scent is lovely. I have cultivated a perfume bottle collection, so I try not to buy more… but (TRAVEL TIP) the small perfume spray bottles are great for traveling. Not only do you get to try out a new scent, but it saves packing space. Yes, I have once traveled with a bottle of perfume. Never again. Here is the description pf the fragrance from the website: “The perfume opens with a burst of freshness from an intimate blend of calming citrus and a light woodsy floral, giving away to playful hints of cognac. Its middle notes—jasmine and Damascenia rose—give the fragrance a carefree, summery vibe. Finally, warm base notes of spicy woods and rich leather add a seductive finish.” Tell me that doesn’t sound lovely.
Perlier Body Cream– This lotion is shea butter-based which I hate. It is just a personal preference. I don’t like the greasiness of shea butter or the way it dries. I’m kind of picky about my lotions, in fact. I tried this lotion once and sent it straight to my guest bathroom medicine cabinet for any so inclined future guest.
Coastal Scents® Revealed 2 Palette– This was a sample palette of four eye shadows. The colors were all comparable to things I already have in my arsenal but I used it for a few days to be able to review it. The texture of this eye shadow is very rich. It felt like I was dragging my eye shadow brush through liquid velvet. I applied the shadow over eyelid primer and it lasted well enough, without creasing, throughout the day. The glitter component of the highlight color didn’t stick around to long. But still, it was a fun summery item to throw into the make-up mix.
May 2014:
Number 4™ Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner– As someone with thick, curly, frizzy hair I generally give any hair product with the word “volume” a very wide berth. In fact, after I pulled these out of the box, I went back to the website and checked my Birchbox subscription profile to make sure that I had told them about my crazy hair. I had. But, hesitantly gave it a shot. I’m always on the hunt for the penultimate shampoo/conditioner. I, generally, only wash my hair once a week. And after reading about how the chemicals in shampoo and conditioner leach into your skin while showering, I have been making a conscious effort to use better products. Nuema is a great, safe hair care line, if that is also something in which you have an interest. I used this product the day before I went to donate my hair as one of the requirements is that the hair be clean when cut. It smelled great. I hate that they gave me more shampoo than conditioner in the sample packet. My hair requires a lot of conditioner, so the ratio was less than ideal for me. Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow– I never get on the BB, CC, or DD cream craze. Should I? Do you? What should I know? I tried this. It left me a little greasier than normal. Sometimes I’ve found that “glowing” in the cosmetics industry translates to “greasy” on my face. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. This product is a little darker than my usual retinue which I guess is the “golden” component. I didn’t fall in love with it.
Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner- This was the stand out product for me in this batch. This eyeliner is amazing. It is silver and silky and perfection. Probably one of the best stick eyeliners I’ve ever encountered. And that is saying something as I’ve been in the eyeliner game for almost 20 years (uggh… so old). It glides on easily with no skin tugging. Normally silver is a hard eyeliner for color saturation and normally needs many coats. Not this stuff. Unfortunately, for Birchbox and Cynthia Rowley, it takes me forever to go through a stick of eyeliner. BUT, next time I’m in the market for eyeliner, I’m going straight here.
Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Lotion- I used all of this. I kept it by my nightstand to use when I lotion my hands before bed. It smelled nice- like cucumbers and aloe. But, as I mentioned above, I am quite picky when it comes to lotion. This lotion was alright. It felt like it belonged in a nice-hotel bathroom toiletry kit. It is what it is. Nothing revolutionary. But, I do enjoy travel-sized lotions for their portability (in purses, while traveling, in the car) and have taken multiples from hotel housekeeping carts if the lotion is super awesome. This offering was just okay.
SmartyPants All-in-One Gummy Vitamins for Adults–Meh. These were not as yummy as the gummy multi-vitamins Josh and I take now. Though, if you want a yummy-tasting, adult multi-vitamins imma point you to vitafusion’s MultiVites. They are super yummy and available in grocery stores, drug stores, big box stores, and also in our FTTDWYW store! They are so tasty that I look forward to taking them. High praise for a vitamin.
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That’s it! What do you think? Do you subscribe to Birchbox? Are you always on the quest for the perfect product? Do you have any hands-down best recommendations? As always, let us know!
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