Birchbox March 2014 Review

Birchbox March 2014 Review

Well, it's March.  I set the clocks forward and went out without a jacket yesterday.  Birchbox showed up, and I have some little crocuses popping out of the piles of salt and sand next to my driveway.  It's starting to look like spring!

Birchbox March 2014

As usual, my Birchbox shows up before boxes have updated on their site.  It's a total surprise, and that is fine with me.

First look, March 2014 Birchbox

This month's theme is, "getting more out of everything."  Ok? Sure.

BB Find: Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream (light)

This is a Birchbox Find: a drugstore product that BB includes in your box, usually along with a coupon.  

Jergens claims that this BB cream for your body will hydrate, illuminate, even, firm, and correct your skin tone.  It comes in two shades, one for light skin and one for medium and deep tones.

It smells good, it is light and warm.  I usually use a tinted lotion on my legs if I wear a skirt or dress (so I don't blind people with my ultra-pasty-ness), and I don't think that this will take its place.  It might even things out with continual use, and continual use of any lotion will keep you hydrated, but I'm just too pale.  

This is a 1 fl.oz. sample, and the full size (7.5 fl.oz.) sells for about $10 at most drugstores.  Sample worth $1.33

GrandCentral Beauty S.M.A.R.T. Skin Perfecting Serum + Primer

I can kinda see how this fits into BB's theme this month.  This all-in-one serum and primer is supposed to hydrate, smooth, act as an anti-aging serum, prime, fill lines, even redness, wipe your butt, etc..

The thing I like most about it, is that it smells like lilacs!  So nice!  It absorbed into my skin really, really quickly, and I ended up using more than I normally would with a comparable product.  My skin does feel pretty smooth, though.  You know what? I like it.  I'll definitely use this!  I haven't tried it under makeup yet, but I am sure it won't be any worse than using no primer at all.

Full-size (50 mL) is $68 on the company's website, making the 6 mL sample worth $8.16.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum

I have a full size of this, courtesy of PSMH, and I like it.  I haven't really worn any extra sunscreen lately, just what is in my foundation/BB cream.  But, spring is coming up and hopefully the weather will be brighter and sunnier, and I'll have to start wearing this under my makeup once again.  It's a nice sunscreen, and I definitely recommend it- but I wouldn't go out and spend all that money on it, myself.  If you are sensitive to a lot of chemical sunscreens out there, it might be worth it to try to find a sample.  It has decent ingredients and is very light on the skin.

Full size (50 mL) is $42 on the Supergoop site. 10 mL sample is worth $8.40.

Keims Hair Care- Peppermint & Macadamia Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo

While I haven't tried this shampoo yet, I'm not sure if I am looking forward to it.  There aren't any mineral oils, silicones, or parabens in this formula, and peppermint is always a good shampoo scent.  It doesn't smell overpowering to me, but who knows how it will behave when it's all lathered up.  However, it WILL lather up- the second ingredient is sodium laureth sulfate.  That's too bad; I don't use sulfate-based shampoos on my hair.  My haircolor lasts longer if I don't, and I have found my hair to be less dry after switching to sulfate-free products.

This is fairly affordable, 250 mL for $9.50 on the BB site.  Sample is 50 mL, worth $1.90.

Inika Eyeliner in Green Lagoon

I liked the Inika eyeshadow I received in BB a few months ago, and this color is perfect for complementing that shade!  I really, really like the sharpener in the cap!  I tend to do my makeup in the car, and sometimes I forget to bring my eyeliners in for sharpening and they get too dull to use.

Inika Eyeliner in Green Lagoon

The color on the pencil end cap is exactly the color it shows up on the skin.  The pencil is not too hard, and not too soft.  It's a lighter metallic color, though, so it doesn't pack as much of a punch, even though the pigmentation is pretty good.  Bonus: This is an Organic, Eco-Friendly brand.

Full size, retails for $29 on Inika's site, and $20 on Birchbox.

Total: $39.79

This was a better box than the others I've gotten lately!  I will probably end up giving away the shampoo (because I won't use it) and the sunscreen (because I have a full size), but I like the eyeliner, primer, and lotion.  Factor in the points (10 points = 1$ per review), and this was a decent box.  The points always make it worth it, though!

Birchbox costs $10 per month, and you can sign up using my referral link here.  I'll get 50 BB points per sign up.  For every 100 points you accumulate, you get $10 to spend in the BB site.  Each month BB sends you 4-6 (mostly) sample-sized products.  There is a personalization quiz and a lot of box variations that go out every month.  You cannot skip a month.

All items in this post were paid for by me and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  No special consideration or compensation was received for this post.  This post contains a referal link; see above for details.