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.

Birchbox Review, January 2014

Birchbox January 2014 Review

Birchbox was so early this year that my online profile hadn't updated with my box items when this arrived.  I'm not complaining, I get the box early and I don't spoil it for myself! Win-win.

Birchbox January 2014: Go Time

The box felt pretty full, which made me excited.

First Look... is that a hairspray? womp womp

I was slightly miffed to see an aerosol container, thinking it was another hairspray.  I don't like hairspray.  However, the actual product was much more interesting.  Read on...

Birchbox Finds: Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion with Clary Sage

Every so often, BB will include a drugstore product in that month's box.  These "don't take the place of regular samples" but sometimes they seem to.  I don't mind, as BB tends to send products that are really nice, and generally are something I wouldn't spend money on.

This face lotion by Burt's Bees lives up to the company's reputation.  It's a nice facial lotion that absorbed quickly.  I'm not sure if there is enough in the 7g sample to decide if it really does reduce visible signs of aging like lines and wrinkles, but I don't really believe any products actually do that anyway.  It has a moderately strong scent that might not appeal to everyone, but I don't mind it.

Sample size is 7g, and the full size (50g) is $18.  The sample is worth $2.52.

Harvey Prince Journey

Although I normally hate perfume samples, and I have my BB profile set to send me the minimal number per year, I wasn't sorry to see a new Harvey Prince scent included this month.  I bought a full size of their Ageless perfume after getting a sample in BB, and I have liked another scent, Hello, after trying that one.  This isn't my favorite of the three, though.  It smells like orange and grape candy.  Mixed together.  It's super sweet and fruity, and though there are other exotic notes listed, all I smell are orange and grape.  Eh.  

Full size is $55 for 50 mL, and the sample is about 1.5 mL, making it worth $1.65.

Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Conditioner

Ahh... the non-hairspray.  It's actually a dry conditioner.  What?  I have dry shampoos, and I actually like one or two of them, but I've never heard of a dry conditioner.  I suppose it makes sense.  The bottle says to use it on the mid-to-ends section of hair after dry shampoo.  I did, and it made my hair soft and added a fresh, but not overpowering, scent.  I like this idea, especially if I have straightened or curled my hair and don't want to add in a water-based product (hi, frizz), but still want to condition.  

Nice.  This is what BB should be about: introducing people to new and interesting products that they might not hear of otherwise.

Full size is 3.2 oz for $25, and this 1.2 oz sample is worth $9.38.

Inikia Mineral Eyeshadow in Eternal Marine

Next up is a mineral eyeshadow by Inika.  Eternal Marine is a gray-based shadow with muted green and blue tones on top.  It's really pretty, and will definitely need a primer.

Eternal Marine swatched once over bare skin

This is a nice change of pace from the weird mineral shadow colors I've gotten in sub boxes.  This is a very wearable shade that will look nice with every eye color.

This is full sized, 1.2g, and sells for $20 on the BB site.

Nail Rock Nail Velvet in Navy

Last up is something that I couldn't believe BB sent!  It's a nail velvet set from Nail Rock, which includes a polish and a velvet flocking powder for on top of the polish.

Nail Rock Polish and Velvet Powder

I did a quick test of the set, since I've never done a velvet mani before.  I had on 2 coats of Julep Lucy, so I just added one coat of Navy polish on top (good coverage!) and dipped my finger in the little pot of velvet powder.  I used a finger of my other hand to tap off some of the excess (tapping the knuckle, not the nail) and let it dry.  I've seen some people repeat this process (polish, then powder, then let dry) twice, and I think that would be a good strategy.  I didn't get full powder coverage on my nail from just one dip in the powder.

Nail Rock Velvet Mani on ring finger

This is an interesting look, it's fuzzy!  

The sets sell for $4.99 at Urban Outfitters.

All together!

Total Value $38.64

This was a great start to the year.  I'm not crazy about the perfume scent, but it was from a brand I like.  The eyeshadow is beautiful, the nail kit is perfect for me, the dry conditioner is unique, and the face lotion is a decent find.  Add that onto the $5 credit I'll get for reviewing these products on the BB site, and this was an awesome box.

Birchbox costs $10 per month and sends you 4-6 samples of higher-end skin, hair, and makeup products.  Each product you review gets you 10 BB points, and every 100 points can be redeemed for $10 credit to the site.  This is one of the best deals out there when points are incorporated. If you want to try it out, please use my link here.  I'll get 50 BB points.

All items in this post were purchased by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and no special credit or compensation was received.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.