Retrospective: Birchbox September 2012

See my first Retrospective for the answers to the quiz that I used.

September 2012: Month 7

Birchbox and Color Club Custom Collection in Tweet Me
Photo from Birchbox

Ugh.  Not only is this a gross chartreuse creme, it is another Color Club polish.  Like all the other polishes I have by this brand it is streaky, chips fast, and needs at least 3 coats.

Full size 0.5 oz for $8, this 0.25 oz sample is $4.

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint in Linen
Photo from Birchbox

Jouer makes a great product, and this is no exception.  I like the matte moisture tint even more than the Luminizing version I received in the March 2013 box.  It has great coverage and isn't too heavy.  This matte version keeps you shine-free all day.  Linen was a little warm for my skin tone, I think Porcelain would have been better.

Full size $38 for 50 mL.  Sample size of 2 mL valued at $1.52

kate spade new york Twirl
Photo from Birchbox

Perfume sample overload! This was before BB added more options into their profile, including the glorious "please don't send me perfume samples more than 6 times a year."  I don't like this one as much as some of the other samples I've gotten.  I did wear it about a week ago and it lasted all day and while it wasn't unpleasant, I did not like the whiffs of it I got throughout the day.  I'll stick to my kate spade handbags, thank you ;)

Full size $80 for 100 mL.  Sample (1.5 mL) value $1.20

LA FRESH Eco Beauty Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover Wipes
Photo from Birchbox

I've written about my hatred for these before.  I'm not getting worked up about them again.

$9.99 for 20 packets.  Value of 1 worthless packet $0.50

Mighty Leaf Tea in Green Tea Tropical, Chamomile Citrus, and Vanilla Bean
Photo from Birchbox

Green Tea Tropical is seriously my very favorite tea of all time.  I am so glad BB sent these samples to me!  I am also glad that the little coffee shop at the top of campus stocks this brand, so I can have green tea tropical all winter long.  It tastes a lot like Panera's iced green tea, except hot. Delicious.

$9.95 for 15 pouches.  Value of 3 pouches $1.99.  I should just buy these and make my own damn tea.  That wouldn't give me the excuse to leave my office, though...

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
Photo from Birchbox

I liked this scrub.  It was not gentle, but not like I was rubbing my face in a sandbox.  It also has lasted me up until now, about a year, of using it 1-2 times per month, and I still have a couple uses left.  It doesn't take much!  Nice.  Now I have to hope I get sent another face scrub so I don't go out and buy the full size when I run out!  

$34 for 120 grams, making the 20 gram sample worth $5.67

Total Value $14.88.

This was a mixed bag.  What was good was very, very good, and what was bad was horrid.  Oh well.  I'll give the polish to a friend to paint his fishing lures.  Maybe they will like it more than I do!





Birchbox costs $10/month, including shipping and sends you a box of 4-6 samples and sometimes full-sized products.  You can review the products you receive for 10 Birchbox points each.  For every $1 you spend in the BB shop, you also receive 1 BB point.  For every 100 BB points you accumulate, you get $10 to spend in their shop.  If you would like to sign up, my link is here and I will earn 50 BB points at the end of your first month.

This post contains products I purchased with my own money.  No compensation was received for this post and all opinions are my own.  This post contains a referral link, see above for details.

Popsugar Must Have July 2013 Review

Popsugar Must Have July 2013 Review

Why, yes, Popsugar, I will enjoy!

I wasn't thrilled with the spoilers I had seen, but now that the box is here, I'm happy with it. I wasn't happy that it was NOT sealed and could have fallen open at any time on the journey here, but whatever. Everything is accounted for. The contents:

Mighty Leaf Iced Tea in Calypso Mango flavor.
4 tea bags, each makes 1/2 gallon. YUM. Mighty Leaf makes some delicious teas (green tea tropical is delightful) and I can't wait to take up a nice big pitcher of this. I'm glad I got the mango flavor instead of the peach. I like peach iced tea, but I can get that at any time. Mango is a little more interesting.


ncLA polish in "As If!"
As if is a pretty pastel purple. This is one of my favorite year-round nail colors, and I have never tried an ncLA polish. I am seriously impressed. The brush is perfect for thin, even layers of color with minimal effort, and the formula goes on smoothly and dries fast.

2 coats.

Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Crunchy Cookie Chips by Hannamax Baking
I'll give these to my boyfriend, as I don't like sweets and he is a fiend for them.

Supergoop! Sunscreen
Sunscreen makes me happy. I'm super pale and I like to keep it that way. I don't tan and I don't like to burn, so I wear sunscreen every day at least on my face. This has won a bunch of awards, but I'll be able to see for myself if it is as awesome as everyone says. It does have cyclomethicone in it, so if you are avoiding silicones on your face, just a heads up. I don't care either way, I don't break out easily.

King Cube Tray by Tovolo.
My dad has a few ice cube trays by this company, including the King Cubes.  He is a man who is serious about his ice cubes and if this is good enough to keep my dad's drinks cold without getting too watery, then it is good enough for me! These will be awesome in my iced tea. Pro tip: for clearer ice cubes, use boiled (but not distilled) water. It has less dissolved air, which is why ice cubes can be cloudy.

Rose Double Curb Chain necklace by Baublebar
This came with a 20% off code. I like it more than I expected to. It is absolutely not something I would pick for myself, but it looks nice with what I happened to wear to work today:

I look better without a face, trust me.

Popsugar Must Have costs $35 per month, but you get a better deal if you buy a multi-month subscription.  The August box is currently sold out; if you sign up now, September will be your first box.  If you would like to sign up, here is my referral link.

This post contains items that I purchased through Popsugar.  All opinions are my own.  This post also contains a referral link.  If 2 people sign up using my link, I receive a free box.