Skip to main content

Everyday Magic ~ Birchbox June 2016~

Oh Birchbox, we meet again. This will actually be my second to last time reviewing a Birchbox. I will be canceling my subscription after July because they made some changes to their business practices, it was a big deal I'm kinda over it, so let's just say they're jerks. Anywho, let's get to my overall impression shall we? Not a bad month, although I did get another expensive perfume and I'm in love with it, so I'm kinda upset at that. I had a really great January and then the boxes dropped off in quality, so I would rate this box like the past few months, not good, not bad, just okay.
Sample choice: Benefit Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel in Medium (FS $24):
I was kinda happy this was out sample choice because I've always wanted to try this, but have never really pulled the trigger. I love a good brow pencil, and it wasn't until trying Glossier's Boy Brow that I discovered how fantastic and easy brow gels or "mascaras" could be. This item is just okay. I feel like I should've went with a lighter color and I don't understand this redesigned packaging. I find that the cap is extremely hard to hold, not sure if that is due to the small size of this sample, or the diamond like design. I don't think after trying this I will purchase a full-size because it is nowhere near my Glossier Boy Brow or Maybelline Brow Precise Pencil I've loved for years, also they're cheaper. Final Grade: C

Histories de Parfums This is Not a Blue Bottle (FS $108):
I'm over these over priced perfume samples, because I always end up loving them! The top notes are heavy on the manly scents (orange, metal), the middle notes smell strangely like rubbing alcohol, and the bottom notes are very much vanilla. I've worn this all day and I truly have grown to love it. Now all I have to do is troll the internet for a cheaper price, because I will not pay that much for an ounce. Final Grade: A

Laura Gellar Baked Gellato Illuminator in Gilded Honey (FS $26):
This was the item I was most excited to see in my box! Even though I am (still) drowning in highlighters I had to put this to test right away. My final decision is that it's pretty fantastic. I was nervous that the color, which is quite warm wouldn't be good with my skintone, but it's so blendable and beautiful it's perfect! I can't say enough good things about it. The only strange thing about it is I thought for some reason that it would be soft and buttery, but it's a bit stiff. Not a problem, just wasn't what I was expecting texture wise. Final Grade: A



Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit (FS $25.50):
This product has been circulating in Birchboxes for a few years now, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. Since I'm a skincare junkie this was pretty exciting to get to try. I believe this is the number one skincare item in the UK, so that made me very excited to try it. After only using it once it was just okay. I wasn't sure if i was supposed to use my regular cleanser after. I'll have to play around with it a bit more. Seemed like a lot of work to just take my makeup off though. Final Grade: TBD

Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream (FS $49):
Ummm this is expensive. I haven't even tried it yet, and I already know I'll probably like it. This is also for coarse, thick hair which I don't have, so we'll see how it works. It smells really good though. Final Grade: TBD

While I was happy with the samples this month, I'm just not that excited about them. I'm hoping that my last month will be better. I need to cut back on expenses and I feel that it is time to let Birchbox go. I'm not completely sure yet though, so stay tuned for that update. Sample choice is already up for next month and we get to choose from 3 different mascaras. My only problem with that is one of the mascaras is Benefit's They're Real, which I actually just got in my Sephora Play bag and have already gifted away because it's just not for me. I'm thinking about the Smashbox mascara, I tend to like mascaras from them. That's all for now!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee or Another Disappointing Read

A Book that Came Out this Year: The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee Ugh what a downer. Usually I'll stop reading something if it doesn't grab me within the first 50 pages, and I didn't have to do that here because within the first 50 I was in. It was the middle 200 that really wasn't that great. The best way to describe The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee is to take Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner minus the breastfeeding and Mommy woes and add in an exotic local and kidnapping. Not that I don't love myself some Jenn Weiner, but I thought this was going to be 100% different. Damn you GMA, you pulled me in with a review and it was not like you said! Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother o...

The Pulitzer Prize Dilemma...

I've been having a hard time deciding on what to read in order to check off Pulitzer prize winner on my reading list. Originally I wanted to read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  After some further research, I read a lot of reviews that weren't very kind about Ms. Tartt's work. And they weren't professional reviews either, they were just ordinary reviewers on Goodreads, because the professional reviews that seemed to only fawn over this book. I'm conflicted. I fell like I should at least give The Goldfinch a try, but it's a really big book. I have some backups A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr . I've just finished the 4th book in The Selection Series, so now I can focus on this daunting task ahead of me. Any suggestions if this doesn't work out? I'm open to non-fiction winners as well! UPDATE: Okay so The Goldfinch definitely did not work out. I think I'm going to go with A ll the Lig...

Terrible True Stories

Two books I read in January were both non-fiction accounts that were informative, sad, and grotesquely interesting. The first being Gracia Burnham's In the Presence of My Enemies , a terrifying recount of Burnham & her husbands time being held captive by an Islamic military sect, Abu Sayyaf, based in the Philippines. The second non-fiction novel was Jerry Oppenheimer's Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty . I don't think it needs a one sentence summary because really we can all draw our own conclusions from that title. Photo Courtesy of Goodreads Quick Facts: Based on the true story of two American missionaries taken hostage in the Philippines. The Burnham's (Gracia & Martin) spent over a year in captivity. Rescue attempts along with the actual rescue were very botched resulting in the wounding of Gracia & the deaths of Martin, as well as one other remaining hostage.  Okay so that's not a lot of qu...