Is this my last month of Birchbox?? You'll have to keep reading for that, but I feel like I lucked out this month. There were quite a few unhappy people on Reddit, so I'm glad I'm not one of them. I also decided to switch it up a bit and get an add-on to my box. I chose the Acne Fix-it Kit which came with 6 samples specifically designed and highly rated for acne-prone skin. I've tested all, but one of the products and I've very much enjoyed it. I think add-ons are the way to go now because you can still get points from them because it's a purchase in the shop. July really brought it and impressed me. Which is hard to do given our history, so I appreciate the effort Birchbox. We're no longer in fight, so here we go...
Dr. Jart+ Water Drop Hydrating Moisturizer (Full-size $36): I have too many moisturizers, but I'm always willing to try a new one. Especially if it doesn't have SPF in it. This is also an extremely cool concept. You can actually see the product dew up like water droplets. It's the coolest concept! The photos and the videos do not do it justice. I haven't tried this as a day moisturizer yet, so I can't attest to how well it keeps the oils at bay. I suspect it will do great since it puts a nice barrier on your skin while it hydrates. If you can get a sample of this at your local Sephora I highly suggest trying it out. One tip though apply in sections and don't rub it into your hands, apply directly from the tube to your skin. Final Grade: A
Sample Choice: Smashbox X-Rated Mascara (Full-size $22): I'm a little overloaded with mascara samples at the moment, so I wasn't excited to see this as sample choice. I chose this mascara because I've wanted to try it and I'm also a really big fan of Smashbox Full Exposure, so I thought this could be a great new discovery. I've only used it once, and it did a decent job. I'll have to play around with it a bit more. Final Grade: TBD
LOC Ultra-Gloss Lip Pencil in Pink Punch ($12): I loved when Birchbox launched their first LOC collection with Tati Westbrook back in November. The lip product in that collection was a matte lipstick and I wasn't extremely impressed with it. This collection (done without Tati) are all glossy lip pencils. It's a nice sheer color, full-size, and has pretty good staying power. It's currently living in my purse. Final Grade: B
P.S. The glossy finish is the best! I am a matte lip fan, but sometimes I just want juicy, hyper shiny lips. I'm glad this is coming back as a trend.
CLEAN Air Eau de Parfum (Full-size $72): I think I have every CLEAN fragrance sample they've ever put out. For some reason I just never use them. I've heard to layer them, so maybe I'll try that with the others I have. Air isn't a bad fragrance, it's light and refreshing. It just doesn't last on my skin. I prefer a fragrance I only have to apply once a day, but I can see why people like these so much. Final Grade: C
Balance Me Radiance Fast Mask (Full-size $34): A Mask! I think my love for masks are known (and going to be knows from my July empties post). I've tried the Balance Me eye cream before and I rather liked it, so I was excited to get to try more from them. This, is a fantastic product! I've already used it 3x in 2 weeks, that's how much I like it. While it doesn't do much for acne, it just gives your complexion the nicest glow. I feel refreshed and alive after I use this. It's a gritty mask, so you can scrub while you rinse, which I love. I'm interested in getting the naturals skincare kit that they sell, just so I'll have a backup. I will say if you hate tingling masks or anything that has that natural almost medicinal smell I would skip this. Final Grade A
Add On: Acne Fix-it Kit $20
This kit came with a cleanser, a serum, 2 treatments, a mask, and a moisturizer. Some of the items I've previously tried (Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum, and Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer) and then 3 if the items I was super excited to try, which leaves the serum as a very nice extra. I used the Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser for about a week day and night and I really liked it. It's gritty, which I loved. I did switch back to my usual cleanser, but I've been using this after workouts for now. I decided to keep the Balance Me Congested Skin Serum in my gym makeup bag for the days I get ready at there before work. I'm actually really surprised by how much I like this. Again it has a strong medicinal smell like the mask and does tingle a bit when you put it on. No results yet though, hopefully soon.
This kit came with a cleanser, a serum, 2 treatments, a mask, and a moisturizer. Some of the items I've previously tried (Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum, and Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer) and then 3 if the items I was super excited to try, which leaves the serum as a very nice extra. I used the Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser for about a week day and night and I really liked it. It's gritty, which I loved. I did switch back to my usual cleanser, but I've been using this after workouts for now. I decided to keep the Balance Me Congested Skin Serum in my gym makeup bag for the days I get ready at there before work. I'm actually really surprised by how much I like this. Again it has a strong medicinal smell like the mask and does tingle a bit when you put it on. No results yet though, hopefully soon.
The Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant treatment was one of the main reasons I got this kit. I haven't used it long enough to notice a difference and I probably need to step up my use of it because I've heard such good things about it. I can only hope that it clears up this awful situation I've got going on in my chin area at the moment. I've worked the Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum into my routine already, at night only. I typically don't use spot treatments anymore because of everything else I was using, but I figured this couldn't hurt for one or two days in the pimples lifetime. I still prefer some benzoyl peroxide for acne.
I've never tried Malin+Goetz and I think this clay make was a great place to start. It took 10 minutes to harden, had a bit of grit, and really seemed to work. This is worth a few more religious tries to see if I can get any long-term benefits out of it. The only product I haven't used is the Juice Beauty moisturizer because I just don't want to open it right now. I've used it before, I know that it's oil-free and personally doesn't do anything for me. I'll wait until I use up a few more things before I bust this out. In total I think I got a great value out of this kit. According to the website it's a $60 value and I paid $20 on top of my monthly $10 fee (plus tax, thanks Massachusetts!). Everything was decently sized and I'll get enough uses out of them to determine whether or not they're for me. Final Grade: A
So my last month of Birchbox turned out pretty good. Well to be honestly I was really impressed with this box and I in fact did not cancel. I'll admit they roped me back in with sample choice (it was that good). And I got another add on for next month. *cough* a mask kit *cough*. I couldn't help myself. Plus you still get points if you purchase add-ons. I know I was pretty adamant about quitting after this month, but I'm going to stick it out. We'll see where it goes from here. I did get to peek at my box for next month and it looked pretty makeup heavy which has never happened to me. I did get a sampler of a palette, so I'm hoping that it's not a cardboard sample like from a couple of years ago. Anyone remember that Smashbox Full Exposure palette sampler? Because I for sure do. I'll be sure keep you updated on any future decisions. Until next time, that's all for now!
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