Wednesday, September 17, 2014

My Very First Birchbox!

What's better than getting a box full of awesome goodies? Getting a box of awesome goodies customized specifically for you every month. That is exactly what Birchbox is. Every month you get 4-5 deluxe samples (or sometimes full sized items), usually skincare but also makeup products or only $10. Birchbox tends to have higher end items, so the value of your samples can be very high. Birchbox also has an amazing rewards program. Each time you review an item (or purchase items from their shop) you get points. For every 100 points you earn you get $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. So basically every other month you get $10 to use to buy stuff you loved, or you can save them up and get a big haul. The whole system is really amazing and there are TONS of great items in their shop, including everything that's in your box that month.


September is their 4th anniversary, so the box was extra special this time. Your Birchbox comes in an actual cardboard box each month and this month's box was amazing. Apparently there were several different colors you could get as well. The theme this month was "Fresh Paint", sort of a put your best face forward sort of thing.


My goodies even came wrapped in tissue paper, so it really did feel like a present. I actually got 6 items this month, 5 normal and one Birchbox Find (which I'll explain in a bit). My breakdown is 3 skincare and 3 makeup items, which works great for me. I have a ton of makeup but my skincare collection is a tad small right now. There is an information card included with the items I received and how much a full sized one costs, which I think is such a smart idea.


While this looks like a perfume, it is actually Caudalie Divine Oil. Caudalie is a French skincare company that makes really high end products, this one is a dry oil you can use on your skin, hair, whatever basically. I'm using it on my cuticles currently, and it is super hydrating. A little goes a long way and oh my god does this stuff smell amazing! And the smell lasts all day I swear. The only downside is that a full sized bottle (50 mL) is $32, making it a bit spendy. My sample is 3 mL, giving it a value of $1.92. I'll be on the lookout for a cheaper dupe for sure.


I was hoping I'd get a BB cream, and I got one in my very first box. Dr Jart is a Korean brand, and apparently a really nice/well known brand at that. I received the Dr.Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm.


At first I thought the color was way off for me, but it blended in really well with my face. The only problem is it's very thick, I had to buff it in to make it look good. I'm going to try again tomorrow using my stippling brush to apply it, but I think I just need something lighter than this. A full sized tube is 1.5 oz and $36, making my sample worth $4.80.


Temptu is a brand I've been reading about lately, they have an at home airbrushing system that looks pretty good, so I was excited to receive a sample of their highlighter. This Temptu S/B Highlighter is very different from other highlighters I've tried, this one is a silicone based liquid.


The color is called Champagne Shimmer, and looks great on my cheekbones but because it's colored it can look a little weird in other places if you don't blend it out. While I like it I don't love it, so I won't be repurchasing it once my sample runs out. A full sized is $27.50 and is only a fluid oz, so my sample is worth $2.75.


This is my favorite sample that I received, the Vasanti BrightenUp Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. This is basically a microdermabrasion cream, with lots of added goodies. It smells so nice and made my face feel amazing. You only need a pea sized amount so this sample should last me a while, but I will be purchasing a full sized one after Christmas for sure. A full sized tube is $34 and 4.23 oz, making my sample worth $5.38.


This Whish Shaving Cream in Acai Grapefruit was creates specifically for Birchbox, which I thought was pretty cool. According to Birchbox, this is an ultra hydrating, shea butter packed shaving cream, but I'd call it more of a shaving lotion. If you've ever used conditioner to shave with it's basically like that. The scent is great and it did give me a slicker shave, but I haven't noticed any lasting effects. This is the item I'm least happy with, but I'll still use and enjoy it while I have it, I just won't be running out to purchase it. A full sized is $20 and is 150 mL, making my sample $2.93. Whish is a pretty affordable company and I've heard good things about their lotions so I'll be checking those out later.


This is a Birchbox find, which is basically a mass-market discovery they think is awesome and want to share. It's an extra for my box, which is super awesome. This ChapStick Hydration Lock Day and Night is a dual ended lip balm, one is day and has SPF 12 while the night end is infused with plant butters, antioxidants, and oils to really hydrate your lips. I've been doing some allergy therapy to help with my coconut allergy so I was actually able to use this product without dying (YAY). It made my lips a little ouchy, like I had scrubbed them to hard, but other than that I had no ill effects from the coconut. The Night side is super hydrating and I really like it, the Day side is a bit drying I thought but I like the SPF in it so I'm very happy with it over all. It retails for $2.99, so a great price and it takes up less room than 2 different lip balms in my bag.

Overall I was SUPER happy with my box and cannot wait to see what I get next month. My total value came to $17.78 without counting the ChapStick. I also get 70 points for reviewing all the items, so that was almost $10 worth of points. If you want to join, here's my Subscription Link to sign up, we'll both get points for doing it. If you got a Birchbox this month, what did you think of it?

2 comments:

  1. I received the Vasanti a couple boxes back and love it as well. Probably my favorite face cleanser I've found yet so I'm glad it will last a while :)

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    1. It really is awesome. Have you tried anything else by them?

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