April Mad Men Birchbox

As someone who is not Ace yet AND lives on the West Coast I'm usually in the last group to get the pick your sample emails from Birchbox. So imagine my complete surprise when I was able to actually get one of the amazing curated boxes this month. I'm pretty sure I got in through some glitch in the system, but I am not complaining at all. The New York Mad Men box may take the place as my favorite box of all time, so let's dig into it. And as a note, I won't be doing value totals on this because it was a curated box. The value is more in the collection of items that the monetary amount present.

First, let's talk about how stunning the box is. The actual monthly boxes were a Rifle and Co design that was super pretty as well, but I love this design. I'd love one whole accent wall of this pattern, like in a vanity room or that walk in closet I always dream about. Not really invoking Mad Men, but still very pretty.

That is a full first look! I'm really happy with all the sample sizes this month, as you can see there was barely any spare room in my box. I'd love to see Birchbox doing bigger samples more often, but I know they don't really control that.

This is the reason I wanted this box, I saw the Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant blush in the shade Los Cabos in some boxes last month and I knew I had to get my hands on it.

Peachy colored blushes look amazing on my skin tone and with humid weather quickly approaching I was super intrigued by the water resistant properties of this blush.

The swatch is gorgeous, isn't it? I've actually only worn it once (trying to finish another blush up for my Project Pan), but I was very impressed by how well it lasted. I didn't notice any real fading despite the fact that I had been running around for hours at that point. I'm excited to try it on some humid or sweaty days. And can we talk about how cute the little tin is? Sooo cute!

Another item I really wanted to try, this is the Beauty Protector hair oil. I cannot live without my Beauty Protector spray so I've been dying to try this for months now. Instead of a review though, here is a little story for you on why small children can be pains sometimes. I used this one night on the tips of my dry hair and after oohing and aaahing over how shiny and amazing my hair looked I put this little tube of liquid gold into my skincare/hair care caddy. Fast forward to the next time I washed my hair and I went to grab this so I could see how it worked on wet hair. And it is gone. I pull every single tube and bottle out of that caddy and no sign of it anywhere. I check my bathroom counter, nothing. I even check behind the toilet. This tube is gone. But I remember a certain 4 year old very fascinated with Mommy's new Birchbox. I'm 100% sure I will find this tube hidden in a toy box somewhere.

I actually received a Whish shaving cream in like my very first box, so I was excited to get another tube. A full size bottle is like $20, so about $15 over what I want to pay for shaving cream, even if it is really nice shaving cream. But there are MAJOR differences between the tube I just got and the one I got last fall. First, the previous tube had enough in it I got 2.5 full uses out of it. This one had barely enough to do my legs once. That's a major difference in quality control right there. This is the Blueberry scent, which made me feel physically ill by time I had finished shaving. Last time I got the Acai Grapefruit scent, which I loved and would get if it wasn't so expensive. And I felt like this scent dried my skin out quite a bit, which the previous tube didn't do. If I had received this tube first I would have written the Whish brand off completely. Very disappointed.

Liz Earle is a brand I've heard tons about, so getting a huge bottle of one of their products was awesome. That's 1.6 fluid ounces right there, that's a giant bottle as far as Birchbox samples go. This is an eye soothing "lotion", though it is more of a soothing water. It is suppose to depuff eyes, soothe them, remove makeup residue, and brighten them. And I actually have to agree with that assessment, I was very surprised as how well this performed. Allergy season is upon us and this has really rescued my puffy, itchy eyes at the end of the day. I may actually buy a full sized one, which is $25 for a 5 fluid ounce bottle. The scent remind me of wet cardboard, but in a good way if that makes sense. I just really love this even if it is so not a lotion.

And lastly, another awesome item. This is an Anastasia Beverly Hills clear eyebrow gel, which is like Aquanet for your unruly eyebrows. I typically do my brows, but sometimes I either don't have time to do them but still want to smooth them out. This stuff lasts all day, even through teaching multiple Taekwondo classes. And because it's clear you look really natural wearing this. While I won't be buying a full sized one ($22, isn't that ridiculous?!?!), I will be looking for a good dupe in a more budget friendly range.

Minus the shaving cream, this was an amazing box. I found new items I absolutely love and can't live without, which is what I want from Birchbox. I did miss the mystery of not knowing what I'm getting, so unless another curated box is amazing like this one I'll probably pass on them from now on. I already can't wait to see what's in my May Birchbox, maybe I should start a second subscription so I can get double the fun. If you got a Birchbox this month, what did you think of it?