December 2015 BirchBox Unboxed

I'm so excited about all the subscription boxes I’ve received this month! It was like Christmas all month to be honest. I received a BirchBox, Ipsy Glam bag, and a GLOSSYBOX this month and I can't wait to unbox them all with you. In this post we’ll be unboxing my December BirchBox if the title didn't already give it away. Okay let’s get into it before I go off on an excited tangent shall we?

The theme this month is “All Wrapped Up” and this was definitely an early Christmas gift that I knew I was going to be unwrapping before it got here. First thing I see before I even get to the goodies in my box, a $10.00 gift card towards any $35.00 purchase in the BirchBox shop. This is definitely awesome, I’m a part of the BirchBox ace program as a per I receive free shipping on all orders and I have lots of points saved up from reviewing my birch boxes in addition to purchases made. Thank you so much! Expect lots of new product reviews courtesy of BirchBox.

Harvey Prince

Sincerely|Full size, $28-57

“Sweetly spice scent with  Indonesian clove bud, Indian tuberose, and Japanese orange flower.”

I’m not to keen on spicy scents and this isn’t really for me. My mom sampled it and loved it so you can take a wild guess at who's getting this. I really enjoy and prefer “Hello” by Harvey Prince also in the BirchBox shop. It’s a lighter more floral scent.

Coastal Scents

styleEYES Eyeshadow Palette – glamourEYES| Full size, $12

“A bold, beautiful eye shadow palette in gemstone-inspired hues.”

I received the “Social Eyes” eyeshadow duo although I requested the “Formal Eyes” eyeshadow duo. The shadows are extremely pigmented and blend well, but I don't see myself using these shadows. They’re way too dark for me. I’m still really new to makeup and I don't feel comfortable playing with shadows this dark yet. I was really hoping for the “Formal Eyes” shadows especially the bronze/copper color in the duo.

Soap & Paper Factory

Shea Butter Hand Cream – Green Tea| Full size, $18

“A rich cream moisturizer that soothes even the driest of hands, in a fresh, gentle green tea scent.”

This hand cream is really creamy and moisturizes well. I’m going to be honest it's not really anything special. I have and extremely dry patch on my right hand between my thumb and index finger. I have a spur that grows on my thumb and occasionally have to have in removed. I need a thick, moisturizing hand cream that I don’t have to always reach for. I don't find this to be thick enough for what I need it to do. The ingredients are amazing and help with soothing properties, but I need to use too much to get the desired affect.

amika

Nourishing Mask| Full size, $28

“Paraben-free treatment that conditions and repairs with superfruit sea buckthorn berry.”

This deep condition is really great, but it’s really small my hair has grown quite a bit,

(sneak peek from my artnaturals Argan hair mask review coming up.)

These little sample sizes aren’t going to cut it. This little size isn’t even going to cover a quarter of the back half of my hair. I might purchase the full size from BirchBox because I have so many points accumulated, but I’m not happy about the hair sample sizes. Do any other ladies with thick dense hair have this problem? I can't be alone on this one. I have high hopes for this deep conditioner I've heard great things.

Eyeko

Fat Liquid Liner| Full size $16

“This eyeliner delivers the same smudge-proof, rich color in a thicker, bolder line than the original skinny liner.”

This line is my favorite item in the whole box. It's perfect for a beginner like me. It feels great in my hand and I don't feel like I'll ruin the shadow I put on. I often feel uncomfortable lining my top lid, but the tip of the liner feels like its gliding on. I’m definitely going to repurchase once this runs out.

All and all this month’s box was okay I could’ve done without a few things in this box, whatever I don't use will be going to family and friends. What did you get in your box this month? Follow me on Instagram so I can follow you back and see your awesome box.

Interested in trying BirchBox out yourself? Well you know I got the deals for you girl! Sign up between now and January 9, 2016 and you can get your first box for $5.00. Let’s call it my early and belated Christmas to you,

https://www.birchbox.com/invite/Ari123

Stayed tuned for my Ipsy Glam bag and GlossyBox post coming up next ✌

November 2015 BirchBox Unboxed

I should start by saying I’m more than excited to have received my first Birchbox in the mail today. So excited that I had to start typing this post right away. I’ve had my eyes on Birchbox since the subscription first came on the scene and members began sharing videos of the goodies they received each month. For the longest time I wasn’t sure if it was worth it because of the size of the samples. Petty, I know. After having received my first box I’m convinced that it’s WELL worth the $10 a month. 

I’m not sure what I'm more excited about trying product that I've never heard of or that I’ve only seen in product review videos. Honestly the BirchBox point system maybe what I’m excited about most. Because I try so many different products its great knowing that I’m building points towards a possible free full size product.

I tried my hardest not to look at any previews on Twitter or Instagram I genuinely wanted to be surprised by the samples I received and I semi succeeded? It was hard to do once I received an email telling me my box was on the way. I made it though! And I can’t wait to share with y’all what I got and how I’m feeling about the box thus far.

LOC (BB Exclusive)
One & Done Shadow Stick (Smoke screen) |Full size, $10

“From Birchbox’s new brand: ceaseless, waterproof shadow with shades curated by YouTube beauty star Tati Westbrook.”

*SIGH* I really wanted to like this. 

Let me preface by saying I follow Tati on all her social media avenues and I watch her videos on YouTube faithfully so I knew prior to receiving my box I knew that a product from her collection was going to included in this box. I was genuinely excited to try one of her products, her make up tutorials are flawless along with everything else about her so I just knew whatever I received from her collection was going to be on point. When I opened my box and saw the color I received I wasn’t thrilled, but I told myself with the holidays right around the corner I can make this work.

 Everything was all good until I took the top off and saw that the tip of my shadow stick was damaged. This is where I took my first deep sigh, that moment where you’re super excited to open something then you notice something's wrong with it. I figured the damage wasn’t that bad maybe the box was on something heated and it melted? I told myself I could deal with a smudged shadow stick for Tati I could make it work. When I tried to swatch it is when things got rough. 

I didn’t even get to swatch it as soon as I tried the tip broke completely off! So there’s that...honestly at this point I’m more inclined to try her lip products than the shadow sticks. I’m just more of a lip product kind of gal if I’m wearing any makeup on my eyes its either very neutral or just mascara. So the fact that this was a total fail is really pushing me towards giving her lip products a try to see how they hold up. Keep y'all posted on that.

theBalm Cosmetics
FratBoy|Full size, $21

“This talc-free, finely ground blush and shadow formula gives skin a fresh radiance that makes you look young, and feel, young.”

 Talk about cute! theBalm Cosmetics is always on point with their product designs and packaging. Since I lean more toward neutral shadows this color is semi perfect on days when I don't want too much color on my lips or I’m just feeling fancy. As a blush? Naaah I’m not with it I won’t be out here looking like a clown for the sake of trying new make up. Not I.

Dr. Jart+
Water Replenishment Mask|Full size, $7.50

“This refreshing cotton sheet mask is loaded with a hydrating serum great for nourishing dry, parched skin.”

The face mask junkie in me jumped out my body when I saw not only a sheet mask in my first box, but a Dr. Jart sheet mask. This is my second favorite item I’ve received in this box, we haven’t gotten to the first. Shortly after I signed up for Birchbox  I began browsing through the products on their site and most of the products added to my "Holiday Wish list" are Dr. Jart products. I can’t wait to get back to let you know if its worth the hype.

PARLOR by Jeff Chastain (BB Exclusive)
Touchable Curl Cream|Full size, $24

“This innovative formula combines the silky texture of a serum with the light hold of a cream.”

I’m not going to say too much about this because I’m currently doing a braid out using this product so I’ll give a more detailed review on this in that post. I will tell you that I feel so-so about this.

Beenigma
All In One Face Cream|Full size, $69-129

“This bee venom and Manuka honey cream helps reduce lines and wrinkles. Careful: do not use if you have a bee allergy."

This hands down my favorite product from this month’s box. It literally melts on my face like whipped butter. Being that it’s so light a little goes a long way, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to put more on. Its smells good, it feels good and something is telling me the full sized will last me for a while. If I do purchase the full size I’d definitely buy it through Birchbox because I know I’d received points for my purchase. 

If you’re interested in any of these products or BirchBoxes in general checkout,
birchbox.com

Ready to sign up? I got chu boo use my link,
https://www.birchbox.com/invite/Ari123

For $10 a month you can’t lose and even if you feel like you are losing you can cancel your subscription anytime you want.

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Until our next post ✌