August Birchbox

 August Theme: Innovation/Science Break-throughs

What I received:

WEI™ Tibetan Chrysanthemum correcting eye treatment pads: These are supposed to be glorified cucumbers for your eyes pre-soaked with herbal ingredients used to reduce puffiness and dark circles. I haven't tried these yet.

 blinc Eyeliner in Black: This eyeliner was pretty cool. However, inexperienced make-up people like myself - all I can say is BEWARE!!! This is a liquid eyeliner that is basically tattooed to your eyelid when applied. It really does not flake off all day long which I thought was pretty amazing. And, just as the packaging promises, it literally peels off with a little warm water and finger pressure. So, the night after I wore it on my eyelids, I was bored while my little was taking a bath and thought I would try to apply it to my lower half. BAD IDEA. I did pretty well with one eye but completely screwed up on the other, and my entire eye turned black from the eyeliner getting in it. Not cool! Plus, I'm not big on applying liquid eyeliner or mascara, for that matter, on my lower half because I feel I look a little gothic. It's just so harsh looking on someone who wears very little make-up. And, I prefer a black brown color over jet black. Eek! All and all, good product. I did notice I had a little residue in the corner of my eyes by night but unsure if that was from the mishap so I'll give it 5 stars for now.


Carol's Daughter® Monoi Repairing Hair Mask: This is a hair mask made with Tahitian Monoi Oil to treat damaged hair. I haven't tried it yet.


Pangea Organics Cleanser for Oily to Combination Skin: One item I'm tired of receiving from Birchbox is facial cleanser. I prefer less options and don't like to apply all sorts of products on my face. It just causes break-outs. I tried this one once and it smells just like the toner I received a few months back. Good stuff but just over the facial cleanser samples.

Twistband Hair Ties

These are pretty cool. I'm a hair tie/ponytail holder junkie. I always have a least one on my wrist. Yes, it sometimes cuts off my wrist circulation and yes, they always leave a crease in my thin hair. What's nice about the Twistband hair tie is that it doesn't leave creases, no circulation issues, and they are a little cuter than the Goody ponytail holders I use. I've used it once and don't think I wrapped it around my hair enough times because it fell out shortly after. I love the gym and love wearing ponytails so if it can stay in my hair for a long period of time and outlast my gym routines, they might be my go to's in the future.

My favorite product from July?

Multi-Usage Dry Oil 

 This stuff is so fun to use on your cheeks to give them that dewy, sheer look those Victoria's Secret models have (hehe). That's all I've used it for and I really love it!

That's it for August!

July Birchbox

I am really happy with this month's birchbox. It had so many great samples to try and of those I've tried, I love them!

What I received:

Redken Shine Flash 02 Glistening Mist  - I am a huge fan of lightweight hairspray. I have super thin hair and these bangs of mine need a little hold so I don't have a bang butt cut. I have only tried this once thus far, but like it. Lightweight but still hefty enough to hold those flyaways all day. I currently use BigSexyHair volumizing hairspray available at Target and Amazon for roughly $14. Downside to the Redken product is it's only available at Redken salons and you have to purchase in-store. No thanks for me unless I fall in love. I'm an online shopper and expect free shipping, preferably 2 day (thanks, Amazon for creating this new expectation of mine across all retail:)).

Nuxe Huile Dry Oil - Love, love, love this stuff! I don't wear foundation so didn't take advice from the video link below, but dab a little of this stuff over my blush for a sheer, dewy look. This dry oil smells amazing!

How to Get Dewy Skin 

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser  - I haven't tried this product yet but I love all the other Philosophy products I have bought so I'm sure this one won't disappoint.

Zoya Touch Collection  - I'm not a big fan of painting my fingernails; I never have. I always have my toes painted but like my fingernails au naturel. I did play around with this neutral polish and was pleasantly surprised. It's actually still on my nails. I received a gray polish from this brand several Birchboxes ago, but gray? blah, so I never tried it. It's not OPI but still a good polish. I received the Pandora color.

Kind Bar - Oh my goodness! These.things.are.amazing!!!! If you're a fruit and nut chewy granola bar lover like I am, you will love these. I didn't get a picture of what I received in the Birchbox because my little one had already eaten most of it. Thank goodness she left me some because I about died and went to heaven after tasting it. The saturated fat is a little higher than the other granola bars I like (Lara Bars), but I don't think I really care because these are so good. I just checked them out on Amazon and there are tons of flavors (15 to be exact). I had the Almond & Apricot flavor but some others are:

(click for better view)

190 calories. 5 grams of fiber. 13g sugar. 4g protein. They are gluten free, too! I just placed an order. They'll be here Saturday:)

My favorites from June:

 Laura Geller Baked Blush n Brighten

 Pangea Organics Facial Toner

I have used both of these every day since I received them. LOVE and will be ordering full sized bottles once these run out.

That's the rundown for the July Birchbox!

June Birchbox

It's that time again - the monthly Birchbox reveal! After last month's sub par items, I was not sure what to expect. However, this month's items are SO MUCH BETTER!!! I haven't tried them yet but this is what was in mine:

Amika Obliphica Hair Treatment

 A serum for hair to add softness, shine, reduce frizz, tame flyaways, and protect from heat styling. It has a nice light scent - can't put my finger on what it is but it's not bad.

 Pangea Organics Face Toner 

 It is a spray toner used to balance and hydrate skin. Now, this has a funky smell. The bottle mentions a citrus scent but to me, it smells like tea tree oil. Ick! But, hopefully it will be a better experience on the skin.

Laura Geller Baked Blush N Brighten 

 I received the Honey Dipped shade and love it! I think I'm really going to like it. You can use this on your cheeks or use the individual colors on your eyelids. Pretty cool!

Dr. Dennis Gross Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 Towelettes

Sunscreen on the go and in towelette form. I like it! I'll have to try these babies out.

Kate Spade Twirl Perfume

As you know, I'm not a perfume fan so I'll pass on this. It is described as a fruity floral but I consider it another strong smelling distraction I want to run away from. Maybe you'll like it though! Gotta keep the glass half full here:)

 My favorite product from May:

Ahava Mineral Hand Lotion 

Love this stuff! It makes my hands nice and smooth and I like the light florally fragrance.

That wraps up my June birchbox. As always, I'll come back a month from now and share my favorite product.

May Birchbox

Happy Memorial Day! We just got back from Chicago visiting family and I'm exhausted....so this will be quick. I'm WAY behind on posting my May birchbox - partly because I'm super busy and the other because I wasn't too excited about this one.

Birchbox was celebrating Mom for the month of May with products that "will always be in style" as the card says. Below is what I received:

Stila eyeshadow in Dune - We all know that Stila makes great beauty products so I'll give this one a whirl. Not sure if this color will be a good fit for me though.

Bulgari Mon Jasmin Noir fragrance - I'm not a fan of perfume and really not a fan of this fragrance. Too strong for moi!

Archipelago Pomegranate soap - I love Archipelago candles so I'm sure I'll like this soap.

AHAVA Mineral hand cream - This is the only product I have tried thus far and I really like it. I used it in the car in Chicago and the boys said it smelled like baby wipes, haha! The girls disagreed - we couldn't put our fingers on it, but it reminded us of a fragrant flower we've all smelled while walking in our neighborhoods. And, my skin was super soft after using it.

Tiny Prints thank notecard - I am obsessed with Tiny Prints and have used them for years - from Christmas cards to birth announcements and birthday invitations. You can't go wrong with them and since I am out of stationary, I need to check out their site soon and order up!

And, my favorite product from my April Birchbox is...

 

Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

This stuff is amazing! I love the lemony scent and it makes your skin feel sooooo soft after use. I feel like I'm scrubbing lemon mixed with sugar when I use this (I actually think those are the two main ingredients). And, I try not to change my facial product routine so I don't breakout, but even when I did using this product, no breakouts! This cleanser is awesome! Highly recommend it and I think I might buy the full size jar of this.

I can't believe May is officially over. This year is flying by.

 Hey June!

April Birchbox

Have you  heard of Birchbox? With a monthly membership for a fairly small fee you receive about 4 to 5 samples of beauty products. The idea is to give you a taste of a variety of products, from facial creams and cleansers to self tanning lotions, lip gloss, and nail polish, help you cut through the clutter of products we all know we're guilty of purchasing, and allow you to make smarter buying decisions by purchasing products that actually work (and you like). You receive discounts off of full sized products of the samples and earn loyalty points to use for future purchases. I love it!

I joined in February and received my first box in March. My samples included toothpaste, lip gloss, self tanner, facial lotion (that I loved), facial mask, and a few other things. I still haven't tried everything (I'm not a self tanner person) but I will say that I absolutely loved the facial lotion.

Pangea Organics Facial Cream

It was really light and refreshing and when applying, it felt silky smooth with a slight tingle. It has a nice lavendar smell and my skin felt moisturized all day.

This month, Birchbox is celebrating Earth Day. All of the products in the box are eco-friendly and it even came with seed paper that is not only used in stationary products by Bloomin but can be planted and flowers will bloom.

I received:

Ski Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

 I love exfoliating cleansers and can't wait to try this. It is full of all-natural ingredients and has a really nice citrusy scent.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea Italian Chamomile 

 This tea sounds like it's chock full of all sorts of ingredients to relax you and aid in digestion.

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion

 This is a rosehip seed oil-infused moisturizer. I can't wait to try it out.

LIV GRN C2C Fragrance Collection Natural Eau De Parfum

 This perfume is made with renewable materials and the scent is really light and refreshing. I'm not a perfume person at all but I have it on now and it doesn't bother me it all. Again, the scent is light and I actually really like it.

Zoya Intimate Spring 2011 Nail Polish Collection 

 This nail polish not only has 0 harmful toxic chemicals, it supposedly has superior staying power. We shall see!

 I pay $10 for my monthly Birchbox but there are various packages you can subscribe to. You can even give these as gifts. And, I will say that the samples are of generous size. 

 Check out the site. You won't be disappointed!

www.Birchbox.com

 (I don't know what's wrong with my spacing. Sorry about that!)