I was super excited when I saw that my first Birchbox subscription had come in the mail today. I absolutely could not wait to rip open that pink box and dive into my goodies. First thing I did when I got home from the mail box was pull out the kitchen scissors. First, I will say that I'm really happy with the way that Birchbox provided me with the USPS tracking number so that I would know exactly when my Birchbox had arrived. Being that I live in an apartment complex, I have a love hate relationship with walking to the mailbox to receive my subscription boxes. I love the excitement of new presents in the mail, but I hate when I think there's something there just to find I walked to the office for nothing. Plus one point for Birchbox.
I'd also like to mention that I personally love the packaging. I love the simple design, and the box that my samples arrived in is sturdy enough to survive shipping, and then still be useful at home as knick knack storage. The cute simple design makes me feel confident that Birchbox puts my $10 a month towards providing me with awesome new beauty products to try rather than fancy advertisement and packaging, yet the presentation is still clean cut and attractive.
Now on the the products!
I was really excited to see that Birchbox seems to take the seasons into account when choosing products for me to try. My skin doesn't always lock in moisture the way that I would like, and coming out of winter I'm definitely in need of some awesome chap-repair and skin healing products. Birchbox seems to have read my mind in that regard.
Air Repair: Rescue Balm (Full Size $12)
The first sample I pulled out of my box is an all purpose skin salve from a company called Air Repair. I've never heard of them before, but I'm always game for something new, otherwise I wouldn't be a Birchbox subscriber. The packaging on this sample is severely lacking and not at all something that would catch my eye in a supply store, I can confidently say that if the full sized version is as aesthetically displeasing as the sample version, then I never would have stopped to even try this.
Being that it's an all purpose product, and I'm like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to new things to try, I tested this one on my cuticles. I wash my hands a LOT in my line of work and as such, my hands and cuticles are hard to keep soft and healthy. I love the way this product smells, it reminds me a lot of my favorite scent from LUSH which is called Karma. I'm big on spice and citrus when it comes to scents, but this is an extremely strong scent and while I'm a fan, I know there are a lot of people who don't appreciate how overpowering scents like this can be.
As far as repair power goes- my cuticles looked instantly healthier once applied, but this is the type of product that I think takes a few days of use to REALLY see the benefits of it. I'll probably be taking a before and after image of my cuticles for comparison, and we'll see how they look and feel a week from now. My only issue with this is that the sample is so small that I might not get to truly experience the full potential of this product. I will say that a small amount seems to be going quite a long way though.
The only complaint that I have with this product is that it is definitely greasy in comparison to products that I tend to favor. I definitely made sure to wipe my fingers off on a paper towel after applying this product as I'm not sure how it would affect my clothing if I were to spill some on myself.
All in all, I do like this product, and at $12 for a full sized bottle it is far from outrageous. Personally I give this salve a 7/10 with a chance to impress me further when I see what a week of use looks like.
Supergoop!: City Sunscreen Serum (Full Size $20-$42)
With an SPF of 30, this is a powerful little skin protectant, which is something everyone needs coming into the summer months. Lightweight enough to use in place of moisturizer underneath my foundation, and it has a water based lotion kind of texture that soaked right into my skin making it feel smooth and well moisturized.
The packaging is neat and simple, with an attractive logo, but very basic and would not stand out in a line of moisturizers. The anti-aging benefits are probably the most exciting thing about this product. Another from this months Birchbox that requires extended use to form a thorough opinion.
I like this product a lot. In fact, it seems to be almost exactly like the moisturizer I already use- but I can't see myself ever purchasing this product. At $42 for a 1.7 oz bottle, this product seems to be ridiculously over priced, especially when I have an extremely comparable product sitting on my bathroom counter, that came to me at $24 for a 3 oz bottle. As much as I like this product, I've got to give it a 5/10. The product I experienced is great and something I would use, but it's not worth the cost.
theBalm: How 'Bout Them Apples? Cheek & Lip Cream (Full Size $32)
I absolutely adore the cute packaging on this little sample. It's whimsical, attractive, and perfect for entering into spring. It flips open like a little book to reveal a sneak peek of all six colors in this product, as well as a good sized sample of one stain. My sample is in "Pie" and it's a super cute apple red.
Not to mention, what lady doesn't want to look at that view every time she goes to touch up her face? My favorite thing about the presentation of this product is that the little flip book has a magnetic close that will keep this from opening in my makeup bag.
As a stain, I loved the way this product worked on my lips, it's a nice natural looking stain that gave me some color and also felt nice and moisturizing on my chapped lips.
Even better, was the effect this product had on my cheeks, an excellent lightweight stain with a healthy looking natural blush. I was expecting it to feel a lot more greasy than it did, but it sank right into the apples of my cheeks and even made my skin feel velvety smooth. At $32 for the entire palette featuring 6 different shades? I can't wait to get my hands on this one. A 9/10 and a round of applause for theBalm.
Skinfix: Body Repair Balm (Full Size $18.50)
At .28 oz this product is the biggest sample that I received in my Birchbox, and I'm always impressed by a company that let's the product sell itself, therefore I appreciate that I'll get a good bit of use out of this sample.
It has a light almost clinical scent to it that I wasn't a huge fan of when I first breathed it in, but it's subtle enough to where it isn't anything that will actually bother me or be noticed. I used this product on my elbows and it instantly improved the look and feel of them. So far- it really does seem to be a skin fix, and it boasts that it's a repair balm for eczema, which makes me believe it's heavy duty enough to be my favorite of the three skin care products I received by the end of a week trial.
I was amused to find that my boyfriend Matthew wanted to try this one out. He's the GM of a well known auto-service store and his hands stay dry and dirty with all that brake dust flying around. He didn't like the texture at all and quickly retreated back to his man cave after trying this on his knuckles (probably for fear that I try and do his makeup next) but his only comment was that it was too greasy for his liking. This is something I'm going to have to disagree on. It rubbed right into the skin around my elbows and though there is definitely a light greasy feel to it, I've experienced much worse.
All in all, this is another that I'm going to have to sample for a bit before making a final judgement. At $18.50 for a full sized jar, it's easily on of the more affordable of this months products, and so far gets an 8/10 from me.
I'm really happy with Birchbox thus far. Clean packaging and thoughtful samples for some good products at just the right time of year. I look forward to next months finds and I'm ecstatic to have written this review over a cup of Mighty Leaf tea that was sent with my beauty product samples. Birchbox- it's like you know me.
A pretty cheek stain in natural light. My favorite product from this months box goes to theBalm.
xoxo Kayla
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