Tags
Beauty, Birchbox, Birchbox Review, conditioner, English Laundry, Living Proof, May, Naobay, Notting Hill Femme, Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer, Photo Finish Primer Water, Restore Instant Repair, Shampoo, shoppables, Smashbox Cosmetics, The Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara, W3LL People
My Birchbox came unusually late and this was a busy month for me so here’s bringing you this May Birchbox review at the eleventh hour to round out the month of May and prepare you for June!
The theme of May’s box is Cupcakes and Cashmere, the name of the guest curator of the box Emily Schuman’s second book which focuses on simple products that have a profound impact. I’ll say! Looking at the contents of the box this month I was a little underwhelmed but after using all of the products I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the majority of them. All but one and it’s safe to say that of all the boxes I’ve received this year, this is definitely my favorite! Let’s get to it ladies and gents!
Oh la la, where do I begin? English Laundry Notting Hill Femme has a soft, airy, scent about it. A blend of lemon, wood, peppercorn, and bergamot, this perfume is to die for! A very classic scent that lasts throughout the day, this is perfect for summertime as it isn’t overwhelming and you can catch the fragrance throughout the day which is a big deal for me because I’m a sweat factory!
I’ve heard a lot about the Living Proof line however I’ve never been inclined to try it. Two words: Jennifer Aniston. The show Friends has always irritated me because seriously how do you have a show set in New York City yet none of the main characters are black and none of them seem to have any black friends. Even in the coffee shop you rarely see any black people or any diversity for that matter and I’ve always found that to be very annoying. Also I think Jennifer Aniston is sort of an overrated actress so seeing that she was the face of Living Proof I was kind of like “ehhh, I’ll pass.” If Birchbox didn’t send me Living Proof samples I would’ve never given them a try and my hair would be sad. I didn’t care much for the shampoo. The shampoo is sodium lauryl sulfate free, aren’t all shampoos these days, so good right? Well ehh, the shampoo left my hair feeling really stripped and dry. The sample size was enough for me as I don’t use too much shampoo. I did however like the conditioner, well what I was able to try of it. As usual, the sample size wasn’t enough for my giant head of hair so I had to mix it in with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle which is hands down the best conditioner ever! My favorite of all three Living Proof products however was the Restore Instant Repair, not just because of the generous sample size but holy moly talk about a product that delivers! I put a dime size amount in each section of my hair along with the products I normally use and blowdried. My hair was so soft and smelled amazing! Even my fiance commented about how soft my hair was and when your man notices your hair, you know you’ve got an A+ product in your line-up! I still won’t ever like Friends or care for Jennifer Aniston but this product I definitely can see myself purchasing!
The skin care product of this box, I looked forward to trying Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer as I had recently run out of face moisturizer literally the day before my Birchbox came. The Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer, say that three times fast, contains avocado and olive oils and is a 98% natural cream that hydrates the skin. Olive oil is a little too heavy for even my hair so I hesitated to put this on my face despite the fact that avocado oil itself is pretty light. The cream itself is very moisturizing but it’s not lightweight enough for me to want to use as a face cream, as least in the morning however I like it as a night cream.
When it comes to brand loyalty, there are very few that I’m 100% Ride or Die for, especially when it comes to makeup so when I say I’m loyal to Smashbox, that’s a big deal! The Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water is electrolyte infused water that you spritz on your face before and after makeup application. This is one of those “I don’t really need this” products however it makes you feel fancy and like your makeup is going to last so much longer so you buy it anyways. Y’all remember how I said I’m a sweat machine right? Well I found that spritzing a bit of this on my face about 5 minutes after I applied my makeup really helped to set my look and minimize the appearance of sweat. I don’t know if that makes any sense but basically I looked fresh faced and dewy instead of sweaty. It didn’t make my makeup stay on any longer and it’s totally an unnecessary extra step but hey if you’ve got the extra ten seconds to spritz this on your face then why not?
Last but certainly not least in the May Birchbox we’ve got W3LL PEOPLE The Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara, an all natural pro-grade mascara that lifts and lengthens your lashes without chemicals or dyes. I like that this mascara doesn’t have all those dyes and chemicals as it made removal a cinch however the mascara sort of rubbed a bit, especially at the end of the day or when it’s very humid outside. I am always skeptical of those mascaras that claim to lengthen your lashes but W3LL PEOPLE’s actually delivered; my lashes looked so long and pretty and didn’t clump which was even better!
May’s box was great and minus the shampoo and conditioner which barely made it one wash, I’ve used all of these products multiple times and have liked them all. Here’s hoping June’s box will be just as good!