Tags
amika, Beauty, Birchbox, Dr. Jart+, Dr. Lipp, dry shampoo, Greenleaf, iCurl Secret Weapon 24hr Mascara, korean beauty products, Mirenesse, Original Nipple Balm for Lips, Perk Up Dry Shampoo, Pore Minimalist Mask, shoppables, Signature Candle in Silver Spruce
Every now and again Birchbox gives you the opportunity to pick out your box rather than waiting to be surprised. I took advantage of that offer for November’s box and went with the collaboration box Birchbox did with BuzzFeed.
Despite handpicking this box knowing the samples that were going to come with it I was a little disappointed when it got here. None of the products are terrible per se but they weren’t what I thought it would be.
This Mirenesse 24hr Mascara is deep black and long lasting with the kind of brush that gives your lashes a nice curl. My lashes curl on their own so I didn’t see much of a lift or difference there however they did coat my lashes, almost too much because they looked clumpy and spidery after application. It was also very difficult to take off and when I finally did manage to get it all off I lost some lashes in the process. No thank you, I’ll stick with trusty benefit They’re Real mascara!
This little guy right here is the only reason why I opted for this box; I am a sucker for scented candles! Seriously, just yesterday I went to Bath & Body Works and bought 5 candles, it’s bad y’all! Anywho this candle is ‘Spruce’ scented so I thought it would be very pine and woodsy smelling but it burns a very mild fragrance that’s pretty comforting. “The clean outdoors” is the only way I can think to describe it. I’m a little disappointed this candle doesn’t come in a tin or glass case. When it burns just standing alone the wax would just get everywhere causing a mess, that’s really the only downside I can think of when it comes to this candle. Was it worth a whole box? Not really but the candle lover in me in satisfied.
Other than the Greenleaf candle, this is the only other product in the box I was excited for! I face masque at least two or three times a week and am always in the market to try a new masque and charcoal ones are my favorite. And I’m all about Korean beauty products! This masque is good for pimples, large pores, and excess sebum – nothing which I have to deal with so I don’t think this is tailored for me since the most I ever deal with skin-wise is dry eyelids during the winter. Nonetheless I was excited to use the masque and was pleased with the results. It was easy to put on and the holes were large enough for my nose and lips which is a big plus when it comes to these paper face masques. There was no heavy fragrance to the masque and after leaving it on for 20 minutes (15-20 minutes as recommended), there was only a little bit of the serum left which rubbed into my skin nicely. My only issue with this is that it burned a little bit for a couple of minutes and I only got one masque, it would’ve been nice to get another as this is one use only.
Ay yi yi, it’s like I didn’t even see this product – I was blinded by the candle and face masque! Baby girl does not use dry shampoo so I cannot even comment on this product, I’m giving to one of my coworkers.
There is a reason why this product was originally made for the nipples of nursing mothers – holy frijole this product is thick! This balm states it’s for lips on the package but it’s so thick that it kind of gives my lips a greasy feel that I don’t particularly care for. The bottle would be too small to gift to one of my nursing friends so I think I’ll just keep it and use it for either my cuticles or as a hand moisturizer. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable using it as a lip balm because I would have to use my fingers to apply it. Although I wash my hands frequently throughout the day, any lip product that I cannot apply directly to my lips and have to use my hands for is a no-go, the germaphobe in me is like “not a chance girlfriend!”.
No my box wasn’t perfect this month although this sticker they threw in says otherwise. It wasn’t a total let down because of the masque and candle but I think next month I’ll let Birchbox pick out the samples for me, they do a much better job of it!