Thursday, July 16, 2015

July Birchbox Unboxing & Mini Reviews


Last month I had the opportunity to try out Birchbox, a monthly beauty sample subscription box, for a discounted price. I decided to try it out again this month, and I paid the retail price- $10. For $10 you get 5 sample size products. To be honest, I wasn't completely ecstatic with last months box, I wouldn't have paid ten dollars for it. Luckily this month is a different story! I don't know if I'll keep paying for this box, but so far I'm satisfied with what I've received.

Instead of just doing a "show and tell" type of thing, I thought it would be more interesting to do mini reviews on everything in my box. So let's get onto the reviews!

Macadamia Weightless Moisture Leave-in Conditioning Mist
3.3 oz


Obviously we're going to begin with the largest item- this sample is huge!! I tend to use leave in conditioner very sparingly on my ends. If this gets anywhere close to my roots, my hair will be a flat, greasy mess! Because of this, I have high hopes that this will last me a while. This is super lightweight, so it doesn't weigh down my thin hair. It also smells fantastic. 

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint
.17 oz


I was extremely surprised to see that they gave me the correct shade in this tinted moisturizer! I received the shade pearl, which is perfect for my pale, yellow undertoned skin. To be honest, I hate the idea of tinted moisturizers in general. This one, for instance, is $40 full size, and it has no coverage! I'd much rather buy a foundation, and mix it with my own moisturizer to sheer it down, that way you use less product, and spend less money. The way I used this was as my moisturizer before foundation, it has a very luminous finish, and under foundation it gives a lit from within look! Very flattering. It also adds a bit of sun protection, but for $40?? I just can't justify it. I know Jouer is a fantastic brand, so I'm disappointed that this product was such a dud for me. However, this is mostly due to personal preference. 


COOLA Classic SPF 30 cucumber moisturizer
.24 oz 

I'm always super nervous to try out new moisturizers, especially when they contain SPF, because my skin is incredibly sensitive. Regardless, I tried this out, after doing a little research on the brand. I had no bad reactions, so I consider that a major plus! This has a pleasant smell, without being overly fragrant. This is a little higher SPF than the one I use daily, so I will continue to use this in place of that one until it runs out.


Now onto the fun stuff- makeup!! 

Benefit They're Real! Mascara
0.1 oz 

I was super excited about this, because sample size mascaras last forever! Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of this. The formula is really wet, which results in the lashes looking kind of clumped together. That's not a look I want to sport! I'm hoping once this dries out, I will like it better. I have a lot of luck with drier formulas, because they make the lashes look more fluffy and wispy, rather than thick and clumpy. 


Obviously this adds length to the lashes, but I can't get over how spidery they look. I am not super disappointed at how my lashes look here, but keep in mind I was super careful with my mascara application, and I had to comb through them with a lash comb multiple times. It was way too much work for a $24 mascara in my opinion. 


Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
"Venizia"
.05 oz

This, ladies, is the whole reason I kept my subscription this month! Birchbox announced that one of these liquid lipsticks would be in every box this month, so I decided it would be worth it. I love the formulation of this, and the color is a gorgeous coral red.  Obviously since this is a liquid lipstick, it's going to be incredibly drying on the lips, just something that comes with the territory. This was a lot more drying than the Kat Von D, for reference, but in turn it lasted a lot longer than those do. I removed this with good old coconut oil, but I had to make sure to over apply my lip balm after removal, since my lips were still extremely dry. 




And here's a final picture, where I'm using everything I received in this months box! 



I hope this was more helpful than the usual "unboxing", and if I purchase anymore subscription boxes in the future, I'll be sure to do this again if you guys are interested in it! 

-Hayley


 










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