Good morning, you beautiful followers, you!
I finally received my Birchbox, hooraaaaay! I love to read fellow bloggers post's about what they got in their boxes, and mine is the first I've seen (so far) of its kind. That being said, I'm not so sure how keen I am on what I received this month. I'll explain in a minute...here's what I got!
This month's box is supposed to be all about innovative beauty products...we shall see if this is indeed the truth...=P
I still really like how Birchbox packs everything so nicely =]
Group picture =] Smile, kids!
First, I received Befine Night Cream with cocoa, rice bran, and millet (hey, that's what I used to feed my pet parakeets, Pickle and Pookie =D!). Normally when I hear "night cream", I assume this heavy, sticky, greasy cream that just does NOT soak in, but this stuff is nice! The little bit I used was light and nicely scented, which is nice for sensitive noses =] I'll definitely end up using this one as long as I don't have any reactions to it...I have sensitive skin, haha!
Next, I received Number 4 Lumiere D'hiver Reconstructing Masque. When I took an online sneak peek of my Birchbox, this was the product that initially sparked my interest this month. Normally, I love products like this because my hair can be quite frizzy and dry at times....hoooooowever, I just CAN'T get over the icky smell of this stuff! When I initially inhaled it, it literally hurt my sinuses! The best guess I can come up with is like a sickeningly sweet medicine-like citrus smell. I would normally give just about anything a chance, but I just don't know if I can get over the smell...if I do end up using this, I'll let you all know =]
Yay for Stila products! I love when I receive products from well known brands like Stila because I'm not so afraid to give them a try =P. This is Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Medium. I haven't tried any Stila moisturizers in the past, but the information in my box says that this has recently been reformulated and it's "better than ever". When I tested a small bit on my arm for swatches, I noticed it left a sticky feeling on my arm. Honestly, it felt more like a foundation rather than a moisturizer to me...but then again, I'm sure this isn't meant for arms...perhaps it feels different on your face =P
Here is a swatch in the sunlight. It was fairly sheer and it seemed like it would easily match most medium skin tones.
Hey, here's a beauty innovation! Tocca SPF 30+ Sunscreen Towelettes in Stella are a pretty awesome idea in my book! We could all use more sunscreen, why not carry it around in wipe-form? I haven't opened these yet (I don't want to waste them until I can really give them a try in the AZ sun), but I really like the concept of this product. They are supposed to smell nice, too, which is always a plus =P I hate when you can smell strong sunscreen on a person from a mile away!
Next, I have this small packet of Befine Exfoliating Cleanser. This certainly isn't a deluxe sample as it's only enough for a single use, but I'm pretty excited to give this one a try in the next day or so. The Befine Night Cream smelled good, so I'm hoping the same from this little guy!
On to the biggest mystery of my box. Umm....what? I know this is supposed to be Number 4 Fleur de Temps Volumizing Shampoo, but what's with this odd envelope packaging? Was I supposed to see it like this? I feel like this may have been how Number 4 sent this sample to Birchbox, and then it was just put in my box without being completely unwrapped...odd, yes?
In case you wanted to know what was in this Shampoo, here's the ingredients list...I think. Anyone speak/read...whatever this language is? Not I!
Soooo after I opened the random envelope, this is what was inside. One packet of shampoo and an information card...which incidentally tells me all about the shampoo AND the conditioner, which isn't included...hmmm. I haven't given this a try yet, and I'm not sure if I want to after smelling the hair masque earlier....but since I'll only have to use it once, I'll probably give it a shot.
Last but not least, the extra in this month's box is a Twistband. Lots of bloggers have been saying how this looked like an extra ribbon scrap in their Birchbox and it was almost thrown away; I can see why! I think if it had been another color it would have stood out more, but it's no biggie. Mine stretched out kind of weirdly when I first tried it out (hence the reason why my knot is almost undone), but it really did hold my hair well, and I have a lot of long, thick hair! Not going to lie, I was impressed that this this held my hair so well because I usually have to use two hair ties at once just to keep a ponytail from being loose! Well done, Twistband =]
Final Verdict- This Birchbox isn't my favorite one yet, but I did find a few products that I really enjoy. The others, though, may be regifted because I wasn't a huge fan (I'm talking about YOU, nasty hair masque....blech). Was this box truly innovative? Eh, I don't know about that. Maybe next month's box will stick more to the theme? I will definitely keep ordering Birchbox because I still feel as though it's worth the $10 a month. What did you guys get in your box =]?
<3,
Lindsey
