Birchbox is a beauty sampling subscription service that sends 5 new items each month so you can try before you buy. Birchbox is $10 a month and you can choose a monthly sample during selection time, let Birchbox decide, or pick a pre-curated box. This is a review of a regular, non-curated box with sample choice. How well did it match the profile that I created when I signed up? Read on to find out!
DEAL: Use coupon code FREEMONTH to get $10 off your 6-month subscription. That’s equivalent to one month free!
This month, Birchbox sent products to help “find your happy” and enhance “me time”!
The information card gives brief details on each item as well as the price if you were to buy the full size.
You can visit Birchbox.com/MyBox to easily see the details of your box, which I recommend because sometimes they have videos on the item product pages which I find useful.
I found 5 products in my box this month!
Everything in my January box!
VERB Hydrating Mask ($1.56) was my sample choice this month, the other choices being a color changing lip balm (which I also received) or a peel. Since I have thin, fine hair I have to blow dry and curl it daily so every Sunday I use a clarifying shampoo followed by a deep conditioner. This stuff smells pretty good and left my hair easy to comb and very soft.
Bioderma Hydrabio Serum ($3.11) I have dry skin listed in my profile and this moisturizer says it is appropriate for “very dry dehydrated skin.” I usually apply oils or butters to my skin, especially this time of year, and sadly this did not make my skin feel soft or hydrated. Plus, it was scented, which I tend to avoid in facial products. There’s not much left after using it two times and my makeup didn’t go on very smoothly.
Smashbox Photo Finish Radiance Primer ($9.75) also has hyaluronic acid, like the above moisturizer, but also has shea butter and doesn’t have fragrance. If you have nice skin, you may be able to skip foundation and just use this as a base, but once I put foundation over it there wasn’t any “radiance” left to see. I tried swatching on my arm but there really wasn’t anything to see once I blended it in.
Arrow Boost Color Enhancing Lip Balm in Berry Berry (Full-sized! $14) I’ve tried the original Boost lip balm but this one leaves behind a bit more of a pinkish berry color, plus it has a bit of a minty tingle.
It applies like a lip balm and adjusts to your pH level to give lips a boost. I liked that it didn’t travel outside of my lip line and the shade was perfect for my lips – like gloss, but better. Plus, it was very moisturizing! Swatched below.
I love to try new makeup and adored the shades I received from The Beauty Crop Espresso Yourself Eyeshadow Trio ($5.22).
These shades are part of a palette that has 21 colors that are nice and neutral.
I used a primer on one eyelid, no primer on the other, and the colors showed up true on both sides. The only difference was that at the end of the day, the side with primer was still going strong, while the other side had it bunched up in the crease. I was pretty impressed with these shadows!
From top I swatched the Berry Boost lip balm, which changed color shortly after swiping; then the three shades of shadow from lightest to darkest – Vanilla Latte, French Roast, and Midnight Blend. The darkest shade was matte while the other two had a bit of shimmer.
My January Birchbox was pretty nice! I thought the four items I didn’t choose went along with my profile, while the hair mask was my choice. I was very happy with my eye shadows, which should last a while, and the lip balm looked great and the formula was moisturizing. The hair mask will be used but the primer was just ok and the moisturizer was a dud. Birchbox sends out many box variations each month and the value of my box overall was about $33.64, not bad for a $10 box! I rated my products on the Birchbox website to see if that helps me get selections that work for me in future boxes.
What do you think of the January Birchbox? What was your favorite item from your box?
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