Birchbox Favorite Review: stila sparkle liquid eyeliner

This month, the Birchbox was inspired by Gossip Girl.  I have never watched that show, so a lot of the "wow" factor on the box was lost on me.  It was just any other Birchbox as far as I was concerned.  But I knew what my favorite product was going to be as soon as I opened the box.  Hands down, I was most excited about the eyeliner from stila.

The shade that I received was called Flash, and it was sort of a glittery gold color.  While this was probably not the best shade for my eye color, I tried it out, and was pretty happy with the results.

First off, the eyeliner is waterproof.  This is a huge bonus for me, since I have eye allergies.  There is nothing I hate more than freshly applied eye makeup smearing because my eyes start watering.  The eyeliner went on very easily, and I was able to control the applicator easily to determine if I wanted a subtle, thin line or a bolder, thicker line.  While the eyeliner is glittery and shimmery, it is very subtle, so it works well with a matte eyeshadow as well as a more glittery eyeshadow.

All in all I am extremely happy with this product.  The sample was a full size eyeliner, making the cost of this month's box a total bargain.

Birchbox Favorite Review: amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask

Loyal readers will remember that I like to change my hair.  A lot.  Different colors, different cuts, I am never scared of taking a risk.  It is only hair, it will grow back, right?  Well all this experimentation can cause a bit of stress on my hair.  Which is why I am always looking for great products to help my hair destress.

Birchbox really delivered this month, with the sample of amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask.  The mask is a weekly deep treatment; there is a difference after one use, and multiple uses helps to strengthen the hair.  It contains Morrocan Oil, which is so good for your hair, and smells completely amazing!  I was really excited that the sample contained enough for about 4 applications.

After the first application, I did indeed notice that my hair felt silkier, and had less fly aways.  Now I have used it three times, and last Saturday I had one of the best hair days I have had in months.  My hair feels stronger, it tangles less, and is more manageable.

I think this is a fantastic product, and love that Birchbox allowed me the opportunity to try it.


 

Birchbox Favorite Review: Dermalogica Microfoliant

As I mentioned, I plan on reviewing my favorite product or products from my Birchboxes.  Since today is the last day of February, I thought I should get cracking on my February favorite.

I am a sensitive person, to the point where even my skin is sensitive.  Seriously.  Harsh soaps can really do a number on my skin, heck even many powdered laundry detergents irritate my skin (not a problem with my homemade detergent however!!), so I really have to pay attention to how products affect my face.  It is almost inevitable that Winter brings on the dry, flaky, cracked skin.  This winter has been mild, yet still the face on my skin got so dry.  Nothing seemed to be helping.

I knew my problem; I needed to exfoliate.  But with sensitive skin, this can be tricky, and often results in even drier, and now angry red, skin.  So, you can imagine my excitement when I received in my Birchbox a sample of Demalogia Microfoliant.  This is a dry powder that you mix with water to form a gritty paste.  You rub it into the your face with your fingertips for about 60 seconds, and wipe clean.  The result is brighter, exfoliated skin.  But would it work on my touchy t-zone?

The first thing I noticed was that it does not take much of this product.  I was sent a sample of almost half an ounce, and three weeks later I have barely made a dent in it.  When you use your wet hands to make the paste, it feels slightly gritty, but as you massage it with wet fingertips, it forms a nice foam.  There are no artificial colors or fragrances, a huge bonus for me because of my skin sensitivities, but it does contain tea tree oil which gives it a light, clean smell.

I noticed a tremendous difference after just one use.  My skin felt smooth, soft, and energized.  I moisturized and my skin felt dewy (not oily or greasy) all day.  My makeup never dried, flaked, or cracked at all.  This stuff is amazing!  After multiple uses, I noticed my skin was clearer, and my pores were less noticeable.  Now that my skin is in much better condition, I only use this product every other day, in part to make my sample last longer, and in part because I do not want to over exfoliate my skin and cause irritation.

This is a fantastic product that works well for me, and I would highly recommend it.

I reviewed this product through a sample service for which I pay.  I was in no way compensated for this review.

Birchbox

I am a girly girl.  I was not always, particularly as a kid, but as an adult, I love girly things, things that are pretty and smell good, awesome products for hair and skin, things that make you look and feel better.  Unfortunately, because I am so busy reading books most of the time, I never have time to read magazines.  This means I do not get to learn about new and innovative beauty products unless I hear about them from a friend.  I decided I needed to change this.

One of the latest trends are sample subscription services.  You pay a monthly or annual fee, usually pretty reasonable, and you get sent monthly samples of products.  I have seen these subscription services for both beauty and food products, and I am sure other types of products have them as well.  I decided I wanted to try one out, to see if it was worthwhile.

After looking around, I decided to try the Birchbox.  First thing first, the fee is $10 a month, and no shipping charges.  Your box contains about 5 product samples.  And these are not just any old drugstore beauty products, these are luxurious, premium beauty products.  Also, they do not just ship you these samples and say, off you go.  Their website is packed with information about all the samples, including videos and tutorials.  You can shop for the products from the samples right on their website as well; the shopping sections includes thorough information about each product.

Yesterday, I got my first Birchbox.  I was really excited!  When I saw the pink shipping box on my doorstep, I may have squealed a little.  I opened the shipping package, and saw the box inside.  As I opened it, I felt like I was getting a present, it was so nicely packaged.  And the samples, oh my!   Already, I am in love!  My box contained products worth well over my subscription fee.  And because I filled out a beauty profile on the website, my box contained products specifically for me.  Some products are sent to all subscribers, and some products are customized.

I have decided to review a couple of the products I get each month, so keep an eye out.  In the mean time, consider this a glowing review of the Birchbox program.  If you love beauty, and love to try to new products, I highly recommend you join Birchbox.  It is well worth the monthly fee.