Thursday, January 17, 2013

Birchbox January 2013

There comes a time, in Birchbox world that you finally get that one box that you were coveting. I'm happy to say that this happened to me this month. It's the first box of the new year and Birchbox couldn't have gotten off to a better start in my book, let's just hope it stays that way! Since it is the new year I am surprised that Birchbox didn't feature more festive related items. Even though I was lucky enough to receive the box that I did, a lot of others seemed to be quite underwhelming. There is one critique I have though and that is, Birchbox, PLEASE stop with all of the perfume samples. I absolutely LOVE perfume and even I'm tired of it. Hear us out and try to incorporate new and exciting things. Now, with that said, this month I received box 1:

  • TheBalm "Put A Lid On It" Eye Primer
  • Fresh Lotus Face Cream
  • Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
  • Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum
  • Alessandro Nail Polish "Blue Lagoon"

I'm not sure how I feel about the eye primer quite yet. While it is a wonderful primer and it did hold my shadows, I don't know if I like it more or less than my trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The reason being, the texture throws me off a bit. It's not oily but it is sticky which I guess is a good thing because it holds my shadows beautifully. I will most likely purchase a full size when my shadow insurance runs out. Full size retails for $18//0.40 oz of product (Shadow Insurance has 0.35 oz)

I really, REALLY like the Lotus moisturizer. It was light, non-oily/greasy, it sank into my skin quickly and it has anti-aging properties. I honestly can't ask for more in a moisturizer. While it didn't make my face feel especially soft like my Ahava, it did moisturize quite well and it didn't leave any type of residue. The smell is also quite pleasant, it reminds me of cucumbers! Now, the card claims that this is supposed to provide moisture for 24 hours and while I definitely did not experience that, it is a good moisturizer nonetheless. Full size retails for $42//1.7 oz of product

I love the smell of the Skinny Chic perfume, I compared this to DKNY Be Delicious. This perfume is very light and fresh, more so than the DKNY but I'm sorry to say that I will not be purchasing this because I don't like the marketing for this product. For a company to market a perfume that boasts "skinny is chic" and  saying things like "to keep you feeling young, slim and beautiful" and "we empower women to feel young, happy, slim and beautiful". I cannot and will not support that. A company is not empowering anyone if they are marketing a perfume in relation to weight or size. If they had simply left out the slim and skinny nonsense then the message would be great. This perfume has notes of green apple, sweet mint and warm amber. Full sizes retail from $21-$55

I was so looking forward to the Ojon oil but it was without a doubt a big let down for me. If you've been following my blog for awhile then you know that my hair is extremely dry and I have to pretty much work overtime to keep it moisturized. Hair oils seem to be the only product that keep my hair nice and hydrated, Organix Extra Strength Argan oil being my favorite. I used the Ojon oil while my hair was still damp and let me say, this oil did absolutely NOTHING for my hair. It didn't moisturize, hydrate or even at the very least make my hair soft. If anything, my hair felt crunchy and dry after using this which absolutely boggles my mind.  I ended up having to use double the amount of Organix than I normally use just to reverse whatever this did to my hair. Full size retails for $25// 1.7 oz of product

This was my first time ever trying Alessandro polish and well, in my opinion the formula isn't anything special. According to Birchbox, this is supposed to be to be a super opaque polish and it just, isn't. The formula was extremely streaky and applied unevenly. The polish was also a bit sheer and I had to use two coats, almost three, it did dry pretty fast though. I'm not in love with the color but it does look better in person, I will continue to use this until it runs out but I wont be purchasing. Blue lagoon is a very muddy dark greyed blue. Full size retails for $12// 0.34 oz or product

Overall, I enjoyed this box. While a couple products were a definite no for me and all of the products were very tiny, I enjoyed trying them out nonetheless and that's really all that matters.

Much love xo

2 comments:

  1. January boxes were definitely a bit disappointing this month. I also received theBalm's primer sample, which I'm excited to try. Everyone keeps commenting that it's sticky, but effective - yet no one seems to be a convert yet. Overall, the box was a bit underwhelming for the "New Year, New You" thing.

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    1. I really do like the primer and I definitely would purchase it, I'm just still a bit undecided on whether I like it more than Shadow Insurance. The only thing that would probably stop this from becoming a favorite of mine is that fact that it's not as easily available but we shall see!

      I also agree that all of the boxes were underwhelming, even this one and this seems to be the best one! I was a bit upset at first that the Ojon sample wasn't bigger but now I'm actually glad because it just would've been product in the trash. I also think the polish could have been a more fun/festive color. But overall, I'm happy.

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