Birchbox April

Hey loves! It is that time again, Birchbox time! The theme this month was "Tiny tweaks, BIG results" this month all Birchbox members both new and old received the Women's Health box plus an entire free year of Women's Health Magazine! How awesome is that? This offer comes in the form of a mail in card where you can redeem the subscription or receive a refund for the offer's value ($9.99). Either way, it is a great deal because you are receiving a free year of the magazine or basically your April Birchbox is free. As far as the items I received, I am in LOVE with this box!!

• Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick & Cheek Stain (#2 Flirty Kiss)
• Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Hair Elixir
• LAFACE Laboratories PUR Purifying Facial Wash
• Joie Folle De Joie Eau De Parfum
• Simple Skincare Revitalizing Eye Roll-On

The Mirenesse lip & cheek stain is an absolutely gorgeous color! Now, being a matte lip girl at heart, I was not exactly over the moon about receiving a glossy lipstick. Since the shade that I was sent was red, I HAD to try it out (I heart red lips) and I am thrilled that I did! The formula is very creamy, glides on effortlessly and is opaque on the first swipe. The best thing of all? Since the lipstick is so pigmented, I am able to blot a few times to get my desired matte texture while still leaving the color intact. When they said STAIN, they meant it! This lipstick stayed at full opacity for two to three hours; after that along with eating and drinking, I was left with a nice watermelon hued lip. Even though I love this lipstick, I must admit that I am a little cheesed at the packaging. This is in fact a full size product but, it differs from the one available on the Birchbox website in a big, big way. For those that received the Mirenesse, our pencil has to be sharpened whereas the one available for purchase is a simple and much more convenient twist up. You are probably wondering why this is such a big deal, well..the pencil is made out of very thick, rigid plastic and I have NOT had the best of luck with trying to sharpen plastic pencils. My last attempt was with the NYX Slide On eye pencils, what I was left with was a horribly uneven, mangled mess. For this reason I am quite hesitant to possibly destroy my beautiful new lipstick, I will use as much of this as I absolutely can before attempting to sharpen. Retail: $26.55 // 4 g

Ahh Nexxus, we meet again. I will admit, I have been severely slacking on the UV protection lately and my hair has decided to show me how much of a mistake that was! I have noticed that in the past year my hair has gotten considerably lighter (I won't even dive into split ends and frizz!). My hair has gone from being almost jet black to a dull chestnut brown; as you can probably guess, this serum was a welcomed addition to my box! The instructions say to use three to four drops to reduce frizz and improve color, radiance, shine, strength, and volume. I have been using this daily since receiving it; while I do not (yet) notice a drastic improvement in my hair, I have noticed an increase in shine and a decrease in frizz. Retail prices vary from $14-$20 // .94 fl oz

Oh Birchbox, why must you send me a great facial wash that is utterly out of my price range? I really enjoyed using this purifying facial wash by LAFACE; it instantly reminded me of Benefit's Foamingly Clean because the textures are quite similiar; they both have a thick, night cream type feel. The LAFACE cleanser left my skin feeling clean, bright, moisturized, and the pores on my cheeks were significantly smaller. It was not until I looked this up on the Birchbox website that I found out why this facial wash was so good, it is actually a cleanser and toner in one! According to the BB site, it also moisturizes, heals blemishes, tightens pores and improves skin texture. I have been absolutely loving this cleanser, I hate that the sample is so small :( Thankfully, a little does go a long way, I only use three dots of product and it lathers extremely well. Would I purchase this? If it wasn't for the price tag, absolutely! I just might use my Birchbox points for it in a few months. Retail: $48 // 7.6 fl oz

Unfortunately, I do not like the scent of this perfume at all which is surprising considering that it has several notes that I usually enjoy. The list of notes are as follows: Italian mandarin, South American petitgrain, cognac, orange blossom, jasmine, white lily, Damascenia rose, musk, amber and sandalwood. Staying power is wonderful as once I sprayed it on my wrist it lasted for hours, even after washing my hands several times. Retail: $98 // 2.4 oz

I love, love, love this roll-on! Since I often wake up pretty early in the morning and well, realistically I almost never get enough sleep, anything that reduces under eye bags and helps me to look more awake is quite welcome! The serum/gel is formulated with vitamin B5, cucumber extract, and glycerin to help hydrate, refresh and smooth the under eye area. I have been using this every morning since I received it and I have indeed noticed a difference. The metal ball and cooling effect help to reduce redness and puffiness, the mint smell opens my eyes and helps to "awaken my senses" (I have to admit that sounds cheesy but, it's true). My favorite thing of all? It really does hydrate; my under eye area feels so soft and smooth. Please keep in mind that this roll on is NOT meant to treat dark circles. Retail: $9-$13 // 0.5 oz

Overall, I really enjoyed my box this month and I honestly couldn't have picked a better one for myself. Everything that I received minus the perfume were things that I needed and that will be put to good use! Also, my box had two full sized items which is absolutely fantastic in my book. I really hope that Birchbox keeps it up, they knocked it out of the park for me this month!

Quick Tip: Does anyone else love the pillowboxes that Birchbox has recently made the switch to? I find them to be incredibly useful as a little holder for my feminine care products as well as my on the go needs. They are the perfect size for carrying a feminine wipe or two as well as a pantyliner and tampon. Not only that but they are great for carrying little things like Q-tips, bobby pins, hand sanitizer, lipstick, etc. So that those things are not lost or damaged by roaming around in your bag. Now you might be wondering, why not just carry those things in a small pouch or wallet? I hate to waste products! I find the pillowboxes to be adorable and instead of throwing them away, I have found a use for them!

Much love & looking forward to May xo