Friday, October 14, 2011

October Birchbox

My October Birchbox came a couple days ago and it is a lot more fun than the September box, in my opinion. :-)
Before I jump into my first impressions, I want to give a quick shout-out to my buddy Sara who recently signed up with Birchbox after reading about last month's goodies. She didn't realize they gave points to the person who referred them (me) so afterwards she wrote a super sweet email to them asking them to give me my referral points and even linked my blog! So I got +50 points thanks to that email. Thank you, Sara. You rock! :-)


On to the box...!


First up is a delicious body butter in a pretty good sized tube. It's a Guava Body Butter by Korres. A little goes a long way and it feels sooo silky. It also smells great. A little fruity, a little warm and buttery - just yummy. Can you tell I like it? A full sized tube of 235mL sells for $29. This 50mL is a nice amount and will probably last me quite a while b/c it's really rich and creamy. Here is the blurb from the card included in the box:
"This lush lotion has rich shea butter and healing quince extract to keep skin soft all day. Warning: the refreshing tropical scent will inspire vacation daydreams."






The next product that I'm really excited about is a full-sized Stila eyeshadow single in the color 14k. It's a metallic gold shadow and is perfect for fall. I've been wearing a lot of gold shades and even gold jewelry lately so I was glad to see this in the box. It has a nice velvety texture and is well-pigmented, too.




Next up is a night cream by Caudalie called Vinoperfect Cell Renewal Night Cream. The description reads: "A rich moisturizer that uses a patented grape compound to exfoliate and brighten skin so that you wake up looking perky."
It came it a teeny tiny tube, but the cream is really thick so a little goes a long way. I think I might try this on my cheeks where I have some hyper-pigmentation from old acne scars and see if it does anything to brighten my skin (and hope it doesn't make me break out!). It's got a slightly fruity/medicinal smell to it which isn't that strong. They say to avoid the eye area, though; probably due to the exfoliating properties.





The fourth item is a tube of mascara by Blinc. "This mascara won't smear, smudge, or run - plus it gives the lashes a sassy, extra glossy look." I had high hopes for this one b/c I usually like the kind of mascaras that come off in "tubes". But this one was pretty lackluster. It didn't make my lashes glossy, just stiff and kind of hard. It didn't even hold a curl! And as you can see from the photos of my eyes it didn't do much at all in the length/volume department at all. Sorry, Blinc.
I guess if I want my "tubes", I'll turn to my Eve Pearl mascara or the L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes.










As a bonus, I also received a little packet of laundry detergent for my "delicates". I don't really have "delicates" - most everything is made of cotton. But, I'll probably use it anyway. You never know what random item Birchbox will include as your bonus, and I love the surprise!


Hope everyone's having a lovely October!
-A

6 comments:

  1. I can see a difference in the pictures of your eyes! I think the mascara did a lot in length, but maybe not in volume? What mascara would you recommend over this one? How do you find ones that aren't sticky? I hate it when my eyelashes stick together (top to bottom, when blinking)! And, do you always go black, or anything lighter, more natural?

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  2. Well, I'm always a loyal Cover Girl Lash Blast user. I wear it everyday for work. It's great for length and volume and all-day wear. Highly recommend. It depends on what look you're going for. I'm assuming you'll want a more natural look, so the Lash Blast is good for that. For an extreme dramatic eye Benefit's "They're Real" (which I reviewed earlier) is uh-mazing. I've never experienced sticky lashes. Maybe you're not letting them dry enough before blinking? Or maybe try a mascara with a drier formula (Cover Girl again, is great for this - any kind not just Lash Blast). A drier formula also allows for the curl (if you curl your lashes) to hold better because it locks it in fast.
    I always go black b/c my lashes are black to begin with. But most mascaras are also available in a soft black or a brown shade. Some even come in blonde or auburns. Happy hunting!

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  3. THANK YOU FOR THE SHOUT OUT!!!! <3 I agree with you on the Blinc. i wasn't that impressed with it. I had a mascara from my sephora kit that i absolutely loved!! But I can't find it. Ill go to their website and browse. I love lotions. Body butter is so good for my feet. I have terrrible problems with my feet cracking ugh. I wonder how gold would look on me with my blonde hair? please take some pics when you do your eyes with it. and you have GORGEOUS eyebrows, FTW. I tried to wear my juno face stuff and its nice but it makes me oily skin suppper oily. cry cry.

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  4. Bummer about the Juno! You can give it to a dry-faced friend. :-)
    I think the gold would look great if you used it with a black liner and heavy mascara. :-) Or use it on the lid and a darker brown in the crease, or even a neutral shimmery green in the crease or outer corner of your eye. Kind of like the changing leaves!

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  5. Also, the gold would make your blue eyes look really blue!

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  6. good idea! I need a cheap version of the eyedhadow

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