Birchbox purchase!!

I redeemed 400 of my Birchbox points for this fabulous Laura Geller Flawless in a Flash kit! It came in a cute wristlist! Inside was a blush, a foundation, a primer, a mascara and a blush brush! It was a $112 dollar value and it was on the site for $28. I also got an Illume grapefruit oleander candle! I love the way it smells but it is way smaller than I expected from the picture online. Either way, I'm glad I was able to get all of this stuff with just points!

January Birchbox!

I was so happy to receive my January Birchbox and as an added bonus, the Birchbox book club book, Love, Lashes and Lipstick. This is the first time I have won a book and it came as a surprise!

Very excited to read it and I will blog about it when I'm done!

But first here are my product reviews for the Relax & Recharge box!

Balance Me, Wonder Eye Cream:

I'm always down to try a new eye cream as I have dark circles and a lack of sleep. I like the smell of this product and I also like that it is a multi-tasking product that can prevent fine lines and conquer dark circles. 

Manna Kadar, Lip Locked - All of Me:

I love this lip gloss. It is an all in one lip primer, stain and gloss and the color is perfection. I like this product so much more than the Stainiac lip stain, which I received in last month's box. The only problem I had was that it rubbed off on my teeth but once I blotted it, I was good to go. 

Briogeo, Don't Despair! Repair! Deep Hair Conditioning Mask:

I have not yet tried this product. Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of hair conditioning masks. I also hate the smell of this one. I will be open minded and give it a try but if my hair smells like this product, it's going in the garbage. Anyone else tried this yet?

Perlier, Nurturing Body Balm - Shea Lavender:

This is an Italian skincare product that I thought was a hand lotion. It turns out it is actually for dry skin. Perfect timing for winter. I like the smell and the packaging. It will be perfect for on the go use. 

When, Travelmate Sheet Mask:

I was excited to try out this face mask. I travel a lot and being on planes can sometimes cause break outs. The mask is literally a white sheet mask. I was expecting a cream. Be warned when applying, you are supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes according to the package. Birchbox's card said 20 minutes. You may want to plan some alone time to apply. It's a little scary looking. The mask itself was extremely lotiony. I left it on for 30 full minutes and when I took it off, there was still excess lotion to rub in. The directions said no need to wipe off so I let it sit. The next morning my face still felt a little sticky and not the normal smooth I get from washing off a typical face mask. I probably would not purchase this. Also, 4 of these cost $28. I would rather purchase a face mask lotion you apply by hand. I would get more use out of it and better results. 

Teapigs Tea Temples: * Bonus

These two tea temples were a bonus. I got two flavors, chamomile flowers and licorice and peppermint. I didn't love either of them. It was a cute package but I probably would not buy based off of these two flavors I received. Did anyone else get a flavor they liked?

Tocca Hand Cream

I had the option of selecting the Tocca hand cream as one of my picks for my January Birchbox. I ended up picking the R&R box instead because of the unique products but when I came across this Tocca hand cream in store, I had to try it out. I selected the Florence scent which smells like bergamot and gardenia. I believe there were 6 options to chose from and I spent a good amount of time testing them all out before I decided on this one. I feel like this lotion is extremely fragrant in a good way. My hands smell freshly scented and soft. I really liked all of the scents, which normally never happens. Tocca also makes incredible scented candles. Same scents as their lotions. I will probably have to purchase one of those in the near future! 

I really like this product! It happens to be from London and it just looks and feels like a high end luxury product. I could easily carry this in a handbag or leave it out on my vanity for display. I love the scent of it and it leaves my hands feeling smooth and moisturized but not greasy. It is also paraben free and enriched with natural extracts. I would definitely recommend! I'm a Tocca fan! Are you?

My very first Birchbox!

I'm so excited to get my very first Birchbox in the mail! I had been talking about Birchbox for months and then I got a subscription for my birthday. This is my welcome box.  

The first thing I noticed was that the box was much smaller than I expected. It looks a lot larger in photos and on the website. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to get the December box. I'm a huge Laguna Beach fan so I would definitely have picked Lo's box. 

Below is my welcome box from Birchbox!

Birchbox Welcome Box...happy to be a subscriber!

2 of my products came in that blue rounded corner box. I thought I only got 3 samples at first and was a little sad. 

Close up of the contents of the box!

What's inside?

Camille Beckman Platinume Gold Imperial Repair Hand Therapy

This product retails for $20 but the sample is very tiny. I don't have dry hands so I'm a little disappointed to receive this lotion. My sample also looks to be half empty. It looks like someone used some or that it may have evaporated. I did not find this product to be very moisturizing and my hands aren't too dry to begin with. It felt sticky and left my hands feeling more greasy than moisturized. It was supposed to smell like lemongrass vert and sparkling grapefruit but the smell is similar to that of dish soap... moving on.

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris perfume sample

This full size product would be $110. I'm not too impressed with this sample as it is something you could get for free from a cosmetic counter. I do really like the scent though. It has an elegant smell and I would wear it during the day or at night.

The Balm Cosmetics Stainiac

I was intrigued by the lip and cheek stain but was greatly underwhelmed by it. I couldn't see it on my lips or cheeks. I put on a dot on each check and it rubbed right in...no rosy blush to be seen. I'm really shocked it is one of Birchbox's most popular. Am I missing something here?

Coastal Scents Revealed Eye Shadow Palette

This full size product is $34. The Birchbox website shows the whole palette so I was expecting a bit more. I got the Latte palette sampler. It has 4 small shadows in various shades of brown and one gold. I would describe it as a neutral palette. I have brown eyes so I'm hopeful it will work well with my coloring. I like a shimmery eye so the one color I'm most excited about is the gold. I liked 2/4 of these colors. Two of the shadows did not stand out on me. I could not see them at all after applying. I would use the monotone gold or shimmery brown but the two other colors do nothing for me.

Caudalie Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water

Sigh. I hate to be a Debbie Downer with this last one but I use make up removing skin cleansing cloths daily to remove my makeup. That is one part of my makeup regime that I am not looking to change. I will say to the credit of this product that it smells pure and fresh and it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy as the last liquid makeup remover I used did, it was by Clinique. 

Overall, I'm not sure which of these products was the full size one. None of them were very big. I was very excited to receive Birchbox and I'm not sure it lived up to my expectations after this box. I'm hoping that it gets better next month or I may have to look into other subscriptions! 

#Birchbox