Birchbox January 2015
Birchbox was on top of it this month. Unfortunately, I was not. I needed a few weeks to recharge after the holidays and get all my ducks in a row for the new year, so here I am, cranking this thing out at the last minute. I got the shipping notification on the 7th and my box showed up on the 9th. After a few months of it arriving later than usual, this was a nice surprise. Each month, Birchbox subscribers receive a variety of beauty samples to try for only $10.
Birchbox January 2015
Naturally, the January theme is “Let’s Do This!” to kickstart the new year. They’ve been running a 31-day challenge for people to complete daily fitness, nutrition, beauty, and wellness tasks and giving away prizes to get everyone into the groove of making this the best year ever. I am relatively rebellious and sort of hate these types of challenges, so I’ve been sticking to my own schedule instead. One of my biggest goals this year is to finish a half marathon, so I’ve been doing my best to train for one despite the non-stop freezing weather that blew in at the beginning of the year.
Whish Three Whishes Body Butter in Lavender 0.75 oz, $3.55 value
This lotion was the best thing out of the whole box, AND IT’S FREAKING LOTION. I was disappointed to see another Whish product in my box because the shaving cream I got in December smelled like rotten citrus, and another one I got in a Nordstrom sample pack several months back had a nearly identical scent. Whish Three Whishes Body Butter in Lavender, however, has an intoxicating fragrance. It’s a lovely, sugary, vanilla lavender scent. While I love the smell, it isn’t very effective as a lotion. It has a very greasy texture and is hardly moisturizing. Too bad. 0.75 oz, $3.55 value
Number 4 Hair Care Non-Aerosol Hairspray 1 oz, $4.44 value
Did you know I’ve owned the same exact can of hairspray for the past four years? And that’s only because I was too lazy to pack the old can I had when I moved to a different city. I use hairspray about 2 times a year when I feel like spending 3 hours getting ready. It requires less effort for me to blow dry my hair and curl it than it does for me to put it in one of those buns that screams “I just rolled out of bed and all I had time to do with my hair is this”. Needless to say, I have no use for this Number 4 Hair Care Non-Aerosol Hairspray. I have such little use for it, in fact, that this is the first time I haven’t used a product from a subscription before reviewing it. It smells like every other non-aerosol hairspray with a hint of the fragrance that is typical of the other Number 4 products I’ve owned. I can’t really speak for its efficacy since I haven’t tried it, though. 1 oz, $4.44 value
Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream 0.2 oz, $15.20 value
I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to eye creams. I’ve gotten a lot in past subscription boxes and none of them have ever delivered results that were particularly life-altering. Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream is just the same. Since I’ve had a few weeks to test it out, I really feel like I’m using it just to get it out of my sample stash at this point. The texture is smooth and light, but not greasy like a lot of eye creams I’ve tried, so it can be worn under makeup without creasing if desired. My eyes look a little less puffy than usual, but not completely. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t been so critical about it to begin with. 0.2 oz, $15.20 value
theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen 0.04 oz, $2.27 value
theBalm’s Stainiac is a lip and cheek tint. While I am not the biggest fan of this type of product, it was the item I was most excited to try from my box because I LOVE this brand.
theBalm Stainiac Swatch in Beauty Queen
I received Stainiac in Beauty Queen, or fuchsia. It looks like a cherry red in the bottle, but it only leaves just a hint of pink. This tint is too cool for my taste, and there aren’t any other shades available in the Birchbox store. theBalm is available elsewhere, of course, but I just don’t like this product enough to ever purchase it in another color. It lasts for a long time and has even wear, but I prefer something like the Cynthia Rowley stain I got in my November box that moisturizes in addition to staining. 0.04 oz, $2.27 value
Here’s how it looks on my lips:
theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen on Face
Harvey Prince Sincerely 0.05 oz, $1.62 value
How many times do I have to give a Harvey Prince fragrance a bad rating before Birchbox gives up on the hope of me ever purchasing something from this brand? Seriously. This is the third Harvey Prince perfume sample I’ve gotten. I’ve seen your fragrance section, Birchbox. I know you can do better than this. Sincerely wears well with my body chemistry, but it’s just not anything special to me nor is it worth the price because it doesn’t cling for long. My perfume stash is completely out of control right now, so I have to limit myself to only purchasing fragrances I would die for. This is not one of them. 0.05 oz, $1.62 value
Total box value is $27.08. If Birchbox was trying to make sure they started my year off with the least inspirational box ever, they did a pretty good job. I have sat down multiple times to try to get this review out, and my mind has drawn a complete blank each time. I feel like I’ve reached a point in my relationship with Birchbox where the repeat brands keep coming month after month and the variety is seriously lacking. And good grief, what is with all the Harvey Prince? I suppose it’s time to go back and tweak my profile to see if I can shake things up a bit.
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