If you’re new to Birchbox, it’s like a magazine subscription but instead of fawning over products you wish you could try; you open up a neat little brown box and actually have some things to try out! It’s only $10 a month which is pretty reasonable considering what you get. Sign up here to start getting your own (and don’t worry too much if you’re on the wait list it moves through quickly.)
September’s Birchbox was a bit disappointing for me. I only liked two of the five things and I absolutely cannot use two of them.
Overall I wasn’t too happy but I really liked the nail polish and the mascara. I’m planning on buying more later.
BCBGMAXAZRIA Bon Genre
Full-size $55-75
I was an idiot. I spritzed this scent on my wrists without first smelling it. HORRIBLE DECISION. Super strong scented, if I was a cartoon I could see the wafts of scent (probably in purple). It was so strong with one spritz that it gave me a headache. (I am pretty sensitive to smells however. I get headaches from the Yankee Candle store from the smells.)
Not only that but this smell was just not at all for me. It smelled like something my mom would wear. (I passed the sample on to her and she didn’t even like it.) If I wanted to smell like her I’d just come over and let myself be hugged to death.
Eyeco Black Magic Mascara
Full size $24
I LOVED this. The packaging is interesting. I’ve never seen a mascara in a tube like that. Well alright, I’ve seen them but never used them. I hope that near the end of it’s live I’ll still be able to get the last bits of product out.
The brush is curved and does a fantastic job of helping my stubbornly straight wimpy eyelashes curl up. No clumps either, even when I reapplied mid way though the day. All around I’m planning on getting a full size as soon as I run out.
Mèreadesso® All-In-One Moisturizer
Full size $28-120
I disliked this product solely based on the smell. I put it on first thing in the morning and started getting ready. I started noticing a weird medical smell and it was giving me a major headache. I assumed something had spilled or burst near my vanity and took a while looking for it. I couldn’t find it and ended up figuring it out after I sniffed the sample.
I ended up having to re-wash my face to get rid of the scent. It just wouldn’t leave. It felt awesome on my face but I really just couldn’t get over the smell.
Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Fox Hunt
Full-size $25
I really didn’t think I would like this. The color, bright orange-red, isn’t usually my thing. I would have much rather had the purple they were offering. I was seriously resigned to hating it but I gave it a shot and was pleasantly surprised. It was perfect. The color had a fine shimmer to it that wasn’t overpowering and the color was really lovely once it dried. I didn’t notice much chipping while I was wearing it either. Normally my polish chips right away because I’m really careless about it. This lasted a couple of DAYS without chipping at all. (I did use an Essie top coat though which I’m sure helped.)
I know that the top of the bottle is supposed to make application easier, but I didn’t notice anything different. It wasn’t harder or easier for me, but I generally don’t find it very difficult to apply nail-polish to both hands.
Serge Normant Meta Luxe Hair Spray
Full-size $25
I liked this. It did it’s job as a hairspray and help it nicely. It smelled pretty good too. I don’t think I’d be willing to shell out $25 for a full size bottle though since I rarely use hairspray and it didn’t do it’s job much better than my cheap drugstore brand spray. It does shield from UV rays though so it would be perfect for the summer. I plan on saving my sample for then.
Overall I think this box was OK, not too fantastic though since I only liked 2 of 5 products. I still think it was worth the $10 though.
