What’s so good about February? Well, there’s Valentine’s Day and my Mom’s Birthday [which is akin to a national holiday to me, because she’s awesome!], but it’s also the shortest month of the year, and that means Spring is right around the corner! In February Birchbox collaborated with Rent The Runway, so all boxes will include a discount code to try out the service. And just like last month, I opted in for the curated box, already knowing all the contents ahead of time. Here’s what I got!
HOW IT WORKS
Birchbox is a subscription service that delivers a box of luxury beauty samples to your doorstep every month. Subscribers receive 4-6 samples and sometimes even full-sized products. At $10/month Birchbox is one of the cheapest monthly beauty subscriptions out there, the value of each box usually ranges from at least $15 and can be as high as $60. But what really makes Birchbox so appealing is their reward program: submit feedback for every product from your box for 10 points each; every 100 points earns you $10 in Birchbox credits – a currency to use in their online store for full-sized products and even gift subscriptions.
If you would like to use my referral link then click here to join Birchbox. Thank you!
derma e Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub – This all-natural cleanser will gently exfoliate the skin and make it look soft and radiant with help of AHA, powdered apricot seeds, marine plant extracts, and Vitamin A. I know that ground seeds aren’t the best for your skin, and if massaged in too roughly, can cause micro scratches which will irritate the skin, so I try to avoid these. Right now the only type of physical exfoliant I use on my face is the occasional rice powder either from Tatcha or Rojukiss, and a couple products from Memebox. I still use sugar scrubs for the body, but I should probably stop doing that and switch to AHA and BHA exfoliants instead.
Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo – I didn’t use dry shampoos until very recently and now I wonder how I lived without them all this time. Most of them don’t work for my fine flat hair, though, so it’s all about finding the right one. I got my box three days ago and already used this dry shampoo twice. The first time I used it it worked really well and didn’t make my hair look white, but I couldn’t get the same effect on day two – my hair got limp and just looked dirty and dusty. So it seems like a pretty nice product to use once when you absolutely have no time to wash your hair, but I wouldn’t recommend using it as a shampoo replacement for several days in a row. It does smell nice, though!
Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner – I received a Sumita eyeliner in one of my previous boxes and used it down to a nub. It has smooth creamy formula and gorgeous pigment paired with outstanding staying power making it a hidden gem in cosmetics. I heard Sumita brow products are really nice, too.
theBalm cosmetics Read My Lips Lip Gloss – I’ve been wanting to try these lip glosses since I saw Karen MBB post about them a few months ago, and then totally forgot they even existed. Now that I have a sample in my hands, I finally have a chance to try one! Let’s just say that it was love from the first swipe, because it wore really well, without the stickiness, and provided a really nice hint of pigment unlike most glosses. I need to purge my stash before I buy any more lip glosses though, but this one is definitely purchase-worthy and gets my seal of approval.
Not Soap, Radio Body Wash – I got the “The Stuff That Cupid Dips His Arrows In” variety, and it has the most delicious smell of floral blackberries that reminds me of LUSH Comforter bubble bar, although it doesn’t have blackberries in it. This body wash was more liquid than I’m used to, and didn’t foam up that well, but it made my skin feel clean and didn’t strip it totally of moisture, thanks to SLS-free formula. In the end, I loved the fragrance, but bubbles are part of the fun in the shower for me, and based on that alone I probably wouldn’t buy the full size.
THE VERDICT
Not going to lie, I liked my January box more, but I’m still glad I opted in for this one, since I was not a fan of other options at the time. theBalm lip gloss was the main discovery for me, and I might buy more of these after I purge my stash of old and expired products. My next favorite sample is probably Sumita liner, just because I like the formula and will most likely use it up.
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| derma e Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub | $3.18 |
| Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo | $8.00 |
| Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner | $4.40 |
| theBalm cosmetics Read My Lips Lip Gloss | $4.47 |
| Not Soap, Radio Body Wash | $1.76 |
| Box Retail Value | $21.81 |
That body wash sound interesting. I like the name.
It’s a very unique name indeed, I gotta read what it means. There has to be a good story behind that, right?
I’d say it was a very interesting box. I forgot that Birchbox is $10. Hmmm. I would love to try theBalm gloss and I have never heard of Sumita. Very interesting!
Yep, it’s $10, but if you take the “cashback” into account it usually ends up being just $5 or less. It’s so worth it, in my opinion!
Looks like a good box!
It’s really nice, but I liked my January box just a little better 🙂
Your box is awesome! Mine should be here any day!
Awesome! I hope you got something good 🙂
I’ll keep that the balm lipgloss in mind once it comes back on Hautelook.
Great idea!I’ll be hunting for them on Hautelook too.
The sumita eyeliner sounds awesome. The fact that you used it until it was a nub speaks volumes.
It really was one of the best gel eyeliner pencil formulas I’ve tried so far, it easily compares to those great classic UD liners.
I love thebalm! I tend to gravitate toward their products! 🙂
I think I liked everything from them that I’ve tried, especially their highlighters.
This was another fabulous box!
I always enjoy my Birchboxes 🙂
This is an awesome month for you! I’m hoping I get the same stuff!
Thanks Brooke! I guess it’s hard to feel super positive about it, because I keep comparing this box to my January samples, which were simply amazing.
My box was different, but I did get that gloss, and I’m excited to try it.
Oh nice! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I would have LOVED all the contents of this box. I am just scared if I switch to Birchbox I’ll get ALL skincare samples… =P
They definitely send a lot of skincare at Birchbox, but at least the brands are all nice.
This looks like an interesting box… definitely fab but interesting products for sure. That gloss looks nice.
The gloss was pretty nice! I also liked the scent of that body wash, it’s so berrylicious!
Is it weird how much I love the packaging?
Not at all! I think this Limited Edition box is very chic. I normally throw them away, but i’ll keep this one for little things.
I just got that Fekkai Refreshing spray and love it!
Nice! I tried it a couple times and it made my hair smell great.
Its a good box
I would definitely get excited about the glycolic face wash. I love that stuff!