In July Birchbox decided to “Go Bold” and “dressed” their boxes in fun hues and patterns! And to go with the bold theme, all subscribers received one of three shades of
Stila’s Look at Me Liquid Lipstick. Now, bold is not really my style, because I’m more of a nudes/neutrals girl, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like the products in the box, since they’re supposedly tailored to my beauty profile. It so happens that this month is my 40th Birchboxversary! Can’t believe I’ve been with them that long already 🙂 They sent me a nice 25% off coupon, which I am planning to redeem for one of those Caudalie value sets.
HOW IT WORKS: At $10/month Birchbox subscribers receive 4-6 luxury samples and full-sized beauty products, tailored for them by a team of curators according to a personalized beauty profile. The value of each box usually ranges from at least $15 and can be as high as $60. Birchbox also has a rewards program: submitting feedback for every product from the box earns you 10 points each; and every 100 points turns into $10 in store credit redeemable for full-sized products and gifts. If you would like to use my referral link then click here to join Birchbox. Thank you!
My first thought after opening the box – two hair products, really? One of them was a very generously-sized spray bottle of Macadamia Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Spray, and if you remember I already reviewed this exact line a few months ago and fell in love with it. Ok, Birchbox, you are forgiven! This one is a real gem, and helps manage frizz without weighing down my long fine hair. It also smells really nice, kind of like a very faint pina colada?
People are going absolutely bonkers over amika un.Done Texture Spray, some reviewers even say it’s one of the best sprays to add tousled texture without looking like you haven’t brushed in 10 days. Usually “messy” styles look kind of weird on me, but I’ve been slowly mastering the technique and may have a use for this one in the future. Despite all the hype, I ended up saving it for later, so I don’t really know how it performs yet, but if it’s anything like the rest of amika products I will probably like it a lot.
Between my Supergoop sample from Allure box and this COOLA SPF30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray, I am pretty much set on skin touchups for the rest of the summer, haha! Not complaining at all, I love both brands, and their products are fantastic. This bottle is perfect to keep in the makeup bag, and a few spritzes after blotting made my skin look perfectly matte.
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert bronzer came in the brand’s typical magnetic booklet, and the color is actually not too outrageous. It’s a medium grayish bronze that leans red, not orange, which actually looks better as a blush rather than a bronzer. I have other bronzers that I already love, so not sure how much use this little fella will get, but I’ll keep it in my makeup bag just in case.
stila look at me liquid lipstick in Venezia was my sample of choice this month, and while I love the color, I was just not a huge fan of the formula. I know it’s really hard to nail a liquid matte lipstick, but for me this one was a flop. The color went on streaky and splotchy, and made my lips look very dry when they weren’t. I will offer it to someone else to try, but I can’t see myself ever using again, even though it looks kind of nice in the photo above.
THE VERDICT: Despite getting not one but two hair products in this month’s box, I was pretty satisfied with my offerings. I’m a bit bummed about the liquid lipstick, but I suppose that’s what samples are for. At least now I know I won’t need to buy the trio with that cute little mouth-shaped pouch.
Have you tried any of these products before? Do you have a favorite matte liquid lipstick? Let me know in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Macadamia Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Spray | $10.00 |
| amika un.Done Texture Spray | $3.39 |
| COOLA SPF30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray | $7.20 |
| theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert | $2.61 |
| stila look at me liquid lipstick | $6.66 |
| Box Retail Value | $29.86 |
Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
I’m all “ooh!” About the texture spray and makeup setting spray with spf!! Must try!!
Right?? I heard even more of my friends swooning over that amika spray, now I feel like I’ve been missing out 🙂 Gotta try it today!
I got the same exact box as you!!! I’ve been trying the amika texture spray and I’m not sure if I’ve got the technique right but I like it. I also hated the lipstick as well. The makeup setting spray is pretty cool but I always forget to use it! When I remember it works great.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who hated the lipstick. It went on soooo patchy! While it looks nice in the picture above, that’s not at all how it is in real life, you probably know what I mean. I loved the setting spray, too 🙂
That Stila lipstick looks so beautitul on you. Too bad the formula is no good 🙁
Thank you Leelo! I loved this color, and it certainly photographs beautifully, but it was a nightmare to apply and wear, and it doesn’t look nearly as good in real life. This is some kind of angle/lighting magic at work.
Oooh la la! That Stila lipstick is fab!
It’s a beautiful color indeed, bummer about the formula though.
Disappointing to hear about the Stila lippie – I have been wanting to try them!
I mean, I’m not urging anyone not to try things because everyone’s experiences can be very different, but I personally did not like this formula at all. And it transfers and smudges, which is something I forgot to mention in the review above. Total fail for me 🙁
Lots of good stuff! I’d be most excited about the Balm bronzer and the Macadamia hair frizz fighter!
I love Macadamia! It’s a wonderful spray and a very generous size too.
Thank you for the heads-up about the Stila All-Day liquid lippie. I’ve been contemplating getting the shade Patina for years now. My lips are incredibly flaky anyway, so this will make them look worse. Will avoid and spend elsewhere!
Girl, if you have any concerns about the state of your lips, this lippie will make them look ten times worse. It’s such a gorgeous color, I wish the formula was better.
I LOVE that COOLA makeup setting spray it is no joke heheh
I’m liking it too so far!
I need to try the COOLA setting spray. I love their sunscreen. The STILA lippy looks good on you.
Thank you Kim! Even though this lippie photographs beautifully, I wish it felt as good on my lips.
I think that this is the best box they’ve ever put out. The Amica and Stila alone make it worth the price for me.
This box was definitely one of the best this year.
Wow, one of the best boxes ever. That lip color is stunning on you, too bad about the formula. Does that shade come in a gloss?
Sorry, I’m not familiar with stila products so I don’t really know if they make a similar shade in glossy finish. It was a pretty epic box though!
The thing about Birchbox is that they put the same brands in over and over (Coola, Amika for example). I gave up after 30 boxes but I’ve tried a few since and had some decent luck.
I understand, getting the same brands over and over would feel too repetitive. However, I’m lucky enough that my boxes are usually pretty balanced and I very rarely get samples from the same brands back to back.
Oh no. I was gonna say I’m in love w/ the lippy you have on and then pffft… I have yet to find a liquid lipstick that ain’t drying!
Supposedly those new Anastasia Beverly Hills lipsticks are pretty decent, but I agree, it’s incredibly hard to strike the balance between matte finish and non-drying formula.
Too bad about that lippie. The color looks so nice.
I was pretty bummed about that, because I love the shade.
This was a great box. I’m in love with that Macadamia spray.
What an amazing box! I just got Amiko products at Cosmoprof NA and I am loving it!