If you read my May box review, you probably remember that I firmly decided to downgrade my subscription back to a $10/month plan. I just felt like I’ll find better use for those extra $20 [and I did, haha!], so instead of two mysterious full-sized products, I bought one, but it was something I really wanted [review coming soon]. The June box theme is Adventure, and, well, I suppose those of us who subscribe to Birchbox are already adventurous enough if we are willing to buy mystery products on a monthly basis. As always, were several Pick Your Sample choices, but neither of them seemed exciting, except one – I’ll talk about it later.
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 reward 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!
Are you familiar with micellar waters? I’ve been a fan of Klorane for a few years, and recently switched to Bioderma. When I saw Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear™ Micro Water as one of PYS choices this month, I thought I’d give it a try, too, even though I’m unlikely to switch my preference. The sample bottle is adorable, and contains enough product for at least one week, which is enough time to figure out of you like it or not. I personally thought it was great! Used as a third step of my cleansing routine, this toner-like water helps remove every last bit of makeup still remaining on the skin, and also preps my face for further treatments. I probably wouldn’t dish out $32 for it, but those of you who would, can rest assured that it works well, and it works gently. Make sure to avoid using it on the eye area though, as it did make my eyes sting quite a bit. Most cleansing products and facial wipes do, though, so maybe my skin is just sensitive there, but don’t say I didn’t warm you!
I don’t know if you remember, but Birchbox guaranteed everyone a full-sized EYEKO eyeliner in June boxes, but due to some issues at the customs, weren’t able to deliver on that promise, and ended up replacing it with other samples. While I received Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner, so it’s a trade off between a full-sized eyeliner for a travel-sized one, some people got totally random replacements. Yikes, what a mess! My mini eyeliner is actually part of a travel set, which includes four colors and a cosmetic bag. Let’s just say, I liked the color, but wasn’t a huge fan of the formula. The liner is just too soft, so it dragged on my skin, making the tip look curvy. It also didn’t bode well with my oily lids, which is a bummer. An easy pass for me, but it has lots of rave reviews on Birchbox website, so maybe that’s just me and my weird lids.
Speaking of Klorane, I also got a travel-sized mini bottle of Klorane Shampoo with Mango Butter and a foil packet of matching conditioner. As someone who uses way more shampoo than conditioner, I really can’t complain, because both of these are one time use for my long hair. I think that explains why I hate getting shampoo foils – it’s just not enough product to evaluate the effectiveness. Anyhow, I didn’t try either of these yet, but I did open the shampoo to smell it, because I was attracted to that bright orange color, and because I love all things mango. And guess what? It smells like mango! Shocker, I know. It’s a scent that just makes me happy, and I would probably end up buying it just for that.
I admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for Caudalie, so I often splurge on their products, because they make me feel all fancy and pampered. I particularly adore their body scrub and lip balm, which are both my must-haves. Why the prelude? Oh, that’s because I was just happy to see Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF 15 as one of my samples this month. I tried a couple of other products from the Vinoperfect line, and found them delightfully moisturizing, but they were all a bit heavy, which I’m ok with for winter. This fluid version seems lighter and airier, making it a good choice for the warmer months. It absorbs into the skin well, making it look bright and well-rested, and also contains SPF15, which isn’t high enough for me to use for going outside, but it’ll work fine when I’m staying indoors – after all, my apartment’s windows aren’t treated with sunblock and the rays find their in, even though they’re not as intense.
I like trying on different fragrances, because I’m still searching for my signature scent, and recently took a liking to CLEAN [I even recommended one of their kits in my Father’s Day gift guide]. Birchbox sent me a small vial of Fresh Laundry Eau de Parfum, a fragrance that’s supposed to evoke the memory of crispy clean sheets and a comfy just-washed tee that you put on straight out of the dryer. I am honestly intrigued, because I have no idea what kinds of notes a brand can use to achieve that effect. As it turns out, CLEAN created a bouquet of Brazilian orange, rose otto, and woody musk, which really have that crism and warm smell of fresh laundry. It’s a little soapy, like a detergent, a little floral, like dryer sheets, and slightly woodsy, like the warm air at a laundromat. It’s a great everyday scent, and I’d totally buy a full-sized bottle to wear during Summer months. It’s not overwhelming or overpowering, just pure, fresh, and clean.
Finally, I got one L. Erickson elastic band as my lifestyle extra. I have long hair, and use either plain black ones or twistband lookalikes all the time, even though I should probably just get a nice haircut and wear it down all the time. This band is very cute, and has lovely weave pattern with a pink plastic bead; it didn’t seem to damage my locks when I wore it, but the colors are a bit too bright for my liking – I don’t do bold in my hair, unless it’s a headband.
THE VERDICT: All in all, I think this was a pretty good box, full of nice discoveries. I am also happy to receive seven samples, which means I’ll get to add 70 points to my account for individual product reviews, so in the end all these goodies cost me $3 out of pocket.Of course, I’m bummed about the missing EYEKO eyeliner, but Birchbox promised to include them in a future box, so hopefully I’ll have another chance to get one.
Have you tried any of these products before? Do you subscribe to Birchbox, or other sampling services? Why/why not? Let me know in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear™ Micro Water | $2.66 |
| Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner | $4.50 |
| Klorane Shampoo with Mango Butter | $1.16 |
| Klorane Conditioner with Mango Butter | $0.94 |
| Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF 15 | $3.67 |
| CLEAN Fresh Laundry Eau de Parfum | $0.96 |
| L. Erickson Elastic Band | $1.20 |
| Box Retail Value | $15.09 |
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.
Gee, I really like the look of the Birchbox this month in spite of your bad experience with the eye pencil. I’m a Dr. Jart fan so the micellar water looks good to me. Can you let me know if the Klorane mango shampoo lathers? I used to love Klorane, but it sometimes bugged me that it didn’t lather much. The mango scent is calling me!
I actually used the shampoo today, and it lathers a lot, because it contains SLS. The scent is just heavenly! 🙂
Gah, thanks for letting me know, Anastasia! Glad to hear it lathers a lot, but disappointed that it has SLS. Afraid to use it with my color-treated red hair 🙁 That scent sounds so great
My red is mostly washed-off now and needs recoloring, so I didn’t care about the SLS, but yeah, it’s definitely stripping.
Looks like a great box. I know a lot of people were disappointed about the missing Eyeko liner. I hope they put it in a future box.
Yep, it was disappointing for me, too, because I like Eyeko and would have loved to try that fat eyeliner.
Looks like a good box. I quit birchbox a while back, but it seems like they have been improving.
I’ve been with them since early 2012, and I think they’ve definitely improved a lot since then.
This seems like a box I would have been happy with! Bummer about the Eyeko liner! I hope you get it in a future box
Yep, it was a let down 🙁 They shouldn’t have advertised until those eyeliners are sitting in their warehouse.
Sounds like a great box, a bit heavy on skincare for me but it’s got good picks!
You know me, I’m a skincare fanatic and love trying different things, so I was happy to see all of those 🙂
Except for the cleansing water and hair tie… Meh. 😀
It’s always nice to hear someone else’s perspective 🙂 That CLEAN perfume is actually surprisingly nice!
The elastic band is so colorful! It looks neat.
It’s very bright indeed, and it’s very stretchy, too. Holds my fine hair like a champ!
I’d be happy about the cleansing water. I don’t wear fragrance but my friends are always happy when I get it (or rather they get mine).
Haha, can I come and be one of your friends? 🙂 I love trying on new fragrances, because I have scent sensitivity that doesn’t allow me to wear that many. Yep I know it’s totally self-contradicting, but that’s why I need to try so many, because chances are I’ll find one to purchase after trying 100 samples.
Low value this month but still a lot of good stuff!
I was actually surprised after I calculated the value, because to me the box looked fairly impressive visually.
That mango stuff sounds amazing! Smell is probably 50% of the reason why I use certain products.
Me too, especially for things like body lotion and body washes. I’ve been riding a mango wave lately, so I’m loving all things mango 🙂
You got a crazy awesome box! I wish I got the cleansing water!
I was able to pick it as my sample of choice, and glad I did!
that elastic brand is fun and I love the colors. A friend of mine who lives in Canada used to send me Marcelle products all the time… I always enjoyed their blush and bronzer products.
I tried their BB cream and some of their skin care I think, and I liked them all, but this eyeliner was a disappointment.
I’d def wear that as a bracelet- cute!
It looks super cute as a bracelet!
Your Birchbox was so much better than mine. Once again I was pretty disappointed by them =(
Bummer, so sorry to hear that you got a bad box 🙁 I really hate when that happens.
Dermaclear sounds interesting. Fun!
It was a fun product to try 🙂
Love the hair tye! It’s so cute!
It can be worn as a fun bracelet, too 🙂