You read that right, this is really my much belated review of the September Birchbox [and I got a pile of Ipsy bags to catch up on, too]. Anybody that had to raise a kitten knows that they’re a handful, so I had to put a lot of reviews on hold and dedicate that time to helping Luna mature into a fine well-mannered lady. Anyhow, with seven products inside my September 2015 Birchbox turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever gotten!
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 $70. If you would like to use my referral link then click here to join Birchbox. Thank you!
Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner came in handy during my NYC trip. The shampoo smells absolutely divine, and my hair drank up the conditioner like juice. Unfortunately, not many products can effectively rid me of my baby fine frizz, but my hair sure looked a lot shinier.
Rituals Foaming Shower Gel sure is different! To me washing my body with foam that looks like a shaving gel is a whole new concept, but surprisingly I loved it. Like, a lot lot. Seriously, this body wash felt so luxurious and silky on my skin, and cleansed really well without drying it out. Warm sandalwood fragrance lingered on for hours, reminding me of that SPA-like experience. Long story short: I highly recommend trying this one!
(MALIN+GOETZ) grapefruit face cleanser and vitamin e face moisturizer were immediately put to good use. The cleanser is low pH just like I love, but I already used it all up and I don’t remember the actual number anymore. But it must’ve been between 5.0 and 5.9 if I liked it, so that’s a good one! The moisturizer felt nice but not nourishing enough. I normally have combination skin that is more on the oily side, but during colder months it turns dry and flaky, so I switch my products to richer types. This moisturizer would’ve worked well in the summer though.
I reviewed NER:D Skincare Super Hydrating Mask before here, and back then I said those are some of the best sheet masks I have ever used. I was thrilled to see one of them in my Birchbox! I mean, the cost of one mask is almost twice what I paid for the box, so BAM how’s that for the box value? My opinion still stands – NER:D masks are game changers and you really do see the effect after just one use. I just wish they weren’t so pricey so I could load up and use them every day 😉
And finally, my last sample was a three-pan sampler from POP Beauty POP Portfolio Eyeshadow Palette. While I am generally indifferent to most POP products, I do like their shimmer eyeshadow formula [or whoever makes that one anyway, since they use a PLM, to my knowledge]. My trio included a shimmery ivory, shimmery plum, and shimmery dark taupe, which are perfect to accentuate brown eyes! I do need to be careful though because they produce some fallout if I really pack them on my lids.
Swatch reference: My skin tone is between MAC NC15 and NW15 with yellowish hue and neutral undertones. Sometimes I can wear NW20 in the Summer. I thought this would be useful to know, since all screens show colors differently, and I also don’t have a studio setup with consistent lighting. Hope that helps!
THE VERDICT: Best box ever, am I right? Not only did I get to try some uh-maaazing products, the fact that I got seven samples means that I only paid $3 for this box. My November box, which I haven’t reviewed yet, pales in comparison 🙂
Do you subscribe to Birchbox? Have you tried any of these products before? Which sample would have been your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo | $7.50 |
| Davines LOVE Smoothing Conditioner | $1.39 |
| Rituals Foaming Shower Gel | $3.75 |
| (MALIN+GOETZ) grapefruit face cleanser | $2.03 |
| (MALIN+GOETZ) vitamin e face moisturizer | $1.16 |
| NER:D Skincare Super Hydrating Mask | $18.66 |
| POP Beauty POP Portfolio Eyeshadow Mini Palette | $7.20 |
| Box Retail Value | $41.69 |
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.
