My May products were curated by Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere, a lifestyle blogger that I heard of but never read until very recently. I like that she writes very personal and vulnerable posts sometimes, and that her articles are usually very easy to read, so call it my guilty pleasure 🙂
Since I kept my Birchbox Upgrade, this time I also received my promised two full-sized luxury products. Both turned out to be really nice, but I could’ve been happier if Birchbox changed a few things. Read on to find out why!
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!
I’ll start with my full-sized upgrade items first.
Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Color in Sexy – Okay, we all love Laura Mercier, and these lipsticks are pretty iconic, so we’re off to a good start. However, Birchbox claimed that all “upgrades” will be universally flattering, but a bright warm red doesn’t necessarily flatter everyone. Lucky for me I can pull it off, but it’s not a shade I will reach for often; I think I would have preferred something more “everyday”-ish.
CARGO Cosmetics Eyeshadow Single in Yukon – Before we got our boxes, everyone’s dashboard was showing this palette as one of our extras. Can you imagine how happy it made us feel? I was already imagining all the fun looks I’ll create with it, so when my box finally came, I felt a bit let down after only finding a single shadow, which by the way was partially shattered [you can see all the missing product at the edges, that dust was everywhere]. Despite it all, I think the color is actually universally flattering and very wearable – at least I can rock it every day. The formula felt amazing – smooth, finely milled, and intensely pigmented. CARGO knows their shimmers!
Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel – I wasn’t super excited about my sample choices this month and went for a safe one, since I already knew I like it. This gel helps gently exfoliate the skin by making all those dead cells and dirt roll off your face. It’s one of the nicer peels of this kind that I tried, and the sample packaging is just too adorable.
Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Water – The only Smashbox primer I tried/heard of is that silicone one in a squeeze tube, but it’s nice to know they also have this primer water for water-based makeup. I only tried it once so far and then had to wash off my makeup a couple hours later, but it did make my skin feel smooth, so applying foundation and concealer was easier than usual.
Macadamia Professional™ Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment – Macadamia oil treatment started my love for hair serums several years ago, and to this day I still love their products. This one is designed to bring moisture back into dry, coarse, and brittle hair, but since mine is fine and flat, I think I will give this one to someone else to try, and maybe they will become a fan of Macadamia, too 🙂
Prescriptives False Eyelashes Plush Mascara – I heard nothing but rave reviews about this mascara, and I was so happy to see it in my box. This mascara is awesome! It really lives up to its claims, and makes my winks look long, thick, voluminous and brushed. It’s like suddenly I have amazing lashes without any extra effort. This is easily one of the best mascaras I’ve tried so far, and I highly recommend giving it a shot.
English Laundry Notting Hill Femme Eau de Parfum – Before I even begin with the scent, look at that packaging: it’s a vial with a cap! Now that’s how it should be done, since most of us keep small samples in our makeup bags; this way it won’t spill or spray all over our purse. Genius! The scent, however, was not my cup of tea. Remember what I said about Aerin’s Waterlily Sun? I really wanted to love Notting Hill, but in this case, I thought the florals were on a tacky side, which to me is a deal breaker. There are people who can really pull off generic fragrances, unfortunately, I’m not one of them, and this perfume only makes me smell like a magazine insert. Something about my body chemistry disagrees with this particular bouquet of woods, florals, and citrusy notes.
THE VERDICT: FIrst things first – I was happy about my full-sized Cargo eye shadow, it’s a beautiful shimmery taupe that looks amazing on everyone. Not too thrilled with Laura Mercier lippie shade, but I guess I’ll try wearing it from time to time just because I have it; I would have much preferred a more neutral shade. The absolute winner among my small samples is the mascara – what a stunner it is, no wonder so many people love it! I usually try hard to resist giving in to the hype, but those praises are completely justified. My one little dud is a fragrance sample, which is no biggie, because fragrances are just too individual. It sure was fun to try though, since Notting Hill for Men is considered a cult classic.
Have you tried any of these products before? What was your favorite sample this month? What are you hoping to get in your next Birchbox Upgrade? Let me know in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Color | $25.00 |
| CARGO Cosmetics Eyeshadow | $16.00 |
| Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel | $4.80 |
| Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Water | $1.31 |
| Macadamia Professional™ Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment | $13.95 |
| Prescriptives False Eyelashes Plush Mascara | $5.91 |
| English Laundry Notting Hill Femme | $1.32 |
| Box Retail Value | $68.29 |
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.
You got a great box- I’ve tried and loved the hair oil and the face mask, and am dying to try the primer water!
That exfoliating gel mask is the coolest thing ever, I love how it makes those dead skin cells just roll of my face in large chunks 🙂
I’ve wanting to try the Smashbox Primer Water since it was released. It gets rave reviews. You’ve got me curious about that mascara. Must check it out.
I think you are going to like it! And I’ve also heard a lot of buzz about that primer water; I already like Skindinavia one, but this one was just as good.
I would say this is a fabulous box for $10, I’m speechless. I would love the red LM lippie, too bad the Cargo shadow broke but the shade is gorgeous, I’d love the Smashbox primer water, and so happy to see that Prescriptives is back with a great mascara! Very very nice
Unfortunately, this was the “upgraded” box version, and I actually paid $30 total to get two guaranteed full-sized products included. It was a good deal, but I decided to downgrade back to $10, because there’s no option to choose colors.
That makes much more sense. I was wondering how they could afford to give away all that makeup for $10. Still a good box for $30.
Other than the mascara I got I HATED my Birchbox this month. I’ve been really displeased with them lately which kept me from doing the upgrade.. however I LOVE the products you got for the upgrade! Ugh. Decisions!
Yikes, that’s a bummer! I’ve been pleased with my boxes for the most part lately, so no real complaints, but after this month I decided to downgrade back to a $10 subscription. Who cares that I get full-sized products, if I can’t pick the shades they come in.
Oh, I’d love to try that mascara. And that Cargo shadow really is a great staple shade!
It really is a beautiful shade, and looks awfully similar to another iconic shimmery taupe – Burberry Pale Barley.
That peel sounds nice
It’s pretty fun to use, and I love the concept of a non-abrasive exfoliant 🙂
PX False Eyelashes was my favorite for years. When they disappeared from the stores it was one of my most missed items. I used to have Yukon and remember loving it. Cargo singles seem to break easily.
Ah, well that explains it. The pan seems to be a little wobbly inside the tin, too, and that may have been one of the reasons why it shattered like that.
I wish we could swap samples, because I would so take that Macadamia oil off of you! lol. My thick, curly hair would probably love it. I got that mascara, too, and now I’m excited to try it!
I would so give it to you, girl! I’m sure it’s amazing for thick hair, but I know it won’t fly with my wispy locks. Let me know what you think of the mascara when you try it, because I’m seriously considering purchasing a full size with my Birchbox points 🙂
Overall a good box. I won’t mind that lippy…of course I love bright shades like this
I wouldn’t mind it either if I didn’t already have a hoard of reds, including my fave Tatcha Kyoto Red. I just don’t wear this color all that often, so I would have preferred to get something either more unique or more everyday instead.
Wow! Birchbox sometimes have great boxes, and I think this one of the good ones.
It was really nice, indeed! I was happy to try the Prescriptives mascara everyone raves about so much, and it’s as good as they say 🙂
Good to see they are finally upping their game!
I know, right? I remember those dreadful days when got a pile of foil samples and nothing else.
Awesome box! I love Primer Water!
Good to know! I’m still getting accustomed to it, but so far I like it 🙂
I would have loved this box!
Glad you liked the May offerings 🙂
My box unfortunately was pretty disappointing. I was so happy with my box last month, and I haven’t used a thing from this months box. 2 of the samples I received there is only enough in them for one use (they’re over half empty containers), a perfume that smells like toilet cleaner, the Coastal Scents palette sample that came with 4 colors in a tiny plastic pan, and then a bad smelling leave-in conditioner(which retails for $32 on their website, I’ll pass and get my $3 stuff that works.)
Yikes, a smelly leave-in conditioner? That doesn’t sound right, after all it’s supposed to stay on your hair all day. Some people don’t like fragranced beauty products, but that’s the reason why I don’t mind them – without added perfume things can sometimes smell too “earthy”. I don’t care how healthy something is, if I end up stinking so bad that people don’t want to be around me.
I LOVE those LM lippies!