It’s time to review my May Birchbox, because I finally got to try all of the products in it. This month’s theme is “Beauty Diaries”, so it’s time to spill our daily secrets.

“From your morning routine (sunrise yoga or snooze button and espresso) to your ice cream preferences (classic vanilla or rocky road with all the toppings), you’ve got a style and personality all your own. This month’s Birchbox is about you: the order in which you try your products, your daily routine, the techniques you’ve mastered. We want you to spill big-time—consider it your beauty-tell-all.”

About Birchbox: 
Birchbox is a subscription service that delivers a box of luxury samples to your doorstep every month. Each box is customized to match your beauty profile to ensure you get the samples you want, you will usually get 4-5 samples and sometimes even full-sized products! The samples vary from make-up and skincare, to food and beauty accessories, and each box is carefully hand-wrapped. 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. They also have a nice rewards program, where for each product survey you complete you get 10 points, every 100 points earns you $10 in Birchbox credits which you can redeem in their online store for full-sized products. 
If you would like to use my referral link then click here to join Birchbox. Thank you!

I’m self-employed and work from home, which gives me the luxury of sleeping until whatever time I feel like. The first thing I do in the morning is, of course, get in the shower, brush my teeth, and wash my face, so I tried the following two samples first.

amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask
I didn’t realize that sea buckthorn berries were rare, because I have several giant trees growing by my parents’ summer house, and we really never cared much for them. I used to drink that awfully sour obliphica juice to boost my immune system, so I don’t have very pleasant childhood memories concerning this particular plant. But I really have no problem putting that stuff in my hair 🙂 I like how bright and cheerful amika’s bottles and samples always look, they would add a little cheer to any bathroom shelf. This nourishing mask worked amazingly well for my frizzy fine hair, and didn’t weigh it down at all. It would also work as a detangler if you dilute it with water and spritz it on your hair after the shower. Overall, I thought this was a great product to try! It’s the second amika sample I received from Birchbox, and I liked both of them enough to consider purchasing them.
Overall: 4.5/5
Purchase: Yes

Marvis Toothpaste in Classic Strong Mint
I have actually tried this toothpaste before, and let me tell you it’s probably the most luxurious from the ones I know. How can a toothpaste be so different, you ask? First of all, the mint in it is super fresh and kind of tastes like you’re chewing on an actual mint leaf. It has a slight numbing effect, too, but I’m not sure what purpose that serves. Maybe it’s for people with sensitive gums to reduce the discomfort while brushing. Either way, I have it on my wishlist and one of these days I’ll just man up and splurge already.
Overall: 5/5
Purchase: Yes

So, I get out of the shower with a sparkling smile and shiny flocks, now it’s time to put on some skin care. I usually put body lotion on slightly damp skin to preserve the moisture, followed by a toner, serum, eye cream, daily moisturizer and a lip balm. Today I’ll be going out to run some errands, so a good sunscreen is a must, since the sun has been pretty hot here lately. Our next sample is just that, and here’s my review!

COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face 
Coola makes fabulous lightweight moisturizers for all types of skin, and this particular one smells like freshly cut cucumbers, thanks to the organic cucumber extract. The formula provides a nice cooling effect, which is essential during the hot summer months when the face can look flushed from all of the excess heat in the air. Needless to say, I thought this sunscreen would make a great addition to my ever-growing collection.
Overall: 5/5
Purchase: Yes

After the skin care routine is all done, it’s time to apply makeup. For my casual daily look I slather on a dime-sized amount of Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream, followed by theBalm blush in Hot Mama, and I top my lashes with a layer of Buxom mascara. Sometimes I use eye liner, too, especially when going out, and this month Birchbox sent me another one to add to my stash.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Suman
Suman is a deep black color, which is honestly kind of boring. Now, what differs this eyeliner from the others is the way it stays on the skin. Seriously, it would NOT budge at all, no matter what. I included a couple swatches for you, the first one is when I applied it in the morning, and the second one was taken just before the sunset after I have taken two showers, cooked, did laundry and a little bit house cleaning. I heard that some people experienced streaking, but I didn’t see any of that.

Being a tea lover, I like to enjoy a nice cup of tea daily, so I was very happy to find out that my Birchbox contained a little kit with four varieties of Runa tea.

Runa Guayusa Tea
Last but not the least, I loved trying out this sample, mainly because I have never even heard of guayusa tea before. The leaves look like they’re minty green, and it has a very refreshing aftertaste even when served hot. Different varieties let me experience all kinds of flavors, and the Mint one was my favorite. Apparently, guayusa tea packa twice as many antioxidants as green tea, and just as much caffeine as a cup of coffee! Perfect for a quick pick me up in the afternoon.

Box retail value: $14.33

The verdict: Overall, May was an OK month for Birchbox. I was happy to receive most of these samples, except maybe the eye pencil, I would have loved to get just about any color but black. I discovered a new type of beverage, and got reminded just how much I love Marvis toothpaste. The back of the insert card contained a little poll, we have to tweet our responses to @Birchbox for a chance to win full-sized products from our box. (Pardon my awful handwriting, I wish it was cuter)

Are you a Birchbox subscriber? What do you think of this month’s box?

Disclosure: I bought this.