Birchbox Unboxing and Review: August 2013

This month my Birchbox took forever and one day to finally reach me, but it’s not like I could do anything other than sit and wait. The good news, it actually arrived in August, and the bad news is if it took just a week longer Birchbox would have awarded me with 100 points for the wait. The theme this month is “Finishing School”.

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 4-6 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!

Whish Coconut Milk Correcting Gel
I didn’t quite get it at first, usually facial serums come in small quantities, but this sample was so big I thought it was actually a body treatment. Even the retail bottle is 5oz, which is huuuge for this type of product. I think the size might be the main reason why myself and probably many other people had to actually look up the product online to figure out how to use it. Apparently this gel’s main focus is to repair the skin after daily sun exposure, and since its main ingredient is aloe juice, it should work well for sunburns as well. The ingredient list is loaded with all sorts of organic plant extracts and oils to help moisturize and soothe the skin, as well as lineolic and panthotenic acids that provide gentle exfoliation. This serum looks like an orange gel, it absorbs quickly and doesn’t seem to leave a sticky foil. I personally didn’t notice any improvement, but I guess I’ve only used it a few times and I don’t tan, so its soothing properties are wasted on me. What I did like is the strong coconutey-honey fragrance, it smells so deliciously sweet I wanted to eat it!

uniqONE All In One Hair Treatment
Revlon surprised everyone with this miracle hair treatment spray! It’s designed to address most hair concerns from split ends and detagling to sun protection and style hold. I have fine color-treated hair, and the biggest hair problem for me is when the products weigh it down, so it looks flat and limp. This spray helped with taming the frizz and also held the hair style in place all day, so I’m definitely impressed. And being an SPF nerd, I certainly appreciate the added sun protection for my hair.

MALIN+GOETZ Vitamin E Face Moisturizer
This is a very lightweight moisturizer, and I feel like it can be used by people with any skin type. I like that it absorbs fast and that it’s truly fragrance-free, because I’m sensitive to certain scents. I don’t like that it contains dimethicone, so you might want to stay away from it if you’re avoiding silicones in your routine.

Whish Deodorant Swipes with Hair Inhibitor
These wipes are supposedly soaked with a hair inhibitor, but from what I’ve read, most OTC products don’t really slow down the hair growth, so they’re basically snake oil. Not like I would care about hair inhibitors in my underarm area anyway since I shave every day, but I’ll keep this wipe around in my purse for refreshment. I really like the convenient packaging and the small size that will surely fit in any makeup bag or even a wallet.

Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Watercolor Eye Liner in Sailor
I’m really loving this color, it’s a gorgeous deep blue shade with subtle shimmer. I wanted to keep it for myself but I know someone who would love it more. I plan to save it as a Christmas present for her 🙂

The verdict: This wasn’t an exciting box but still I thought it was pretty good, considering I didn’t really dislike any of the products. The samples were big enough for several uses, too, so no complaints there. What excites me is the September box, since all subscribers will receive a Ruffian nail polish in one of the three fashion-forward Fall hues!

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

Product Retail value
Whish Coconut Milk Correcting Gel $4.69
uniqONE All In One Hair Treatment $1.05
MALIN+GOETZ Vitamin E Face Moisturizer $0.90
Whish Deodorant Swipes with Hair Inhibitor $1.10
Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Watercolor Eye Liner $15.00
Box Retail Value $22.74

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