This month, rather than allowing Birchbox to randomly select samples for me based on my bio, I selected one of their curated boxes. To celebrate the final season of Mad Men, Birchbox put together two different boxes, one New York-inspired and one California-inspired. Based on the products inside I knew I needed to get the New York box. Here's what I got and what I thought.
I've wanted to try products from Liz Earle for a while but unfortunately this just didn't live up to my expectations. First of all, the word lotion is incredibly deceiving. It's more like a cooling toner for your eyes that's supposed to help de-puff and calm them. It is soothing and a bit relaxing but really it's an additional step that doesn't do enough to really justify adding it to my morning routine. I'm also not a big fan of the scent.
Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush in Los Cabos
How cute is this metal packaging? It's adorable, sturdy and very travel-friendly. Although the blush shows some sparkle in the pan it applies relatively matte, with a level of pigmentation that packs a punch. The red-coral color is lovely and bright but even if you barely dab your brush in it you end up with too much color. This is funnily enough a bit too pigmented and requires an additional clean brush and time to blend the product into submission. Although I didn't get a chance to test the water resistant claims, the wear-time is fantastic, so this is definitely a cheek product for those sweltering summer days. Personally, I'll probably get limited use out of it because application is far from foolproof and takes a bit too much effort for everyday wear.
How cute is this metal packaging? It's adorable, sturdy and very travel-friendly. Although the blush shows some sparkle in the pan it applies relatively matte, with a level of pigmentation that packs a punch. The red-coral color is lovely and bright but even if you barely dab your brush in it you end up with too much color. This is funnily enough a bit too pigmented and requires an additional clean brush and time to blend the product into submission. Although I didn't get a chance to test the water resistant claims, the wear-time is fantastic, so this is definitely a cheek product for those sweltering summer days. Personally, I'll probably get limited use out of it because application is far from foolproof and takes a bit too much effort for everyday wear.
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel
This is probably the product I was most excited to try in my April box. Anastasia is practically brow royalty and though I had tried their Dipbrow pomade I was interested in trying something a bit more subtle. I tested their brow gel in combination with my usual Pixi brow pencil and found that I didn't really appreciate the scent or the way it left my brows feeling a bit stiff and crunchy. It definitely holds your hair in place all day long and is perfectly clear but it's more of a wet formula than I'm used to. This definitely isn't the brow gel to top all brow gels but it's pretty decent.
This is probably the product I was most excited to try in my April box. Anastasia is practically brow royalty and though I had tried their Dipbrow pomade I was interested in trying something a bit more subtle. I tested their brow gel in combination with my usual Pixi brow pencil and found that I didn't really appreciate the scent or the way it left my brows feeling a bit stiff and crunchy. It definitely holds your hair in place all day long and is perfectly clear but it's more of a wet formula than I'm used to. This definitely isn't the brow gel to top all brow gels but it's pretty decent.
Whish Blueberry Shave Cream
As a shave cream I thought this worked okay but there was nothing outstanding about it. It left my legs feeling pretty smooth but I found that the product wasn't really thick enough to cut down on irritation. I also think the small amount of product that comes in the sample tube is a bit of a jip. The cream smells much more like blueberry candy, with its overly sweet scent, than the fruit itself. This isn't something I would ever repurchase but I'll probably use it while the sample lasts.
As a shave cream I thought this worked okay but there was nothing outstanding about it. It left my legs feeling pretty smooth but I found that the product wasn't really thick enough to cut down on irritation. I also think the small amount of product that comes in the sample tube is a bit of a jip. The cream smells much more like blueberry candy, with its overly sweet scent, than the fruit itself. This isn't something I would ever repurchase but I'll probably use it while the sample lasts.
Although this originally seemed like the throw away product in the box I'm actually really happy with how it works. It has an almost vanilla/nutty scent that I love. I put a little bit in my damp hair before quickly drying it before bed and my hair felt so soft and hydrated. I'll definitely be getting more use out of this!
All in all I'm happy with the products I got in my April box even though none of them were a surprise. None of the products were necessarily home runs for me but for $10 I definitely found some nice things to use on days when I feel like switching it up a bit. Sadly, I think I might be hopping back off the Birchbox bandwagon again, mostly because I just have too many new products in my life to test and not enough time or storage space for them all. I'm still wonderfully impressed by their customer service and their shop. If you'd like to sign up for your own monthly box of goodies feel free to use my referral link.
Any new products you've been loving lately? Let me know.
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