Ah, Birchbox. You’ve gone and done it again – filled a box with things I love, things I’ve wanted to try, and things I didn’t know I wanted. Note the large size of all the samples this month, these were all deluxe samples. In fact, several items are just about half the size of the full-size versions!
Side note: I love the cute box designs each month, but this month was especially cool – the imagery wraps around the front/sides of the box and plays with your perception of which side should be the focus. Plus, I love the silhouette foreground and emphasis on the background (I’m a designer, this type of stuff makes me geek out). Plus, doesn’t this evoke such a fun summer vibe? I loved the box this month!
Price: $10/month
Box Type: Beauty products, 5-6 deluxe samples
Why you’ll love it: Top brands, good sized samples of solid products. Their new customization process learns what you like so when you review your boxes on birchbox.com you’ll guarantee more personalized boxes. Plus, you can pick a sample you’d love to see in your box or select a pre-made box instead of leaving it to chance!
How to sign up: Just click here!
I got the curated box this month, check it out:
Purlisse Blue Lotus Seed Mud Mask + Exfoliant (full-size $52): Purlisse has always been this brand that I have kind of ignored (sorry, Purlisse), but I actually really like this mask and am doing a double take on the brand. If you’ve read my blogs before, you know I’ve got dry, sensitive skin that doesn’t handle new or aggressive products very well, especially exfoliating products. While this mask is an exfoliation mask, it’s more of a clay mask that gently resurface skin. Blue lotus seed is apparently an antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which is great for sensitive skin like mine. I’d be interested in trying more from Purlisse’s Blue Lotus line!
Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Ultimate Hydro Gel (full-size $39): I looooooove Dr. Jart+! Prior to becoming a die-hard Drunk Elephant user (which is amazing and worth every penny), I was a total Dr. Jart+ gal. I follow a Korean skincare regimen every day (cleanser, toner, essence, serum, then finally a moisturizer), and since I have dry skin I use products with a moisturizing property in them at each step. By the time I get to my moisturizer, I really only need a light one to get me through the day; I’ve been using gel creams and loving them! My go-to gel cream is the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, but I have been super curious about this new Dr. Jart+ gel cream. It’s much lighter than Aqua Bomb, but it does the trick. Perhaps in the winter it won’t be rich enough for my dry skin, but I do like it while it’s still sweltering outside!
Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray (full-size $24): Birchbox is so into Amika lately. It seems like every box has an Amika product in it, but I’m a-ok with that. On my days off in the summer I am totally into spraying some volumizer on my hair after a shower and calling it a day, and this is a great one to use for that purpose. It’s a texturizer, volumizer, isn’t sticky, and has a nice scent to it. No volumizing spray is going to give you the thickest, fullest hair ever, but some are much better than others and this one is among that elite group.
Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment (full-size $42): I haven’t tried this hair mask treatment yet, but I really like Living Proof as a brand and have no doubt that it will live up to its claims of restoring shine and smoothness while reversing heat damage. This sample container is so big, it’s actually sold on sephora.com for $12!
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Aria (full-size $24): This is the product I wasn’t thrilled about this month, but that’s a personal problem because I don’t really wear lip products. However, the color is gorgeous and it contains vitamin E and avocado oil, which makes the formula moisturizing and creamy while also drying matte. The one downside to this sample, and I have noticed it across most Stila lip samples, is that there isn’t a ridge inside the top of the bottle to scrape excess product off the wand, so the wand is very messy and the applicator picks up too much product. That said, this is a sample and not a full-sized product that I paid full price for, so I can only complain about the packaging so much.
Final Rating: A+
I loved this box (its contents and the box itself)! I’ve been saying this for about a year, but Birchbox just keeps getting better and better. Between the huge samples from high-end brands and customizing box items for each subscriber, I really have no complaints. It’s been a long time since I was disappointed with a Birchbox! I really can’t wait to see what they send me next month, I know it’s going to be awesome.
xo,
Jill
I bought this box, all opinions are my own. Post contains referral links.