Thursday, October 25, 2012

birchbox

I love samples.  I'm the person who rips samples out of magazines while I'm sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's office.  I'm also the girl who asks for extra samples at Kiehl's.  Yeah, I'm that fool.  So when I first heard of Birchbox from my friend Jenny, I thought, what?  They send you samples? Every month?  Like a magazine subscription?  But I didn't automatically jump on board. I waited.  Until goop came along.  I'm not going to lie, I wanted to know what high end products Gwyneth Paltrow uses, so I signed up to get my first Birchbox.

My relationship with Birchbox did not start out very smoothly. First, I requested an invited and waited.  When I finally got my invite and tried to sign up, their system failed me not once, not twice, but 4 times!!  Every time I got to the payment part, their website froze. But I was persistent.  Finally, fifth time was the charm.  A few days later I happened to check my credit card statement and saw, you guessed it, 5 charges from Birchbox.  Hey, I only wanted 1 subscription, not 5!!!  What the hell!  Fuming, I tweeted about it and then I called customer service. This is where things got better.  The lady I spoke to was very apologetic and quickly fixed the error. Brownie points to Birchbox for being on top of their customer service.  Then I got the email that my Birchbox shipped.  Yay!!  I couldn't wait to get it.  Besides loving samples, I also love getting mail.  My first Birchbox arrived yesterday.  After a crappy day at work, I couldn't wait to see what products I would be sampling.  Fingers were crossed that a BB creme was in there.  

My first impression was: the box is kinda small.



Inside the package was another box:



And then the big reveal:



Here are the contents of my October Birchbox:

1.  beautyblender.  It's a hot pink sponge used to apply "foundation or tinted moisturizer".  I personally don't use sponges to apply my foundation, but I think it will come in handy this Saturday when I apply Bubba's make-up for his Jionni costume.  Pictures to come. 

2.  Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Charm.  The only lip gloss I ever wear is from MAC and personally, I only wear lip gloss on special occasions.  I'm a devoted fan of  Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 and I wear it everyday.  However, kudos to Birchbox for sending a nice sized sample. The product is as described.  It is non-sticky and lasts all day. I don't think I need the plumping effect, though.

3.  Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder.  As a new mom suffering from post-partum hair loss, this is the perfect product to try.  Confession:  to prevent more hair loss I have resorted to only shampooing my hair twice a week.  I'm hoping for my hair to grow back soon, but until then, I am going to try this dry shampoo.  I've tried Bumble and bumble's dry shampoo in the past and did not like it. I felt that it stained my scalp more than actually "shampoo" it. I will post an update once I've tried Lulu's.

4.  Supergoop!  City Sunscreen Serum.  Even though I live in Portland, Oregon and the sun barely shows its face between now and spring, I still wear sunscreen every day.  I do not want to grow old and have leathery skin.  Yes, I'm vain. The serum is "silky" smooth as described.   A little actually goes a long way.  Unlike some sunscreen, it doesn't leave a sticky feeling nor does it feel layered on. 

5.  twistband  Hair Tie.  Before I received my Birchbox, I searched for reviews on October's Birchbox and noticed that a lot of people were complaining about these hair ties.  I was prepared to think nothing of them, really.  But I fell in love!! I have super thick hair.  I go through normal hair ties pretty quick because they lose elasticity or my fat hair just breaks them. The twistband, so far, seems super sturdy.  They're supposed to be snag-free while never leaving a crimp in your hair.   I see this as a great stocking stuffer this Christmas. Will definitely buy a few when they are in stock again.

Lifestyle Extra.  Kusmi Tea in Detox and Euphori  I can't say anything a.bout this because I don't drink tea.  My friends know me as the one who doesn't drink any hot liquids.  I will occasionally have a cup of hot chocolate, but tea isn't my cup of tea :)  Well, the packaging is cute.

Overall, I can't say Birchbox has completely won me over, but I'm keeping my subscription just to see what else is in store.  I think Oprah should team up with Birchbox next, if she hasn't already.   I look forward to next month's box. 

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