Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Birchbox: beauty samples, $10/month
Promo: TATIOFFER to get first box for $1.
I paid: $11, including tax
Birchbox sends you five beauty samples a month, generally a mixture of skin/haircare and makeup. It comes in a cute little box that you can re-use. You can review each sample you receive for 10 points, and exchange 100 points for $10 off their online store, including gift subscriptions to their box. When you subscribe, you can fill out a questionnaire telling Birchbox which type of products interest you, though you may still get products you don’t care for. Lately, Birchbox has allowed subscribers to chose between a curated box, that lists what samples are included, and a mystery box.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This month I got two Birchboxes. I already had a subscription going when Birchbox came up with a promo that you’d get a Beautyblender sponge and solid kit Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
for free with a new subscription. Beautyblender is a makeup application sponge and it gets amazing reviews. It’s exactly the sort of tool my daughter would love, but I wouldn’t pay $24 (including the cleanser) for. So I reactivated an old subscription in order to get the sponge and ended up with a second May box (when you subscribe to Birchbox your first box will always be for the month when you subscribed).
I was all in all very happy with what I got in this box. There were no repeats with either the products I got on my other May birchbox or products I’ve gotten in previous boxes. I will use three of the products and give one to my daughter. The last product is made in China so I’m passing on trying it. The total value of the box, excluding the Chinese mask, was about $30, or $55 adding the sponge. I can’t complain.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
in medium deep, 5 ml, value $4
I love getting BB creams because, specially those with a broad spectrum SPF. I can get sun protection and smooth out my complexion all at once! I really like this BB cream. It goes on very smoothly, and the color matched my complexion perfectly, though I think it may accentuate the wrinkles around my eyes. As I currently wear glasses, these are not too noticeable, however. What’s even better, Paula’s Choice gives it four stars, highlighting its gentle sunscreen ingredients and the fact that it contains arbutin, which may help get rid of brown spots. This cream does not cover up brown spots, but I have yet to find a BB cream that does. My only concern is how expensive it is. I can’t believe the tiny sample I got, which won’t last me a week, is $4! Made in Korea.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Macadamia Professional Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment, 1 oz (full travel size), value $14
Hair oils seem to be the “it” product in subscription boxes lately, I keep getting them. I’d never used them myself but my daughter seems to think it makes her hair softer. I tried this one and liked the scent. It did make my hair feel softer, but it also made it look limper. I have very fine hair, so this really may not be a product for someone like me. I gave it to my daughter and I hope she enjoys it. Made in USA.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer, 20 ml, value $14 (but really, less than $4)
At first I thought this was just a body lotion. After all, it’s think like a body lotion, it absorbs very quickly and it’s main ingredient is water. Plus the sample came in one of the squeeze bottles that are most often used for lotions. But the price, $36 for a 1.7 oz bottle, threw me for a loop. Who would pay that much for a lotion, specially one that doesn’t have any magical ingredients? But it turns out that this moisturizer is for your face. OK, but I still don’t get why anyone would pay so much for a lotion that claims to moisturize and nothing more.
That said, this is a pleasant body lotion. It’s pretty light and applies very smoothly. My skin absorbed it very quickly. The lotion smells just like lemon cream sandwich cookies, I haven’t eaten those forever but I know what to lick my skin Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The moisturizer is made in Spain, and yet all the marketing information for the brand seems to be in English. I’m not happy that the brand claims its products are “natural & organic” when the small print on this cream shows that it only has 12% of organic ingredients and not all ingredients are natural.
In any case, I’m happy to get this cream which I plan to use as a body lotion, but I don’t think the sample is anywhere near $14 – for my purposes I’ll give it a generous value of $4.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
W3LL PEOPLE The Expressionist Mascara in black, deluxe sample, value $8?
This is an all natural mascara. I tried it and I really like how easy it was to apply and how it didn’t leave any instant smudges. It did make my eyelashes look longer. However, reviews say that it doesn’t last long and that after a couple of hours it starts to smudge under the eye. I guess I’ll have to test driver for longer and report back. There is no information about how large the sample is and I can’t really venture to guest, but it’s a good size sample. These samples are selling on e-bay between $5.50 and $10, so I’m giving it a value of $8. It’s made in the USA.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Wei Golden Root Purifying Mud MaskImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This is yet another Wei mask made in China. And this one is a mud mask! China’s soil is heavily contaminated, often with heavy metals, and while Wei might have found some non-contaminated mud somewhere, I, for one, am not willing to take the risk. Plus I already have a jar of Argentine clay at home that I can mix with oils and water to make my own mask.