January 2015 Birchbox

Let's do this, Birchbox!

This month I decided to try a new subscription service. There's plenty of beauty subscription boxes out there, but I chose Birchbox because of all the boxes I know of, this one is reasonably priced and focuses on skincare. I'm just not someone who uses a lot of makeup, so something like Wantable, Ipsy, or Boxycharm is, sadly, probably not for me.

For those of you who don't know, Birchbox sends about 5 samples of beauty related products to try for $10/month. 

You fill out a questionnaire detailing your skin type and what you're looking for in skin care products. For me, I have oily skin and still deal with acne.  However, I'm in my mid-20's, so I'm starting to shop around for products that will slow down the inevitable aging process like exfoliants, vitamin C products, peptide products, and good sunscreens.

These types of products can be expensive, however, so trying them through Birchbox without having to buy the full product seems like a fun way to "shop" around.

I'm also lazy. So not having to put on pants and drive to a store? WIN. 

 This month, I received:

Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator:
This is supposed to mimic the effect of microdermabrasian. I'm not sure what microdermabrasian is, but if it's supposed to be a physical exfoliant, it does the job well.

Sensitive skin types might not like this product. The beads in this are large enough to potentially irritate the skin. But on my skin it feels quite nice.

I don't have sensitive skin (although I would hesitate to use this every day myself), so I like a physical exfoliant in addition to my chemical exfoliants to slough off dead skin. I like to use this in the morning after an overnight application of tretinoin (the generic version of Retin-A).

Overall, I think this is a nice product.

Harvey Prince Sincerely Perfume:
I feel a bit apprehensive about reviewing a scent. Scent is such a personal thing. It triggers memories unique to each person, and scents smell differently from person to person because we all have different body chemistries. Therefore, I'm not sure perfume reviews are all that helpful.

On me, this scent faded rapidly (a problem I have with perfume in general), and I felt this was just a little too sweet and flowery for my taste. 

But this scent is different from most of the generic flowery scents out there, so I could see someone really liking this one.

Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm:
I've never tried a BB cream before. It's been all the rage for the past couple of years, and I think the market now has... like... what, CC creams now? DD creams? ZZ creams? BB creams tend to make fantastic claims, but I've always viewed those claims with skepticism.

I still think most BB claims are crap, but I love this one. This Korean BB cream has 45+ SPF and has a nice, neutral beige-y tint. I naturally have a yellowish tint to my skin since I'm part Japanese, so I was surprised to find a tint that didn't make me look sick. Also, while the cream has a slight tint, it doesn't have the full coverage a foundation does. For some people, this is a negative. But for me, I personally hate the feel of foundation. This is the closest to a "foundation" that I'm willing to use on my face.

So, between the high SPF and slight beige coverage, I'm a convert! I've already bought the full size of this product.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Jaipur Gold:
This is a nice creamy eyeliner. Very, very creamy. The feel is wonderful.

It mostly stays on well all day. But sometimes it tends to bleed from my lower lash line. While it's not my favorite color (it's kind of like a cross between bronze and olive green), it's overall a good quality eyeliner. I may consider buying it in black later on, although I really don't like eyeliners that bleed into those little lines around my lower eyes. It makes me look like a drug addict, and I haven't figured out how to stop that from happening.

Whish Three Wishes Body Butter in Lavender:
This lotion is pleasant and non-greasy. The scent is also a true lavender scent (as in, it doesn't smell unnatural). I've been using it, although, to be honest, I'm not a lotion person. I have oily skin naturally, so I've spent most of my life minimizing the moisture content of my skin.

It's nice though, and a lotion needs to be non-greasy for me to use it. I'll keep this in the back of my mind should I ever need to use lotion in the future.

So, that was the entirety of my Birchbox. I thought it was fun to try new brands, and I've found a product that I've already added to my everyday routine. Will I keep this subscription? Absolutely.

Check Birchbox out!