January Birchbox

Well, I was so excited to see my Birchbox in the mailbox when I got home today! I tore right into it and was.........bleh. Okay, I get it...it's only $10 a month for samples, but I've been getting samples for about 6 months now and I've only had one that I was really wowed by. I'm thinking of cancelling my BB and just sticking with my Ipsy Glam Bag. Anyway...here's what I got this month from Birchbox:

1.  Deborah Lippmann "The Stripper to Go for Go-Go Girls" lavender nail lacquer remover finger mitts

Well....it's fingernail polish remover. Little mitts that go over each finger to remove the polish. I guess it's a neat concept, but $12 for 6 packages? I can buy an entire bottle of Equate polish remover for less than a buck. And what about your toes.....these might work, but how inconvenient. Another thing, many ladies are opting for  shellac instead of actual polish these days, so these just don't seem to be something that I think would sell very well, but who knows. They smell pretty good I guess. Better than regular remover. I'll be sticking with my generic remover, thank you very much.

2.  Amika COLOR pHERFECTION SHAMPOO 

Shampoo samples. My number one complaint: SEND THE CORRESPONDING CONDITIONER SAMPLE!!! I can't tell whether or not I like the shampoo when I use a conditioner from another brand after cleansing. Who knows if the shampoo is great when you follow it with something completely unrelated to the product? Well, this smells okay. Nothing fantastic. My hair feels about the same as usual (probably because I'm using the same conditioner...) I won't be purchasing this.

3.  My Prime Multi-Purpose Mattifying Moisturizer

Great...yet another primer. (Told you I wasn't please with this month's products...) I have EXTREMELY OILY SKIN. Like an oil slick. I have tried everything, and I mean EVERYTHING to help with the oiliness: I use a Clarsonic brush, tried many different cleansers/moisturizers/mattifiers/foundations...you name it. The thing I found that works best? Milk of Magnesia. Yes. You read that correctly. Good old liquid milk of magnesia on a cotton ball and spread on your face will combat oil better than ANYTHING you will ever buy. I read about it online YEARS ago, and I'll quit using it for a while to try the newest primer that promises to stop all the oil, and I always end up going back to the good old Milk of Magnesia. I did give this sample the old college try....nothing special. Next.

4.  Hot Mama! by The Balm (All in one blush, highlighter, and eye shadow)

This claims to be an all in one product, but I cannot see using this color as anything but a blush. It is VERY similar to Nars Orgasm, and unfortunately, I'm one of those one-in-a-million gals who cannot pull off Nars Orgasm. It just doesn't look good on me at all. I tried this out and it's cute, but I really had to pile it on, and the sample is so small that it's practically impossible to get your blush brush around enough in it for a decent application. The full size comes with a little mirror in the flap. One thing I did like for some random reason is that the flap is magnetic, so it shuts completely to protect the product in your make up bag. I don't know if the full size is like that, but if they'd put that much effort into a sample I'm assuming the full size is also magnetized. This product and it's packaging remind me a lot of Benefit's Coralista blush, another color I want to wear so badly, but just doesn't look good on me. So, if you love Nars Orgasm but hate the price, try this one out. It's a lot cheaper ($20), but I'll be sticking with my Nars blush in Sin. It's the perfect color for me, and I don't have to use a lot to get good color, meaning I only purchase it twice a year.

5. Skinny Chic by Harvey Prince perfume

And the worst for last...the dreaded perfume sample. My least favorite samples to get are perfume samples. I wear Stella by Stella McCartney, which I ironically got as a free sample from a Sephora online order, and I loved it, and now it's all I wear. This smells similar to a hair product I've used in the past, but I am not sure which one. It says it's a blend of "crisp apple, sweet mint, and warm amber." It also claims that "a spritz a day keeps you feeling young, beautiful, and  slim." I must research this more....because if it's some sort of perfume that acts like an appetite suppressant, then I'll wear the sh!t out of this. But as for now, as the scent lingers next to me, it reminds me of a 12 year old girl and her Walmart perfume. This sample is going into the trash.


Well, there you have it. My January Birchbox full of disappointment. At least I didn't get another Luna Bar I suppose.