This month's Birchbox was pretty unique because you had a whole lot of options. One option was to pick the Birchbox x The Everygirl collaboration box. For this option every item was revealed in advance. The other options was to pick one of four different products to be included in a typical monthly box. As you can see, I went with the former option. I primarily did this because I've been dying to try the Benefit They're Real Push-up Liner and because I loved the Harvey Prince Hello fragrance I received in a previous box. That sample had just run out so I was excited to replace it.
All of the products in The Everygirl Box have full-size versions that retail at $35 or less. So, this is definitely considered the "affordable beauty essentials collection" vs. some of the more pricey samples I've received in other Birchboxes.
My box contained: Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect (Full-size, $32), Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Push-Up Liner (Full-size, $24), Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub (Full-size, $14.99), Harvey Prince Hello Perfume (Full-size, $26), Not Soap, Radio Happiness Inducing Body Wash (Full-size, $16)
I was really excited to try this product because I've gotten into facial scrubs a lot more lately. I have very dry skin and have learned that exfoliating just 2-3 times each week makes a huge difference. My skin looks more radiant, healthy, and moisturized. I also don't have that awful flaky look you can get when foundation sticks to little spots of dry skin.
This one is pretty different from others I've tried recently. It's sort of a dark green-charcoal color and has strong ginger smell to it. I found I had to use a lot of the product to cover my face because it didn't really stick to my skin. It's a little messy - a lot of it just fell off into the sink as I applied it. However, it left my skin feeling really firm and fresh. I definitely plan on using this one some more and seeing the long term results.
Because I selected "The Everygirl" Birchbox this month rather than the typical Birchbox, I did receive a couple duplicates from previous boxes. Normally Birchbox ensures that you don't receive the same samples twice but this month was a little different because of the options we had. I received this sample once before in my February Birchbox. This perfume was actually part of the reason why I selected this Birchbox option. I loved the citrus-meets-powdery-floral scent.
I'm not going to go into much detail about this one, since I reviewed it just last month for my July Birchbox. I like the idea of this product but the scent just wasn't for me, so I'll probably be swapping or gifting this one.
As I said above, the Benefit Push-Up Liner was the main reason I selected this box. I'm a massive fan of Benefit's They're Real Mascara and was really excited to try their latest product in that line. I was a bit wary about paying the $24 up front for the full-size version. So, this seemed like a fantastic way to try it out relatively risk-free. While often times trying out a product through a Birchbox sample is a great way to confirm that the full-size splurge would be worth it, sometimes Birchbox samples are great for determining if the product isn't right for you - and actually saving you money in the long run (or spending it on things that are a better fit). Unfortunately, in this case this product just wasn't right for me.
I love the simplicity of it. It combines an eyeliner applicator and a gel eyeliner in one. It has a flexi-tip and the proper shape to "hug" your lash line. However, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get this sample to apply properly. The line was lighter in some places than others and straight-up non-existent in some places the first time. I think part of my application failure was because of the difference between the sample vs. the real product. In order to get the gel to reach the applicator tip, you have to squeeze the sides of the tube very very tightly on the sample. On the full-size product I understand that there is a section of the handle that rotates to "push" the liquid up - perhaps like a Stila Lip Glaze? No matter how much I squeezed the sample, I felt like I couldn't get that much of the product out of it. I would say that it was definitely designed for just 1 or maximum 2 applications. If you mess it up the first time you try to apply it (like I did), you don't really get enough of the product in that tube to really try it again. Maybe I'll get another sample sometime and can give it another go. I also noticed in the samples at Sephora that the product can clump a little bit on the full-size version's tip and probably needs to be wiped/cleaned regularly. That's not really a big deal, but you probably wouldn't notice this on the sample size.
I love the energizing fresh lemon smell of this product. Also, although it's described as a body wash, I immediately noticed on the packaging that it can also be used as "bubbles for bath or shower". I love different products I can use in a long relaxing bath but I seldom go out and buy bubble bath on my own - maybe occasionally bath oils or salts. I'm looking forward to trying this out sometime soon. I don't normally spend $16 for this kind of product but might consider it if it seems especially luxurious.
Which Birchbox option did YOU pick this month?
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