In my never-ending quest to finally get on top of my little sample pile, I’ve started to be more diligent with my Birchboxes as they come in. I deliberately go to the box every time I reach for ANY beauty product and first double check that there is nothing in there that I could try. It helps that I REALLY want to cross something off of my 101 list and reviewing Birchboxes is on that list.
I tried all of the samples in my Birchbox and I’m here to report back.
This month I got 5 samples and the theme was “Find your happy,” though it’s hard to see that writing on this little card!
One of the things I love about Birchbox is that they always include a card with information about the samples in my box. I frequently have to refer back to the paper to make sure I’m not putting a face cream in my hair or a blush stick on my lips. Y’all, I am actually THAT clueless.Â
I immediately tried the Smashbox Always On Lipstick. It was listed as a “warm pink,” but all I saw was a coral/orange. Obviously, this has a filter (sorry, not sorry) but it was actually an orangey coral. Which I guess COULD be called a warm pink, but I put it on and was NOT a fan. I’m definitely more of a blush/pink/nude kind of lip color girl. This is a bit much.
Before the next time, I applied makeup, I used the Bioderma Pore Refiner because I LOVE pore refiners. But it turns out, I don’t like gels. I usually use the Benefit Porefessional stuff and I love that it’s matte and slightly tinted. This Bioderma stuff was a gel and I didn’t like that I had to wait for it to dry. I’ll try this again on a day I don’t wear makeup to see how it feels on its own.
I also drew myself a bath and tried the hair mask. Since my hair is long, I find that samples like this are kind of weird. In order to apply a generous amount, I have to use up like 3/4 of the product so I end up either using too little or potentially using way too much. I used the whole thing, haha. I knew the minute I started rinsing it off that it was good – my hair LOOKED really smooth and soft. I didn’t style my hair as normal, but my roots did seem a bit shiny/greasy so I think I may have applied too much. It was alright, but definitely not a product I’d buy on my own.
I was intrigued by the LAQA & Co B’Lighter Blush + Highlighter. The instructions are to dab a little bit on your cheekbones, brow bones, bridge of your nose and cupids bow. IDK, I tried it but it didn’t really seem to blend well so I applied a little blush on top of it – the instructions never said if this was the purpose, but I did like that it added some colored highlight.
On my eyes, I usually wear gold/tan shadow without fail. I’m really weary of too much color. I think in general I hate anything that draws attention to me, so I tend to just stick with really natural/neutral colors of makeup. This shadow was PERFECT. It had a bit of a shimmer and I was able to put a second layer in the crease of my eyes to give it a little more somethin’ somethin’.
That’s using the pore refiner, the highlighter + the eyeshadow. The lip color is one I got in my January Birchbox… in 2015. I looked it up and was like my word, I REALLY suck at using up Birchbox samples. If you’re interested in joining Birchbox, which is 5 samples a month for $10 (PLUS they have a big online store where you get points back for your purchases – I literally ONLY buy my beauty products on Birchbox *or Root Pretty* and I often get great deals and savings because of their sales & my points) please use my link and join Birchbox here 🙂
