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December Birchbox | 2014

Happy 2015 everyone! I hope you all had an amazing holiday, spent time with family and friends, and got the most out of the last few moments of 2014. Somehow this amazing year has come to a close and it’s time for me to share my final birchbox of 2014!

If you aren’t familiar with Birchbox, it’s a company offering a subscription to receive monthly samples of beauty products (They offer boxes for both men and women!). I love it because it’s a mini treat to myself once a month and it’s a great, inexpensive way to get introduced to new brands and products. As an added bonus- it makes a great gift for the girl (or boy) who has everything!

Below is my extra festive holiday birchbox. The boxes are getting more and more decorative with the samples being just as exciting! Check out December’s samples below!

December Birchbox 2014


Let’s begin with the Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel. My skin is usually pretty low maintenance, so I am all about what is quick and easy. This peel not only fits the bill, but also works great!  It leaves my skin feeling refreshed and glowing. My only complaint is it leaves my skin a little dry, so make sure you have some moisturizer handy! I don’t normally use peels, but if you rely on them for skin issues, I recommend trying this 3 minute peel!

Next up is the SeaRX Anti-Wrinkle Facial Lift Treatment Serum. I’m not sure how I feel about a serum for my face, the texture is a little sticky and gel-like. I prefer a smoother, thinner lotion moisturizer. But for a serum, it did go on light and smooth. Unfortunately, I didn’t really notice a difference in my skin. To be fair, it’s a little hard to know with such a small sample if there’s actually any anti-wrinkle benefits in it.

Time for the Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24 Hour Mascara! I should start with saying I am very particular about my lashes. I have a several step process I use in the mornings when I apply my mascara and I thought this product could be a great lengthening agent to use as a base. Although this mascara does a good job lengthening, I don’t find it any more impressive than the other, less expensive mascaras I use. I did find it to hold throughout the day and to come off easily at night. But again, this is nothing overly impressive to me for the price.

Now onto Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris. This perfume smells like a dream! It has an elegant, fruity fragrance to it that lasts all day! It’s a little pricey and strong to be my go-to everyday scent, but I would love to have it for special occasions!

Lastly, I’m wrapping it up with Davines Replumping Shampoo, Conditioner and Superactive! This trio is supposed to add volume to your hair. Although it left my hair smelling amazing and feeling super soft, I didn’t think it ended up adding much volume to my look. For me, this was a great set to mix up my normal hair routine, but I don’t see the value in switching to them completely.

And that’s it for this month’s Birchbox samples. Have you heard of any of these brands or tried any of these products before? Tell me about them in the comments below! Maybe you’re just craving more beauty buys? Check out last month’s post, November Birchbox | 2014.

August Birchbox | 2014

I can hardly believe September is here and summer is over! As another month wraps up, I have some Birchbox products to review and share with you! Birchbox is a service with subscriptions to receive monthly samples of beauty products. I personally use it as a mini treat to myself once a month and it’s a great, inexpensive way to get introduced to new brands and products. Below is what I found when I opened my August Birchbox.

birchbox.com

birchbox.com

My box included:

Harvey Prince Ageless – Pink Grapefruit

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream

SeaRX Birch Sap Moisturizing Lotion

ModelCo Bronzer

Aloxxi Thickening Serum

First I tried the Harvey Prince Ageless – Pink Grapefruit, and I have to say, this month’s Birchbox was immediately off to a strong start! I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, sweet scent of this perfume. I am pretty picky about my perfumes, but this scent was light ,with just the right amount of citrus and floral. It all makes sense considering the Harvey brothers specifically developed this fragrance for their mom and not only wanted a pretty scent, but one that made you smell more youthful. This fragrance is amazing and great for all ages, the only drawback is the price at $98/100ml bottle.

Now onto the Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream.  This shaving cream was a little different than what I normally use. I tend to gravitate to the Skintimate’s of the world that foam up and lather and this Whish product did neither. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the consistency reminded me a lot of a standard conditioner. I loved the smell, and after shaving my legs actually felt moisturized without having to whip out lotion. I found myself using much more of this all natural cream than I normally use of the lathering shaving creams, but the results were great! Overall it was a great find and I would definitely recommend for anyone with dry skin.

Next I tried the SeaRX Birch Sap Moisturizing Lotion. This lotion is another great find! As I’ve mentioned before, I love light, quick drying lotions that absorb into the skin quickly and this SeaRX lotion fits the bill! It’s not only light and non-greasy, but it smells great too! And as a bonus, it can be used not only on your body, but on your face too. It’s rare that I find a lotion that works for both my face and my body, so this is now my go-to lotion for traveling.

Now for the ModelCo Bronzer. First, I have to say I found this sample to be VERY messy! My sample came broken up, so the powder went everywhere when I popped the container open. Therefore, I lost a ton of the actual sample to the floor of my bathroom. But, what I had left of the product I liked. It works well as a bronzer. Tt has a slight shimmer in it, so it gives that summer glow without being too disco! It’s a nice color and blends well. If you are in the market for a new bronzer, I would definitely recommend this powder.

Last, but definitely not least, Aloxxi Thickening Serum. This product was interesting. I was weary because I thought the serum was a little thick and sticky, but it did end up thickening my hair. I had to be careful to only apply it to the ends of my hair because once it got to my roots, it almost looked greasy. It mostly added volume to the end of my strands, which was great, but I usually like to get a little extra volume at my roots. I’m not really in the market for a thickening serum, but for anyone who is, this might just be the product for you!

Have you tried these brands or products before? Let me know your thoughts on them in the comments below!

That wraps it up for this month’s Birchbox products. Craving more? Check out last month’s samples on July’s Birchbox Finds.