June 2015 Birchbox

I've been snowed under with work on launching a podcast project and trying to finish up other things, and sadly this blog is the first thing I stop being able to keep up with. But I'm going to try to get back into it since I'm six months behind on Birchbox again!

This month's @birchbox had some fun stuff, though a few things that don't really fit my profile. But I did need some sunscreen to go in my bookbag! Full review on the blog soon.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Jun 21, 2015 at 6:12am PDT

COOLA SPF 50 Sport - Mango: I do love the smell and the feel of COOLA sunscreen products, and this one was really nice. I needed a small tube of sunscreen to put in my bag and this was perfect for that and was great for the summer while I used it. My only problem with COOLA products is the price. It's absolutely not worth the price. The Neutrogena tube of sunscreen I got after this was just as nice, just maybe not as pretty smelling.

Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion: So this is part of what I'm referring to in the caption by saying it doesn't fit my profile. I don't blow dry my hair, actually I recently pulled out my blowdryer to use a Jamberry nail wrap that I'd recently gotten and it rattled and smelled so bad that I realized it was busted and possibly dangerous. This was the hair dryer that I'd snitched from my sister that she had in college, and that was in the 90's. So basically I have no input on this one because I had absolutely no use for it.

Hanky Panky Eau de Parfum: I don't have the vocabulary to really talk about perfume samples, but this one was nice at first but as I wore it a few days I realized it wasn't really working for me. It was nice in the bottle, but just wasn't my style or didn't work with my body chemistry.

Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner: The color that I got in this eyeliner was called mulberry and it is a fantastic color. The pencil itself worked really well and I really liked it a lot. If I didn't already have more eyeliners than I could use in my life, I would have bought the full kit right away. I really liked this and the other colors were great.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels: This was my sample pick for this month because I wanted to check out an eye gel product and see if I liked it. I do have a problem with my eyes being puffy and irritated sometimes because I'm an insomniac (that's not hyperbole by the way) and I did like them quite a bit. But I later bought a pack of slightly cheaper Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches and I like those quite a bit. But the Skyn Iceland ones are very nice, either is a good choice.

Emi Jay Solid Hair Tie 5-Pack: This is the other thing that doesn't fit my profile as I mention in my Instagram caption. I keep my hair too short to pull back, so I can't use any hair ties at all. I gave these away. But the other thing is the time before that I got a ribbon hair tie it was awful, it absolutely did not do the job it was meant to do and I could tell it was because it was too busy being cute to be as functional as it could be. A hair tie's job is to tie your hair back, if you want something cute tie a ribbon over a functional one or something.

February 2015 Birchbox

So we're starting to get within visible range of catching up on my Birchbox reviews! Of course I got a new one yesterday, so now I'm still five months behind, but we'll get there! This month was mostly just okay, but the box design itself was seriously fun. Birchbox has been knocking it out of the park with their gorgeous box colors this year.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Feb 19, 2015 at 8:53am PST

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner: I'd been wanting to try this, because I loved the Eyeko mascara I got in my first ever Birchbox. It's a fantastic product, though it's not for if you're looking for subtle. It's a very deep, bold line and very easy to use. I'm a huge fan of it, and the sample was such a good size, it might actually be a full size even.

Bee Kind Body Lotion: This was good lotion, but not great. It's not going to replace what I've been getting from other companies, because it's a bit thick and I don't really love the smell. It's not a bad smell, it just doesn't really work for me. Now don't get me wrong, I've used up the entire sample (nearly, I keep it at work so it's taking a while) but at the same time I'm probably not going to buy it.

Marcelle Gentle Eye Make-up Remover for Sensitive Eyes: This was my sample choice for this box, because I'd been looking for another eye makeup remover, the one I have doesn't really work without scrubbing and I want to avoid that. This one works great, though it is a bit differenet for me because I've only used gel removers before and not an oil based one. But I do like it, I need to use it more but I'm still trying to use up the other bottle of not-as-good stuff that I have.

Juicy Couture Hollywood Royal: I liked this scent pretty well when I got it. Not as much as La Fleur but still it was nice. But then over time I guess I either got pickier or discovered other scents I liked better because when I started wearing it regularly to use up the sample, I realized I didn't like it so much anymore. It doesn't take long for it to just smell like every other too strong scent rather than like the actual notes is's supposed to have. There definitely was no hint of marshmallow at that point. So I ended up giving up on it, maybe it's my body chemistry, maybe my sample has gone bad, I don't know, but I grew out of liking it.

Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser: This product basically cemented it for me that I can't use Juice Beauty products. It also made my sensitive skin act up, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with it either. Oh well.

So this box was alright, a few wins, a great addition to my eye makeup, and a few losses. I have to admit that around this box is when I started to get tired of the perfume samples, even though I have it turned to send me fewer of them, I feel like I'm getting the max possible. But I'd rather get samples to try than waste $90 on a big bottle that smells terrible on me, so I'll get over it.

So, halfway through the year, any other Birchbox subscribers out there? How have your boxes been lately? I think they mostly go uphill after this one. And don't forget to do your reviews, I just placed a big order and I didn't have to pay a penny for it because I had so many points. Their points system really can't be beat.

January 2015 Birchbox

Oh my gosh, we've caught up to this year again! I'm only...still six months behind since my July box has shipped. But I keep going because I will get caught up! This box was pretty fun this time around.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Jan 8, 2015 at 3:17pm PST

Silhouette by Christian Siriano Eau de Parfum: This was a very pretty perfume, and I did quite like it. It's on my list of ones I might one day order a full size of, if I ever actually ran out of samples (which isn't looking like it's going to happen anytime soon). The full size bottle is SO beautiful, that's definitely a big plus. But the sample bottle was just weird, the packaging is straight up strange. If you can see in the picture, there was kind of a little flat piece sticking out of the top, and after trying to unscrew or pull up the top of the little vial for about ten minutes, I finally twisted that little flat piece enough that it came out. The design was that it was a plastic wand going into the vial that you pulled out and used to put on the fragrance. Inventive I guess, but useless. I prefer a rollerball, but if I can't have that a spray, and if you can't even do that just have a stopper in the top. The wand didn't create a great seal so I actually ended up losing most of this sample when it got knocked over and just leaked out.

Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45+: If you've been following my Birchbox reviews you'll know I don't like any product like this that's tinted because it's always, always too dark. Yet again, this product looked weird on me and it was way too much pigment for me, it went on like cake makeup or something. I couldn't get the hang of using it and I looked weird so I gave it away.

Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser: I quite liked this cleanser actually. I ended up putting it in my bag to take with me to the pool for my water aerobics class because taking water aerobics in the winter was a stupid idea and my face ended up ridiculously dried out and sensitive. It helped it keep from getting worse, and it was pretty good. I might end up settling on this for the cleanser I used with my Clarisonic since it's also reasonably priced.

Mirenesse Glossy Kiss: I'm really falling in love with lip crayons. They're such a great way for me to put on lip products, and thanks to Birchbox I have a few really good ones. I can't remember which shade I got, but it's a really lovely color, kind of neutral and very me. I really liked it.

Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion: This was my sample choice this month, and I was so excited about it. I'd really liked the Essential Elements Wake Up Rosmeary shower gel I got a few months previously, so I really wanted to try this one and it didn't disappoint. It smelled as nicely as I remembered, and worked well as I expected it would. Definitely a fan, though I will say I liked the shower gel slightly more, I think maybe rosemary for a lotion for me isn't my favorite, I kind of prefer fruitier things.

Okay, so that's it for a pretty good box, only one real miss in there, and several things I added to my list of stuff I might buy in the future.

December 2014 Birchbox

Back to the Birchbox archive posts! I swear I'll be caught up eventually, I'm only six months behind now! This box is going to be a hard one because I remember so little about it, everything was pretty "meh." Ah well.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Dec 13, 2014 at 10:15am PST

English Laundry Eau de Parfum Signature for Her: Like I said, I remember very little about this box except that I gave this perfume away. It was very flowery and just not at all my style. I tried it twice, I wanted to like it because the reviews were so good but it just didn't work for me. Too strong, too something.

Manna Kadar Lip Locked: I picked this as my sample choice that month, and got it in Lucky, which is described as a "nude petal-pink." It's not a bad lip gloss, the packaging is tiny so it's actually a bit hard to really open up and use but that's okay. I think in general it's just an okay product, I've found lip products I've liked so much more (like from Laqa & Co or Cynthia Rowley) so honestly it's at the bottom of my lip products bag and I never reach for it, but I'm not going to get rid of it either if that makes sense.

SeaRX Microdermabrasion Face and Body Scrub: I basically remember a sum total of nothing about this product. I don't remember it hurting my skin, which is good, but it didn't make a huge impression either since I didn't favorite it and I forgot it existed.

Davines Replumping Superactive: I honestly don't understand this whole thing with wanting your hair to be "plump" and all that. I spend half my time trying to get my hair to stop being insane and sticking up weirdly, so I'm not sure what this product was supposed to do for me. I did use it, and used it up, but I like other spray in products better.

Davines Replumping Shampoo and Conditioner: Again, I remember little about this. It smelled fine, it worked fine I guess, but I'm not looking to make my hair poofier or plumper so it wasn't really my style.

Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24 Hour Mascara: I specifically did the lip gloss as my sample choice that month even though I have too many lip products because I really didn't want more mascara, I don't wear it often enough and it just dries out and clumps up before I can use it up. But then I got this in my box anyway, which is fine if a little disappointing. I ended up giving it away unopened because I'd rather somebody actually use it than for it to go bad in my makeup box.

So December was a slightly lackluster box overall, nothing really bad or anything, but nothing memorable either.

October 2014 Birchbox

Still playing catch-up with my Birchbox reviews! Now we're up to October of last year. Maybe one day I'll be posting current reviews again. This month they included a card to talk about some of your favorite things, and my card wanted to know a book. I picked Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith because I actually had recently stayed up too late re-reading it. It's one of my favorites.

This box was a little light on the samples, but I've had so many months with tons of samples that I was okay with that.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Oct 14, 2014 at 4:21am PDT

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream: Maybe one day when I'm old and wrinkled I will regret not using excessive amounts of creams and potions and lotions but right now, the only thing I get out of using regular eye creams is more milia around my eyes, so I skip it and just use some puffiness reducing products when my eyes are feeling swollen and unhappy (or when I know they will like going to bed late). So this cream was a good eye cream, I just don't use eye cream because milia are a much bigger problem for me than wrinkles.

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips: Okay, so this is basically where I'm going to diverge from the popular opinion. This is a highly reviewed, well loved item for Birchbox customers apparently. But I hated it. I didn't try to use it on my lips because it was this thick, goopy, sticky mess. There was no way that was going to look even remotely natural on my lips and I didn't want to accidentally smear it on my sheets or pillowcases by wearing it at night either. So I just used it on my ultra-dry skin. And I do have some pretty bad dry patches, regular lotion doesn't even make a dent half the time. This stuff was awful, maybe it sealed in some moisture or something but it didn't do any better than a tub of vaseline would have managed to do, and as I mentioned it was a gross sticky mess. It was so gross, and it was impossible to use because I didn't want to get it all over everything so I couldn't use it and get on with my life either, I had to walk around not touching stuff if I used it on my cuticles, or hold my arms away from everything if I put it on my elbows. Ugh.

Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Shower Gel: This was my sample choice for this month, because I loved the Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Lotion so much previously. I think it's a fabulous scent, and I really love the style of both the sample bottles and the full size ones. I did really like this lotion, it's on my list of ones to buy when I run out of what I have (though that list is now getting pretty long!)

Harvey Prince Petaly Noir: Perfume can be pretty polarizing, and a lot of reviews said this scent was "old" or too "flowery." I didn't think it was either, I really love how it smells on me. But it is a strong scent that just feels very "evening" to me, not like something to wear to work but something to wear out on a date or to a party. So that's what I use it for now, I do really love it, and this just cemented my love for Harvey Prince products.

Lord & Berry Paillettes Eye Pencil: You can't really see this one in the picture, it's kind of hiding behind the balm and the lotion. A lot of people complained kind of a ridiculous amount about the size of this sample, because it is a pretty small pencil. But I was THRILLED because I already have two full size eyeliner pencils I've gotten in other boxes, plus I had bought a set of colored eye liner not long before this so I didn't need another huge pencil I would never use up. Especially because this particular liner is black with silver glitter, which I'm going to use once in a great while when I'm doing really fun makeup and not trying to look professional. So anyway, it's the perfect size for me, and I do really like the pencil itself. It's very fun, and if I did this kind of look often I would totally be up for the full size.

So this is where we finally talked about the sample I've gotten that I liked the least out of all of them, (the Dr. Lipp balm) and a few new favorites too. Overall, it was a pretty good box.

July 2014 Birchbox

If I recall correctly, July of 2014 was the first time they let you choose a sample for your Birchbox, and I've really enjoyed that extra perk, though sometimes I think about maybe just saying "surprise me" instead. I'll get into that in later boxes, in this box there was no question for me on what to pick.

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Jul 13, 2014 at 11:23pm PDT

Hello Body Cream: I'd been excited about this product since I realized it existed, especially after how much I enjoyed the Hello perfume in my June box. The body cream smelled just as lovely, if not maybe slightly better actually. It was a great lotion, you didn't have to use much to get a really great feel on your skin. I love the entire Hello line, though I have to admit they're a bit costly. Though Harvey Prince is constantly having sales if you subscribe to their mailing list.

Ruffian Nail Lacquer - Ambrosia: This was the sample I chose, which is probably no surprise since I've talked before about how much I love Ruffian's products and wrote a tutorial for their "signature" look a while back too. I'd been wanting some of the new colors for a long time, but I couldn't convince myself to spend the money because I had so much nail polish already. But then came the choice to get the color I wanted most in my box? Yes please. This color is absolutely beautiful, I'm still so happy I have it. Especially now that it looks like it's not available anymore.

Ruffian Dressing Room Nail Lacquer Remover Towelettes: I can't actually remember if I've talked about these on the blog before or not, or if this was even the first time I'd gotten them. But either way, I'll just say I LOVE these. I ended up buying a pack shortly after I got this one, because they work so well. I've tried other nail polish remover towelettes before (namely Julep's) and they've been basically rubbish (yup, Julep's middle range quality strikes again). So I wasn't expecting much the first time I opened one of these. But seriously, it works. It's actually bigger and has enough stuff to really remove all ten nails worth of polish. Honest. And they really do smell better than normal.

suki exfoliat foaming cleanser: This cleanser was okay, I wasn't overly impressed really. The lemon smell reminded me of a furniture cleaner or something, it just wasn't a smell I associate with face wash. It was a little more harsh than my sensitive skin can usually take, and the sugar dissolved way before it could actually do anything. And at $33, I've definitely gotten far better products from Etsy that cost less.

Marcelle New Age 8 in 1 Power Serum: I don't know what to say about this that I haven't said about every other serum I've reviewed. Meh, it does something, not sure what, it's better to use this with my moisturizer than not, but I'm still too cheap to think $34 an ounce is a price I'm willing to pay for something that's just "eh, I guess it's doing something" when I can get something cheaper that is about the same effect at The Body Shop.

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette: I'd been tempted to buy this palette a few times actually, or the first Revealed palette, but I convinced myself not to because I have several eyeshadow palettes right now from BH Cosmetics and they're fantastic and will take me forever to use up. So I was thrilled to get a chance to try this without having to spend the money. I got the "ballerina" set of colors, which were four very nice, subtle neutral shades. I loved them, the colors are great and I got really good coverage out of them. I definitely liked them enough that I'm even more tempted by the full sized palette now, and will probably cave and get one of them next time I order with points.

One of the other things that came with this Birchbox was a year's subscription to Women's Health Magazine. Like, an actual free subscription where you didn't have to remember to cancel later or anything, just fill out a quick card and drop it in the mail. I definitely am not one to say no to something like that.

So now that it's been about a year, my review of Women's Health Magazine is that it is a seriously weird mix of actual, good, scientifically backed advice and really bonkers woo woo stuff, plus some body positivity sprinkled over fat shaming. I mean, I guess it's as mixed up as most women's emotions on those topics? It was a decent distraction for the last year, and if I could renew it for less than $5 I might think about continuing to get it, but honestly I got very little out of it. Also, it's more than a little heteronormative (which is not a word I use often for various reasons). But it was very, very full of the "how to please your man in bed" stuff and a bit too much focus on losing weight to look good to get a man (which is eight kinds of problems in one) and I can't recall seeing one mention in the entire year of women who are lesbians, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, nothing. I'm not saying every issue of every magazine every time needs to include everybody always, but they don't really make an effort.

I am currently trying to get healthier, and I did pick up a couple tips from them over the last year. But for the most part I found it the same old crap I've been trying to reject, with a lot of fat shaming and "lose weight no matter what" and "only skinny people are attractive" kind of feel. So I won't be renewing.

June 2014 Birchbox

A photo posted by Elizabeth (@onegirlsreviews) on Jun 15, 2014 at 7:11pm PDT

Time for another flashback Birchbox review! This time we're going to the way back, June 2014. Like May of 2014, it was mostly not that phenomenal but one really great item that makes up for it.

Perlier Intensive Nurturing Body Balm Shea Almond: This body balm worked well, but there was something about the Shea Almond scent that I just didn't like. I ended up giving this away because it just didn't work on me, and I had so much lotion at this point there was no reason to keep something I didn't love. But a lot of people loved the smell, so maybe it was just me.

Harvey Prince Hello: This is the gold star for this box. I'd heard a lot of good things about this perfume from other blogs, and so I was really excited to get to try it. It smells so fantastic! I really love it, and it works great on me. This also started my Harvey Prince addiction, I had no idea that they had so many fantastic fragrances. But this is definitely a favorite, and a great find.

Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Defense Serum: This serum and I didn't really get along. It was a bit more liquid than I'm used to serums being, but the big thing for me was that it made my face a bit too far onto the oily side. It was generally okay, on another type of skin it's probably fantastic, but for me it was just alright.

Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo: I remember liking the scent of this shampoo, but honestly I don't remember much else about it. It was nice, my hair was nice after I used it, but it wasn't significantly better than my grocery store purchased shampoo. I do really like the packaging though, there's something about the sort of simplified bottle and label that's fun.

Davines Love Soothing Conditioner: When this sample went out I kept seeing people saying that the size of the foil packet was too small, and Birchbox has actually stopped really doing these kind of packets all that much in their boxes. Which part of me thinks is just silly, I mean it's a sample/discovery box. But I do also dislike these packets because it's actually way too much for me to use at one time and so I have to figure out how to make sure the open one doesn't fall over and spill and waste a bunch of product. Anyway, the conditioner was much like the shampoo, nice but not revolutionary or anything.

Davines OI All in One Milk: This leave in product was nice, smelled good, but was a little more product than I like leaving on my hair. Maybe I used too much, but I decided to stick with my No. 4 Comb and Protect that has done me so well so far.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Sugar: I do really like this lip stain quite a bit, I actually just used it yesterday. It's a good long lasting lip color, though it's a bit liquid-y, I guess that's what you get with a stain. The color is nice, kind of bright, but fun in general. I'm a fan, I might buy some more shades one day when I'm not drowning in lipsticks.

I did love the getaway theme for this Birchbox, and in general it was another fun one, even if only one of the products was a hit. If you think Birchbox sounds great, then please remember to try my referral link!