Birchbox April 2014

Hi all,

I received my April birchbox a couple days ago and am happy to report my reviews on the product! 

The card

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One of the cute little 52 Bright ideas for a rainy day… Birchbox knows me so well, since I already do this!

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The insides of the box 

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Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eye Pencil – Silver.  Full Size – 0.04 oz, $16.00. Deluxe Sample Size – 0.03 oz, $12.00.

At first I was kind of like “meh” to this product, but it grew on me after I swatched it a couple times.  It goes on so smooth and the color stays pretty well.  I don’t really wear any color of eyeliner besides black, so this will be a nice piece to add to my collection.  I’ll post a swatch of it below. 

The Balm, How ‘Bout Them Apples in Pie.  Full size, $32.  Deluxe sample size 20g and I’m not exactly sure of the value.

This is the cutest sample ever.  Although it is super tiny, it feels like it will last me a while.  I think I like it more for my lips then my cheeks, but I’ll have to do some experimenting.  I absolutely love the color!

And here is a swatch of the two

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Fekkai – Technician Color Care Shampoo.  Full Size – 8 oz, $20.00. Deluxe Sample Size – 2 oz, $5.00.

This shampoo smells really nice.  I do have colored hair so this is nice to have lying around for when I run out of the shampoo that I normally use.  I’m currently into more natural shampoos (this has sulfates and parabens), so this wasn’t my favorite item from birchbox, but I will still use it.

Color Club – Heirloom Pearls.  Full Size – 4 bottles, $13.00.  Sample Size, 1 bottle $3.25.

I like the color of this nail polish, but I already have a lot of similar colors.  I have more samples from this brand and it seems to be a pretty good polish. 

Kind Bar – Maple Pumpkin Seeds.  Lifestyle Extra. 

I’m kind of indifferent to kind bars.  I think they are okay.  This flavor smells really good so I am excited to give it a try!

Okay… so I also added this to my box for an extra $24.00… AND I LOVE IT.. Got it in the color Bambi.. I love water bottles.. 

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Birchbox Limited Edition Free For All Box- April 2014

Birchbox put out another limited edition box, and I, of course, purchased it the moment I saw it.  This box cost $44.00 (plus $5.00 shipping).  It’s filled with natural products.  This box is great for those who are health conscious, people like me who love natural products but still use all types of beauty products, and people who want to give natural products a try.  I feel like the term natural is used loosely, but in this box it means the products are free from parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and GMOs.  

The Box —  it reminds me a shoebox and spring…

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The insides…

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The card (They accidentally sent me two, so this makes picture taking easier)…

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And, now the goodies!!

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These are all deluxe sample size items.

Eco-Armour – Shave with Benefits Shave Foam with Mint and Eucalyptus.  Deluxe Size – 1.7 oz, $3.04.  Full Size – 5 oz, $18.95.

I usually just use soap when I shave, so maybe this will convince me to start buying a shave foam… It says that it helps eliminate nicks and cuts, ingrown hairs, razor burn, red bumps and dull blades.  I hope it works! I can see it helping all of these areas.. I seriously just googled “why do razorblades go dull,” because I always thought it was from not properly drying your shaver… TIL that there are harsh chemicals in shaving creams that break down the metal in the razor… 

Jurlique – Purely Bright Radiance Serum. Deluxe Size – 0.5 fl oz, $29.00.  Full Size – 1.0 fl oz, $58.00.

This is not a product I would normally buy, because it is so expensive and relatively small.  So, I’m happy to see it in the box, but I’m not sure if I’ll get any results from it because I don’t really have any dark spots on my face yet…  It does have a nice scent and makes my skin feel soft.  

Karma Organic Spa – Nail Polish Remover with Soybean Oil and Tea Tree Oil.  Deluxe Size – 15 ml, $1.50.  Full Size, 4 oz, $12.00.

It’s nice to smell a nail polish remover that doesn’t smell like it is going to burn off the hairs in your nose… Haven’t tried this yet, but I hope it works, because it smells so nice I’d like to buy the full size.

Shamanuti – Activated Charcoal Cleanser.  Deluxe Size – 30 ml, $6.00.  Full Size – 6oz, $36.00.

I’ve already used this a few times since Friday and love it!  It smells great and works pretty well too.  You don’t need to use a lot to see your face feeling clean.  I love charcoal in face products, but haven’t used one in a while, so I’m really excited about this!

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W3ll People – Hypnotist Eyeliner.  Full Size – 0.04 oz, $16.50.

This was the reason why I bought the box.  I purchased this eyeliner about a month ago from birchbox, but I lost it somewhere in my room (really hoping I’ll find it someday)… So instead of buying it again right away, I decided to wait, and then this box popped up and it made sense for me to buy it, because it’s basically free if you count the value of the other products… I LOVE THIS EYELINER!!! You can put it on your waterline without being scared of weird chemicals going into your eyes and making them red and irritated among other things.  It’s a beautiful black that goes on smooth and stays on pretty well, but stays on a little better with some primer.  

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Alima Pure – Lip Tint in Rhubarb.  Full Size – 1.013 oz, $12.00.

I was pleasantly surprised with this product!  I like the color, it’s not exactly sheer, but it doesn’t drastically change the color of my lips. It smells/tastes like chocolate so that’s pretty amazing.  And it’s pretty hydrating!

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Lov Organic – Assorted Tea.  Deluxe Size – 4 tea bags, $2.98.  Full Size – 20 tea bags, $14.90.

I love tea, so I’m happy they gave us four different flavors to try!!

Feed – Feed Ten Pouch.  Full Size, $16.00.

This is a nice makeup bag and the the fact that every bag sold gives 10 school meals.  I’ve seen this brand in target before, and this bag is exclusive to birchbox.  It’s well made and has a cute design!

 

What did you guys think of the limited edition box??  Are you going to purchase it?? Overall, I really like it, while I like some items more than others, I know that all of them will get used at some point.  So it was definitely worth the $49.00 I paid.  

 

Weekly beauty product post featuring Lavanila

Hi guys, so I decided that I’m going to start incorporating weekly posts about products that I absolutely love and why I love them. So I am starting with Lavanila Deodorant.  The cost was about $14.00 on amazon and it was on amazon prime so I paid $0.00 for shipping!  I bought the lavender vanilla scent. 

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Okay, so I know you’re thinking why is she featuring deodorant as a beauty product?? Well, here’s why… In my experience with deodorant and antiperspirants, they have done nothing to help my body except make me smell nice.  Is the price of smelling nice worth horrible skin problems? Not, no it’s not.  I would get dry skin on my upper arms and on the sides around the chest area all caused by deodorant.. But I never put two and two together, so I just thought I had really bad dry skin FOR YEARS.  I kept switching deodorants but still had dry skin.  I tried a million different skin care products and even coconut oil (which worked for everything but this area of dry skin).  So a few weeks ago, I decided that I would try a natural deodorant or as close to natural as I could find.  

This brand has pretty good reviews on all sites that I’ve visited.  The product works, but does require more than application throughout the day, it smells great, and my dry skin has cleared up! Overall, this deodorant has been able to handle my daily activity which sometimes means an hour at the gym.  

Have you guys tried any natural deodorants?? What are your thoughts?

So I’m copying this off sephora to give you guys a clear picture of what Lavanila is:

“What it is:
A clinical-strength deodorant that is 100 percent natural, safe, and effective.

What it is formulated to do:
LAVANILA The Healthy Deodorant uses beta-glucan technology to effectively fight odor while soothing, conditioning, and strengthening the skin. It goes on clean, with no sticky wetness, and delivers long-lasting, luxurious results.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Synthetic Dyes
– Petro-Chemicals
– Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This dermatologist-recommended, non-irritating, allergy-tested formula does not contain aluminum or mineral oils.”

Block quotation taken from: http://www.sephora.com/the-healthy-deodorant-P237120