June Birchbox + IFB Top 10!

First things first - I have to give a little plug and mention that my summer accessories post was selected as one of the top 10 favorites by IFB for Project #52 on summer accessories - yay!!!  Check out the other top 9 if you have a chance, there are some really cute ideas in them!

Anyway, let's talk about beauty products.  Or lack thereof.  For some reason, I was mildly unimpressed by this month's Birchbox goodies even though I was thrilled with last month's picks.  Hmm.  Here's what I got:

Supergoop spf 30 -10 ml (which, if my 'merican metrics "skills" aren't messing with me, is about 1/3 oz)

theBalm Stainiac lip & cheek stain - .04 fl oz

1 Masqueology Brightening Mask

2 Comodynes Self-Tanning Towlettes

Modcloth headband in green deer print

I don't know why, but for some reason I felt like this wasn't very much... stuff.  Maybe it's because the Modcloth headband is really the only "full size" thing in my box, so I was a little underwhelmed by the actual product value of the beauty items.  It could also be because I already have and use Supergoop, so that's not a new thing for me.  I do love it though, it doesn't irritate my skin (even my face!) and it travels well (not too liquidy, doesn't leak, etc.)  This teeny sample will be good to stash in my purse, so I'm pleased about that I suppose.

Anyway, I was still excited to try the other new things in my box.  The headband is clearly adorable, so that's a win all around.  I had heard of Stainiac because I love theBalm - seriously, their concealer, TimeBalm, is amazing and it's pretty much the only one I've used for years, and their eyeshadow palettes are fab.  I had never tried Stainiac though, so I was excited about this one.  I used it today and this is what it looks like on (although I did layer a similarly colored gloss over it--ELF Watermelon--so it looks shinier in this pic than it really is):

Hey, how's it going?

I do like the color - it's subtle and natural but still sort of bright - kind of like you just ate a popsicle.  It is a little bit drying, like almost every other lip stain I've ever tried, so it's not really the stain's fault - it's in its nature!  A little bit of lip balm or gloss always helps with that, plus I think it helps it blend in better.  I also tried it on my cheeks this morning since it's a lip & cheek stain, but I really could not see it very well at all - it was just too sheer for me, so I had to layer something else over it.  Maybe I could have tried using more or layering it a few times, but I didn't want to risk it because I would have had to re-wash my entire face before work if I went overboard, and that didn't sound appealing.  Overall - nice, but I'm not sure I'd buy the full size just because I'm not that big a fan of stains.

I also tried a tanning towelette last night.  I only applied it to my legs, so just in case it was weird or streaky I could cover it up with pants, and incidentally, one towelette was barely enough to do both of my legs, so it really wouldn't have covered the rest of my body even if I had tried.  This is particularly annoying because the item description on Birchbox says one towelette is enough to cover your face and entire body - not true.  I will say that they smelled very nice - not at all like the sweaty, fake-tan smell most of them have (which, I'll admit, I don't really mind the smell of that much...).  I woke up this morning and checked out the results.  The tan color is nice - not orange, not too deep, pretty even, except for a few places where I clearly missed swiping the towel, like around my knees.  The color also starts to fade pretty significantly toward the top of my legs - I started at the bottom and worked upwards, so that wasn't very surprising.  I'm going to use the second one to try to even out the streaks, so we'll see how that ends up tomorrow.  They are much easier than using lotion-type tanners that take forever to dry, so that's a plus.  Final thoughts: these are okay - they're $15 for an 8 pack, which isn't exorbitant, so I would probably consider getting them if I can figure out how to use them without streakiness.

And finally, I haven't tried the mask yet, so... nothing to say on that yet.  I'm sure it feels lovely but doesn't live up to what it promises, like most skin products.

What was in your Birchbox this month?  Are you impressed with the June selection?