Second, I received my third shipment of Birchbox this month (see May's box here and June's box here), and you'll recall that I was ridiculously excited the first month and extremely unimpressed the second month. The third month is... I'm not sure. I'm definitely more into it than I was for June's box, but I'm kind of lukewarm on it still. Here's what I got:
Oscar de la Renta live in love fragrance - $25 retail for the rollerball
Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint - $38 for 1.7 oz
Alterna Bamboo UV+ Color Protection Fade-Proof Fluide - $24 for 2.5 oz
Stila It's Go Time Lip Glaze in "Lights" - $12 for the trio
Birchbox exclusive earbuds
Larabar uber Roasted Nut Bar - $12.69 for 5
Oscar de la Renta fragrance
Birchbox describes it as a "floral blend [that] features light top notes of sweet hyacinth, bergamot, and ginger orchid, feminine middle notes of jasmine sambac, rose, and orange flower, and woody base notes of amber, musk, cedarwood, white woods, and sandalwood." I can sort of smell the light notes, but it smells mostly masculine on me, sort of woodsy like the base notes described. I did enjoy it though, it's different from what I usually wear and was a nice change of pace. Plus I love trying new fragrances, so that's always fun.
Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint
I have not been able to use the Jouer Moisture Tint yet because it's a bit off from my actual skin tone (I got the "golden" color, which is more yellow than I am). I'm still planning to use it so I can try it out, but I need to do it on a day when I'm only at home since it probably won't match me. I tried it on the back of my hand and it seemed like a nice, smooth texture though. Given the price, I probably won't buy a full-size anyway, so I'm not too worried about whether I like it or not.
Alterna Bamboo UV+ Fluide
I ave not tried the Alterna hair fluid either because I haven't been to the beach/pool since I got it, but it smells amazing - very watermelon-y and summery. I can't wait to try this!
Stila Lip Glaze
I tried Stila Lip Glazes way back in the day when I worked at Sephora, and I remembered them being sort of sticky and unimpressive, so I wasn't expecting much from this. Suprisingly though, I really liked it! The color is an almost clear sparkly beige, so it just adds a nice shine to any lip color you're wearing or over your lips alone. I didn't think it was sticky this time around at all, and it smells like sweet-tarts. Win in my book!
Earbuds
I'm not really "reviewing" these I guess, but I did want to point out that I am currently using them (listening to Flo + the Machine's Ceremonials, btw - so pumped for Lollapalooza!), and they sound like shit. Maybe I'm spoiled from the nice pair I have, but these are awful. I'll probably throw them in my purse as a backup pair for commuting, but that's about it.
Larabar
I am a Larabar fiend, so I was really excited to try this because I haven't had a chance to try the uber bars yet. My usual favorites are the Peanut Butter Cookie, Apple, Carrot Cake, and any of the cookie dough ones - they're seriously delicious. This was also really good - it tasted more like a candy bar than the others and reminded me of a Payday or something. Very tasty.
So here's my dilemma - I'm still torn about whether to keep my subscription. This month I got a fragrance sample that I liked, but that I can also get free from Sephora anytime I order something or go into the store, really. I got 2 things I won't really use (earbuds and the face tint), a food item (random), and a hair product that, while it smells delicious, I surely don't really need. The only thing I'm definitely into is the lip glaze, and I'll be honest - I don't really need any more lip products either. I like it, but I could have lived without it.
Incidentially, I did a little research and found that many other people seem to cancel right around the 3 month mark, so it seems that the luster wears off pretty quickly. Also incidentally, Birchbox gives you a "3 Month Anniversary" 20% off discount code, so it seems like they're aware of the 3 month itch and trying to get you to stay with this incentive. Interesting.
So... is this worth my $10? What do you guys think? Did you cancel your Birchbox if you had it? If not, does this box make you consider signing up (or reinforce your decision not to)?
I love when people review their Birchbox. Either they are happy or mad! HaHa I can see some was definitely hit or miss. I love Larabar's too! I had a chance to try them when I enlisted in the Influenster program.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
That Stila lip glaze looks nice!!!!! I like the idea of the Birchbox, but I have my go-to products at Sephora and I always get so many free samples from that and they just sit in my bathroom. I feel like its a great idea, but for me personally I probably would forget to try the products, haha!
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Rachel
Uh oh. You've definitely pushed me out of my questioning and into the certainty that I won't try it now. Which is a good thing, because the last thing I need is a more cluttered bathroom storage cabinet!
ReplyDeleteThose ear buds are so cute! I love the cotton candy colors!
ReplyDeleteI did cancel mine after 3 months. I now have Julep which I really like for several reasons. Nail polish is something I actually know I'll use. You get a preview of what you are going to get so you can opt out if you don't want it. And you can earn free months for referrals (let me show you the way.....). And you get the first month for a penny! Have I convinced you to join yet? ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I feel the same way Rachel - Sephora is so generous with free samples that it just doesn't seem worthwhile to pay for things I don't even know I'll like!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it at least helped in making a decision! I agree, I think the clutter/amount of stuff I don't really need is probably outweighing the fun of trying new stuff at this point...
ReplyDeleteThey are really cute, I wish they didn't sound so terrible :(
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought I remembered you cancelling yours after 3 - it seems like that's the magic number for some reason! Hahaha - I will definitely let you refer me if I ever decide to sign up for Julep, but nail polish is definitely another thing I don't need any more of for the moment! :) I really like the opt-out option though, I would probably stay with Birchbox if they would offer that!
ReplyDeleteFunny. I just wrote about the same dilemma. Should I stay or should I go. I think 1 - 2 more months to see where I net out on overall product and then I'll probably be done.
ReplyDeletehighheeledstyle.com
That is funny - it seems like most people become lukewarm on it in a matter of months. I did just cancel mine this month after 3 months because it just wasn't worth it for me to get samples of stuff I'm not really interested in. I'll be interested to know what you get over the next few months!
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