My November box was filled with fun samples to get me excited about my Birchbox subscription. Aside from the actual goodies inside, everything was wrapped so prettily in pink tissue paper. I almost didn't want to mess it up but I was excited to see my samples.
Samples Inside:
Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue
The only problem I can foresee with these samples is that if I really love something, sometimes the full size product is WAY out of my price range. For example, the vanilla cologne is $170.00 a bottle and the Jojoba night cream is $112 a bottle. The chocolate bars, sugar polish and nail polish however are more average beauty product prices. It is fun to get to try things you will never be able to afford but it could also get depressing if you fall in love with a product you know you'll never get the chance to try again.
Just as I feared, as soon as I took a whiff of the Vanille Cologne, I fell in love. The best way to describe this scent is intoxicating. I only dabbed on the droplets that leaked onto my finger when I opened the tiny vile to smell it, but the scent {thankfully} lingered on me the rest of then night. The sample came with a post card {pictured above} that truly shows what the scent is all about. The post card oozes luxury and class in New York City. While I'm sure I won't ever be able to afford the full size bottle at $170, I hope to save the sample and use every last drop, only on special occasions of course! As a side note, while this bottle is $170, it is a 200ml bottle which equals about 6.8 oz. Most perfumes are about half that size so it is an over-sized bottle that would last forever!
My next November sample I decided to give a whirl was the Chuao chocolate bar. These Chocopods come in unique flavors and my sample was the Firecracker which is dark chocolate, chipotle, salt and popping candy. Needless to say I was intrigued. I ended up splitting it with Gary, giving him the bigger half. I soon began to regret sharing as I bit into the peppery treat. The dark chocolate, salt and chipotle paired together nicely for a spicy surprise. Then to top off the complete experience, the popping candy started crackling in my mouth like a fire on cool, crisp day. I am definitely planning on getting a full size bar of this for $6. You can also get an assorted pack of the chocopods for $8 to try other flavors!
I sampled the Champagne and Shimmer scrub in the shower this morning. Body polishes and scrubs are something I definitely don't use enough but always feel refreshed when I do. Products like this are perfect to give you entire body a makeover in the shower. I mostly like to use it on my legs before I shave, but it's probably best to use it at least once a week on your entire body for a silky, smooth feeling. I was excited to try this champagne and shimmer one because it just sounded so luxurious. A mix of champagne and flicks of gold? Yes please! It smells delicious and works like a charm. The full size one is $36 which is about what a good quality scrub costs anyways so it is totally worth it. I have a whole Energy one from Bath and Body Works so I won't need one for a while but I will definitely keep this scrub in mind.
I've never been one to use "night" cream but I am getting older so it's something I should probably consider. As soon as I unwrapped the colorful tissue paper surround this jojoba night cream, I was in love. When your sample comes in a tiny wooden pot {the full size one comes in a similar bottle} that's pretty darn cool. Plus I'm a sucker for things like safflower seeds and jojoba. They just sound fancy and like they'd do miracles for my skin! Of course the full size one is also $112 so it must be amazing. I shouldn't get too attached at that price but this did make my skin feel absolutely amazing last night. It has a pleasant scent and made my cheeks feel like a baby's bottom. I would also like to add that I tried a new facial wash sample before applying the night cream. It didn't come from Birchbox but it was
Tea Tree Facial Wash from The Body Shop. While I can't afford this particular night cream, I will definitely be on the lookout for a more affordable option with similar ingredients. And I am definitely going to pick up a bottle of the face wash!
My final November sample is a bottle of Zoya nail polish in Noel. Noel is a very pretty, shimmery blue color. While it has a Christmas name, this color can be used year round. It's a sparkly jewel toned blue. I'm not great at doing my nails but you can see what the polish looks like on below.
My December box just came recently and it is also chock full of delightful surprises.And an added bonus? All of these full size products appear to be in a more reasonable price range!
I finally broke into my December box. I started by washing my face before bed with Befine Gentle Cleanser. This is one of those face washes that sounds really yummy, if you read the bottle it's made with sugar, mint, oats and rice. Not that I'd necessarily want to eat all of those things together, but beauty products that say they're made with food ingredients generally sound appealing for some reason. I was slightly turned off by this cleanser as soon as I opened the cap though. The formula is extremely liquified so it comes out quickly and doesn't stay on your palm very well. Before sitting down to write this blog, I read the information on the website and they do warn you that it's "liquidy" and recommend using a washcloth so perhaps I will try that next time. Other than that I found this cleanser just to be okay. It didn't really blow me away and my skin felt a little dry if anything. I even tried it with the jojoba night cream from my November box and even that didn't impress me as much after using it with this cleanser. Therefore I think the real gem was the Body Shop Tea Tree cleanser that I had originally tried with the night cream. End result: I'll use this until the sample runs out but don't plan on purchasing a full size ever.
Next on the list in the December box was EBOOST. This is one of those typical powders that you add water to and it's suppose to boost your immune system and or give you energy. I've tried a few different similar products that I wasn't a fan of. Airborne is my go to but I don't think to take it unless I feel a cold coming on. I was pleasantly surprised by this product. It has a nice taste too it, something many of these type of formulas lack. I don't know if it necessarily gave me energy but it tasted good and it can't hurt! On Birchbox it's $28 for 20 packets so it's a little expensive but I wouldn't frown upon it if I found it for a good deal somewhere.
The other night I sampled Yogini by dabbing a little onto my wrists and neck before bed. While that might sound a little strange, this fragrance is meant to relax you, hence the name resembling Yoga. I would say at $55 a bottle for the full size, this wouldn't be worth purchasing just to wear before bed. Maybe if you make a habit out of going to Yoga classes or do some other form of meditation, this might be the perfect scent for you. For bedtime though, you can buy a relaxing pillow spray for much cheaper! It did smell quite wonderful though.
The Jouer moisturizing lip gloss is a very pretty shade in Birchbox Pink which was the color given in the sample. The color is so popular that the full size is currently wait listed. I'm a big fan of lip gloss but never actually wear it. I might dab some on in the morning or before I go out but I am not someone who keeps a tube on me and constantly reapplies. I did like it a lot though, along with being a pretty color, it went on smoothly and wasn't sticky. For someone who actually uses lip gloss a lot with reapplying and everything, I would recommend this one for sure. For me personally though, there are a million lip glosses out there so I probably wouldn't bother spending $20 on a tube like this one costs but if that's your price range, this is a good pick.
I already use an oil in my hair after washes as well as the Miracle 10 product. I decided to skip both of these though to sample the Mythic Oil. You can actually use this on damp hair or a tiny bit on dry hair to control frizz. I tried it on damp hair first but will next try it to other way to get both results.
I haven't had a need for the fashion tape yet but hopefully it works well when the occasion arises.
Not only does Birchbox send you awesome samples, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and their blog for beauty tips, tricks and more. Also, if you clicked on any of the product links above, you can see that their website gives very thorough descriptions and how to use tutorials for every product. Another fun feature of being a Birchbox member is that you can log into your account and view all of your past boxes. This way if you ever forget what products you've tried, you can go back and check them out again. So far I've enjoyed my Birchbox subscription and I can't wait to see what samples they have in store for me in 2012! Like what you see?
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