November Birchbox Review

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I love Birchbox. I get a little taste of luxury and I’m introduced to a bunch of new products. If you haven’t heard of Birchbox, here is my review on the service! This has definitely been one of my favorite months so far. Here are my reviews for all of the products! :) 

This month included the following

• Zoya Gems and Jewels Collection in Noel
• LaROCCA Champagne and Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish
• Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover with Cornflower Water
• Oscar Blandi Jasmine Protein Mist
• Chuao Chocolate Bars - Firecracker Pod
• BaubleBar Black Wood Pop Bracelet

So obviously my favorite item in my box was the Zoya Mini Nail Polish in Noel.

Noel is part of Zoya’s Holiday 2011 collection. It is described as a shimmery denim shade. This shade has some serious pop to it. I am loving it! It took only two coats for full opacity and the application was smooth as could be. Picture below is without topcoat. 

The other colors available in the collection are…

Source: Birchbox.com

From left to right the colors are: Rina, Holly, Kissy, Izzy, Twila, and Noel. 

I kind of wish I would have received a glitter or Holly (because my name is Holly) but all of the colors are so pretty. Really I wish they just gave them all to me. Dream big, I know. 

**UPDATE: I actually ended up winning this entire collection in a giveaway from Glamour Magazine! Yayyy! Of course only after I bought the Gems collection but still! So excited!

Zoya’s Gems & Jewels Holiday collection retails for $8.00 a bottle. [0.50 fl oz]

Next is LaROCCA’s sugar scrub. 

This is a champagne and shimmer invigorating body polish infused with 24-karat colloidal gold. Made with raw sugar, acai, coconut oil and shea butter among others, this polish really does the job. My hands were feeling pretty dry from the abuse they have taken from all my nail polish removing, but after using this scrub they felt silky smooth. I liked that my hands didn’t feel super oily after I used the product. I know some sugar scrubs can make your hands slick and almost slimy with the after affects from the oils. My hands literally feel more hydrated a day later as I am typing this. 

My sample was 0.05 oz and a little definitely goes a long way. I think I could get around 3 to 4 uses out of this for my hands. I will say that I am not sure how I feel about the scent. I’m not exactly sure what it even smells like, but I guess it smells like acai? I’m only assuming because I have no idea what acai smells like. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. 

LaROCCA Skincare Champagne and Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish retails for $35.00 [6.76 oz]. 

Next is Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover.

What Birchbox says: “..we couldn’t be happier about discovering this pH-balanced formula from a cult French brand.” “The star ingredient is French cornflower water, known for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. To create this precious H2O, the flowers are dried in clay overs before their essence is distilled into the ultra-gentle formula.” Sorry so many words, but I didn’t know how to describe it myself. 

I love that this is hypoallergenic. It is definitely a soothing remover, and does not leave you with that terrible oily aftermath. I have pretty sensitive eyes with certain removers and this did not leave my eyes watering or stinging. Also, it only took a few drops to remove all of my mascara.

I don’t like how it feels afterwards when it dries though. I feel like there is residue on my eyes and it is kind of sticky. 

Despite the residue I really like this remover, it’s gentle enough where I don’t have a bad reaction, but strong enough to take away my makeup. 

Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover with Cornflower Water retails for $9.00 [3.4 oz]. 

Next is Oscar Blandi Jasmine Protein Mist

Proteine di Jasmine has my heart. It smells so good. Infused with wheat and soy proteins, green tea, geranium, aloe vera and jasmine this spray will keep your hair looking beautiful. You can either use it on dry hair to restyle (blow dry, curl, straighten) or on damp hair to detangle and fortify. I prefer using it while my hair is damp because my hair is really thick and tangles easily. 

Oscar Blandi’s Proteine di Jasmine retails for $18.00 [8.45 fl oz]. 

They also sell this on Amazon for a little bit cheaper!

P.S. The 2 oz bottle is sold at ULTA for $8.00! 

Next is Chuao Chocolatier’s Firecracker ChocoPod. 

Yum. Yum. Yum. This was so good. When this package said it would arouse your senses they were not kidding. Dark Chocolate, Chipotle, Salt & Pop Rocks all in one little nougat??

I’ll take ten. I would definitely recommend these for the chocolate lovers out there!

Chuao Chocolates are offered as bars or as ChocoPods (which is what I received in my box). 

Other flavors include:

• Panko - Dark chocolate with toasted panko breadcrumbs
• Spicy Maya - dark chocolate infused with pasilla chile and cayenne pepper
• Potato Chips in Chocolate - milk chocolate with kettle cooked potato chips

They all sounds so good. I wish I would have gotten one of each. Yep, I said it. #fatgirlproblems. 

Chuao Chocolatier Bars retail for $6.00 and the ChocoPods retails for $7.95 (8 pods).

Lastly…

So I also received this cute little bracelet from BaubleBar for referring friends. And by friends they mean my sister! Thanks Gill! 

I just now went to the website that was on the back of that little mint card and here is what BaubleBar says about this bracelet..

A single bead covered in noir pave is a subtle contrast to a string of wooden beads and adds just the right touch of glam. Black wooden beads are strung on a leather cord. A single hematite bead sits in the center and is covered with smoky crystal pave detail.

The BaubleBar Black Wood Pop Bracelet retails for $20. 

Not only did I just get a $20 free gift but guess who I can match now….

Source: BaubleBar

Justin Bieber! Dream come true! I guess these baubles are unisex?

So that was my November Birchbox and I could not be any happier!!

And the value of my box was $35.37 all for $10.00!  [math nerd]

Did anyone else get a November Birchbox?? If so how did you like it?

Feel free to ask me  or email me questions about my Birchbox! 

email: nailpolish.rehab@gmail.com

Birchbox Review

I am now going on my fourth Birchbox and I figure it’s time to give a little review!

If you are new to Birchbox or are trying to find out if this service is right for you, hopefully I can help you out a little. Sorry this is a little long!

Sign up for your Birchbox here!

Birchbox is a subscription service for $10 where you receive 4-5 deluxe samples in the mail every month. It comes in a pretty pink shipping box and then inside is another box that looks like this…

the logo is actually a pretty metallic pink but my camera hates me

You can opt to purchase the monthly service which bills you on the 3rd of every month or you can purchase a yearly subscription for $110. I purchased the monthly subscription because I was poor in the summer when I signed up (but not too poor for beauty products.. I know I have a problem). 

There are pros to each membership. Yearly Membership you get a month free and 110 bonus Birchbox points (I’ll explain that in a little) and with the Monthly Membership you get 10 bonus Birchbox points and are able to cancel at any time [not that I want to].

In hindsight if I had $110 at the time, I definitely would have gone for the year, but let’s face it.. I’m a poor college student that spends money as fast as I get it.

After you have signed up, you take a little beauty profile quiz which you can edit at any time.

Some questions they ask you are

• Where do you get your beauty info from
• What beauty styles are you interested in
• Describe your hair
• What color is your hair
• What is your ethinicity
• Skin coloring
• Type of skin

So basically they try to get a feel for what products you are able to use and what products they think you would enjoy. That way, for example, you don’t get a super heavy foundation when you have sensitive skin. Or whatever.

Based on your beauty profile, a box is selected for you. I have no idea how they decide which box you get. I’m assuming there is some intern playing eenie meenie minie moe until she finds the perfect box for you. Just kidding…maybe.

So now you have signed up, completed your beauty profile, and are awaiting your box!

Birchbox says that the boxes are shipped out the first week of every month. I’m not really sure if that is true, but I always get mine around mid-month which is fine by me because in the end Ialways get my box. You will receive a shipping notice once your box leaves the warehouse and then you are able to go on birchbox website and see which box you received. It shows you your tracking code and everything in the box with a pretty picture of what your box contains. 

Like this one!

Source: birchbox.com

My package usually arrives within a few days of the notice, but the warehouse is also located in the NY-NJ area and I live in NJ so it doesn’t have to travel that far.

So now that you know the logistics you are probably wondering what kind of goodies you get. Although the service says you will receive 4-5 samples, so far I have only received 4. Along with your samples you always receive an extra non beauty product gift.

Here is a run down of what I have gotten in the past:

August 2011

• blinc - eyeliner
• Carol’s Daughter - Monoi Repairing Hair Mask
• Pangea Organics - Cleanser
• Wei - Eye Treatment Pads
• *twistband - hair tie

September 2011

• Incoco - Nail Polish Appliques
• Jouer - Lip Enhancer
• LIV GRN - Earth Eau de Parfum
• Pangea Organics - Face Cream
• *Birchbox Friendship Bracelet

October 2011

• Befine - Lip Exfoliator
• blinc - Mascara
• Pangea Organics - Face Scrub
• Redken - shine flash 02
• *Tea Forte - Minteas

November 2011 - review

• Klorane - Eye Makeup Remover
• LaROCCA - Sugar Body Scrub
• Oscar Blandi - Jasmine Protein Mist
• Zoya - Nail Polish in Noel
• *Chuao Chocolate - Firecracker ChocoPod
• *BaubleBar - Wooden Ball Bracelet

Overall I have been very happy with my boxes. I have discovered brands that I had never heard of and really enjoy, and the sizes of my samples have lasted me this long. My favorite box so far has been November I seriously love everything in it, and I plan on purchasing a few things once I run out of my samples. 

I will say that there were times when I was disappointed with the size of a sample or the selection I received. For instance September was a boring month. I got a baby tube of lip enhancer, a small vial of perfume that I didn’t like, face cream that pretty much gushed out of the bottle, and a friendship bracelet that broke. The Incoco nail strips were beautiful so I was okay with that. Although September pretty much sucked, October made it all better. And then November came around and it’s like September never happened. 

Once you get your Birchbox, you have the opportunity to give feedback on each of your samples. This is where the Birchbox Points come into play. For every item you review, you get10 Birchbox points. 

For every 100 points you receive $10.00 off your order. For every $1 spent in the Birchbox store you receive one point. So if you review each item in your box, essentially within 2 months of your subscription you will have $10 off in the store. 

Also, when you refer friends you get 50 points. 

So while the product samples you receive in your box are on the luxury side, they slowly become affordable if you review products and refer your friends!

Customer Service at Birchbox really is amazing. One month I was missing my twistband hair tie and I emailed customer service and within a few weeks I had a new one shipped to me. If you ever have a problem with the service they are more than willing to help you out! 

That’s pretty much all there is to how Birchbox works and what you should expect!

I definitely suggest this service to anyone! I absolutely love it!

Feel free to sign up here!

Has anyone else signed up for Birchbox? How do you like it?

If you have any other questions let me know!

email: nailpolish.rehab@gmail.com