Birchbox: October

My first Birchbox came this week.  I know my last post appears to indicate that I would not be getting Birchbox, but a matter of minutes after publishing that post, I received an email that my time on the wait list was over.  It's pretty cheap monthly fee, and who doesn't love beauty products so I thought why not?!

Birchbox
What: A monthly subscription box of 4-6 (usually) sample-sized beauty products. You do get the occasional full-sized product.  You have the option to review these products to earn "points" that can then go towards money off the purchase of full-sized products.
How much: $10 a month
Give and take: Sign up here and I earn points.  :)

With each box comes a card with their monthly theme and a description of the products you received.  This month's theme was "Beauty Buzz" with items that are a "roundup of 2013's top products and trends."

Alison Raffaele - Reality Base Foundation
This is the teeeeeny tiny little foundation sample on the far left in the picture above.  I've actually used it 3 times so far, so it must hold more than I initially thought.  I like this foundation, and it's surprisingly the right shade, but it's a little thick.  I don't have great skin to start with and while this provides decent coverage, I think long-term use would be bad news for my skin.

Floss Gloss - Nail Polish
This is not a color I would ever pick for myself.  It's kind of a dark blue/green.  Or as my boyfriend called it "teal-black."  I like that it only took one coat and it provided great coverage.  I didn't need a second coat color-wise.  I don't like that it chipped the next day.  This might not have happened if I had done 2 coats though.

Karuna - Hydrating Mask
I haven't tried this yet.  My oily skin doesn't need hydrating.  The card says it's infused with a hydrating cocktail of antioxidants.  I'll probably give it a try, but since I had used a different mask, I didn't think using one right after the other was a good idea.

Serious Skincare - Glycolic Gommage Extreme Renewal Exfoliating Facial
I loved this.  At least, I loved it when it was all over.  This is a thick somewhat gritty clay mask.  You rub a thick layer and wait.........holy peppermint oil.  It's got a nice cooling effect, but it's a bit extreme.  At one point it was SO cooling and tingly, I was wondering if I was having a reaction to the mask.  Somewhat terrifying but I pushed onward.  After 10 minutes, you take hot water and rub it in with your fingertips adding more and more water until it's mostly washed off.  All in all, I really liked this mask once I realized that it was OK that my face was 40 degrees cooler than my body.  I realize this review doesn't sound very positive, but I'll use this mask again.  My face felt wonderful afterwards and I think the cooling really opened my pores (and sinuses!)

ChapStick - Hydration Lock
Sorry, but chapstick is chapstick.  This kind advertises the antioxidant CoQ10, hyaluronic filling spheres, and that it gives lips a fuller + smoother appearance.  Quite frankly, it seems like regular chapstick.  I don't dislike it, but it's nothing special.  I'm pretty confident I will never run out of chapstick, but if I was going to run out and buy some, this wouldn't be it.  If YOU want to try it though, I do have a $1 off coupon that came in my Birchbox as well.

All in all, it's fun to try the new products.  Some are disappointing in size, but when you're paying $10, you get a $1 off coupon, and can earn $5 in points by doing reviews, and you aren't paying shipping...it's a pretty dang good deal.  I'll stick with it for now!