Birchbox: June 2014 Review

Hi, friends! Today I am unboxing for you my monthly Birchbox. Last month I wasn't too pleased, but I'm a lot happier this month!

Birchbox? What's that? - Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products in the Birchbox Shop! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link. Thank you!

It arrived in the usual pink box with the usual obnoxious writing on the inside. Well, it's not really obnoxious, but one of the main draws to Birchbox is their rewards system, so I'm pretty sure people know that they can review products for points by the time they receive their first box. Just saying. 

This month's theme was "Away We Go," since they collaborated with Jet Blue. There were some social media things you could do to try and win prizes I think, but I don't have the attention span for that so I guess that's my loss. Fun fact: the products are all small and/or travel-sized (but it's a beauty subscription, so they're always small and/or travel-sized...Eheh?) 

And the beloved information card, bringing joy to beauty bloggers everywhere. 

But enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff~ 

CYNTHIA ROWLEY BEAUTY Creamy Lip Stain in Valentine
(Full-size [.17oz]: $20) (Sample-size [.079oz]: $9.29)

This has definitely been my favorite lip product this month! The swatch on the right is true to color, and it's just as opaque on the lips. It's not matte, so it doesn't drag me too far out of my comfort zone (the bright color is enough), and it provides a nice amount of shine without looking too glossy. It's very comfortable on the lips; not sticky or tacky at all. About an hour or two into wearing this, my lips started the feel the slightest bit dry, but after applying lip balm on the top of it, my lips felt great. I wouldn't call this an all-day stain, but it lasts longer than a typical lipstick or gloss, and still leaves some color behind after the shine goes away (as stains tend to do).

tl;dr: this lip stain is the bomb.com

EGYPTIAN MAGIC All-Purpose Skin Cream
(Full-size [4oz]: $38) (Sample-size [.25oz]: $3.25)

This is a cult-classic, and I'm so happy I finally get to try it! It contains olive oil, plant extracts, and honey, which are all ingredients that are known to be very moisturizing. I'm not a fan of jar packaging, because as I discussed in my Creme de la Mer review, ingredients tend to become less effective over time when exposed to air (plus, it invites germs). We shall see. Perhaps I'll do a full review of this product in the future. Let me know if you would be interested in reading that! 

HARVEY PRINCE Hello
(Full-size [1.7oz]: $55) (Sample-size [.03oz]: $2)

I wasn't a fan of his Journey scent in my January Birchbox, but I really like this one! This scent reminds me of summer, with pink plumeria, lemon, and satsuma manadarin (to me, it just smells like citrus, though). It has been my go-to scent since I got my box!

LIERAC PARIS Micellar Cleansing Water
(Full-size [10oz]: $24) (Sample-size [1.67oz]: $4)

I don't know if this is across the board, but in this case, "cleansing water" essentially means "makeup remover." I was excited to use this as my morning "freshen-up" product (see my Morning Skincare Routine), but sadly that will not be the case. Right now, Philosphy's Purity Cleanser has replaced all of my makeup-removing needs, but I'll keep this around for when my 32oz bottle runs out (read: maybe sometime in October).

MALLY BEAUTY Volumizing Mascara
(FULL-SIZE [.39oz]: $20)

Woohoo! Receiving full-sized products from brands I like makes me want to run to the top of a building, just so I can tell the world about it. I purchased a set of Mally's waterproof eyeliners this month and am super impressed by them, so I have high hopes for this mascara. I tried taking pictures of the actual packaging of the mascara tube, but it didn't look right when I photographed it. It looks similar to the Lancome Hypnose Star mascara (black with silver sparkles), so it's very glam! I have mascara coming out my ears from subscription boxes and various other things (I still have mascaras I received as Christmas gifts that I haven't gotten to yet) so someday I'll get to trying this one out. Someday.

The Stats: 

• Cynthia Rowley Lip Stain: $9.29
• Egyptian Magic Cream: $3.25
• Harvey Prince Hello: $2
• Lierac Paris Fancy Makeup Remover: $4
• Mally Mascara: $20 (full-sized)
• Total Box Value: $38.52 (Holy damn, that is almost 4x what I paid!)

The Best: I'm obsessed with the Cynthia Rowley Lip Stain right now, but also totally psyched about getting a full-sized Mally mascara in my box.

The Worst: I don't think there's anything in here I won't use, to be honest.

The Verdict: I'm really excited about this box! Now I can recommend Birchbox to people and not feel guilty about it (but actually). I think this makes up for May's being a bit of a dud for me. And did you see the box value? Holy cow! 

What did you get in your Birchbox this month?

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored nor affiliated with Birchbox or any mentioned brands. I paid for this Birchbox myself, as I always do, because I am an independent woman. BAM. 

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