Birchbox: September 2014 Review

Hi, friends! My Birchbox is here, which means that it's time for my monthly unboxing and review! Are you excited? I'm excited. Hmm. Maybe if you received your own Birchbox every month, you would be as excited as I am. (To-do: look up synonyms for "excited")

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!

Unlike their typical brown cardboard boxes, this month Birchbox created three different variations of funky designs like this one! September is their anniversary month, and since it's their fourth anniversary, they wanted to do something special. Though, it did also give them one more thing to possibly mess up--it's fun to go on Birchbox's Facebook page and see who's upset that they got a regular brown box. 

This month's theme is "Fresh Paint." Of course, it has absolutely nothing to do with the items in the box, but I guess it does have something to do with the new colorful boxes. Though, as a Scene Painter and Props Master, I would totally be down with getting paint in my box. 

I love that Birchbox provides an information card about all of the products you receive. They don't mention what the Birchbox Find product is, but that's okay. Also, just to note: sometimes the products that Birchbox sells in their shop are more expensive than buying it from the brand's website or a retailer such as Ulta or Sephora. 

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

ACURE ORGANICS Day Cream
(Full-size [1.75 fl oz]: $18.99) (Sample size [1 fl oz]: $11.40)

I'm so happy I received this, because I'm just about to run out of my daytime moisturizer! I don't like how this doesn't contain SPF protection, despite being distinctly labeled as a day cream, as SPF is one of those things that makes me put a lotion in the "day" or "night" pile. This is supposed to be a good moisturizer for normal to dry skin, which is great for me, so I'm really lucky that I can put off dropping my money at CVS for a new one. This is more than half of the full-size, so this was an awfully generous size to get in my box. It'll last me awhile! If you have sensitive skin, be aware that this has a citrusy scent, so it might be irritating. That doesn't make citrus bad--just that it might be bad for you, if your particular skin decides it doesn't like it. I usually like to test new skincare products on the inside of my wrist the night before I plan to use them on my face. If my wrist looks okay the next morning, then I know I'm not allergic to anything in there. It makes me feel much better using a new product, knowing my face won't be bright red when I'm out and about.

HARVEY PRINCE Ageless Liquid Loofah
(Full-size [12oz]: $22) (Sample-size [15ml]: $0.93)

Harvey Prince is one of those brands that Birchbox likes to give out again and again. I'm not complaining, since I like most of his scents. I've received three HP products so far (see January, June, and July), but I've never gotten a shower gel before, so that's cool. Once again, subscription boxes allow me to put off buying my essential toiletries! This smells girly and floral, which is my kind of scent. And who doesn't need to shower, amirite?

MACADAMIA PROFESSIONAL Healing Oil Spray
(Full-size [4.2oz]: $29.50) (Sample-size [2 fl oz]: $14.50)

Another generous size--this is actually the travel-size that you can purchase in stores. Birchbox is still letting us pick one sample a month, so this was my pick. This does have silicones in it, so if you're sulfate-free I would pass on this (since you need sulfates to clean silicones out of your hair). I picked this because I wanted to try more Macadamia products, since they're hyped a lot on YouTube. I go through sulfate-free kicks much like the moon cycle, so maybe in a week or two I'll get fed up with it again and go back to sulfates, and then incorporate this spray into my routine. 

REAL CHEMISTRY Luminous 3-Minute Peel
(Full-size [1.7 fl oz]: $48) (Sample-size [.17 oz]: $4.80)

This is a three-minute peel, which is a really short amount of time compared to other peels. Though, as I've heard, it's more of a gentle exfoliating treatment than a true peel (hence the three-minute mark). I believe this tube is only enough for one face application, but I think it'll be fun to try it. 

TEMPTU S/B Highlighter in Champagne Shimmer

(Full-size [1oz]: $27.50) (Sample-size [.1oz]: $2.75)

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this highlighter is too dark for me (#SammiTheFriendlyGhost). This would make a beautiful rose-gold/bronze eyeshadow, though! This stays put pretty well--it stayed all day on my wrist, and I totally forgot it was there until I was washing my makeup off that night. Temptu is well-known for their airbrush makeup, so I'm really happy I got to try this brand. Plus, this is a really pretty color for fall! 

Birchbox Find: CHAPSTICK Dual-Ended Hydration Lock Moisture & Renew

(FULL-SIZE [2.2g]: $2.99)

I'm always happy to try a Birchbox Find, because if I like it, I can go out and buy more at the drugstore without being forced to eat instant ramen for a week. Like other Chapstick lip balms, I don't feel like this will truly hydrate your lips, but it will create some sort of moisture barrier (hence "hydration lock") to prevent your lips from getting any drier. When my lips are painful and chapped, I prefer to use something like Aquaphor, but this Chapstick is good for everyday use. 

The Stats: 

• Acure Organics Day Cream: $11.40
• Yet Another Harvey Prince Product: $0.93
• Macadamia Detangler Spray: $14.50
• Real Chemistry Peel: $4.80
• Temptu Highlighter for People Who Aren't Casper the Friendly Ghost: $2.75
• Chapstick: $2.99
• Total Box Value: $37.37 (Wow! That's almost four times what I paid!)

The Best: I'm actually really happy about everything in this box (gasp), but I have to say the Acure Organics Day Cream, because I was seriously getting to the bottom of my moisturizer.

The Worst: I don't think there's anything in this box I won't use. Maybe the Harvey Prince product, just because I feel like we receive too many of those in Birchboxes. 

The Verdict: I'm really satisfied with this box! It's worth almost $40 (so I paid for a quarter of the products), I got to try some new stuff that I really liked, and I got to restock some of my essentials. This is what every Birchbox should be.

What did you get in your Birchbox this month? 

Can't get enough sassy Birchbox reviews? Click here to view my past unboxings!

Interested in signing up for Birchbox? Do so with this link and I'll love you 5ever (which is better than 4ever). 

Let's be friends! 

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Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money. copyright yolo inc. 2014