Sammi the Beauty Buff: Birchbox: October 2015 Review

Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

Hey, friends! It's been awhile. Since we last spoke, I started a new job and got a weird stomach bug. But enough about my life. I've missed you guys! Today I'll be squeezing in a review of my Birchbox this month just before October is up!

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! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. In the past, they have sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

I chose the guest curated box this month (shocking, I know). This month, Birchbox partnered with mother company Estee Lauder, who owns a bunch of beauty brands you see in department stores. I was really excited for all the "high-end" goodies, so I couldn't resist!

Here's the info card! It brings information to people everywhere! Birchbox has started printing them in a vertical/portrait orientation rather than their horizontal/landscape format and I don't know how I feel about that. (It's the little things, folks).

The theme for this box was Power Pose, and it's all about breast cancer awareness. The fact that a woman gets diagnosed every two minutes is awful!

I got a little pink awareness ribbon in my box, but one of my products must have ran amok in my box, because things got a little messy. RIP.

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

CLINIQUE Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Mega Melon
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.05oz]: $8.50) (Full-size cost [.1oz]: $17)

CLINIQUE Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Mega Melon - Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

The culprit of all the mess in my box! The cap must have come off in shipment. It was a particularly warm day (I received it on the 9th, before the website even updated with my box!) and this pencil-shaped lipstick got a little melty. From what I know, I think Clinique was one of the first brands to release lipstick in pencil form, so good on them. It's a creamy formula, but that could also be because of the melting situation, so who knows really.

It's a pretty neutral, everyday color, but apparently it was feeling a little on the wild side in shipment.

CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.24oz]: $5.50) (Full-size cost [1.7oz]: $39)

CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

I've heard a lot of good things about Clinique skincare, so I was psyched to see this in my box. This moisturizer in particular is supposed to be nice, so I can't wait to try it. I have way too many open skincare products than can possibly seem necessary, but as soon as I use something up, I can jump to this.

DARPHIN Stimulskin Plus Multi-Correcting Divine Cream
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.17oz]: $29.50) (Full-size cost [1.7oz]: $295)

DARPHIN Stimulskin Plus Multi-Correcting Divine Cream - Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

Holy cow, look at that price! I've never heard of this brand, but I hope I hate this moisturizer, because I don't think I could ever afford to purchase the full size, even with points!

ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.14oz]: $18.20) (Full-size cost [,5oz]: $65)

ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II - Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

Their regular Advanced Night Repair serum is a cult favorite, but I never knew they made a version specifically for eyes. It kind of makes me wish I had samples of both so I could test them and see how similar they are. Like moisturizers, I have way more open than should really be allowed, so when I can feasibly use this, I will tell you all of my thoughts.

SMASHBOX Photo Finish Foundation Primer
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.25oz]: $9) (Full-size cost [1oz]: $36)

SMASHBOX Photo Finish Foundation Primer - Birchbox: October 2015 Power Pose Box Review

This is not the first sample I've gotten of this primer, but I still have yet to use it. From the ingredients list, it's just a regular silicone primer, which I don't typically use sonce all of my foundations are water-based (and you're not supposed to mix the two). I really like their Hydrating version of this, though!