Birchbox: February 2016 Review

Hi, friends! It's time for another issue of "What's in my Birchbox?" where I tell you...what's in my Birchbox! I don't know what it is about subscription unboxing posts that I like so much. Maybe I'm just nosy and like snooping in other people's stuff. Anyway, without further ado, here's what I received in my Birchbox 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! 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. You can get a free Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in in Copper Rose when you sign up with the code MALLYGIFT. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

I think the box design this month is rather cute. A little simpler than previous months, but I like it.

This month was all about the Valentine's Day theme. Usually Birchbox focuses on natural looks and "the woman on the go," so they switched things up and took a "date night" approach. My Valentine's Day was spent splitting a heart-shaped box of chocolates with my mom, but I still think I'll get use out of this month's products! 

I honestly have no idea how some subscription boxes function without an info card. What good is a product if you don't know what it is or how to use it?

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

HEY HONEY |  Take it Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.34oz]: $6.40) (Full-size cost [1.7oz]: $32) 

I've seen this mask being given out in previous Ipsy bags, so I'm not completely surprised it made it into a Birchbox (though they don't often share the same product base). This is an exfoliating peel-off mask, so you put it on, let it dry, then peel it off like it's dried Elmer's glue (though obviously it has beneficial properties for your skin and isn't as painful). I'm weird with masks, because I'm always happy to see a one in a subscription box, but I never use them. I just hoard them in my drawer and forget about them. I don't know what I'm saving them for. I'll have to make a point to use this, The ingredients list contains a few products I like (glycerin, honey, jojoba seed oil) so I hope I like this

JUARA | Candlenut Body Creme
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.34oz]: $1.69) (Full-size cost [7.5oz]: $38) 

I received this in a Total Beauty Mystery Collection back in 2013. Here it is again! This is a lightweight body lotion with a mild coconut scent. I like coconut in small doses, but I'm not a huge fan, so the scent is just "meh" for me. I usually use unscented body lotion because I'm boring so that way it doesn't compete with whatever fragrance I'm wearing that day, so I'll probably give this to someone who would appreciate it more. It's nice, but for the price I think I'll just stick with Bath & Body Works if I'm looking for a scented lotion. I think they're a good brand, though--I really liked their Hand and Nail Balm from my December box!

MODEL CO | Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.7g]: $9.33) (Full-size cost [1.5g]: $20) 

I received a ModelCo lipstick in my May 2015 Birchbox, and I liked it enough that I'm happy to see another product from them. This is a lip liner that will supposedly work with any lip color. I rarely use lip liners, but I also don't own a lot of colors, so maybe now that will change. This is a nude color that doesn't lean too heavily into any color spectrum (not too brown, not too pink, etc), which does make it pretty versatile. I'm not too experienced with lip liners, but this doesn't feel too dry in texture, so I think it'll work nicely.  

PARLOR BY JEFF CHASTAIN | Detangling Leave-in Conditioner
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [1oz]: $4.90) (Full-size cost [4.9oz]: $24) 

I rarely use hair detanglers, since my Wet Brush gets the tangles out of my hair without any issue. I've heard good things about this brand though, and since they're exclusive to Birchbox, this is the only place I'd be able to try it. It's good to have sample sizes for travel, so maybe I'll bring this along with me on my next trip.  

WHISH | Revitalizing Cleansing Oil
(SAMPLE-SIZE value [.5oz]: $4.41) (Full-size cost [3.4oz]: $30) 

This was my sample choice this month. I've used Whish's body products before (see my April Birchbox review), but it's news to me that they make skincare, too! Ultimately, I chose this because I've never used a cleansing oil before. Typically, they're used as a pre-cleanser step if you've been wearing makeup, since oil works well at breaking down hard-to-remove products like waterproof mascara. I tried it and it definitely left a residue on my skin, much like some dual-phase waterproof makeup removers (with the two layers you have to shake to combine), so I wouldn't use it without a cleanser afterwards. I've yet to put it to the test, but once it comes in contact with my Benefit They're Real mascara, I'll let you know how it turns out. That mascara is notoriously difficult to remove if you don't have the right tools, so if it can take that off, I'll be happy with it.

The Stats:

• Hey Honey Peel Off Mask: $6.40
• Juara Candlenut Body Creme: $1.69
• ModelCo Lip Liner: $9.33
• Parlor Leave-in Conditioner: $4.90
• Whish Cleansing Oil: $4.41
• TOTAL: $26.73

The Best: 
I'm curious to see how the cleansing oil works out! And I think the lip liner will be useful to have around. 

The Worst: 
I won't really get much use out of the Juara's cream, but at least it's not a perfume sample! 

The Verdict: 
Overall, I was moderately happy about this box. It had a nice variety of products in it. The total box value didn't wow me, and there have been boxes in the past that excited me more, but I'm satisfied with this one. 

Did you get this month's Birchbox? What did you think?

Want to see more Birchbox reviews?  

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Disclaimer: Not sponsored. I paid ten whole dollars for this.