Whoo hoo! It's been a good month. I'm actually getting both my BIRCHBOX and ipsy reviews up within a few days of receiving them instead of weeks later (this month's ipsy review can be found here). That's harder than it sounds especially with my goal to actually try ALL the products before posting my review, but let's get down to business (to defeat the huns).
As is protocol around here, we'll start with the good:
Benefit They're Real! Mascara (sample size)As I mentioned in my ipsy review, I'm very particular about my mascara. This mascara was quite impressive. It went on smooth without looking clumpy, it added quite a bit of volume, and it lasted all day without flaking. It didn't come off as easily as my go-to mascara but it wasn't a lot of scrubbing. This would actually be worth using my BB points on in the future, especially since it's $1 cheaper than my usual mascara.
Perlier Body Cream (sample size)I have a tendancy to get super dry hands, and they have been rough the last couple of weeks because of the excessive hand washing I've been doing. This cream smoothed them out in a hurry without being too heavy, oily, or overwhelming in the scent department.
Onto the bad:
Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Defense Serum (teeny tiny sample size)My biggest complaint about this was the sample size. I understand having a small sample since the full size bottle is only 1-ounce, but this sample literally had 3 drops of product in it and I had to squeeze from the top like a toothpaste tube just to get those 3 drops to come out. I thought it was empty. I put those 3 drops on before my moisturizer as instructed and saw zero difference. Granted, the benefits of an "anti-wrinkle defense" product likely are shown in the lack of wrinkles that show up, but who's to say that those wrinkles were going to show up anyway? I certainly wouldn't pay $62 for a 1-ounce bottle of stuff that made no discernable difference.
Again I had issue with sample size. I was impressed with the large sample on the shampoo, and then quickly disappointed with the small foil packet of conditioner (the cream colored sample packet pictured above). This may not be the best for my hair, but I always condition when I shampoo, and I get a little anxious when I don't have the same amount of each. I'm one of those people that likes to finish their shampoo bottle as close to the same time as their conditioner as possible (but seriously, are there people who don't?). So this drove me a little crazy. There's probably enough shampoo for 2 weeks worth of shampooing. There's really only enough conditioner for 2 conditionings. If you can get past the sample issue, the products themselves are fine. However, I used them in conjunction with the OI/All in One Milk that is supposed to "support hair growth and protect it from harmful UV radiation" while "conditioning strands and keeping them soft and supple during heat styling while preventing unwanted frizz". While I'll admit that my hair looked super smooth and shiny after styling, it most definitely wasn't soft or supple. It felt weighted down and oily, and the borderline overwhelming "clean" smell stuck around ALL DAY. I couldn't wait to wash my hair again with a different shampoo. The experience definitely wouldn't be worth the money to buy all 3 products.
Now onto the meh:
Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris (sample size)
I think there's only been one perfume that I've ever received from BIRCHBOX that hasn't been in the meh category (and that would be the Harvey Prince Flirt, now known as Temptress), but it's because I'm never super excited about getting perfume. The scent is always a bit too strong for me and I have to really like it to want to assault someone else's nose with it all day. This one had a very crisp smell to it. It wasn't bad, but it was really strong. It might be good for a nice event, but I don't go to many of those so I can't justify paying over $100 for a bottle.
Overall for the month, it wasn't bad. I got a few things I loved, and a few things I'd never use again. I still think it was worth the $10.
If you'd like to sign up for BIRCHBOX, use my link here.
Happy Shopping!
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