Make Up Monday-June Birchbox Review

June’s box was greatness!!  The samples could not have come at a better time!!  I received a gentle face wash and 3 minute facial peel that I was desperately needing!  I also received a sunscreen, eye liner (that was BLUE!!!), leave-in conditioner and elastic hair ties (BONUS!)  Honestly, I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible.  A ginger in the sun??  I will warn you so you can be sure to buy loads of stock in Banana Boat!  But I will be out in the sun some next week so I plan to pack all my little samples and try them out on our trip to Hot Springs.  The sunscreen that came in this month’s box was COOLA.  It came in SPF 50 and is sweat-proof, water resistant and smells like mango.  The link takes you to the unscented formula.

If I hear one more time, “But redheads have such beautiful skin.  It’s like a porcelain doll,” I might throw a porcelain doll at them.  Seriously, how many china dolls do you see with unexplained blemishes?!  That’s what I was dealing with when this box arrived.  I chalked it up to switching face washes and a sample that I had tried out in May.  Then I opened my Birchbox and found this gentle foaming face wash (Shiseido).  OH.  MY.   GOODNESS!!  I am in love with it.  If was socially acceptable, I might ask the hubs if it could sleep in our bed.  I was able to squeeze four uses out of that tiny tube and it cleared up my problem area quick!  I wished I had taken a before picture to show the difference.  I noticed after the first use that the blemish party under the corner of my mouth had considerably less guests.  It’s a pricey face wash ($30 for a 4.5 oz tube) but definitely worth it.  It leaves your skin feeling clean and soft.  I also tried out the 3 minute facial peel (made by Real Chemistry.)  I have always been a little scared of at home peels.  I worried my face would burn off.  Have I ever mentioned I am a little dramatic?  Anyhow…you could use this one in the shower.  I am not sure that it will be a product I buy but it has great results.  I am not a big mask or facial peel person.  I don’t have the attention span to massage circular motions on my face for 3 minutes.  (Have I ever mentioned I tend to lose interest/attention at random times?)  It says on the back of the bottle to massage and when solids start to form under your fingertips, that is the dead skin.     (Cue the feeling of being completely disgusted by your own face!)  Man, your skin does feel good after that though!

Enough about the skin stuff.  Onto the fun eyeliner that I would never buy myself but I really am digging.  Usually I stick with black/brown or brown eyeliner…when I do wear it.  In June, Birchbox decided to push my boundaries and send me a royal blue eyeliner.  I am loving it!!  So much fun!  It goes great with the neutral eye makeup (samples that came in past months’ Birchbox and Ipsy bags). It comes in a few other colors that includes purple!! 

The leave in hair conditioner wasn’t bad.   I didn’t notice a big difference.  I like my shampoo/conditioner set so when I sprayed this in after the shower, there was no difference.  I thought maybe it would make it easier to comb out my hot tangled mess of hair, but nope.  Maybe I will experiment without my regular conditioner to see if there is a difference.

Typically Birchbox has 5 samples in the box.  This month, I got a bonus…Elastic hair tie from Emi Jay!!  I use these when I French braid my hair.  These cute little ties just don’t hold up this hot mess of hair very well.  If I had shorter hair or thinner hair, they might work great.  My mom can use them for pony tails…not me!

I really hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!  Make sure you are making memories with loved ones!!!

Hugs y'all,

Melissa

Make Up Monday-May's Birchbox Review

Yes, I know...it is mid-June and I am just now reviewing the Birchbox from last month.  I tried the products but never got around to writing a review.  So here it is.  You're welcome!  May's box was just "okay" for me.  I got a lot of skin stuff (which is fine) but some of it was just not right for me. 

1.  Benefit Cosmetics' "It's Potent!" is a hydrator that brightens dark circles and boosts your skin's elasticity over time.  A full size container is $34.  I really like Benefit's make up line.  I wrote last summer about their foundation that I thought was perfect for Texas summers!  This product I did not see much of a difference.  Now, remember Birchbox gives a small sample that is usually only good for 1-2 uses (depending on how much you use).  So it is kind of unfair to say this one does not work.  I would consider buying the full size to see how it does.

2.  Coastal Scents' Revealed 3 Eyeshadow Quad is an eye shadow set that I am totally digging.  It has 4 colors-2 light colors, 1 dark and 1 medium.  I have used mostly the dark and the 2 light colors.  I like that the light colors have a hint of shimmer which is great for summer.  They go on so smooth you barely know you are applying it.  The full size palette is $20 which is not bad for eye shadow palettes.

3.  Harvey Prince's "Hello" spritz has hints of citrus with floral notes.  It has a sweet smell that is great for summer.  I don't wear a lot of perfume since I work with kiddos that have various allergies.  After not wearing any perfume all week, I tend to forget it on the weekend too!  But this is a sweet smell that gets you ready for summer time.  Full sizes range from $26-$55.

4.  Marcelle's Hydra-C 24H Energizing Hydrating Gel was not right for ME.  I used it several times (not applying much) and it made my skin feel oily.  I even started getting breakouts on my chin when I was using it.  Not saying it's a bad product; just not a product I will use.  The full size trial is $24.

5.  PARLOR by Jeff Chastain's Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray was great!  I even took it on vacation with me last week.  I love a good sea salt spray during the summer.  I have long hair and it is often a pain in the summer to fix it every morning.  It is much easier to spray some of that and let my hair dry.  Plus it smells like the beach!  A full size bottle is $24.

Hope everyone has a great week! 

Hugs y'all!
Melissa