Beauty: Birchbox

I first heard about Birchbox from my sister in law, and then from another blogger friend. Though I'm not the girliest of girls, there is a lot of appeal in getting a cute little box with goodies packaged inside. I couldn't resist any longer, and signed myself up for the waiting list. 5 weeks later...I finally got my very first Birchbox. It was everything I had hoped for.


First, I open my mailbox to find this adorable pink box:

I open up the pink box to find an even more adorable cardboard box inside with the pink Birchbox label. Inside is pink tissue paper folded around 6 delightful samples. There was even a helpful welcome card that listed the items in my box, as well as how much each full-sized item costs. Another plus- you get free shipping if you order any of the items that came in your box. 

When you first join, Birchbox asks that you fill out a profile so that they can do their best to customize your box. I think they did a really great job, as I just about love everything that came in it. Mine contained 5 beauty samples of the following products:

Color Club Nail Lacquer in "He Loves Me"- This is a pretty, Spring pink color (it reminds me of Easter), and not something I would normally choose. (I usually stick with OPI Red. End of story.) So I'm excited to try this fun, light color. Now if only I could get a little color on my legs.....

Harvey Prince "Ageless" Pink Grapefruit Scent- This is the only thing that I was a little meh about. It's not that I dislike the scent. It's just a little sweeter than what I usually wear. Besides, I'm 100% dedicated to my Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb scent, and not really looking for something new right now. But this is (again) something that seems perfect for Spring. Light, and a tad sweet.

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint- This product is by far my favorite, and I'm likely to order it next paycheck. At $38, I think it's a very reasonable price. It's extremely lightweight, but gave my skin a wonderful dewy look. Given that I'm battling dry skin/aging issues, I think this is a really good match for me. It also received Allure magazine's "Best in Beauty" seal. Good enough for me!

Orofluido Beauty Elixir- This oil serum is supposed to strengthen, smooth, and shiny-up your hair. Given that I have really fine (and sometimes oily) hair, I'm not too sure about this one. I'm worried that it's going to weigh mine down, so I haven't tried it yet. It sure does smell good though!

Stila "Smoky Eye" Card- I'm saving this one for a fancy date night. The colors look fantastic, but not something I would use everyday. I love that the card has instructions for how to apply. Given my limited make-up application skills, that should come in handy.

Last but not least, each box contains one "lifestyle" sample. I've heard they have included music downloads before, which sounds great. In my box, I got 3 samples of Tea forté skin smart teas. Since I'm not drinking soda or any other artificially flavored drinks right now (and hopefully never), this was a welcome surprise. I've already tried the Cucumber Mint (for youth recovery) and the Cherry Marzipan (for anti-aging) and both were delicious. A box of 16 bags cost $6, which seems a bit pricey. But if they can reverse aging, I'll pay whatever!!!

Overall, I was really pleased with my first Birchbox, and I can't wait until April for my next one. Signing up is easy, just be prepared to wait for a bit.