Subscription: Birchbox
Cost: $10/month, and with reviews you earn 1pt=$1, so every two boxes you can earn $10 to spend in the shop!
What to Expect: 5 beauty samples [sometimes a full size item or a snack as well]
Oh hai! I am so excited that this came in the mail on Saturday, Jan 16th, because I had just checked my Birchbox page that morning and was surprised to see it wasn’t expected for another week!
Lies! I wonder if I have another box coming!
**rubs hands together whilst head is thrown back in maniacal laughter**
Let’s start with my video unboxing.
The Box: 2016: The Year of TACOS!!
Just kidding… it’s the year of trying to be on time to stuff… so… ambition?
Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser: $17 for 6oz pump bottle. “This aloe-infused formula rebalances and refreshes our skin as it whisks away our makeup, leaving our complexion soothed and thoroughly clean.”
I like this–makeup removers are always welcome in my mailbox! It smells nice and removed my Benefit They’re Real mascara, as well as the Eyeko liner I attempted to apply five seconds prior.
Is aloe edible? This smells tasty.
Ciaté® Mistress Nail Polish in Mineral Love: $15 for full size, $8 for mini pot. “Just like every closet should be equipped with the basics, no nail collection is complete without a classic fire engine red like this one from Ciaté® London.”
This is sooo not my shade, BUT I was just complaining about not ever getting polish from BB, so consider me satiated.
Birchbox accidentally linked to a color called Mistress, and put Mineral Love on the card and in the box. When I emailed to ask if they could change which polish my sample was linked to they responded and said they would send me Mistress. I don’t think they actually read my email… but thx!
If I mix Mineral Love with Mistress will I look like a 17 year old mistress??
Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream: $24 for a 12oz pump bottle. “One whiff, and you may just find yourself the most popular person in the room.”
Hello? I can’t even…
They just keep PUSHING it! This actually doesn’t smell bad, it’s really light and not a very quenching lotion.
Am I popular yet?? Hello?
Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner: $16, this is full size! “Enriched with nourishing algae extract, this liner glides on smoothly for a high-impact look (without any fuss).”
Mmmmm… algae. My sample of choice. I’ll have to experiment more with this because my cat eyes looked horrendous… like, 7th-grader-without-a-Youtube-makeup-tutorial-channel horrendous.
The only kitty pic I took during my shoot =^.^=
Raw Spirit Fragrances Bijou Vert Eau de Parfum: $90 for 30ml. “Bright notes of Haitian vetiver, grapefruit, mandarin, and lotus flower complement a deeper base of black pepper, patchouli, and cedarwood for a scent that gives us vacation vibes with just one spray.”
I thought all the notes would make for a wonderful perfume, but patchouli makes me DIE. It’s worse than Harvey Prince because I cannot be around people who are wearing it without gagging. Weirdly, it’s usually worn by people who “can’t tolerate strong smells”. I wonder if it’s something they can’t smell?
Death of a thousand patches of ouli.
All of my December Birchbox samples.
Verdict: This was a slightly better box than December’s. The nail polish is very young to me, and it is being swapped along with the parfum. Though it might look pretty over another color, the texture of the polish alone felt like sandpaper.
See our other Birchbox reviews!
Do you bathe in patchouli? Let us know!
Disclosure: This box was purchased by me at a discount. There is a referral link.
The cat eye liner is the best thing ever. I despise patchouli, and enough with Harvey Prince. Your review rocks, the box not so much.
Thanks Kelly! I think Pnut started doing the cat drawings with eyeliner. It’s much easier than trying to figure out how to photograph makeup on my face!
I got to up my kitty stick drawing skills adorable kitty Onderria! I love your Ciate and I think you should try mixing the colors provided that BB sends you the promised NP. Sorry you got perfumed duds this month but everything else looks good.
**sneaks pink glittery polish into the Pnut box**
Another perfect Kelly summation. Ditto everything! I concur. And the face cleanser looks good – I wouldn’t mind getting that in a future box.
I should try drawing a cat on my hand with the eye liner like you, because I sure as heck couldn’t pull off using it as a liner – I looked like a 13 year old trying to be goth for the first time and failing miserably!
Bad kitty, you could use it to make chunky henna designs on your body! I have henna but my hands are too shaky for the type of henna it is, and looks like a drunk grandma who could kinda draw decided to do henna on me.
I can’t even get over the branding of the perfume……….raw spirit…….. the picture on the card makes me think you are supposed to apply it and then try to unlock your inner spirit animal by crawling through long itchy grasses…..and when you get to the end of your journey…Harvey Prince is standing there and is like, Hello! I don’t smell bad now huh?!?
Hahaha! You should look at the Raw Spirit Instagram. That’s literally their marketing campaign.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_dDsW4INdw/
I’d be curious to check out their other perfumes if they don’t contain patchouli. But their Instagram tells me they like it strong and heavy.
wow…………. long itchy grasses in the buff….. there are no words…
Patchouli is a popular scent with the younger generation at farm shows. I’m not a fan of it. I love reading the review!
Thanks Sub Bella! I looked up images of farm shows, and butter carving came up. I saw the movie Butter, but is that a real thing??