Self-Care Sunday-October 13, 2019
I have been a subscriber to Birchbox since July 2017 and I love it! I really look forward to getting my box every month. It's so fun, kind of like receiving presents every month.
Recently they have made their monthly boxes much more customizeable which is nice. Especially if you don't like surprises. You receive a total of five samples in each box for $10.00 a month.
A few weeks before the box ships, you are given the chance to customize. Like I mentioned earlier, Birchbox has been making a lot of changes to their customization options. I will just describe the options like they are as i write this.
When customizing your box you can choose from the following options:
1. Choose one sample out of three featured samples and be suprised by the remaining four samples.
2. Choose one of three or four curated boxes that all have themes.
3. Choose to forgo your box in favor of a featured full size product. (In the past this has been a hair detangler and a lip gloss set.)
For $10.00 a month the sample sizes are decent, and most boxes come with one full size product. Receiving a full size product is not guaranteed if you choose to be suprprised by your samples, but I have noticed a lot of the curated boxes have full sizes in them.
For October I chose a curated box called, "All Made Up". It contained six makeup samples. A full size lipstick, a sample size mascara, eyebrow liner, face primer, an eyeliner and a makeup remover. Sometimes, if a sample is really small, Birchbox will give you six samples. Or they will consider something like shampoo and its' matching conditioner to be one sample.
I chose this box because the lipstick was made by my favorite lipstick brand Lipstick Queen. And it was a full size lipstick! Do you know what this particular lipstick retails for? $25.00!! So, basically I got a tube of lipstick from my favorite brand for over 50% off. Amazing. I have also tried the mascara and eyeliner in previous boxes and really liked both of them. I love a good face primer, and I was really curious to see how the eyebrow liner performed. So this box was a winner for me.
Keep reading below to find out what I thought of everything.
Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Expresso
Full size retails for $14.00
Like I mentioned before, I have received this eyeliner in the Mulberry color in a previous Birchbox. It has become a staple in the products that I use to acheive my daily look. The formula is soft, and goes on very smooth. It blends nicely and the pencil, which is probably half the size of the full size, sharpens like a dream. The Expresso color is no different. It's really great. The brown shade is a nice, classic color, and I definately plan on purchasing a couple of these when my samples run out.
Full size retails for $20.00
This was a bummer sample, and I am guessing the reason why there are six samples in this box. Earlier this year, I saw a promo on the Makeup Eraser website where they were offering to send to you, for free, a sample of their cloth product that removes makeup with just water. It was supposed to be so magical that you would really want to purchase the full size after trying the sample. I ordered and received the sample. So I have already tried this sample. FOR FREE. I'm not thrilled to find it in my Birchbox that I paid $10.00 for. Also, the sample is really small and hard to use. The full size is washcloth size and the sample size is about the same size as a sticky note. Despite its small size, when I tested it out the first time I received it I could tell that it was pretty effective at removing makeup with just water. However, if after trying it in my Birchbox I wanted to buy the full size I would be out of luck while shopping the Birchbox website. The product page says that the Makeup Eraser is no longer available, and it does not give you the option to purchase. I did go over to the Makeup Eraser webiste to see if they were totally discontinued, and you can still purchase them there. So I'm not really sure if the company is indeed discontinuing them and just continuing to sell them until they run out of stock, or if Birchbox isn't partnering with them anymore and they just wanted to flush out all of the samples they had leftover. I'm sure I could figure it out. I just don't care enough to try.
Full size retails for $24.00
I have received this mascara in a previous box and really liked it. It lengthens, thickens and separates lashes which are all of my mascara goals. The formula isn't clumpy and the brush is really fluffy and nice. A+ mascara for sure.
Eyeko Brow Liner in Shade Medium
Full size retails for $20.00
This little stick is really neat. The tip is like a liquid eyeliner or felt marker tip. The color is just a smidge darker than what I usually use but overall that isn't noticeable. It filled in my brows nicely and was really easy to use. I was left with a soft, full and polished look which I like. I would consider purchasing the full size of this when I run out of this sample and my current eyebrow product.
Lipstick Queen Method In The Madness Lipstick in Manic Mauve
Full size retails for $25.00
Here is is. The whole reason why I chose this box in the first place. I have received a full size Lipstick Queen lipstick in a previous Birchbox this past summer, so I was excited to add another one to my collection. First I noticed that the packaging is super gorgeous. The lipstick itself is a pinky mauve color that has been marbled with swirls of a purple color. The formula is really lovely. Very balm like and moisturizing. It is a matte lipstick, which I am usually not a fan of. They tend to be so dry, and not very forgiving to lip wrinkles. But somehow it doesn't bother me with this lipstick. The color is eh. Not very exciting, but a great day-to-day, classic mauve color. I am beyond thrilled with this "sample".
Full size retails for $42.00
I love makeup primers and really feel like they are magical. They really make a huge difference in how my makeup turns out and lasts throughout the day. This one from Lancome is effective but didn't blow my mind. It reminded me of the iconic Smashbox Photo Finsh Primer. That's not a bad thing since Smashbox's bestseller is an excellent primer. Lancome's version just didn't bring anything new to the table. It works fine for what it is though, even if it is a little overpriced.
All in all I was pretty happy with my October Birchbox. Lot's of old favorites with only one serious bummer.
What did you get in your October Birchbox?
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