(Very Late) May Subscription Box Review! (Part One - Birchbox)

Hello Friends!

Once again, I have fallen off the face of the planet- this time to graduate! (I am now the possessor of an Associates degree!) ...And once again, I'm back, telling you that I'll be more posting more consistently. Maybe this time it will stick?

When I began this post back in May, I had planned on doing a simple 3 part unboxing post. The upside of me taking forever to post is that I've now had time to try many of the products, so I can give a true review. :)

This time around, I was a little disappointed when I opened my Birchbox. Maybe it was in comparison to the other boxes I got, but it seemed like it was a little sparse and unimpressive.

This month I received five samples, one of which was a duplicate to one I received a few months ago. Additionally, from what I've been hearing on the internet, a few of these are left overs from last month's Birchbox Man boxes. I'm not really sure how I feel about that- I don't have a problem with the samples, but part of what sets Birchbox apart is that they customize the box to your profile, and if they're just reusing left overs, that doesn't seem very customized to me. HOWEVER, like I mentioned, I don't have any problems with the samples themselves.

Okay, let's get to it.

Marvis Toothpaste in "Classic Strong Mint" ($10.50 full size)

First impressions: I love the packaging of this toothpaste. It's very vintage inspired, and looks great. It also smells very good, and seemed like a pretty good sized sample.

After using twice: While the packaging is neat, the toothpaste itself is pretty average.The ingredients are comparable to your basic drugstore toothpaste, including the nasty stuff, like sodium lauryl sulfates. It's very minty- like real mint, not fake, candy mint- but otherwise not memorable. Also, the package was about half-full of air.

Verdict: I probably won't buy this stuff, since I think $10.50 is a lot for a basic toothpaste, but I will probably finish the sample next time I go out of town.

Runa Guayusa Tea Sampler Pack ($7.00/16 tea bags)

What it is: Guayusa (pronounced gwy-yoo-sah) is an Amazonian traditional tea. It's selling points are that each bag has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, and more antioxidants than green tea. I think they're going to try and bring this in like the other designer teas. My sample came with four flavors: traditional, mint, ginger citrus, and cinnamon lemon grass.

After one cup: I tried the the ginger citrus tea yesterday morning. On first impressions, I didn't notice a lot of difference from any other herbal tea. It's tasty, especially with some honey added. As far as the caffeine, I'm not normally affected by it much, so I'm not the best to judge that.

Verdict: I think I would buy this again if I saw it in a store. I will definitely try the other flavors, as well.

amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask ($40/500ml)

First Impression: Mixed feelings. I really hair masks, but I've received this sample - from Birchbox- before. I have received duplicated products before, but it's always been multiple colors of of a nail polish, that sort of thing. I like the product, so I didn't complain to the company, but if it happens again, I think I will.

After using: As I mentioned, I've used this before, so I already knew my hair was in for a treat. I like this hair mask a lot. It's very strong, so a little goes a long way. I have very thick, butt-length hair, and I was able to get two uses out of this. My hair felt great afterwards, and the product smells wonderful!

Verdict: I'm not sure if I will purchase this product. The price is a little high for what I normally spend on hair, if you take in to account that I got two uses from 20ml, then it works out to about $0.80 a use, so that would be a negative factor for me. This might be something that I would spend my Birchbox points on.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner ($11) (in Raina and Black)

First impressions: I was pretty excited to see one of these when I opened my box (my mom gave me hers, since it didn't work for her). Since I have trouble getting eyeliner that lasts, I was excited by the long-lasting properties they're known for. The colors we got were Raina, the lovely navy (Left above, and bottom below), and Black (Right above, and top below). 

After several uses: As you can see above, the colors are true and vibrant. As far as color pay-off, I think they're on par with Urban Decay 24/7. They also have a similar texture to the 24/7 pencils, and go on really smoothly. Unfortunately, they just don't last on me. They look great on, but after a few hours, I find that they've traveled or are just smeared. I'd love to hear if someone with a less-oily eyelid had similar problems? The reviews on Birchbox all seemed really positive.

Verdict: I won't be buying these again, even though they are beautiful!


Alright- that was my May Birchbox. Stay tuned for my Glossybox and Green Grab Bag reviews, as well as a bit of a rant post - consider yourself warned! 

Always,

Nani xx