October 2014 Birchbox: Unboxing

My October 2014 Birchbox Snapshot

October 2014 Birchbox  // Theme: Fanfare

Actual Value of My Box: $40.91

Total Cost of October 2014 Birchbox: $10.00

This month's Birchbox took a little bit longer to ship out than usual. I received my box on Tuesday. The theme this month was "fanfare." So fandoms of tv, music, books, and of course beauty essentials! Here are my reactions with the estimated value of my samples from my subscription.

Atelier Cologne in Cedrat Enivrant Cologne Absolue

Atelier Cologne in Cedrat Enivrant Cologne Absolue  -- $65 Full Size // 30 ml.

[ Estimated Value: $2.16 // 1ml ] 

I received a different Atelier Cologne in last month's box and it was presented in the same packaging. Postcard + Fragrance Sample + Vellum Envelope. It looks like this postcard is of a table with a bunch of random stuff (including Mahjong tiles) ! Not too happy to get another fragrance sample. I feel like I have a huge collection.

dr. brandt Pores no More Vacuum Cleaner

dr. brandt Pores no More Vacuum Cleaner -- $45 Full Size (drbrandtskincare.com) // 1 oz. 

[ Estimated Value: $11.25 // .25 oz  ]

I always wanted to try dr.brandt products but have not because it is on the pricey side for skin care. My nose is prone to getting blackheads so I was happy to find this in my box. It is also made for oily/combination skin types. I have not heard anything about this product so no clue if it works or not.

Lord and Berry Paillettes Glitter Eye Pencil in Black

Lord and Berry Paillettes Glitter Eye Pencil in Black -- $18 Full Size // .04 oz 

[ Estimated Value: $4.50 // .01 oz  ] 

This was one of the other "PYS" (pick your sample) options for October. A lot of other Birchbox subscribers posting on one of the make up forums I read were not happy to find this in their boxes. I agree with them that this sample is a bit on the small side. It's smaller than a Q-tip! 

This one reminded me of the Cynthia Rowley's shimmery eye pencil when I first saw it. I did a quick test to see how intense the black is and its not that dark. The glitter pigments does show up though, which is surprising because many reviews for it says this eyeliner sucks. I don't think I will end up using this because I don't like glitter.

ModelCo Party Proof Matter Lipstick in Kitty

ModelCo Party Proof Matter Lipstick in Kitty -- $24 // 3 Pack  

[ Estimated Value: $8  ] 

This was my "PYS" (pick your sample) choice for October's box. This item is the one I am most excited about using. I read that it has really good staying power so I wanted this over the other sample choices offered this month. It also smells really good too. From looking at the color of the lipstick, it looks mauve and I am hoping it will be a good nude for my lips. 

Toni and Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum

Toni and Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum -- $15 Full Size // 1 fl oz. 

[ Estimated Value: $15 // 1 fl oz.  ] 

When I first took a peek online for what items I would get this month, I was worried how big the sample would be because the full size is like 1 oz and I imagined it to be a pretty small bottle. From stalking the makeup forums, it looked like no one posted pictures of a box similar to mine so all I could do is wait in anticipation. 

Luckily, this one arrived full size. Compared to the price of Beauty and Protect and No.7's hair serums it is cheaper. This is another hair serum for adding shine and taming frizz. 

My Final Thoughts:

If I have to rate this box, I would say it is a 3 out of 5. The value of the box this month is high but I felt indifferent towards most of the items. I think only 2 out of 5 samples, which were the lipstick and the pores no more, I really liked based on first impressions

What were you most excited about in this month's box? 

Are there any items you liked from my October box?  

Leave me a comment below or tweet me @intriceblog :)

x Carol

Birchbox is a beauty and skincare subscription service that ships out a box monthly with 4-6 samples available in their online store. Each box costs $10 a month and you can do a monthly or yearly subscription with the freedom to cancel at any time. They also do a subscription box for men too! If you want to join Birchbox, you can sign up here.