January 31, 2015

January 2015 Birchbox: Unboxing + Review

This month's box was just okay for me with not much excitement in the January 2015 Birchbox. The best part of the box was the lip product. Let's begin the unboxing and take a close look at all the products from my January 2015 Birchbox.

Total Cost: $10.00
Actual Value: $23.88


Cynthia Rowley Creamy Lip Stain in Sugar
Retails: $20 Full Size


I think my favorite item was definitely the lip stain. It is a beautiful tea rose color in the tube and when applied on the lips it matches. I thought I wouldn't like it but I will consider buying this when my sample size runs out and try other colors. 


When first applying it on my lips, it tasted and smelled like sunscreen. Eventually, this scent fades. This is very moisturizing too. I think I had to layer about 3 times to get it very opaque. If you want a sheer look, one swipe is enough. Once it began fading, it still looked natural with no cracking or bleeding on the lips.

Harvey Prince "Sincerely" Fragrance
Retails:  $26 (8.8 ml) // $55 (50 ml)



I didn't like this fragrance because its floral scent is too overpowering for me. I think it smells more like Freesia or Gardenias than anything other ingredient in this perfume. Other fragrance notes mixed in are Indian Tuberose, Indonesian Clove Bud, and Japanese Orange Flower.

Neil George Shampoo and Conditioner 
Retails: $9 Each (3.38 oz Bottles)


Never heard of this brand before. The scent of the shampoo and conditioner reminded me of cleaning products so I wasn't a huge fan. The formula for this haircare set contains antioxidants and promises to hydrate hair and give shiny locks. The conditioner is paraben-free and my hair had no tangles when using it.  Both of these are safe to use with color treated hair according to the information card.

After using this for a few days to test it out, I wasn't impressed with how it made my hair feel. It felt a lot drier than when I used my current shampoo and conditioner (Herbal Essences Smooth Collection with Rose Hips.) My dyed hair did look like the color lifted a little after using this so I guess it isn't actually safe for color treated hair. Do not use this if you recently colored your hair.

Tocca Crema de Mano in Cleopatra 
Retails: $10 (2 fl oz.)


This is a grapefruit cucumber scented hand cream. I picked this as my sample choice for this month's Birchbox. I really liked the way this hand cream feels on my skin. It's not sticky or greasy at all and smells amazing. I could immediately feel my hands soaking up the moisture. My hands and cuticles were softer after application. I was happy with my selection. 

Final Thoughts -- Not Related to the Birchbox Contents
I think using Newgistics for shipping was a bad decision in getting subscribers their boxes in a timely manner or preventing it from getting lost. It takes twice as long as it did before. Birchbox should switch back to just USPS the whole way. The tracking information wasn't updated frequently and it was practically lost in shipping so I had to contact Birchbox in the end. :( Third time that my box arrived almost at the end of the month.

What did you like from this month's Birchbox? 
Have you tried any of these products before? 

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.

10 comments:

  1. Hmm... Grapefruit/cucumber sounds like an interesting scent that I would dig! I may need to try that one out next time I'm in the market for a new hand cream. Pretty good-looking box, overall. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. I actually liked the hand cream a lot more than I thought I would. Thanks for stopping by Denise! :)

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  2. I've always wanted to try Tocca and I'm super addicted to those Cynthia Rowley Lip Stains! I wish they weren't so pricey tho, I want one in every color lol!

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    1. Yeah I wish they weren't so pricey too! I saw they have the minis in a 3 color set for $15 on Birchbox vs 1 Full Size Lip Stain for $20.

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  3. I dislike getting those Harvey Prince fragrance samples. I also got this one, and I haven't even opened it. One month I got Tommy Girl, now that I liked!

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    1. I didn't know Tommy Girl was still in circulation, lol. I think I only liked one of the Harvey Prince fragrances named Hello.

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  4. I wasn't a fan of the Neil George duo either. I did really like the Cynthia Rowley lip stain, though! Mine is in Valentine, which is pretty but kind of bright for me sometimes. I think I would prefer your shade for winter!

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    1. I just took a look at Valentine and it looks like a nice shade of pink. I think it would look too bright for my skintone too. Out of all the shampoo/conditioners that Birchbox has sent me I think Neil George is the worst. Glad I wasn't the only one not impressed.

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  5. This seems to be just an 'okay' box. I personally am not a fan of receiving shampoo, conditioner and body wash in beauty boxes, I mean if I want those then I would have a huge collection from hotels. I really like the lip stain shade, what a gorgeous nude. For some reason I have been really loving nude lips recently so the lip stain is definitely my favourite from this box.

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

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    1. I used to enjoy to haircare and body stuff but I kept getting them in almost every box month to month these last few months. I just updated my profile on Birchbox yesterday so hopefully I will get more skincare or makeup samples. I am also delving into nude lip shades too! I am currently trying to build up my collection of "nude" lip products.

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