Birchbox(es) June 2015

(Birchbox is a subscription beauty service which sends you five beauty products, either samples or full-sized items, for $10 per month! If you are interested in subscribing, feel free to use my referral link.)

Since Birchbox recently had a promotion for new subscribers to receive a $1 Birchbox, I got a second box again! This post will have quick overviews and photos of both the boxes I received, starting with my box from my regular (yearly) subscription. The theme for June was Adventure, and subscribers received one of three beautiful box designs!

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Here are the contents of my June Birchbox (from my usual subscription):

• Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle, $2.74
• Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, $3.75
• Coola Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face, $4.52
• Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow, $4.05
• Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Electric Blue, $4.50

Total value of this box = $19.56

Overall impressions: This box was okay. I’m excited about the Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle and the Skyn Iceland eye gels, but I’m not sure if I’ll use the other products. I was also supposed to receive a hair tie as an extra, which wasn’t in my box. Fortunately, Birchbox has great customer service and tried to send me a replacement! But since they were out of stock, I received 50 points ($5 to spend in the Birchbox shop), which I preferred anyways since I have plenty of hair ties.

Beauty Protector: Protect & Detangle, sample size

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

Estimated retail value of $2.74 (estimating sample size of 1 oz and full size retailing at $21.95 for 8 oz)

This seems to be a favorite among Birchbox subscribers, so I was excited to try this! This leave-in conditioner claims to detangle, protect against heat and UV rays, lock in color, add shine, etc. It is a bit thick, so I had to spray a few times before product was properly dispensed. This made my hair feel so soft, smooth, and silky! I didn’t particularly care for the sweet, cake-like scent, but many seem to love the smell. I’m planning to bring this when I travel since it can serve multiple purposes.

Skyn Iceland: Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, sample size

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

Retail value of $3.75 (based on sample size of 1 pair and full size retailing at $30.00 for 8 pairs)

I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m excited to once school starts again (when I will definitely be needing them for my dark circles)! Ipsy had this product in one of their bags a few months ago, but Ipsy gave subscribers two pairs instead of the one pair Birchbox provided. I’m planning to put this in the fridge before I use it so it would be cold and even more firming!

Coola: Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face, sample size

Coola Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face

Retail value of $4.52 (based on full size retailing at $32.00 for 0.24 oz)

I already have a lot of facial moisturizer to go through, so I’ll probably wait to use this until I travel somewhere. It is made with certified organic ingredients and contains SPF, so it has some potential!

Marcelle: BB Cream Golden Glow, sample size

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

Estimated retail value of $4.05 (based on sample size of 0.24 oz and full size retailing at $27.00 for 1.6 oz)

This is a shimmery BB cream. I swatched this on my hand, and there seems to be little coverage and a fair amount of shimmer. So instead of using this all over my face as a BB cream, I will most likely use it as a highlighter instead.

Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Electric Blue, sample size

Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Electric Blue

Estimated retail value of $4.50 (based on receiving one mini eyeliner and full size retailing at $18.00 for 4 mini eyeliners)

Birchbox was planning to give all subscribers a full-size Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner, but they got held up in customs (Eyeko is a London brand), so this was the substitute. It’s disappointing for me since I wear black liquid eyeliner practically daily, but I rarely wear pencil eyeliners. This blue is also brighter than what I would probably wear, but I like the color I received in my other box!

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Here is what is in my June Birchbox (from my new subscription for the $1 Birchbox promo):

• Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+, $4.00
• Tocca Eau de Parfum, Isabel, $2.00
• Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel, $4.80
• Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Mulberry, $4.50
• Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser, $1.99
• Pura Vida Lace Headband, $2.25

Total value of this box = $19.54

Overall impressions: I prefer this box over the previous one. Unlike the previous box, I will actually use all the products, and I’m more excited about the BB cream in this box and the color of the Marcelle eyeliner. Also, I love Tocca perfumes!

Dr. Jart+: Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+, sample size

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+

Estimated retail value of $4.00 (based on sample size of 0.2 fl oz and full size retailing at $34.00 for 1.7 fl oz)

I love trying new BB and CC creams, so I’m excited to try this! Based on a swatch I did on my hand, it seems to provide decent coverage. It smells vaguely of sunscreen, but it doesn’t feel greasy or sticky.

Tocca: Eau de Parfum, Isabel, sample size

Tocca Eau de Parfum, Isabel

Estimated retail value of $2.00 (based on sample size of 0.05 fl oz and full size retailing at $68.00 for 1.7 fl oz)

I love Tocca perfumes (I’ve had my eye on Simone for a while now) so this is one of the few perfume samples I’m excited to receive! This scent, Isabel, is absolutely lovely. It is floral and a bit fruity, light and fresh. Although I don’t like the packaging (I prefer sprays), I’m glad I received this, and I think it would make a great everyday fragrance.

Real Chemistry: Luminous 3-Minute Peel, sample size

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel

Retail value of $4.80 (based on sample size of 20 ml and full size retailing at $36.00 for 50 ml)

I already received this in my April 2015 Birchbox in my original account. My thoughts remain the same as before, but now I can try this more since I didn’t have much of an impression before.

Marcelle: Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Mulberry, sample size

Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner Travel Kit in Mulberry

Estimated retail value of $4.50 (based on receiving one mini eyeliner and full size retailing at $18.00 for 4 mini eyeliners)

As I explained earlier, each subscriber received one of these Marcelle mini pencil eyeliners in one of four shades instead of the Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner. This shade, Mulberry, is a nice dark purple, which I might try sometime when I’m feeling adventurous. I usually wear black eyeliner, but this color looks more wearable than the bright blue liner I received in my box above.

Beauty Protector: Beauty Wash Body Cleanser, sample size

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser

Estimated retail value of $1.99 (estimating sample size of 1 oz and full size retailing at $15.95 for 8 oz)

This smells like the Beauty Protect Protect & Detangle. I haven’t tried this yet, and I’ll probably wait until I travel since most body washes are equivalent to me, so this doesn’t seem like anything special in particular.

Pura Vida: Lace Headband, sample size

Pura Vida Lace Headband

This was an extra. It’s a nice peachy-pink color, but I don’t think it’s really my style. However, I’m always happy to receive extras since it’s a bonus item and 10 points ($1 in the Birchbox shop) for reviewing it!