Included products in this month’s Birchbox:
- Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Sweet Violet (Full-size, $7 )
- RMS Beauty The Ultimate Makeup Remover Wipes (Full-size, $16 )
- Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (Full-size, $34)
- W3LL People Expressionist Mascara (Full-size, $23.50)
- Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle (Full-size, $23.50)
First Impressions:
I should have known things would only go downhill from here: the moment I logged onto Birchbox.com and was notified that my month’s box selection was “out of stock” and was forced to choose another. I should have realized I probably wasn’t going to love it. Call it a gut instinct or a premonition, but in the end I was right. Upon the boxes’ arrival, I felt myself in a foul mood knowing that what I originally wanted was not in there, yet I tried to remain positive. However, the minute I spotted the boxes’ pattern, I wanted to return it ASAP. I guess its Rifle Paper Co. floral design would appeal to some of the population, but for me it was like staring at a couch pattern I could find on an episode of Mad Men. The box was just hideous plain and simple! And as I proceeded to open the box and analyze its contents, I almost cried (not tears of joy mind you), and here is why.
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Sweet Violet: Really? No really?? Was this a joke? I mean don’t get me wrong; I love Burt’s Bees products. However, I thought the premise of a beauty box was to try brands that are new or relatively expensive before deciding on purchasing full sizes. Burt’s Bees certainly does not fit into any of these categories. Yet there it lay mocking me, which is ironic because it ended up being the only item I liked from the package.
RMS Beauty The Ultimate Makeup Remover Wipes: I had some high hopes from this product because J.Crew (my favorite apparel company) sells RMS products on their site. So, I figured the RMS makeup remover wipes would be a guaranteed winner. I could not have been more wrong. RMS states, “These wipes are made with pure, naturally antibacterial coconut oil, which melts away even the most stubborn makeup”. What RMS fails to state is that after using this wipe, your face will feel like its been dipped in vegetable oil and that you will need to rewash to clean the oil spill. This month’s Birchbox came with two RMS wipes. After using one, I was close to throwing the remaining one away. However, I figured it could be useful in removing my matte liquid lipstick and I was right. Too bad these RMS wipes are not marketed for lipstick removal because I believe it would serve a better purpose.
Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: As per the Birchbox card, this is a “customer-fave scrub that mimics the effects of microdermabrasion for glowing smooth skin”. In theory, this product sounds amazing. In practice, it felt like minute shards of glass were cutting into my skin without the added bonus of a glowing face.
W3LL People Expressionist Mascara: I always enjoy testing out mascaras and when I saw this one I was genuinely excited. And yet, I was let down once again because this mascara did not lift nor lengthen my lashes as promised. Maybe it’s the smaller test wand that does not lend itself to the mascara’s full potential, but at almost $24 for a full size I will not be splurging to find out.
Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle: I found this heat protector to be okay. Nothing really worth noting other than I don’t find it to be a great replacement for my current hair protector from Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in1 Styling Treatment ($27).
Final Verdict: Purge
Makeup Deconstructed Rating System:
1 Kiss = Purge: Only one of the products in the box/bag is worth keeping.
2 Kisses = Merge: Two to four products make this box/bag worth merging into your makeup collection.
3 Kisses = Splurge: All five products are amazing and worth splurging on!
