I recently subscribed to this brilliant service,
Birchbox. For $10 a month they send you out this precious little box with four or five, mostly high end, beauty samples. It's a brilliant idea. It allows you, as the consumer, to try out a product you may not have otherwise purchased.
I just got my first box and, since I had a friend already tease me gently about my previous beauty blog, I'm going to review the products. I hope that you'll find this helpful. If you're interested in trying out Birchbox, please message me for an invite. You don't need an invite, but they give me credit towards future purchases.
The sample sizes were all pretty significant. You have at least a weeks worth of any of the these products. Probably more.
I'm just going to list the products off and follow it with a review. The product links that I'm using are to the manufacturers but you can get all of these products through
Birchbox. (Or, heck, froogle it and get the lowest price. I got nothing on the line here.)
Befine Lip Exfoliator - I may never wear lipstick again! I don't need to. When I choose to it wears so much better, though. My lips are soft and the natural color really shows. After using it once I was hooked. This was a big win for Birchbox.
blinc Mascara - This is the craziest stuff! It's not like regular mascara, it's "tubing." When you put it on it coats your lashes in a colored polymer that doesn't flake or run. It doesn't create a lot of length or volume but it wears beautifully so it's perfect for daily wear. It comes in colors, too. I'm thinking about getting a tube in dark purple.
Pagea Organics Facial Scrub - It's a really good quality facial scrub. It exfoliates and feels nice but I'm not sure it really stood out for me. I'm not saying that I would never buy this. I just wouldn't go out of my way.
Redken Shine Flash 02 - I have shiny, fine, straight hair so I wasn't sure what this could do for me. I'm game, though. You just need a light spraying and those weird little fly-aways settle in with the rest of your hair. There's no hold, since it's not hair spray. If anything it's closer to a leave in conditioner, but that kind of overstates it. Shine Flash is unlike any product I've tried previously so it's hard to describe. It doesn't impact style, just leaves your hair shiny and soft.
Tea Forté Minteas - Ok, I have no idea why they included these. They're good and not at all like the average mints you can pick up at the 7-eleven but it's not really a beauty item. Eh, it's a $3 value so it'll work. Plus, they're mojito flavor. Who can say no to that?
All in all, I think this worked out wonderfully. When you add up the value, ounce for ounce, I received over $25 in great products. I'm certainly going to be buying the lip exfoliator in the future and am considering purchasing both the mascara and the Shine Flash.
