March Birchbox Review

Hi friends! Many years ago, when Birchbox, and then Ipsy, and then a slew of other beauty sample boxes came out, I was eager to sign up. For a mere $10, I could get about 5 products delivered right to my door, that felt like a monthly “present” (that I paid for). Who doesn’t love presents? I started with Birchbox–at the time, their products were a bit too high end and not really matched for my needs. After a few months, I made the switch to Ipsy, which offered a great mix of higher end brands(Benefit, Stila, etc.) with drugstore brands that were more affordable. The products were closer matched to things i’d actually purchase, but after receiving one too many glitter eye liners, I threw in the towel and spent that $10 on products I actually wanted. Now, a few years later, with a little more change in my pocket, I decided to give Birchbox another shot. I updated my preferences, and soon enough, a box was on it’s way to me. A bit has changed since the last time around, and they now give you the option of a surprise box, or a curated box (where you can see the products ahead of time) every month. A couple of the products in the curated box caught my eye, so I went with that.

So what was in the box?

1. Benefits Cosmetics the POREfessional Face Primer
2. Davines Ol All in One Milk
3. Davines OI Shampoo - Absolute Beautifying Shampoo for All Hair Types
4. Davines OI Conditioner - Absolute Beautifying Conditioner for All Hair Types
5. R+Co DALLAS Thickening Spray
6. ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm
7. Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream - Normal to Dry Skin

So what did I like? Let me start by saying that I am not paid in any way for my feedback of these products, and as a New York City lady with limited space, something has got to be really great for me to keep it.

I’ll start with the good–

1. R+Co DALLAS Thickening Spray ($28) - this was one of the reasons I got the curated box. Thickening sprays can often go the way of heavy and sticky, or not at all effective, and I’m happy to report that this is neither. I use about 4-5 spritzes at my roots, and this lightweight formula really helps give my fine hair a little extra oomph, and the smell is divine.
2. ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm ($14) - This was another one I was really looking forward to. I love a similar product from Dior, that uses your own pH levels to get the perfect shade of pink, and while the Dior is great, the price tag is not. I am very happy to report that this product didn’t disappoint! I’d call it a dupe for Dior’s Lip Addict Glow, and it’s half the price. Gives my lips that perfect pink color, with a little glossy but not sticky shine. The sample was also full size. This has already become a staple in my makeup bag. I’d call that a win.
3. Davines Ol All in One Milk ($32) - Another promising product that I was excited to try, but I have mixed reviews. First off, the smell is DIVINE. If it was slightly less expensive, I’d buy for the smell alone. But how’s the product? I’ve used it on both air-dried and blown-dry hair, with very different results. As a blow-dry aid, it’s lovely. It makes my hair very brushable, and adds a great softness and shine. However, when used on my hair that was left to air dry, it didn’t seem to do much. My hair may have been a bit softer, but it was frizz city, and didn’t do anything for texture.

Ok, let’s go into the not as great.

1. Davines OI Shampoo - Absolute Beautifying Shampoo for All Hair Types ($29)and Davines OI Conditioner - Absolute Beautifying Conditioner for All Hair Types ($36) - So let me preface this with saying two things–first off, these samples were teeny tiny and I got about 1.5 uses out of them, which is hardly a fair trial period, and secondly, if I’m going to spend over $60 on shampoo and conditioner, I better walk out of the shower with the best hair of my life. Guess what? It wasn’t the best hair of my life. It seemed I needed a lot of product, and I saw no noticeable benefits. The smell is heaven (like the milk I mentioned above), but hardly a reason to spend so much on shampoo and conditioner. Suggestion to Davines Ol–please make a candle and/or perfume with that smell. Seriously. It’s. that. Good.

And last, the neutral.

1. Benefits Cosmetics the POREfessional Face Primer ($31) - I think we’ve all gotten a sample of this at some point. It’s not a bad face primer, but for me, it works the same as my $6 ELF primer. But it is wildly popular, so I’m guessing i’m in the minority here.

But there’s one more! What about Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream - Normal to Dry Skin? Well, unfortunately it contains my allergen, Propylene Glycol. And while I’m committed to trying new things, I’m also committed to not knowingly flaring up my skin. It gets great reviews, and one of my friends will be the lucky recipient of this Birchbox sample.

Is anyone out there doing Birchbox? What did you get in your April box? Share in the comments below. And if there’s a product you want me to try, let me know! Stay tuned for the next box.

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