I know, I know – it’s no longer January. I’m behind…sawwwry. *sigh*

If you’ve never heard of Birchbox, it’s a $10 monthly subscription service that sends you a box of health/beauty samples! They ask you specific questions about your hair, skin, style, and other stuff and tailor your boxes toward those preferences. They also let you review the samples you receive and earn points, which you can turn around and use on any full sizes on their website! I LOVE it. Mostly because I love getting mail, but also because it gives me the chance to try a bunch of different brands that I might never try otherwise! Not to mention the fact that nearly every single one of my makeup go-to’s (mascara, eyeliner, lip stain, etc) has been a Birchbox discovery.

This month, they sent a set of stickers inside the box with instructions to pick a word and attach it to the front of the box, declaring 2016 to be the year of ___. “Ambition” just grabbed me. I’ve got a lot of new things in front of me, but I believe the Lord will equip me for each one if I walk beside Him!

Sample #1: derma e® Hydrating Scrub
I was really happy with the size of this sample. Sometimes the bottles they send are wayyy too small and it feels like you don’t have enough product to sample. Haven’t used it yet, but the reviews on it are great! In a previous box, I got the derma e® hydrating night crème and it was AMAZING, so I’m excited to try this out.


Sample #2: TONYMOLY Delight Tony Tint
OH. MAN. You guys, this lip stain ROCKS. After it dries, it doesn’t feel sticky and it doesn’t wear off quickly. I wore this almost all day and only reapplied a little bit once. I drank from the same cup at work all day and never left red on the rim. And the color is perfect – kind of a cranberry red with the tiniest hint of pink. Two thumbs way up!


Sample #3: Supergoop!® Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream
I thought this eye cream was nice, but nothing really special about it. I’m not necessarily worried about aging just yet, haha. But Supergoop!® is a really good brand, so I’m not complaining! I’ll probably take it on our next beach vacation to use as face sunscreen.

Sample #4: Ciaté® Mistress Nail Polish
Nope. Nope nope nope. The nail polish itself might be grand, but this color was not for me. It was a kind of salmon/tangerine hybrid with gold glitter, more of a glitter polish than color. I was a bit confused when I saw the color, because my virtual box made it appear that I would be receiving the Mistress polish (red). I also discovered when I opened it that the lid had cracked in the middle during shipping and nail polish leaked into the crack. I will say one good thing though – the polish brush was awesome! I kind of want to give it another try, I just wish I had gotten a better color as a sample.

Sample #5: IPKN Flash Cream Radiant Primer
This stuff is like WHOA. I’ve used a bunch of different primers, but this one is probably my favorite. I don’t usually wear a lot of face makeup (like foundation), so I don’t necessarily need a primer, but I loved the natural glow this stuff gave me! It added a little more light to my face without feeling heavy. Really, really liked this sample.

FYI: Birchbox did NOT ask me to do this review, I just thought it would be a fun addition to the blog! However, if you like the idea and want to get your own boxes of samples in the mail, here’s my referral link.

I’ll review my newest box each month after it comes in the mail, but I’m thinking about doing a special post about my actual makeup bag – like, my favorite products and how I use them. Anybody interested?

Happy February, everyone! ♥