October Birchbox

I opted in to recieve the Goop co-branded Birchbox this month, and at first it was so much of a snooze I almost forgot to write about it. But upon closer inspection, it seems like there is some good stuff in here!

September Birchbox

Fall Fashion Issues are such "a thing", that they’re the inspiration for this month’s Birchbox. There is even a tiny magazine inside, The Fall Lookbook. It features the Birchbox staffers modeling some of their favorite fall beauty trends, plus a few how-to’s. It’s cute, if a little catalogy.

August BirchBox

The theme this month is Beauty School, and the samples came with a little pamphlet of beauty basics: what different kinds of brushes are for, how to read a label, how to get a better shave, etc. I didn’t pick up anything new, but it was cute. The whole thing was designed notebook-doodle-style.

July Birchbox

The theme of this month’s Birchbox is OMGTHEREAREHEADPHONESINHERE! Okay, the theme is the five senses, but holy crap! Headphones! The July box is co-branded with Glamour Magazine, so I guess they get partial credit for the earbuds.

June Birchbox

Can you believe it’s June already? I feel like the spring months flew by so quickly, I get a Birchbox every time I turn around. During the winter it felt like they arrived once in a blue moon. I wonder what type of cliché they’ll arrive like this autumn.

May Birchbox

Birchbox is early this month! AND it’s a special Gossip Girl Birchbox. I actually don’t know anything about Gossip Girl, but sometimes they film in my neighborhood and I have to cross the street.

Other than that, I only know what I have picked up from the occasional magazine mention or ad. Here is what I have gathered: They are a bunch of either extraordinarily mature teenagers, or early-twenty-somethings, that were born rich and live in NYC. You could describe each character with one or more of these words: bitch, snob, backstabber, douchebag, jackass, frenemy, and/or “sensitive.” Many of them are very attractive, yet some are unattractive in their supposed attractiveness. Oh, and one of the actresses is Blake Lively and there is something about her character and headbands. I think. Was she in that movie about traveling pants? I didn’t see that either, but I wish it was about time-traveling pants.

Is that in any way accurate? This should be an interesting Birch Box!



Algenist Firming & Lifting Cream
“Looking your age is so overrated” says the card. No it’s not? That doesn’t make any sense! No one ever says “It’s really, like, super-great to look your actual age.” That’s not a thing. Unless it’s a thing on the show? Gossip Girl Birch Box, you’re already confuuuuusinnnng meeeeee!

Dior Diorshow Extase
This promises tons of volume and length, plus ceremides to fortify your lashes. This is relevant to my interests! One point awarded to Gossip Girl Birchbox.

Dior Miss Dior Eau de Parfum
You know how I feel about perfume samples, but this one actually smells nice. Very girly, but I think I can probably still get away with it. This month’s tiny atomizer has been spared the trashcan.

Kerastase Age Premium Bain Substantif
This shampoo is meant to fortify hair against damage, since it has UV filters and hyaluronic acid. It sounds pretty good, but they describe it as “action packed” which makes me think the Scrubbing Bubbles are in there. (Sooo not French!)

Kerastase Age Premium Masque Substantif
Deep conditioning treatment to match the shampoo, though without the claim of being “action packed.”

Notecard
This thing is a total waste of paper. I’m never going to send someone a notecard that has the same quality as those annoying BRCs that fall out of magazines. And I am definitely, definitely not going to buy a set of 12 of them for $10. Seriously?! Good luck with that.

There is also a Gossip Girl trivia card, which, hahahhahahaha. Oh, it’s a contest/sweepstakes! “What is the significant piece of jewelry that Bart gives to Chuck?” Hmm. An anklet, I bet. Either that, or trucknutz. (Which would have to be some sort of a trick question.) I should enter; I’d totally win.

So here is the thing about this Birchbox. It’s based on a show about young people, but all the stuff is for… oldness. I guess the Miss Dior and the Diorshow mascara are youthful, but the other stuff is definitely for people who are losing their youth. I am wondering now if Birchbox knows my age and made a special box for me. (This is actually quite possible, though not made specifically for ME, but for my demographic.) I mean, I do think these are good samples to send me, I just don’t get the Gossip Girl tie in. Are they obsessed with anti-aging products? Are these products supposed to make us look more Gossip Girl-y? But wait, don’t they all look old for the age they are supposed to be on the show? The card says something about a black tie ball, but… I don’t get it! It is a pretty good Birchbox though.

April Birchbox

The theme of this month’s Birchbox is Natural Wonders, so everything is pretty fruity and/or natural or, in some cases, neutral.

March Birchbox

Wow, March really flew by. My Birchbox arrived while I was on vacation and then last week I was writing about travel, so now here we go with the March Birchbox post in April.

The theme for this one is Spring Training. The products are meant to “tackle all our lingering beauty annoyances” which, okaaaay. But I agree with their point about “shaking off everything that’s weighing us down.” I do love me some spring!

February (Shreduary) Birchbox

The new Birchbox has arrived and this month the theme is “Spotlight.” It seems to be all about glowing and shining and sparkling, which is relevant to my interests.

January Birchbox

January Birchbox has arrived, and the theme is: Clarity. The products included are meant to “help start 2012 with a fresh face and an optimistic mood.” (This is not how 2012 started for me, but I’m working on it.)

December Birchbox

My December Birchbox arrived, and I think it’s one of the most exciting ones of the year. It’s definitely one of the most cohesive, not that that's really important, but it IS nice. It has a holiday theme, and it’s pretty cute.

November Birchbox

I was getting ready to give up on my November Birchbox. I was sure it had been lost or stolen, but finally, it arrived on Monday afternoon. I don’t know why I’m not used to the idea that they arrive in the middle of the month by now.

October Birch Box

October Birch Box has arrived, and I think it’s a pretty good one. Definitely some things I’m looking forward to checking out, and only one “dud” which is probably just a matter of personal taste. Other people might enjoy eating little mints that taste like Pledge.

September Birchbox

I just got my September Birchbox! On September 13th! Which is exciting, but leads me to believe they just send it out whenever they feel like it.

August Birch Box

When I got back from my trip, my August Birch Box was waiting for me. While it didn’t soften the blow of the vacation being over, it was still a nice surprise.

To be honest, this month’s Birch Box didn’t knock my socks off. I mean, I guess they can’t all do that. (Or I wouldn’t have any socks left?) It’s still pretty good though.

July Birch Box

WOOOooooWooooooo! July Birch Box just arrived!

Birchbox 2 = Woohoo!

I just got my June Birchbox! If you read my review of the May Birchbox, my first ever Birchbox, you know I was pretty disappointed. I considered cancelling, but thought I’d give it another month or two. I am happy to say that Birchbox has redeemed itself with the June box.

Monthly Gift is Actually Gift-like

I was so excited I could hardly contain myself when I heard about Birchbox, a service that sends you samples of new stuff every month, for just $10. I heard about it in early April, so I was too late to get the April box, but I signed up and anxiously waited for May. My Birchbox arrived last week.