September 2013 Brichbox

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I will freely admit, this was another case of crazy squee-ing when I opened the box to see nail polish – the one beauty product I can consistently use with minimal fail. But of course there’s other things in there, too. XD

  • “Fox Hunt” from the Ruffian The Crowdsourced collection
  • Beauty Protect shampoo and conditioner
  • Soak rinse-free wash
  • Juice Beauty apple peel for sensitive skin

I’ll be honest, it’s cool that they  have household products but there is no way I can afford a tiny bottle of detergent at 14 oz. when I can make my own laundry detergent for pennies. It’s neat and all but I’m a librarian who writes on the side. I’m lucky I keep the lights on much less have high end soap of any kind.

The rest of this stuff is pending my experimentation to see if I like it or if it’s worth the prices. I’m not selling as many books these days. Gotta save cash wherever I can. 😉

Nuance Salma Hayek Special Collection Birchbox

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I opted in to get this box inspired by Salma Hayek. The lotion smells amazing and I like the liner and anti-aging cream but I am very, VERY leery of volumizing hair products. My hair needs anti volume products. XD Especially in the most humid days of Spring and Summer, I usually gel my hair into a helmet so it can’t move at all. I will probably hand these off to someone who favors such things.

I think it’s cool that most of this can be bought from CVS for pretty decent prices. They are forever having sales and throwing Extra Bucks at customers so the cost isn’t as bad as some of the really high end stuff I see floating around.

Then again, I seem to be getting so many samples of this stuff, I may never need to buy them again. o_o

May Birchbox

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My first impression? “OOOOO!!! Miss Jessie stuff!!” After I was done squee-ing, I got all geeky over the pen. You know writers and their implements.

This box includes:

Toothpaste? Yup, think I can handle how that works. As for blush, I usually come off looking like some sort of clown when I try to use it. We’ll see how that works later. :p If I ever have the guts to touch it.

The face moisturizer is nice but I’ll stick with my Aveeno. I can get it around the block on sale with coupons and it doesn’t mess with my skin.

All cool stuff to me so far. And YAY!! Pen! 😀

 

 

March Birchbox

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I love that I get an email in the morning that something is on the way to me then get home and have it on my doorstep. This sets unreasonable expectations for anything else I may order but, YAY! New Birchbox stuff to play with! 😀

This month’s box includes:

As it happens, I am out of my favorite hair oil so this came at a perfect time for me. 🙂

Also? I sorta hate that camera. It’s butchering my pictures. >_<

February Birchbox

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Another year another set of lovely Birchboxes. 🙂 This month features:

Let me start off by saying any box containing chocolate is a win in my opinion. XD You know that little square didn’t last long in my possession. 😉 As for the rest, time will tell. I am a little leery of the mud mask, though. I may brag that I have skin like dragon hide, nothing really affects me but, in rare cases, masks like this have made me break out in a burny rash and I have to scrub it off and wear A&D. So, I won’t be trying that one till I’m sure I can be home for a couple days in case I have a reaction.

Also, I am glad not to get any perfume samples this time. I’m freaking DROWNING in them and I’ve only liked one enough to consider buying it. At $95, I’m saving up my points to get it on a discount. I work with several people who are sensitive to strong scents so I have to be careful with what I put on my body.

As usual, I will try to remember to update when I try these things. I have a pile of stuff to try out and since I’m working on decluttering, I’ll be using this stuff as quickly as I can. 😉

November Birchbox

I am pleased with this month’s Birchbox offering! I adore the little gift box but the only product I tried right off the bat was the MCMC Fragrance Phoenix Eau de Parfum. It is FANTASTIC. I’m not big into perfume. I prefer body sprays because the scent is lighter and it fades quicker should you over spray. Perfume is pretty unforgiving if you put too much on and the only thing that fixes it is a shower. :p

I look forward to trying out the rest of the stuff over the month and I’ll post my findings as I find them. 😉

 

 

September Birchbox

I was really excited for this box but it’s sorta hit and miss. However, I do have to say: When these boxes arrive, I have been saying “Oh! I can’t wait to try that!” instead of “WTF is that?” This shows growth and progress. XD

So far, I’m most excited for the tea. XD But hey, I got a new nail polish color to play with.

This is a nice color! Although, I have to say I would rather have tiny bottles in multiple colors than one bottle in a sorta regular size bottle. It’s more to play with,  ya know?

Yeah, I’ve used shampoo before. It’s always good to have small ones for travel, though. 😉

This product made me confused. It does all sorts of things I didn’t know I needed something to do. o_O

Mmmm… I love a good cup of tea. 🙂

Aromatherapy? Why not? I’ll give it a try.

And a hair tie. I’ll be growing my hair out so I can use this. Can’t see spending so much on something I’m so likely to lose or break but hey, to each their own.

I’ll do my best to review these as I use them.

Product Review – Miss Jessie’s Crème De La Crème Conditioner

I set eyes on a product for my hair type and I jump right on it. Usually, I end up disappointed. This time I am glad to say I ADORE this conditioner. My hair was soft and healthy after using this treatment. It was so good in fact, I turned in all my remaining Birchbox points to get the full sized bottle. I have thick, curly, dry, color treated hair and after this treatment, I no longer felt like I had a head of frizzy straw.

My hair is mid-length right now so I can see using a hefty amount of this when my hair grows out. But as a weakly deep treatment, this is a product I will totally continue to use.

Product Review – Miss Jessie’s Original Curly Meringue

While this says it’s “The Best Darn Curl Creams, Period” I didn’t have a great experience with it. I ended up with a frizzy mess when I used it after my shower and had to apply a different product to get my curls to behave.

It does smell really good but it doesn’t have the umph to get the organzized, smooth curls I desire. I’ll be skipping this product and sticking to my usual curl cream.

August Birchbox

I am really happy with this month’s offering from Birchbox. (that’s my referral link if you wanna sign up) Any time I get the chance to try a new type of product for curly hair for free, I’m a happy camper. In terms of trying types of makeup I wouldn’t normally use, this box isn’t as good as the others. Hair is something I’m pretty familiar with. However, I am excited to try this stuff. 🙂

The one thing I don’t really care about is the razor. Really? I’m a cheap bastard. I get my razors in bulk from BJ’s or deeply discounted from the pharmacy. I’ve learned over the years that price isn’t really a factor in how well a razor does it’s job on my legs. But hey, extra razor! 😀

Since I am a curly haired gal, I will absolutely review the Miss Jessie’s products. Look for that coming up soon. 😉