Bitchy Review: May's Birchbox

As I mentioned in my first Birchbox review, I was interested in trying out another month of this service to see if I could definitively recommend it to my friends and family. It was pretty cool because I got it the day after I received this month's ipsy box but I didn't do the review post because I needed some time to try most of the things out. Here's what I got from Birchbox this month:

This was a box of cute little travel and portable-sized products and I noticed that more functional? (I'm not sure if that's the right word, hence the question mark LOL) products were in there as opposed to just makeup. I've tried just about everything, so let's get started!


1. Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner

The 4-pack of liners like this is $21

I am in LOVE with this eyeliner. I swatched it on my hand before I applied it on my eyes and it was not only dark but very creamy and did not easily wipe off, something I worry about my eyeliner doing when I'm wearing it for a long period of time. It must be well made because it did not crumble, break off or look unsteady. It was extremely soft when I put it on and didn't tug on my eyelid or waterline, I did not have to repeatedly run it across my eyes to get the color I wanted because a couple of good swipes got the exact color and darkness that I wanted, and it stayed put all afternoon & evening. You can buy one full-length pencil from Birchbox for $11, but the link above will take you to a travel-size pack of 4 smaller pencils like the one in the photo since that was the one I received.

2. COOLA Classic SPF30 Cucumber Moisturizer

Full-size is $32

This is in a super-cute sample/travel size, so it already wins points with me for portability because I can toss it in pretty much any of my smaller purses and keep track of it. The smell is really clean and light, doesn't leave a greasy or oily sheen on my skin like a lot of other sunscreens, and best of all to me doesn't have that thick sunscreeny smell. I usually stay away from sunscreens because they have that really overwhelming scent and tend to just sit on top of my skin, but this one not only has neither of the above, but it moisturizes on top of that and will stay put underneath your makeup instead of giving your face an oily glow and causing everything to slide off your face. As a matter of fact, it served as a decent moisturizer for my face underneath my makeup when I used it yesterday. It goes on really light but had decent coverage; I was out in the sun for hours yesterday and my face didn't feel dry when I came home and I didn't have too much of a tan either. I absolutely love this and can't wait to buy it in the full size.

3. Marvis Toothpaste

The full-size is $10.50

I tried this toothpaste the day I got it mainly because I saw it was imported and I'd never tried imported toothpaste before. LOL. This Italian toothpaste is much different from its American counterparts, but in a good way. Unlike the frothy, thick strips that American toothpastes put out, this is a solid, white toothpaste that doesn't bring about visions of rabies while you're brushing. It literally looks like and has the consistency of a paste. The smell is an extremely strong mint at first, but surprisingly mellow once you brush. I actually got a metallic taste from it, I guess like what the inside of the tube tastes like, and this can take some getting used to. Despite this though, my mouth felt extremely clean and fresh after using it and didn't have that really strong aftertaste that interferes with what I eat or drink afterward. Loved it.

4. amika Obliphica Nourishing Hair Mask

The full-size is $40

This hair mask has Obliphica oil in it, which is said to help repair split ends, make your hair healthier and stronger and restore vibrancy and shine. I need all of the above properties added to my dome, so I was pretty excited to see what it does. It works as a deep conditioner would, leave it in for a few minutes then rinse it out. Firstly, it smells amazing. The lather is very thick and out of that small sample, I was able to get a full usage out of it with some to spare. That could have something to do with the fact that my hair is short but oh well. LOL I left it in for about 5 minutes and after washing it out, my hair was soft and light and I loved it. There are two different sizes of this hair mask available for full-size purchase and I will definitely be picking one of them up. Obviously, I could not see results yet but I can tell that it agrees with my hair, helps to soften it and make it more manageable and with consistent usage will probably do everything it says it will.

5. Runa Guayasa Tea

The full-size box has 16 bags for $7

This tea sampler comes in a box of 4 and is said to help give you the energy of coffee and twice the amount of antioxidants that green tea has. I received the traditional Guayasa, Mint Guayasa, Cinnamon Lemongrass Guayasa, and the Ginger-Citrus Guayasa tea samples. I'm not a big tea drinker and it's getting pretty hot where I live so I'm gravitating toward cooler drinks, but I'll try it tonight and update the post.








Bitchy Review: I didn't think it was possible for me to like this month's samples more than last month's, but Birchbox proved me wrong quite quickly. I like that there were different types of samples instead of just makeup, like the tea and the toothpaste. If you're going somewhere like on a weekend trip, this box of samples could fit in a small overnight bag and you won't need to take much else. I like that there were functional as well as cosmetic samples and of the three I have tried, I wasn't disappointed in the quality and the full-size prices weren't so shabby, either. I have absolutely no complaints about this month's box and can't wait for next month's box to come in.