Bitchy Review: November's Birchbox

I forgot to review last month's Birchbox, but if you give me enough time I'll probably be able to round everything back up and do a good review. I do have this month's though, so without further ado....

November's Birchbox, official photo from Birchbox's website

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1. Color Club Professional Nail Lacquer in Top Shelf

$8 for 0.5oz.

The picture doesn't do the color justice so I'm sorry about that (the lighting in my room isn't the best and I took this with my phone camera so I had to put on the flash), but it's not silver. It is rather metallic, however, but it's more of a frosty tan than silver. I'm still not crazy about it though. I went through my metallic phase awhile ago and I'm just not into it right now (I say this as I sit with silver polish on two of my nails LOL) but I do like the color for a good accent. It's got a solid formula and a pretty sturdy brush; the application was rather even and didn't clump up on the brush. I didn't have to brush too much in order to even out the coats of polish. I've got really small nailbeds so that's a big one for me. lol The polish doesn't take a long time to dry at all even after a couple of coats so that's another plus. The initial coat was a little too light for my taste so the other photo with my thumb lol is two coats. I would have gotten my whole hand but the bottle is pretty small so I couldn't wrap my fingers around the bottle and still get a good picture. The struggles of trying to take your own picture and failing, I guess. LOL


2. Tiossan Body Cream in Terranga, 1/4oz.

$38 for 8oz. 

I tried this body cream on my face last night after I got out of the shower and while I didn't like the smell at first, after I rubbed it in the secondary scents (if that's what they're called lol) changed my mind. That scent was much more favorable to me and remains fragrant for quite some time after applying. There are different scents you can order; the sample that I received was Terranga, which is a combination of mandarin, apricot and rose scents. The cream gave my skin a lot of moisture, which I liked. My skin is usually prone to dryness anyway but during the colder months its worse so the cream was great on my face after the shower. Another good thing about this cream is that it's animal cruelty free, so for those of you who prefer these types of products this one is on the list. It has more of a creamy rather than greasy feel once you rub it in, and the texture is nice as well. It's not watery or too thick, rubs in very quickly, and you don't need a lot to cover one area. I wish the sample size was bigger, only so that I could use it everywhere without using the entire portion at once. lol


3. Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

$34 for 4.23oz.

I haven't tried this face wash yet so I'll have to update this post when I do. I didn't want to 'one and done' it since the directions instruct you to use it 3-5 times a week, so I'm assuming that it will take multiple applications to receive the intended benefit. This wash is supposed to improve the texture of your skin using a gentle exfoliant and soften it using a combination of aloe and coconut. It smells a bit like a toner to me. I'll try this out for a couple of days and update the post.











4. Pop Beauty Aqua Lacquer in Flowering Fuchsia

$14 for 0.34oz.

I wasn't really looking forward to trying this at first, to be honest. It just looked a little too pink for my complexion and from past experience with lacquers I just found the formula to be a little too heavy on my lips. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I put this on and it was more of a slightly pigmented gloss instead. Because of the type of applicator this lacquer has, it allows for the color or gloss intensity to be built, and even after a couple of coats the color still isn't too bad. I can also wear this over lipsticks without interfering too much with the color and I like the versatility as well. The applicator was a new one for me; now when you look at the container you're probably expecting the hole applicator, where you have to push the gloss up to the hole, or even the swab-like applicator, but this was more like a stick applicator. I think this style of applicator is what allowed the color and gloss intensity to be buildable. The lacquer was pretty smooth and not sticky on my lips, and I loved the subtle pop of pink on my lips as opposed to the sticky, glittery pink that I was expecting. It did tingle a little after I put it on though; but that could have been just my reaction. All in all, I really like this lacquer.




5. Ahmad Tea London Trio--Raspberry Indulgence, Jasmine Romance & English Tea No. #1

$7 for two boxes, 40 teabags total

With colder temperatures rapidly moving in, I'm finally willing to start moving on to warmer drinks. I usually stay away from them because I have a number of stomach problems so hot drinks tend to upset my tum, but these seem rather gentle so I guess I'll give them a go. The English and Raspberry teas are black teas and the Jasmine is a green tea, but I really like raspberry tea so I'm looking forward to trying it. I've also heard that herbal teas like jasmine are calming so I could try that one night and see if it helps me to get to sleep. I've never had English tea so I'm not sure what to expect there. If I woke up with an English accent though I wouldn't complain. LOL I'll update the post once I've tried one. I'm not too picky about tea; I don't care for extra strong tea, I don't like bitter tea and I don't like heavy teas that leave a film on the tongue. Even when it's hot I prefer a lighter tea that is refreshing, not heavy on the pallet.
UPDATE: I tried the Raspberry last night and OMG I love it! The first thing I noticed was how fragrant the Raspberry smell was and it wasn't like a manufactured smell either; this smells just like raspberries. Even cold the tea isn't too thick and doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth afterward; it was very light, very fragrant and I loved it.

*Extra: Birchbox Holiday Gift Guide*

Pardon the janky cut job I did at the top.
LOL

This was the extra included in this month's box; a gift guide to (you know it) Birchbox products. What I liked about this was that it wasn't just a booklet of random things for you to get, it was categorized. I struggle with finding gifts for the people in my life; I'll find something but be unsure that it fits for them. Now truth be told, I can't afford the full-size product of practically every sample I have ever received from Birchbox. LOL So responsibly speaking, I can't take advantage of the exact offerings in this booklet, but I can find more affordable replacements. They've got categories for the foodie in your life, for the tech groupie, for the cheap-o like myself (a couple of the categories are gifts only under $25), and a number of other categories for the various people in your life. This little booklet is helpful enough to at least point me in the right direction and on an unrelated note, gives me some good color pairings, fashion and hair inspiration for the holidays. And you can't go wrong with that. lol



My Personal Fave:
If I had to name a favorite from this month's box, it would probably be the Tiossan cream, as it is the product I've used the most. It is wonderful after the shower, the secondary scent notes smell amazing and are pretty long-lasting, and most importantly my face does feel worlds smoother afterward. I didn't have a greasy texture to my face after putting it on, it worked well underneath a full face of makeup, and I didn't have to use a lot to cover my entire face. If I could afford the full-size of this product, I would definitely get it. I love it.

The Dud:
I don't think I can find a dud in this month's edition. I haven't tried two of the products yet (the tea and the face wash) but the products I did try were great. If I had to come up with a dud, it would be the price. LOL I have no complaints about the items that I did try; the body cream is amazeballs, the lacquer is a hidden gem and the nail polish is both a color I didn't have before and great with a number of other colors.

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Bitchy Review:
November's Birchbox wasn't bad at all. Again, an array of products I had never heard of and the little extra booklet was another diamond in the rough with helping me come up with holiday-appropriate ideas. I didn't come into this with any expectations, so I'm pretty pleased with the products I received this month. As always, I thought the list of products was pretty well-rounded; I got some tea for the chilly weather, stuff for my nails, something for my face and body, and something for my lips as well. Even though when I first started getting Birchbox I was anticipating nothing but beauty products, I actually enjoy the well-roundedness of the products I receive every month. This month's offerings were pretty good. No complaints.

Did you order from Birchbox this month? If you did, what was your favorite and what was your dud?