Benefit Boi-ing Concealer

This is the box they sent my concealer in....what the what Birchbox? hahaha

My beautiful concealer ♥

I picked this up from the Birchbox shop with points I had acquired, through a box messup and review points. (See my thoughts on Birchbox here --->My Thoughts On Birchbox) I got a set called Realness of Concealness from Ulta, pictured below, a while ago and loved the concealer but it was too dark for me which was a let down. I also don't have any concealer currently so I figured why not pick this up for free?!

As I said I love this concealer. I got the lightest shade and it matches me perfectly, it is super pigmented and covers problem spots with ease, it gets a little cakey in the under eye area but I don't have under eye circles so that's not an issue for me. Its just a great concealer overall and it was worth the $20 in points I used!

Birchbox Shop

xoxo

-Kenzie

My thoughts on Birchbox...

I found out about Birchbox through a friend of mine on Facebook. A youtube channel called Popsugartvbella (Popsugartvbella on Youtube) was holding a contest to win a years subscription to Birchbox. I entered every day for two weeks and won! I got my starter box in March 2012. I have recieved such brands as Stila, theBalm, Juicy Coture, Jouer, Color Club, Eyeko, Ojon, fresh., etc.

I have a serious love hate relationship with Birchbox and there are many factors to this which I will explain thorualy...

Before I won my subscription I was researching Birchbox because I had never heard of anything like it. I was really excited because they listed brands such as Benefit, Boscia, Essie, fresh., Juicy Couture, Origins, Smashbox, theBalm, and Tarte. Basically you get 5-6 deluxe samples every month from varying brands suited to your "beauty profile" which is your hair color, skin type, hair type, etc. I already listed some of the brands that I have gotten in my box but one of my beefs with Birchbox is they have all these super expensive, mediocre brands I've never heard of. Given that wouldn't be a bad thing if I got a product I liked from these companies, and I have a few times but for the most part I only get a couple products in my box I actually like and use.

On top of that I have gotten so many foil samples, samples in small tear open packets, it's sad. To me a deluxe sample of a hair mask should be one I can actually cover my hair with, and more than once would be nice. I need to try something a few times to decide if it's working or not and when I get a sample I can't even use once its a horrible disappointment. I have had that problem with moisturizers as well. I just feel like the sizes of samples they give aren't "deluxe" all of the time, especially when they need to be.

Another HUGE problem I've had with Birchbox is damaged products. Half of the boxes I have received have had damaged products. That is ridiculous and completely unprofessional in my eyes. Even though I didn't personally pay for this subscription someone else did and I worked hard to win it so I expect my boxes to arrive undamaged.

I also wish the boxes were more customizable. I received a hideous nail polish this month and that was the big ticket item in my box. I am never going to use it and I feel it's a complete waste. When you receive a nail polish or an eye liner I wish you could chose the color you get so you don't receive a pointless product.

On the plus side...

Birchbox has EXCELLENT customer service. Every time I have received a damaged box when I call or email they get back to me right away and I either receive points or a new box as compensation for the damaged one. The girls over there are so nice and I love that my problem always gets resolved.

I love the fact that you can review your products from your Birchbox for points. You get 10 points per product review so in two months, since you usually get 5 samples, you will have $10 to spend in the BB shop! I have gotten so many full size products for free because of this. I've gotten nail polish, mascara, a lipgloss set, concealer...It's awesome that they reward you just for giving your opinion.

I am a beauty junky so receiving this every month is awesome. I get to try new things and there's usually at least one thing in the box that I love.

Overall I love having Birchbox and every month I feel my boxes get better. Given I wish all of my boxes would arrive undamaged the issue is always resolved so I don't get nervous about being screwed over one month because something leaked/broke. I will probably purchase this myself when this subscription runs out.

As far as beauty subscriptions go I really think, if you are thinking about getting one for the first time, try Ipsy. I am subscribing come tax time. They give out amazing bags, a lot of the time you get more than one full size product, they have an amazing beauty team of guru's, an interactive beauty community, rewards, and so many other awesome things. Ipsy is really the holy grail of beauty subscription boxes in my opinion and it's the same price as Birchbox, $10 a month.

Birchbox

Ipsy

xoxo

-Kenzie

theBalm Put a Lid On It Eye Primer

I used the card as a reference to show the size of the sample.

I received this sample of the soon to be released theBalm Put a Lid On It eye primer in my Birchbox and thought it deserved its own blog post..

 

. I want to start out by talking about the other eye primers I have and use. My "go to" eye primer is Urban Decay's Primer Potion, which is kind of thick but works well and keeps creases away for the most part. I have also used Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I own it in Candlelight. This eye primer is not as thick as the Primer Potion but they work the same I think. Many people prefer one over the other, usually Shadow insurance over Primer Potion, but I cannot tell the difference other than consistency. I have also owned Mary Kay, .Mark, Elf, NYX, and many other eye primers. Too Faced and Urban Decay's are better than all of those, though NYX is a good contender. 

Now on to the item at hand. I squeezed a bit of this out of the tube to see the consistency, how eyeshadow applied on it, if it creased, etc. It has the strangest feel to it, almost like oil but it dries and you can't tell its there. I really, really hated that at first but then I realized how light, thin, and unnoticeable the application of this product was. I then put a strip of this, Primer Potion, and Shadow Insurance on my hand and applied several different eyeshadows over it to see how they swatched. I used a super bright teal, black, pink, and champagne. I thought this would be a good range of color to test. (If I had a better camera I would have taken pictures of the swatches in a heartbeat but I fear you wouldn't be able to tell the difference with my phone camera.)

First I swatched the Primer Potion and the Shadow Insurance. They, of course, help the color pop and apply more evenly. Then I applied all four colors on the Put a Lid On It and oh holy lord I have never witnessed anything so amazing in makeup as this primer. The colors applied like they had a white base, they popped so much more than with the other two primers. They also applied like a dream. The application was SOOO smooth I couldn't believe my eyes. I also had to use less product with theBalm's primer than the other two because it just grabbed on to the shadows so well. 

I really thought from the consistency of this primer I would hate it but I am buying this as soon as I can because this is the most amazing product I have ever used in the way of primers. I really hope this product gets a lot of hype because it deserves that and more. Every time I try a new product from theBalm I am blown away. They are such a solid company and they make amazing products. This is going to be my go-to eye primer from now on!

It's not available at www.thebalm.com yet but it is available on the Birchbox website, Birchbox Shop-Put a Lid On It for $18!!

xoxo

-Kenzie

Birchbox January 2013

My Birchbox for this month

 fresh. Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream- I got two packets of this so I had my friend come over to try it with me. We did a face scrub and mask before we used this so our skin was fresh and clean. This soaked in really well and really did leave my skin feeling moisturized. It also smelled like cucumbers so it really felt like a spa day! I can't say through one use if this was life changing or amazing, but it was nice and it did its job.

 Harvey Prince Skinny Chic- I have received another Harvey Prince perfume in a previous Birchbox (Eau Flirt) and LOVED it. So I had high expectations for this one. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting but I really did like it! It has notes of apple, mint, lotus blossom, grapefruit, white cedar wood, and amber. It's very light but fragrant. Also the sample was a great size. Usually you get the vials or a spray bottle. This one was a spray bottle but it was twice the size of any other perfume sample I've gotten! So this will last me a little while!

Alessandro Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon- I'll just start out by saying I LOATHE this nail polish. It's ugly, the polish is thick and weird to put on. I wish they would have given me ANY color but this one. It's like a darker, washed out cornflower blue. I will never wear this and I feel it was a total waste in my Birchbox. The bottle looks cheap and I just don't like anything about it save the fact it dries very quickly, which is nice.

Sorry for the state of my nail, I know its horrible haha. But this is the color I got. It's a little darker in person, the flash washed it out a bit. Not that it matters much...its hideous...

theBalm Put A Lid On It Eye Primer- This is a whole other beast to tackle. I'll be making a separate blog post about that and insert the link later.

 Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum- I've gotten this as a sample from Sephora and loved it. You have to be careful not to use too much or your hair gets really oily and gross. As far as hair serums/oils go I really prefer Shu Uemura's Art of Hair Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil. I received a sample of that in my first Birchbox and FELL IN LOVE. It's rather expensive though ($68) so I have yet to buy it but one day it shall be mine, oh yes, it shall be mine! Back to Ojon though, this is a great, cheaper alternative to the Shu Uemura product!

Overall this was a pretty good Birchbox. Again, I really wish I would have gotten a different color polish, but 4/5 is pretty good I think. :)

https://www.birchbox.com/ 

xoxo

-Kenzie