June 2015 Birchbox

The theme for this month's Birchbox is Adventure.

 Adventure is a state of mind. It's about exploring the unknown, dreaming beyond the horizon, and letting go of the word no. What's on your list? Scuba diving with sharks? Sleeping under the stars

   (hey, your backyard counts)? Here's to adventures big and small, near and far.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box ($10 plus tax) of personalized beauty, grooming, and lifestyle deluxe sized samples tailored to your profile. You can also accumulate points with each box and redeem those points at the Birchbox shop. If you review all your products in each monthly box, you can accumulate 50 points. That's equivalent to $5 and half the value of the box.

I'm not going to include product description details so you can refer to the information card below.

The June box came with 5 samples and a lifestyle extra.

All prices listed below are for the full sized products.

Joie Folle de Joi Eau de Parfum ($98)

Personally I'm not crazy about perfume samples and requested in my profile for no more than 5 perfume samples a year. I like fresh, clean, fruity scents and while this perfume contains mandarin, it has more of a woodsy floral scent. My initial reaction to the scent was uncertainty. Usually I can decide within a few second if I hate or like/love a perfume. I think my nose was confused because I was getting a fresh, clean smell from the mandarin and the woodsy smell from the sandalwood and amber. Anyway, I've decided I don't hate it but I don't really like it either. I wouldn't buy a $98 perfume when it's just "meh" for me.

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner ($11)

This comes in 4 shades: Mulberry, Indigo, Electric Blue, and Blue Lagoon. I have enough eyeliner BUT a good waterproof eyeliner is something I could always use. Plus I don't own anything in the blue, violet shade range. I received the shade Indigo. I wore this two days in a row and I'll continue using it. This doesn't tug on the lid during application and glides right on. I've got an oily eye area so waterproof makeup has a tendency to slide right off and onto the under eye area. Both days, I had the liner on for about 9-10 hours. There was no sliding, smudging, or smearing, and very little fading. Around the 8 hour mark I noticed a little fading but that's good staying power for a pencil liner.

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow ($27)

Wow, this has a long ingredient list! The BB cream is hypoallergenic, gluten-free, perfume-free, and oil-free.
Ingredients:AQUA/WATER/EAUCYCLOPENTASILOXANEOCTYLDODECANOL.DIMETHICONE GLYCERINDIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETCYCLOHEXASILOXANEISOPROPYL MYRISTATEBIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHIALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATECETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETPOLYGLYCERYL-4 ISOSTEARAHEXYL LAURATEXYLITYLGLUCOSIDESILICASODIUM CHLORIDEISODODECANEACRYLATES/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMERDIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMANHYDROXYLITOLXYLITOLTOCOPHERYL ACETATE TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE HYDROLYZED HYALURONIC ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICAMELLIA OLEIFERA LEAF EXCHAMOMILLA RECUTITA (MDISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITEPROPYLENE CARBONATETRIHYDROXYSTEARINBUTYLENE GLYCOLPROPYLENE GLYCOLDIAZOLIDINYL UREAIODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATESODIUM BENZOATEPOTASSIUM SORBATEPHENOXYETHANOLTITANIUM DIOXIDEMICAIRON OXIDES

I haven't used this on my face but I did swatch it on my hand. It has a funky smell that I can't describe. I guess this is what happens when you have a perfume free product? The BB looks really dark out of the tube and didn't blend into my skin well. Is that what the brand defines as a "golden glow." The problem is I don't want a golden glow and I don't like how this feels on my hand. It's sort of tacky and isn't creamy. If you have a really fair complexion you might be able to use this as a bronzer. Although I like the idea of getting a BB cream sample, I won't use this because of the scent, texture/consistency, and ingredient list.

Supergoop! Everyday SPF 50 with Cellular Response Technology ($19-48)

Active Ingredients: Homosalate 10% (Sunscreen), Octinoxate 7.5% (Sunscreen), Octisalate 5% (Sunscreen), Avobenzone 3% (Sunscreen)
Inactive Ingredients: Water, Isododecane, Polyester-8, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Lauryl Lactate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Diethylhexyl, Syringylidenemalonate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Chlorphenesin, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Behenic Acid, Cetyl Behenate, Isostearyl Isostearate, Lauryl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Limonene, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Lecithin,Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Geraniol, Citral, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beta-Glucan, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate 
This sunscreen is oil-free and supposed to be non greasy. I've been looking for more sunscreens without alcohol. This one contains fatty alcohols like cetyl, behenyl, and lauryl so they're considered good alcohols. Sunscreens containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are physical sunscreens and offer better protection against UVA/UVB rays. It seems to be harder and harder these days to find sunscreens with those ingredients. In any case I will use this sample and it will be useful to carry in my purse when I'm outdoors all day.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel ($48)

Ingredients:Water, glycerin, polyoxyethylene glyceryl ether, alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride 
carbomer, diazolidinyl ureaiodopropynyl butylcarbamate, peg-40, disodium edta, hyaluronic acid
I'm going to test this on the back of my hand before I use it on my face. With that said, I'll give it a try to see if it makes a difference on acne scars or dark spots. I really need to use the Secret Key Lemon D-Toc Peeling Gel but this sample peel will be good to use when I travel.

Sarahpotempa Darby Clip (set of 2 $9.99)

I was pleasantly surprised to find this lifestyle extra in my box. I've used the clip to get the hair off my face when I'm applying makeup. Hair accessories usually slip out of my hair since it's so thin and fine. This does a great job of gripping my hair and securely holding it into place. I like this so much I might buy a set in the Birchbox store sometime soon.

Final Thoughts
I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with a Birchbox subscription since the main reason I signed up was for the substantial discount I received in last month's box. However, the points system and the products I've received in the last two boxes are enough to hold my interest in the subscription box service. While I didn't necessarily like everything in the box, I do like the curation and type of products that are included. It's a fun way to discover new brands and products.

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer