Well, I am back on the Birchbox train! I know I said that I was planning on ditching subscription boxes but I’m the most indecisive person in the world and life started to get really busy….which leads me to where I am today. Oops! 😛 After ditching 90% of my subscription boxes, I started a new job, added a couple of other commitments, and found myself with much less free time than I’d previously had.
I think this just goes to show that subscription boxes are a great fit for certain people, and maybe even at certain points in life! After work started to pick up, I found myself ordering things online instead of visiting stores - which can be quite expensive if you’re trying out new products and are not able to test them out in stores! In the end, I figured if I’m going to be trying product, I should probably be trying out samples instead of buying them full price right off the bat.
Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription ($10/month or less if you choose a year long subscription) that sends our personalized full-size and sample-size beauty, hair, make-up and skincare products.
Coastal Scents: Blush and Highlighter Duo | Full Size $19.95
This sample from coastal scents is a blush and highlight from one of their contouring palettes. The blush is on the pinkier side and has some beautiful pigmentation. The highlight, on the other hand, was a little too light for me. It might’ve been perfect for someone with fairer skin but for my slightly darker skin, I found that I had to go into the product a couple of times to build up the highlight. I really enjoyed trying this sample but probably won’t be going out to purchase the full-size product.
rms beauty: the ultimate makeup remover wipes | Full Size $16
If you had asked me a couple of years ago how I remove my make-up, I would’ve said vaseline all the way! Now, however, I have become wipe obsessed and am always looking for new wipes that are more effective or gentler on the skin. While these wipes from rms beauty were gentle and did not sting on the skin, they were so oily when I used them that it practically felt like I’d used vaseline to remove it anyway. Plus, at $16 for a full-size 20 wipes, this one’s definitely not kind on the wallet. It was a no-go for me.
Amika: Bombshell Blowout Spray | Full Size $24
I've been using this blowout spray for a couple of days and really haven't noticed much of a difference in my hair! Volume is not something I usually need in my hair - in fact, I’m usually looking for products that tame frizz - so this product just wasn’t a good fit for me.
R+Co: Death Valley Dry Shampoo | Full Size $29
This product came at the perfect time because I’m trying the whole showering at night thing! I’ve owned quite a few dry shampoos in the past and I don’t love the way they feel on my hair. It seems like most of them leave my hair feeling rough and knotty so I’m excited to try out the Death Valley brand and see if this might be a better fit for my hair.
The Beauty Crop: GRLPWR Lips Liquid Lipstick in Imma Bawse | Full Size $14.95
This liquid lipstick was the winner of the box by a mile! It was a little bit drying on the lips but with a beautiful, dark shade like this you really don’t want that color to move AT ALL so I’m more tolerant of the dryness as long as it means the lipstick doesn’t move! This shade is absolutely beautiful and the formula has been extremely long-wearing so I’m very pleased with it!
Featured April Birchbox Products:
For me, this box was kind of middle of the line. Even though I probably won’t be going out to purchase any of the full-size versions of these products, these are all products that I use in my day-to-day life and for me, it’s always interesting to test out products that different brands put out to see how they compare to the things I already use. I’m looking forward to being back on the Birchbox train and being able to test out products before jumping straight in to buying the full-size versions! What did you think of your April Birchbox? Let me know in the comments!
PopSugar Must Have: April 2017
The PopSugar Must Have box is a monthly subscription box ($40/month or less if you make a 3, 6, or year long commitment) that sends subscribers full-size versions of the season's must-have beauty, fashion, and home products!
Morning Culture: Dipped Bamboo Cutting Board - Retail $22
This was the first spoiler item for this month’s box and I was so excited to receive it! I love the simplicity of the design and the way it looks in my kitchen - an often neglected area of the house when it comes to cute decor! The only downfall of this product was that it was a little smaller than I expected it to be. The spoiler photos got me all excited for this full-size wooden cutting board but in reality it’s more of a cute cheese board than anything!
Tonic Australia: Lavender Sachets - Retail $15
When I saw the miniature photo of this product, at first I thought they were throw pillows and got way too excited! Turns out their much, much smaller than that - they’re little hand-size scented satchels that you can place around your home to make things smell nice 😃 Although I’m not the biggest fan of lavender, I think this is a great idea and I plan on using these in my closet to keep my clothes smelling fresh!
The Cottage Greenhouse: Carrot & Neroli Rich & Repair Body Wash - Retail $22
I was pleasantly surprised by this one - it’s a nice body wash/shower oil that feels very luxurious! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using it on its own and I think it has definitely given a lot more hydration than a standard body wash might. This oil does smell a lot like carrots so if that’s not your favorite smell in the world, this may not be the product for you 😛
Cocolab: Cocofloss - Retail $8 and Pronamel: Toothpaste - Retail $5.99
Naturally, I wasn’t too excited to receive toothpaste and floss in a subscription box as they’re pretty standard, household items - but I also can’t complain. They’ll save me a trip to Target in the near future, I’m sure!
Nourish Snacks: Holy Habanero - Retail $1.99
This was a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan snack that was surprisingly delicious! A little on the small side but still a nice bonus item for the box 😃
Makerskit: Crystal Sand Art Terrarium Kit - Retail $32
This was definitely my favorite product of the box! If you’ve ever been to a Plant Nite event, this Makerskit box is essentially a Plant Nite event in a box. This kit provided all of the materials to create a cute little terrarium decoration - complete with a beautiful crystal to add at the top. It looks absolutely beautiful and makes for a sweet little decoration!
While I was pretty content with everything in this month’s box, nothing really stood out as an absolute must have for me. At the same time, however, there’s nothing in this box that I dislike, so I will definitely be able to find a use for everything I’ve received! What did you think of this month’s PopSugar box? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Tat Queen Tattoo Review!
Disclosure: This post is a partnership with Tat Queen. Tat Queen sent me a product for review. All opinions are 100% my own.
It’s almost summertime which means it's almost beach season! I’ve never tried the temporary tattoo trend before but will be going on vacation soon, so I was excited when Tat Queen reached out to me to see if I would be interested in testing out their line of temporary tattoos! To be perfectly honest, I’ve always associated temporary tattoos with music festivals and given that I’m not big on music festivals, I wasn’t entirely sure that this was something that would fit into my existing style. One of my biggest new year’s resolutions, however, is to keep on trying new things - even if they seem like things that are a little out of my comfort zone! So, I decided to keep an open mind and give this product a whirl!
I chose to receive the “Beach” tattoo set which included 4 small sheets of designs. I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo on my wrist so I tested out a small silver bird on one wrist and wrapped a simple gold striped design around my other wrist.
Application
The application of these tattoos was surprisingly simple! It’s exactly like those temporary tattoos you use as a child - dampen the paper backside of the tattoo, hold it down for a couple of seconds and voila, your tattoo is ready! The tattoo applied much more easily than I expected. I remember as a kid often struggling to get temporary tattoos to separate from their paper backing but these tattoos separated very easily and required only a couple of seconds of pressure - I was impressed!
Product & Design
I absolutely loved the beautiful gold and silver color of these tattoos. They look so elegant and beautiful on the skin, it makes me wish permanent tattoos could be made in in silver and gold! Overall, I loved the designs of the Tat Queen products, however, I do wish I could have picked the designs I wanted individually. Tat Queen has three different themes to choose from and while I still liked the designs included in the Beach set, I do wish I could have mixed and matched the designs so that I could select the tattoo designs that were actually my favorites. I tend to prefer more basic, simple designs and some of the designs were just a little too flowery for my taste!
Once the product is on the skin, it looks absolutely beautiful. I especially enjoyed the look of the gold striped design wrapped around my wrist - It looked extremely elegant and unique but was actually subtle enough that it could have passed for a gold bracelet! I think if I were to try more of these tattoos this how I would choose to wear them - as everyday accessories. My only gripe about the product itself is that the website states it will last 4-6 days but in reality, both of my tattoos were already fading by day 2.
Cost
This pack, the “Beach" set, will cost you $13. They also have a “Party" set that goes for $13 as well and an “Elegance” set that goes for $16. As much as I enjoyed these tattoos, for me personally, I don’t find these packs to be worth $13. Don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful, but for something that is temporary, I’d hesitate to spend $13 on just 4 small sheets. With just a quick search on Amazon I’m coming across packs of 70-100+ temporary tattoos for a comparable price. I’m not too familiar with the temporary tattoos that are currently out there, so maybe the Tat Queen ones are high-end and therefore higher quality, however, that’s something I’ll have to test out in the future!
Final Verdict
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this product and ended up loving them much more than I thought I would! Although the price point was a little high for my taste, the product itself is definitely something I will be using! The tattoos were beautiful, elegant, and could easily go with any summery outfit. I own a ton of gold bracelets and often find that they end up slipping and sliding on my arm because they’re too big. These bright tattoos are an awesome alternative to gold and silver jewelry because they have all of the same qualities but you don’t have to worry about them moving around or losing them.
What are your thoughts on the temporary tattoo trend? What are your favorite brands? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to try them out!
