Birchbox - January 2014 - Full Review

Hi friends,

I sort of knew it would be too good the be true, the last Birchbox (December 2013) which was pretty good and reconciled me with the entire concept, gave way, alas, to a lousy batch.
And, after an entire year of being on the fence, I think I am just about ready to cancel my subscription.
I will wait for the February Box to make a final decision, but I am close to 90% sure Birchbox is toast for me! Why?

DRY SHAMPOO OVERDOSE!

BIRCHBOX JANUARY 2014

 

Klorane - Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk - D

Full Size $18

 

 

I know that a lot of bloggers rave about this product and dry shampoos in general. As with every other review on my blog, this is my opinion, and my opinion only, based on my experience.

Outside of camping and being under medical care (unable to move) I just cannot see the point of Dry Shampoos, any of them.

Further, Birchbox is supposed to be tailoring the boxes to my needs and likes. Quite frankly, having written in my profile that I have coarse, frizzy and unmanageable hair, that should be a red flag that Dry shampoo just ain't for me!

I explain: in order to get the product to work its supposed magic, one is expected to repeatedly comb or brush through their hair so that the stuff is provided ample opportunity to absorb oil and other gunk  (the result of lack of shower). At the end of said ample brushing and combing through,  two things will happen to my hair:

 

1- it completely loses its natural curls, bounce and otherwise shape to morph into

2 - a two sided flat panel in shades of dull.

 

I now have tried 4 dry shampoos between January 2013 and January 2014 - three of them from Birchbox, each was a disaster. Klorane, though is in the better scent category, provided the exact same effect. In conclusion, Dry Shampoo is not for frizzy curly hair, all it does is deodorizes the scalp in manner of powdered carpet shampoos...and we all know that these don't work at cleaning the rug either! 

 

Camille Beckman - Body Butter - Midnight Monarch - B+

Full Size $15

 

 

This is an okay body lotion with a very nice scent - in the like of high end perfumed body lotions. The formula is pretty standard, again, nothing out of the ordinary here, but there is an added bonus from the scent, a flowery musk,  which makes it very suitable as a wear alone scent. I enjoyed it, but will not go out of my way to purchase it on my own. Check out Camille Beckman's website, there seems to be a lot of goodies to look at and maybe purchase.

 

 

Paula's Choice - C15 Booster - C

Full Size $45

 

I have heard of Paula's Choice - in a good way - and was excited to try this product. However, it was a big disappointment to me. The formula for this anti-aging liquid is nothing like that of a serum, which I thought it would be. The texture is more like water, it completely runs in between fingers and to me that is a lot of expensive product being wasted on knuckles. It has no scent, I am assuming this is a good thing, and once applied (whatever was salvaged) it quickly absorbed like a nothing. I used this for an entire week and did not see any difference but I heard that Vitamin C helps other creams penetrate deeper, hence the C rating rather than a complete fail. The price is just too prohibitive for something that is so wasteful in its application. Check out more Paula's Choice products here.

 

Under Armour - Braided Mini Headband - D-

3-pack $19.99

 

 

Under Armour is a very interesting brand. They provide a lot of undergarments (tops and bottoms) for sports fanatics, tough mudders and the military, not to mention hunting enthusiasts. Their fabrics are sweat and odor resistant, sustain extreme cold temperatures etc. If you are very athletic and run a lot, you probably know about the company itself.

At first, I was not all that thrilled about the headband: the color itself is very reminiscent of sneaker laces to me, even worse, 1980's laces and I try my best to forget my 80s growing pains, hair and all...It's just not my style. Well, lo and behold, the band did not fit my head, it's just too small. I can't give it a fail since my head size is the problem, but it sure is not all that good looking in the first place.

 

 

100% Pure - Fruit Pigmented Mascara - B

Full Size $18

 

This is an okay mascara. What I liked about it is the scent: fruits! Other than that, the brush is a standard mascara brush, no big deal, the pigmentation is pretty good and it has okay staying power. There are better mascaras for the same price. But check out 100% Pure online, they have a lot of organic, cruelty free and environmental friendly products.

 

So there, Birchbox was a semi fail this month for me. Outside of the body butter, there was nothing impressive about this box and still it was just an okay lotion that turned out to smell great! I get plenty of that with my vast collection of Bath and Body Works stuff already.

 

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, February will probably be my last box.

If you were on the fence about whether to get Birchbox, I probably will do a final post with an entire year worth of boxes (next month) to give you an idea (and average) about the boxes, month after month. They are still fun to get, but since I am finally off the Ipsy (Glam Bag) waiting list, I won't need three subscriptions!

 

 

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog.

Happy New Year,

Sophia, NJ.

You can find me on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE.

 

*This blog contains affiliate advertising such as Vera Bradley. I am not solicited to advertise or review products, all opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with Birchbox or Ipsy Glam Bag.