Beauty Box 5 June (and April!)

I decided to give BB5 a try and I have to say I am pretty pleased with them. I ordered a sub for month to month and they also gave me the opportunity to buy a past mystery box from them for ten bucks. I took the deal and they sent me April's subscription box as well as the June box.

 My April box was pretty nice. I got a lot of interesting and useful things inside and now I'm gonna let ya know what they gave me!

First up was a sample eye shadow palette from BH cosmetics. It had sample colors from three of their new palettes. Malibu, which was a beautiful golden pigment. San Francisco which is a bronzy-brown and Hollywood which is a deep plum color. BH cosmetics is having a MASSIVE sale right now on their site and you can pick up EACH of these palettes for 6.95 which is an amazing deal. If you buy 30.00 worth of stuff you can get the Malibu for free by entering the code: MALIBU

Next I got a Nicka K New York lipstick in Concerto, which is sort of a coppery nude color. I actually quite like it. The texture is nice and smooth and doesn't feel incredibly heavy on the lip.
It's a nice color.

I also got a lip liner (they call it a lip definer) from Bonne Bell in the shade "Ash Rose", which actually goes nicely with the Nicka K lipstick. I'm not sure if that was on purpose or a happy accident. It's not the greatest product, but at least it matches and I can actually use it.

They also gave me a cute, tiny little container of Blum Naturals All-purpose cleaning wipes. There are 30 wipes and it's the peppermint oil kind. I was hoping to get the grapefruit ones, but these are pretty nice too. Very handy and they work well. I have used them to both clean my hands AND to remove make up and it works great on both tasks. Smells nice. I will definitely buy more. The container is adorable!

Lastly, I also got sample packet of Jergens Natural glow tanning lotion. Just a 3 pack self-tanner. I don't use this sort of a thing. I'm not a person who tans or fake-tans. Maybe I'll try it, but it's more likely it will either just sit in a bathroom drawer until the end of time or I will give it to someone who would actually use it.

That was the end of the April box.

Now on to the June!

First up in the box was another Nicka K New York product. This time it was a nail polish. A deep red color that didn't seem to have an actual name. I haven't used it yet. I have many more EXCITING colors of polish to try but I will get around to trying it eventually.


Next I got a sample pack of Organix Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner. I actually buy and use Organix products all the time because they are sulfate-free and they always work real nice. They typically smell good too. I have both the Cherry Blossom AND the Argan oil varieties that I use all the time. I'm happy to have these samples. I'm sure they will be great.

I also received a sample of Glam Natural mascara which is a hypoallergenic and vegan mascara. I haven't tried it out yet, but I am definitely intrigued.

There was an Eslor "Introductory Collection Calming Kit" which is basically a sampler of their cleaner, face scrub, calming mask, and lotion. I used it once back on Thursday evening and I really liked it. It left my skin feeling smooth and fresh. I will look into getting the full size versions of their stuff.

Lastly, they also included a bottle of Vitabath body wash in Wild Red Cherry. It smells great and is also sulfate and paraben free and I can't wait to give it a try. 

Ultimately it's a great sub box and for 12 bucks a month you really can't beat it. They gave me a handful of cards to share with friends that includes a code for a free box (or you can save 12 bucks on a quarterly or yearly subscription). Just use the code FREE614 at the checkout and get yourself a FREE BOX! ! 

Birchbox for June 2014

Before I even begin to talk about the things I got, I have to express my distinct disappointment in this months box. Not a single full size product and all under the guise of travel. Things you would take with you in a carry-on or in your purse for a plane flight. Really, Birchbox? Maybe I am just expecting a lot of 10 bucks a month. Maybe I am being unreasonable. I don't happen to think so. I know, for a fact I can get a lot of sample size products like these for FREE if I write an email to the company and just ASK for some. For 10 bucks, you can afford to toss in a gloss or a liner or some shadow. ANYTHING. Ugh.

Enough of my bitterness. I will move on to the theme and then the photos and what else came in the box I didn't take photos of.

First we have a sample size of Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 for the face. It's basically a tiny sample tube of a mineral BB cream. Interesting to see if it works ok or not. I'm to annoyed to care much right now.

Gilchrist and Soames body lotion. No smell. No nothing. Just a 1.5fl oz bottle of plain-ass lotion. Not impressed.

Folle de Joie Eau de Parfum. Just a little sample tube-sprayer of perfume. Smells ok. Full size is $98 bucks. I don't like it THAT much. It's supposed to be a "fresh blend of mandarin. rose, and sandalwood. I would maybe purchase it in a roll-on. MAYBE.

Number 4 hair hydrating shampoo (1 fl oz). This is supposed to be sulfate-free, which I appreciate, because I am allergic to sulfates. It makes the skin on my face blister and scar. I can't be mad at this sample. What I CAN be mad at is the jerks typed in the card in a highlighted blue: "Bonus! We added in the hydrating condition for the ultimate in nourishment." I am SURE that was such a hardship for you. It's a foil packet sample with .25 fl oz. Not even a bottle, like the shampoo. *scribble cloud*

Lastly, we have from Vasanti Cosmetics an enzymatic cleanser. BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. A small 20g bottle. This is also sulfate-free, thank goodness. I am interested to try it but it was really just a very depressing box. It's hard to really feel excited about any of it.

Also in the box was some "quiz" thing from Jetblue they want you to take and then take a photo after you've taken it to submit and enter to win a free trip to somewhere. I don't really care about that unless they plan to include cost of dialysis in that trip. There is also an ad for a new liner from Benefit cosmetics.

And now, the photos.