Getting into the box itself, the first thing I notice is actually the item I chose (BirchBox has started sending out emails with three options for your box and you can pick one that’s guaranteed to show up at your door). It is from Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser! I have heard this talked about for years by British bloggers and was excited by the idea of trying it as well. The cleanser “uses a two-step ritual to purify and exfoliate.” I’m pretty sure that Liz Earle is cruelty free, but don’t hold me to it if I’m wrong. Anyway, it comes in it’s own fancy little Tiffany-blue box. Open it up to reveal a generous 1oz/30mL tube of the Cleanse & Polish plus a full-size muslin cloth! Well done on the packaging of this sample!
I felt like this could be a good box at this point, but then I noticed two bottles from the same brand filling the bulk of the box and knew that two of my precious samples were going to be a shampoo and conditioner. I like getting both, just not having each bottle count as a separate sample. But getting back to what they are…. They are from a brand called Dear Clark, and the shampoo is called the Resurrecting Wash, while the conditioner is known as the Resurrecting Rinse. The “Wash” repairs and hydrates damaged hair; the “Rinse” is meant to smooth. Both sound like the kinds of products that make my limp hair really flat and lifeless. Grrrr! Adding to my excitement about these two lovely samples, they smell really herbally. Sometimes I don’t mind herbal scents, but these are like freshly stocked essential oil stand at Whole Foods kind of herbally (meaning pretty darn strong and very hippy herbal). That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just not my cup of tea. Also, for shampoo and conditioner, they look like really tiny bottles. They are 1oz/29mL each, which actually doesn’t sound that small, but I feel like they won’t go very far. Ok BirchBox, you lost me on this one.
Now that I’m thoroughly disappointed, let’s move into the little pouch of potential doom…. Oh joy! The tiniest sample possible to make! It’s from Caudalie (not cruelty free) and it is their Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. It’s a whopping 0.06oz /2mL tube. That might give you two uses. Maybe. I am stingy with my products, but that could be cutting it close even for me. Color me not impressed again.
Finally, we have an ok sample. It’s from Smashbox, which I’m not sure about being cruelty free as I think I’ve seen it listed both ways. Anyway, it’s a lip product which is always fun, plus I’ve heard good things about these lately! It’s the Be Legendary Lip Lacquer and it’s in the shade “Coral.” It’s a pretty shade, though I would not call it coral. I’d say it’s more of a pinky-mauve. Whatever you call it, it’s a nice shade for Fall. The sample looks tiny (.10oz/2.9mL), but I’m guessing it’s a relatively standard size for a liquid lipstick type product. It looks pretty, but I’m not jumping up and down for it.
So I guess we’re leaving on an “eh” note today! J Two out of five – one of which I picked in advance – not so hot. That said, I really am interested in trying the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, so I’m not totally disappointed by this month’s box. And I will give them a slight bonus point for the beautiful box. I try to reuse the boxes, and this one will make for an even better junk organizer! J Other than those things, this box was pretty much a miss. Expectations met! Let’s aim for greatness next month, shall we BirchBox?!?! J
