The first thing I saw when I opened the pretty pink tissue paper was a bottle of Kiehl's Creme de Corps The Original Rich Nourishing Cream. It's a nice 1fl oz / 30ml size sample and I'm sure it's lovely, but I just will not buy Kiel's products because of their animal testing policy! I must say, this is not BirchBox's fault and I am perfectly aware of the fact that I may receive some brands that test on animals in any given box. So maybe some people would be thrilled with this sample, but I'm really not - I also do not understand how this box fit my profile either, but more on that later.The next thing I looked at were lovely foil packets. Yup. More foil packets. It gets better. This lovely foil packet is filled with Revitalizing Eye Gel with Pearl Powder from Masqueology. Never heard of this brand, so I know nothing about this product. I find this an annoying item since I just received an eye cream in last month's box. I really didn't need another one already. And in a foil packet? Thanks a lot. It is a decent sized foil packet at 0.13oz / 3.7g, but I really hate using foil packets. They are just not functional. I did get a great tip from someone at the Chanel counter once - use a pin to poke a hole in the packet and it's much easier and less messy to dispense the product. It does work a little better, but I still hate foil packets.
So onto my Lifestyle Extras. They were both from Masqueology as well. There is a Masque Cleanse with Bubble Technology (sounds like a foaming cleanser to me) and a 7D Moisture Day and Night Cream. These are tiny foil packets at 0.03fl oz / 1ml and 0.03oz / 1g respectively. So I guess here I will discuss the complete lack of attention paid to my BirchBox profile. Nowhere have I indicated that I enjoy skincare products. If there is anything I wish I would not see in a sample box, it's skincare. My skin is so volatile that I really cannot be trying 600 new products on it every month. I'm sure some people love skincare and there are profile options on BirchBox to indicate that. Just not in the profile *I* filled out! I have seen others receive full size lip glosses and I think it might have been mascara, both of which would have made some sense given my profile settings, but for some reason I received foil packets of skincare with another eye cream...well, gel. Enough ranting, onto the ok products that, of course, I didn't see until I was about ready to throw the box through the window!
There's a little pouch this month that can be reused ('cause I love reusing a pouch emblazened with BirchBox's logo) instead of the standard tissue paper. I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. The first item was from Stila and it is the All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in "pink shimmer". I think it's a sample size, but it's a nice 0.05fl oz / 1.5ml sample in a glass bottle with a brush applicator. I'm not really big on highlighters, but it's pretty and probably not something I would ever pick up in the store. So it's kind of nice to try something new and have a sample size of something I would probably only use on special occasions. This does seem a bit too glittery to me. It's not in-your-face glitter, maybe more of a sparkle, but it's not really a simple glowing shimmer kind of effect either. Regardless, this sample helped redeem my box a tiny bit.Finally, there was a mini perfume spray and I really like the sprays because they're much less messy! It is very nicely boxed and comes from the brand MCMC Fragrances, which is a Brooklyn based perfumer. The perfume is called "Phoenix" and was created exclusively for BirchBox. It actually smells really good. It is apparently a blend of Aldehydes (whatever that is), Peach, Neroli Flower and Vanilla. I definitely smell the peach and vanilla and probably a subtle floral, but there is clearly more there. My non-expert nose has no idea what else is in there! lol :) I'm not a huge perfume wearer, but I really like this and would even consider wearing it. However, I do not think I would ever fork over the $95 for a full size either! But it really does smell good - kind of a cozy winter fruit-based scent if that makes any sense. I must say, I often find that I like the perfumes that BirchBox sends, I just don't wear perfume.
In addition, this month's BirchBox "is supporting The Art of Elysium, a non-profit that encourages actors, artists, designers and musicians to dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling various medical conditions." I like that idea. I'm unsure about how they're "supporting" the organization, but if my money helped out this charity, I'm happy with that.
Also, for anyone looking for a new place to buy shoes, there's a Coupon Code for CHROMATICgallerie. It is for $15 Off a pair of Chromatic heels and the code is "BIRCHBOX15". All the shoes are real leather so I won't be purchasing anything myself, but plenty of people prefer leather, so shop your hearts out! :)
Overall, I cannot say that I am happy with this BirchBox, but it could be worse I guess. I just hate the foil packets and so much skincare! I really hate skincare samples and it's like they ran out of boxes that fit my profile and decided to just send my one chocked full of skincare. Grrr! I'm not planning to give up yet though. I'm too stubborn! hehehe :) I will say, switching boxes for a moment, one nice thing about the revamped Ipsy is that it seems to concentrate on only makeup items...so, if you're like me and prefer makeup samples, Ipsy may be the way to go!
If you subscribe to BirchBox, what did you get in your November box? I want to hear all about it so I can be envious and wonder, "why didn't I get that?" Lol!
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with BirchBox or any of the brands mentioned in any way, nor have I been compensated for this post.
