Birchbox May 2014!

Hey guys!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I was waiting to get my may Birchbox and because of some shipping complications they were having this month, I got it a little later than usual. I finally got it though and had a chance to test all of the products and snap some pictures.

I'm sure most of you have heard of Birchbox or other sampling brands (like Ipsy, Glossybox, etc) and if not, simply they are a monthly (though you can gift 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions to yourself or others) subscription box that gives you 3-7 samples of beauty and lifestyle products for only $10! Birchbox is amazing because they have a points system, which you receive points for every $1 spent on their website and 10 points for every product that came in that month's box you review. 100 points is equal to $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop! Plus, they have a womens AND mens box!

They sample both drugstore and higher end brand products and the samples vary in size. You fill out a profile which says what kind of skin and hair you have, if you prefer make up, hair or fragrance samples and anything else to try to personalize your box. They're are usually 40+ different box combinations and though they may not always match your needs exactly, its fun to play with things you may not have considered before!

This month Birchbox teamed up with Kate Spade Saturday and you had the option to "add on" a Kate Spade mirrored necklace to your box for an extra $20. They also sent everybody a one time $15 off of a $75 purchase in the Kate Spade Saturday store!

This month I got a 5 item box which equals 50 points from reviews! I am really happy with this box because I LOVE Beauty Protector products and I got a make up sample (looks to be close to full sized too!). The Beauty Protector smelled like their classic scent, which is absolutely AMAZING. I can't even describe what it smells like... just awesome. The shampoo was a tad more fragrant than the conditioner though. As for how they worked in my hair, meh. Don't get me wrong, they made my hair clean and smelled good and everything but they didn't give me the silky smoothness I was expecting. I was a bit disappointed because these were NOTHING like the Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle (so amazing! its a leave in conditioner plus a heat protectant and leaves your hair soft and gorgeous and smelling AMAZINGGG). Over all I wouldn't purchase the shampoo and conditioner but would (and plan to) invest in the detangler.

The Cotz Natural Skin tone SPF surprised me. I am not a fan of sun blocks and especially "fancy" ones. This one came out of the tube a dark brown and I did not think it was going to match my skin. When I rubbed it in it completely blended to match my skin and evened my skin and made it SO silky soft! It's not something I'd wear every day (since its SPF 40), but I would absolutely wear it to a beach or park wear I don't want to really wear make up but still want to look good.

I was excited about the PIXI as well, though I am not a fan of the color. I am not sure I really like coral's on me that are this bright but it's not horrible. It smells super pleasant and is sooo silky on my lips. It has really good lasting power, too! I love this product just wish it was a different color!

I am so happy that I got a lifestyle product this month! I LOVE candles even though I rarely buy them and this one is SO fragrant, I could smell it before I even opened the box. The First Blush scent is described as "fresh poppies over white musk" and its AMAZING. Unfortunately, as fragrant as the candle is by itself, when I lit it, I could barely smell it.















*****If you're interested in joining Birchbox, the link is in my sidebar! Also, I am not receiving any incentives for my review. It is my 100% honest opinion.