Birchbox (April 2018) + Beauty Booty

Every month, Birchbox will send 5+ beauty samples from a variety of makeup, skincare, body care, hair care, and fragrance categories - personalized to you based on your Beauty Profile. Plus, you'll get tips and tricks on how to use them.

A Birch-box sub-scription  costs just $10 per month with no shipping fees or long-term commitments. Any subscription comes with a free gift. 6- and 12-month subscriptions come with higher-value gifts and savings for you.

Customize your box by choosing a specific sample or adding full-size products to ship alongside your box. Earn Loyalty Points (1 point per $1 spent) by purchasing any subscription or buying from Birchbox's online store. Points can be redeemed for any full-size product in the store. Ten points equals $1 to shop!

The April 2018 theme is "Feed Your..." Following are the items I received:

BRIOGEO Rosarco Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Crème (0.75oz deluxe sample, $4.50) - Blowouts just go easier thanks to this lightweight styling cream. It protects against heat damage and hydrates hair with rosehip, argan, and coconut oils.

COOLA SPF30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray (0.34oz deluxe sample, $8.16) - This light mist soothes skin with a cocktail of cucumber and aloe vera extract and boosts hydration with hyaluronic acid. Plus, it also blocks UV rays.

CLEAN RESERVE Citron Fig EDP (0.05oz sample, ~$1.43) - This sustainably sourced scent's fresh, zesty notes of fig, ginger, and lemon are balanced by musk and sandalwood.

EYEKO Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (0.04oz deluxe sample, ~$12.57) - From a subtle, precise line to a bolder look, accentuate eyes with this pen-style, ultra-black liquid liner. It goes on velvety smooth and stays all day long without budging.

BENEFIT COSMETICS BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara (0.1oz deluxe sample, ~$8.33) - This gravity-defying mascara creates major volume without weighing lashes down thanks to the formula's lightweight aero-particules.
                                                                                                                    

The Verdicts:

The Briogeo hair cream is my favorite of all of the heat protectants I've tried. The texture isn't too thick or thin. It's not sticky at all, and it smells fantastic. I don't often blow my hair dry, but when I do, this will be my go-to blowout cream.

To be fair, I've never used a setting spray before. This one from COOLA smelled a bit like hairspray. Which honestly makes sense. I wondered how spraying something on top of makeup would work, and having it act like a hairspray answers that question. It didn't make my face feel strange... something I would totally expect from this brand because COOLA products are always fantastic.

I love CLEAN Reserve fragrances! This 'Citron Fig' eau de parfum smells exactly like you would expect. It's pretty self-explanatory really. It is was it says it is. And CLEAN seems to always keep things simple, so if you like fig and citrus scents, you'll really like it. It's a great everyday kind of fragrance.

The Eyeko eyeliner is great. I don't know that I've used one before that was so easy to use. It had no problem hugging the lash base and didn't tug at all. It'll be my go-to from now on.

Benefit's mascaras are infamous. No company does with eyelashes what they can do. BADGal is no exception. There was zero clumping. The brush separated my lashes and the formula kept in place while still be easy to remove. I tried on SO MANY mascaras in one day that my eye area took a beating, so if the pictures to the right aren't fantastic, that's my fault alone. The top are my bare eyes, the next is one-eye done. And the last two show the finished product.

This April 2018 box has a total value of $34.99. That's over three times the cost of the box - an amazing value - and includes some of the top-selling beauty products. If this month is any indication of things to come, May should be fantastic!
                                                                                                                    

Beauty Booty!

PŪRLISSE Green Tea + Vitamin C Brightening Sheet Mask ($8.00) - When long days and stress have dulled your complexion, nothing outshines the illuminating power of this sheet mask. The natural fiber material is pre-soaked in a blend of vitamin C, the MVP of brightening, plus green tea to soothe and improve elasticity, grapefruit to fight off free radicals, and lemon for extra radiance.

Oh. My. God. I have been DYING to try this mask ever since it was introduced, so when I saw it in the online store, I knew exactly what I buying with my Loyalty Points.

It lived up to the hype. There was almost no smell, only a very light citrus scent. It was intensely hydrating and my skin glowed after using. I've adored everything Pūrlisse since I first discovered them. Now I have to try the rest.