Birchbox: December 2012

Hello Friends,

December has been a slow month for posts because I've been working more than usual and my access to Internet continues to grow more and more limited. This month, Birchbox's theme was "All Wrapped Up," and the lid of the box was dressed up (and so stinkin' cute).

Here's what came in my BB this month:

 1. Juliette Has a Gun: Mad Madame Eau de Parfum 
According to Birchbox, this perfume has notes of rose oxide and black currant. This sample is one of the better smelling perfume samples I've received from Birchbox (except for Viva La Juicy- which I rushed out and bought right away). It actually smells a bit like the Original Marc Jacobs women perfume (my signature scent). It's nice but definitely not worth the $110-135 cost of a full-size.

2. Miss Jessie's Original: Pillow Soft Curls Styling Lotion
I was excited to receive these samples because I have naturally curly hair and I'm always interested in trying styling products that can help me tame my mane. I have not yet tried these but I was really happy that Birchbox gave me two generously-sized packets of the product so I can really get a sense of what it does for my hair. I think that this product could have easily been sent in a bottle though and I feel like that would have been way more convenient. I hope it smells nice!

3. ModelCo: Shine Ultra Lip Gloss
It was really nice to get a full sized makeup product this month, I just wish it hadn't been lip gloss. I never use lip gloss because I don't like the stickiness and sadly this gloss is ultra sticky and tacky. It has a nice pink berry color with very subtle glitter and would be great for the holidays. It also smells like strawberry pop rocks! I like that the packaging on ModelCo's products have mirrors because it makes it super convenient to throw in your purse. For someone who wears lip gloss, this would be a really nice surprise in this month's BB.

4. NUXE: Reve de Miel Facial Cleansing and Make-up Removing Gel
I like that this product is a facial cleanser with make-up removing properties (remains to be seen) but it smells pretty bad. Fragrance and texture are always super important to me in any product and having either of these two elements off can really break a product for me. Like hair products, I always hope that my facial cleansers will either smell amazing or smell like nothing at all. I will use this sample for traveling in a
couple of weeks though, so I guess that's convenient.

5. Chuao Chocolatier: ChocoPod in Salted Chocolate Crunch
This month's lifestyle extra was CHOCOLATE! I've been excited to try the Chuao samples that Birchbox has been sending out because I love this brand. The flavors of their chocolates are always really delicious and unexpected. The sample was incredibly small but is probably a full-sized chocopod- they are literally bite-sized (one bite). Mine had breadcrumbs and sea salt chunks in it, which kind of made me scared about cracking my teeth but I would definitely purchase these pods in the real world!


Other items in the box:
- a cute To/From gift tag- which I'll probably use to regift the lipgloss!
- a $50 discount off of a $125 rental at RenttheRunway. Kind of a fun extra for the holiday season.

Ratings for December's Birchbox
1. Juliet Has a Gun Perfume: * * * three leaves
2. Miss Jessie's Curl Lotion: * * * three leaves
3. ModelCo Lip Gloss: * * * three leaves
4. NUXE Facial Cleanser/Makeup Remover: * * two leaves
5. Chuao Chocolate: * * * * * five stars (I feel like it's always the extra that I like the best...)

Overall Rating for December's Box: * * * 3 Leaves ( PLUS: a bonus leaf * for the awesome packaging on this month's box. and the other little fun things like the discount for RenttheRunway and the gift tag).

This month's box was good, I was excited about the full-size makeup product, even though I can't use it and I think most of the samples were more or less generously sized. I liked the variety of the box- it covered makeup, hair, skin care, and fragrance so I'm happy. So far I'm still really excited about my Birchbox every month and feel like the products match my needs. There have been a couple months where I've purchased or wanted to purchase the products I've sampled from my BB so I think they're doing a great job!

I'm going to try to catch up with my posts in the next few days so stay tuned!

d.