Birchbox did two boxes this year from the annual Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Insider's Choice Beauty Awards. This box celebrates some of this year's finalists and winners. As of today you can still purchase it here for $18.
I wasn't sure about this box, and I honestly only bought it because I got $5 off when I purchased it in a bundle with the Mass Appeal Box. But it has some exciting products in it, so let's take a look.
Birchboxes always come packaged really well, which is nice. It gives an extra level of specialness to each one.
This one also came with a card explaining each product.
Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Push-Up Eye Liner (0.1 g) $2.40
I've been wanting to try gel eye liner, and this one gets good reviews. It's billed as a 'gel liner pen' and is waterproof. Benefit samples always seem to be small but well packaged (to make up for the size, maybe? :D) and this one is no exception. Still, if I can get the hang of gel liner then this is the perfect size to toss in my bag. Benefit is an American company run by four women (twin sisters and the daughters of one twin) in San Francisco, California.
COOLA SPF 50 Sport Mango (0.5 fl oz) $3.20
I tried COOLA mineral matte sunscreen with my first Birchbox, and I enjoyed it but the sample was tiny, making it difficult to really try out the product. This sample is a much more reasonable size and I'll get several uses out of it. I like that this is a moisturizing sunscreen that is sweat proof and water resistant. The scent is pretty strong, but not unpleasant. It absorbed quickly into my skin and didn't leave it super shiny like some of the tinted sunscreens I've tried. But it also has no tint or skin correction, so this is either for a no-makeup day or to wear under your makeup. It is a certified organic product that is easy on your skin.
Fekkai Hair Fragrance Mist in Creme Vanillee (10 mL/0.33 fl oz) $4
The description says "This lightweight mist infuses hair with an addictive scent, plus tamps down static and bumps up shine." I don't know about static and shine, but it definitely infuses your hair--one spray and I felt like I was walking around in a cloud of vanilla. The scent reminds me of the Yves Rocher vanilla bean body spray I liked in my early twenties. Speaking of my twenties, where was this product when I spent more time in bars and restaurants than parks and classrooms? This would have been very useful back then!! Still, though, I'll keep it around. I'm sure I'll use it most when we eat out -- I frequently veto specific restaurants just because I don't like the way my hair smells when we leave!
Glamglow THIRSTYMUD Hydrating Treatment (0.24 oz) $10
with bonus POWERMUD Dualcleanse (0.1 oz) $2
This is one of those samples I'm never sure about. On the one hand, I would NEVER pay $12 just to try a product (and the Powermud is the dreaded one-time-use foil packet). On the other hand, both products have good reviews on amazon and apparently a loyal following. I'm glad I'll get to try this one as part of the box.
Marula Facial Oil (5 mL) $8
I'm iffy on this one. It says it's for all skin types, but I wouldn't normally put an oil-based anything on my face--I'm too prone to breakouts. I'm going to research this one a bit more before trying it.
Nudestix Lip/Cheek Pencil in Ripe (0.088 oz) $24??
I found this pencil on the Sephora website in a slightly smaller size (0.05 oz) for $24, but that one had a sharpener and case included, so I approximated the value based on that. This is a highly pigmented pencil in a corally-orange shade that I probably wouldn't have chosen on my own. I like the smooth formula though. I suspect this will be an occassional cheek color for me rather than a lip, but honestly I have a lot of lipsticks and only a few blushers so that's fine by me.
So the total value of this $18 box was about $53.60. (I actually paid much less than $18, which you can read about here) I'm happy with it. I get to try a gel eyeliner and a few cleansers/moisturizers I haven't tried before, and the hair fragrance, sunscreen, and nudestix pencil were all hits. I'm not sure about the marula oil, but who knows? Maybe it will become my new favorite product!
****This post contains affiliate links. If you click through the links and buy something or subscribe, I'll get reward points or even a tiny percentage of the money spent. I do not see what you bought or even who bought it, nor do I have access to any of your financial information. All opinions expressed are my own based on personal use of the products listed. No kittens were harmed in the writing of this blog.
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