July Birchbox

This month Birchbox enlisted the help of designer Cynthia Rowley to help design the box and select some of the products. I received four deluxe samples and one full-sized product.

What I Got:

-AHAVA’s Mineral Hand Cream (0.58 oz)

-philosophy’s Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (1 oz)

-Redken’s Shine Flash (2.1 oz)

-Zoya’s Touch Collection Nail Polish in “Shay” (.25 oz)

-KIND’s Almond & Apricot snack bar (full sized item)

Review and First Impressions:

-AHAVA: This smells amazing! The smell reminds me of something from my childhood but I can’t put my finger on it and it’s driving me nuts! The texture is very silky and it absorbs quickly. There is no greasy residue which I really like. I am extremely picky with the moisturizers I use on my hands because many leave an oily residue and then I end up smearing whatever I’m writing more than usual (I’m a lefty so it smears no matter what) and many actually make my hands sweat and I’m not sure why. I’ve had this one on for a couple hours and so far no problems. I might actually purchase the full size of this when it runs out. The full size is 3.4oz and $20.

-philosophy: I probably won’t try this out until either the next time I travel. It does have a household lemon-cleaner smell which I think is a little weird. However my mom uses this cleanser and swears by it so I will give it a fair try. But, unless it performs miracles I won’t be buying the full size because my face isn’t too picky so drugstore cleansers work just fine for me. The full size is 8oz for $20.

-Redken: It has a slight lemon-cleaner sent just like the face cleanser but it does leave a beautiful, not greasy looking shine to my hair. Is it better than my Professional Ultra Gloss Shine Mist that I got at Walmart for $6? No, I actually prefer the smell and the price of the Professional one better. The full size is 4.4 oz for $17.

-Zoya: Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I am a nail polish junky! I couldn’t have been happier when I pulled this out of my box because I packed all but two of my nail polishes (I’m moving on Friday) and I really wanted to use a different color. Anyway I am an O.P.I. girl and this I dare say is a little better. The brush and texture is similar but it is way more pigmented. I definitely prefer this to Orly and China Glaze. If I didn’t have so much nail polish I would probably buy a couple of these. I’ll probably just replace my Orly colors with this brand as I use them up. The full size is .5 oz for $8.

-KIND: I ate this on my way into work (Birchbox read my mind and knew I was craving a granola bar!) and it was delicious! It’s whole nuts and fruit, no preservatives! So it’s all natural, gluten free, and dairy free. All the sweetness comes from the dried fruit which makes these a very nutritious and filling snack. In comparison to a Special K cereal bar the KIND bar has more protein and fiber and less sugar (per oz). These leave you feeling satisfied not hungry so they are great for on the go. I will definitely be buying a couple boxes of these because my boyfriend (Chris) and I are trying to eat healthier, less processed food.