Birchbox January 2013 Review

January 2013, a whole new year of subscription boxes! I was really excited to receive my Birchbox this month. I feel like, with anything, when starting something new, like a year, it is great to put your best foot forward and offer up something great to get the year started right. I do admit i do not normally check out the upcoming Birchbox videos, i did for January though! I saw so many great items. I was sadly once again disappointed with this subscription. I understand that Bichbox can not please everyone all of the time and there will be some down months but January should be a show off month and i just felt it fell flat. It wasn't what i expected and my hopes and let down may be a little bit of bias in the post but i will try to restrain.

This month contained 4 base item and one beauty extra.

Also included was this beauty poster that had different ways to start off the new year right (on reverse side).

What i received-

High Performance Hair Care Lumiere D'Hiver Clarifying Shampoo-
For the life of me i feel i have received this sample before. I am not sure from which box or by which company but i know i have tried it. This product isn't bad at all. It made my hair feel clean and refreshed and i think that IS a great way to start a new year. This was the largest product in my box and i did appreciate its quality and size.

Viva La Juicy-
This sample is something you can get for free at stores like Sephora and Ulta and here i am PAYING for it. I just shake my head at that. Anyway, in terms of quality, this is your run of the mill sample size bottle. There is nothing special about it. The scent is fantastic if you like soft fruit and floral scents. Feminine and flirty its a great wear. I would have liked to see a deluxe sample size of this though.

Put a Lid On It The Balm Eyelid Primer-
I recently bought The Balm Jovi palette from The Balm and i sometimes like to wear products that go together such as The Naked Palette from Urban decay with their Urban Decay Primer Potion. So i felt that receiving this was a pretty good thing. I tried it out (you will see how it preforms in my The Balm Jovi Review) and it preforms pretty well. I would say it is on par with Urban Decay but i probably would reach for my Mirenesse one's over either of those on a day where i am not using a matching product. It allows shadow to stay put for all day wear. I wish this sample size was a little larger but a little does go a long way.

 

Caudallie Day Cream-

I wear a lot of facial moisturizers, night creams, day creams, and the like and this was kind of just the same. I don't feel like this product ($75 for full size) was any different than my mid range products. I don't think i would go out of my way to pick this up. My skin did feel moisturized and i did like that it contained an SPF but it is not something i would ever splurge on. I only got about 4 days of use out of this so i couldn't even tell you about a week of use of this product.

 

Beauty Bonus- 
100% Pure Vanilla Bean and Honey Almond Nourishing Body Creams-
Listen Birchbox, I know you have your hands full with all your subscribers but these are ketchup packets filled with enough BODY lotion to use on the hands one time. Shame on you. Bonus my arse. I found these to smell nice and would have liked to really test these more than just one use.

Overall, really not the best month of Birchbxo but also not cancel worthy. I hope they do something special for valentines day. Did you get a Bichbox this month? If so what did you think?

If you would like to sign up you can do so here! For 10$ a month you will receive different beauty sample. While some months aren't fantastic there are good ones. Plus there is a point system! Every product you get you can review for 10 points, when you reach 100 points you get 10 dollars to spend in their shop. You can hoard these points for a year and use them on sale items. This month i got 5 items which is equal to 50 points/5 dollars. It balances it self out if your box isn't that great. 

The Look Bag Discontinued AGAIN!

Ok so i am the last person in the whole wide world of cosmetic subscribers to report on this but none the less here it is, The Look Bag is once again closing its doors. If you have been subscribing you probably already know and understand why this inevitable end came. This is the second time that The Look Store decided to abandon The Look Bag. Given that this was their second chance to wow everyone, i found it surprising that they were able to blow it. So few brands and companies get second chances after a fiasco.

Just to get you all caught up, The Look Store discontinued The Look Bag in the summer of 2012 after bags were sent out late. Many people were charged with no bag and some were never charged and got a bag. Customer service was seriously lacking as well. While the products were nice they closed their doors sending out bags to only some (mainly new) customers and the older ones got nadda. After a few months, and assumed improvement The Look Store reopened The Look Bag even being nice enough to offer previous subscribers a discount (.. did i mention they raised the price?). When subscribers received the first bag after the hiatus it contained discontinued and expired products. It really was all downhill from there. Sadly they had time to improve but instead only got worse.

The Look Bag was my first beauty subscription and though it was sub par it was a nice introduction. For a full list of other beauty subscriptions you can replace your Look Bag subscription with check out my list of subscriptions here!

Pop Sugar Must Have December 2012 Box Review

For the month of December Pop Sugar Must Have really had their hands full- Luxury boxes for him and her along with their monthly box - which is why i am a little understanding as to why this box didn't exactly have the wow factor i was looking for. It also doesn't help that i had to once again walk a half mile to my post office to pick this up and carry it home because my post office simply refuses to deliver anything mailed FedEx Smart Post. That sort of anger leaves a tiny bias.

All that being said i did like the items to a point. Unlike last month there were no major mishaps and everything was right there were it was supposed to be undamaged. There was an overall nice mix of items that are relevant for the season with only one item not making any sense.


Bodum Bistro Mugs-
I think  when it comes to the month of December (if you are in the northern states at least) a nice warm cup of coffee or tea is the perfect way to start or end a cold day. These glass mugs with a double layer of glass are cool to the touch yet insulate your beverage. Looks pretty on a table and is quite functional. Since they are a little fragile keep away from kids and be easy when washing them.

 Tea Forte Sampler-
Nothing goes better with a new set of mugs like some fresh flavors of tea! This sampler contains black, green, white and herbal teas. Each blend is aromatic, flavorful, and rich. I found seeping these for more than 30 seconds lead to a very strong flavor. I instead seep for just 20 seconds and reuse for a second bag of tea. I enjoyed each flavor but earl grey was my favorite.

 Bogdon's Peppermint Poles-
A perfect holiday treat! Candy Cane Poles covered in chocolate! Crunchy and perfect in coffee. Each one is individually wrapped so that you can them to go and they don't stick together. Minty and chocolate, so delicious.

 Pinch Minimergency Kit-
This tiny little pack had everything you could possibly need for a fashion emergency. Each item is individually wrapped and fits neatly in this small little bag.

 Marianella Antioxidant Moisturizing Milk Bar-
This bar of soap is about two times the size of a normal bar of soap. It has a soft scent and leaves the skin feeling soft. It is great for dry winter skin, but i wouldn't exactly call it a must have.

Go Swype-
This small little wipe is pretty cute. I like the kiss mark and recently got an ipad that needs constant cleaning of the screen. Though this item is functional, you can find these at most 99cents stores.

 Rent the runway -
This item was touted as a gift card and that's when Murry should come out and say the lie detector determined that was a lie. This item is simply 30$ off a rental. Shipping on rental is 35$ so right there is in indication you have to spend a bit of money to use this. It doesn't even cover shipping. To make matters worse the size selection for plus size is minimal to non existent and if you were hoping to pick up something for the holiday, good luck because people reserve in advance. No thank you, this item is worthless.

Overall i enjoyed this month, not the best, but enjoyable. I think for $35 dollars the selection was decent along with keeping with the must have theme with attention to the winter months. If you would like to have the best in home, fashion, beauty, fitness, and more delivered to your door every month for only $35 then you can sign up here! Use code REFERFRIENDS to get $5 off your first box!

Momme Box - The Inaugural Box December 2012

 

So i think by now you can tell how psyched i get over subscription boxes, they make me completely weak. When i was told about Momme Box i had to jump on board (my 19th box to be exact, yes i think i may have a problem!) The concept of this monthly box is that it is geared towards mommys! Products to help you feel pampered during your busy life (i think this apply's to more than just mommys, but anyway...). December marker the inaugural box which contained a little bit of everything you can expect over the year for 2013. Beauty, fitness, home goods, love life, and even a snack for your child were included in this box. I found it to be very well rounded and while i like the idea of a mix of products a focus on one theme each month sounds nice as well! For a full list of themes please go here!

This was on the bottom of the shipping label, nice touch.

As for prices a month by month subscription is $20 (pay as you go, choose which boxes to buy and which to skip, $18 for three months with the ability to renew, or $60 for 4 months (up front) and $15 each month after. Overall i love how flexible their pricing plan is and since you know all the themes in advance you can somewhat pick and choose to take them all or only some! Sign up here!

I found the insert card to be sweet and relatable.

When opening the box i was shocked at how many items were packed into this small box! The first thing i noticed was the range of products cosmetics, food, even lubricant! Covering all bases for a mom's life

Health:
Our Skinny Chocolate Pro-
This easy to make diet drink only requires water. Easy to take on the go for some quick nutrition and helps to avoid the temptation of fast food and chocolate bars when the stomach starts to growl! As a busy mom i really do appreciate a product like this. The booklet it came with was also very informative.
Worth: About $3

Beauty
Kryolan Cosmetics-
I was first introduced to this company by Glossybox. I received a lipstick which i thought was pretty good quality. Seeing this brand again was a pleasant surprise and i was really happy to see such a large assortment of products. This bag included a dual eyeliner in black and brown, a pink tinted clear lip gloss with brush applicator, an under base, event foundation, and tinted moisturizer. While three of the products are testers the full size items more than make up for it.
Worth: $40.50

Lifestyle
Vaska-
I always welcome some laundry detergent into this house!! It goes so fast between my clothes, my boyfriend's clothes and my sons clothes. Not to mention sheets, towels, etc. This little sample got my laundry as clean as my tide. I like that it has no scent because it is better for my sons clothes. I might just pick some up for his clothes since he has eczema and certain products irritate his skin. This didnt.
Worth: 50 cents

 Health
Honey Stix-
I had first tried these in my Love With Food subscription. My son loves sweet things and i feel so much better about giving him honey over something really unhealthy. Easily portable and great in tea. Win win for moms and kids!
Worth: $2

Health
Kelapo Coconut Oil-
I used this to make a quick red curry meal. It added a slightly nice coconut flavor to the chicken and i felt a little better about using this then regular oil! This will make a fun addition to my kitchen and i plan to add it to my oil collection. (Yes i have one!)
Worth: $1

Lifestyle
Good - Almost Naked Personal Lubricant-
I have to be honest, i have not used this product yet but i like the concept. I do like products that are organic and it makes me feel safer. Nothing is more gentle and deserving of love on my body more than my lady bits, so the next time the time calls i will be happy to use this.
Worth: $1

Beauty
Mineral Hygienics- $15gift card
I was really happy to see this! I love checking out new makeup and nothing inclines me more than the ability to try it free or at a steep discount. Now i had missed out on MAC Whisper of Glit (which was a soft gold skin finish) So i picked up Glow  a mineral highlighter. This makes my skin look glowy and healthy. Very impressed.
Worth:  $15

Health
Lastly, included was a two week home try of Barre3. What a great way to start the new year with some new workouts!
Worth: $7.50

Overall the inaugural box for Momme Box was very impressive! With a worth of almost $70 dollars it is an incredible value. I had long awaited this box since i signed up months before it was even due to ship out. I think it is a great choice for busy moms, busy ladies, and even just someone who wants to try new things! You can sign up here!