Reviewing Birchbox: My March Box

So this is my third month of getting Birchbox and the newness is starting to wear off. For the first time, I felt kind of ho-hum about my box. Nothing was terrible in it – in fact the box itself is really super cute – I just wasn’t really impressed.

Let’s check it out together:

Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray {Full-size, $24}
When they sent out the subscriber email so we could choose one of our samples, I picked this blowout spray. I don’t actually blow my hair out…um, ever… but this was the best fit out of the three choices. Annnnd, it’s still sitting in the box unused.

Number 4^th Clarifying Shampoo & Reconstruction Masque {Full-size, $32 – $72}
Okay, let me just say that I was pretty darn excited to try a $72 hair masque and imagined when I washed it out I’d totally look like a supermodel. I was a bit disappointed at the lame sample size though:

But for $72 of awesomeness, they can’t just GIVE you a ton of it, right? Unfortunately, when they sent the little packet they forgot to include the awesome. I used both the clarifying shampoo and masque in the shower the other day and the only difference I noticed was the scent is really nice. That’s it. The $72 masque performed the same as my $7 bottle of Pantene (I highly recommend this one by the way: Pantene Keratin Repair Conditioner).

Smashbox Cosmetics Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Disco Rose {Full-size, $20}
I love trying new lip glosses, so I’m happy that I’ve gotten three different glosses in the past three boxes! They’ve done super-humanly great in picking out colors that work with my skin tone:

It’s a little bit shiny for my liking, but I’ll probably throw it in my purse so that I have it for those last minute oops-I-look-like-crap-and-see-someone-I-know moments. Oh, and if you ever see me post pictures like this just showing the bottom part of my face (to show you the gloss color) it’s a sure sign that I didn’t bother putting on any makeup that day. Or styling my hair. Or changing out of my pajamas…

Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 40 – Fair/Light {Full-size, $32}
I don’t know why Birchbox keeps sending me these CC creams when I don’t use them. I even double-checked my account profile and at no point did I check off that I like CC cream or foundation. Looks like I have another sample to add to my ‘free stuff’ pile.

Whish Shave Savour Hair Inhibiting Gel {Full-size, $26}
Now this is one case where I just do not understand why they would send a sample. As far as I can tell, a hair inhibitor gel is supposed to be used often to keep the hair from growing back on your legs so quickly. So, WHY are they sending out a little .75 FL OZ bottle? There is no way you can even tell if it works before it’s gone. After trying it out for a couple days I do know that I won’t be buying a full-sized bottle – the gel made me feel kind of sticky and I hated the pomegranate smell.

So yeah, other than the pretty box and the one tiny tube of lip gloss, I’m not really loving this month’s box. I still feel like the subscription is a really good one though and love their sneak peeks, bonuses and random promotions. I actually just got a total steal in the Birchbox store:

I have been loving the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm I received in my first box, so I went ahead and ordered two more colors to try. I also just used the last of the Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator sample from my second box and feel like it is such an amazing product that I wanted to order the full-sized version. Well, Birchbox is currently running a promotion where you get a free mystery sample pack when you spend $35… so now seemed like a good time to place my order. I also found a 20% off promo code (Mobile20) AND had 200 Birchbox points from writing product reviews for my last two boxes… so I got everything for $20!

For my fellow Birchbox subscribers, what did you get this month? Have you fallen in love with any products and decided to order the full-sized versions?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Birchbox, I paid for the $10 fee with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Birchbox for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my shopping addiction! Pocketful of Joules is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.