Subscription Addiction: September Birchbox Success!

This month was Birchbox's anniversary month. To celebrate four years of existence and awesomeness, they made their usual box all pretty and fancy, and included a crapton of awesome extras. As usual, I was pleased with the majority of it! Here we go!

Subscription Box: Birchbox

Description: Each month, you'll receive a selection of samples that we’ve tried (and retried) ourselves. We source our samples from both well-known brands and emerging gems. The women’s subscription includes everything from skincare to makeup, as well as fun non-beauty extras. The men’s subscription delivers top-tier grooming products in addition to lifestyle accessories ranging from hip socks to tech accessories.  

Pricing: $10/month.

Referral Link: Here

Product #1: Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm
I haven't tried this yet. Everyone raves about Dr. Jart, but I just haven't had the opportunity to try this particular product yet. It's my first BB anything, since my collection is so new, but I'm excited to try it.

Product #2: Mereadesso All in One Moisturizer (Travel Size)
I love this! It makes my face so, so soft, and the packaging is excellent, especially for a sample/travel size. RESEALABLE? HECK YES. It didn't break my face out, either. I probably wouldn't repurchase, since it's crazy expensive, but I'm going to definitely use it up.

Product #3: Davines OI All in One Milk 
My hair definitely felt soft after this, but I felt like it was weighed down. I do have to say, though, the times that I've used it, I haven't been doing my usual haircare routine. I keep this at my boyfriend's house, and I don't have a blowdryer there. It's a HUGE size, though, so I want to use it up and make sure I give it its proper due test.

Product #4: Davines OI Shampoo
The shampoo combined with the OI Milk was... strange? I don't know. I love that they included this as an extra sample because of the anniversary, and it made my hair feel clean, I just feel like maybe all three (there's one coming up) products combined weighed my hair down. I'll experiment and follow up.

Product #5: Davines OI Conditioner
The conditioner made my hair feel INCREDIBLY soft. I do love the conditioner and know for sure that wasn't part of the weighing down problem. I don't think I'll repurchase it, because it's very expensive, but I'll absolutely continue to use it until it's gone. Again, because this was included as an anniversary special, it's hard to complain too much.

Product #6: Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah
Um, my grapefruit obsession is becoming a problem! But this product is AMAZING. Harvey Prince is one of those scents I've heard so many good things about on the internet, and I'm looking forward to using it up. It's supposed to be exfoliating, but I don't really feel like it exfoliated my skin? But honestly, it smells good and made me feel fresh and clean, so who cares?

Product #7: Temptu S/B Highlighter
Apparently this is a brand often associated with the spray guns, or whatever they're called. Airbrushes? You can use it on its own, but rumor has it you can also use it with the airbrush. I'm honestly going to pass this on or trade it. I'm not going to open it, and it doesn't seem like something I'm going to take the time to use. Know thyself.

So overall, it was definitely a month where I got my money's worth! I do wish there were more makeup products in this month's box, but the samples I did get were mostly worth the money, and I have a hard time complaining about the generosity of Birchbox, especially when I got all the anniversary extras. This wasn't a box where I went "meh", like BeautyBox5 (don't even get me started), so I'm still very pleased!

Makeup Hoarder Disorder: Foundations and Korean BB Creams

The sad thing about this collection is probably that I know all of my Holika Holika BB Creams are hiding from the move and are not included in this post.

I am definitely someone that doesn't like to face the outside world without something on my face, so all my BB Creams and foundations range from sheer to medium coverage. The

one thing I am not a fan of is full coverage, cakey makeup. 

After discovering the wonders of Korean BB Creams, which are quite different from the Americanized versions most people have used, I've compiled my favorites and the ones I don't use too often. (Ahem...those missing Holika Holika ones? At least two of them are almost gone.) Korean BB Creams boast actual skincare benefits and are supposed to be moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, anti-aging, and whitening all in one. Most BB Creams have at least an SPF of 25, but some have an SPF of 40 or more.

Super Plus VIP Gold, Purple Super Plus, Green Super Plus, Snail Nutrition.

Sure, my first foray into Korean BB Creams were my Holika Holikas, but Skin79 truly makes some of my favorites. There are more than four different varieties, but these are the ones that I own. On the packaging, Skin79 claims these are Triple Function: Whitening, UV Protection with SPF, and Wrinkle Improvement. It's hard to pick a favorite from these four, but I haven't had the purple one for long enough to know how I feel about it. If I had to pick, I guess I reach for the green one more often.

ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral, BRTC Jasmine Water, Lioele Dollish Veil Vita in Green, Missha Complexion Coordinating, ElishaCoy Always Triple, ElishaCoy Time Capsule.

I can't say that I've purchased a BB Cream that I don't care for, but I'm guity of not exactly rotating them as much as I should. Once I decide that I like one at the moment, I usually stick with it.

These other brands are from ElishaCoy, BRTC, Lioele, and Missha. Out of all of these, I reach for the BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream, ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral BB Cream, and ElishaCoy Always Triple BB Cream the most. Those are probably my top three. The BRTC is my top favorite right now to the point where I might order another tube and upgrade to the larger size.

Lioele Dollish Veil Vita is tinted green, so I usually only use that when my skin is a little red or when I have stuff to cover. Occasionally I'll mix this one into a different BB Cream. Missha Complexion Coordinating BB Cream is more of a CC Cream, which means it comes out of the tube white and blends into your skin tone. I don't reach for this too often, usually only when my skin looks great and I can get away with very light coverage and a powder. 

Kat Von D Lock it Tattoo Foundation in Light 42, MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1.

Thanks to my obsession with BB Creams, I haven't owned an actual foundation for almost two years if not longer. I don't know what inspired me to buy the Kat Von D Lock it Tattoo Foundation, but I wish I never did! It's far too light for me, which is crazy considering that I usually wear the lightest shade in everything. Not only that, but it is so thick and full coverage that I can't even take it. I've owned this for months and I've tried mixing it with BB Creams and I still don't like it. It has come to the point where I will probably try selling it in a blog sale.

My next adventure in foundations took me to MAC, which I've been obsessed with other products from the brand so I figured...why not? Well, I didn't get a color match and decided to wing it. I ordered MAC Studio Fix Fluid which is medium to full coverage. I don't need a full coverage foundation, so this isn't my favorite. In addition to the full coverage, this color is wicked yellow! I didn't realize it was going to be so yellow because my MAC concealer in NC15 is a completely different color! My last gripe with this foundation is that it doesn't have a pump! Why MAC why? 

I ended up getting color matched at MAC and it turns out that I'm actually an NW15. Go figure. I'll be getting rid of my Studio Fix Fluid or trading it for NW15 because I can't use it unless I mix it. NW15 has pinker tones that match my skin better.

One more thing! I just purchased MAC Face and Body Foundation, which I will include in an upcoming haul. I guess since I've used it twice I can't give too much of an opinion, but I do love it so far. It's nice and light and blends perfectly into my skin. I hate paying $27 for what looks like a small bottle of foundation, but this is 1.7oz compared to the standard 1oz of other foundations.

WHEW. That's a lot of face makeup and that doesn't cover my concealers and powders. Before I buy any different products, I need to use these up.