Birchbox Review February 2013

I've now had my second great month with Birchbox!  And this is definitely the earliest I've ever received it.  Because Birchbox has so many subscribers, they send their boxes out in "waves", and for this month, Winter Storm Nemo has made a huge delay in their shipping as well.  So, all you ladies who are still without your Birchboxes, I hope the snow melts soon and they arrive to you safe and sound!

Birchbox is definitely one of my favorite subscriptions, so I was really excited to see that hot pink box in my mail today!  My tracking info said it wasn't supposed to get here til Tuesday (2/12), so yay to the USPS for being on it!  The only problem with getting my box on a Saturday is trying to photograph it for this blog with my two little monsters running around.  However, we had just come home from running several errands, so Dragon napped and Knight played quietly while I snuck out to the back deck for a quick photo session!  

And did I mention the light outside was GORGEOUS today?

I always love the design of these boxes, and they're going to be the perfect size for Christmas gifts.  However, I can't put a gift inside if I don't empty it out first, so let's crack this bad boy open!

Yup, that's me... Red Carpet Ready in my yoga pants and ponytail.

So, in case you couldn't guess, this month's theme is about being ready for your "Red Carpet" event, whether it's a job interview, a friend's wedding, or the Oscars (I can dream, right!?).  And actually, I do have a Red Carpet event coming up!  My sons' elementary school is having a Valentine's Dance this upcoming Friday and I'm going with both of my handsome dates!  I'm really happy to have a box of items that will help me get gorgeous for the event.  So I pulled all that beautiful pink tissue aside and found...

Pretties! And chocolate!  They like me, they really like me!

First up on my little "inventory" card is Beauty Protector's Protect and Detangle.  The card said this is "Great for all hair types, this nourishing elixir performs seven hair-healing functions.  Among them:  locking in color, adding shine, and instantly detangling." 

Bye-bye, frizzy hair!

It is also a thermal styling protector, which is awesome, because I'm not impressed with the one I have now.  It leaves my hair kind of... crunchy.  The Beauty Protector smells really sweet and tropical, and I'm going to try a straight style soon to see if it can go up against my flat iron and still leave my hair soft!  This is a super new brand, I couldn't even find a website for the line.  I did a little internet research, and found out that they only recently created the trademark, so maybe they're still getting everything set up.  But if any of you know this brand or have seen a website for them, please let me know!  I'm also having issues determining the value of this sample because my box card says the full-size is $21.95, but the Birchbox website has it at $10.95. 

I saw this next item the second I opened the box.  Emerald Green is this year's "It Color", and I have been WAITING for something green in any of my sub boxes!  I was delighted to find a mini bottle of Color Club nail lacquer in Wild Cactus!

So pretteh.

No matter how hard I tried, it kept photographing as teal.  Bright sunlight, shade, partial shade, flash... always teal.  Check out this Birchbox shop link for a much better representation of this color!  It's a bright, festive green creme.  Not metallic, not sparkly, not glittery.  Just a beautiful, glossy green!

As for the next item, I must admit that I have come late to the BB Cream trend.  For those of you who haven't heard about this makeup innovation, BB (Beauty Balm) Cream is an all-in-one product that acts as a primer, serum, moisturizer, SPF, and sheer tint. Basically, instead of putting 15 layers of stuff on your face, you just need this one product.  It started in Asia, but several companies here in the USA are starting to manufacture it now.  However, Korean BB Creams are still considered the gold standard.  I recently purchased a BB Cream from Missha, a Korean company.  Therefore, I was excited to get a sample from one of their competitors, Dr. Jart+.  I got the "Black Label Detox BB Cream" in Light/Medium.

Wait... Detox? Is my face toxic?

My only complaint about this sample is that this little tube is mostly filled with air.  There will only be enough for about 2-3 full-face applications (probably less now, since I swatched it on my hand).  So far, the main difference between Dr. Jart+ and Missha is the  Dr. Jart+ has a pink undertone.  The Missha has a more yellow undertone that I really like because my skin already has very pink undertones, and the yellow evens my face tone out.  Over the next few days, I'm going to try out both, so get ready for a Beauty Balm Beatdown post!  EDIT:  So, I thought there would be enough BB Cream for a few more applications, but... no dice.  That swatch is apparently all I'm getting.  I've let Birchbox know, and I'm waiting to hear back if they're willing to do anything to make this right.  Because there's no way this tube contains even .10 fl oz!

*EDIT #2: At first, Birchbox Ops emailed me to say that I did receive the correct amount.  I sent them another (kindly worded) email explaining that there wasn't even enough product for one full-face application, and they have now credited my account 100 points.  Which, if you're not familiar with Birchbox, means they gave me a $10 credit for their online store.  I really just wanted another sample, but hey! I'll take it!  Thank you, Birchbox, for caring about your customers!

The last item is a perfume sample from Juicy Couture called Couture La La.  I think I'm just going to have to get used to the idea that Birchbox will put a perfume sample in every single box I get.  This is a common complaint on the MakeupTalk boards, and while I'm still having fun collecting different perfumes, I can see that it will become tiresome soon.  However, this is my first perfume from Juicy Couture, and I really liked it. However, the packaging was absolutely eye-blindingly neon!

Wait for it... 

Ready?

BAM!!!

Whoaz.  Hang on, let me take off my sunglasses.  Even the little sprayer cap is pink!  The scent reminds me a bit of the DNKY perfumes, only a bit more floral than fruity.  I like it, and it's going into my perfume rotation.  

The final item was a sweet treat, a Ghirardelli Chocolate square.  Luckily, they chose my favorite flavor, Caramel!  I will be enjoying this shortly, as the kiddos are now in bed, and I'm going to cruise Netflix for something fun to watch!

Caramel!  Huzzah!

I hope you have a wonderful night!  Want a Birchbox of your own? Sign up using my referral link here!

Love, Leigh 

Disclaimer:  I paid for this box, and was not asked to review it by Birchbox, nor was I compensated for my review. Only one affiliate link is provided, all other links go directly to the company's webpage, or the Birchbox shop.  All opinions are my own.