April Birch Box

I got my first Birch Box today!

"Every month, you’ll receive a box filled with four to five samples from luxury brands. Each month will be a different mix of beauty product types, including makeup, skincare, fragrance, body, and hair products. All samples are generously sized, with enough product to allow you to figure out if they’re right for you. You’ll also want to take advantage of Birchbox.com, which is packed with all the beauty information and tips you need, including expert interviews, helpful tutorials, and fun videos."

The subscription service is only $10 a month and the products sent to you (deluxe sample size) seem to be worth more than that $10 anyways! This month's box had an eco-friendly theme (which I love!) Here is what I got in mine...

I love this lotion! My favorite scents are Lavender, Vanilla, and Sandalwood, and this body butter combines two of them into a yummy smell. The packaging is beautiful, the best part is that it is all natural. I actually received the 2.75 oz tube shown on the website shown above, so this alone covered the cost of my entire Birch Box and then some! I have already tried this out, and it definitely absorbs instantly as it claims which actually made it difficult for me to get enough on my legs to adequately moisturize. I could put more product on, but I want this tube to last me so I think I will just use it as a nice hand cream. I already have a body butter that I like from Lush, but I do not have a hand cream! Also, I had no knowledge of this company until now, and after browsing their site a bit, I will definitely be considering trying out some of their products, especially their candles :)

A potent alpha and beta hydroxy acid complex with certified organic apple, lemon, grape, raw cane sugar and willow bark delivers spa-grade exfoliation. This full strength facial peel will reveal a natural, brighter complexion while firming the skin and eliminating the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

   

Replenish and firm your skin with this nutrient-rich moisturizer. Combining a brightening complex of certified organic apple, lemon and grape juices, with nourishing essential fatty acids, age-defying alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, Vitamin C, peptides and DMAE for optimum age defying results.

Clinically proven to reduce free radical damage by over 59% due to its' high antioxidant action and to present a significant moisturizing effect of the superficial layers of the epidermis, increasing hydration by over 30% and lasting up to three hours after application.

 I have not tried either of the Juice Beauty products, simply because my face is still in the "purging" process due to my new Lush skin care. Once the Lush products get all the toxins out of my skin, I will try these. I already know that I will love the peel because I have used numerous other Alpha Beta peels in the past and have loved the results, but they are always too expensive for me to keep up regular use, which will probably be the case with this one as well. As for the moisturizer, for double the price of my miracle moisturizer that I am currently using, this one better be pretty stellar for me to even consider switching. They should be fun to try out though!

 

I have never tried ZOYA nail polish, but I know that its quality is equal to other brands such as OPI, Essie, and China Glaze. I am currently loving Essie nail polishes (they last FOREVER before chipping), but I am excited to try ZOYA's vegan formula. I really like the color and I don't really have a nail polish like it. I got a good sized sample, about half the size of a full sized bottle, which means I got $4 worth of polish. (Birch Box samples really add up!) I'll be painting my nails this color next time!

Top Notes: Jasmine, Green Leaves
Mid Notes: Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Ocean
Dry Notes: Musk, Sandalwood

  I was actually afraid of this perfume, even after reading that there are some really beautiful scents within it. "Earth" as the name of a scent made me think of dirt, or leaves. Actually the perfume is quite the opposite. It smells floral and woodsy at the same time. Its a very clean and fresh scent, but rich and comforting. It is not a scent I would pick out on my own, but I actually really love it. I don't buy expensive perfumes, usually I pick up the cheap ones at Bath and Body Works (Sweet Pea all the way!) and those tend to last forever. I have two expensive perfumes, one I got my freshman year from an ex-boyfriend (Abercrombie & Fitch), and one I got when I was in Italy three years ago (Moschino's Funny). I still have almost all of the Abercrombie perfume, that I wear only whenever I want to smell like I am wearing perfume (it smells good..just strongly of perfume), and I adored Funny so much that I ran out very quickly and I have been saving the last remaining drops for very special occasions. I think I will wear Earth until my hearty sample runs out and see how I feel about it. It will have to prove pretty special to convince me to break the bank whenever my beloved Funny has yet to be worth spending the $$$. 

Bloomin has always operated at the forefront of environmental consciousness. Today, people choose our products to communicate their own green initiatives. The most Earth-friendly marketing medium available, our seed paper is made from 100% post-industrial, recycled paper and dyed with all-natural, vegetable-based pigments. Our products are printed with water- and soy-based inks and our packaging is primarily corn-based. Our production facilities are sustainable, too. We recently installed a 30kW solar power system, so we are now powered by the same sun that makes our products grow!

Now, this product isn't beauty related, but I am still obsessed! The brand is called Bloomin (click the picture to link to their site), and they print all sorts of things on paper that you can plant and grow flowers with! How awesome is that?!!? Hello best Get Well or Thank You cards EVER! My sample paper turns into wild flowers :) Since I live in an apartment and do not have a place to plant things.. so sad... I think I will keep this in my wallet and plant it somewhere that could use a little whimsy!

Be-you-tiful!