Birchbox December 2013

December's Birchbox arrived on December 7th, which is fabulous. 

This month's box is mostly awesome, with one odd product. Here's what I got from most exciting to least exciting:

1. Supersmile's Ulimate Lip Treatment. 

I tried this within seconds of opening the box. The scent/flavor is vanilla almond, which is light but present. The sample size is great; it's about 1/2 the size of a normal Chapstick. 

2. Number 4's Non-Aerosol Hairspray.

I've never tried non-aerosol hairspray, so I'm interested to see how it stacks up. The immediately noticeable downside to this product is that it smells like acetone nail polish remover. Hopefully that's just the strong smell from the bottle and not what my hair will smell liked after a spritz. I currently use TRESemmé Two Extra Hold, and they have a non-aerosol as well that I've been meaning to try. 

3. Greenleaf Candle Co. Starlight Votive Candle.

This candle scented my entire beauty box. I was actually really worried that my box contained and all-too-pungent lotion (again). Nothing special about it; it's not soy, organic, blah, blah or anything like that. It's just a floral/perfume-y candle that should last about 15 hrs. I'm surpised it's not a holiday scent, to be honest. It's more of a "bubble bath" scent. 

4. Color Club Nail Polish in "Top Shelf."

This item would be a lot higher up, except that I just got a very similar shade in my ipsy glam bag last month (Nailtini's Champagne). It's a great color for December. Who knows, maybe it'll be longer lasting than the other polish. 

5. Birchbox screen cleaner.

This item is not even on the list of items, but it seems like a handy tool. It's basically a small square decal with microfiber glued to one side. Clean you screen and then stick the decal side to your phone so that you can clean your phone later. It's also brilliant marketing, since it has the Birchbox "B" right on it. I don't have a huge screen, so I may not stick it on day to day, but owners of bigger phones would probably love this. 

6. Skin&Co Roma's Truffle Therapy Serum Boosting Anti-Aging Serum.

Uhhh.. This is the stand-out fail in my box this month. I'm 25 years old and fairly pleased with how I'm aging (i.e. not noticeably). Also, at $75 for full size, I feel like this stuff better tighten your eyebrows straight up to your forehead. 

I don't foresee doing any follow-ups with these products, except maybe the nail polish to compare it to the other polish. 

Overall, I like this box. In terms of duplicate types of products, I have now received 2 lip balms and 2 nail polishes, which isn't bad for 3 months into a subscription.

Cheers, 

Christine