Birchbox April 2014

This month's Birchbox came later than ipsy (le gasp!) for once. Overall, ipsy wins once again in the battle of the beauty boxes.  Still, I got some great products. I was a bit ambitious and tried all of them at least once in the 24 hours I've had my box (it arrived 4/15).

1. Color Club Nail Polish in Aquamarine Azulino

I've gotten Color Club nail polish before, so I was surprised to get it again, just in a different shade. The polish goes on smoothly with a pearl finish. I really wish it was a matte/cream finish; the sparkling finish seems a little childish or dated. Still, it's a great color for spring and the application is decent.

2. KIND Healthy Grains Maple Pumpkin Seeds Bar with Sea Salt

Birchbox, you know you're in trouble when I rate the lifestyle extra as superior to 3 of your 4 items. This snack bar was absolutely divine. The maple syrup flavor is perfectly balanced with the sea salt. I would like a box of these. I immediately looked them up and it looks like KIND distributed to Costco. Here's to hoping they sell the snack bars and not their granola.

3. Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Wash

It smells like hotel body wash.  I guess I don't know how to be a snob about body washes. Sometimes, I buy expensive LUSH soaps for the shower because they're all natural and smell like honey or porridge or something exotic.  Usually, they leave my skin unGodly soft. This body wash is a resounding "meh." It doesn't seem any more luxurious than Target brand body wash, which is 6% the cost of this spa body wash.

4. theBalm cosmetics How ‘Bout Them Apples? Lip Balm and Cheek Stain in the color Pie

Why do one thing well when you can be terrible at two things? (Is this my new catchphrase? Yes. Perhaps. At least until I stop getting primer/lotion/suntan/lipgloss/stain/mask/exfoliant/serums.) This is too smeary/smudgy to be a good lipgloss and not spreadable enough to be a blush. Am I the only one who thinks that powder blush is best? You have more control and you're less likely to smear off your primer or foundation or concealer or whatever else you have lurking on your cheeks. Boo, thebalm. I like your branding but dislike your product.

5. Paula's Choice RESIST Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator

If the name of this product included "serum" it would include all of the words I hate to see in a product in my beauty boxes. I am 26. How much aging have I really done? I have checked my Birchbox product preferences and I do not have anti-aging checked off. Setting aside the agism, this product claims to help fight acne (what?) with absolutely no benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or anything of that sort. Instead, it contains lactoperoxidase, which is not an active ingredient and is mainly used in the cosmetic industry to preserve cosmetics and extend shelf-life.  This product contains a lotttttt of ingredients that concern me. It claims you can put it on after cleansing your face, or under your makeup. Which brings me to my next point: is hydrator just another word for moisturizer? Could this product really be called, "Paula's Choice Oil-Free Moisturizer?"

Lost internet yesterday, so I am still working on the Birchbox vs ipsy comparison post. Stay tuned.

Christine