Now, I will warn you in advance that I knew what was in my box beforehand and I'm just not feeling this box. This is the first time this has happened to me in my year with Birchbox, so I apologize in advance if this review comes off as "blah, whatever". I'm not saying the products are bad, by any means!
As always, Birchbox arrived in its cute pink mailer. I think my mailman groans when he sees this box each month, because it means my other subs are soon to follow. I'm pretty sure he hates me!
I noticed that the inside of the mailer, which is usually plain, has some cute travel related images on it to go along with this month's theme, which is Jet Set. Definitely a cute touch.
As mentioned, the theme this month is Jet Set, and it is a selection of products that are either travel friendly or imported from other lands. I'm not much of a jet setter, so that doesn't matter to me much, but I think it's adorable that they made the little card look like a post card!
This is one of the extras this month - it's a sample of Star USA cologne for men by John Varvatos. It's supposed to be a kind of promo for their new Birchbox Man service. I know many ladies were put off by this, but I don't mind it, as it was an extra and not one of my main box items.
I actually think it smells really good. I don't know a man who would get use out of it, so I plan to make a little sachet or air freshener out of it. This retails for $55 for 1.7 oz, so the value of this sample is about $1.29.
This is blendercleanser, made by and for the beautyblender. I think it's kind of an odd inclusion since I do not have a beautyblender, but oh well. I know it can also be used to wash brushes and other makeup tools. I generally prefer to use a gentle soap or baby shampoo, but I'll give this a try. It's strongly scented with lavender, which I don't love. The full size retails for $17.95. They don't list the sample size, but I estimate it to be about half an ounce, so the value is roughly $1.46.
...Is it just me, or is the packaging even more blah than usual?
This is literally the worst product they could have sent me this month. These are self tanning wipes by Comodynes. I HATE ANYTHING RELATED TO TANNING. Yes, I am very pale. I resent the implication that there is something wrong with being pale. I also resent the idea that anyone thinks I should put nasty chemicals on myself in order to stain my skin to make me look like I've been baking myself in the sun. Yeah, no thanks. That said, these wipes are supposed to create a uniform tan in 3 hours, and each wipe is supposed to cover the entire face and body. These retail for $14.99 for a pack of 8, so these two wipes are worth $3.75.
This is a product I actually love! It is Staniac by theBalm, in the shade Beauty Queen. This is a lip and cheek stain. It looks scary red in the tube, but it actually goes on as a nice, soft, sheer pink. It lasts all day. I really love it and would be excited about getting it...but I already have two of the full sized product. Still a great inclusion, though, and I'll be trading it for something. The full sized product is $17.00 for .3 oz, so this little sample is worth $2.27.
This is a completely new brand and product to me. It's Super Comb Prep & Protect spray by Number 4. This is a leave in conditioner, heat protectant, and UV shield. I don't generally like leave in products, as they tend to make my hair look dirty, but I'm willing to try this one out. It has a bit of a floral scent to it. It retails for $32 for the full size, so this sample is worth $6.88.
And, the other lifestyle extra - a tili bag. Which, if you can't tell, is basically a ziplock bag with a pattern on it. I don't buy plastic bags, as I find them incredibly wasteful. I usually love the lifestyle extras, but this one is just terrible. These ugly bags retail for $8.49 for 12, so this bag is worth .70 cents.
So, yeah. This is my least favorite Birchbox to date. I'm sure the products would be great for the right person, but there's just nothing in there that excites me. That said, I'm going to try out the leave-in and the blender cleanser, and maybe they'll surprise me. The rest will be traded with other ladies, who will hopefully enjoy them more than I do. This box has a value of about $16.35, which is also the least impressive box I've gotten, value-wise.
That said, I still enjoy Birchbox, and if you haven't joined yet, you should! Here is my referral link.
What was in your June Birchbox?
