Birchbox March 2016

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. The sample choices were three different shampoo/conditioner combinations. I’m not going to go through them all individually because they’re all relatively similar.
 

The products I received this month were as follows:
 

Cartier Baiser Vole Eau de Parfum (Full-size $75)- This perfume is described as a floral perfume with notes of lily, leaves, and powder. It is so not my cup of tea. I was a little bummed out because I was excited to try a Cartier perfume, but I don’t like it. It does have really great staying power, so if you like floral perfumes you might want to check this one out.

theBalm Cosmetics How Bout Them Apples? (Full-size $32)- This product is a combination lip and cheek cream. I have received a few of these in the past and find that they tend to work for either cheeks or for lips and not both. This one feels nice on both which is great, but the color isn’t my favorite. I received the color Apple which is a red that leans a little pink. It’s an ok color on my lips but is too red for my cheeks. It’s not drying but it’s not moisturizing on the lips, and it spreads decently on the cheeks. You don’t need a lot on the cheeks which is always a plus.

treStiQue Color & Smudge Shadow Crayon in Aspen Pine( Full-size $26)- An eyeshadow crayon! I love eyeshadow crayons! I even wrote about them in my last month’s favorites and have been looking for a new one. I was very excited to see this in my box in a color I don’t own. Aspen Pine is a dark forest green color that is really pretty. The packaging is funny and I thought for sure that I had received one with a lost cap. Nope! The crayon is the cap. The brand claims to last for 12 hours, so we’ll see how it holds up to my Laura Mercier ones.
 

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultra Facial Cleanser (Full-size $19.50)- I have been thinking about trying a new facial cleanser so this one came at just the right time. This cleanser says that it has apricot kernel and avocado oils that are meant to hydrate and smooth the skin. I’m hoping that this cleanser works for me but am a little wary as my skin hasn’t reacted well to Kiehl’s products in the past. It’s a really decent size though, so if it works I will definitely save it for traveling!

Number 4 Hydrating Shampoo (Full-size $34) with bonus Conditioner ($36)- This was my sample choice this month. I am honestly not a big fan of receiving shampoos and conditioners in my Birchbox. The only produce I dislike receiving more are the perfume samples. At least I can keep the shampoos for when people come to visit. The reason I went with this one as opposed to the others is that my hair does tend to be on the dry side. I have also tried one or two other Number 4 products through Birchbox and enjoyed them.

Overall, this is a decent box. It’s not great, but it’s not horrible.

I have recently decided that instead of going through all of the products I received in last month’s box, I will just feature one or two products from my previous box that I loved over the past month and would be most likely to purchase with my own money.

The one product I want to rave about is the Hey Honey! Take it Off Exfoliating Mask. I LOVE this product! Not only is it incredibly satisfying to peel the mask, but it leaves my skin feeling so soft. I can’t rave about this mask enough as it does everything it claims to do. When I run out of my sample I’m sure I’ll purchase the full size.
 

Jar City

By: Arnaldur Indridason
Published Year: 2005
Publisher: Vintage Books
Pages: 338

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads at all. Delving into the dead man's life he discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Erlendur's search leads him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. 



                                                            First Impressions

When in Iceland, I knew that I wanted to purchase a book by an Icelandic author. As a book lover, I love getting books when I travel. Knowing that Iceland is such a book loving country, I didn’t think it would be hard to find a book. Apparently, there are only a handful of translators for Icelandic to English, so while there are tons of books by Icelandic authors, only a small few have been translated to English. This series was one of the most common ones I read about while doing some research, and it also jumped off of the shelf to me (even though it’s not my typical read) in the bookstore.

                                                             What I thought

Jar City is technically the third novel in the Detective Erlendur series, but the first one translated into English. I was a little worried that this would impact my enjoyment, but there does not seem to be a lot of carry over.

In this book, Erlendur is investigating a murder. While investigating, he discovers that the victim was actually accused of rape over 40 years ago, but never charged. While digging into the victims history, he continues to find more and more secrets that complicate solving the murder. In addition to the investigation, Erlendur’s drug addict daughter comes back into his life.

I enjoyed this book, but I do think it was greatly impacted by the translation. There were times when sentences didn’t make a lot of sense and it took me out of the story a little bit. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I was able to read Icelandic, but I did still enjoy it overall.

I think my other issue was that I didn’t really connect to Erlendur. He’s an older man, I think about in his 60s, and he’s a very black and white old fashioned cop. A lot of the mysteries/thrillers that I really enjoy have characters with special qualities. Erlendur is very average, and at times fumbles through what he does. While this does make him an interesting character, I didn’t enjoy reading about an average character who was working the case as he went along. There were even parts that he would not have solved if not from other people telling him what to look for and that was a little frustrating.

The mystery itself was well written, and I liked how it had many different layers. Sometimes there was a little bit too much going on at once, but it made parts of it more interesting. I could’ve done without the story line with Erlendur’s daughter, but I could see why it was included. It might have been more interesting if I had read the first two books, but I don’t really know. 
 

The story was interesting, and I think I might pick up the next book in the series at some point. However, if I make a trip back to Iceland (which I fully intend to do!), I think I might search for a different author. If you like more everyday detective stories, I think this book would appeal to you. It definitely feels like the most realistic crime fiction that I have read, in the sense that Erlendur seems like a real detective.  Unfortunately, I think that the translation took away from some of the magic, in addition to the fact that this isn’t my typical kind of book. While I still enjoyed it, it won’t be one that I run around recommending. 

When Falcons Fall (Sebastian St. Cyr #11)

By: C.S. Harris
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: NAL
Pages: 368

Amazon Barnes and Noble

This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided By Goodreads): Ayleswick-on-Teme, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and on a quest to learn more about his own ancestry. But when the body of a lovely widow is found on the banks of the River Teme, a bottle of laudanum at her side, the village’s inexperienced new magistrate turns to St. Cyr for help.
 
Almost immediately, Sebastian realizes that Emma Chance did not, in truth, take her own life. Less easy to discern is exactly how she died, and why. For as Sebastian and Hero soon discover, Emma was hiding both her true identity and her real reasons for traveling to Ayleswick. Also troubling are the machinations of Lucien Bonaparte, the estranged brother of the megalomaniac French Emperor Napoleon. Held captive under the British government’s watchful eye, the younger Bonaparte is restless, ambitious, and treacherous.
 
Sebastian’s investigation takes on new urgency when he discovers that Emma was not the first, or even the second, beautiful young woman in the village to die under suspicious circumstances. Home to the eerie ruins of an ancient monastery, Ayleswick reveals itself to be a dark and dangerous place of secrets that have festered among the villagers for decades—and a violent past that may be connected to Sebastian’s own unsettling origins. And as he faces his most diabolical opponent ever, he is forced to consider what malevolence he’s willing to embrace in order to destroy a killer.

                                                         First Impressions

When I was first approached to review this book I looked at the cover and almost didn’t even read the summary. This cover is so cheesy. It completely looks like a vampire romance novel, even though it is nothing like that. The summary, once I decided to read it was intriguing but I was a sill a little hesitant. What ended up convincing me to read this book was actually the recommendation from a friend. So in short, not a very strong start for this book based on first impressions.

                                                           What I thought

I might have found a new series!

When Falcons Fall is the 11th book in the Sebastian St Cyr Mystery series. Sebastian St Cyr is a Lord from London in the 1800s who has somehow managed to fall into the life of an investigator. In this novel, he is in the countryside for personal reasons when a murder occurs. The murder is staged as a suicide, but the new magistrate doesn’t believe that this is the case, so he reaches out to Sebastian for help. Once te death is determined to be a murder, Sebastian begins his investigation into this woman’s life and why she would’ve been murdered.

As a disclaimer, I have not read any of the other books in this series and I still greatly enjoyed it. I think because I picked up a book so late in the series, I didn’t feel a deep connection to Sebastian, but I still found him likeable and I enjoyed the way he solved the mystery. I think what made this book so enjoyable was that there were a lot of stories within one story. The main mystery was the death of Emma Chance, but within that mystery tied in 3 of 4 smaller mysteries. In addition to that, Sebastian is in Ayleswick to solve his own mysterious parentage.

In addition the Sebastian, I really enjoyed his wife Hero. I liked that, even though these stories occur in the early 1800s, Sebastian looks to her as an equal. She helps to solve the mysteries and brings her own ideas along, so she isn’t written as a sidekick. She also had her own storyline, that I imagine is something from the other books, as it wasn’t addressed heavily in this novel.

One of the biggest qualities I look for in a mystery is my ability to solve it. It takes a lot for me to not figure out a mystery and this one definitely kept me guessing! I think that was mostly because of the vast amount of characters in the story, but I think it was also due to good writing.

The only tough part for me was keeping everyone straight. I think the combination of this book occurring in 1800s England, the vast amount of characters, and the similar names made it a little difficult to follow at times. It was interesting to read a mystery occurring during a historical time period, as I haven’t read one before. It took a little bit to get into, but once I started it was fascinating. Harris does a great job of using the historical aspect for setting up parts of the story and the characters, but it doesn’t slap you in the face. I also really enjoyed the balance of characters. Sebastian is a smart man, but not without his faults, and Hero is a strong female character. The secondary village characters were also fun, and even though we didn’t get a lot of all of them, I found myself caring for them and wanting more.
 

This book was a lot of fun. As hesitant as I was to read it (totally judging on the cover), I really enjoyed it. If you haven’t read any other books in this series, but this on appeals to you, I would say go for it! It is a bit confusing at parts, but overall easy to read without prior knowledge. If you enjoy historical novels and mysteries, I would highly recommend checking into this book/series. It has a bit of a Sherlock-esque feel to it as well. While I don’t think I’d purchase or re-read this book, I’m definitely going to be checking out the previous books in the series! 

Bar & Co Hand Lotion

A few years ago, my friend was searching for a lotion for her mom’s birthday. Her mom’s only requirement was that the first ingredient not be water. Little did they know, this would be super difficult. She finally found success with the Barr Co. Oatmeal lotion, which my friend liked so much that she purchased one for herself. As is typical when you find a product you love, you share it with all of your friends. My friend did this with the lotion, and all of my other friends became obsessed with it. I wasn’t huge on the scent, but the quality of the product was really nice.

Fast forward a few years, and we’re having a super dry winter where there is absolutely nothing I can do to keep my hands hydrated. I own a bunch of travel size Bath and Body Works lotions, which I love, but found I had to constantly reapply them. I remembered at that moment in time how good the Barr Co lotion was, and I also remembered smelling a different scent at Anthropologie. I decided to search the internet to see if they sold the cream by itself, since in store it was only sold with a soap. I found success on Amazon ($24)!

I know that it’s now March, so we’re getting out of the horrible winters, but that doesn’t mean that your hands aren’t dry. This lotion is great (and does come in various scents in the hand cream), so I wanted to share it with you all!

Unfortunately, the hand cream does list water as the first ingredient, but as that isn’t something I was concerned about, it doesn’t bother me. The scent is a really clean almost oceany scent (hence the name marine) and is really nice. The scent is strong enough that you smell it when you apply, and it lingers a little, but it’s not overpowering. The only negative is that I think I liked the scent a little bit more when I first got it than I do now. It’s not one that I find I continue to love even a month or two later. It’s still a nice scent, but I think I’d look for a different one when I repurchase.

The lotion itself is white and is somewhere in consistency between a Bath and Body Works lotion and a body butter. It’s a really nice consistency in that it’s thicker than some lotions so it really seems to hydrate, but it’s not overly thick to the point where it doesn’t sink in or spread well.

The other great thing about this lotion is that it doesn’t leave your hand greasy. My biggest pet peeve with hand creams specifically is that they seem to be greasier than body lotions. That is completely not the case with this cream. Once you massage it all in, it leaves your hands hydrated without any residue. It also keeps my hands hydrated throughout the day. Since I work in a school, I wash my hands all the time. I find myself only having to apply this once, maybe twice (if I’ve been using both soap and antibacterial gel)!

While I was a little bit put off by the price initially, there is a lot of product and you don’t need much, maybe a dime’s worth (max). I also adore the packaging. It has that clinical look and feel and I really like it. For some reason it makes me feel extravagant to use it and I can’t figure out why.

If you live in a cold climate and find yourself with dry hands, I highly recommend checking out the Barr Co. hand lotions. They’re 100% worth the price, and is one of the best hand lotions I’ve ever used. I can’t even think of one that I would pick up instead of repurchasing this one.

Remembrance (Mediator #7)

By: Meg Cabot
Published year: 2016
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 388

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Fifteen years after the release of the first Mediator novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot returns with a deliciously sexy new entry to a fan-favorite series. Suze Simon—all grown up and engaged to her once-ghostly soulmate—faces a vengeful spirit and an old enemy bent on ending Suze's wedded bliss before it begins.

You can take the boy out of the darkness.

But you can’t take the darkness out of the boy.

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and since becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva).

But when she’s hired as a guidance counselor at her alma mater, she stumbles across a decade-old murder, and soon ancient history isn’t all that’s coming back to haunt her. Old ghosts as well as new ones are coming out of the woodwork, some to test her, some to vex her, and it isn’t only because she’s a mediator, gifted with second sight. 

From a sophomore haunted by the murderous specter of a child, to ghosts of a very different kind—including Paul Slater, Suze’s ex, who shows up to make a bargain Suze is certain must have come from the Devil himself—Suze isn’t sure she’ll make it through the semester, let alone to her wedding night.

Suze is used to striking first and asking questions later. But what happens when ghosts from her past—including one she found nearly impossible to resist—strike first?

What happens when old ghosts come back to haunt you?

If you’re a mediator, you might have to kick a little ass. 

                                                          First Impressions

YAAAAAAY! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!!!! Those were my actual thoughts when I heard this book was coming out. The first book from the Mediator series came out in the early 2000s and I think I read all 6 of them in 2005, shortly after the 6th one came out. I loved these books so much and I have re-read them multiple times and loved them every other re-read. I was so excited to hear that I was going to get to revisit these characters that I loved again.

                                                           What I thought

This book was really enjoyable and I’m so glad that it came out. There was definitely a bit of fan service, but overall it stayed true to form.

Remembrance picks up 6 years after Suze graduated from high school. She and Jesse are engaged and she is currently working at her old high school, Junipero Serra as an unpaid intern. At the beginning of the story, Paul reaches out to Suze to let her know that he has purchased the home she lived in during high school and plans to demolish it. He also informs her that doing so could release a curse which would release a demon inside of Jesse. The only way that Paul will not demolish Suze’s home and Jesse’s murder ground is if Suze will give herself to Paul.

I had some issues with this book, and I think I’ll start with those, because I truly loved a lot of this book. It’s a little hard to review this book because I think I had very high expectations for it since I love the series so much. I think that Cabot did a great job bringing the characters back without feeling fake or like she didn’t want to write the story. Her love for the characters is as obvious in this book as it is in everything that she’s written.

My first issue was the Paul storyline. The biggest issue that I had is that apparently he and Suze have no communicated in the 6 years since graduation, and now all of a sudden he’s contacting her and declaring his love for her and trying to win her back. I found this to be a little unbelievable that he would go so many years without reaching out to her and now that Jesse has proposed he has come out of the woodwork. I get that they needed a conflict, and I didn’t have many issues with the conflict itself, but the setup seemed a little flimsy

The one issue I did have with the conflict was how quickly Suze believed Paul and the curse and lost faith in Jesse. She didn’t even do any research before she went crazy. I would’ve preferred it if after Paul told her about the curse, she has responded with an “oh yea, sure” attitude until she did her own research, after which she would them become freaked out.

The final issue that I had was with some of the repetition. I felt like there were a few phrases that were said a little too often for my taste, one of which was how much Suze swore and how much everyone disliked it. There was a constant commentary about “Suze! Watch your language!” when it probably wasn’t that bad. It was also a bit excessive and I felt like if people were telling me as much as they were telling her I would’ve flipped out. The other line that irritated me was “you can take the boy out of the darkness but you can’t take the darkness out of the boy.” I think two or three times I would’ve been ok with it, but it was a bit more constant than that.

I think I was a little harsh on this book just because I love the other ones so much and had high expectations for this one. I did love it and I loved reading about these characters again. I didn’t think it was as solid as the first 6, and I don’t think it was necessary to the series. I think it is a fun extra, but you could easily read the first 6 and not read this one. I do hope that this book set up for some spin offs. The characters and the relationships are just as wonderful and developed as all of Cabot’s writing. I’m still crushing hard on Jesse, feeling inspired by Suze, wishing Father Dominic was my grandfather, and hating Paul. It was so much fun to read and I’m glad that Cabot took a chance and added this installment to the series.

I love these characters and I love their stories. I could see this book setting up more to come and I really hope that it does. While there are some weaknesses, I still enjoyed it and am so glad that I own it. I couldn’t quite give it a full Beloved rating, because if I compare it to the full series I don’t love it quite as much, but I will definitely re-read this in the future. If you enjoy Meg Cabot or enjoy the Mediator series, this is still worth picking up. Fingers crossed there will be more Suze and Jesse in the future!
 

Travel Essentials

Lately, I’ve been doing a bit of travel. I thought it would be kind of fun to do a quick look at what I consider my beauty travel essentials that I bring in my carry-on. 95% of the time I only travel with a carry-on. The exception to this rule is when I travel internationally (which doesn’t happen often), so I thought I would do my travel size skin care essentials.
 

The first thing I always pack are make-up wipes. I like having them on hand for the plane as well as hotels. I tend to change the brands I have but the ones I most recently packed were the Ole Henrickson Truth To Go/The Clean Truth Cleansing Wipes (I found these on sale at TJ Maxx and I love them!) and the Simple Eye Makeup Remover Wipes. While I don’t think the eye ones are essential, I do find that I use so much of the big makeup wipes to remove my eye makeup that it just makes my life easier to have separate ones.

The other makeup remover that I pack is usually a travel size Estee Lauder Cleanser. Lately I’ve been grabbing my Nutritious Radiant Vitality 2-in-1 foam cleanser because it works as both a cleanser and a mask. It also smells so nice and doesn’t break my skin out. The other cleanser that I’ve brought with a few times and love is Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying mask. This is another one that doubles as both a cleanser and a mask, but I don’t like the smell or consistency as much as the Nutritious one.

For my eyes, I like to make sure my Arbonne Calm Soothing Eye gel. The reason I love this on specifically for traveling is that it’s hands free (no germs yay!) and the roller ball really helps with tired puffy eyes. It settles in quickly and feels great as a refresher before you get off the plane.

I also really like to use the Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. These are my saviors when I am either on a flight or right after I get off of the flight. They really help to wake up my eyes and feel refreshed. It’s an extra step to the roller ball eye gel for when you have really long trips. 

Finally, for moisturizer I bring my travel sizes of the Estee Lauder Day Wear with SPF 15. I really like Estee Lauder skin care and they are really great about giving travel sizes of their products when you purchase from them. Because of that I really love grabbing their products when I travel. I know that my skin loves them and it won’t cause my skin to freak.

Serum wise, I just bring a travel size version of my every day serum which is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. 

What skin care products do you pack in your carry-on? Is there a product you can’t live without when you travel?
 

After I Do

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published Year: 2014
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 352

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

                                                             First Impressions

I first heard about this book through a review on So Obsessed With (one of my fave book review blogs). I read the summary and immediately knew it was a book I would be interested. Add that to the rave review and I was hooked. On top of that, this cover is definitely one that I would have picked up off the shelves based on the cover alone (just an FYI that the cover recently changed and I don't like it as much as the original).

                                                             What I thought

I really enjoyed this book. I related to this book in a big way and found the writing style to everything I wanted it to be and more. I loved the characters, I loved the writing, I loved the story.

Lauren and Ryan met at 19 in college and have been together ever since. They have been married for a few years, but all of a sudden can’t stand each other. They find themselves irritated by anything and everything that the other person does. Because of this, they decide to spend a year apart. During this year, they decide to not have any communication with each other. No phone calls, no texts, no emails. They are going to live their lives separately for an entire year after 11 years apart.

Ok guys, it’s side bar time. My husband and I have been together for 8 years. We met at 19, like Lauren and Ryan, and have been together ever since. We lived together for two years and then lived apart for another year before I headed to Florida for graduate school. We stayed together the entire year and a half I was in Florida and he was in Michigan. During that time, he traveled to visit me about once a month. Even though we stayed together and loved each other, toward the end of my time in Florida, I felt very similar to Lauren. Everything that my boyfriend/now husband did was opportunity for a fight. It’s hard to explain unless you experience, but while I knew that I still loved him, I didn’t like him anymore.

Shortly after I moved back home, I decided I needed some time to myself. I was not happy and didn’t want to waste my time or his. Luckily, I realized not too long into our break that I needed my boyfriend/husband in my life and we got back together.  Because of these experiences, I felt very connected to the story. I understood all of Lauren’s questions and my heart broke for both of them. 

This book is a great book for anyone in a long term relationship. I think it’s also good for anyone NOT in a relationship. I think that those who are in a long term relationship will connect with this book and look back on their relationship and hopefully use what Lauren and Ryan learn throughout the book. While I think that people who are in or who have been in a long term relationship might connect to this book more, I think those who have not been in a long term (or any) relationship could learn a lot from this book.

Reid is such a great author and I’m so glad that I was introduced to her. She balances the drama with humor and makes every character likeable. There was also an air of unpredictability in her writing. I kept thinking that I knew what twists she was going to use, but I was still surprised.

As much as I loved and would highly recommend this book, I don’t find myself 100% in love with it. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t give this book a Beloved rating. Either way, I think I have found a new favorite author! I would definitely recommend this book if you are a romantic or if you’re in a serious relationship. I would most likely re-read this book and I would buy it for my collection so that I could pass it around to friends who need it.
 

Birchbox February 2016

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was a Date Night Box for Valentine’s day. The sample choices were the Hey Honey Take it Off Exfoliating Honey Peel off Mask, Arrow BOOST color enhancing lip balm, REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, and the Whish Revitalizing Cleaning Oil.  

The products I received this month were as follows:

12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment (Full-size $22)- This is an all-in-one spray that is meant to detangle, protect, hydrate, and heal. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m always skeptical of products that claim to be all-in-one. It does smell decent, so we’ll see what happens.

TOCCA Eau de Parfum in Emelia (Full-size $68)- This perfume is said to have notes of citrus, fig, and flowers. I have to admit I don’t like this perfume and it will probably go in the trash. First thing I don’t like is the way the sample is packaged. I prefer the small perfume samples to come in a spray as opposed to a stick that makes it difficult to apply. The scent is very perfume like. I know that sounds silly, but when I think of a classic perfume scent, this would be it. It’s a little old for my tastes.

Hey Honey Take it Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask (Full-size $29)- This is a peel off mask that is meant to brighten skin by peeling away dead skin. It uses alpha hydroxy acids, which is a vague way to say that it’s a chemical exfoliant. This was my sample choice this month as I love peel off masks. In elementary school I used to put glue on the back of my hands and wait for it to dry, just so I could peel it off, so obviously I’m obsessed with the fact that this is now acceptable for my face. If you don’t like that feeling, you won’t like this mask, but I LOVE it. It has an interesting scent that I couldn’t quite figure out. At first I didn’t like it, but then it grew on me. My skin also felt noticeably softer immediately after use.


COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face (Full-size $36)- This product is a matte tinted moisturizer with SPF (obviously). It is meant to moisturize while also evening skin tone. I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, so we’ll see. It says that it’s unscented, so that’s nice, but I’m a little wary of the fact that it’s matte. I have dry skin, so it matte product tend to cling to my dry patched.

ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm (Full-size $14)- This is Birchbox’s newest in house brand and it is mostly skin care. I was super excited to receive this because I almost picked it for my sample choice. This is a lip balm that adjusts to your pH to create your own personal natural hue. I do like that it does make a visible change to your lip color, and I like the texture. I don’t love the smell, as it’s a bit fruity, but it doesn’t leave a weird taste behind. It also does a good job of moisturizing my lips!

Overall, I’m very pleased with this box. There are a lot of products that are variances on what I use in my everyday life, so it’s exciting to try them. The perfume is a bit of a throwaway, but it didn’t ruin the box or anything.