This month’s July Birchbox finally arrived at my doorstep and I couldn’t be more excited, per usual! It’s near impossible for me to choose a favorite Birchbox thus far from the moment I first started my subscription in January of this year. Every box I’ve received is filled with samples that I’ve either used up (they’re just that darn good) or I’ve kept ’til this day to savor every drop, smudge, and squeeze.
For July, Birchbox partnered up with Women’s Health magazine to help us ‘Power Up!’, that is, amping up our summer, starting with our beauty-ful goods. On the Birchbox magazine we can learn how to snack smarter, master the “power brow”, style our hair sans blow-dryer (wait, what? my dream), and much, much more!
My box is filled with fantastic samples to keep my locks lovely, skin super smooth, and myself feeling overall great. My favorite addition is definitely a little booklet – shown below amongst the other samples – of 12 challenges aimed to inspire positive changes in our lives. I’ve started today with challenge #2 below; take a look at that along with my thoughts on the other samples!
Ready to Power Up? Keep reading!
Okay Birchbox, I can do this. I normally wear my part to the left, with not much of a sweep, just a nice, subtle curve. This time, I decided to really amp up that volume to create a sexy, voluminous side sweep!
So, how did I do? I think it looks pretty great and really highlights my facial structure, making my features pop, too! Try it out yourself, you won’t be disappointed!
First up in the beauty samples is the Protect & Treat Mask hair treatment by Beauty Protector. Developed by stylists, the argan oil treatment restores strengths and adds shine to the hair. I was instructed to work through wet hair, focusing on my ends, and leave on for 20 minutes before rinsing away. After a few (terrible) attempts at singing in the shower, I was ready to rinse and instantly felt my hair super smooth, silky, and even a bit thicker, if that makes sense. I didn’t need to follow up with any conditioner and my brush had no trouble working its way through my ends! I can’t say if it’s a miracle worker just yet but so far, so good!
Next, we have the exfoliate foaming cleanser by suki. The 2-in-1 cleanser and exfoliator is meant to rejuvenate skin. Upon first application, the beads felt like they were doing their job without irritating my skin. After massaging into my skin, they melted away, creating a thick, lush lather onto my skin. I continued to massage until the foam disappeared, rinsed my face, and was left feeling super smooth. I’m in love with this scrub. It’s difficult for me to find a scrub that doesn’t irritate my skin with harsh beads, so thanks Birchbox!
Despite the fact that I don’t wear lipstick on a regular basis, I find myself reaching out for new colors every time I hit Ulta or CVS. There’s something about a bold lip that really sparks my interest and when I’m feeling a little spunky, I know I’ll have tons of options to choose from. So naturally, I was super excited to see this incredibly fun color by Laqa & Co in my Birchbox! The Sheer Lip Lub Pencil in Menatour (Purple) is a high-gloss, semi-sheer color that’s perfect to amp up any simple look. Above, you’ll see it on my bare hand in natural sunlight as well as atop my Baby Lips Lip Balm by Maybelline. I’m really loving this bold lip color!
Like with my lips, I don’t tend to switch up my nail-do often, yet I have this (probably bad) habit of snagging pretty polishes whenever I stumble across one that I just have to have (you get it, right?). Ruffian’s Relic polish is a streak-free metallic polish, perfect all-year-around. As a bonus, Birchbox included an acetone-free polish remover. Before applying my new shade, I removed my Gold Struck by Gala polish with the towelette. I’ll admit, it took a few wipes on my nails to really get it off but I like the fact that absolutely nothing is left behind, especially that icky acetone residue and smell. As for the new polish? I’m loving the metallic gunmetal hue and feel it goes with the majority of my wardrobe!
Oh the wonders of eye cream… I wonder if they work, I wonder how they work, I wonder when they’ll work. I’ve tried so many eye creams ever since I first realized how important they were, but have yet to come across one that’s actually done anything for me. Let’s hope that this really lives up to its name – the Wonder Eye Cream by Balance Me is an anti-aging multi-tasking eye cream meant to combat wrinkles and dark circles. I’ve only used this twice so far so I can’t tell if it’s helped, but I will say I like the smooth application and feel a bit of tightening, not too much to the point where it’s irritating my delicate lids.
That’s it for July! Like what you see? Use my referral link and subscribe now – I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Subscribe to Birchbox
Panache Offblast 