Birchbox!

My pal Cookbook referred me to Birchbox and I finally joined up last month. I've had a few days to tinker with a couple of the products so I'll share my thoughts.

Avene Cleanance Soap-Free Gel Cleanser

I was actually very pleased to get this, because I've been considering a different face wash (currently I use Cetaphil, which works fine but I'm not married to it). I think this smells wonderful, like clean water and fresh air.

Thymes Body Lotion in Kimono Rose and Eucalyptus

 I got a small bottle of the Eucalyptus scent but just a little packet of the Kimono Rose scent. I wish it was the other way around, because I really like the Kimono Rose. The Eucalyptus is...fine? I guess? It just smells like hotel lotion, which is to say, like nothing specific. I'm not a big fan of scented body lotions usually, but I'd love to try the Kimono Rose cologne or even the candle.

Minerologie Ultimate Cream Concealer

I'm a sucker for a good concealer so this was a nice perk. The product information states this can double as an eyeshadow primer. I'm running out of my Urban Decay Primer Potion so this seemed well-timed. I do like this as a concealer but this far I'm not blown away with it vs. my usual, which is Maybelline Dream Mousse (though this has sadly been discontinued and I'll need to find something else). I tried this as an eyeshadow primer on one eye with the UD primer on the other eye as a sort of comparison test. I used UD shadow because I know how it performs over the primer. After eight hours of wear, the Mineralogie held up well, though with slightly more creasing than the UD Primer Potion.

Anyway, I started using the Maybelline as a less expensive alternative to my favorite Laura Mercier concealer, so switching back to another expensive product seems annoying. 

Zoya Noel from the Gems & Jewels Collection

Finally, I got a mini bottle of Noel from the Zoya Gems & Jewels holiday collection. It's not a color I would have gone out of my way to buy, but I'm delighted with the sample and I'll certainly wear it during the holidays. It's a very pretty blue shot through with silver - it even looks great in the bottle.

There were also a couple of cute letterpress coasters in the box, which is fine, but I would probably buy something like that locally, if I were going to buy it. (Not to sound twee or anything.)

In any case, I think I'll stay signed on for another couple of months at least. It's fun to get presents in the mail.

I have a couple of nail product reviews coming up for you, so stay tuned!