Birchbox 2017: February Unboxing + January Review

I've been subscribed to Birchbox for several months now, and I always look forward to seeing what's in my monthly box! I love the opportunity to try products without paying their full price tag and being introduced to items that I might not otherwise have purchased. One thing I wanted to avoid with this subscription box is receiving the items and then never intentionally trying them. This is why each month, when I share what I received in my new box, I also talk about my thoughts on the products from the month before. Personally, I think it's a fun way for us to all learn something together!

February birchbox unboxing

My box seemed to arrive a little later than normal this month, so I'm behind on getting this post up. Oh well!

February's box theme was all about the lips, so I was really excited to receive two different lip products in this box (a Manna Kadar Cosmetics Lip Locked, and Dr. Lipp Miracle Balm)! I also received two skincare items (a cream and a an exfoliating scrub.) I'm excited to try the exfoliating scrub because I've heard a bunch of people on YouTube talk about it, and I want to know if it lives up to their hype. The last item I received was another dry shampoo (Birchbox knows my love for these well!) Since this dry shampoo relies on rice starch I should be able to put it to good use unlike some that I've received that contain oats - a questionable ingredient because it all depends on if they're grown in a gluten free location. Which of these products would you be most excited to try? Do you have any specific questions about any of them?

January Birchbox review

Let's jump in to my reviews of the items I received in my January box! (Spoiler: This box was potentially my most disappointing as far as the product wear times/results so far.)

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk ($20) - Let's get this one out of the way first because I didn't try it. I couldn't find information regarding whether or not this dry shampoo is gluten free. Oats themselves are gluten free but if they're grown near a wheat field cross-contamination can occur since wheat and oat plants look so similar. Since gluten is such an issue for me, and I already have a dry shampoo that I swear by (you can read about it in this post), I didn't risk trying it. That said, I'd love to know your thoughts on this product!

Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment ($105) - There are plenty of raving reviews for this product out there online, but I found it was just alright for my skin type. I did find that it made my skin soft and potentially a little more radiant (and maybe if I had the full size so I could use it every day for a couple months, I'd see even better results) but just after using this sample I won't be running out to purchase the full size for $105. I saw much better results with the Arbonne Anti-Aging skincare sample I tried last year.

amika Bombshell Blowout Spray ($24) - I don't have anything raving to say about this product, but I don't have anything necessarily bad to say about it, either. It does what it says it should, but it hasn't made it into my hair care favorites, either. If you're sensitive to smell, it's definitely less potent than a lot of hair care products out there, which might be a plus for you. It has a deeper, more mellow scent which I'm assuming is the Blackthorn Berry.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner ($22) - When I shared this product on Instagram, so many people mentioned their love of this liner. This made it even more disappointing for me when it just didn't work out. Perhaps the people responding to my post have a waterproof version or don't struggle with the watery eyes that can occasionally accompany allergies, but I found that this eyeliner would end up all over my bottom lash line and shift through the day. It was so disappointing!

To be fair, the liner does apply smoothly and opaquely, making the application experience easy and enjoyable. So far, this is the liner that I would most recommend to people who are wanting to learn how to apply felt tip liners because it's the easiest one that I've worked with so far. However, if your eyes water and there isn't a waterproof version, the all-day wear of this liner is less appealing.

Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic To-Go ($18) - I feel like two of these pads was not enough to really decide if I liked this product or not. I could see myself using them if I was traveling and wanted to bring as few skincare products as possible, but as it is, I have other exfoliants that I prefer to use. I'd love to know if you've used this product more long term and noticed different results!

Have you tried any of these products? Do you have any questions that I didn't answer? Let me know below! I'd love to have a chance to answer your questions or to hear your thoughts on any of the items!