Birchbox Review - December

This month's Birchbox came in a gold outer box instead of the usual pink.  The inner box said Sparkle and Shine and looked like it had a bow tied on it.  I'd been anxiously waiting for this box and could hardly wait to tear into it.  The first thing I noticed was that it was HEAVY.  When I opened it I found:

Number 4 Non-Aerosol Hairspray

I'm not a huge hairspray user but I was excited to try this because I loved the Prep & Protect spray from this brand.  This is a good hairspray.  It holds without making my hair feel crunchy or stiff.  The spell is kind of an herbal salon-y smell but it does fade pretty fast so to me it's a non-issue.  I'm not sure I'll buy it because I generally only use hairspray on special occasions and I'm not sure it's worth $30 for just the occasional use.

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion

This is a product I wasn't quite sure what to do with when I got out of the box.  I got this in the color Birchbox Love which is a very sheer pink. I've been using it as a blush which turns out very pretty without a big color impact. It also gives a nice dewey look when spread over my whole face.  This is $29 in full size and is another one that while I like it I'm not sure I'd buy it.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate (24 Hour Miracle Cream)

This is a multi-purpose moisturizer.  While the sample isn't big enough for me to use as a post-shave lotion or body lotion I did try it as a face lotion and a makeup remover.  My skin has been really dry lately and a few uses of this got it back to normal.  I also started using a new mascara that was impossible to get off and a little of this did a pretty good job.  It didn't wipe them clean but it did a better job than anything else I used.  This is a good moisturizer and the price ($28) isn't too bad but I think I'll stick to my usual Garnier moisturizer.

 Atelier Cologne Silver Iris

This is an interesting scent that comes off as almost uni-sex with the pink peppercorn notes.  I like it enough to wear the sample but there's tons of more affordable (this scent comes in at $175 for 100ml)  fragrances that I like better.

Ghiradelli Chocolate Bar

This is what made the box so heavy.  I got this in Mint Cookie and it was delicious.  The pictured toffee crunch looks pretty good too and if I see it at the grocery store I very well may buy it.  The candy bar was ENORMOUS.  I got three servings out of it.

Mighty Leaf Tea Pouches

I got 3 different tea pouches - Green Tea Tropical, Vanilla Bean and Organic African Nectar.  The Vanilla Bean is a black tea and the Nectar is herbal.  The pouches are really nice looking and the scent and flavors of these teas is amazing.  Not sure it's worth $9.95 for 15 pouches though.



This was probably my least favorite Birchbox.  I liked everything but other than the candy bar there was nothing that I would buy in full size.  Getting 1 food item is great  but getting 2 did seem a little much.  Even though it wasn't my favorite box it was still fun to unwrap and experiment with all the new products.  So December was okay but I'm hoping January will be better!