Preview: Birchbox August 2012

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 Preview: Birchbox August 2012 Aug. 26th, 2012 at 11:49 PM spring, bees, fall, beautiful, summer Sunday, August 26, 2012 Preview: Birchbox August 2012 I started this draft on Wednesday, August 15, 2012. I love the preview of the August box that is available on my Birchbox account right now. It's not the best box ever, but I'm not ticked off about it. I got the shipping e-mail August 10th. It hasn't updated yet. It says no information is available for my tracking number. My guess is I'll be getting my box tomorrow, or it hasn't really shipped and I'll get it 2 weeks from now. Birchbox has been having shipping issues lately. Some people got their boxes really early this month. MissChang22 on YouTube got hers and posted the first video on August 7th. Here's what my Box Page on the Birchbox website says I'm getting. 1. Schick Hydro Silk Razor (Not Shown in Picture) 2. Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss (Box Pick Shows Tan/Orange, Products Listed Below Show Birchbox Pink) 3. Apothederm Stretch Mark Cream 4. SHU UEMURA Art of Hair Full Shimmer Illuminating Shampoo 5. SHU UEMURA Art of Hair Full Shimmer Illuminating Treatment 6. Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Le Fleur I am really hoping the Jouer Lip Gloss is in Birchbox Pink. I have 2 lip glosses from Jouer that I got for free by e-mailing info@jouer.com. I got Mirage, which is a smoky pink or mauve color, and Tender, which is orange. I have tried them both and they show absolutely no color on me. They do make my lips very shiny. The Birchbox website's description of the Jouer lip glosses does say they look pigmented but go on sheer. Based on what I have seen, that is definitely true. Completely Sheer. I am looking forward to the perfume sample this month. I've watched every August Birchbox video posted by last night and almost everybody who smelled it liked the Viva la Juicy Le Fleur. It's apparently a very fruity floral scent. I do like fruity scents, so I'm hoping that the fruity notes drown out the floral notes. I think I heard one YouTuber describe it as tangerines, grapefruit, and jasmine. At least it's not gardenia and baby powder like the original Viva la Juicy. The Birchbox description says: The uplifting scent ... mandarine ... jasmine ... As for the Schick Hydro Silk Razor, I am going to use it for my armpits. Last week I did actually buy the orange Bic Soleil razors because they were on sale and cheaper than the Hy-Vee grocery store knockoffs, but it seems like CVS, Hy-Vee, No Frills, and even Super Saver all have their own generic brand with the 3 blades and the handle exactly like the Bic Soleil razors, and for a couple dollars cheaper, so I usually try to get those. I do have a razor fetish, though, so I buy other kinds thinking they are going to work better, and they never do. I will probably not buy the Schick refills with the coupon that comes with the razor in the August Birchbox. I'm trying to cut down on new razors unless I'm really about to run out, and I'm trying to go with the less expensive brands. The Apothederm stretch mark cream was a sample in June and/or July as well. The bottle is actually about the size of my hand and a little more than half as wide as my hand, but the samples people were showing on YouTube were half full. I might add it to my trade list on MakeUpTalk.com. The Shu Uemura shampoo and the hair treatment look interesting. I am trying out different products for my hair right now. I got a bottle of DermOrganic argan oil spray at TJ Maxx a couple months ago. I used it once or twice when I got it, then threw it in the bin with my deodorant and q-tips and stuff. I found it the other day and I've used it a few times. It makes my hair smooth and gets the tangles out really well after I wash my hair. I haven't been using conditioner the last few times I washed my hair just so I could see how well the DermOrganic spray works, but I don't like the smell. I meant to throw it in the trash the other day. It smells like moldy oranges. It's a little 2 oz. bottle with a bright green label. I love it. It works great as a detangling serum but I do not like the smell. Shu Uemura products are way too expensive for me to buy a full-size of any product they offer. The foil packets of the shampoo and the treatment for the August Birchboxes do look to be a pretty good size and completely full. I am looking forward to trying them, but I am not going to switch from using the Organix Brand Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner that I have been using since March. I've had a bottle of Garnier leave-in conditioner for several months and I use it when my hair is still wet after I wash it once in a while. It does work great, but I have to comb my hair 3 times before it dries or it looks shellacked when it gets completely dry. To me it seems like a 1/2 oz. sample of shampoo is not enough to tell if it's going to make a difference over the long-term. Even if it did make a huge difference for my hair, Shu Uemura is way to expensive. Before I even get my August Birchbox, I am excited this month. Last month's box was not so great, except for the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I did trade my black eyeliner for a purple one. The lady I traded with through MakeUpTalk.com has not left my Trader Feedback yet. I am going to contact her about it this weekend. It actually looks like I will be able to try out all the products in my box for August, which is a first for me since I signed up for Birchbox. I have gotten boxes for April, May, June, and July, and there was at least 1 product in every box that I have not been able to even try, and more items that I have put up for trade. The August box is looking good mainly from the perspective that all the products are something I can use. But that's what counts with Birchbox, right? It doesn't matter how much it costs if I can't actually use it. Tammy ThePeridotCricket