First Look: Birchbox January 2013

First Look: Birchbox January 2013

I got my January Birchbox on Tuesday. The expected delivery date was January 18th. It was 4 days early. Here's what I got.

theBalm cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-In-One
Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo
Lashem Measurable Difference Lash Gel Serum
Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

My Birchbox Trade List on MakeUpTalk.com is closed for now, or 3 out of the 5 items would be on it.

Here's what I think before I try any of it.

theBalm cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-In-One
I don't use blush. It's Orange. I've seen about 100 people on YouTube say it's a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush, only with less shimmer. How is it a dupe when it's not exactly the same. Could people say, "Almost a dupe"? The packaging is unique and interesting, kind of like a 1950's Hawai'i advertisement, only with a bikini. I will be adding this to my Birchbox Trade List on MakeUpTalk.com when I re-open it in a couple weeks.

Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo
I was going to trade this, but I've decided to use it, as long as it doesn't smell too bad. Leave-in conditioners and argan oil probably count as things that need to have a clarifying shampoo once in a while, right? I've seen people open it on YouTube and say it smells bad. Others like the smell. I haven't opened it yet, so I don't know. It's in a plain black and white bottle like the labeling used to be for generic products at the grocery store--just a white box with black writing.

Lashem Measurable Difference Lash Gel Serum
As soon as one girl on YouTube said something like, "... causes blindness, changes the pigmentation of your eyelid ... well, that was another kind of lash serum ... I might try this one ..." I knew this was not for me. Another one for the trade list.

Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
I don't know what to say. Skinny. Chic. Um, bad marketing? It's a perfume that's supposed to help curb cravings. It smells sweet like green apples and pears. Yeah, like that's gonna help curb my cravings. I love pears and green apples. I want the Harvey Prince Ageless Pink Grapefruit sample that Birchbox sent out this month. I was going to trade the Skinny Chic for that sample.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream
At least it doesn't have soy like one of the other face creams in the January Birchboxes. I have hormonal issues which soy aggravates. I can't eat things with soy and I don't want to put them on my skin. Of course, I didn't actually read the ingredients yet, so I might not use this either. It's 2 packets about the size of ketchup packets on little purple cards. I think there's 2 uses per packet. I hope it smells nice.

I'll post reviews as I either try each product or trade them and let you know what I think.

Tammy
ThePeridotCricket