March 2012 Birchbox: Teen Vogue Beauty Picks

 This month Birchbox collaborated with Teen Vogue. And, in my humble opinion, this has been the best box since I joined in December. I received TWO full sized products this month from brands that I either love or s about for months. Okay, enough of this silly introduction. Onto the products I received!

 

An overview shot of all the products in my box.

1. Essie polish "Set in Stone"

I'm a big fan of Essie polishes. They've got great formulation and their pastel colors are superb. The color that they sent me is part of the new luxeffects line that they've been promoting heavily for the past couple months. Essie describes this polish as "disco mirror ball chaos" and I would have to agree. The polish itself does not have a name on it and I'm a little curious why not but that would be my only complaint at the moment.

2. Kate Spade "Twirl" perfume sample

I feel that perfume samples in Birchboxes are...eh. I could easily go to my counter and receive a perfume I'm actually interested in for free. It seems pointless to me to pay for a sample. But because the products this month were so fantastic, I'm okay with it. My thoughts on the perfume. It is very sweet. I don't hate it but I don't think I would buy it either.

3. Kerastase Elixir Ultimate

I don't know what to say about this product. I'm not a hair person. I normally throw it up in a bun or braid it. But even though I'm not a huge hair person, even I want hydrate, smooth, and sleeky hair. I will report back on this one.

4. Twistband hair tie

I think this was another filler sample like the perfume. I like the idea--it's tied by you so you can decide the length and it won't break. I don't know if you can tell in the picture above but the twistband they sent has metallic reflex in it. So pretty. I think it's a bit expensive when bought in singles but in packs [12 for $18] I think the price is very reasonable.

5. Tarte LipSurgance Matte Lip Tint

 I saved the best for last! This was the sample that blew me away. I've have been wanting a Tarte lip tint for ages! Ages! And to get a full-sized tint in my Birchbox that only cost ten dollars? I was so impressed.

In conclusion, I was very happy with this Birchbox. I love this subscription service because once every month it feels like Christmas. For those who are thinking about scribing I would warn that some months are fantastic with great full sized products and others are a bit more blah. Do you get Birchboxes? What do you think of this program? Tell me in the comments below!

Julep Maven March Bombshell Box

 I just recieved my second Julep Maven Box in the mail two days ago. Julep Maven is a monthly subscription box, in a similar vein of Jewelmint. Each month Julep will create a box of at least two nail polishes that they believe will fit your style. If you don't like the colors than you can pick another box or skip a month. Julep is a company based right here in Seattle! Whoot.

The box came with two shades. Sofia [described as  a sheer spring green with a flash of aqua sparkle glitter] and Natasha [a vibrant orange creme]. The green color is really, really, really sheer. It would take five or six coats to make it opaque. It is more of a top coat than an actual polish color. It also came with a bottle of Moroccan oil. I've never tried Moroccan oil before but I've heard so many people rave about this stuff.

Here is a comparison of the size of the Julep nail polish with an OPI and Essie polish. A Julep polish holds 8 ml or 0.27 FL oz. In comparison an OPI holds 15 ml/0.5 FL oz and an Essie contains 13.5 ml/0.46 FL oz.  

Now onto the review. I think that these polishes are very expensive. They range from fourteen-twelve dollars and from my experience with this box and the previous box, the polishes can be hit or miss because it is hard to accurately judge a color from a picture online. And that's a lot of money to pay for a color you necessariily won't like. But, that is always the problem with buying anything online. The price is what prevents me from purchasing a box each month. I know that it might not make economic sense but I wish that boxes were a little bit cheaper.

The part of these boxes isn't the nail polish but the exttra full-size goodie. This month it was morrocan oil and last time it was a hand scrub.  This is what will set Julep apart from other monthly subscripton boxes. This month I was disappointed with Sofia because in the bottle it looks beautiful but it failed to live up to my expectations. It was really difficult for me to sign up for the website back in mid December and I hope that things have imporved since then. Swatches of both polishes will be up soon.

In the comments below tell me if you've heard of Julep and tell me about your experience if you've ever purcahsed anything!