Birchbox: March 2012 (Teen Vogue)

I officially made the switch to a yearly Birchbox subscription. I'm so excited to of the prospects of another year of these lovely little boxes.

Don't know what Birchbox is?
Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that delivers a little, heavenly box of premium beauty samples to your doorstep. Each month you will receive 4-5 samples (sometimes even full-sized products) and generally a goodie (energy booster, granola bar, etc). The samples range from make-up, polishes, skincare, body, hair, and fragrances. All from luxury, quality brands. Every month is a surprise, but the samples picked for you are based on a survey you fill out letting the gals know your style and skin-type. Birchbox costs just $10 a month, and your box will always be valued way above!
Click here to join Birchbox.

March 2012, Box #2

This month Birchbox teamed up with the beauty editors at Teen Vogue to bring us party-ready products.
You had a choice to opt-in or out of the Teen Vogue box. I chose to open a second account so that I would get my regular box and a Teen Vogue box. Yeah I have a problem. I confirmed by phone that my accounts were correctly opted in and out, but somehow I still ended up with 2 Teen Vogue boxes. I wasn't the only one who had their boxes messed up. Some people opted-in and still got regular boxes and vice-versa. Birchbox would have avoided all of the issues if they had made the option not an email link but a physical location in our profile. And even better, made it possible to receive both boxes on a single account. So currently options are to keep the box, return it for a refund, or maybe I'll be abel to trade it for a regular box with someone who wants it. Either way, too much of a headache for something that should be fun.

     I scratched the top of the box while I was trying to open it...woops

Information Cards:

Products:
Annick Goutal: Petite Chérie
A blend of fresh fruity notes and musk, this French fragrance is the definition of understated chic.
Full size: 1.7oz ($85.00)
Size Received: .06oz ($3.00)
The packaging says this perfume is a sexy floral menage of peach, vanilla, fresh grass, and musky rose. It smells so fresh and crisp. The peach is definitely the top note and is very strong, but once it starts to settle you can smell the grass and the sweetness of the rose. It actually smells quite lovely, but it reminds me of Herbal Essence Shampoo. That shampoo is so fragrant and I can smell it miles away on anyone who uses it. Not a bad thing, but do I want to pay $85 to smell like shampoo? It would be a great fragrance for a spring day spent at the park or when you are headed to the farmer's market with friends.

essie: luxeffects nail polish in a cut above
Layer this glittery top coat onto any polish for an eye-catching look.
Full size: .46oz ($8.00)
Size Received: Full-size! .46oz ($8.00)
I haven't actually ever tried an essie's nail polish. I can get Chanel manufactured Gap nail polish for $4 with my employee discount, so I tend to just buy Gap nail polish. This top coat is fun and flirty. The color is the cutest pink that will really look good against any nail polish color. Im really excited to pair it with my dark, plum red nail polish. It will turn any boring manicure into glitz and glam. There is both small and large sparkles in the nail polish, but mostly the large sparkles. It takes a bit of work to get the sparkles to spread evenly, but it is doable. Im not the most glittery gal, but I'll add his to my tips or to a few nails every so often to add that extra sparkle. 

Shiseido: Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Papers
These mattifying tissues are coated with transparent rice powder to leave your skin perfectly shine-free.
Full size: 100 sheets ($18.00)
Size Received: 10 sheets ($1.80)
It seemed like not many people wanted to get this sample, but I was hoping that I would get Box 2 so that I could try these! I was so excited when I opened my box and saw them. I live in DC which has the most humid summers ever. Think Florida humid. The humidity lasts most of the year. Im the type of person who can handle heat, but not humidity. Going out during the summer is just a gross mess for me. My hair ends up slick and my face shimmering like I spread castor oil on it. Yeah, yeah, using tissues work, but having these ready in my purse will save me a trip to the overcrowded bathroom. These will get rid of excess oil, reduce the shine, and not leave any residue! 

tarte: LipSurgence lip tint in amused
This long-lasting stain adds rich pigment and is designed to boost the moisture level in your lips. 
Full size: .1oz($24.00)
Size Received: Full-size! .1oz ($24.00)
The packaging says 6000% increase in lip's moisture content. Uh, I don't know if I am buying that. It is a very soft, glossy formula; but that much moisture...don't think so. Amused is a hot pink color, but it is very sheer. It gives just a little more color pay off as the birchbox colored jouer lip gloss. I do like the color, but I would have liked it more if it was more opaque. It is formulated without: parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium laurel sulfate, or synthetic fragrances. I have no idea what some of those are, but I guess that is good. The more natural, the better. And it even has the cruelty free bunny on the side of the packaging. The irritating part is that when I went to try it out on my lips the entire tip almost cracked off. I can still use it though, I just have to be careful. I contacted birchbox and they gave me 100 BB points for the issue. 

eta: The more I use the product, the more I fall for it. At first it was a bit too sheer for me, but when I wore it out I got so many compliments and only need to reapply once the entire night. And it did stain well, even if the gloss effect wore off I still had a pretty, pink tone to my lips.

twistband: Hair Tie
Give your ponytail a makeover with these colorful, snag-free elastics.
Full size: 12 pack ($18.00)
Size Received: 1 tie ($1.50)
This is the second time that Birchbox has had these hair ties as an extra. I don't understand why anyone would pay $18 for 12 hair ties!? They do nothing for my thin, limp hair. I need to use baby, clear plastic elastics for hair ties. I have to wrap this around my hair 4-5x to get it to hold. But what I do like is the color. The last one I ended up wearing on my wrist when I would wear my hair down at work. That way if I was moving a lot of boxes I could swiftly put it up. But it is just a piece of pretty elastic tied together...Why feature this twice!? I'd much rather packets of tea or music downloads.

ModCloth.com $10 coupon
Included in this month's box was a $10 off any purchase $75+ at Modcloth.com. I have been a fan of ModCloth for years and have many cute blouses and dresses from the website. They have a little bit of every style: boho, indie, trendy, preppy, etc. I love that most of the clothing has a twist that makes it special. They very rarely have coupons, so I may need to take a look around. Although, at this moment I dont' see myself using this. Right on the coupon they say to share with friends. So if you want to get the discount, use the promo code: MODPROM.

Total value of my March 2012 box:$38.30
Not a bad value, but the majority of that value is my broken tarte lip tint. Let's hope Birchbox helps me out. I think I would have liked the box a bit more if I knew I was still getting my regular box, but alas life does not alway work out how you want it to.


What do you think of my March Birchbox? Did you opt for the Teen Vogue box? How does my box compare to yours? Let me know in the comments below!
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