Birchbox April 2014

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good Easter! Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, but I just started the Esthetics course at the Continental School of Beauty! I have a lot going on between school and work, but I'm going to try to at least put up my subscription box reviews for you all.
 Per usual, Birchbox came in first!!

April Birchbox

 

This month's theme is Rainy Days!

 

Birchbox gave us some tips for a rainy day!

 

Tip 37: Treat yourself to a facial, or give yourself an at-home-version, complete with steaming, exfoliation, mask, and serum.

 

 

You can pick up all 52 tips in the Birchbox Shop!

 

 

Birchbox came out with a new VIP Program called Birchbox Aces!

 

You can visit Birchbox.com/ace for more details.

 

 

Anastasia Beverly Clear Brow Gel

Deluxe Size (0.085 fl oz)-$6.68 Value!

It's been a while since I've used a brow gel, but I'm happy to try one by Anastasia! I may pair this with one of my eye brow pencils since I use wax when using brow powder.

 

Supergoop! Daily Corect CC Cream

Sample size (3 ml)-$ 2.03 Value!

I prefer the Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face I got last month to this product. I don't dislike this cc cream, but I wouldn't go out and buy it. The Coola product felt much nicer on the skin.

 

Color Club Gala's Gems Collection (Breakfast At....)

Deluxe Size (0.25 fl oz)-$3.25 Value!

This is a Birchbox Exclusive! Some Birchbox subscribers received another color from the collection-Gold Struck, Aquamarine Azulino, or Heirloom Pearls. I am most excited about this product because I am obsessed with nail polish and can never have enough! I am so happy to receive this shade from the collection because I absolutely love the color!!
 

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant

Deluxe Size (1 fl oz)-$7.27 Value!

I was happy to receive this in my box because I love and trust Paula's Choice products. I've been using the Hydralight System, so I was excited to get another skincare product to try. While I prefer the feeling of  lotions to gels, this is an excellent product and good sample size.

 

Lifestyle Extra: Kind Healthy Grain Bars

Deluxe Size (1.2 oz)-$0.79 Value!

I enjoyed this healthy snack and would like to try other flavors. It was nice to be able to easily read the ingredients list and know what I'm putting in my body.

Cost: $10.00
Value: $20.02!

This was another great box from Birchbox! I was happy to receive some great products from a few of my favorite brands!

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? If so, what did you get in this month's box?

If you'd like to sign up for Birchbox for $10/Month, I'd love it if you'd use my referral link!

 

 

 



Paula's Choice Pt. II

I was originally going to try Paula's Choice Hydralight Shine-Free Daily Mineral Complex SPF 30 before investing in the complete set. But since Paula's Choice is having a 15% off everything sale, I took the opportunity to buy the complete Hydralight System. Even though I already had one product in the set, it seemed worth buying the complete system for the price difference. I figure I can give away the extra moisturizer to a friend!

 

Hydralight System: Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser, Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner, Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant, Hydralight Shine-Free Daily Mineral Complex SPF 30, and Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion

 

 

Step-By-Step Guide

The system comes with a complete step-by-step guide telling you exactly when and in which order to apply the products. With a tool like this, it will be a breeze learning my new skincare routine!

 

Free Bonus: Oil Blotting Papers

 

This skincare set was such a great deal! Not only did I save money buying the complete set over buying the products individually, but I got the 15% off discount on top of the sale price! Plus the system also included a free pack of oil-blotting papers!!

 

 

 

Free Samples: Beautiful Body Butter, Slip Into Silk Body Lotion, and Almost the Real Thing Self-Tanning Gel

 

 

Shop Paula's Choice now to save 15% off your order!

Have you tried Paula's Choice yet?

 

Paula's Choice Pt. I

I'm a huge fan of Paula Begoun, The Cosmetics Cop. She is the founder of Paula's Choice skin care and cosmetics and has written multiple books on skincare, makeup, and hair care. I personally have a copy of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me and Don't Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me and find them to be valuable resources. If you get the chance, I recommend checking out some of her books-they are a wealth of information and reviews.

Paula has taught me so much about skincare, how to read ingredient labels, and what to look for in beauty products. Paula has done numerous reviews on beauty products from multiple cosmetic companies letting consumers know which products are worth the money and which don't live up to their hype! She then has used her years of research on skin-care ingredients to create her own skincare and cosmetic line, Paula's Choice. Today, I will share my latest order from Paula's Choice!!

 

My Paula's Choice Order

 

 

CLINICAL Scar-Reducing Serum

 

This is a new product I've been eyeing since I have a few old scars. However, due to a few new cat scratches that left slight scaring I figured I'd finally give this product a try! I tested it out for the first time this morning, and I'm thinking I might do a before and after post on this product's results.

 

 

Hydralight Shine-Free Daily Mineral Complex SPF 30

 

Paula's Choice is having a 20% off sale on moisturizers with SPF, so I picked up this new moisturizer since it got great reviews. I can't wait to try it out and will probably end up buying the complete Hydralight collection at some point. I also want to try the Skin Balancing System! I love that Paula Choice offers a sample set of the system for those who'd like to try it before buying the complete set!

 

 

Extra Care Non-Greasy Sunscreen SPF 50

 

You can never have too much sunscreen since you need to apply sunscreen liberally and frequently. I wanted to stock up since I plan out being outdoors more often this summer. I love that this sunscreen is broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays) and has the maximum SPF rating (filtering out 98% of UVB rays). I also got 20% off this product!

 

Free Samples: RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment 5% AHA, RESIST Daily Moisturizer SPF 25, and Hydralight Toner

 

Paula's Choice offers free shipping with $50+ order plus 3 free samples with a minimum $5 order (but you can always pay for additional samples). I plan to try the two RESIST samples together and the Hydralight Toner in conjunction with my new Hydralight moisturizer.

 

Additional Free Samples: Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30, RESIST Retinol Skin-Smoothing Body Treatment, and CLINICAL Instant Calm Advanced Redness Relief

 

I didn't pay for any additional samples, so it was a nice surprise to see three more added to my order! I love how Paula's Choice goes above and beyond!

 

Free Requested Catalog

 

Paula's Choice gives you the option to include a free catalog. I love having a catalog to browse through when on the go!

 

Free Additional Book

 

They also threw in this free book on debunking beauty myths! I am always looking to increase my beauty knowledge, so this book will definitely be a handy resource!!

 

Paula's Choice offers a Hassle-Free Guarantee, so I definitely recommend checking it out!

 

What do you think of my order? Which Paula's Choice products do you most want to try? Have you read any of Paula Begoun's books?