July 2012 Birchbox

Yesterday, I finally received my July Birchbox.  It felt like it took forever this month for it to arrive, but I suppose I never have been one for much patience.

This month's 'theme' was the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.  It arrived in the signature Birchbox with everything wrapped in pretty tissue paper.  ( I ♥ getting these in the mail, it's like Christmas in July!)

The first item in this months box was a bright blue and pink set of earbuds.  I tested them out on my Iphone, and they work perfect.  I'm not sure how great they will stay in my ears on the go (my ears are slightly elephant sized and I have yet to have earbuds that stay in while I move ☺), but they are really cute, and will work great for jamming out while I'm working on paper work and what not either at home or at work.  This was of course the item that represents the sense of sound.

For the sense of taste, there was an Uber Larabar.  I was pretty excited about this, since I am in love withthe original Larabars.  The cherry pie flavored on is so good, and they are not too bad for you health wise.  I was actually a little disappointed when I tried it though.  The flavor was not very robust, and it just didn't match up to the original Larabar standards.  It was  still neat to test it out though, especially since now I won't buy a whole box of them and be disappointed with them.

For the sense of smell, there was a sample of Oscar De La Renta's Live in Love perfume.  The perfume is supposed to have hints of jasmine sambac, rose, ginger, orchid and amber to create a scent that is a mash up of modern and classy.  I love getting new scents, so this was a great sample.  It isn't a perfume I would actually purchase the full size of (there is a lot of amber overtones), but it is pleasant enough that I will wear it occasionally.

The next item I pulled out of the box was Alterna Bamboo UV+ Color Protection Fade-Proff Fluide.  Personally, I've never tried this product, but I have heard great things about it.  It is a finishing spray that is supposed to protect color treated hair as well as strengthen and give a glossy shine to both treated and non-treated hair.  This item, as well as the next two I'm really not sure which sense they are supposed to match up to.

After the hair protectant, the next in line item in this month's box was a Stila mini-sized lip gloss in the color Action.  Stila always has great lip glosses, and I'm sure this one is no exception.  It is a pretty berry color with a slightly golden sheen to it.  The applicator is a click type pen with a brush on the end.  So excited about this sample.  I have a bit of a lip gloss collection starting up, so this will fit in nicely.

Last, but certainly not least, was a small Jouer Luminizing Moisturizing Tint with SPF 20.  This is another product I personally haven't tried yet, but have heard great things about.  It came in the color Pearl, which will be great since I have such a light complexion.  It also has SPF 20 which is so important in a moisturizer (don't want any sunburns here!). 

This month's Birchbox is valued at about $12, not including the earbuds.  I couldn't really factor those in since they don't have a price on the website for them.  I've seen similar earbuds go for as little as $7 up to $20.  If I had to guess, I'd say the total value of the Birchbox is about $20 if you counted the earbuds, so not bad for only a $10 subscription fee.  I am really happy with the quality of the box this month. 

If you subscribe to Birchbox, or another make-up sample service, what did you get in this months box?

If you don't subscribe to a make-up subscription service and want to check Birchbox out, you can visit them at www.birchbox.com.