June 2013 Birchbox

The June 2013 Birchbox was "filled with samples from near and far that will serve you well on all your summer adventures," including an exclusive mini polish from the Birchbox + Color Club Wanderlust Collection which features four shades each named after one of the Birchbox international headquarters: Barcelona, London, New York, and Paris.

My June 2013 Birchbox included the following samples:

Birchbox + Color Club - Wanderlust Collection ($8.00/set of four 0.25 oz polishes)
What: Exclusive neon pastel shades inspired by four of our favorite cities.
How: Two coats will give you an opaque, glossy finish.

Sample size: 0.25 oz
Sample value: $2.00

I received the shade London Calling which is a minty neon green.  I've never been drawn to neon polishes, but this minty shade is a nice way to ease into the trend and it somehow manages to make my pale skin look a little sun-kissed.

Coola - Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face ($32.00/1.7 oz)
What: Mineral sunblock infused with organic evening primrose extract and borage seed oil.
How: Smooth on a thin layer an hour before stepping outside.

Sample size: 0.23 oz
Sample value: $4.33

I'm thrilled to have received this sample from Coola.  I've been wanting to try their facial sunscreens after hearing Michele1218 on YouTube rave about them.  They're pretty pricy though, so I was hesitant to try them without sampling them first.  I really enjoy the fresh cucumber scent of this product.  Having only swatched a small bit of it on my face thus far, I can't give a full review just yet... but from first impressions, I love it!  It seems very light weight, not at all sticky like a lot of drugstore sunscreens, and it absorbs quickly.  I don't think this would fair well as a solo moisturizer for anyone with dry skin, but for my oily skin this may become a holy grail product to replace moisturizer and sunscreen in the summer.  If I enjoy this product, I will definitely consider purchasing it full size as I need to find a good sunscreen that won't break me out.  I love that this is all natural.  The only negative I can find about this product thus far is the fact that you need to allow the product a full hour to begin working before sun exposure.

Laqa & Co. - Lil' Lip Duo ($16.00/set of two 0.07 oz lip pencils)
What: A Birchbox exclusive, these pencils have a creamy texture, satiny finish, and minty kick.
How: One coat gets you a pretty wash of color; two gives you a serious pop.

Sample size: 0.07
Sample value: $8.00

I received Laqa & Co.'s signature hot pink lip pencil in the shade Lambchop.  This is a bright, bold, blue-based pink that is unlike anything I own or typically wear.  It's a bit outside my usual comfort zone as it is quite blue against my skintone, but I can always tone it down a little by pairing a more neutral-toned gloss on top.  The small size is adorable and convenient for throwing into your purse or beach bag to enjoy on the go throughout the summer.

Suki - Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser ($32.95/4 oz)
What: Two-in-one cleanser and exfoliator that magically lathers and smells deliciously lemony.
How: Massage a nickel-sized amount onto damp skin, then rinse.

Sample size: 0.25
Sample value: $2.06

This is a product I've used in the past after a dear friend (the very friend who introduced me to Birchbox over two years ago) recommended it to me.  I had purchased mine via Hautelook for half price (while I enjoyed the product, I don't think it's worth the regular retail price).  From my recollection, this product has a very pleasing scent and texture.  It starts as a gentle but effective scrub but begins foaming as you work it into your skin, for a nice, deep clean.  My one annoyance with the product was the open jar (which is difficult to keep sanitary and over time the scrub tends to clump and dry out).  As far as exfoliating foaming cleansers are concerned, I really enjoyed this one; however, the Befine Exfoliating Cleanser remains my favorite (and it wins out for better packaging and a more budget-friendly price).  It's been well over a year since I last used this product.  I'm really happy with my current, mostly natural skincare, but I'm looking forward to trying this cleanser again.

100% Pure - Nourishing Body Cream ($15.00/8 oz)
What: An all-natural body lotion made with skin-softening fruit oils.
How: Massage a generous amount of lotion into your skin as often as needed.

Sample size: 0.132 oz
Sample value: $0.25

This is another product I've been wanting to try out.  Yet again, another YouTuber (this time PinkSoFoxy) has raved about this product so much that I've been dying to try it out.  The main reason I haven't purchased any of the 100% pure body creams before now is simply that I have a pretty large stock of lotion right now that I'm trying to work through before I purchase any new lotions/creams/butters.  I love that these products are all natural and the price isn't bad either.  I do wish the samples of these had been more generous.  These small foil samples may be enough for one application on my hands and elbows, but not much else; however, they should provide me enough of a feel for the product to decide if I'd like to purchase them full-size in the future.

Total box value: $16.64

A closer look at the texture of the natural sugar in the Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser.  The sugar provides an effective exfoliant that slowly melts as you work the product into a rich and creamy lather on the skin.

The Laqa & Co. lip pencil in their signature hot pink, Lambchop.

A swatch of the Laqa & Co. lip pencil in Lambchop.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with my Birchbox this month.  I really like the samples I received and look forward to using them.  My only complaint is that some of the samples (the body creams and cleanser) are pretty tiny.  I do feel like the collection of samples themselves were thoughtful and perfect for summer.