My fifth Birchbox came in the mail yesterday, so today I’m going to blog about it for the first time! In case you’ve never heard of Birchbox, it’s a $10/month subscription box that includes five sample sized products based on your preferences (makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance, etc.). It’s so fun to get a box filled with surprise treats each month!

The Birchbox folks are packaging geniuses; I think this month has my favorite box design thus far—it’s so very appropriately springy.

March 2015 BirchboxWhat I discovered when I lifted the top off (that’s what she said) is that this month’s theme is “creativity.”

IMG_4387My March 2015 Birchbox items, revealed. (BTW, I absolutely LOVE the rich kelly green color of the tissue paper. It doesn’t really come through in these photos.)

March 2015 Birchbox samplesThe description card for my items:

IMG_4389And the color of the Cargo blush:

Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush Los Cabos - BirchboxI’m curious about the Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray; I’m not one for hair styling, but I’ll definitely give this product a shot. Its label includes the magic words—texturize and volumize—and it’s made in Brooklyn. Local!

Whish Hair Inhibiting Gel…hmm. I’m skeptical for sure; a sample size probably won’t last long enough to determine whether my hair growth is in fact inhibited. We’ll see if this has any effect whatsoever.

The Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo smells like…shampoo. I’m probably the least excited about this one, but maybe it’ll surprise me. They also slipped in a bonus pack of Number 4 Reconstructing Masque “to smooth and strengthen hair.” My hair could certainly use some strength, and I’ve never used a hair mask before so I’m looking forward to sampling the mask masque. I received a Number 4 hair spray in a previous Birchbox, but I haven’t used it yet (like I said, I’m not so into hair styling). One of these days I’ll make it a point to do a Number 4 trifecta by shampooing, using the mask, and then actually bothering to style my hair with the spray. Maybe I’ll even post pics here.  🙂

Every time I see the brand name Supergoop! I think it’s Gwyneth-related, but it’s not. I have yet to try a CC cream so the Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream will be fun to sample. I appreciate that it has SPF 40—my fair skin needs it!

I don’t particularly need another blush, especially not a waterproof one, as I don’t tend to wear makeup if I’m going in the water. But the shimmery, peachy-coral “Los Cabos” shade of Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush is different from the colors I usually use and will be a nice change for spring.

Just for funsies, let’s see how these products rate on the EWG Skin Deep database:

  • Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray: unlisted
  • Whish Hair Inhibiting Gel: unlisted
  • Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo: unlisted
  • Number 4 Reconstructing Masque: unlisted.
  • Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream: unlisted, but the 2013 formulation with SPF 35 is Low hazard with limited data. Pretty promising!
  • Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush: unlisted

Zero for six on products rated by the EWG. Not surprising, as Birchbox doesn’t claim to offer only nontoxic samples. They do tend to send brands that use at least some natural and organic ingredients, so it does feel like they’re making an effort (just like me!). We’re all in this together. 🙂

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