Can you believe we’re already a week into October?! I certainly cannot. I’m well into my 31 Days of Horror Challenge and I’m happy to report it’s going swimmingly, even with my four-day trip to Texas. When I arrived home from the airport on Tuesday, my October Birchbox was waiting for me at the front door, so that was a nice little welcome home after a long, somewhat stressful day of travel.
For this month, Birchbox subscribers were given the option to pick one of five mascara samples OR one of two featured boxes (Game Face or Power Pose). I selected the Power Pose box, which included five samples from Estée Lauder brands. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so Estée Lauder Companies partnered with Birchbox to donate $104,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and this month’s box is fully Breast Cancer Awareness-themed:
The box included a card with important information on breast cancer detection and prevention, along with details on what the BCRF does to advance research in this area. Ladies, do not forget to do your regular breast self-exams!!
On to the contents of this month’s box…here’s my sample card:
And here’s a photo of the box upon opening it…SO MUCH PINK.
A closer look inside my pink box (that’s what she said):
So! The sample I’m most excited about this month, and the reason I chose the Power Pose box, is the Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Mega Melon. I have actually never bought one of these Chubby Sticks before, but many beauty bloggers rave about them so I couldn’t wait to try one! The color works well for me and the product has a nice texture—it’s SO much better than the big fail that was the LAQA & Co lip crayon a couple months back:
Sample #2 is Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, an oil-free cream-gel that comes in a cute little tub. Clinique always has a nostalgia factor for me, as I used the shit out of their skin care products back in high school, so I’m happy to have received two of their samples this month. This product will hopefully be thirst-quenching for my skin as we get into the drier months of the year.
My third sample is Darphin STIMULSKIN PLUS Multi-Corrective Divine Cream. This VERY FANCY French stuff is supposed to soften lines as well as nourish, soften, brighten, and illuminate skin. It also cleans your house, does your laundry, cooks dinner, and pays your bills. When I say that this is a very high-end product, I’m not kidding; a 1.7 ounce jar costs $295!! Needless to say, no matter how much I end up liking this product I won’t be buying it full price but I’m happy to have received a 0.17 ounce sample of it. If I did the math right this is a sample valued at $30 here, folks. Very generous!
Sample #4 is Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II. Back in high school, Estée Lauder was sort of an old lady brand, but now that I’m edging into old…er lady territory it feels more appropriate. 😛 This serum is “super-potent” and uses some kind of technology to “dramatically reduce all signs of aging.” Sounds a little too good to be true, but sure, I’ll try it out. Why not? This is another pretty generous sample, as a 0.5 ounce (full-sized) bottle costs $65.
My final sample this month is the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, which is another beauty blogger favorite that I’ve somehow managed to never try. Now that I think about it, this sample was another reason I chose the Power Pose box over the Game Face box. I can’t wait to see if this primer is as awesome as everyone says it is!
The box also included a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon that you can pin wherever to show off your support for breast cancer research. It’s a sweet extra touch, so thank you, Birchbox!
As I do every month, I’d like to see how these products are rated in EWG’s Skin Deep Database (my guess is that they’re not so great).
- Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm: unlisted
- Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief: unlisted, but the few other Clinique skin care products are rated low or medium hazard with limited data—better than I’d expected!
- Darphin STIMULSKIN PLUS Multi-Corrective Divine Cream: the exact product is unlisted, but other STIMULSKIN PLUS products are listed as medium hazard (but low on the medium scale) with limited data
- Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II: unlisted, but the few other products from the brand that show up are medium or high hazard with limited data
- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer: the exact product is unlisted, but the other versions of this primer range from low to high hazard with limited data
All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with my October Birchbox!
Read my September 2015 Birchbox Review
Read my August 2015 Birchbox Review
Read my July 2015 Birchbox Review
Read my June 2015 Birchbox Review
Read my May 2015 Birchbox Review
Read my April 2015 Birchbox Review
What is Birchbox?
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.). They also have an online store filled with full sized versions of all the products they include in their monthly subscription boxes, so if you fall in love with a sample they sent you, you can go back to their site and buy the real thing. Use my referral link to sign up for your own subscription!
