In my birthday recap post last week I mentioned one of my gifts: the Limited Edition Birchbox x Vogue 125. I’ve finally had a chance to try out each of the items inside and to sit down and write about them here!
The story behind this particular limited edition box is that this year marks the 125th anniversary of Vogue. To celebrate, the magazine worked with horticulturists to create a beautiful peach-hued Vogue rose:
So Vogue teamed up with Birchbox for the first time to create a box filled with Vogue rose-inspired goodies including exclusive shades from popular brands. When I was coming up with a list of birthday gift ideas to send my mom, I happened across this $68 limited edition box on Birchbox.com ($224 value). At first blush (see what I did there?) the box looked like it was pandering to Millennial Pink fans, but when I read the back story and checked out all the pretty items it contained, I decided that it sounded like something I should probably have in my life. 🙂
When the box arrived, I was very excited to tear into these beauty treats!
The first product I’ll talk about is a full sized Aerin Rose Lip Conditioner ($28). Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of makeup maven Estée Lauder, crafted this beautiful rosy lip tint specifically for this Birchbox. The lip color is a lovely, sheer light pink, and the product is rose-scented, thick, and shiny without being sticky or goopy. You can see a swatch of this lip product later in this post. Needless to say, I love it.
Next is the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask ($22), which I was very excited to try. If you have been following my blog, you know how much I love sheet masks—but I had never even heard of a dry sheet mask until I read about the Vogue box.
This particular mask is actually re-usable up to three times, and it comes in a re-sealable pouch for sanitary storage. I tried this mask out on my birthday, and it looks terrifying!
The mask has two sets of straps to loop around your ears so it doesn’t fall off your noggin while it does its thing. I’m always wary of products that claim to be “instant magic” like this one does, and I don’t think I came away from my first use with any visible results. I’ll certainly use it two more times and see if it makes my skin feel more hydrated, radiant, and tighter like it claims to do. Let’s just say I’m not really expecting any miracles.
The next product is a full sized JINsoon Nail Lacquer in Vogue Rose. This nail artist’s interpretation of the color is peachier than those of the other brands in the box. Looks like you can’t buy this nail polish on Birchbox.com, but the brand’s full sized polishes usually go for $18.
I decided to do a little fun nail art with this color using a tip I learned from Cupcakes and Cashmere awhile back. I painted two coats of nail color (with an accent nail on each hand) and let them dry. Then I dipped a Q-Tip into a dark color (Olivera by Zoya) and used it to place a small dot at the base of each nail. They’re not quite perfect, but they still look pretty good!
This next product is the most valuable in the box: a full sized tub of Earth Tu Face Face Balm ($68). The brand and product are both new to me; the 100% natural balm contains immortelle flower (Helicrysum) for increased cell turnover and rose petals to reduce redness and calm irritation. You can use it all over your face or just on dry areas as needed. This balm is very thick and a little greasy, so I wouldn’t use it as a daily moisturizer in the summer. I often get really irritated, dry spots on my hands and fingers, so I’m going to try a bit of this balm on those and see if it helps. I think it’ll be great in the winter when my facial skin gets really dry and angry. And, of course, it smells like roses!
Another fun facial product in this box is a full sized Herbivore Botanicals Rose Hibiscus Face Mist ($32). I didn’t exactly need another face mist, but I do love them and will certainly get use out of this one throughout the swampy DC summer. As with most of the other products in this box, it smells like roses. And I love the simplicity of this brand’s label design. Two thumbs up!
The next product is a travel sized sample of OUAI Rose Hair & Body Oil (full-size, $32). I haven’t tried this product on my hair just yet—I’m a little reluctant to put oil on my locks because they’re so damn fine and they get weighed down very easily. Fortunately, this oil is a multitasker so I used it to moisturize my legs after showering. My skin can be very sensitive, but I didn’t have any irritation after using this oil on my legs. I will eventually try a teeny bit on my hair and see how it goes.
A full sized NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Vogue Rose ($25) was one of the products that really lured me in. The rose champagne color is so light and pretty without being too sparkly like other, similar products I’ve received recently. While intended for use as an eye shadow, this stick can double as a highlighter. I will say that the formula is a little hard—it tugged at my eyelids a bit when I applied it directly from the stick, and the color then required some blending with my fingertip. The shade is very nice, though; you can see a swatch of it later in this post.
Last but certainly not least is a full sized rms beauty lip2cheek in Vogue Rose ($36). I have a couple other rms beauty products but had yet to try a lip2cheek. I love this peachy pink shade, and it’s pretty intensely pigmented so a little goes a long way. I have tapped and blended it into the apples of my cheeks for a flattering flush, and I’ve also applied it to my lips for a pretty pink pout. I will say that, while the formula lasts for some time on the lips, it does start to look patchy after awhile.
As promised, here are the swatches of the three makeup products from this box:
And here I am wearing rms lip2cheek on my cheeks and lips. It’s funny how in person I feel like I have almost too much blush on, but in photos it’s hardly visible.
Whew! That’s a whole load of exciting new products added to my beauty arsenal. I’m pretty pleased with these products and will have so much fun playing around with them. Birchbox and Vogue did a great job on this collaboration, and the price of this limited edition box seriously cannot be beat—the face balm itself is worth the entire cost of the box! If any or all of these products appeal to you, make sure you get your hands on a Limited Edition: Birchbox x Vogue 125 before it sells out!
