Birchbox : September 2012

I haven't posted much about my Birchboxes in a long while.  The reason being not that I don't enjoy receiving them but more so that I was obsessed with filming a video of what I got and supplementing that with a blog post.  Unfortunately that just never happened and box after box came and I never got around to talking about it.  The MyGlam bags (now under ipsy) are the same case and I might just do some catch up posts to tell you what I thought of the products I received.

Moving on, let's see what I received in my September box:

The September box is all about autumn and it comes with a little Fall Lookbook containing tips, trends and tons of product suggestions.  My box contains 1 full size, 1 deluxe sample, 3 samples, 1 lifestyle extra, a 2 song digital download link and a coupon code.

LARABAR uber - Bananas Foster (1 piece) [ Value : US$1.80 ]
RRP: US$9 (pack of 5)

I've received a LARABAR snack bar in one of my previous boxes which I eventually gave to my little brother since he loves these types of bites.  The packaging says that it is a sweet and salty fruit and nut bar, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher so I'm actually intrigued to know what this tastes like (update to follow on taste).  These are available in 3 other flavors -- Apple Turnover, Cherry Cobbler and Roasted Nut Roll.  My brother loves bananas so we'll see what he says.

Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash & Refined Finish Facial Polish (0.1 oz/ea) [ Value : US$0.47/US$0.49 ]
RRP: Facial Wash US$21 (4.5 oz); Facial Polish US$22 (4.5 oz)

These little samples are adorable.  Not sure how practical these are.  I've previously bought samples of these products in a set at ULTA and those had the cutest packaging.  None of this cardboard samples that I suppose are available as free samples at the counters?  Anyways, the facial wash contains glycerin so skin feels soft, not dry and tight.  The cleanser is said to be soothing, removing dirt, oil and even eye make up in one easy step with moisturizing amino acids.  The facial polish is a creamy scrub to buff away dirt and dead skin cells with tiny exfoliating molecules.  It contains clay to help detox skin and purge pores, mineral-rich seaweed for oil control and nutrients and glycolic acid to exfoliate and keep skin smooth.

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF25+ (3ml) [ Value : US$1.92 ]
RRP: US$32 (50ml)

BB creams have been all the rage the past couple of years.  I've tried a few with mixed feelings on the product so it would be interesting to try the Dr. Jart+ version.  This particular product is described as a 4-in-1 moisturizer, serum, sunscreen and skin perfecting tint.

Beauty Fixation - Make Up Remover (Full size) [ Value : US$2.50 (ACW)/US$5 ]
RRP: US$5 (24 applicators)

I've seen a similar product at Watsons and Sasa and thought it was a very convenient product.  Innovative too.  Each applicator contains 15ml of make up remover liquid, simply snap the color ring tip to release the product for use.  This is perfect for fixing and removing eye make up (those sharp eye liner lines perhaps?) and great for on the go.

twistband Hair Tie (1 piece) [ Value : US$1.50 ]
RRP: US$18 (12 pieces)

I received a couple of these already from previous boxes and I believe they were lifestyle extras then.  These honestly doesn't interest me mainly because it just looks like a piece of elastic ribbon with a knot.  Generally it does the job of keeping hair neatly tied up with very little tug and pressure to the hair.  It doesn't feel tight but for the time being I can't vouch for it's efficacy.

Color Club Birchbox Custom Polish - Insta-This (7ml) [ Value : US$4 ]
RRP: US$8 (15ml)

For the month of September, Birchbox teamed up with Color Club to produce 4 social media inspired nail polish colors -- Put A Pin In It, Status Update, Tweet Me and Insta-This.  I find it strange though that even though the names of these nail polishes are associated with popular social media platforms, the colors aren't reflective of their colors.  The color I received, Insta-This, for instance is clearly a play off of Instagram which one would imagine to be a brown shade.  Instead this is a darker version of the Facebook blue.  Maybe this should've been Status Update.  The formula is actually pretty good and is opaque in 2 coats.  Personally I don't mind the half size since I don't go through nail polish quickly.

Madewell $25 Gift Card [ Value : US$0-US$25 ]
RRP: N/A

I'm not familiar with the Madewell brand but based on their website they were originally jeans makers but now there are so much more than that, selling items from apparel to accessories to shoes and bags.  If you enjoy Jewelmint, you might like to browse through their selection of jewelry.  The clothes seem to be priced in the US$100+ price range.  I have no use for this gift card and it had already expired by the time I received it.

Birchbox Digital Download : Tristan Prettyman (2 songs) [ Value : US$1.98 ]
RRP: US$11.88 (12 individual downloads)

Tristan current musical crush is Tristan Prettyman who is a singer-songwriter.  I went to the website and check her songs out.  She has 3 albums out with Cedar + Gold being the latest 12 track album.  I felt her song My Oh My has a kinda Carrie Underwood vibe going on.  Check out a sample of her music from her latest album here.

Conclusion

I would say that this is an OK box.  Nothing particularly spectacular.  I liked the energy bar, BB cream and make up remover swabs.  While I thought the nail polish was a nice size with a good formula, it's not something that I'll get a lot of use out of unfortunately.  I'd already have better sized samples of the Benefit products which are more practical travel companions and a more suitable size to test the product so I wasn't completely overjoyed to see it in my box.  I'm not big on skin care samples.  The hair tie, coupon code and digital downloads weren't that exciting to me.  The total value of this box is US$14.66 - US$42.16 (if you utilize the US$25 gift card and purchase the swabs full price).

Note : Since I am based in Malaysia, it takes awhile for my to receive my Birchbox which I get shipped to me via vsHUB from the US so I'll usually receive my package about 2-4 weeks later depending on when I consolidate my shipping.