Birchbox January 2016 Review

This will be my last Birchbox, I cancelled it just days before hearing the news that Birchbox is pausing their Canadian operations.  I chose not to pick a Sample Choice option this month since I was not overly impressed with any of them.

The packaging this month was bright pink, purple and orange with stickers to show your choice of the year.  2016: The Year of Strength, Fearlessness, Risks, Creativity, Gratitude, Ambition or Joy.

Harvey Prince Ageless

I remember when Ageless first came out and was supposed to make you smell younger at a fairly hefty price tag.  I know someone who wears Ageless and I always found it a bit overpowering on her and I was not all that impressed with it.  But on trying it myself, it seems to work with my body chemistry because I love the smell of it.  Not enough to pay for a bottle since it isn’t something I would wear everyday, but if I found it on sale I may pick it up.

DermaE hydrating Scrub

I can’t think of a derma e product I have tried and not liked and this hydrating scrub is no different.  With winter drying my skin, it was great to have something hydrating and exfoliating at the same time.  The scrubby beads are fairly rough but not to the point where they leave scratches like some rougher beads and the creamy base leaves your skin soft.

Juara Candlenut Body Creme

This was the Sample Choice option for January.  Now I kind of wish I made a choice and chose Ursa Major Fortifying Face Balm.  Juara’s Candlenut Creme is very god, but just a body creme.  It smells great though and is nice and small to fit in my small makeup bag in my purse.

gorge* I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray

gorge* I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray is an interesting product, it seems to claim that it is a leave in detangling conditioner, deheat protecting spray, repairs hair and more.  Here are all of the claims:

• Protects your hair from heat styling tools
• Detangles instantly and increases manageability
• Prevents your ends from splitting
• Adds amazing shine
• Repairs damaged hair
• Seals in the cuticles and protects the colour
• Stops hair breakage
• Enhances the natural body
• Seals in moisture
• Creates smooth, silky hair

With the exception of repairing hair (and I don’t believe that any spray can fix damaged hair or split ends once they are done) it actually seems to live up to the promises.  It left my hair silky smooth and made straightening easier.  I haven’t used it long enough to tell if it protects my colour and stops my hair breaking, but it seems healthy and shiny.

The spray is not a liquid as you would expect, but a thicker shampoo/conditioner like consistency so it can take a few pumps to work it through the spray bottle but it spreads evenly when sprayed and does not leave an obvious residue.

Tony Moly Tony Tint Delight in Red

My least favourite of my samples this month and one of the featured Birchbox items for January.  This lip tint is fairly liquidy and if you have chapped lips, it stains the chapped areas badly while needing to be layered to build up on unchapped areas.  It would great for an ombre lip look though but you need to moisturize very well before using it.

Overall, not the best box.  I would probably buy the gorge spray again, the skincare products are decent but won’t replace my current items and you can get perfume samples on a regular basis as extras/samples with products.