I got my very first Birchbox! It was like Christmas. I am one of those people that thoroughly enjoys getting mail. Yep, even if it is a bill. I love mail!

When I originally looked into getting a Birchbox, I said to myself…is it really worth a monthly subscription? After looking through their products online, I came to the conclusion that YES it is. Many of the products vary – skincare, hair care, make-up, health, etc. In my very first box (they have the most adorable packing, by the way), I received something hair, health, and make-up related. They gear it towards what YOU would use so that they aren’t sending you wasteful items.

So, what goodies did I get? I’ll tell ya…

1. Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner: So, I’m kind of an eyeliner snob. It makes a difference what you use, especially if you are trying to achieve a certain look. I like different kinds of eyeliner, meaning their medium: gel, pencil, stick. I was a bit skeptical when I pulled this out of the box. I got black – so I was a little nervous. I usually wear dark brown. It is a little less intense around my lighter eyes. But I tried it anyway. First impression: WOW it goes on very smoothly. I would use the word velvety. I could create a cat eye very easily and had good application the first time over (I didn’t have to keep going over the area to make it darker). I figured that it would smudge or ‘run’ as the day went on. NOPE – I was wrong. It stayed on all day without a single hitch! No black residue in my eye creases, no running, no smudging. I am pleasantly surprised! If I were buying this, I’d probably purchase the Charcoal. Again, I don’t usually go for black.

2. Noya Lip Gloss in Summertime Peach: This is such a pretty color! I find myself constantly going for peachy tones for my blushes, yet never for my lips. The color was subtle. I’m a lipstick lover, so I would have liked a little deeper color. I did try it on top of my Tarte Amazonian Butter lipstick (Angelic Nude) and it was very pretty. By itself, it went on smoothly – no stickiness – and didn’t dry my lips out at all. In fact, even after it wore off, my lips were soft like I had put on lip moisturizer. If you are someone that likes the smallest bit of color in a lip gloss, I would recommend trying this. It is a great product for those who don’t typically use lipstick or lip stain – a little bit of color on your lips can really pull a look together! I also love the fact that it is all natural.

3. Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer, Shampoo, & Conditioner: I normally use Biolage for my hair. My hair is colored, so I do use product to help it from fading too much. I have used Nexxus in the past and didn’t mind it at all. Obviously, this product is hard to test because I’d need to use it from the get-go; however, I thought what the heck – I’ll give it a try! First impression, loved the Pre-Wash Primer. Ingenious! It is a serum that penetrates into your hair making it hard for water to get in and wash away the color. Pretty neat. Plus it smells fantastic and makes my hair super soft! The shampoo was nice. I felt like it was a little difficult to get the serum and shampoo out of my hair completely before conditioning. Once I applied the conditioner and let is set for about five minutes, it all washed out nicely. My hair dried normally and felt light the whole day. My curls stayed in for hours and my hair didn’t look greasy as the day went on (sometimes new products can do that to hair). Overall, I didn’t see a huge impact on my hair, but – like I said – maybe my opinion would be different had I used it from the time my color was fresh.

4. CoTZ Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40: This was the most surprising find in the whole box! Every time I put something new that contains this much sunscreen on my face, it always makes me SUPER greasy. First impression, the color was very dark. I did a quick color match to see if it was even worth my time. It actually matched right up…I thought it was strange, but I began to apply it. WOW! I loved how smoothly it went on my face. It is not a BB cream, but is tinted with sunscreen which is one thing I always look for. PLUS it acts as a primer. It gives a matte finish and soaks in so it feels as if you didn’t apply anything at all. After applying my foundation on top and wearing all day – it still looks like I just finished my morning make-up routine. No greasy patches in my T-Zone, no runny foundation or concealer, no stickiness. Pretty neat product! Especially with that much sunscreen in it! This is something I’ll be putting in my beach bag this summer.

5. SmartyPants All-in-One Gummy Vitamins for Adults: I haven’t tried another vitamin that didn’t read “Prenatal” in quite some time. I thought I’d at least taste these. I mean I did pay for them, right? They were actually pretty good! Most gummy vitamins that I’ve tried leave a terrible aftertaste. These did not. I couldn’t tell you what sets them apart from other vitamins…aren’t a lot of general adult vitamins the same? I don’t know. I have to stick to prenatals since I’m breastfeeding, but these were tasty!

So that’s it – my May Birchbox! Hope you enjoyed my reviews and maybe found some new goodies for yourself!

❤