Birchbox: Power Up, July 2014 ***with Update

*Affiliate Link Included

This month Birchbox teamed up with Women's Health magazine and I am really happy with how their partnership turned out for subscribers.  First of all, the box is super cute, I'm such a sucker for adorable graphics.  It almost makes me want to go exercise, almost :)

The best perk though, is that a one year subscription is included with the box!  It's worth $9.99 and you even have the option of declining and getting a refund.  If you did that, it would totally make this month's Birchbox free!  I'd rather try out the magazine, so I'm pretty happy about this!

Also sent along this month is a cute set of challenges, again like the special edition box, it's really cutely done.  There is even a chance to win a collection of July products and a trip to NYC for a beauty & fitness upgrade if you do the challenges and share them on social media.

I think this is by far the best partnership Birchbox has had so far during my subscription, really nice bonuses!

Let's start off with what's in the box, with what I'm most excited about.  This month we got to choose one of our samples.  I was originally supposed to receive a Cynthia Rowley lip gloss but since the other sample you could customize was a Ruffian nail polish, you know what I had to go with!  I selected this gorgeous metallic rose lacquer in the color Rosary, full size $10.

I normally do not like metallic polish at all but Ruffian does such a terrific job with them, they are definitely the exception to the rule.  The formula is a little on the thicker side, but this is not a drawback because each of the five nail colors I have from them are one coaters.  How awesome is that?  They apply just beautifully and are easy to work with.

Along with the polish, we also got an acetone free nail lacquer remover towelette, full size $12 for 10.  This are very handy for travel, it would have been better to get two but since this is an extra I'm not complaining!

This Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Raina, full size $11, just glides on beautifully.  I love how smoothly is applies and how comfortable it is.  It's a gorgeous navy blue, which is the shade I prefer blue eyeliner to be, having tried a brighter Chella one from my March  ipsy bag that was a bit too much for my personal taste.  While I like this a lot and will use it, it would've been nicer to get it in another color such as olive green, deep purple, or charcoal.  I already have a blue eyeliner from Birchbox that I got in my Limited Edition Modern Mermaid box.

Initially not over excited by this Harvey Prince Hello Body Creme, full size $22, I ended up being really pleased by the very subtle orange scent.  It's so nice and light feeling on the skin as well.  I love a good citrus scent, almost to the exclusion of anything else, and this is not as pow in your face as the ones I normally prefer but it's really lovely.  I want a full bottle!

This Marcelle New Age 8 in 1 Power Serum, full size $34 is currently a Birchbox exclusive, meaning that you can only buy it through them.  It sounds really good and is supposed to do some amazing things for your skin.  I have a back log of serum samples to try but since I've really liked the two or three I've worked my way through I'm sure I'll give it a go eventually.  I do really think that the serums I've been able to sample have made a difference in the overall texture of my skin but I seem to get so many samples of them, it may be awhile before I have to actually buy one.

The last sample was something I was ready to love.  I was so excited when I saw it because I've seen a lot of YouTubers rave about this product, either this version or the matte one.  It's a small tube of Luminizing Moisture Tint in Deep Bronze by Jouer, full size $38.  

I'm was so excited to try it but then I noticed the color is Deep Bronze, seriously?!  I double checked my profile, but yep, my skin tone is set to fair.  Let me be clear, this totally justifies the name DEEP as in dark.  It's way, way too dark for anyone with fair and even fair to medium skin.  I think medium skin tones would even have a hard time pulling this off.

That being said, I think it really might be an amazing product and had I gotten a better shade it might be right up there in my favorites for the month with the Ruffian polish.  Do disappointing, Birchbox fail!

Update 7/17/14: Birchbox customer service reached out to me and acknowledged that my sample was not a fit for my beauty profile, apologized, and added 100 Birchbox points to my account.  100 points = $10 so that effectively makes this month free!  I am really impressed, because it's not like I contacted them directly about this asking for them to address it.  I did mention the inappropriate color in my review of my sample so I think that's how it came to their attention.  In looking over the other reviews for this product, it seems that this happened to several other subscribers as well.  I'm impressed with how Birchbox handled the situation, in essence they refunded my money and that's great!  

So sorry to end on a downer!  Over all, this box still gets a thumbs up for me.  It's way better than last month and since the one nail polish remover towelette counts as a sample that I get to review, I'll get the equivalent of $6 back in Birchbox points so the remaining items are well worth the $4 price tag.

If you'd like to sign up for Birchbox, please consider joining by using my referral link, I'd appreciate it so much and love you forever!  {Even though I already do!}