Birchbox May 2015:Cupcakes and Cashmere

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I've been meaning to share what I got in my Birchbox, but somehow almost the entire month is gone and I never got around to it!  The May box was curated by Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere, and while I'm not sure what exactly that means - perhaps she picked the samples that were pulled from to make up all the various box combinations?  What I do know, is that I really like what I got!

To be honest, at first glance the box looked a little light.  Especially since two of the samples came inside the pillow box.  But after a closer examination, I realized I got samples that I am really excited about.  Plus...there are NO shampoo or conditioner samples, YES!  I clicked on my profile and unchecked every.single.hair description.  Hope that will prevent them from coming in my box for at least a few months!

I did get one hair related sample, but it's the one I selected.  I do like hair styling products and have really liked all the hair oils I've tried so far. I've heard really good things about Macadamia Professional, and this sample of their Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment will last me a long time.  It works really well too, worthy of all the hype in my opinion!

I don't know quite what to think about the various kinds of water sprays.  While I'm intrigued by Smashbox's Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Water is it just mainly water?  I mean most water sprays like this one, say things are added, in this case it's electrolytes, and Smashbox says that during the production process it's passed through positive energy fields too.  But is this all enough to justify paying $32 for 3.9oz?  I mean, that's some expensive water!  While doing some online searching for the ingredients, I found this interesting discussion.

It's supposed to help prime the face for makeup and help it stay in place.  When I used it, I definitely smelled a faint scent, it was pleasant.  I didn't notice a real difference in my make up application or wear time.  I do think that it would be refreshing to spritz on during the course of a hot day, but so would some regular ol' water from the fridge.  Still a cool sample to get and try.

I am really enjoying this Marcelle Hydra-C 24H Energizing Hydrating Gel.  While the sample looks small in my hand, a little big goes a long way and I did feel like my skin was more hydrated when I used it.  It certainly felt more so vs using my regular moisturizer.  It's nice and light going on and absorbs quickly.  It doesn't have SPF so I'm undecided about switching over to using it full time.

My opinion of Coastal Scents would be better if they'd package their samples in a nicer manner.  I got one of their samplers before, last June.  While the eyeshadows from their Revelaed 3 Palette are nice, I plan to pass this along to a friend.

As I know from past experience, these will make a big mess when being used and I don't feel like getting fall out all over my makeup bag again.  Mess aside, this is a nicely sized sample to receive and I know my friends' teen aged daughters will be very excited to get this. The shadows themselves are nice quality and they'll have fun playing around with them.

This Yogini perfume sample was the only one that was a bit of a miss for me.  Described as: The light, clean fragrance features top notes of purifying sandalwood, refreshing grapefruit, and sensual Egyptian myrrh. Subtle cues of golden amber, incense, and star jasmine turn each spritz into a mini aromatherapy break.  

I'm trying to expand my fragrances from straight up citrus and thought this sounded promising since it's supposed to be light and clean.  It's okay, but feels like a fall scent to me.  I'll put it aside for the summer and break it out when the kids go back to school.  I like it enough to finish the sample.

That was May!  I've already selected my June sample - it's sun care related, and am excited to get some summery samples!