Birchbox Review: August

I was real pleased with the August Birchbox. Dry shampoo, hand cream, a face mask AND BB cream - sold! Here's what I got:

nugg Beauty Soothing Mask, $14.99

While I was disappointed to realize "nugg" wasn't short for nougat & this was not, in fact, candy, I did like it as a face mask. It's a little bit like smearing vaseline on your face & letting it sit for 10 minutes, but it did make my skin soft. The packaging is weird. Each pod holds way more than you can use in one application, but there's no way to re-seal it & use it again. I'm not going to buy this, but it was neat to use.

Dr. Jart+ Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm, $36

If you prefer heavier coverage than tinted moisturizer, this is probably the BB cream for you. It goes on well, feels good on your skin, covers really well & has a matte finish. It's more coverage than I'm used to (I use Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer), but I have a lot of friends who would like this, especially those who think they have large pores.

Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream, $11

I like this little hand cream. I would have loved this back when I was driving all day for work. I'm always worried about sun damage on my hands & this hand cream has SPF 40. It's really moisturizing & has a nice, light scent. I don't need this, but I may buy it.

ModelCo Shimmer Bronzer, $22

For no real reason, I quit using bronzer a few years ago. I think it just felt like an unnecessary step, or a product I could easily cut out of my routine. But as a fair-skinned blonde, I should probably be using it, at least during the summer. I do think it's odd that Birchbox sent this in August as opposed to May or June, but whatever, I'll take it. I've been using it all month. It's a great bronzer. I don't know if I'll ever need to buy it because this sample will last me forever, but I would buy it.

amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo, $21

I'm real in love with this. The scent of all the amika products is my spirit animal. I've been using their hair mask for two years. I love it! I'm new to dry shampoo & bought the first one I got in Birchbox, Klorane Dry Shampoo. I thought I liked the Klorane one until I used this new amika one. The amika one A) smells better & B) works better because after you spray it in, you work it in with your fingers! You had to brush the Klorane one through your hair, which honestly always made my hair greasier. I never understood it. Smell you later, Klorane. I'm switching to amika.