It’s time for March’s Birchbox subscription box review. I love Birchbox for two reason: 1. their boxes are beautiful. I haven’t seen another subscription box that offers such beautifully printed boxes. I’m saving all of them for a future project I have in mind. 2. They offer vegan products in their boxes. That’s always a plus for me. I get to enjoy some really great products and be kind to animals. LOVE IT!

If you’ve never heard of Birchbox before, they are a monthly subscription beauty box company that sends beauty samples for $10 a month.

This months box was packed for some fantastic products. When I opened my box i was super excited to dive into all of them. But, I have to do my investigation before I start using. So, before I even open a product I research the company, blogs, articles, anything I can get my hands on to make sure its vegan and cruelty free. So, lets see what I turned up.

  Cargo – Land Down Under Eye Shadow Palette – Full Size, $34 Sample colors are: Sandy and  Ferry.

Check out BudgetFriendlyToo to read about Cargo’s cruelty free stance. Also, stop by Cargo’s FQA page >here<

ClariSEA – Instant Glow Powder Exfoliant – Full Size, $18

I’m a girl that loves a good exfoliant. I’m always looking to keep my skin looking healthy and glowing throughout the year. I’m even more obsessed during the winter. New York winters can be pretty rough and especially taxing on the skin. I was really excited to give this brand a go. I’ve never heard of it before nor have I sampled their products.

Here’s a before and after picture after one use. I don’t see any physical difference. I did notice redness after use, skin is sensitive to the coarse texture of the salt. I definitely felt that the salt was cleaning all the dead skin cells from my face. After I rinsed, my face felt smooth and soft.

Dr. Lipp – Miracle Balm – Full Size, $16.50

This product is NOT vegan. It contains Lanolin which comes from the wool of sheep.So, I did not use the product. I did squeeze the bottle so see the lip balm and it has the same consistency of a thick Vaseline lip balm. I didn’t notice any particular smell.

Here’s the scoop:

“Lanolin (from Latin lāna, ‘wool’, and oleum, ‘oil’), also called wool wax or wool grease, is a yellow waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Most lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool. Lanolin is a wax.” –Wikipedia

the Balm Cosmetics – Stainiac Beauty Queen – Full Size, $17

Let’s talk about how amazing this lip stain is! I’m so in love that I’m almost tempted to never wear lipstick ever again. That’s a long stretch, but I do love it. First, it doesn’t have a sticky or thick application. It’s almost watery. This made it easy to apply on the lips and allowed the product to smooth on nicely. Second,  it looks really pigmented on the brush but when applying it it comes out really light. But don’t be fooled. It packs a punch.  This color is three layers. Now, because I’m Hispanic and have darker skin tones my lips are darker than lighter skinned people. So, if your lips are naturally pink then one application will be good. I add three layers and got the perfect hue of pink. Third, this lip stain is long lasting. After 5 hours it was still just as pigmented as it was when I first applied it.

All in all this is my favorite sample in the box. I am definitely going to be repurchasing. This is a perfect everyday option. Add a little lip balm on top and you’re ready to go!

Catherine Malandrino – Style de Paris – Full Size, $80-$100