October Birchbox (a bit late)

Overview of the Birchbox I got: 

• Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum by DDF.
• Stainiac lip & cheek stain in Beauty Queen by theBalm.
• Clarifying Treatment Mask by Karuna.
• Instant Healthy Hair Treatment by 12 Benefits.
• Hydration Lock lip balm by ChapStick.
• Savings coupon for any ChapStick Hydration Lock.

Pay no attention to my messy desk!

Yes, yes!  I know this is kind of late considering I just received my November box on Saturday.  I'm also just a few days late to get rewards points for reviewing the products through Birchbox, but is that going to stop me?  Nope.  I just like to make sure my products are all tested a good amount of time before posting about them and a few of them took a little more time than I realized.  That plus my health has been a mess & now I have an appointment with a rheumatologist later this week.  I'll eventually have a separate post with all the awful details.  I promise November's box will not take so long.  I also haven't been reviewing any of my Ipsy bags.  Sorry.  :(  I hope to get around to that eventually.  Onto my October box reviews.

• Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum by DDF.  This looks pretty cool in the bottle, like a strand of DNA.  It claims to hydrate and exfoliate skin while minimizing pores and wrinkles.  Their usage instructs that after cleansing in the morning, one pump of it should do the trick by applying it to your face and neck.  First off, it soaks into your skin rather quickly and one pump should get your entire face but you'll probably need another 1/2 pump in order to do your neck.  After applied it felt matted, like a primer, but also a tad sticky, and after a few days my face felt slightly bumpy.  The bumps it caused were annoying but it wasn't like it gave me a full on breakout as they weren't really noticeable.  I could just feel them.  I don't really have a problem with pores but it didn't seem to improve any of the areas I would have liked it to.  I wouldn't buy it.

• Stainiac lip & cheek stain in Beauty Queen by theBalm.  I've never been a big fan of cheek & lip stains because all the ones I have tried in the past are usually just too bright, and a b*tch to blend without streaking if using it on the cheeks.  So when I got this I was expecting the same looking at its bright red tube.  It's a water & aloe based gel that helps keep it from drying too quickly and streaking.  You really have to layer it because if you put only one coat of it on you'll never notice it.  I didn't like the way it stained my lips.  It goes on very wet (& stays that way for a long time) and unless you use a lip primer, the color will seep more into any little creases your lips have than staining them evenly.  I don't even know if it would apply well over a lip primer or not because of its watery consistency.  I liked it better as a cheek stain on me though it stained my fingers more than it did my cheeks.  I'm extremely pale and 1 application you could hardly notice, 2 was ok, 3 was slightly too much for me.  It also felt sticky for a long while after blending into my skin.  I'll use up this sample but I wouldn't buy it.

• Clarifying Treatment Mask by Karuna.  I was excited when I saw this because I've never used a paper mask before.  It advised on the packaging that shiso and ginger work to keep the skin clear, and honey soothes and provides oil-free hydration.  It boasts how it's a biodegradable wood pulp natural cloth though I doubt its individual packaging and plastic backing are biodegradable also.  When I took it out of its packing it felt extremely slimy and wet.  The scent of it to me was very strong of chamomile (the 4th ingredient).  I had a hard time unfolding it to place on my face and when I was carefully removing the backing to transfer it to my face it ripped between the nose and cheek.  I left it on for around 15 minutes as the package advised to give it 10-20.  When removed, it left a sopping wet film on my face.  As the package advised, I massaged the remaining product into my face, neck, and hands until most of it had seeped in.  In the end, this left my hands & face feeling very sticky and tight.  Like I had put on a mask, let it dry, then forgot to wash it off.  It also left my face extremely shiny.  I think I'm going to stick to my masks that I apply, let dry, and either peel or wash off.  I wouldn't buy this.     

• Instant Healthy Hair Treatment by 12 Benefits.  I'm not going to list all the benefits this claims.  There are 12 (duh) listed on the bottle and plus, if you guess one, it's most likely on there.  It smells fantastic and you can use this on damp or dry hair.  I prefer using products like this on damp hair.  I can never seem to spritz evenly on my head so I spritz it into my hands and then work it into my hair.  It's very conditioning so I used it more when shampooing my hair without conditioner.  It left my hair manageable, soft, silky, smooth, smelling fantastic, and feeling healthy.  The only thing it didn't do for me that I wish it would have, was given me some volume.  I'd be open to buying this in the future. 

• Hydration Lock lip balm by ChapStick.  This balm claims to give lips a fuller, smoother appearance with a lightweight feel.  It contains CoQ10 and claims it will give you 8 hours of moisture.  It also said vanilla crème on the packaging but I'm not sure if it's a scent or flavor because I really am not picking up on any vanilla in it at all.  There's an extremely light medicinal scent to it that I guess could pass for vanilla.  I didn't think it felt lightweight at all and actually seemed a bit heavier than other balms.  It didn't make my lips seem any fuller or smoother but it was moisturizing and helped soften my lips after a few days use.  The moisturizing only lasted 2-3 hours max, slightly longer than most balms I've used.  Still, no where close to its 8 hour claim.  It's a good balm for every day use and I think would be very helpful for a healthy lip upkeep, especially in the winter months.  I'd buy this.

I'm extremely exhausted now so I'll post this without reading it over 10x.  My OCD will make me do that later, after posting.  I had blood taken for testing today & I'm sure more will be taken after my next appointment with the rheumatologist later this week.  Much love to all the veterans on this day!  Until later... happy bathing!