Adrianne’s January Birchbox

It’s the first Birchbox of the new year! January’s products are focused on freshness and making 2013 the best year ever. This month’s box even came with a fold-out poster with 25 ideas on how to make 2013 great—with beauty ideas and fitness tips to ways you can maximize your happiness. What a fun idea!

1. Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Thickening & Strengthening Serum 

2. Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray

3. Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy 

4. Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner 

5. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè (24-Hour Miracle Cream) 

1. Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Thickening & Strengthening Serum: The idea behind this serum is phenomenal—a weightless gel-like formula to thicken, protect and strengthen hair. According to Birchbox, this product is designed to add moisture to hair while making hair appear more than 40 percent thicker. For me? I did notice that my hair looked thicker after applying and blow drying my hair. But, as with most styling products my hair deflated after about an hour after styling. Not only that, the serum seemed to gunk up my hair and made it feel un-clean even though I just shampooed. I wouldn’t purchase this one. I’d rather have my hair feeling clean than weighed down with a product that only works for about an hour. 

2. Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray: I try to take really good care of my hair, and that involves not heat styling too much. I can’t get around blow drying my hair, but I do try to avoid using a curling iron or straightener every day. Heat protecting sprays are a must for anyone who uses heat to style their hair. This product has a very light lemony scent, which smells wonderful. To use it, all you have to do is spray it on towel-dried hair before you use your blow dryer. I tried spraying this on my hair before a couple of blow-outs and noticed that my hair felt very smooth and looked shiny, but my hair felt a little weighed down and gritty. 

3. Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy Perfume: Fruity. Playful. Floral. Sweet. Just a few words to describe this lovely perfume. I can vouch for this product because I’ve had the opportunity to test it with more than just this sample. I actually purchased this perfume a couple of years ago and really loved it. It’s a wonderful scent. It’s bold, but not overpowering. The bad part? Ninety bucks for a bottle. The price is the ONLY reason I haven’t repurchased this fragrance. 

4. Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner: I was recently on the hunt for a liquid liner and found one that I really like. It figures that I’d get a sample this month. Last year I tried an Eyeko eye crayon and wasn’t terribly impressed, so I had mixed feelings about trying another one of their products. But, I am happy to say that I was blown away by this product. 

The best way to describe this product is to liken it to a Sharpie marker. It’s a pen that contains a felt tip—no messy dipping into a tube of eyeliner. The color is dark and intense and it really does go on exactly like a Sharpie marker. The formula isn’t gooey or messy and there’s practically no drying time. I would definitely purchase this eyeliner in one of the other five colors they have available. 

5. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè (24-Hour Miracle Cream): Is it possible to be in love with a face cream? Because if so, I am. I had heard of the Embryolisse skin care line through some blogs I follow and have been hoping to try their face cream. It’s made with aloe, shea butter and soy proteins in order to make the formula thick and moisturizing. According to Birchbox, it can also be used as a makeup remover, baby cream and soothing agent post-shave! I am perfectly happy with using this cream as a moisturizer. Though the cream is thick, it’s not too heavy and doesn’t leave behind any kind of oily feeling. It goes on easily and leaves the skin feeling incredibly smooth. And if that weren’t enough, the cream has a very sweet and fresh scent. If you’re looking for a new facial moisturizer, this one is absolutely worth a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Have you recently discovered any beauty products that you fell in love with? Share in the comments?