Deal Alert!! This month's Birchbox

Have you heard of Birchbox? It's a great little program wherein, for a mere $10 a month you get a lovely little box stuffed with deluxe samples (and often times, a full-size product) for you to try out. All of the items in your Birchbox each month can be purchased from their site, and you can earn loyalty points by inviting friends and writing reviews on the products you have received. It's a fantastic way to introduce yourself to new products and try items you may not have otherwise tried...and it's a steal of a deal!!

I received my first Birchbox on Thursday, and I'm extremely happy with it. The July Birchbox was chosen by famed designer Cynthia Rowley, and it's beautiful. Housed in a sleeve decorated with an amorphous paint design, the packaging itself is gorgeous. Upon opening, the box is literally jam-packed with goodies. This month, it looked like this: 

Box just opened

Tiny wrapped package containing a Zoya mini polish and a travel-sized Philosopy Purity Made Simple cleanser. 

Entire contents of box.

This month, my Birchbox contained: 

• 1-oz Purity Made Simple cleanser from Philosophy: This is one of the few Philosophy products I've been impressed with. A light lotion-gel consistency, good foaming action, and excellent makeup-removing capabilities make this a great addition to your skin care program. 
• 2.1-oz Redken Shine Flash 02: This spray-on glosser is amazing. It adds a glasslike shine to your hair. I'm not overly fond of the slightly chemical smell, but the fragrance fades immediately and leaves your hair soft and incredibly shiny. Word of warning: Don't spray too close to your roots or they'll end up looking greasy, fast. But if you apply to the bottom half of your hair, you'll love the result!
• 1.69-oz Korres Guava Lit Le Showergel: I don't normally use shower gels because I make my own handcrafted soaps, but this is a good one. It has a subtle sweet-fruity scent that doesn't linger on the skin, so it doesn't interfere with whatever fragrance you plan to wear for the day. It froths up well and cleans admirably. It also doesn't leave my skin dry and tight the way many shower gels tend to do. 
• Zoya mini Professional Lacquer in the shade "Pandora": This is a lovely sheer pale pink-beige nude with subtle silver shimmer. Great for those of you who like the natural look!
• Kind Almond and Apricot energy bar: Delicious! And it came just in time for my afternoon snack!

Bottom Line: This is a great assortment of products at an unbeatable price. I'm especially loving the Redken Shine Flash 02, as I'm always looking for something lightweight that will boost the shine of my thin, fine hair without weighing it down. The Purity Made Simple Cleanser is a great size for travel, or if you want to test it for yourself, there's plenty of product to be able to use it for long enough to be sure it works with your skin before you take the plunge and purchase. The Zoya lacquer is a natural, universal shade that should work with any skin tone, and the Korres Shower Gel is one of the better ones I've tried. Plus, I got food! Can't beat that. 

Click HERE to head to the Birchbox site to learn more and sign up!