Birchbox Exclusive Limited-Edition Set: CLEAN BEAUTY 2.0

Hello everyone,

Today, I am talking about a limited-edition value set from Birchbox. If you don't know me, hi :-)! My name is Aru :-) & I adore value sets! And when it comes to value sets, Birchbox does an amazing job at curating wonderful and cost effective sets. This was probably my 3rd or 4th limited edition sets from them. With every box I have bought from them, I have discovered new products. Products from familiar brands or even new brands that I have now grown very fond of! I check their website from time to time to see if they have good sets. They offer a lot of limited-edition sets! I have a large collection of products so if it contains products I have already tried, it does not interest me much. But every now and then, I find great sets that really intrigue  me.

Clean Beauty 2.0  is one such set they have available right now on their website. As the name suggest, it is curated with products from clean, conscious beauty brands. From their website - "This box helps you separate effective, clean beauty products from the pack. After evaluating ingredient lists, we created a new clean beauty framework you can understand (none of these products contain parabens, phthalates, sulfates, formaldehydes, and more)". 

I am not 100% clean beauty user/blogger but I like to try to use more clean products, and this was giving me a lot of products at a good value. I bought their "How to Hygge" box (reviewed here) last year and I really found little gems of products in that box. So, I had to get this :-)

Here are all the products and a nifty little table breaking down the price point. The set is priced at $65 so as you can see, this whole set is already quite cost effective.  :-) and I had a 20% off coupon.

Let's talk about the makeup products as I have been already using them almost regularly in my routine. 

ILIA BEAUTY Color Block High Impact Lipstick in Rosette: I am a huge fan of Ilia's Lip Conditioners. I got introduced to them when I received one in a previous Birchbox Limited Edition Box a long time ago (reviewed here)! Anyway, this is first time I tried their 'lipstick'. I love it! The shade is very light-hued rose color and it appears as a very light nude on my lips. I can make it work, but if it was a just tad bit darker it would have been a better shade of nude on me. I know these sets are mainly designed with shades that will cater to the majority of people. I do like to mix it with other shades to custom made different lip-shades.

KOSAS Color & Light Palette - Creme in Velvet Melon: Cream products has made a big comeback this summer! I am really loving this trend and seems like everyone is talking about Kosas as a brand! They have a beautiful bronzer in a beautiful packaging - that immediately catches my attention! Anyway, this is their creme blush and highlighter duo. The creme formula is quite light-weight and emollient. It is easy to apply using my fingertips. However the blush shade is a tad bit light on my skin-tone for wearing it alone - instead I am using it more as a base layer and topping it with a powder blush from my collection. It is helping me get more longevity from my other blushes. What is more interesting is that they offer a High Intensity version for all their blush shades; I think that's pretty cool. I believe the Intense Version for Velvet Melon would have been a tad bit more suitable for my skintone.

The highlighter is also nice, it applies quite easily with the fingertips. Towards the end of the day, I could see that it has fade away but leaving behind that 'highlighter' look! The highlighter is punchy - by which I mean that when you wear it, it shows up as makeup. Unlike RMS Beauty Living Luminizer which melts into my skin and gives that glass skin effect. I love highlighter so I don't mind looking like I am wearing makeup :-). I will keep using this product. 

FACE HELLO The Modern Makeup Remover - Original: I have tried this for 3-4 times for makeup removal & I did not enjoy it. It was a tad bit harsh on my skin and I had to keep using it again and again to get my eye makeup totally removed. Granted, I wore heavy eyelooks for those few times. But overall, this is not for makeup removal for me. What I have loving this for is to remove my skincare wash-off masks. There are some clay masks that are quite time consuming to wash off with just water.,And this is really making the washing off process faster for me. 

AFTERSPA Mini Jade Facial Roller: This is so cute and so tiny! If and when we can travel again, this will be easier to carry it rather then my Mount Lai Roller. I think the full-size weights a little bit heavier and for that it feels a bit more effective. But I am still glad to have this! 

FRENCH GIRL Rose Lip Polish: I have used it a few times now! It has some scruby bits but they are quite smooth and I love that it is not scratchy at all! It works as a lip exfoliator and it kept my lip hydrated till the next morning. But I will have to see how it behaves when it is winter; that is when my lips get really dehydrated and scaly. 

OSEA  Ocean Cleanser: I have heard so many good things about this cleanser. I have not used it yet but I am really excited to try. I mean, look at the beautiful, minimalistic packaging.

DERMA E Hydrating Night Cream: Another product that I am excited to try. I love that most of this products show the expiry date on the package itself. I really appreciative that.

PAI Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil: Oh well, guess what, another product I am excited to try. I have not used it yet but this is a cult favorite product. I always wanted to try it but because of the high price I never really bought it. This a deluxe size but I think it still have enough product for me to test and develop an opinion.

FIG+YARROW  Night Nutrient Booster Serum: Now, this is a brand that I have not really heard much about. But, I am always down to trying out new skincare serums.

PHILIP KINSLEY  Elasticizer Deep Conditioning Treatment: I have been meaning to try this but I keep forgetting to use this every time I wash my hair. But I love trying out conditioner and for my hair this, will probably last one or two usage.

TYPE: A The Achiever: I don't really use deodorant. I don't need to - yes, I said it. I am blessed to have trouble free pits lol! So, I am not really sure if I will get much use out of this.

Overall, I am very happy with the set. I look forward to use the rest of the products and love at least a few of them. If you are looking for some clean/conscious products, this could be a great set to try out!

Love,
~Arrru

Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 18

I love doing my empties post every few months on the blog. The last post I did was back in December. After that, life has been crazy! I think for all of us, 2020 has been a challenge!

But here are the products I have finished - I have some makeup bits and skincare but there were no space left; I will post them later! 

H2O+ Waterbright Brightening Gel Mask: It was a good mask to put on - you know. It was easy to apply and it stayed on my skin nicely and tightly while I continue with my household chores. Will I repurchase - may be not! I enjoy wash-off masks more anyway!

KORRES Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial: I used this as night time moisturizer. I liked it enough but I did not really see any brightening effect. This is not exactly affordable, so I don't see myself repurchasing it.

PETER THOMAS ROTH Rose Stem Cell Gel Mask: One of my favorite hydrating mask. I have finished many many jars of this and I continue to repurchase this. It is hydrating but not overly heavy! I am currently using a brand new one!

FRESH Rose Face Mask: Another one of my fav hydrating masks. This is even more hydrating than the one above. I often use this one when my skin is severely parched. 

FRESH Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream: This is my go-to moisturizer. I already have a back-up and as you can see I finished one full big jar, and a tiny jar. I took this tiny jar with me during my travels! It is such a good moisturizer. It gets absorbed into my skin real quick but it gives my dry skin plenty of hydration! I love it.

IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce Moisturizer: It is a deluxe sample size and it was ok. But I don't tend to pay attention to skincare by makeup brands and for the same reason, I will not purchase full size.

ORIGINS Ultra-Hydrating Energy Boosting Cream: I have loved their Gel Moisturizer so I was excited to try this one as well. I loved it. I took it during my trip and it really worked for all different weathers that I was in. Will I repurchase? Sure, if I find it in a good value set.

CAUDALIE Hand and Nail Cream: This is a really good hand cream, I love using it on my cuticles also. It is a bit expensive but if I ever finish up all the hand creams I have now, I will repurchase this again.

BITE Agave Lip Mask: This is a hyped product for a reason. I really did enjoy using this one. I believe they reformulated this. However, I have a full-size that I need to use up before needing to repurchase a lip balm.

NIVEA A Kiss of Milk & Honey Lip Balm: This is my everyday lip balm. It does not melt away even when I keep it in my purse all day, every day. I will definitely repurchase.

JURLIQUE Rosewater Balancing Mist: I loved this mist. It had a lovely, very faint rose scent and it provided me with enough hydration during the day. I am not really sure if I will repurchase though!

FRESH Rose Floral Toner: I love Fresh products and this is no exception. A toner is not really a must-have in my beauty routine but I did enjoy this. I also love how they provided quality packaging for even the deluxe size bottle - it had a spray. I have the Deep Hydration Toner as a backup so right now I don't need to repurchase!

AMOREPACIFIC Moisture Bound Hydration Delivery System: I am so sad that this tiny bottle is all gone. The smell is so calming and refreshing! It has a hint of sandalwood in the smell and it immediately transports me back to India and some childhood memories. I loved it. But it's a pricey product and the second ingredient is alcohol. Now I am torn whether I want to repurchase or not.  

PETER THOMAS ROTH Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion: I absolutely love this sunscreen. It was very light on my skin and it did not disturb the makeup over it. It has a pump which is always a blessing. Only problem is that you cannot exactly see when you are going to run out. I already have repurchased.

CLARINS One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser: I probably finished it during January - in fact there is still a bit left.  It was just a boringly ok product.

TREE HUT Shea Sugar Scrub in Moroccan Rose: An absolute fav bath product. These are easily available in Ulta and they are such a wonderful product to use. I already have backups of this :-)

PHILOSOPHY Amazing Grace Whipped Body Creme: Another long time favorite. I get this in value sets so I can definitely see this reappearing in my empties. 

RITUAL "Ritual of Sakura": I always wanted to try this brand for a long time. One of my closest friends gifted me a bundle of things for my birthday earlier this year, so I took this along with me during my India+Sri Lanka trip before this whole Covid situation! I loved it and I will definitely purchase it myself.

KORRES Body Milk in Bellflower, Tangerine Pink Pepper: This is a body moisturizer that I absolutely enjoyed. I believe I got this in some beauty box but I am not able to find this particular scent anywhere, plus I am quite sure it is expensive. But I surely did enjoy it.

KORRES Shower Gel in Japanese Rose: Absolutely love Korres shower gels. They are soft, does the job of cleaning nicely and gives me a quick spa like feeling. These are very expensive to be honest, so I only buy them if I find some good deal!

RENU Contact Lens Solution: It is what it is :-) Nothing much to write about it.

Ulta Cotton Pads: There were a little bit dry and rough, I prefer the pads I get from Sephora. So, I will probably not buy these!

OLE HENRIKSON Cleansing Clothes :  I like this. I will buy them if I find a good deal. But right now, I have enough cleansing clothes to last few months. 

Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Hair Therapy (Repair Rescue) Shampoo & Conditioner: This is my last batch of these shampoos. I really love using these shampoos, I used it for the last 3-4 years. I typically bought them from Ulta when they had 21 days of hair. Now Ulta does not carry this line anymore. And it is otherwise very difficult to get my hands on it.

Schwarzkopf Bonacure Miracle Oil: Another hair oil I really did enjoy. I used it in many different ways for my hair care! But, I mainly used it after a hair wash for a light shine on my hair or on my scalp to calm any itching and dryness I might have had. I would repurchase but it is just so difficult to get my hands on this. 

Earth's Nectar Green Olive Lavender Scalp Oil: I really did enjoy this scalp oil. I have always had dry scalp and issues with dandruff. Whatever I have tried has never did help. I don't really know if it helped calm my dandruff issues, but I used it for a massage every night before washing my hair and it really helped with overall health of my hair. I will definitely repurchase it but I will do it during the next Sephora sale.

HAIR FOOD Avocado & Argon Oil Smooth Shampoo: I first tried Hair Food through Influenster. I loved the shampoo. It was available in Ulta and I bought a few as they were on sale. But of course now Ulta discontinued it. So, I will have to figure out where I can buy it.  

OUAI Shampoo and Conditioner: I liked it enough! But I did not develop enough of an opinion to try it in full size.

ALTERNA Shampoo and Conditioner: Did not like this. I feel like it made my hair even frizzier and dry.

Until next time,

Love

~Arrru