Unboxed: November Birchbox!

Hey loves! I hope everyone who lives in the States had a happy Thanksgiving! Sorry I've been posting a little irregularly lately, it's been a weird and busy week with the holiday! Anyway, November might be over but I'm still going to show you my November Birchbox! If you don't know what Birchbox is, it's a monthly beauty subscription that costs $10/month. In it you get five sample size products from various brands to try out and see if you love.

November's theme was (aptly) giving. Birchbox paired up with Red and gave $1 to the fight against AIDS when you shared the AIDS facts on your mailer on social media with the hashtag #shaRED. Very cool! Let's see what's inside!

First there was a cute little holiday catalog in case you're looking for the perfect gift for someone special!

The first thing on the card is a 0.34 fl oz pot of Eslor Firming Collagen Day Cream. Considering the full size is 1.7 fl oz and costs $85, this is not a bad sample at all! The packaging is very substantial and feels expensive and the cream itself is quite nice: soft and not too greasy! I'm not a huge fan of the scent but it's not super offensive. This cream is supposed to restore your skin's elasticity and prevent future wrinkles. I can't speak to that but it is quite nice as a moisturizer. I only wish it had SPF!

The next two samples are 15 mL samples of Harvey Prince's Hello Shampoo and Conditioner. They smell pretty good, although I have been a fan of Hello for quite a while now. I like getting these for travelling and these are a decent size to try out, but I wish Birchbox would include these both as one sample. I feel like it's a waste of two, and shampoo and conditioner come pretty regularly in my boxes. Anyway, full sized bottles of these cost $22!

Next up is a 0.8 fl oz bottle of Klorane Floral Makeup Remover Water. This has soothing cornflower in it and I read that this stuff has the same pH of tears, so it should be extremely gentle and not irritating at all. My Liz Earle cleanser does a great job of taking off my makeup but I look forward to putting this to the test when travel for sure! A full size of this is 13.5 fl oz and costs $23.

Last in the box was a little tiny sample (0.02 oz) of theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer. This is a shadow, shimmer, and highlighter all in one. The packaging is adorable and thankfully has a magnetic closure. The product itself is great, nice and glowy without emphasizing your pores. This would be great as all three suggested uses! You could even mix some in with your foundation or moisturizer for an extra little glow. A full size of this is 0.3 g and costs $24.

Now, here is my problem with receiving this in a Birchbox. I didn't take a photo, but on the back of the packaging it says "free sample." Why would or should I pay to receive a sample I could receive just by asking at a store? Maybe it's a convenience charge.

So that's my Birchbox for November! Despite getting a shampoo and conditioner and a free sample, I actually really liked this box a lot! I'm really looking forward to December's box; I'm excited to see what the beauty boxes bring to the table for the holidays! If you'd like to receive Birchboxes of your own, you can subscribe here!

Hope you all have a lovely Monday!

xo