May Gossip Girl Birchbox Review

The May 2012 Birchbox has a Gossip Girl theme.

I have never seen the show, but I was still excited for the "glamourous, high end, trendy" theme.

And, it was packaged adorably as always :)

Here is everything I got in this month's Birchbox. 

Dr. Jart+: Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF25+ - .06 fl. oz.- First of all, the size was really disappointing! The tube looks like a nice size, but it only has .06 fl. oz. inside it!  It only lasted for 2 uses.  This bb cream applied smoothly and blended easily into my skin.  It had a very natural finish and it really improved the look of the texture of my skin and even minimized the appearance of my pores.  I just wish it provided better coverage.  It claims to be a "four-in-one moisturizer, serum, sunscreen and skin perfecting tint" so there is "no need for foundation or cover-up."  It is so sheer and provides very little coverage. It is buildable, but to get any kind of real coverage you have to really pack it on and then there is a bit of a white cast to your skin, not pretty.  It really can not replace a tinted moisturizer or foundation. When I used it I had to use a concealer or another foundation on top of it before being seen in public.  So, no... not going to purchase this one.- Full Size 1.7 fl. oz. $32

Color Club: Nail Polish - Disco Nap - .25 fl. oz. - This is actually my very first nail polish from Color Club.  Disco Nap is gold with a metallic finish. One careful coat provided complete coverage.  It does dry quickly so you really can't go over a spot you already painted without dragging if you don't work quickly. I love a great one coat polish and this gold color is nice and will look even better with my skin tone once I get a bit of a tan. I might use it more as a full mani in the Summer, but I think I will reach for it most often for an accent nail as I did HERE. I won't get the full size of this color because I am sure it will take me a long time to get through this one, but I am definitely going to check out more polishes from Color Club! - Full Size .5 fl. oz. $8

Stila: Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - Curacao -  1.7 ml - A full size Stila eyeliner! Wahoo for Birchbox!  When I saw that the Curacao eyeliner was blue and sparkly I was a little scared but it is really beautiful!  It is a very unique shade of blue and a bit sheer so it is really nice layered over other liners.  The sparkles are blue, silver and pink giving the liner a periwinkle blue/purple color from a distance.  I'm not so sure that the sheer nature of this liner will translate as well in the brown and black shades that are offered, but this blue shade is really beautiful. I should also mention that I am not a liquid eyeliner girl and I found this one really easy to use and it lasted  a good 12 hours (when I took it off) without smudging or flaking. - Full Size 1.7 ml $22

Natural Light Cloudy Day

Artificial Light with Flash

Kerastase: Cristalliste - Lumiere Liquid - 3 ml - I didn't want to love this, but I do!  I use mostly drugstore hair care, with a few exceptions.  For added shine, I really like Fekkai's Glossing Cream, but this is even better!  This made my hair look so smooth and shiny but it didn't make it look oily or weigh it down at all. I get a similar result from the Fekkai Glossing Cream, but the application with the Kerastase Lumiere Liquid is so much better! You put a dime size amount in your hands and run it through dry or towel dried hair, avoiding your roots and focusing on your ends.  You apply the Fekkai the same way, but it leaves your hands feeling very tacky and it is easy to apply too much in one area, creating an oily look.  The Kerastase felt silky on my hands and applied smoothly with no patchy, oily spots.  Its a big price jump from the Fekkai ($25) to the Kerastase, but I think it is worth it for the ease of application.  When I run out of my Fekkai I think I'm converting :) - Full Size 50 ml $42

Extras...
Kerastase: Cristalliste - Bain Cristal - 10 ml - Full Size 250 ml $36
Kerastase: Cristalliste - Lait Cristal -  10 ml - Full Size 200 ml $38
These were one time use sample packettes.  The shampoo and conditioner were really nice, I'm just not sure they are worth the price tag, for me.  I usually do not splurge on hair care.  I went through a Fekkai phase and I've been debating my first Ojon purchase, but I usually shop at the drugstore for my hair care.  After using these my hair was soft and had a bit more body than usual.  I shampoo & condition every other day and the best part about this duo is that my roots did not look or feel at all oily on the end of the second day.  This duo is really nice, I just don't know that I saw enough of a difference to justify a $74 purchase.

Notecard - 1 note card - So I guess XOXO is a Gossip Girl thing... I have never seen the show, but XOXO is pretty universal.  I was just disappointed in the quality.  The card stock was light weight, not the quality of stationary I usually use. I still may have used it for a quick note but the blank side of the card is mostly white and had black smudge marks. I would have rather had nothing that something cheap and damaged that I will throw away. These are "sold out" on the website. I'm not sure who would pay $10 for 12 of these. - Full Size set of 12 $10
Trivia Sweepstakes - There was also a card for a Trivia Sweepstakes on Facebook to coincide with the finale of Gossip Girl with the chance to win a $500 Birchbox shopping spree. It is a great prize and I would totally enter if I followed the show so this is nice for all of you Gossip Girl fans out there!

This is only my second Birchbox and I am very happy I joined. 

I loved everything in my box last month. Click here to see my review of last month's box.  This month there was nothing that I didn't like and it had some real stand outs like the Color Club polish, Stila Eyeliner and Kerastase Lumiere Liquid.

Do you subsribe to Birchbox? What did you get this month?

Have you tried any of these products?