December 2015 Canada Birchbox

Last month got so busy with holiday gift ideas, I totally forgot to share my Canadian Holiday 2015 Birchbox with you. Unlike all the other beautiful Birchbox boxes, this one fell a little short. The design on the box wasn’t anything special, in fact, it borderlines boring. You’d think being the holidays, they’d bump it up a notch, either way, and it’s not what’s on the outside that matters, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. For just $10 a month, plus $4.95 shipping, you can test out cult favourites, new and up-coming lines, along with everything else in between, delivered right to your door step. This is a great way to test out new products before committing on a full-size bottle. You also earn points with each purchase, which can be turned into full sized products later on.

First up, Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo that features a weightless formula in the brands signature Obliphica scent that helps to refresh the hair without a nasty white residue. I actually brought this with me for our weekend getaway to Toronto, so I didn’t have to waste precious time washing my hair. It did a wonderful job at absorbing excess oils while leaving my hair feeling refreshed and new. It was easy to use, didn’t leave my hair feeling stiff of crunchy and it washed out fairly easily the following day. It was sheer and completely invisible, no white cast at all. It retails for $26.50 for 5.3oz, putting a value of this sample size at $3.75.

Next up, Juara Coconut Illipe Hand & Nail Balm that’s designed to firm and plump up parched skin and cuticles. It’s inspired by traditional Indonesian healers and comes enriched with illipe butter and sea algae, along with coconut and other natural oils to help heal and hydrate the hands. Its rich and creamy formula helps to moisturize the skin, while keeping it soft, smooth and hydrated. Skin is left feeling healthy and new. It retails for $26 for 2.5oz, putting a value of this sample size at $2.90.

Third item is mini Kate Spade Live Colorfully Perfume. Again, as much as I enjoy sample perfumes in my boxes, they have absolutely no value as I can pick them up at my local Shoppers or Hudson’s Bay. This carefree, vibrant fragrance features notes of Hawaiian blooms with Tahitian vanilla and mandarin and I think would be an excellent summer scent.

Fourth item in the box is LOC Vibrant Matte Lipstick in Glam Life. This is the product I’m most excited for as it’s a gorgeous, rich berry plum shade, perfect for cool winter months. It features a highly pigmented, ultra soft and cushiony formula that ensures your lips remain comfortable and buttery smooth the entire day. It’s compact size and design packs a ton of colour in a single swipe and is purse friendly. It’s a full size product and retails for $10.

Finally, the fifth item is Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment is a fairly expensive product, but it promises to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, fight against hyperpigmentation and even out skin tone. It also helps to hydrate, increase firmness and give an all around brightness to your complexion. Over time, it will help give a more youthful appearance to the skin. It retails for $110 for 1oz, putting a value at this same size at $36.60.

Total box value $53.25.