Birchbox 2: June 2012

The theme of June's birchbox was travel and ironically my own travels kept me from receiving it until July. Still it was a wonderful thing to come home to.
This month I got:

Stila's One Step Bronze. First of all let me say this was huge. In fact I'm pretty sure the packaging was full size, which is impressive. On the other hand, bronzer is something I don't really use. Whether it's from reading too many vampire novels as an impressionable teen or trauma from burning until I had blisters, I tend to prefer my skin to stay in it's natural, pasty form. On the other hand, I got this bronzer at the most tan point of my year-- a month in California helped-- so I felt like I could apply it without having an orange head on top of a rosy beige bod. And indeed the bronzer was not orangey! Or otherwise my family has been lying to me.

Unblened, kinda blended, super blended.

 The "one step" in the name is not because most bronzers are multistep processes but because the bronzer is also supposed to function as a primer for foundation, an illuminator, and has skin friendly things in it. I haven't used it under foundation since the closest things I have to foundation are Korean BB creams which come in pale and alabaster, so I haven't experimented with that. Mostly I've just applied to my whole face. With that it gives a subtle, but sparkly glow. It makes me look healthier according to my brother. I've also tried to use it to contour. That effect has been so subtle that I'm not sure there is one. That's probably because my application method is extremely amateur. I still can't see myself reaching for it all too often, but the bronzer does what it says it will and doesn't break me out. Also the packaging is bomb.

theBalm's Staintanic in beauty queen. Like the bronzer, Staintanic is a multiuse product; it's both a cheek stain and a lipstain. It gives a very subtle wash of color both ways. I appreciate that it's low-drama as a cheek stain, but wish it had more color on the lips. The texture is nice, like a gel and it dries a little more slowly then I was expecting. Everytime I use it as a lipstain I think "what a pretty color!" and then a few minutes later, possibly because it's seems so natural, I feel like I'm not wearing any lip product and wish I were. I think I would turn to this to balance a very dramatic eye look.

Cleanwell cleansing towelette. On the one hand, this is super exciting since having a cute little towelette to clean everything and anything appeals deeply to the germaphobe in me. On the other hand, there's only one making it a kind of cheap sample. On my nonexistent third hand, the stila sample is huge. I've been anxious to chose exactly the best moment to use this, which hasn't turned up yet. I might end up buying a pack just so I can keep this one special forever and still enjoy herbal cleansing towelettes.
Juliette Has a Gun, Not a Perfume. I loved this. They say it's "not a perfume" since instead of being a composition, this is just a single note ambroxen. My careful interent research says that ambroxen is a synthetic fragrance made to replace ambergris.  It smelled both warm and cool to me. It has both a cool, synthetic character and also the warmth of an amber. I also love the packaging of Juliette Has a Gun. Ive thought seriously of buying it, but something in me says I could buy a gallon of ambroxen for the same 85$.