I’ve been waiting (semi) patiently for weeks and it’s finally here, my first Birchbox! Subscribing to a monthly subscription has been something that I have been meaning to do for a while now. Just as a sort of monthly gift to myself ( we all deserve something like that, right?) But sadly, when it came time to buy the subscription something more important always came up–paying bills, buying groceries, etc. However, this month I thought that I could swing it and finally set up my subscription! I figured that worse comes to worst, I could always cancel the subscription if it proved too expensive. Although, I don’t see that happening with the price of $10.00 a month (what a steal).

With that in mind, I went on excitedly waiting for my Birchbox to arrive. When it finally came in, I was not disappointed. It came with six lovely sample size Birchbox products, which was a bit more than I was expecting. The size of a few of the products also seemed a bit generous. But hey, I’m not complaining. In my July box, I received a bottle of dry shampoo, a tube of organic sun care moisturizer, a small bottle of CC cream, the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate along with the matching eye concentrate, and a tube of mascara. They also sent a card explaining this month’s theme and a detailed description of each product.

So far, I would say that my favorite product in my July Birchbox is the Shiseido Ultimune power infusing concentrate. As instructed, I washed my face and applied a small amount to my face. Almost immediately, my skin felt incredibly soft which gave me an extra bit of confidence throughout the day. I have yet to use the matching eye concentrate for the eye area as it came in a one time use sample and I’m saving it for a special occasion. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this product didn’t work just as well, if not better than, its counterpart.

I also really loved the Supergoop CC cream. On days that I want lighter coverage, I use this as a substitute for my usual foundation. What I love about this product is that it contains broad spectrum SPF 35. This is a huge plus for me because none of my other foundations or CC creams contain any sort of sun protection. Not to mention, I feel like it makes my skin look brighter. That said, I will definitely buy the full size version of this product.

The Smashbox X-Rated Mascara is another product from this month’s Birchbox that I really enjoyed. The mascara itself reminded me of product by Younique that I reviewed a while back. Both mascaras use fibers to enhance the volume and length of your lashes and both products are great. The key difference between the Younique’s 3D Fiber Lash Mascara and the Smashbox mascara is that Smashbox put fibers in the mascara, while the fibers in the Fiber Lash mascara are applied separately.

Another really amazing product that came in this month’s box is the Coola SPF 50 moisturizer. The first thing I noticed about this product was the scent: mango! I love fresh smelling scents; they remind me of summer and all the great things that come with this time of year. So, a fresh scent combined with a broad spectrum SPF moisturizer is awesome.

The last product that came in my July Birchbox is the Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo. I have been planning to invest in a dry shampoo for a while now, as I am the kind of person who washes their hair every day. I know that’s terrible for your hair, but to me, you just can’t beat the freshly washed look. However, this is a habit worth breaking which is why I was so excited about this product. It keeps my second day hair feeling fresh and clean, plus it smells awesome too. Not to mention, this product is a lot more inexpensive than the other items in this months box ($10.00-$24.00 to be exact). So, I would say that the full size product really is a steal!