December '12 Birchbox!

I didn't have the greatest day (I won't go into it, but let's just say tears were shed and emotions were eaten) but thankfully I had my December Birchbox waiting for me in my P.O. when I got home!!

And since this was the holiday box, I had big expectations for this one...

What was inside?

What was the verdict?

Judge Galileo will tell you after the jump!!

Doesn't it look like a gavel belongs in one of his paws? "ORDER ON MY COUCH MEOW!!!"

Wellllllllllllll... the sample sizes were perfect (true to the "deluxe" promise of Birchbox), I'm just not sure that any of them were right for me.

I really really REALLY hope this works for me! 

Because dry shampoos tend to get extremely mixed reviews, I've never tried one out for myself. I'm going to try this out really soon so I'm sure you'll hear the final verdict on it in my "Best & Worst of Beauty" video for December :)

I want to love this product.

I REALLY DO.

I'm just not sure it'll work out on my skin coloring; I'm hoping that once spring/summer rolls around next year this will be a really lovely sheen to add to my cheeks. I also might be able to pull if off on my eyes but I'm not too sure I'm feeling that adventurous right about now.  

The packaging is adorable though and the powder is EXTREMELY soft and pigmented (for what it is, anyways; I'm sure on alabaster skin this would be lovely and rich in color payoff) for anyone who may be interested :)

Ahhhh, yet another product that I wanted to love but couldn't.

Since I just got through a really bad and drawn out bout of acne (comparable, if not worse, to what I experienced as a hormonal teen), I have some scarring that I'd love to get rid of. So I figured this may be a lovely little step to add into my morning makeup routine to fade the scarring, even if only a little. I also REALLY appreciated the safety seal on the bottle; I'm not a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination but it just shows that the company cares about their customers (or targeted customers, I suppose).

Where's the unloveable bit, you may be wondering?

Just take a gander below:

The texture was just a little too pasty (rather than creamy) for my liking and it is FAR too orange for my skin. It would also be extremely helpful if smell-o-vision were a thing already because the smell of this is just... strong (to put it nicely). It's almost a mix of cut grass and fall leaf piles after a rain? I think it was supposed to smell fresh but instead was just something funky.

It's also a shame that this only comes in two color selections; I get a bit peeved when companies make a small pool of colors to choose from as it connotes the idea that the few colors they made are 'superior' or 'the norm'. 

But I digress, this is a beauty blog so I will stop my jargon on political correctness, blurp blop and the other thing.

As much as I appreciate the thought behind a customizable portable atomizer, I can't help but think that there had to be a way to design the stupid thing so it didn't look like I was carrying around a super shiny vibrator in my purse!! I mean COME ON... 

Aside from the very obvious design flaw (or who knows, maybe some women think it's saucy or something...), I really have no use for this since a.) most of my perfumes are extremely long lasting (I like to get bang for my buck), and b.) I wear a different perfume everyday!! So I would only be able to fill this with one of my fragrances and that would be it... I'd only be able to carry it with me to force myself to 'touch up' my perfume a few times a month. 

Meh.

The only redeeming quality of receiving this perfume sample is the fact that I feel I got something expensive (considering the full bottle would cost me nearly a full week's pay).

Otherwise this is one of the most HORRIFIC smelling perfumes I have ever put near my nose. I think the written description gets it down pat:

"Here she comes [RUN FAR, FAR AWAY]... eyes start to goggle, mouths start to round [get the barf bags ready]... She fascinates [because no one in their right mind would wear this stuff], amuses [because someone wore this stuff], provokes [because people want to hose her down]... Mad Madame knows how to draw the attention. And she likes it [because she's a sadist]."

The only way I can describe the scent of JHAG's 'Mad Madame' is blood (specifically the iron smell that blood carries), hospital rooms (that very strange medicinal sterilization that I'm sure we've all smelt at one time or another), and a sad bouquet of chypre trying to cover up all that is wrong with this perfume. 

Want even more to gag about? Two of the main derivatives of this perfume are castoreum and civetone (from the African civet). 

Never heard of those things (I hadn't either)? 

Google is your best friend.

Le sigh...

That ended up being a bit of a downer of a post, didn't it? I guess sometimes I'm a bit honest to a fault, but I'd rather be that than misleading! 

So let's make things better with a smattering of Galileo lurveliness (I think he could tell I was down this afternoon when I got home because he's been cuddling with me all day... either that or he's growing again, but I'd rather think that he cares about his mum-mum #sosueme):

This is what I put up with when I'm trying to cook (alright, I'm usually just making a sandwich or pouring a bowl of cereal but STILL!!)

And this is what I put up with when I'm trying to brush my teeth in the morning...

 But damn he's cute, so I don't mind putting up with his shenanigans. 

So there you have it!! That was my December Birchbox and, while I know I was less than jazzed in this post, I really did enjoy this box; the samples were deluxe and I know the thought behind the products were all placed with good intentions. If anything this just makes me excited for next month's box as I know it can't be much worse!

Do you receive a monthly Birchbox?

What did you get this month?

Wish you got Birchbox?

What would you have liked to receive?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie