March 2016 - BirchBox

Happy March! It's always a pleasant day at the mailbox when our BirchBox arrives. (It beats getting a bunch of bills!) Here's a look at what we received:

March 2016 BirchBox
Number 4 Restore & Repair Oil, Coola Makeup Setting Spray, theBalm Stainiac, treStiQue Shadow Crayon,
Wilma Schumann Collagen Eye pads 

• Number 4, Elixer Restore & Repair Oil - Faint perfumed scented oil to add shine to the dry ends of our hair.
• Coola, SPF 30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray - One last spray for added SPF protection, hydration, and makeup setting glory.
• theBalm, Stainiac - Beauty Queen shade lip and cheek stain - Dual use, light stain. (See our full review of theBalm Stainiac.)
• treStiQue, Color & Smudge Shadow Crayon - Aspen Pine color - Shadow and liner in one!
• Wilma Schumann, Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads - Our eyes can't wait to try the 100% pure collagen pads. Plump and prevent fine lines around the eyes, PLEASE! ;)

Overall, this is a good BirchBox! If you are interested in signing up to get your own, our money saving tips are linked here.

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theBalm - Stainiac - Beauty Queen

We normally review full-size products here on Glambo because we like to use the product many times with it's original dispenser. We tried theBalm Stainiac in the Beauty Queen shade via sample sizes received from our March 2016 BirchBox.

theBalm, Stainiac, Beauty Queen
lip and cheek stain

The results are neutral. Overall, Stainiac cheek and lip stain is good. We like the dual purpose. It leaves a hint of color as both a blush and lip shade. Don't be intimidated by the color in the bottle. It goes on lighter and sheerer than it appears in the container. It looks redder or pinker depending upon the lighting.

The Balm, Stainiac, Lip and Cheek Stain

Personally, Stainiac isn't a product we are likely to buy again. I'm not sure we are lip and cheek stain people. You can layer the lip color to get a darker hue. However, it reminds us of a long wearing lipstick that has been worn for several hours. The lip stain is slightly drying in nature. The faint color and dryness make us want to apply a moisturizing lipstick over it.

We're not a fan of applying anything drying to the cheek area. The 'hint' of color isn't worth it. Maybe we just don't completely understand the stain concept because it seems easy to apply blush and lipstick. Again, the dual purpose of Stainiac is nice, but we're not sold. We would purchase two products we already like to do the job better.

The great part of receiving a smaller size of theBalm Stainiac is that it's perfect for the travel bag or desk drawer cosmetics bag. It will be used again, but not likely in it's entirety.

See the other contents of our March 2016 BirchBox here.

Beauty Deals at Kohl's

One of our Glambo contributors absolutely loves Kohl's. Another shops there when she has a 30% off coupon, and I'm neutral. I probably do a big Kohl's shopping trip once per year. I earn Kohl's cash, forget to spend it (or am too busy to get there in time,) get frustrated, and swear off Kohl's for a while. (My issue, not Kohl's.) I recently discovered some beauty finds that can be purchased online with Kohl's cash. That's a game changer for me!

Kohl's has Lorac. Look at this gift set (available holiday 2015.)

LORAC, Love Lust and Makeup Holiday Gift Set, $42.00

Bliss is another brand that I didn't realize Kohl's carries. Here is a gift set any beauty would love.

bliss, berry bright holiday gift set
Contains bliss hand cream, soapy suds and body butter.

We knew Kohl's had several perfume brands. We didn't realize they carried The Balm makeup too.

theBalm eye makeup palette, $15.00 US

If you are spending Kohl's cash, and have a coupon, there's something you need to know. (Math geek input here. Haha.) The coupon is applied AFTER your Kohl's cash and Yes2You Rewards have been deducted. I didn't realize that at first. Although, it is clearly disclosed on the Kohl's cash. Why does this make a difference?



Kohl's Cash

 

Let's say you have $30 Kohl's Cash to spend, and a 25% discount coupon. You find a purchase for $40. You might think this: $40 purchase, $10 off with 25% coupon, use $30 Kohl's cash, and just pay the tax. Your purchase would seem free. WRONG! The way it works is: $40 purchase minus $30 Kohl's cash. Then, deduct 25% from the remaining $10 balance. That's $2.50 off. You'd pay $7.50 plus tax. This is something that's good to keep in mind while you are shopping online. It will keep you from staring at your receipt after you make your purchase in store - especially if you do a mega shopping trip like me.

Additional Kohl's Savings via Yes2You Rewards.
You can sign up online if you don't have time in the store.

Another math geek / marketing issue I see some people do at Kohl's is count the Kohl's cash twice. This sounds weird, and not everybody does it. Here's the justification. Let's say you spend $50 at Kohl's. You get lots of stuff on sale, and earn $10 Kohl's cash. It seems like you got a great deal and only really paid $40 dollars, right? No! Then, when you go to spend your $10 Kohl's cash, you count it again. The item was $15 dollars, but you have $10 Kohl's cash, so you really only paid $5. See how people count it twice? It feels great to justify purchases, but that $10 Kohl's cash just got counted as $20 in your budget. Again, not everyone does this, but it's something to be aware of.

Other than that, have fun shopping at Kohl's and Kohl's.com! Don't forget to log on with EBates to earn cash back on your purchases. (Our link is on the top right of the page if you need more EBates info, or want to sign up in 20 seconds flat.) We hope you find some beautiful deals.