May Birchbox Review - Gossip Girl Box

I have been unsubscribed from Birchbox since January, with December 2011 as my last box.  But I got an email a little while ago advertising their special Gossip Girl box for May and I figured, what the heck?  I'll give it another shot.

And here she is.  I've always liked the Birchbox branding, I think the design is simple and chic.  Boxes past were usually bright pink with a white square logo, but this one was black for the GG theme.  I like the contrast a lot.

The actual box, inside of the outer package, had a fun little GG sleeve.  It was a little difficult to pull off, but that's probably just because I'm an idiot when it comes to simple things.

I peeked on the website before I got my box, so I knew what I was getting before I opened it.  I was on the fence about it, but then when I actually got my items I realized that I was completely underwhelmed.  I had a few reasons for cancelling Birchbox in the first place, and they were all present yet again with this box.  I had high hopes for the Gossip Girl box because the March Teen Vogue box seemed really great, but no.  This one was pretty lame in my opinion.  Anyway, here is what I received:

• Color Club Foil Collection in Disco Nap - This is the only item in the box that I genuinely liked.  I have a few other gold nail polishes, but Color Club is a decent brand and it's definitely something I'll use.  The bottle is half the size of full-sized bottles.
• beautyblender blendercleanser - When I saw this on the website I thought it was a facial cleanser, and I thought, "meh, another cleanser."  But no, it's for cleaning your makeup brushes so I don't feel that it's a true beauty product.  I can use soap and water to clean my brushes, send me makeup instead.
• Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm - This was the only other item in the box that I was interested in trying.  But then I actually got it and realized that the bottle isn't even full.  I mean, there was barely enough in it for two applications.  Check out the photo below to see what I mean!  Completely disappointing and a waste of packaging.
• Arquiste L'Etrog - I HATE PERFUME SAMPLES.  I am so tired of them.  I can get them for free at any makeup counter, so I don't want them in a box I spend money on.  Also, they always seem to be completely impractical because they're just stopper bottles, and when I pull off the cap it just spills everywhere.  At least give me an atomizer!
• Twistband - This ugly gray headband is one I'll never use.  It's a piece of elastic and not nearly strong enough to hold my thick Asian hair.  Into the garbage it goes!
• Notecard - A little notecard with an envelope.  Cute idea, but it probably won't get used.

Overall I am not pleased with this box.  Could you tell?  But on the same hand, I'm still on the fence about Birchbox as a whole. It seems that with every box I've gotten, my interest and pleasure has gone steadily downhill.  I loved my first one, but then I got a whole bunch of skincare and perfume that I still haven't used (since last October).  But then I remember that it only costs $10, so for that price the brands are usually a great deal.

Oh and then there was the whole issue with the Dr. Jart+ BB cream being not even close to full.  I stumbled upon this fact accidentally when I was opening the box, because I caught it through the light of my lamp.  You can clearly tell in the photo that there isn't much product in the tube.  And those dark spots aren't filled all the way through, it's just cream stuck to the sides.

Seriously?  Are all bottles like this and I just didn't realize it until now?

Okay, well I have one more complaint: why does it take so long for my box to arrive?!  I live in Rochester, NY, which is on the western end of the state (an hour east of Buffalo), and Birchboxes ship from near New York City.  It takes an average of 5-7 days for my box to arrive, which baffles me because I've had two subscriptions that ship from California that arrive in 2 days on a consistent basis.  So what the heck takes so long?  Why does my box start out in NYC, go to Ohio, and then come back to me in Rochester?  I know there's probably a good reason why Birchbox needs to ship in that pattern, but it is a bit frustrating when people in the Midwest get their boxes before me.  Wah wah wah, I'm done complaining now :)

Check out more photos of my products up-close after the read more, including a comparison of the Color Club sample and a full-sized bottle.

Baby Color Club on the left, full-sized on the right (Metamorphosis)

*Disclaimer: I purchased this Birchbox and was not asked to review it in any way. I was not monetarily compensated for this review and the honest opinions here are entirely my own.