It's May, it's May, the lusty month of May. But wait — I still haven't posted my review of my Birchbox Canada April 2014 subscription box! This month, all the products absolutely scream 'Spring!' with either their scents, their uses, or their colours. But did I find it a useful box? Read on!

What Is Birchbox?

Birchbox is a mid-priced monthly box ($10CDN for the box + $5CDN shipping= $15 a month), that offers a unique rewards system. If you write product reviews on the Birchbox site for your products each month, or refer friends to the subscription, you can earn points to use in the Birchbox beauty shop which carries a variety of products from the brands found in the boxes. It's a neat way to give back to your subscribers and I look forward to taking advantage of it. It's similar to Julep's 'Jules' system.

Another fun thing about Birchbox is that they allow you to see what your products are before they hit your door, so it can be a surprise or you can spoil yourself if you want. Me? I've spoiled it for myself every, single, time.. except this month! So these were all a surprise.

In my April 2015 Birchbox Canada box I received:

LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil
I received this lip pencil SMACK DAB in the middle of the April Lipstick Challenge and wasn't able to try it until now! I have to say, it's more than a sheer colour, it's downright purple! It's nice if you want a colourful pout but don't want too much weight on your lips. I'd apply this under a balm for a dewy pop of colour. I'm curious about this brand now, and would like to see how their coral looks on me!

Temple Spa Peace Be Calming Lotion
It's funny, the reason I really like this product is also the reason I don't think I'd buy it again. Temple Spa Peace Be Still smells EXACTLY like being at a spa, that overwhelming blend of soothing aromatherapy essential oils that are created to calm and relax you. The problem is that this scent is just SO STRONG there's no way I'm putting it on my face. I can't use this fully like a body balm because it's too strong. I love it, I'll use it sparingly, but it's not a daily use lotion.

Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder
I'm currently DROWNING in dry shampoos and powders, but lavender and clary are some of my favourite scents so I'm down to try another brand. I just don't want to open another one today! Sidebar: this is a VERY expensive hair product at $36 for a full-size container! Not sure if any type of magic dry shampoo would be worth that.

Jelly Pong Pong GLOW GETTER Highlighter
On first glance, I thought this was a mini nail polish! It's so small and cute and the colour was so pigmented, I knew it had to be so. But lo and behold, instead it's a mighty bright highlighter! I currently live for my Benefit Sunbeam and High Beam, but this would be a great product for my travel make-up kit since it's so tiny. Bring on the sun!

BeeKind Shower Gel
Body wash is currently one of the items on my beauty no-buy list, but I absolutely LOVE having a variety of scents to choose from, so keep sending them my way! Beekind has a gorgeous lemon verbena scent which is softened by calendula extract (my skin felt so SOFT) and while the smell doesn't linger very long, it definitely soothed my skin as I lathered. If I wasn't already in love with the scent of this body wash, the company also gives proceeds from the sale of this product to the Univesity of California's Honey Bee Research Centre. Save the bees!

The verdict?

Once again, I'm happy! I like receiving substantial-sized samples that are actually things I can integrate in my day to day life. I'm glad that Birchbox was willing to offer me this month for free to make up for February's unfortunate box. My only complaint this month was that all my communication mentioned that I was to get a gorgeous Rifle & Co box... but I got the normal one instead. Ho hum. It wouldn't be that big a deal if it literally wasn't all over my email and on the card in my box. But at least everything IN my box was lovely in April. I'm definitely looking forward to May!

If you're interested in getting a Birchbox for yourself, use my referral code to subscribe to Birchbox today and try it for yourself.