Note from Liz: I’m so happy to introduce our newest reviewer to the MSA team! Welcome, Jessica!
The Birchbox 2018 Lip Service Kit is a limited edition discovery kit featuring a variety of lip products that will allow you to try out different lip looks. This kit is a one time purchase (a subscription will not be started by purchasing this), and it includes three full-sized lip products and five deluxe or travel sized lip products. You will find well-known brands like MAC and Stila in this set, but you'll also be introduced to lesser-known brands like Milk and Sara Happ.
In a break from what I have come to expect from Birchbox, this box did not arrive packed in a patterned box. Rather, once you open the packaging material, all of the products of the kit can be found tucked into a clear zip pouch.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
This review is for the Birchbox 2018 Lip Service kit, which is $28 for a one time purchase and free shipping on all Birchbox orders over $50.
About Birchbox
The Box: The 2018 Lip Service Kit
The Cost: $28 + shipping
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The Products: travel-size and full-size lip products
Ships to: US, France, Spain and the UK and Canada
Birchbox The 2018 Lip Service Kit Review
This discovery kit includes items from Birchbox’s own line, LOC, and also items from well-established brands like MAC and Stila. Let's dive into this lip wonderland!
An information sheet is also included that lists the item name and full-size price for each item.
Milk Makeup Lip Color in O.G. Red, .004 oz. - Estimated Value $8.80 (Buy a full sized .01 oz tube for $22)
I have tried a few products from Milk Makeup before, but their lipstick is new to me. This sample is a little less than half of the full sized, which means I should be able to get a good deal of uses before it runs out (question: has anyone actually ever used ALL of a tube of lipstick? I certainly haven’t). The color is described as an “intense (yet universally flattering) true red shade.” While I do not feel qualified to attest to the “universally flattering” claim, it definitely wore as a true red on me and didn't clash with the red undertones that my skin has. Score!
When I applied it, this lipstick did tug at my lips a little bit instead of gliding smoothly, but the color payout was rich. Once applied, it was comfortable to wear and easy to forget I was wearing anything at all! The product description does say its made with shea butter, coconut oil, and grapefruit peel oil, so that could explain why its so easy to wear. There is a lot of transfer with this product, and definitely needed touchups after a few hours. Luckily, this sample is a great size to toss in my purse— it doesn't take much space but it's not so tiny I won't be able to find it when I look for it (swatched below).
Stila Cosmetics Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick in Perla, .05 fl oz - Estimated Value $11 (Buy the full sized .1 fl oz tube for $22)
Stila’s liquid lipstick is a tried and true lippie for me. I have the full size in Aria and various samples around my house from subscription boxes. I love this stuff! This is a very generous sample that is half of the full-sized version, and the color is described as a “soft rosy nude” on the Birchbox website. Honestly, on me, I felt like it wore more as a dusty mauve more than a rosy nude, but I loved the way it looked all the same. I wore this to dinner the other night, and we were at the Melting Pot. This lipstick survived cheese fondue y’all— and I am definitely a messy eater when it comes to hot, melty, delicious cheese. I was so impressed when I checked my lipstick after the meal and it didn't need a touchup. After dinner, the color was starting to wear off, but it wasn't wearing off in a patchy or obvious way. I love when lipsticks wear off smoothly, so even if the color isn't as rich you don't feel the need to reapply. This lipstick was my favorite out of all the lippies in the kit.
Love of Color Ultra-Gloss Lip Pencil in Birthday Suit, Full-Size! - Retail Value $10
The concept of this product fascinates me. Lip gloss in a pencil? Not in a squeezable tube or applied with a wand? I was a bit skeptical that it would actually wear like a lipgloss - and LOC proved me wrong! Birchbox describes Birthday Suit as a pinky nude with a glossy sheen, and I would say that is pretty accurate. It also wasn't sticky and was easy to apply. I would say this color would be a good fit for those no makeup-makeup days, where you just need a hint of color but also want to be able to swipe and go. I am a fan!
Love of Color Sharpener - Retail Value $5
At first glance, one wouldn't think much about a sharpener. They're handy to have around, but is there really a lot you can say about a sharpener? Turns out, there is! Not only does this have two standard sizes that will sharpen your makeup pencils, but the outer ring on the large end is actually removable, making the hole even bigger! I had never heard of a sharpener with three different sized openings, so I was impressed.
Later, when I was playing around with it, I noticed there is actually a removable bit of plastic that you can use to clean the sharpener blades. I genuinely had no idea that was a thing, and now that I know it is I am lamenting my sharpeners of the past that had many a makeup tip get stuck, and I was left using my fingernail to try and get the broken off tip out. Also (and probably most important) it sharpens really well! This worked on both my LOC lip pencil but also on my regular eyeliner. For the price, I don't really think you can beat the value of this handy tool.
Smashbox Cosmetics Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer - .16 fl oz. Value $11.29 (Buy a .34 oz full-sized tube for $24)
To be honest, this is the only lip product that felt out of place. What this product does is turn any cream lipstick into a matte finish, which is cool in theory. However, it says to not use it on any glosses, lacquers, or balms, and it would be redundant to use it on any lippies that already have a matte finish. That really only leaves the Milk lipstick as a product that would be a good fit for trying this out, and even the milk lippie formula is described as a demi-matte. I am a liquid lipstick lover, so I had to really search my makeup stash hard to even find a lipstick I could try this with, which ended up being my Too Faced Melted Latex liquid lipstick. When I patted the product on using my fingers, it instantly turned my shiny lips into matte ones. But, it also left my lips feeling really goopy and weird. Maybe that's because of the lipstick I tried on under it, but it would have been nice if this lip set included a true creme finish lipstick to try this transformer with. That being said, this is another generous sized sample, coming it at just a smidge under half the full-size version. I will be keeping an eye out for a different lipstick to try this with and hopefully see better results.
M·A·C Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in D for Danger, .06 oz - Estimated Value $10.50 (Buy the .1 oz. full-size tube for $17.50)
I have such a fondness for the MAC brand, because growing up MAC was the cool girl makeup brand I always wanted to try, but couldn't afford yet (this was when I was transitioning from Claire's makeup and 99 cent store beauty products to drug store and the occasional nice product as a gift from my mom). MAC has a lot of cult red lipsticks like Russian Red and Ruby Woo, and I am kind of surprised Birchbox didn't include one of those shades when they decided to include a MAC lipstick in this kit. That being said, D for Danger wears as brick red color that is just a tad too brown for my coloring. It is really creamy and smooth to apply, but I would definitely wear this with a lip liner and carry it with me when I left my apartment in order to reapply touch ups throughout the day.
Kevyn Aucoin The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in Cerise, .69 g - Estimated Value $15.13 (Buy a .04 full-sized pencil for $25)
This lip liner is designed to create fuller looking lips and keep lip color from bleeding, and I have to say this little powerhouse is pretty good at doing so! Plus, this sample is a little over half the full sized version, making it an awesome value. I also like the shade Cerise, which to me wears as a berry red shade, because I can use it with a variety of nude, pink, and red lip colors. I like the subtle contrast a differing shade of lipliner can give to your overall lip look, so to me Cerise is a really universal lipliner shade. I used it to line my lips when I wore the Stila lippie for girls night out, and I really enjoyed the combination!
Smith & Cult The Shining Lip Lacquer in One Word Chorus, Full-Size! - Retail Value $22
Honestly, I do not think a Smith & Cult product review could be complete without talking about the lovely packaging. I love the heavy silver top to this lipstick, and think by design alone this is one of the best looking lip products out there. That being said, I wasn’t blown away by the lip gloss. The shade One Word Chorus is described as rose with multi-color shimmer. This definitely wears as a rose on me, but I didn't see any multi-color shimmer. It was very shiny, but shiny and rainbow shimmer isn't the same in my book. It faded relatively quickly, and while it wasn't really sticky per se, I could definitely tell I was wearing lip gloss. However, it is a good nude color for my skin tone, and I honestly think this shade would look good on almost anyone.
Sara Happ The Lip Scrub in Brown Sugar, Full-Size! - Retail Value $22
Hello, mysterious new lip brand I have never heard of! While I have never heard of the Sara Happ brand before, I love that Birchbox included a lip scrub in this lip set- and a full sized one at that! I use a lip scrub every day before applying lipstick, and this one was really moisturizing without being too gritty and rough. It left my lips feeling very hydrated and ready for whatever liquid lipstick I was throwing their way. Also, when I first opened this jar up my initial reaction was it looked like the frosting you would find on a german chocolate cake, and that is never a bad thing. If I wasn’t a subscription box addict, and actually ran out of products before being sent new ones in various boxes, I would definitely consider paying full priced for this one. That being said, while I do love it, its not so fabulous that I would pay full priced for this over using one sent to me in a subscription box.
Here are swatches of everything included in the kit, excluding the sharpener (of course) and the lip scrub (way too messy). From top to bottom, is the LOC lipgloss pencil in Birthday Suit, Smith & Cult Lipgloss in One Word Chorus, Stila Stay all day liquid lipstick in Perla, Milk Makeup Lip Color in OG Red, MAC in D for Danger, and the Kevin Aucoin Lipliner in Cerise.
And here is a selfie I took before meeting my friends for dinner. I prepped my lips using the Sara Happ Lip Scrub, and then lined my lips with the Kevin Aucoin Lip Liner. Finally, I filled in the lines with the Stila lippie. I really loved the way this color looked on me!
The Verdict: Birchbox promises a value of $114 in their 2018 Lip Service Kit, and by my math the items in this kit are worth a combined $115.72. I think that is a fantastic deal for a $33 box $28 + $5 shipping) that includes a lot of different lippies, some of them being full sized, plus helpful items like a sharpener and lip scrub. While I felt the smash box matte lip transformer was a bit out of place with the matte and glossy finishes, overall I think this kit has enough in it to make the value there for everyone.
The Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if I sign up today? Yes! Click here to add The 2018 Lip Service Kit to your cart.
Coupon - Check out all the free gift with purchase coupons, and don't forget to add your free sample pack with any $35 purchase.
Value Breakdown: At $33 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item: 115.72
- Milk Makeup Lip Color in O.G. Red: $2.51
- Stila Cosmetics Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick: $3.14
- Love of Color Ultra-Gloss Lip Pencil: $2.85
- Love of Color Sharpener: $1.43
- Smashbox Cosmetics Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer: $3.22
- M·A·C Cosmetics Matte Lipstick: $2.99
- Kevyn Aucoin The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil: $4.31
- Smith & Cult The Shining Lip Lacquer: $6.27
- Sara Happ The Lip Scrub: $6.27
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What do you think of The 2018 Lip Service Kit? Have you tried any of the products featured in this kit? Tell us below! (Especially if you've found a good lipstick to use with the smash box matte transformer).
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