Birchbox: The Date Night Made Easy Review + Tutorial

Birchbox recently added a new discovery kit to their lineup — The Date Night Made Easy Kit!

FYI – this kit is still available for purchase!

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Birchbox

The Subscription Box: The Date Night Made Easy Kit

The Cost: $32 + $5 shipping

And don’t forget your free mystery sample pack on orders of $35 or more!

Ships to: The US and Canada

Birchbox The Date Night Made Easy February 2019 Review

Here is the info sheet for the box and the price of the full-size products.

ColourPop Super Shock Highlighter in Flexitarian, Full-Size! Retail Value $8

I was surprised but happy to find a full-size ColourPop highlighter in this kit since it isn’t a brand Birchbox carries. I enjoy the pigmentation of the super shock eyeshadows, so I was not surprised to love the formula of this highlighter- it’s buttery, it blends well, and it actually can add a natural hint of light if you use a delicate hand. To be honest, it’s probably the best $8 highlighter you will find.

Benefit Cosmetics GALifornia Sunny Golden Pink Blush, 0.08 oz – Retail Value $16

If you follow my makeup reviews you probably know that blush scares me. This blush looked especially fearsome thanks to how vividly coral it looks in the packaging, but it ended up surprising me! I used a very deft hand and the end result was a lovely flush of color that looked natural (and quite pretty!). I only used a tiny bit, and it blended out extremely well. I love that it came with a mini brush, too!

M·A·C Cosmetics Cremesheen Lipstick in Hang Up, Full-Size! - Estimated Value $18.50

I couldn’t find this shade online, which means it may have been limited edition or discontinued. The cremesheen formulas from MAC have a satiny, almost dewy finish, and they are extremely comfortable to wear and non-drying. The downside, however, is that they don’t last as long as matte and they transfer a lot, too. Hang Up is described as a cool plum with blue undertones, and I think that fits the color well.

Love of Color Liquid Shimmer Shadow - Stardust, Full-Size! Retail Value $10

Stardust is a champagne shimmer liquid eyeshadow with a bit of pink undertone, and it is a lovely neutral shade that can really brighten your eyes up. The color glides on smoothly, and I didn’t have any issues with creasing.

Stila Cosmetics HUGE™ Extreme Lash Mascara, 0.20 oz – Estimated Value $10.45 (buy the full-size version for $23)

This mascara from Stila is one I am always happy to have more minis of- it lengthens, curls, adds volume, and is jet black. I always feel like I am able to get good lash definition without clumping when I use this, too.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner - Black, 0.04 oz – Estimated Value $12.57 (buy the full-size version for $22)

Eyeko gets a bad rap because of its frequent (most would say too frequent) appearance in subscription boxes, but this is actually a pretty great liquid eyeliner. The pen tip allows me to get as close to the lash line as possible, the color is jet black, and I always end up with decent results (which is impressive, considering I am not good with black eyeliner).

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer, 0.25 oz – Estimated Value $9 (buy the 1 oz version for $36)

It seems crazy to me that this tiny tube has such a high value, but here we are. Regardless, I actually do like this primer quite a bit. This was actually my first introduction to higher-end primer, and my friend gave me this primer as a Valentine’s Day present when I was a senior in high school! This always makes my face feel super smooth, it helps my foundation go on evenly, and I have found that it wears well throughout the day.

Birchbox Mirror

I got this exact mirror about a year ago from Birchbox in a different discovery kit, and I think they just had extras so they decided to include it in this kit, too. It's a mirror. It does what mirrors do. Personally, I wish it had something to keep the glass from getting smudged, otherwise, it is going to come out of my makeup bag pretty dirty.

Here are the swatches! From top to bottom we have the ColourPop highlighter, the Benefit blush, the MAC lipstick, the LOC eyeshadow, and the Eyeko eyeliner.

To get date night ready I started with a clean, bare face and applied my Smashbox primer and my go-to concealer, Tarte Shape Tape (I wear fair-beige). Next, I took the Galifornia blush and added a tiny bit of powder to the apples of my cheeks before blending it out with a fluffy powder brush.

Next, I applied the LOC liquid eyeshadow to my lids. I covered my lids and then took a clean blending brush to blend the eyeshadow into my crease and soften up the edges.

I then added a thin line of eyeliner using the Eyeko skinny.

Next, I took my Sephora fan brush and added the ColourPop highlighter to the high points of my cheeks, my brow bone, my cupids bow, and the tip of my nose.

I then applied a few coats of mascara.

I prepped my lips using the MAC Prep + Prime lip primer that I got as a free gift with purchase from Birchbox. I lined my lips with the Huda Beauty Lip Contour in the shade Famous (shout out to the $3 Ipsy add-on program!) and then went in with the MAC lipstick.

To finish I lined my brows and applied a setting spray. I also ended up blotting off some of the lipstick so that the color would be a bit less pigmented and less likely to transfer- when I think of Date Night I think of something tasty, and I don’t want my lipstick getting in the way. What do you think of my finished date night look?

Verdict: I thought this Date Night Made Easy Kit was awesome! I really loved the Benefit blush, a lot more than I thought I would, and I think the kit as a whole was thoughtfully curated to give you an easy-to-achieve date night look. I was also happy that this included three full-size products, too. Value-wise, Birchbox promised an $89 value and by my math, this kit is worth $84.52 for everything except the mirror. That means the mirror must add about $5 to Birchbox's promised value. I recommend picking up this kit if you enjoy fun makeup.

To Wrap Up: 

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of publication, this box is still available!

Value Breakdown:  The box cost $37 ($32 + $5 shipping), which means you’re paying $4.62 per item.

Value Breakdown: At $37 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

• ColourPop Super Shock Highlighter: $3.50
• Benefit Cosmetics GALifornia Blush: $7
• M·A·C Cosmetics Cremesheen Lipstick: $8.10
• Love of Color Liquid Shimmer Shadow: $4.38
• Stila Cosmetics HUGE™ Extreme Lash Mascara: $4.57
• Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner: $5.50
• Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer: $3.94
• Birchbox Mirror: n/a

Check out all of our Birchbox reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

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Are you grabbing The Date Night Made Easy Kit? What is your go-to date night look?