BIRCHBOX Limited Edition "ENTERTAINING ESSENTIALS" Box & VASANTI Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil Duo Review

A few weeks ago, I ordered my first Limited Edition Birchbox (see post here).  These boxes are available for purchase in addition to their monthly $10 subscription box. The great part about this box is they show you what's in it (colors may vary slightly) prior to ordering it.  This is actually a box they originally offered back in September 2014 that's still available for purchase.  Since I've been into cooking lately, I decided this was one I had to have!

Cost:  $42.00  (I used coupon code "takeoff20" to get 20% off, so I purchased this box for $33.60).   

**Also, if you spend $35, don't forget to add your free sample pack (retail value $10).**  You'll receive one deluxe and one standard sample of mystery items Birchbox is excited about right now.  (Just search "Mystery Sample Pack" on their website and add it to your cart prior to checkout).  The sample pack was actually out of stock when I originally was going to purchase this box, so I waited a few days and it came back in stock so I could get it.  (I'll put photos of my free items at the end of this post).

The Products:

1.  Rifle Paper Company Dusty Rose Place Cards (Set of 8) - RV $7
2.  Knot and Bow Party Confetti Bag - RV $10
3.  Core Kitchen Essential Silicone 4-Piece Pinch Bowl Set (Set of 4) - RV $20
4.  Core Bamboo Salad Hands - RV $18
5.  Royal Rose Simple Syrup - Raspberry and Lemon (2 oz each) - RV $5.50 (for both)
6.  Govino "Go Anywhere" Decanter - RV $14.95
7.  Birchbox Exclusive Printed Coasters - RV $5 (Birchbox originally said these had a value of $10)
8.  Greenleaf Room Spray (Apple Spice & Cinnamon) - RV $9

RETAIL VALUE =  $89.45 

(Birchbox lists it at $97.00 though and originally sold this box for $48.  I guess the values have been updated since it's original offering).

The Breakdown:

Rifle Paper Company Dusty Rose Place Cards (Set of 8) - RV $7 and Birchbox Exclusive Printed Coasters - RV $5 (Birchbox originally said these had a value of $10)

These are both really cute and definitely match the theme of the box.  I'll definitely use the coasters.  (After all, I always use them).  The place cards aren't practical for me though since I'm not hosting any events any time soon where I'll be able to use them.  

Knot and Bow Party Confetti Bag - RV $10

I'll save this and use this for a birthday party or baby shower someday.  I love the bright colors and it's just fun.  (Not worth $10 though in my opinion).

Core Kitchen Essential Silicone 4-Piece Pinch Bowl Set (Set of 4) - RV $20

Now we're getting to the good part!  I specifically bought this box for these pinch bowls and the salad hands.  They are perfect for mixing my RawSpiceBar marinades in or putting my chopped up veggies in while I'm waiting to blend them into a recipe I'm making.  

Birchbox offered two different colored versions.  I was happy I got the ones with red in them since red is one of my favorite colors.

Each little bowl holds 1/2 cup of ingredients.  They're just what I was looking for!

Core Bamboo Salad Hands - RV $18

Again, Birchbox offered two different versions of these - ones with a rounded handle and ones with a square handle.  I was hoping for the rounded ones and that's what was in the box.  Yeah!  

Several of the recipes I've done lately have called for folding ingredients or mixing beans, etc. in a bowl.  I'm not a huge salad fan, but these are perfect for recipe prep.  My only complaint with these is that I just saw them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond this weekend for $7.99.  They don't say the brand name of them, but they look exactly the same.  (You can find them on the BBB website also by searching for "Bamboo Salad Hands").

Royal Rose Simple Syrup - Raspberry and Lemon (2 oz each) - RV $5.50 (for both)

The only flavoring I have right now in my cupboard is vanilla extract, so I'm happy to add some more variety.  Since it only takes a small amount of this in recipes, I think both these bottles will last me a while.  

Govino "Go Anywhere" Decanter - RV $14.95

I love Govino products b/c they're durable and I'm clumsy!  I have the wine glasses and champagne flutes from previous PopSugar boxes, but didn't have this.  I'll definitely use this out on the deck this summer!

Greenleaf Room Spray (Apple Spice & Cinnamon) - RV $9

I love the smell of apple and cinnamon, so this spray is a home run for me!  It's a full-size bottle, so it will last a while as well.  The price is great for it too!

VERDICT:  To me, the value of this box was amazing!  I paid $33.60 for $89.45 of merchandise.  Most subscription boxes don't even come close to this value!  I love the pinch bowls, the salad hands, the decanter, and the room spray.  Those four items were definitely worth the cost of this box!  

These were my two free items (since I remembered to add them to my cart this time).  I received Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback hair treatment (2 oz) - RV $3.50 and the Balm Cosmetics "Stainiac" lip and cheek stain (.04 fl oz) - RV $ .23.  Birchbox lists the retail value of this pack to be $10, but as you can see, it's only $3.73 in this case.  I would've been really irritated if I paid the $10 retail for this Mystery Sample Pack.  I guess since it was free though, I can't complain.

I also purchased two eyeliners I wanted to try (the Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil Duo - RV $29.

I specifically wanted to try the rose gold color since I wear a lot of it.

I wore the rose gold liner to work today and loved it!  It went on smooth and creamy and stayed all day!  The light color made my eyes pop too!

Using the coupon code above, I purchased all of this for $56.80.  That's a lot of products for that price!  I definitely feel like I got my money's worth in this box and am excited to see what future Limited Edition boxes they come out with!  (I'm eyeing the Limited Edition "Lovely Day" box that recently came out, but I'm trying to pace myself on buying these).  

What do you think?  Have you tried any of the Birchbox Limited Edition boxes before?

XOXO,
Stephanie