My February BirchBox order arrived this week with a great assortment of new finds.  For those of you who don’t know what Birchboc.com is – click here for your invitation to join. They offer a variety of new and trending products and for a monthly members fee – they send you a sample “box” of the month’s top hits. Essentially as they describe themselves – it’s a “discovery commerce platform”.

So while I am a pretty big techno geek – of late I have been enjoying the idea of old school communication techniques with the trending resurgence in notecards, custom journals and writing implements. So off the bat I loved that they included a 

box of blank note card and envelopes with a more masculine theme. Slightly retro-themed embossed imprints offer a nod towards old school male imagery. In fact BirchBox is promoting them as part of the “Art of Manliness Stationary”. In a warm sand/cream color, with a crisp embossed art-image – these cards will definitely be used over the next few months. Birchbox is selling the box of 15 cards for $24. 

Also included in the monthly box, were samples of facial products geared for men. This month the goodies included both a brushless shave cream and face wash by “apothecary-isque” looking Schullz & Malley. They definitely are offering a nod towards the vintage.

Now, not being someone who likes a lot of fragrance or heavy smells emanating from the skin and face products I use – I was less than hopeful when I saw the samples. But I was willing to give them a try. I was pleasantly surprised with my initial reaction on opening them. The scent is subtle – almost offering an echo-smell – one you get a wiff of then it sort or comes back a minute later in your mind. Immediately reminding me of being a kid and the smells associated with my Dad’s closet and his “man-cave” back then – the attic. I would describe the scent of  Schullz & Malley samples as a balance of smoky and earthy with just enough sweet to mellow it. It made me think of freshly aired wool sweaters, pipe tobacco, old wood and well used fireplaces.

The Cleansing Face Wash has pours out as a thick lotion, then mutates to nice creamy feel when rubbed and applied. It has a medium lather and being someone with a shaved head and beard, a nickel-sized amount was plenty for a solid coverage.  After rinsing my face had a nice clean feel and my beard responded nicely to the wash and even a few hours later felt softer than with other wash products I have used. The wash runs about $18 for 6 oz on BirchBox. 

The Brushless Shave Cream is a semi-solid type cream. The kind that is thick and very “nozema” like – but rubbed on your neck & face spreads well but not at thick as for instance The Art of Shaving’s shave cream. (Ed. Note: I am a long time fan and devotee of the unscented version of the Art of Shaving product line and the brush and shave cream has saved me lots of cuts.  So they remain the standard by which I compare products against, which luckily BirchBox also sells!)

The coverage was great and the shave smooth. With two scented products layered I was worried that I was going to smell them all day (even a good scent is too much for me after a while) – but again I was pleasantly surprised that by the time I had dried off and dressed – the fragrance with pretty much well I the background and dissipated nicely.  The Shave cream is $18 for 8oz on Birchbox

Now also included in this months box were:

• A sample fragrance from English Laundry’s Signature line – which I prompting gave to a younger colleague at work who sniffed and liked depth and fresh smell. But at $84 for 3.4 oz not sure he would buy it.
• A sampler of dr. brandt® pores no more® pore refiner. This one didn’t get tied yet – but once I do – I will share my thoughts. Not cheap at $45 for 1 oz – I am not sure its one that I would invest in on a regular basis.