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Birchbox The Lip Discovery Kit Review – December 2020

Jessica Hapak
ByJessica HapakJan 10, 2021 | 5 comments

Birchbox
3.7 overall rating
657 Ratings | 188 Reviews

The Birchbox Lip Discovery Kit is one of the latest exclusive kits from Birchbox featuring six different lip colors- including two that are full-size!

FYI - this kit is no longer 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 this Birchbox Kit

The Box: Birchbox The Lip Discovery Kit

The Cost: $25 ($76 value!)

This kit includes:

  • rms beauty Wild with Desire Lipstick in Brain Teaser – Mini
  • MAC Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Mehr – Mini
  • Dr. Pawpaw Ultimate Red Balm – Full-Size
  • Wander Beauty Lip Retreat Oil in Excursion – Full-Size
  • Stila Cosmetics Beauty Boss Lip Gloss in Synergy – Deluxe sample
  • Grande Cosmetics GrandeLIPS Hydrating Lip Plumper in Barely There – Deluxe sample

Ships to: The U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands

Birchbox 'Lip Discovery' Kit Review

Here is the info sheet for the box.

 

MAC Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Mehr, 0.06 oz – Estimated Value $11.40 (buy the 0.1 oz version for $19)

I love this color of matte lipstick – the "dirty blue-pink shade" (whatever that means) is a great fit for my complexion, and the matte formula has some nice staying power on my lips. I don’t need to buy any more lipsticks, but if I had a need this would be at the top of the list of ones to purchase.

 

rms beauty Wild with Desire Lipstick in Brain Teaser, 0.04 oz – Estimated Value $7.47 (buy the 0.15 oz version for $28)

rms is a popular clean-beauty brand with a higher price tag, so I am happy to try out their formulas through sets like these. This lipstick was a miss for me- it has the waxy taste of a crayon, which is probably due to the fact that the formula has multiple waxes such as beeswax, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax. It’s waxy. Brain Teaser is a medium pink-brown shade that leaned a touch too orange for my personal preferences but would still look very pretty on a variety of skin tones.

 

Dr. Pawpaw Ultimate Red Balm, 25 ml – Retail Value $8

When I swatched this with my fingers the shade was RED, and I was almost convinced this wouldn’t be a workable color for me due to the thick formula that is made with soothing ingredients like castor seed oil, papaya extract, sunflower seed oil, and aloe vera. When applying it to my lips, however, I only needed a tiny bit and the red shade was much more wearable for me. This can be layered to build up the red pigment, and you can also use it on your cheeks or on patches of dry skin (though the dry skin would then have a slightly red tint- if you like the formula the original version is clear).

 

 

Wander Beauty Lip Retreat Oil in Excursion, 0.34 oz – Retail Value $22

The pink and gold packaging of Wander Beauty gets me every time. This lip oil is thick, and it has nourishing ingredients like apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, and rose oil. Excursion is a deep berry shade with a shiny finish – think of this as a gloss with nourishing lip properties. This did have a bit of a sticky finish, but it made my lips look plumper which is a tradeoff I am willing to make sometimes.

 

Stila Cosmetics Beauty Boss Lip Gloss in Synergy, no size listed (buy the 0.11 oz version for $15)

I absolutely love this lip gloss – the color is a gorgeous, soft pink and it’s also really comfortable to wear. Synergy is described as a pink rose with subtle gold shimmer, and it really is a perfect pink for my complexion.

 

Grande Cosmetics GrandeLIPS Hydrating Lip Plumper in Barely There, 0.05 oz – Estimated Value $16.07 (buy the 0.084 oz version for $27)

This is the one subscription box item I won’t try anymore, mainly because when I do try the lip plumpers from this brand I experience burning, not tingling, and I always get a pimple on my lip line the day after using it. The shade Barely There is a light pale nude with a high shine finish, and this is also formulated with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3.

Here are more swatches. From top to bottom we have Grande Cosmetics, rms, Stila, MAC, Wander Beauty, and Dr. Pawpaw.

Verdict: I’ve tried a lot of lip products (both through reviewing for MSA for three years and also through my love of makeup), and yet this set still managed to surprise me with some new favorites (the Stila and the MAC). I think this set had a good mix of sample and full-size items, and a nice variety of brands at different price points were featured. The Stila lip gloss didn’t have a size listed anywhere on the tube, but the rest of the items in the set add up to $64.94. The promised value for this set was $76, and I would say that the (unknown) value of the Stila gloss would make the total at or near that.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this kit if you order today? No, this set is no longer available but you can shop other kits here.

Check our Birchbox Coupon List to get the most up-to-date coupon!

Value Breakdown: This kit cost $25, which means that you are paying $4.17 per item.

Check out all of our Birchbox reviews and our other favorite beauty box subscriptions!

Keep track of your subscriptions by adding Birchbox to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of the Birchbox Lip Discovery Beauty Kit?

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Birchbox ($15 per month) was one of the very first beauty subscription boxes—we’ve been reviewing it since 2012! Each month, subscribers get a new mix of 5 beauty samples, such as makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance items. Birchbox lets you choose whether you’d like a box of items picked ju... read more.

Jessica Hapak
Jessica Hapak
I am a staunch believer that pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza and when I’m not working as a family law attorney I enjoy hiking the Louisiana trails (alligator sightings are a favorite!) or relaxing with Duchess, my cat. I’m a sucker for anything labeled a mystery box and I’ve never met a bath bomb I didn’t like.

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5 comments

Hanna

Great review. That Wander lip oil is gorgeous on you!!

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Jaclyn

This looks like a good kit. I appreciate that you posted photos of yourself wearing each product.

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Jessica Hapak

I’m glad you found it helpful Jaclyn- thanks for reading! 🙂

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Snow

Interesting mix of products! The wander beauty lip oil looks really good. The rms on the other hand definitely looks too waxy and too orange. Fun kit thanks for reviewing ☺️

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Jessica Hapak

You bet, Snow! I love reviewing the Discovery Kits. Thanks for reading 🙂

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