March saw Birchbox collaborate with Lulu Guinness. I must admit to not being all that fussed with these collaborations, to me I am more excited by what products I get.
So here is what I got
Korres Citrus Body Milk Korres is a brand which receives a lot of hype but one that I don't see very often in the shops. I have never tried anything from the brand so looking forward to trying this out. If it's smell is anything to go by I have high hopes as it's gorgeous. The full size is available from birchbox.co.uk for £9.50.
Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner which is a brand and a product I have never heard of. It claims to 'minimise pores and absorb excess oil' which are two things that I could do with at the moment. I really love my Laura Mercier Primer and will be interested to see how this compares. 30ml will set you back £39 from birchbox.co.uk.
Benefit Stay Don't Stray which I have actually used in the past. For me this didn't do much but as I have said several times I have incredibly oily eye lids so I ended up giving this away. I am interested to try this again as it may work better under the eye which I didn't try before. You can pick the full size up from feelunique.com for £20.50.
Molton Brown Rhubard & Rose Replenishing Hand Cream which I should be excited to try but instead I just feel like the sample is hardly worth having. I mean it's not that much bigger then the fragrance sample. I will still obviously try but guessing I am not going to get many applications out of it. This is available from houseoffraser.co.uk for £10 for 40ml.
English Laundry No. 7 For Her which is another brand I have never heard of. On first sniff this isn't a scent I am drawn to but these samples are always handy for travel aren't they. The full size is available from birchbox.co.uk for £47.00
Candy Rock which I can't say I am all that bothered about, another edible 'lifestyle' extra. I would rather have a larger Molton Brown sample then this stick of rock.
Overall I think this might be my least favourite box so far, I only have two left after this on my gift subscription and this hasn't inspired me to renew. Although two of the products I am excited to try the others I just think are a let down. I can't get that excited about a fragrance sample after all they are the easiest product to test, and the Molton Brown is just so tiny.
What are your thoughts on what I got - am I right to be disappointed?
My February Birchbox arrived a couple of weeks ago so I thought I would share with you what was included.
Beauty Protector Protect & Oil this wasn't a brand I had heard of until I started getting Birchbox, but I received a leave in conditioner from them in my first box which I love. I am slightly apprehensive of using oil on my hair but I have loved the leave in conditioner so will definitely give this a go. The full size is available from birchbox.co.uk for £16.
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner I do have the full size of this after it was a freebie with Marie Claire in August 2013. I am rubbish with eyeliner and this is no exception, unfortunately. Instead of wasting this I am going to give to a friend or one of my sisters . I still want to try one of their mascaras. You can pick up the full size for £12 from feelunique.com.
Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish this isn't a brand I have heard of before but am interested to try. I love exfoliating and am interested to try anything that promises 'a radiant, youthful complexion' This also includes no SLS, parabens or GM ingredients. The full size retails at £8.99 for 125ml and is available from birchbox.co.uk.
Gilchrist & Soames The London Collection Shower Gel I can't describe the scent of this unfortunately as suffering from a bad cold and have no sense of smell. This is a paraben-free forumla which promises to 'refresh and hydrate skin' It is another brand I haven't heard of and looks more like something you would find in a hotel. You can pick up the full size for £13.75 from birchbox.co.uk.
Leighton Denny Coconutty I haven't tried a nail polish from Leighton Denny but have used his crystal nail file. The colour is dark nude with gold shimmer running through it. It's not a shade I would buy but think it might be nice on my toes. This is available for £8.80 from beautybay.com
My lifestyle extra was some Green & Black Dark Chocolate which I gave to my boyfriend as I like my chocolate milk or filled with something sweet.
Overall I am pleased with my box, these things are always pretty hit and miss and I wouldn't have bought most of these products myself but that is the joy with these boxes.
My second Birchbox recently arrived and I thought I would share what was included. This month is all about making 'small daily changes that will make a big difference'
So what was in my box
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer I have this in various sizes but yet never seem to use regularly. I know a lot of people who are massive fans of this and when I have bothered to use this my hair has felt gorgeous. My hair has been very dry recently so I really should start using this. It claims it 'strengthens, nourishes and prevent breakages.' You can pick up 150ml for £24.20 from feelunique.com.
Benefit The POREfessional this is my third sample of this. I have finished one and I do think that this helps minimise pores however I am not overly enamoured with the feel of this. This along with the Philip Kingsley I feel are common beauty box and magazine freebies fodder. I am not sure if there are many people who haven't tried them already. You can purchase the full size of this for £24.50 from birchbox.co.uk or feelunique.com.
Rodial Bee Venom Moisturiser Bee Venom seems to be everywhere at the moment and I am looking forward to trying this. It claims to 'improve skin tone and elasticity' I can say without a shadow of doubt, that however amazing this is I will not be purchasing the full size as 50ml retails at £150. I have high hopes for this based on the rrp. If you have a spare £150 you can pick this up from birchbox.co.uk or spacenk.com.
Lavera Basis Sensitive Hand Cream I haven't heard of this brand before but unlike the Rodial this has a very purse friendly price. It includes shea butter and almond oil and this will be a very welcome addition to my handbag. You can pick up 50ml for £4.45 from birchbox.co.uk.
Moa The Green Balm first up this is a very small sample but I have heard good things about this from a couple of YouTubers, so looking forward to trying this out. It is a multi purpose balm which you can cleanse with. I haven't tried a balm cleanser but this seems like a good one to try out first. The full size 50ml is £9.00 from feelunique.com.
The last item was a Birchbox Eye Mask this can be popped in the fridge and is reusable. This is something that I probably wouldn't buy but think that this will definitely come in handy. You can pick this up for £10 from birchbox.co.uk.
Again I am happy with my box. I was a bit disappointed with the Philip Kingsley and the Benefit products as they do seem to be included in everything. They are good products so I will keep for travel. I am just hoping that I don't fall in love with the Rodial as I could never justify spending that sort of money.
As featured in my last post, I received a subscription to Birchbox for Christmas. To see what else I got you can click here.
I was really pleased with what was in my first beauty box. I know it can be a bit hit and miss but this one was definitely a hit. The theme was a winter wonderland and is all about helping you sparkle and shine.
The first product was Nail Rock Glitter Red I am not sure how I feel about this as it looks messy, but the results look amazing. If I got this before Christmas I may have tried this out for the big day. This is available to purchase for £6.99 at birchbox.co.uk or feelunique.com.
Next up is a sample of Beauty Protector I have never heard of the brand but it promises to detangle, protect from heat and UV, seals, smooths, locks in colour and adds shine. I usually use drugstore heat protection on my hair, so I will be interested to see how this compares. You can purchase 236ml for £15 from birchbox.co.uk.
The one item that I am not sure about is the ModelCo Party Proof Matte Lipstick in the shade Get Naked. I haven't dabbled with nude lips since I was a teen and lets just say the results were horrendous. I will let you know how I get on with this. This is available as part of a trio for £15.50 from birchbox.co.uk.
The best item in my opinion is 25g of Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille Souffle Body Creme. I have heard so much about Laura Mercier bath and body products but never tried any. First up this smells amazing, the whole box smells of this and I haven't even opened it yet. I am going to save this for when I want a real treat. This is available from johnlewis.com for an eye watering £43.50 for 300g.
The last product is 15ml of Delarom Acquaconfort Mask which is another product I have never heard of but it promises to hydrate your skin, and right now my skin could do with some serious hydration. This should be available from birchbox.co.uk for £24.
Also included was a Twistband and $20 voucher for baublebar.com. I am not that fussed about the Twistband as I never really wear my hair up but might give to one of my sisters.
This box has seriously impressed me, the lipstick is the only product that I wouldn't have picked but the rest are all items I can't wait to try.
If you read yesterday's post here, you will know I recently bought one of the British Beauty Blogger beauty boxes. In that post I showed the first 7 products in the box, today it is the final 7's turn.
First up is Jo Loves Pomelo which is not a brand I have heard anything about, obviously I know who Jo Malone is, but I've not tried anything from her new brand. I am interested to try this as I assume it is more of a mature scent then I usually go for. The full size is available from joloves.com.
Next up is Lanolips Lip Balm in Rhubarb which I am interested to try as I know many bloggers love the brand. I doubt I would have bought this myself as lip balm is one area of my collection which seems to multiple without me ever seemingly buying any! I am really interested to see how this fairs as I have never found my holy grail lip balm. I also think that the colour looks like it will be very flattering. This is full size and is available from boots.com.
I have never heard of Melvita and there are two of their products in the box. The first is Melvita Orange Blossom Floral Water which looks like it might be the perfect summer handbag item. I am intrigued to find out whether these facial water are worth the hype and with this heatwave in the UK, this maybe the perfect time to test this out. This is available from uk.melvita.com.
The second product from the brand is the Ultra-Nourishing Body Balm which first up smells amazing. This is a small 15ml sample so not sure how thoroughly I will be able to test, but after doing some research on the brand I am really interested to see how I get on with these. Why do the French seem to have such great skincare brands? The full size of this is available from uk.melvita.com.
Neom is a brand I have been dying to try, after seeing it appear in so many videos on YouTube. Included in the box is 50ml of Neom Complete Bliss Organic Hand Cream. As mentioned in my last post I have been having issues with my hands recently, so not sure when I will be able to use but with the inclusion of Argan Oil in this hopefully soon. The full size is available from lookfantastic.com.
Next up is another brand I have been desperate to try its Philosophy Purity 3-in-1 Cleanser. The inclusion of this, the Neom and Elemis products is the main reason that I had to get this box, these are luxury brands that I have not only heard of but also have been wanting to try out for months. It also highlights the value for money in this box, these brands aren't cheap and the size of the samples are very generous. This is available in this size and larger from philosophyskincare.co.uk.
Last up is Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil which is another full sized product. Again I have never heard of this but have been meaning to invest in an oil for some time. I have mentioned that my skin has been breaking out recently and my spots always leave scars that hang around for months. I am hoping that this will help reduce them and also get rid of my lovely 11 wrinkles on my forehead. This is available from boots.com.
So that is everything, I really can't believe how good this box is. The quality of the products is amazing there is not one duff product that has clearly been added to pad it out. There is also nothing in here which I wouldn't use or don't think would be suitable for my skin, and considering that there are 14 products feel that is pretty amazing.
Lastly the value for money is I think insane, for under £20 including p&p you have 14 amazing products, all decent sizes, from a great mix of well known luxury brands and other less talked about brands.
I for one am so glad I snapped this up, and hope I will be as lucky next time when the second box is released.
The best place to get details on the next box is to make sure you follow British Beauty Blogger.
I was lucky enough to be one of the 500 who managed to get their hands on the beauty box from British Beauty Blogger, and I have to thank Mez from Mez Made Up who gave me the heads up on Twitter. If you don't know what this box is all about then read this post.
I knew I had to get this as soon as I heard about it. I debate subscribing to beauty boxes every time I see a good box on blogs and YouTube. Ultimately I can't justify spending that much money a month on a bunch of random products. This time I knew what I was getting and there are products that I have been dying to try out.
The first product is B. Longer Lengthening and Defining Mascara which I am a not going to lie I haven't seen or read anything about. I am always however on the hunt for the perfect mascara and this is a full size product worth £9.99. It is available from superdrug.com.
Next up is Benefit The POREfessional I do have another of these samples which I got with a magazine but I still haven't tried as I am trying to only have one primer on the go at any one time. I have heard that this stuff is amazing both from bloggers and friends so will definitely be trying out soon. The full size is available from feelunique.com.
The next product is another one I had never heard of BIOEFFECT EGF Serum when I read that this reduces visible signs of ageing, adds radiance and includes only nine ingredients I couldn't wait to use this. I was thinking I could replace my Advanced Night Repair with this, however after nearly having a heart attack when I discovered that this retails at £125 for 15ml think I may have to squash that idea. This is available from boots.com (think of all those points though)
The Bourjois Cream Blush is one of the products I have been wanting to try for ages. I have been eyeing up the shade Nude Velvet for weeks. Unfortunately I didn't get Nude Velvet but instead got Healthy Glow which does look a tad frightening in the pot. Still I am looking forward to comparing to my beloved MUA Cream Blush in Blossom, which you can read my post on here. This is another full size product worth £7.99 available from boots.com.
Next up is CND Solaroil which I could really do with at the moment as my poor cuticles are looking unloved. I have been having some problems with my hands as I think I may be allergic to washing up gloves so have been using no hand cream as it seems to irritate my hands. The full size is available from cultbeauty.co.uk.
The Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask is another product I have wanted to try for ages but at £48 for the full size is rather expensive to try without sampling first. I really am so excited to try this bad boy out, I think I might have to be fast as my boyfriend is also eyeing up this up. The full size is available from feelunique.com which also has a free gift with purchase at the moment.
I have wanted to try some Illamasqua for ages, as nowhere near me sells it, so the inclusion of Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Electrum made buying this box a no brainier. This is full size and worth £17.50 available from illamasqua.com
In the interest in this post not becoming as long as War and Peace I have decided to split into two. Please check back tomorrow to see the other seven products and my thoughts on them and the box in general.
