December Birchbox

Have bed very excited about getting this since the spoilers went out over the last week. And it is safe to say it hasn't disappointed! 

I was greeted by the bright pink "hello gorgeous" card ...which turned out to be a $20 voucher for baublebar.com! Then there was the usual cars detailing what was in the box and the set of cards with tutorials and other bits on. 

There were 5 cards (as you can see), the Birchbox agenda detailing what they think as things that shouldn't be missed, a tutorial using two items from on the box, gift tags to cut out and use (always useful to have), share with us which as asking people to tweet/Facebook Birchbox and lastly, festive fixers a card showing different products available and how to use them! 

First product I tried was....

Alina Pure - luminous shimmer eyeshadow 

Ok so it's a teeny tiny pot but a little foes a long way. Starting with a tint amount and then building it up worked well for me. It goes on well, lasts and so far hasn't creased!  There aren't many products that I decide to but after only one use but I will definitely be ordering one of these. 

Twistband

It's just a hairband! ... Ok so it really is just a hairband, but it's cute and has managed to hold my hair in a half up half down hairstyle for the whole evening and isn't showing any signs of moving or slipping. Have brought two

sets of these with my Birchbox points :)

Nail Rock velvet 

Was happy to get this and even more excited to try it out... However, it's not easy to get an even coat of the velvet and it is already rubbing off (it is definitely dry as has been left for over an hour without me doing anything) and has lots of white fluff (from fluffy blankets on the bed) stuck to it ...will have to see how it looks in the morning!

Del Arom mask

Not much to say about this, it's ok.  Has a nice consistency and was moisturising; which is needed in this weather! Would I but it? Probably not. Nothing wring with it as such, but would need to be pretty special to turn me away from the masks I currently use! 

No4 Hair spray 

I really like this, I don't use hairspray unless I'm curling my hair, but I tried this on my bangs and it was awesome! It held the shape without feeling sticky or looking like it had hairspray on. Almost definitely buying this product when the trial/sample size starts to run out. 

Korres citrus showergel

Not so sure about this, like the mask nothing wrong with it as such, just not a scent I am particularly taken with. I prefer a more sweet shower gel (think Lush; Snow Fairy). Won't be buying this but will be useful to keep at my parents house or in my gym bag. 

Over all an ok box with some exciting new products to try. Have come out of this month having bought one product (twist ties) and ready to order another (No4 hairspray) and whilst the rest aren't show stoppers for me they will all be used. 

December Love me Beauty Box

Christmas!!!!!

This box has a hint of Christmas to it in the packaging. 

I love the colours this month, and once again it is filled with pink shredded paper which is always useful.. My pets like the paper or I use it to pack presents! 

As always I knew what was going to be in this box so it wasn't a surprise.. I often think it would be nice to have one surprise item in the box...

Onto the products... 

Radial 5 minute facial 

You use this in clean dry skin, leave it on for 5 minutes then rub it off. I love masks like this as I really don't like water on my face! 

So, after trying this out it was ok. It left my skin feeling smooth and soft, but made little difference to how my skin looks, which isn't really expected for a first time try. 

It wasn't easy to get in evenly, it ended up looking and feeling kinda patchy and uneven, and left me unsure if I had used too much or too little!

Lord and Berry lipstick 

Really don't like this product! It didn't feel nice to wear, went on kinda unevenly and the colour looks awful on me; it made me look ill it ended up looking almost grey (it

looks a lot nicer on my hand). 

Lord and berry lip liner

Another product I am disappointed with this month. The colour does not suit me at all, and doesn't match any lipstick I have. 

I haven't reeks this yet as don't really wear nail varnish; it's not really compatible with work ...or housework! 

And again the colour is not selling it to me. 

S5 vitality mask 

Have lost this product before I even had a chance to try it! A little disappointed but there was already another mask in this box, so two mask type products seems a little strange but am sure it'll be used when I eventually find it!!

Overall an ok box... Though if the choices don't improve it's not a box I will continue to get as some of the products are completely unsuitable for me. 

Novembers Love me Beauty Box

Ok, so I knew exactly what was in this little package.  

This one came with a card detailing all te products enclosed, their size (full size or sample) and their prices... Out of 5 products 3 were full sized. 

Art Deco lipgloss

This is a full sized product, normally priced £11.50 (already over the cost of the box itself). This was something that I wasn't sue about, it looks very pink.. However, once it's on ots a really nice pale/neutral colour. It seems to have a very sweet smell to it, but it doesn't stay for long and it doesn't taste of anything, which isn't a bad thing!

Jelly Pong pong eyeliner and shadow

I don't wear eyeliners and this is a little too dark for me to use as an eyeshadow, but when I tested it on my hand it feels smooth and goes on easily and evenly. Leaving a clear even coverage that doesn't catch or drag. 

Mitchell and Peach shower wash

I enjoyed using this and a little goes a long way with this. It doesn't smell too strong which is nice, but just enough to have a really nice shower. 

Absolution face mask

Whilst I enjoyed using this and it felt nice initially it seems to have left my skin greasy and oily. 

It has a pleasant smell that you don't really notice when it is on and doesn't feel drying which is a nice difference to other masks. 

Models Own red nail varnish 

I haven't used this yet, but have used their products in the last. They usually last reasonably well, give good coverage, but need a base coat to avoid staining. 

Overall 

Overall this is a good box and I am enjoying using the products, although there are a few I wouldn't go out of my way to buy in a shop/online.  

November Birchbox

The first thing I noticed with this was the smell... It smells amazing!...and the box isn't even open yet!

On opening the box it is all in a small drawstring bag, the same as the last two I received, I love the colour this time though it's a nice dark bluey green colour, which is probably my favourite colour after pink/purple! 

The Cards

The tutorial: how to create a iconic eye look from Laura Mercier. Easy to follow written and photographic instructions. 

The gift guide: gift suggestions from the Birchbox site. 

The agenda: things to watch, do, listen to and check out from the Birchbox blog. 

November 2013 icons: quotes from celebrity style icons. 

Share with us: a space for users to share about their style icons. 

Chella Highlighter Pencil

Birchbox brand pencil sharpener 

The highlighter pencil was the first thing I tried from the box, and I think I like it. I have only used it once so far. It seemed to last and went on smoothly and evenly and blended easily leaving a nice natural finish. 

English Laundry perfume by Christopher Wicks

I don't like perfume, but as soon as I have enough Birchbox points I will be getting this... It isn't anymore expensive than a normal perfume at around £40 but when you are on a budget, even normal priced perfume is expensive. This smells really nice on, it isn't too strong and it has lasted most of the day. 

Laura Mercier mascara 

Yet another awesome product from this months box. Again I don't often wear mascara, as someone who wears contact lenses my eyes are irritated easily by the products I use around my eyes, but I thought I would give this one a go. I was pleasantly surprised by this product. It have a nice coverage with one application and so far hasn't smudged or irritated my eyes. 

Weleda Replenishing Shampoo

I won't use this on my hair, as my hair is coloured, currently with a bright colour, so won't use anything that isn't for coloured hair. However I will use it on my daughters hair, it smells good and not too strong. 

Pukka Teas

I don't drink herbal teas, but these were a nice addition to the box, in sure most people will be enjoying these now that the weather has turned colder. 

Molton Brown nourishing body lotion

Like all Molton Brown products the packaging on this makes it look expensive (I know it isn't cheap anyway). It smells really good, but possibly a little too strong for a body lotion for me. When I put it on it had a very light almost wet feel to it, but it soaked in a lot quicker than I expected considering the consistency. It left my skin feeling soft and smooth and smelling quite strongly of the lotion. I prefer body lotions that don't smell too strongly, even if it is quite a pleasant smell, especially now I have found how much I like the perfume from this box, I'd rather not have both scents at the same time. 

Overall once again a great box from Birchbox, worth the money and effort getting to the post office to collect it!!!

If you want to get your own box (it might not be too late for the November box) go to Birchbox through this link (if you are feeling generous) http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=20380 ...contents will vary between boxes.

Octobers love me beauty box

First time I have had this box, and I am very excited! These boxes have more full size products than other boxes, but maybe aren't as high end as the Birchbox bits.  It is the same price as Birchbox, so thought I'd give it a go! 

There is another box difference between love me beauty boxes and other boxes around; you can choose the contents. You have a choice of 4 options, the last one being a random box you don't know the contents of. 

I have 4 full size products and two oils that I am unsure if they are full size or not, I did see on another blog that they are full size as well!!!! 

The first thing I noticed is that all but one are organic, and the other (Amie eye makeup removed) is free from lots of chemicals and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. 

The first thing I looked at were the two oils, they are tiny, but are supposed to do two baths, can be out on a flannel for in the shower or can be used on pulse points.. I haven't used them yet, but they smell amazing, together they make the box smell really nice, but even separately they smell great. I'm very excited to use these. 

Next to come out was the Organic Surge Gentle Cleansing Lotion. It looks good, and I really like using organic products. However, I'm not sure that I like the smell, it has organic rosemary and lemon oils in it, and I'm sure that separately they smell nice but together I'm just not too sure. 

Next out was the Organic Surge super intensive daily moisturiser. Again the packaging looks good, it reminds me of the higher end stuff you would get somewhere like Boots.  This one smells good though, it is a really light smell and not too strong. When I used it it jas a  quite thick and creamy texture but soaked on straight away, I wasn't left feeling greasy or like I had to wait ages for it to soak into my skin. After using it once there was a difference between my two hands in how soft and smooth the one that had the moisturiser in felt compared to my other hand (I know it's not meant for hands but I haven't long out makeup on and don't want to start again!). 

Again another product that looks good, it looks like something that could be aimed at young adults/teenagers, the pattern is quite playful, but I like it anyway. It doesn't really seem to have a smell to it, so if it does then it's not very strong at all. It is oil free so should be pretty easy to use in the morning just before putting makeup on without having to wait or try and wipe it off. 

Overall this has been a really good box, and am already looking forward to my next one!  The only thing missing that I really like in the Birchbox is the card telling you about the products, how to use them and how much they are to buy. Having it all there in one place to have a quick look at is always helpful with these products, especially when they are new brands you haven't heard of before. 

Octobers Birchbox

This is how the content of this months box looked when it arrived... So far so good!

Am loving the bags within the boxes to keep different bits in, also finding them useful in my gym bag to keep my daughters and my stuff separate (and this one is pink which will make her very happy)!

So, spread out this is how it looked...

I wasn't overly excited about much in here as I don't know any of the brands!  However, having looked at it all and read a little about them it's looking pretty good. 

No full colour magazine this month, instead have a set of cards with a list of apps to download, one reminding you to tweet about the box, one about high tech beauty finds (little bits of info about different products), an info card on how to use one of the products (very helpful), and one about three of the skin care products in the box (again helpful and a good introduction to brands I wouldn't otherwise know. 

So the products...

Dr. Lipp (original nipple balm for lips). 

I love this product, it's the first one I used from the box and it feels really nice, there's no taste or smell (which is a bonus as my daughter can use it...maybe). The sample in the box is tiny so was a little disappointed until I realised how little you need to actually use; in the case of this product; a little really does go a long way.  It feels a little sticky at first but it does last a while which surprised me as lip balm type products don't often wear well on me. 

KMS California (Free shape deep conditioner) 

This product worked well on my daughters hair; very curly and fluffy; it left it a lot more manageable and easier to style. There wasn't any obvious difference to my hair though, mine is pretty much straight with some damage due to colouring (more bleach than colour!). Over all a little disappointed with the results on my hair but seemed to help my daughters. 

Dr. Brandt (microdermabrasion skin exfoliant) 

Not too sure what to make of this product. So far, so good though. It smells good and has made a noticible difference to my skin already (after only one use), you only need to use a very small amount of the product each time so a full size product would last for a while. My skin feels softer and smoother than it has with other products. Whilst using it I felt no discomfort unless I pressed too hard or stayed in one place for too long, however, afterwards my whole face was a little uncomfortable, probably because I am not used to a product like this. I can see why you are told to only use it a couple of times a week and to wait three days between uses. Would I buy this.. Possibly but it isn't cheap. It's one of the more (most) expensive trials in this months box, it will depend on how much of a difference it makes over time. 

theBalm Cosmetics (stainiac)

This is very similar to the benefit product; benetint (I think). It gives a nice subtle colour on cheeks and a slight colour on lips. I prefer it as a cheek colour though as don't often wear lipstick/gloss, though maybe this will change my mind; who knows?! It goes on smoothly and evenly, although I found I had to be quick at blending it otherwise you could see an outline where it was dotted on..I found this out when I tried it on my hand, so putting it on my cheeks went smoothly and looked very subtle and natural. 

Laura Mercier (tinted moisturiser)

I love love love this product! It is the 'nude' colour; it blends well, looks natural and doesn't feel like I have makeup on. It is so nice to wear and is probably one of the products I am more likely to actually buy. 

And then two added extras:

Lifestyle extra:

Birchbox (eyelash curler) 

I don't really use eyelash curlers very often, but these are £10 on the web site so the cost of the box is pretty much covered in this one product! 

Beauty extra:

Egyptian magic 

I haven't used this, and am not a fan of oil consistency moisturisers, so not sure if I will use it, but it is in my gym bag in case I forget my usual moisturiser. 

Overall this box has been a very good one. A lot of products that I will enjoy using and a few that I will more than likely buy once these run out. This months box was worth every penny (though I doubt I will ever say otherwise).. This is only my second box and wasn't sure why people would pay for these before getting them... I will definitely carry on with my subscription and am already looking forward to next months box! 

Follow the link to the Birchbox site to order a box (there might still be time for the October box, but contents varies between boxes!)! 

http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=20380