Wednesday 23 July 2014

Review | Birchbox July 2014


It comes in a bag. So cute!!

As you might be aware by now, I am a regular subscriber to Glossybox and haven't really deviated away from them since first subscribing. There have been moments where I've questioned whether to maintain my subscription and I've always hesitated. This month, I got my Glossybox free thanks to the accumulated Glossydot reward scheme. I figured, as I hadn't paid for a Glossybox this month… well, why not a Birchbox?

So this is my first time getting a Birchbox and although I've been following them on social media a long time, I didn't really know what to expect. Would it be mostly skincare? Makeup? A mix of the both? Who knows! 

I'm a massive fan of getting large amounts of makeup in my boxes so seeing so much skincare made me uncertain about the products, but I quickly changed my mind. Read on and you'll see why...


Benefit - The Porefessional (£24.50)

Can we just take a brief moment to appreciate this?

My first ever benefit product!! 

*breathes deeply*

Okay, I think I'm over it. I'd say that, aside from the most recent Benefit products that have been released, this is the one I've heard the most about. So many brands have attempted 'dupes' of it but, according to the rumours, very few high street brands live up to the holy grail that is Benefit. As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm pretty excited about trying this one.



The formula is slightly tinted, but this does not change the appearance of the primer (or so I've found). While I am unsure of how this would affect darker skin tones, it matched very well with my paler skin, so it was nice to know this is very wearable. The formula is incredibly lightweight and non-greasy. I've personally found that many primers feel very gelatinous which isn't exactly the nicest feeling, nor does it indicate longevity of ones makeup. I'll have to get back to you on whether this deserves the hype, but so far, so good. 


Number 4 - Non-Aerosol Hairspray (£18.50)

Non-Aerosol? Whaaat? Someone tell me I'm not the only person confused by this concept. Don't get me wrong, this is an awesome idea, I've just never heard of it before! 


On the information card, it claims that this is both better for your hair and the environment. I can somewhat see where the brand is coming from, the fumes and chemicals used to make Aerosols cannot be good for our respiratory health, so it's nice to see a brand being innovative in regards to the consumers health. 

I'll be interested to see whether this holds hair as well (or better) than your average hairspray, but considering the full-sized product is £18.50, I'd hedge my guess at 'yes'.


LAQA & Co. - Sheer Lip Lube Pencil (£14)

This lip crayon was actually one of the items I knew I'd be getting and when I looked at the spoiler pictures, my very first thought was 'oh boy, hope I don't get the purple one'. I'm sure you can picture my disappointment when I opened it up to find this sitting in the bag. It's really quite funny, if you think about it. 
Read on though guys, there's a plot twist in there somewhere.




Now, I'm not one to judge the colour until I've actually applied it to my face… I mean lips. So I went ahead and tried it out thinking to myself all the while 'Dear God, this will look awful'. But guess what? I love it! (Told you there was a plot twist!) 

I'm not sure why it works really well on me, I'm certain purple in normal conditions wouldn't, but this one is really, really pretty. I think it's something to do with my eye colour (weird) but I think it contrasts really well against the blue. Who knows, I'll stare at my face a little longer in the mirror until I figure it out. 

Before I move on, can I just point out the name of this and leave that for you all to think about? Probably not what I would have called a lip product but… 


'Lifestyle Extra' The CHIA CO - Shots (£4.95 for 10)

I've been seeing so much on the Internet about Chia Seeds but haven't actually had the chance to try them out yet. Clearly Birchbox got the memo because these were included in my box and I'm really excited to try their suggestion of adding them to my morning porridge. 


Possibly one of the main reasons I've steered clear of Chia seeds is because if they are almost £2 for such a tiny amount, these are not cheap. I get the feeling these are particularly good for those who don't get enough Protein, Omega 3 and Fibre - all of which I get plenty of, so this is simply an additional boost to my diet. I'm really excited to try these though, as I've seen so much of them on Pinterest.


WHISH - Three Wishes Lavender Body Butter (£14.50)

If you've been following me for a long time you'll know that if something smells awesome, there is a good 90% chance I will love it. And this smells amazing, so it's safe to assume that I already really like this body cream.


Awesome smell aside, this is a really nice body butter. It feels incredibly refreshing, lightweight and absorbs very quickly into the skin, meaning you're not going to be feeling greasy all day long. It's very much a 'apply and you're good to go' kind of body cream. 


Balance Me - Wonder Eye Cream (£20) 

I've actually had products from Balance Me before, all the way back in a January Glossybox. This time it's an eye cream and again, I think Birchbox got the memo I've been needing some. I'm hitting the big 2-0 in August and the amount of times I've walked around claiming I'm getting wrinkles (I'm not) is unspeakable. 


I haven't heard much about this product so I can't taell you right now whether it does what it claims and 'keeps wrinkles at bay', but I'll definitely write a more detailed post should it be as great as it sounds. On first appearances, it smells good, isn't too thick, requires the smallest amount to be applied and seems very easy to use. Sounds good so far, but there will be a full report to come later, I'm sure. 

And that's everything I received in my Birchbox this month!

Overall, I really liked the box and I'm definitely impressed with the contents of the box. I would have never tried the lipstick have it not been included in the selection. I'm so excited to try the skincare products and, of course, the Benefit primer. 

My one major concern is that all of the products were of tester size, and while they are good sizes (even for testers) it would have been nice to have a full-sized product too. I guess because the brands are a lot more expensive than those found in your average subscription box, this isn't possible - nor profitable. As they say, beggars can't be choosers, so I guess I'll just be satisfied with my lot. 




What do you think about this months Birchbox? Would you rather be given several samples, or a few good quality full-sized products? 

Tell me in the comments below! xx

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