Hi my lovelies! I hope you’ve all had the most festive December and an amazing Christmas. I’ve been a little absent from the blog over the last few weeks but with a holiday, an extra busy time at work and getting ready for Christmas I’ve not had a minute spare. So I’m very sorry – but I’m back with some brand new content coming throughout January.
So I’ve recently subscribed to Birchbox. It’s something I’ve been contemplating for a while because I love finding new beauty and skincare products to use, but I hate spending money on things only to find out they don’t suit me and never use them again. For this reason, a beauty subscription box is the perfect thing for me. I’ve gifted them to family and friends before but couldn’t decide which I personally wanted to go for as there’s so many to choose from including Birchbox, Glossybox and Look Fantastic. Anyway, I thought I would show you through what I received and first impressions of any products I’ve used so far.
Before I get started, for those of you that don’t know, Birchbox is a beauty subscription box which gets sent out once a month with 5 beauty products inside. Usually the products are mini’s or sample sizes and you will get one full sized product per month. When you sign up, it’s best to fill in a short questionnaire which enables Birchbox to personalise your box and send products suitable for your skin type, hair type etc. The subscription costs £10 per month then £2.95 for postage and you can cancel at any time if you go for the rolling monthly option.
This months box was a special edition Matthew Williamson design and fitted perfectly for the festive season.
Within my box was a Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle spray, Dr. Paw Paw Original Clear Balm, a Baija Gommage Festin Royal Body Scrub, a Spectrum Collection B04 Brush, and a LOC Matte Lipstick. There was also a couple of LOC Cream shadow sticks however I think they might have fallen in by mistake (lucky me).
I’ve never heard of or seen any Baija body products before. They are made in France from all natural ingredients and are animal friendly, for anyone who looks specifically for those type of products. From what I’ve read they take their inspiration from exotic scents and I haven’t used the body scrub properly yet, but I can confirm it smells absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to give it a try. The consistency seems quite smooth which I like, as some scrubs can often be far too grainy. The standard size product at 60ml would usually be around £14.99.
The next product I pulled out of the box, was the Protect and Detangle spray. I have been using this for a couple of days now, mainly when I heat treat my hair and it’s working a treat. My hair feels much smoother than usual so I’m looking forward to keeping going with this one. For a full sized 236ml bottle this would usually be £21.50.
This next product has quickly become a firm favourite on my bedside table, and it’s the Dr. Paw Paw Original Balm. Again, it’s a brand I’ve never heard of before so I’ve done my research and have found that the main ingredients come from the Carica Papaya plant and Aloe, which contain healing qualities and are a great, natural all rounder for a multipurpose balm such as this. You can use it on split ends, dry skin, on your cuticles or as a lip balm, pretty much anything that needs hydrating and it works a treat. I get really dry hands in the Winter months so before bed I will rub this into my cuticles and all over my hands to allow it to work it’s magic over night.
The LOC Matte Lipstick in ‘Colour me Confident’, which is a cranberry colour was one of the full-sized products in this months box. LOC is actually a Birchbox brand and I’m really impressed. The lipstick has a really silky consistency and is not drying at all for a Matte lip product. The colour is strong and stays put. I love a red lip and I can already tell this will be getting used a lot of the coming weeks.
Finally, the Spectrum B04 brush. I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to make up application and just about know basic ‘brush etiquette’, however I do know that for a synthetic brush this ones very soft and the size is perfect. The soft angle makes eye shadow blending easy – even for the novice like me.
All in all guys, I’m so happy with my first Birchbox and would highly recommend it as a subscription box if you’re after one.
I’m probably going to make this a bit of a monthly feature so look out for a post soon on Januarys box.
*This is not an ad or collaboration with Birchbox*
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