May Birchbox

May Birchbox

Another great box from Birchbox this month! It was another 'choose your product' box, and you could select a Spectrum pink or purple beauty blender sponge - I went for the purple one, these sponges are great for applying foundation and cream products and give a really flawless finish, so I was glad to get another as mine is getting a bit worn now! 

I'm also excited to try the Ole Henriksen wipes as I've been hearing great reviews of these for a while now from other bloggers and you tubers. I think I might save them for my holiday though as they're in a handy travel-sized pack! 

I also got a mascara from eyeko - I've tried eyeliners from eyeko before but not their mascara so I'm excited to try this out! 

The puriskin resurfacing formula is a treatment for acne, age spots, scars, stretch marks, razor burns, bruises and cracks - this sounds like a great product to have incase of any injuries or breakouts! I'll definitely be giving this a go as I'm always injuring myself accidentally!! 

I also received the Philip Kingsley polishing balm for frizzy hair which is perfect for me as that's my hair type! I've tried Philip Kingsley products before and have always been really impressed so I'm excited to try this one too! 

Last but not least is a mini perfume sample (this was an extra and I'm glad it's not classed as a main product) from Givenchy. It's a really fruity and fresh scent thats quite summery - I really like it! 

I'd definitely recommend subscribing to Birchbox if you like trying new products! 

April Birchbox

Birchbox 

This month's Birchbox is a lovely floral-themed box in collaboration with Rifle Paper Co, and has some great products in! 

You could upgrade your box this month by paying £4 extra to get the Moss Garden Notebook set from the Rifle Paper Co (worth £12), and seeing as I love notebooks I thought I'd get them. They're amazing quality and are really beautiful designs. 

The actual products are a great selection too - two makeup, one skincare, one haircare and one body product. 

I've already tried the Balance me tinted wonder eye cream as I was so excited to give it a go. It's basically an eye cream and under eye concealer in one and I'm really impressed with it! It basically cuts out a step in my makeup routine so will be perfect for days when I'm in a rush! 

Another new makeup product is the Benefit Dew The Hoola which is a liquid bronzer. I haven't tried this yet, but I like the powder hoola so I'm excited to try it out. 

I also got a Parlor leave-in conditioner, which is a bit weird as I've been looking for a new leave in conditioner for a while but there doesn't seem to be many available at the moment (they literally didn't have any in my local boots and superdrug!) so of course I was really pleased to get this in my Birchbox this month. 

The two least-exciting samples for me were the Cynthia Rowley eyeliner (which I will use but I already have a few black pencils) and the Foot care cream (but I probably should start attending to my feet ready for sandal season!!)

I really do enjoy my Birchbox subscription, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're not already subscribed! 

Birchbox at Selfridges

You all know I'm a big fan of getting my Birchbox every month, and I've been wanting to get the Selfridges version since it launched last year in London. The Birchbox pop-up finally came to Manchester so I managed to go and make my own Birchbox! 

The pop up is currently at The Trafford Centre and you can choose 6 products to make your own box for £15. The selection of products is really good and I managed to get some of my favourite products and some new ones to try! 

I picked up the Caudalie vinoperfect serum as I've tried it before in a Birchbox and really loved it! I've also tried the Rituals shower gel before but in a different scent, so thought I'd give this one a try as I loved the formula! I couldn't resist a Laura Mercier lip gloss either - I love getting high end makeup products in my box, and this is in the shade Nectar - a lovely coral shade for spring (although it looks more red in the picture)

I'm really into doing my brows at the moment, so picked up a brow pencil to try in the lightest shade (you could choose your own shade!). I also went for the deep sleep + pillow spray as I like the original and have been struggling sleeping recently because of my cold :( 

I also picked up a prep and protect spray for my hair, as again I've tried it before and really liked it! 

I think the Birchbox at Selfridges is a really good idea - especially if you want to try Birchbox without committing to a subscription! I loved choosing my own products too as you can make sure you don't get anything you won't use. I'd love to see Birchbox pop-ups more and be able to create different boxes - but if you can't get to one, you can pick up the products or a Birchbox subscription online here! 

March Birchbox

March Birchbox

Another month, another Birchbox. I really like Birchbox (as I've said loads of time) so I thought I'd share what I got in mine this month! 

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray - I've tried this and used it before and I really like it. It's great if you struggle to get to sleep as it's a relaxing scent. I also like it if I'm feeling a bit ill. 

Arrow Boost Color Enhancing lip balm - I love trying out new lip balms and this is a full size sample worth £11. It has a lovely mint scent and feels really moisturising on the lips. I like this for natural makeup days.

Model Co More Brows - I really like using brow mascaras and normally just stick to the maybelline one so I'm excited to try out something different. This is also full size too - worth £13!  I have the lightest shade which is perfect for me - make sure you do set your preferences if you sign up to Birchbox so that you get the right shades in products! 

Hydraluron moisture boosting mask - I've never tried anything from Hydraluron even though they're a pretty popular brand in the blogging world. I'm excited to give this a go next time I'm having a bit of a relax! 

Number 4 Blow dry lotion - I've tried products from number 4 before and have really liked them so I'm excited to try this blow dry lotion. I'm also a big fan of leave-in treatments so was happy to get this in my box! 

Amika Nourishing mask - A sample of an intense hair mask t help with split ends, dryness and repair damage. This sounds amazing to me as I have quite dry hair (although it's in a lot better condition than it was!) 

So that's everything in my Birchbox this month - I do think it's really good value and a good way to try new products. I'm also saving some of the minis now for my holiday! 

February Birchbox

February Birchbox

I've decided to do this month's Birchbox post a little bit different, I have a video going up tomorrow on my Youtube channel where I unbox the Birchbox and give you my thoughts on some of the products I've tried so far, and in this post you can see the products more close-up and I'll link everything that I got below. 

I'm really impressed with this month's box, and I think the product selection is great! I was especially excited to see the Spectrum makeup brush in my box, as I've been wanting to try their brushes for a while! Also, this month's box sees the launch of Birchbox's own makeup line - Love of Colour and I got a gold eyeshadow crayon! 

Here's everything I got

LOC Perfect Cents shadow stick

Spectrum tapered finishing brush

The Balm FratBoy blush 

Derm Eyes makeup remover wipe

Cochine water hyacinth and lime body lotion 

Ole Henriksen Collagen booster serum

Don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel so that you don't miss tomorrow's unboxing video! 

January Birchbox.

January Birchbox 

This month's Birchbox is a collaboration with Pinterest and came with lots of goodies! I especially like the illustrated postcards and handbag mirror.

Cowshed is one of my favourite brands, so I'm always happy to see them in Birchbox, which is where I first discovered their products. This month I got the blissful body lotion, which smells amazing (as with all cowshed products) and I can't wait to try it out!

I also received a sample of the Benefit they're real primer which is also exciting as I've never used a mascara primer before, and I like the actual they're real mascara. 

Also in the box is a shampoo and conditioner sample from PARLOR by Jeff Chastain and is the moisturising and repairing formula. I'm tempted to save these for my holiday in the summer, but I might try them before as I can always buy some minis! 

I also received the Absolution cleansing water which I think is a Bidoerma-style product, which I probably will save for my holiday to use on the plane, as I already have a bioderma open. I like cleansing waters as they're much kinder than wipes. I don't use a water everyday as I like oil cleansers to remove my makeup, but I love them for freshening up and taking off lighter makeup. 

Last but not least I got the Jelly pong pong complexion awakener pencil, which is a nude eyeliner that can be used to highlight. I don't actually own any nude liners so I'm excited to try this out. I actually didn't originally receive this product as it was missing from my box, but I emailed Birchbox and they sent me one out straight away! 

As usual, I'm really happy with my Birchbox and I'd definitely recommend it if you like trying out new beauty products!

December Birchbag

December Birchbox

I'm so happy that Birchbox have brought out another Birchbag this month. Back in July the products came in a clear plastic makeup bag (that I still use in my work bag) and I much preferred it to the usual box. December's products came in this gorgeous green velvet, faux leather a gold glitter clutch bag, which is perfect for Christmas parties. The bag just adds so much more value to the subscription price (£12.95 including P&P) 

The products this month are really good too! A full size lipstick from Model Co in a Christmas red shade (stiletto), two mini benefit samples (they're real liner and puffoff), a mini Ciate nail polish (iced frappe), an Elemis day cream, Roloxin face mask and a Skin&Co shower gel. 

There's not a single product in this month's bag that I won't use! I'm so happy to see luxury brands like Elemis, Ciate and Benefit in my box too! All the products are good sizes (lipstick is full size) so will last me well over the festive period. 

I'm super pleased with my Birchbag this month. I'd definitely recommend subscribing if you like the idea of trying new products each month. As with all subscriptions, some months are better than others, but I always like most of the products I get. 

Birchbox subscription would be a great Christmas Gift for a beauty lover, and they also have a home box, mens box, caudalie box  and selfridges box available! 

I definitely think Birchbox has been really good this year, and I'm excited to see what comes in my 2016 boxes! 

October Birchbox

I've been doing Birchbox videos for the last couple of months - but I thought I'd do a blog post for October's box. If you've followed me for any length of time you'll already know that I love getting my Birchbox each month and you always get really great products!

This month was another choose your box - I went for the Stylist Guest editor box as I liked the look of the 100% pure fruit pigmented lip glaze and the Rituals Yogi flow shower gel. The shade of the lip glaze I received is Rosehip which is a lovely dark pink shade, it's very moisturising though so I'd recommend using a lip liner with it! 

The rituals shower gel is Indian rose & sweet almond oil scented and smells amazing! I love getting samples of luxury shower gels!

The mini Bioderma is so cute! I already own and use Bioderma, so I'm going to be saving this handy little travel size incase I go away sometime! 

I also received the Parlor smoothing blowout spray - a frizz fighting, heat protecting and styling spray that sounds like it'll be really good - I haven't tried it yet! A little extra this month is the English laundry no.7 fragrance sample, I've said before that I'm not too keen on fragrance samples, but when it's an extra I don't mind! 

The final product is a When travel mate sheet mask which is a moisturising mask intended for use when travelling and is supposed to lock in moisture. I've never actually used a sheet mask before so I'm excited to give this one a go! 

Another great box this month - I do like it when you get to choose some products yourself! 

Click here to subscribe to Birchbox!

July Birchbox.

July Birchbag 

Birchbox have done it again! Another amazing month! July's birch box comes in a bag, which is a clear clutch bag with a faux-leather pocket inside. It's such a lovely little makeup bag which is perfect for Summer (and you lucky people that are going on holiday - sadly I'm not). I hope that Birchbox do more of these bags as I was really impressed with it, and it also fit through the letterbox which meant I didn't have to go and pick up the parcel from the neighbours. 

I got a great selection of products too - Birchbox seem to have really upped their game this month! I got the pop beauty eyeshadow trio which is a gorgeous peachy brown shade (right up my street), the Benefit dream screen (an SPF - also really handy for the Summer), Cowshed cow pat hand cream which is a lovely hand cream and a great travel/handbag size, Unani aloe vera body treatment which I haven't tried yet but is for soothing sunburn, balance me congested skin serum which I'm very excited to try as there aren't many serums for congested skin, and the Barely prep, blog & blend sponge which is a like a baby Beauty Blender. 

I'm so pleased with my selection of products this month, and the value of the products is a lot more than the subscription price - Birchbox just keeps getting better and better! x 

May Birchbox

You know I love Birchbox, but this month's box is probably the best one I've had! It's a special box, which you can colour in (with the free pencil crayons) to de-stress - something I need to do! It was also a 'choose your sample' month - for which I chose a Wah London nail polish and got this gorgeous pale blue colour called Private Plane. I've tried this already and its a gorgeous shade. It was fully opaque in two coats, dried quickly and is lasting really well so far!

I also received the Jelly pong pong Caribbean Sun bronzer duo. It's a lovely little bronzer and blush but is quite fiddly as it's so small. It would be perfect for travelling though! I love getting makeup samples in my box so was pleased to see a matte lip stain in here! This one is from mirenesse which is a brand I've never heard of. This shade is called Syndney and although I haven't tried it yet, it looks a lovely colour, smells nice and the packaging is lovely! (I'll report back on my thoughts)

I also got a couple of hair product samples - the No.4 Reconstructing masque and the Parlor moisturising sea salt spray. I love trying new hair products, especially when they're things I actually use a lot. I love hair masks as I have dry hair, and other products I've tried from No. 4 have been really good. I've not heard of the Parlor by Jeff Chastain brand before but I love trying out salt sprays so am excited to give this one a go!

Last but not least is a whish body butter in almond - again travel size, but also a subtle reminder that I need to start prepping for the fake tan season!!

As I said, I'm so impressed with this month's box, especially as it arrived after I'd had a pretty terrible day last week. It really cheered me up!

April Birchbox.

You all know I love getting my Birchbox every month, and this month's box is a special box in honour of the Royal Baby! It was also a 'choose your sample' month with 3 Laura Mercier options. I went for the primer, as I thought it would be good to try it and compare it to the oil-free version I'm currently using.

The nail polish from Lola Barcelona is really pretty, I posted an instagram picture of it when I first tried it - it's such a pretty summery shade. Also in the box is a Percy & Reed no oil oil, which I'm excited to try on my shorter hair as it's supposed to be very weightless. I also got the Korres bergamot pear body milk, Befine warming clay mask, and the Bliss Fabulous foaming face wash. I'm always wary of trying new cleansers/face washes as I'm so loyal to my Liz Earle, but this one sounds good so I'll give it a go! I've had a few Korres products before and really liked them, and seeing as I'll have to start prepping for the fake tan again, I'll be needing some body moisturiser!

I'm always impressed with my Birchboxes, and this month hasn't disappointed me. Birch box doesn't always have full-size or large samples, but the products are always things I actually use, which is why  I'm a loyal subscriber!

Have you got the April Birchbox?

*Not a sponsored post.

March Birchbox

I do love getting my Birchbox each month! This month's box is in collaboration with Habitat (also contains a voucher) and has the usual selection of beauty products as well as a cute little 'here's the plan' notebook. 

I'm trying a sample of Benefit's Roller Lash at the moment, and am liking it so far, so I'm glad to have another. You could actually choose your sample of any Benefit mascara this month, but seeing as I already have and love They're real, I thought I'd go for another Roller lash. 

I'm  always happy to see Philip Kingsley products in my box, and this smooth cream sounds like it's right up my alley. I also got a sample of the Janjira facial scrub cleanser, a tan organic tan (which I'll probably try when it gets a little warmer, a Catherine Malandrino fragrance sample, and a book sample of A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi. 

I love the variety you get with Birchbox. It's great to get book samples, mini notebooks and sometimes they have food things in too! I can't wait for next month's box as there was a sneak peek card in mentioning Laura Mercier! 

Click here to subscribe

x 

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February Birchbox.

February is almost over and I haven't shared my Birchbox! As usual I'm sharing the goodies that came in my box this month, and my thoughts on them! Also by now, you probably know I'm a big fan of Birchbox, and am rarely disappointed!

I'm really pleased to see the Oats and Chia in here. I actually bought some Chia seeds from Birchbox, and these are the same brand, so I'm excited to try them, plus I love porridge!

Liz Earle is one of my all time favourite brands, and I swear by their Cleanse and Polish. I haven't tried any of their haircare before though, so I'm excited to give this botanical shine shampoo a go!

I've never heard of the London Butterflies, but I love the packaging of this bath salt scrub, and it smells great too!

I've had a couple of Wild about Beauty products before, that have been good but not mind-blowing. This serum is full size, and I love that it has a pump applicator. I'm not currently using a serum in my Skincare routine, but I'm excited to try this one out!

This silver eyeliner pencil from  Cynthia Rowley beauty is beautiful. It's very pigmented and has a beautiful sparkle! And now that I've photographed it, I can use it! I did swatch it though, and the formula seemed really long lasting! The packaging is also really cute!

Last but not least is a Stainiac stain from The Balm. This reminds me of Benetint, it has a similar consistency and you use it the same. I do like the little bottle, and this one has a doe foot applicator, which I personally prefer to Benefit's little nail polish style brush.

As usual, I'm really impressed with the box this month. The serum alone is worth £22 so it's another great value box in my opinion. Click here to get yours! 

Hope you're all well! x

*Not a sponsored post.

January Birchbox

As January is the month of new year's resolutions, with the majority of them being health and fitness relate, Birchbox this month have teamed up with Women's health magazine, and this month's box is all health themes!

Of course, if you've been here for a while, you'll already know I love Birchbox. But if you're new (hey! so pleased to have you!) you might not already know this. This month has a great selection of products, including a Stila lip glaze, which is a product I already love, but thankfully didn't already have this particular shade! It also contains a Heal Gel, which is a fantastic little healing balm. I had a really sore abscess on my face over the weekend (tmi I know), but this gel really helped to soothe and heal it, so I'm already really impressed with that. It also contains Caudalie Vinoperfect serum, which I've tried before and really liked, Philip Kingsley Body building conditioner, which I'm excited to try, Activbod cooling finish body lotion, which I think I'll be using in summer, when hopefully I'll have time to get back to the gym, and a sample of matcha powder, which I've always wanted to try. I really want to get into eating a bit healthier, so am going to look for some smoothie recipes or something to use this in.

The box also came with a pilates band, which is useful for at home workouts, which I will probably test out when I'm not either working, blogging or exhausted!

Overall, I'm really impressed with this month's box, and it's a great theme for January, so well done Birchbox, another great month.

You can get the products here, or click the banner below.

In other good news, my wifi is back, which means that my blogging schedule is unaffected! yayy! :) x  

*This post is not sponsored but may contain Affiliate links.

September Birchbox

I'm a little late with this month's Birchbox, although I'm doing better than last month! As usual I'm really impressed with the box- I honestly haven't been disappointed with any of my boxes! The theme for September is Happy Days which is nice as September seems to be the month of new starts as most of us are back to uni/work school and it kind of feels like a second January sometimes!

All subscribers received the ModelCo Lip Laquer, but Birchbox gave us the option to choose the shade. If you're subscribed to Birchbox, keep your eye on their instagram account, as that's usually where these kinds of things are announced. I chose the shade 'Viva' which is a nice pale nude-ish pink colour (the kind of shade I usually go for!). It has a gorgeous sweet scent (very similar to the Tanya Burr lip glosses), and is a very cute sample size!

I also received the Agave Healing Oil Treatment which will come in super handy as I've just gone lighter so have quite a bit of bleach in my hair now, which makes it quite dry. I love a good hair oil as I do struggle with frizz, but I end up using them on a daily basis as I have thick hair which can be quite difficult to manage. I haven't tried this one yet, but I'm excited to do!

Two skincare products in my box this month are the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream and the Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub. I do love my skincare as you probably all know, so I'm always happy to see skincare in my Birchbox, especially from some of my favourite brands. I haven't tried these two products yet, but I've tried other skincare from Premae and Benefit, which I've been really impressed with, so hopefully I'll love these products too!

I also received the Korres Citrus Showergel. I've tried the matching body lotion before as it was in a previous box, which I really liked, so I'm happy to have received the matching shower gel. Citrus scents I find are great for in the mornings as they really wake me up, which I definitely need, especially for my 6:30 starts that are way too early for me! (I'm definitely not a morning person!)

Last but not least are two lifestyle extras. I love these little extras that Birchbox add in, it's a bit like getting free gifts! The little photo clip is super cute, and I'll definitely make use of it! (there's also a full set available from the Birchbox shop)The Strawberry Urban Fruit looks good, and I'm back on my strict diet, so it'll be a better lunchbox choice than a biscuit!

I'm really impressed with the box this month, and there's nothing in there that I won't make use of, which I find to be really consistent in Birchbox!

Hope you're all having a lovely week so far! Happy October too, it's officially Fall/ Autumn! x

Birchbox August Full-Size Favourites

Supergoop CC Cream*

The Proposal: Tasmina Perry *

Number 4 Lumiere D'Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect*

Last month's Birchbox was full of amazing samples, and I was very lucky to receive my 3 favourites in full size. I'm always really impressed with my Birchbox boxes and I love trying out new products. (I used to subscribe to Glossybox but I much prefer Birchbox as it's more consistent with quality of samples) 

My first favourite product is the Supergoop CC Cream. I have the shade light/medium which is a really good match for me. What I really love about this CC cream is that it applies beautifully. I quite often find that BB and CC creams are sticky and feel very wet on my skin, which I really don't like. This one feels like a liquid foundation mixed with a moisturiser and doesn't cling to any dry patches, or make me look shiny. I'd say it leaves a healthy glow, and looks very natural on the skin. A light layer is virtually undetectable. I've also worn it underneath my Tarte Amazonian Clay powder foundation for a higher coverage finish, and also mixed it in with Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua to get a really sheer coverage (I had a really good skin day that day!). 

I'm really impressed with it, and have used up my little sample completely. A little bit of this product goes such a long way, and I find I can achieve light to medium coverage with this. It hasn't broken me out at all and has protected my skin from pollution and the sun. I've also found that I don't need to use any primer with this as it stays on perfectly with out (and I normally need primer with everything!). Because it's moisturising, I've found that unless my skin is really dry, there's enough moisturiser in the CC cream to keep my skin hydrated all day, making my morning routine super-quick (perfect for my very early starts for my uni and placement days). I've tried it with different brushes and using my fingers, and it works well with either! I really can't recommend it enough, I'm so impressed that I would be happy to repurchase it. 

My second favourite is a detangling spray. Now if you've been following me for a while you'll know that I have seriously knotty hair! Any detangling products always go down a treat with me, and if they work, I get strangely excited! This one smells absolutely amazing, and works so well on both wet and dry hair. I just spray it into my hair before brushing as I find it really reduces breakage and leaves my hair feeling silky soft.

This product is also vegan, gluten-free, sulphate-free and paraben-free, so it's perfect for everyone. It also doesn't weigh my hair down at all and is great at taming frizz and fly-aways. My hair is also coloured so I'm a good test for a nourishing hair product, and this one definitely passed the test. Also, I couldn't not mention the gorgeous sleek packaging, it looks so sleek and sophisticated on my dressing table and I know it's not all about the packaging, but I do like things to look nice! It's not a cheap product, but neither are all the other detangling sprays I've found that really work, I guess you get what you pay for! 

Last but not least is quite a weird Birchbox sample. I received the first chapter of The Proposal in my Birchbox, and I'll be honest I hardly ever read. I've recently treated myself to a kindle paperwhite in an attempt to fit more reading in, and I've found I actually really enjoy it. I used to put it off so much because I have reading difficulties, but I've also found that it's really improving my reading skills and I'm enjoying it more and more! I'm currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn on my Kindle, which I'm really enjoying (I'll review it when I've finished it). I can't wait to read the rest of the proposal when I've finished Gone Girl, as I really loved the first chapter and I really want to know what happens next! If you like romance and historical novels, I'd say you'd probably like The Proposal.

I think having a book sample in a beauty box is a really great idea, as I find it so hard to choose a book to read!  (anyone else find that?)

You can probably tell how impressed I am with these products! If you try anything let me know how you get on with them, I really hope you love them as much as I do! 

Have a lovely day xx

*These products were sent to me for free from Birchbox to review. However I pay for my Birchbox subscription myself, and am not obligated to write good reviews. All opinions are 100% honest.