Hey Everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well and that you had a lovely Valentine’s Day, no natter who you spent it with or what you did! I explored a lovely little town called Matlock with dad yesterday. We sat and watched the world go by whilst sharing a huge slab of white chocolate and raspberry cake. Anyway, it’s time for another Birchbox review and I’m really excited for this one! This month, we received some amazing products and I can’t wait to tell you about them! Before I begin, I’ve included some information about what Birchbox actually is, how much is costs and all that jazz below!
Birchbox is a UK beauty subscription service that sends beauty boxes to their subscribers containing 5 goodies every month. You don’t have to worry about lifelong commitments or contracts. In fact, you can cancel anytime with a monthly subscription – no fuss whatsoever! The monthly subscription costs only £10 per month plus £2.95 P&P! You can edit your beauty profile on their site to ensure you get sent products that are suitable for your skin/hair type and personal preferences. Birchbox is so great for discovering new brands and products. I have been subscribed to Birchbox for a long time now and I stil look forward to receiving their boxes every month. I’ve gone on to buy lots of the things I’ve received because I have loved them so much. Every box you receive is beautifully packaged, some months are designed and inspired by artists and companies. I use some of the boxes to store makeup in too as they’re too pretty to throw away! If you want to try Birchbox for yourself, click here and use my referral link to get £5 off your first box!
This month’s box is all about celebrating love, which makes sense because after all, it’s February and that means Valentine’s Day is upon us once again! Birchbox have collaborated with the gifting gods from notonthehighstreet to remind us all about acts of thoughtfulness and kindness. I think it’s a lovely idea, especially as lots of us are feeling a bit down in the dumps after the January blues and could definitely do with a pick-me-up. Let’s see what’s included shall we? RRPs correspond to full-size items at birchbox.co.uk/shop.
LOC – Liquid Shimmer Shadow in Eclipse – RRP £8 (Full Size & Birchbox Exclusive)
If you’ve read my recent post about my latest makeup obsession, then you’ll know how much I love liquid eyeshadows. Powder formulas can get a bit boring so it’s nice to just sweep some shimmer onto my lid and be able to leave the house within five minutes – no blending necessary. It’s described to add a “subtle hint of colour” but I certainly wouldn’t call it subtle…as you can see from the swatch, she is PIGMENTED. I was expecting a sheer formula, perhaps something that needs building but this is on another level. I’m not complaining though, it just may disappoint those of you that were hoping for something more natural looking. It’s really smooth and buttery, making is easy to apply and shift around the lid until it looks exactly how I want it to. It dries pretty quickly and when it does, it’s going nowhere fast! Ten hours after application, it still hadn’t budged and it only came off with makeup remover.
Anatomicals – Shower Gel – RRP £4 (Full Size & Birchbox Exclusive)
This smells absolutely amazing! I already have a lot of love for Anatomicals. I’m a huge fan of their packaging too, I love how vibrant and eye-catching it all is, plus they know how to make puns like it’s nobody’s business. It’s like they’re a conveyor belt of beauty related humour and I love it! It makes a change from the boring packaging we see everywhere else, right?
Coco & Eve – Like A Virgin Super Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque – RPP £9 (Full Size)
I spend so much time thinking about skincare and makeup that I forget to about my hair! Given that I love to fry it with straighteners on a regular basis and I’m guilty of forgetting heat protectant on a few occasions, I should probably change this! When I’m straightening my hair, I’m usually in a rush to get out of the house so I don’t have time to faff about with sprays and creams. The idea of a hair mask sounds so appealing – you can even be doing something else whilst it’s on. For example, when you have those heavy duty baths/showers, where you have to wash your hair, shave and exfoliate (if you know, you know), you could apply this mask, leave it for 5-10 minutes whilst you’re faffing around with everything else! Meanwhile, the mask is repairing damage, improving texture and shine, deeply hydrating AND sealing split ends – one heck of a multi-tasker!
Luxie – 205 Tapered Blending Dreamcatcher – RRP £11 (Full Size)
Since I started wearing makeup, I’ve learnt that the key to flawless eyeshadow is blending. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the right brushes for this though and the Luxie Tapered Blending brush is perfect for the job! It’s so soft and fluffy, great for creating seamless eyeshadow looks. It’s also vegan, cruelty-free and hypoallergenic. With brushes like this, it barely takes any effort to get the look you want.
Joliderm – Nose Patch – RRP £13.90 (Birchbox Exclusive)
Patches are some of my favourite skincare must-haves! I always have some in to target blocked pores, blackheads and impurities. Apparently these strips only take 10-15 minutes and then you’re able to “wave goodbye” to all the bad stuff immediately. However, I tried this patch last night and I just didn’t notice any difference, at all. I also noticed how expensive they were too. Had it been a great product, I might have repurchased them but I definitely won’t be. I’ve found cheaper alternative that are much more effective!
I’m really impressed with this month’s box. We received four full size products when typically it’s only one or two. There was such a variety, we had makeup, skincare, haircare and an beauty tool too! Although I was disappointed by one of the products, I’m okay with that. When you subscribe to something like Birchbox, you have to be prepared to receive something you might not like at some point and I guess that’s what happened here! I know that I will use everything else though, especially the makeup and the blending brush. Altogether, the products inside the February box are worth roughly £45, which is less than usual but still good value. The subscription itself costs only £12.95 per month! Are you subscribed to Birchbox or any other beaut boxes? Let me know in the comments. Check out last month’s Birchbox review!
Want to try Birchbox for yourself? Click here and use my referral link to get £5 off your first box! (affiliate link)
It ships to the UK, France, Spain and the US!
These boxes are such good value! That liquid eyeshadow is out of this world, and I love how you got an eye blending brush too. 🙂
It’s gorgeous, right? I love the brush too! I can use both together which is even better!