UNBOXING: Birchbox March 2018 – Mindfulness

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This box is absolutely gorgeous with a mandala design that’s too good not to be seen. The theming didn’t carry through in the contents though, which was meant to champion the importance of self-care.


BLAQ:  Peel Off Mask, 15ml
Value: £3.50

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“This charcoal mask will draw out toxins and purify.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: We’re lucky and our skin isn’t really congested but would still like to try this charcoal mask especially across the T zone to see if black masks really live up to their hype. The sample size is big enough for one full face application. It’ll have to be pretty amazing for us to pay full price for it. Watch this space.


BENEFIT: BADgal BANG! Volumising Mascara, 3g
Value: £7.59
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“Prepare for lash lift off wit this new, thickening mascara. It’s gravity-defying formula contains aero-particles, commonly found in astronauts’ spacesuits, to deliver volume with lightweight life in every swipe. The special slimpact! brush is moulded to catch every single last from corner to corner.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – What a lot of marketing garbage! We generally dislike Benefit – drugstore quality at midrange price. However, the one product we really love is BadGal mascara, so kinda curious as to whether this improves upon it. Regardless, both mascaras are super pricey (big tubes but little product), so we opt for Lancome Hypnose as our Holy Grail mascara 😀 Can this one topple it?


LUMENE: Valo Glow Boost Essence, 15ml
Value: £15.45

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“A blend of refreshing arctic spring water, vitamin C and brightening technology works to revive fatigued skin and restore luminosity. ”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is the type of product we want to see more of in Birchbox. Deluxe samples of non-mainstream but quality brands. We cannot get enough of serums, essences and acids so this is bang on target for us. Lovely glass dropper bottle. Just hope it performs! Excite!


R + CO:  Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste, 7.1g
Value: £2.52
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“This paste is formulated with Hawaiian volcanic ash to keep your scalp clean and balanced, with coconut and sunflower seed oils to add shine.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Uhhm, well like the innovative medium but dry shampoo is dry shampoo right? You can use it to help style too but we don’t appreciate this much more than a can of batiste. Since subscription boxes, we have dry shampoo coming out of our ears. Maybe we just wash our hair too much 😛


BAIJA:  Gommage Festin Royal Body Scrub (Caramelised Honey, 50g)
Value: £3.52

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“Packed full of honey and soothing shea, this exfoliator is a great solution for sloughing away dry patches and brightening”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Mmm. This smells great and we love a body scrub. So yummy, it’s almost somewhere between food and bath product! Everything about this feels luxe. Not expecting miracles (it’s a scrub!), but a welcome inclusion even if it doesn’t really fit in the box!


OVERALL VERDICT: Another tenuous theming with yet another Benefit sample, but it’s a good product so Birchbox are forgiven. Without the Lumene essence, this would have been a pretty poor box, but a nice balance has been struck between known and more niche mid-range brands.

Total value: £32.58

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer


Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox Dec 2015 – All That Glimmers

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Unboxing? This was an unbagging. Birchbox were pretty pleased with themselves calling it the ‘Luxe Birchbag’. A glittery clutch best kept for housing your Birchbox treats rather than taking out in public anywhere! Plus it doesn’t stack hah. Happy Christmas though…


BENEFIT:  Puff off! and They’re Real Push-Up Liner Duo
Value: Approx £2 (not sure of weight)

Image result for BENEFIT:  Puff off! and They're Real Push-Up Liner Duo  sample

“You’ll find everything you need to perfect your peepers for party season inside this gorgeous kit! Heading out? A slick of this jet-black liner will complete any make-up look in style. The morning after? Sooth tired eyes with this de-puffing formula.”

BT INITIAL OPINION:  These samples are sooo tiny. They really should only be ‘free’ extras….we actually have the full size liner (for its waterproof qualities) and would describe it as gimmicky and hard to use.


MODELCO:  Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick in Stiletto, 3.5g
Value: £5.17

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“This hydrating, semi-matte formula provides nourishment and long-lasting colour.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – It’s a bright red lipstick from Ozzie brand ModelCo. Not much more to say than that. It seems OK but we’re not too excited about this one.


CIATE: Paint Pot in Dangerous Affair, 5ml
Value: £3.34

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“Super-pigmented, ultra long-lasting and a cinch to apply.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is a mini bottle. We love Ciate’s bottles and polishes and this is a classic wine red colour. Given the rest of this month’s Birchbox is pretty unexciting, it’s a shame this isn’t full size, but it’s cute and we like it.


MONU:  Firming Moisturiser, 30ml
Value: £16.50

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“An aromatic blend of essential oils as well as coconut oil and marine collagen work to smooth fine lines and hydrate tired skin.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Quality skincare is always welcome, but this is pricey! It would have to perform particularly well to justify the pricetag. It feels quite rich, but we’ll report back.


KORRES:  Santorini Vine Shower Gel, 40ml
Value: £1.28

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“Fresh and fruity, it’s the ultimate pick-me-up on chilly winter mornings and is packed with nourishing wheat proteins to help moisturise your skin while it cleanses.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – It’s basically just a shower gel, but it does smell really great; a woody citrus that has unisex appeal and is refreshing.


BIRCHBOX EXTRA:  Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris, 2ml
Value: £2.40

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“Sophisticated yet fruity.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We kind of groan a little inside when we see a perfume sample but we actually quite liked this one. It’s on the sweet side, with a fruity scent…totally different to what we’d usually choose, but we’ll happily wear this.


OVERALL VERDICT:

We were pretty underwhelmed by the selection we received this month. We thought maybe the budget had gone on the bag, but we saw the other variants of boxes that were sent out and ours is definitely the worst. Sigh. We hate massive variation in boxes as it can be so disappointing and unfair – it’s the reason we left Glossybox very fast. Basically totally uninspired, almost totally not on-theme. The Monu moisturiser is a nice inclusion but the rest of the products were low value or absolutely tiny.

Total value: £37.54

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer


Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox September 2014 – Happy Days…the one with the Benefit Eye Cream

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This month’s theme was Happy Days – the booklet inside was missing and the theme tenuous at best. But we hoped for something better that last month’s poor summer-themed offering.

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KORRES: Citrus Showergel, 50ml
Value: £1.60

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“This get-up-and-go citrus body wash helps ensure skin stays hydrated all day long.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: Fresh and modern-smelling. This will get used and Korres is a reliably good brand, but the inclusion of this hardly sets the world alight…reasonable at best.


AGAVE: Healing Oil Treatment, 4ml
Value: £1.07

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“A lightweight oil to smooth hair, build resiliency and boost shine and colour.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Look forward to trying this as hair oils really suit oriental hair. We could do with a much, much larger sample though!


 

BENEFIT: It’s Potent! Eye Cream, 3g
Value: £2.03

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“Banish dark circles, smooth fine lines and protect against free radicals with this light peptide-packed formula.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We get along better with eye gels and serums for our combination skin, but always happy to get to sample Benefit.


SKIN & CO: Truffle Therapy Serum, 5ml
Value: £7.00

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“A natural shade-adjusting CC cream with SPF to smooth fine lines and even out skin tones.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is interesting! Luxe price, but non-luxe packaging. Will see whether the serum has luxe results or not. Probably the most interesting thing in the box this month..


MODELCO: Lip Lacquer in “Morocco”, volume unknown
Value: estimated £5.00

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“A sumptuous lip gloss that provides long-lasting colour and hydration – plus, plenty of shine.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Nice. We will use. That is all.


LIFESTYLE EXTRAS:

URBAN FRUIT: Magnificent Mango 35g
Value: £0.80

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“A yummy 100% fruit snack to add to your work lunch and keep you feeling virtuous.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Love Urban fruit and have yet to try the mango. Great lifestyle extra!

BIRCHBOX: Happy Days Photo Clip
Value: N/A

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“Brighten up your desk or bedroom with this colourful photo holder!”

BT INITIAL OPINION – as a second lifestyle extra, receiving something not-too-obviously-Birchbox-branded is not too bad.


 

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OVERALL VERDICT:

All in all, this was a very mediocre box. It suffered hugely from the the samples being weeny, the value of the box on the low side and (surprisingly for Birchbox) they didn’t curate a very exciting or creative box, nor was there a ‘star product’. However, they have still chosen a variety of items combining higher-end luxe brands as well as new brands to discover.  This is just about passable – I know other versions of this month’s box have been better..If we hadn’t got this on the LivingSocial deal, then we would have been pretty miffed.

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer
Total value: £17.50

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 worth of points! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox July 2014 – the one with a Porefessional (if you were lucky)

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This month’s theme was Sun, Sea & Sand…very loose theme we felt!

We forgot to cancel our second Birchbox subscription, so ended up with two of these boxes and are able to do a side by side comparison! They were slightly different and we do have a favourite. See what you think…

BOX A:


 

Weleda: Millet Nourishing Shampoo 18ml
Value: £0.85

“Keep hair in top condition this summer with this natural organic fortifying shampoo.”

BT INITIAL THOUGHTS: Weleda is a good brand that we’d like to try, but this isn’t really a useful sample size, other than for perhaps a night or weekend away. We don’t think it will be enough to determine how good the shampoo is, but at least it’s still useful!


 

Balance Me: Wonder Eye Cream 7ml
Value: £9.34

“A light, hardworking formula to brighten the eye area and keep wrinkles at bay.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is a great brand, but we tend to find that eye creams don’t work as well as eye gels or serums on combination skin. We will still give this a try anyway.


 

Laqa & Co: Sheer Lip Lube Pencil, Bees Knees 2g
Value: £14 (full size product)


“A high-gloss pencil to add a pop of sheer, nourishing and wearable colour.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We were really looking forward to trying out this chubby stick-esque lip tint. However, we were dismayed that Birchbox clearly ignored profiling as both the boxes we received had this colour tint, which was lighter than our own lips, rather than the dark pink that was going around and would have been much better. Sad pandas!


 

Gilchrist & Soames: English Spa Sea Kelp Extract Mineral Bath
Value: £1.91

“This delightfully foamy gel contains marine nutrient sea kelp to invigorate the skin.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Erm. This is like OK…the kind of thing you get at an OK hotel? Not really at all exciting, but it is at least useful.


 

Compagnie de Provence: Mediterranean Sea Hand Cream 30ml
Value: £0.85

“This luxe, hydrating lotion direct from Provence hydrates hands and leaves them silky-soft.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Again, just OK. Pretty indifferent towards this…but we’ll try it.


 

LIFESTYLE EXTRA:

ULTRADEX: Fresh Breath Oral Spray
Value: £3.65 (full size product)

“A handbag-friendly spray that kills harmful bacteria and keeps breath minty-fresh.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Lol. Breath spray? Really? This would be an OK extra if the other items had been more exciting.


 



BOX B:

Whish: Three Whishes Lavender Body Butter 22ml
Value: £2.13

“Not your granny’s lavender – this sweet-scented antioxidant-rich lotino nourishes skin.”

BT INITIAL THOUGHTS:


 

Balance Me: Wonder Eye Cream 7ml
Value: £9.34

“A light, hardworking formula to brighten the eye area and keep wrinkles at bay.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is a great brand, but we tend to find that eye creams don’t work as well as eye gels or serums on combination skin. We will still give this a try anyway.


 

Laqa & Co: Sheer Lip Lube Pencil, Bees Knees 2g
Value: £14 (full size product)


“A high-gloss pencil to add a pop of sheer, nourishing and wearable colour.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We were really looking forward to trying out this chubby stick-esque lip tint. However, we were dismayed that Birchbox clearly ignored profiling as both the boxes we received had this colour tint, which was lighter than our own lips, rather than the dark pink that was going around and would have been much better. Sad pandas!


 

Gilchrist & Soames: English Spa Sea Kelp Extract Mineral Bath
Value: £1.91

“This delightfully foamy gel contains marine nutrient sea kelp to invigorate the skin.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Erm. This is like OK…the kind of thing you get at an OK hotel? Not really at all exciting, but it is at least useful.


 

Benefit: The Porefessional 7.5ml
Value: £8.36

“An award-winning primer that magically erases pores and leaves skin velvety.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – A great sample that we look forward to trying! Have heard great things about this and given we have combination skin, this is bang-on target for us. Yay!

LIFESTYLE EXTRA:

CHIA SHOT
Value: £0.49

“Bonafide superfood, packed with health-boosting omega 3, protein and more.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is a nice little extra that we’re curious to try. Would never had thought about buying this, so a great inclusion!


 

OVERALL VERDICT:

Well we only ended up with two boxes by accident but am pretty surprised by the marked difference in the boxes…the actual value weren’t too far apart, but Box B was so much more exciting in general, not just because it had a Benefit item, but because the actual selection was a well-rounded box, whereas Box A came across as containing unimpressive small samples of no particular quality.

We used to like Birchbox because everyone got the same thing – our general feeling is it that it’s fair enough for people to get different things but that should be in accordance with their profiling (didn’t get lipglosses that suit our colouring). But the products that differ should be of equivalent quality/value – here, rather than a Porefessional, in box A we got an 85p moisturiser (the equivalent in Box was the handcream!) Terrible.

Considering both boxes – this was an average offering from Birchbox. Judging solely by Box A, this was a lame month. Judging solely by Box B, this was a pretty good month!

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription)
BOX A total value: £30.60
BOX B total value: £36.23

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 worth of points! You’re welcome 😉