Woo so for my first review back, I'm going to discuss my birchbox from this month. Also, yeah, I'm totally subscribed to birchbox now. I love it! Some of the things can be a little hit or miss, but I've liked all of my boxes so far. And this months is no exception!
Onto the pictures :D
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| By birchbox in all it's simplistic glory |
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| Card explaining what I've received... (sorry for the crappy quality! I thought it wasn't blurry after I'd taken it, now I can't be bothered to take another pic) |
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| Oooh look at all these goodies! |
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| A closer look |
Ok so my first though was 'wow this seems like a lot for birchbox!' And yes - count it - there are 7 samples here! Granted, one is a 'lifestyle extra' (the UltraDEX Wire-free interdental brushes) and another one a 'beauty extra' (the Egyption Magic all purpose skin cream samples), but when you think the American one but a hot cleanser and the cloth to go with it as two separate samples, this is pretty good.
Lets move on to the individual items.
First up, the Lauar Mercier tinted moisturiser.
From the card: A sheer, lightweight formula to add a healthy glow and moisturise, with antioxidant vitamin complex and SPF 20.
See, now I'm an extremely pale lady. Why give me a shade called nude? I'm never going to be able to wear something nude coloured! I'd be better off with a solid white colour... Now, to Birchbox's credit, this is the lightest shade they are stocking, so it seems like they are somewhat taking in to account the questionnaire I filled out at the beginning in which I stated that I was very pale... but then the question is, why are they only stocking 4 to 5 colours of this tinted moisturiser? Looking at her website, it shows there are 15 shades of this product? I'm sure the Porcelain shade would be much better for me, and something I would actually use. If I put this on my face I'd look like an oompa loompa! Which is a great shame, because from the swatch it really is a lovely tinted moisturiser. It feels lovely, it blended in nicely, and felt soft on my hand. It's just such a shame Birchbox doesn't have the full range! I would have much preferred the primer from the same range that was in some boxes instead. Oh well. It has SPF 20, which is something I like. Although I like to have more SPF than that in a moisturiser SPF 20 is better than a lot of products! Although god knows what an 'antioxidant vitamin complex' is...
At full size, this costs £33 at 1.5 oz (annoyingly I couldn't find out the full size volume in ml...). This sample is 0.5 oz, meaning this sample is worth £11. So this is £22 per oz (whatever that may mean....)
Next, Akane Mask Cocoon Nocturne
So from what I can gather, this is a mask for your skin, and you use it overnight, washing it off in the morning. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'm going to have a go tonight and I'll update this with the results. It does smell rather nice though, a little bit like apple pie.
The full sized product is £18 at 30ml, £60 per 100ml, so it's and this sample size is 12ml meaning it is worth £7.20.
Next up on the list: KMS California Curl Up Wave Foam Mousse
From the card: This wave-enhancing mousse encourages curls, while protecting hair from heat.
I rather like this product. The most important thing for me about it is that is has no silicones! Yey! I have had two other hair products from Birchbox that I have been unable to use because they contain the dreaded cones, but luckily this doesn't. So basically, this is a gel in the can which turns into a foam once it's come out. Reminds me of shaving foam... Anyways, this has a really nice scent to it, which is nice in the morning when your still asleep after your shower. I've only tried it the once so far, but it seems to do a good job and holding my curls in place. And it was pretty windy out today so it's lasted pretty well! The only this is that it is a little crunchy, although this might be because I might have used a little too much... but we'll see. I certainly liked it enough to try it again :)
The full sized version of this cost £15 for 200 ml (so £7.50 for 100 ml), and this sample was 75ml, meaning it's worth £5.63
Next is theBalm Cosmetics Stainiac. Unfortunately I managed to miss this out of the individual photograph session... So I'll update with a picture another time :3
From the card: This easily blended two-in-one lip and cheek stain gives a natural, understated flush.
I'm really looking forward to trying this out! I like the fact that it doesn't dry quite as fast as other stains so you can actually blend it properly before it dries completely and you're left with streaks! Anyway, I'll update this again when I've tried it. Hopefully I'll try it tomorrow... and it won't be too noticeable for work!
This was the most stingy sample in this Birchbox, with the full size product costing £10 at 0.3 oz (again I couldn't find a ml equivalent), this sample is 0.04 oz, so it is worth a measly £1.34. Still it looks like it should be enough for me to see whether I like it or not.
The 5th sample is Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips
Eh. I don't find anything particularly special about this. I found the formula rather thick, and struggled getting anything out of the tube at first. It also feels quite heavy on my lips, but it did moisturise nicely. This is something I can see myself using if my lips get badly chapped this winter. Hopefully it won't happen this year as I tend to put stuff on my lips everyday at the moment, but I feel like this would work wonderfully for when they are horrible dry and flaky as it feels it would penetrate the dryness well. Could do with a nicer smell as well! Although not unpleasant, it does smell a bit medicinal.
Onto the lifestyle extra! UltraDex Wire-free Interdental Brushes.
These remind me of what my orthodontist gave me with I had traintracks... And I assume they work in a similar way. I like that they don't have wire in them though! It looks like they might be gentler to use... From the picture on the back of the box, I think these are meant to be used a bit like floss, between the teeth after brushing and eating. Apparently, there is 'intelligent iQ+ ActiveOxi Technology [which] works with your natural oral pH level to release the appropriate amount of active ingredient to meet the individual needs of your mouth.' Um.... ok.... Oh! and it also says on the back that is is particularly suitable for tight spaces or gaps and around implants and metal fillings. So, you know, those of us with implants are safe. On thing it does not mention on the back, however, is whether each brush is one use or not... I'm going to assume they are, but it would be nice if it said... it's mentioned everything else! It also comes with a little travel case as well, which is a nice touch.
This is the full sized pack at 30 brushes, and Birchbox is selling them at £5.49, although they are cheaper at boots.
Last, but not least, the beauty extra, Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream.
I have actually heard of this cream, so I'm expecting wonderful things from it... To be honest I would like to see evidence of how they know this was used in ancient Egypt! There's all the likelihood that it could have been, but I would like to see evidence non-the-less. Again, I'll update this when I've had the chance to use it.
The full size tub costs £34.90 for 118ml, which I'm going to say is quite a lot more than what I would pay for a skin cream... I received 3 samples of 3ml, 9ml in total, worth £2.66.
So! There you have it, my October Birchbox. And I'm quite happy with it! There's only one thing that I'll never use, and to be honest even thought the colour is completely off the actual product itself was pretty nice. It's also encouraging to note that at least two of my samples were related to the questionnaire I took when I started, the mousse for curly hair and their 'lightest' shade of tinted moisturiser. They tried, at least.
The overall value for this box is £35.62, which is more than covering the £12.95 cost of the box (including postage).
If you would like a referal code giving you £5 worth of points, mine is: http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=16940
