I decided to make the most of my early morning wake-ups by booking in a haircut and colour for 8am today. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you get rid of your roots and split ends!
I had a very special delivery this week…my very first Beauty Box!
In case you are new to this concept, there are a few companies on the market offering this service whereby you get a box delivered each month with 4-6 beauty and make-up products in it to trial before you buy the full-sized product. These products are from a combination of well-known high-end and new, independent companies so you get to try a whole range of brands. Often the contents of the box are worth around the £40-50 mark but each box costs just £10 plus postage.
Now I know these have been around for ages and are by no means a new thing, but I was very excited when this pink box arrived and I couldn’t wait to see what was inside and start testing out the products.
Included in this month’s box was the Birchbox magazine, which gives you more information on each product, tips on how to use them and various interviews and beauty articles. The theme for this month’s box is ‘Role Models’ and here was my first peek at the contents…
Obviously the first thing I spotted was the heart-shaped tin of Lindt chocolates! These are my absolute favourite chocolates and I know I will enjoy them with a cup of tea!
Right, onto the beauty stuff…
Molton Brown perfume sample in ‘Valbonne’:
I haven’t tried any perfumes by Molton Brown before but I do like their bath and shower products. I wasn’t overly keen on this product when I first spritzed it on but it was a real grower and after a few minutes it mellowed to a sweet, slightly earthy and rose scent. I’m not great at describing perfumes but to be honest I doubt anyone would purchase a perfume without trying it out themselves first! The full-sized bottle of this retails for £65, which is more than I would usually spend on a perfume, but I may keep my eyes peeled for it in the sale!
Yu-Be Moisturiser:
Next up is a very small tube of this cult Japanese moisturiser. It can be used anywhere on the body to tackle dry skin and I tested it out as a hand cream and a lip balm. The smell is lemony with a slight medicinal edge but this doesn’t linger once applied. When I first put it on my hands it was slightly greasy but it dried smoothly quite quickly and left my hands feeling incredibly soft. On my lips, it was absorbed quickly and they definitely felt softer afterwards too. It’s a shame there wasn’t slightly more of this sample as I would have liked to try it as a body cream after a shower but I have heard it is coming to Boots and is already in SpaceNK so I will look out for it and would definitely buy this again.
Laura Geller Gel Liner in ‘Purple’:
The only make-up item in this month’s box was this Inkwell waterproof eye liner by Laura Geller. There is a fine brush concealed in the handle and a little pot of highly pigmented colour, which makes the product compact and great for travelling. I am slightly annoyed as I have only just made an online order for another purple liquid eyeliner but you can never have too many! It is easy to get the colour on the brush and you can create a thick or thin line depending on the look you want.
The product is quite creamy in application but it dries quickly and the pigmentation and staying power is very impressive, although if you aren’t used to the gel eyeliners it may take a bit of practice to get used to applying them. I haven’t tried any Laura Geller products before and this product retails for £24.50 so feels like a real bargain!
La Sultane de Saba Body Lotion with Argan Oil:
I use body lotion once, sometimes twice, a day so I am always on the lookout for a new product to try. I was intrigued by this one containing Argan Oil as I thought this was predominantly in hair products. It has been somewhat of a trendy ingredient in recent months so I wanted to see what it would be like in a body lotion. I have to say I wasn’t blown away by the packaging, considering it is a luxe brand and it was quite difficult to get out of the bottle. There was no real scent to speak of – it actually reminded me of that delicate, powdery smell of baby lotions. Upon application, this product was absorbed into the skin very quickly, leaving behind a fresh, powdery scent. This was a good moisturiser, leaving my skin feeling very soft, and given the handy size I will be packing it for our city break this weekend!
Sanctuary Active Reverse Facial:
I haven’t tried this yet but thought it was only fair to do a quick write-up about it. I am a fan of Sanctuary products and this two-step facial claims to ‘dramatically improve the appearance of your skin’ so I can’t wait to give it a go! There is a serum to apply first then a warming rose clay mask…if it is any good I’ll let you know.
Plump ‘N’ Thick Leave in Thickening Hair Mask by Nick Chavez:
Finally, a hair product to thicken your tresses. I never choose any sort of volumising or uplifting hair treatments so I wasn’t that fussed about this product to be honest. I tried it out on dry hair first and it didn’t really have much of an effect. This spray didn’t really make much difference on my towel-dried hair either. It did smell lovely though and maybe it is a miracle product for the right hair type so this will be passed on as a gift to my Mum!
Overall, I am pleased with my first arrival from Birchbox and I have decided to give this a 3 month trial before renewing or cancelling my subscription. There was a good range of quality products, many of which I may not have come across on my own, and I love the fact that my favourite chocolates were included too!
However, there is an argument that my £10 would be better spent on one decent product that I definitely want and will use so I think I will wait and see what next month’s box holds!
hannahhotcakes 