I don't think I've had a subscription to anything since Sabrina's Secrets when I was about 8 (90's kids remember this?!) - I've been toying with the idea of Beauty Boxes for a while and after doing some thorough research, I settled on Birchbox. I really like that Birchbox covers all areas in their boxes, from beauty, to body & lifestyle. The boxes are beautifully presented and the products come in a little cotton bag along with cute little postcards (does anyone else want to frame theirs?!) - on the back of them is information about each of the products you've recieved and a little tutorial.
The theme for this months Birchbox is 'Birchbox Loves' - tying with valentines and all things romantic. I absolutely loved the little card with the tickboxes titled 'Love Is...' - it's a really nice touch to an already lovely box. I recieved six products in my box, one full sized. There was a couple of brands that were totally new to me, which is one of the reasons why I signed up, I love discovering new brands and products and sample sizes are a great way to do it. Some of the products were slightly disappointing but there were others that I absolutely loved. I recieved -
The Eyeko Fatstick was a new product to me, I've tried Eyeko eyeliners and didn't really get along with them. The Fatstick is a creamy eye crayon which can be used as a smokey eyeshadow, all along the lash line, or blended on the outer corners for a more demure look. I really liked the shade of this, its a gorgeous metallic brown and the consistency was really soft and creamy, which made it easy to blend, plus it was completely crease free and smudgeproof. My only qualm about the Fatstick is it was just too thick, it was hard to get a good amount on the crease of the eye just because it's so chunky. I think it'd work much better along the lash line. Otherwise, it was pretty impressive.
I adore Caudalie, I absolutely love the Vinoperfect range and use the face mask on a regular basis so I was super happy to have recieved this little beauty in my Birchbox. This serum is designed to give you an even complexion and to eradicate any dark spots. I don't suffer with dark spots on my face so I can't comment on whether that worked or not, but my skin did feel really lovely and soft, plus it smells gorgeous. It's oil free and the consistency is very fluid. I really enjoyed the sample of this but I'm not sure if I'd buy the full size product, it does contain glycerin which is supposed to moisturise the skin, which I think would be great if you have a normal skin type but mines really dry so for me it just isn't moisturising enough. (My skin literally drinks this stuff!)
Electric is a new brand to me, I'd never heard of their products before trying out the Hydrate Shampoo. I was over the moon to get this in my box, as someone who gets their hair highlighted every 6 weeks or so, it's in quite bad condition and it tends to get quite dry quite quickly. This shampoo was a lifesaver for me, the bottle says to use an almond sized amount but I had to use a fair bit more to get a good lather as my hairs quite thick and long. It smells so, so good and it really put some much needed moisture back into my locks. At £17.50 for a full sized bottle, it is quite pricey but I definitely think its worth its price tag.
London Butterflies is another new brand to me, I think they're a fairly new brand - born and bred in London. This was by far my favourite product in my Birchbox. I did end up buying the full size version, at £37 it's quite expensive but so worth the price tag. I absolutely adore it. It smells divine and my skin has never felt so soft, I usually use the Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion after my baths - designed for dry skin. But I think it's most definitely been replaced. It literally smells good enough to eat, even the boyfriend loves it! I really love the packaging too, a really simple glass jar with a cute butterfly on the top. I'd most definitely, definitely recommend this!
I've heard really amazing things about theBalm products, but I have to say I was massively disappointed with Stainiac. It's a lip/blush water based gel. You can use it on your lips for a glossy look or dab it on your cheeks and blend as a blush, neither of this techniques really worked for me and I didn't really like how it felt a little tacky on my lips. I dabbed it onto my cheeks and blended but it didn't really make much difference in terms of colour. Did anyone else recieve this product? What did you guys think of it?
Vita Coco is a brand I've dabbled with in the past, I've made delicious smoothies using their coconut water but haven't had a chance to use the Coconut Oil just yet so I was really happy to be able to give this a try. I love that it has so many uses, you can use it in the bath to soften skin, remove make-up (really!), as a natural energy boost when mixing it into coffee, softening hands and feet, a hair rescue treatment or for cooking. I think I'm going to try using it for cooking as a replacement for either vegetable oil or butter, and perhaps in my hair. I've heard really amazing things about coconut oil - plus its super healthy for you - can't really go wrong can you?!
So there's the lowdown on February's Birchbox - do any of you guys subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of this months box?! - would love to hear from you!
