Birchbox August 2013
This months Birchbox has been a bit of a mixed bag (or should I say box?) for me. I've either absolutely loved or really disliked the products I received, however this has been due more to personal preference than a failure on Birchbox's behalf. As always the products were generously sized, high quality, and beautifully packaged, and I remain a loyal fan.
I was a little put out to see food once more included as the lifestyle product. I much prefer getting something that last's a little longer than one use but I decided to give this unusually flavoured popcorn a go. Needless to say I was not impressed, the flavouring was quite overpowering and left a peculiar aftertaste. Sorry Propercorn but in my opinion popcorn should be lathered in sugar and sugar only.
I loved the inclusion of a beauty tool in this box. This gel eye mask is designed to be left in the fridge to cool before use, and can be used again and again. As well as being lovely and cooling on tired eyes it has proved to be excellent at soothing a headache! I've loved receiving a product with long-term use like this one, five stars Birchbox!
Molton Brown is a brand which I have used and loved in the past. I know it's a high-end, luxury product but I do prefer receiving new and unknown things in my Birchbox. I'm not a huge fan of Ylang-Ylang scents but this one was actually really nice and lathered well upon use.
I was initially really impressed by the LAQA & Co. Fat Lip Pencil, although it's not full size for the product, it's definitely more than 'sample'. And I don't know about you but I've never finished a lip product. However, the colour just doesn't do it for me. As you can see, it's a pastel pink with slight shimmer and not very pigmented. I much prefer darker and plummier pinks, pales pinks and nudes just don't suit me so I doubt that I'll ever finish this one anyway.
I've been on the hunt for a good primer for a while and have heard good things about this Gerda Spillmann Hydro Pearls Primer, so was really excited to receive a sample of it. It applies really nicely and evenly and works well under my foundation (Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua). I haven't used this much yet so will definitely wait to see how a few weeks use does me before I blow £30 on a full-size version.
A hair oil is another product I'm keen to start using after months of reading rave reviews about Argan oil treatments. This one by Montibel.lo smells gorgeous upon application and even more beautiful once my hair has dried. I pour a 10p sized dollop into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together, and then run my fingers through wet combed hair before blow-drying.
As much as I love the inclusion of skincare products in my Birchboxes, some of them can be a little elusive. This Skinlife Energetic Cellular Cream claims to 'stimulate and protect skin cells' and 'counteract physiological processes'. Huh? I'm guessing this is something to do with anti-aging? It applies like a moisturiser but is very light and sinks straight into the skin, has a light aroma similar to suncream, and...that's about it. Safe to say I won't be investing £35 in this any day soon.
I have to say, one of the best things about receiving this months Birchbox was discovering that I'd been featured in the magazine (albeit with my blog name mis-spelt), so here's to hoping September's box lives up to Birchbox's usual high-standards. Follow me on Wordpress or Bloglovin for similar posts and reviews.
