I have been a subscriber of Birchbox for about 10 months now, and I love receiving my box now as much as I did with that first delivery.
For those of you who don’t know, Birchbox is a monthly subscription service, delivering 5 beauty products to your home every month. The products are mainly smaller/sample size, however you usually get 1 full sized product.
Why I love it so much
Range of Products
I really taking care of my skin and using new beauty products, and Birchbox allows me to try things that I would either never invest in or have never even heard of before. Plus this is my little luxury that I treat myself to every month and really look forward to arriving.
You can also go on the website and shop for, not only the full size versions of what they sent you, but also a load of other beauty products too. My favourite face cream of all time (Urban Veda Purifying Day Cream) came from here, and although they no longer sell it at Birchbox, I would never have found it without them.
Beautiful Box’s
The box itself is always different but always beautiful and interesting, (the December 2017 box is my favourite so far). They often team up with companies to design the box, which again puts me onto even more companies and products I otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
Beauty Profile
So when your first get started with your subscription, you have to complete their beauty profile which asks you questions about your product preferences and complexion. As a mixed race woman with curly hair, I love this! Whenever I get concealers or bb creams they always match my colouring. This shouldn’t be such a big deal to me, as it shouldn’t be that unusual, but unfortunately it is. It’s a small thing but it really makes a big difference to me.
So what’s in my January Birchbox?
Thermaliv Night Cream
I love this! It smells really fresh and isn't overpowering at all. It feels lovely and moisturising when you put it on and not too heavy. I have combination skin, dry in places, then oily on my t-zone, and this really works well for me. It's hard to say if it made a difference to my skin at this point as the weather got stupidly cold and snowy meaning that my eczema flared up, and to make matters worse the time of the month meant my skin broke out. I will definitely keep using this night cream though and may even order some more.
Lord & Berry Blusher Crayon in Camelia
I don’t really use blusher, I’ve never thought it looked right on me (or maybe I’m just not very good at applying it haha).
This is a lovely colour and blends really easily just with your fingers. I like how subtle it can look, but also that it's easy to layer to enhance the colour. I also used this as a lipstick which worked nicely. It seems quite moisturising on the lips, which is really good for me as I suffer from dry lips, especially at this time of year (damn the cold damp British weather!). This is definitely making it into my daily makeup routine, it's just so easy and quick to use!
Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Charcoal
Personally I only really use eyeliner for special occasions, mainly out of laziness and time saving I think.
I love the colour; it’s not a harsh as black which is nice and once it had dried it wouldn’t smudge at all which is great! It has a very slight sparkle to it which I didn’t notice at first but really like, it is subtle enough for work but also really nice for a more dressy look. I don't think it is going to make it into my daily makeup routine, mainly because of time and effort but for evening and weekend looks, it's definitely a winner!
PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturising Sea Salt Spray
I have naturally curly hair, so I wouldn’t usually use this type of product. I usually use curl cream and hair oils to get my hair to behave, but I decided to keep an open mind and give it a go.
Honestly if there is one thing my hair doesn’t need, its more texture. It didn’t really do anything for me, I need products which reduce frizz and defines curls, and this sea salt spray just doesn’t do that. It’s obvious that it was not made for my hair and that’s ok (I gave it to my mum). Probably a good product for people with different hair types to mine, but just not for me.
Afterspa makeup remover
So I was extremely sceptical about this one. A fluffy cloth that removes all your makeup as well as makeup remover, just with warm water? Pull the other one! How is that possible?
But you know what it actually worked, and by that I mean it did remove all my makeup. What it didn't do however, is give my skin that fresh feeling you get after washing your face. It does make removing eye makeup really easy, like using makeup wipes but without the chemicals which I like. It has definitely make it into my nightly routine for ease and I think has saved me some time and effort. Win!
There are other beauty subscription boxes out there, and I have looked at them as options but for now at least Birchbox is the one for me. To get yours click here and enjoy!
If you’re also a Birchbox fan, or a fan of any other beauty subscription box, comment below or share it on Instagram tagging me @yasminemoxam