Birchbox

I have wanted to try a beauty subscription box for over a year now, and I constantly put off the purchase by telling myself “you don’t need products to come to your doorstep every month, that’s just high-maintenance”. But, last week I decided that I should treat myself because I’m earning money and why not? So I made an order with Birchbox. The New York City-based online subscription service, promises its subscribers a beautiful box containing four to five samples of beauty products, “including two beauty must-haves”.

I clicked ‘order’ on the Birchbox website on the 19th April and received the box in a cute, hot pink package on the 25th April. I was excited because not only had Birchbox teamed up with American lifestyle brand Rifle Paper Co and had given me the option to choose between two different box styles (light and airy Herb Garden or pretty pink Jardin de Paris), but I was also promised one Benefit product in this April box.  Firstly, I felt like the delivery was pretty fast and secondly, when I opened the package a beautiful pink, floral box laid before me.

The floral printed pink box featured 7 different beauty items: Nuxe‘s Masque Créme Fraíche de Beuté (50ml), Balance Me‘s Congested Skin Serum (7ml), Beaver‘s Hydro Nutritive Series Shampoo (40ml) and also a 10ml sample of Nutritive Repairing Conditioner, Kueshi‘s Foot Care Cream (40ml), Cynthia Rowley‘s Eyeliner and lastly, a 30g sample of Benefit‘s They’re Real Mascara.

I feel as though 7 products for £12.95 is not bad at all. Most of the items were a decent size and they all came wrapped within a Birchbox wash-bag; handy for a weekend trip away or just a little bag to store your bathroom bits and bobs at home. As well as this, a lovely card flyer accompanied my box also decorated in a beautiful floral print. The blog style flyer contained details of each and every beauty goodie in the April box, explaining their uses and benefits. 

I was particularly excited to try the Nuxe Masque Créme Fraíche facial mask as I am a lover of natural products and this mask contains 8 different kinds of milk. I massaged the mask into my skin and around my eyes and I left it on for 10 minutes. Being a sufferer of mild eczema and sensitive skin, trying new products is usually a task which ends up in a rash-filled face, but this mask left my skin soothed and unbelievably soft. I was extremely impressed with the product and would even consider purchasing it.

The only downfall to this box is that after filling out my Birchbox profile on the app and choosing ‘dry and sensitive skin’ as my skin type so my items are more personalised to my needs, I was confused to see Balance Me‘s Congested Skin Serum in my box, which, as explained on the product description, is to “reduce and prevent spots”. Seeing as my skin is far from oily I have avoided using this product in fear that it could have a drying effect on my already dry skin. So it was a little disappointing to see that Birchbox didn’t personalise my items more. Nevertheless, there are some really gorgeous items in April’s box and I worked out that the box is worth around £30 all together, with the items sample-sized as they are. I’ll definitely be continuing my subscription!