My First Birchbox!

Hey Guys,

I recently decided to sign up to Birchbox as there have been many good reviews and the products seem to be amazing and there seems to be a good range of products. I was lucky enough to be in time to receive the Lulu Guinness Edition of the box which includes a beautiful designed slip (is that the word?) to go over the original Birchbox.

The slip has two designs front and back, both bold and fabulous. Lulu Guinness uses the black and white stripes throughout the box as she to includes a inscripted "rock" sweet in the same design. 

This is an overview of  what I received, there were a few leaflets including a special book that had Lulu Guinness' views and opinions on stuff. For a Birchbox virgin I found that the box and bag were super cute and can easily be used around the house again. 

So now the bit everyone has been waiting for, the products.

English Laundry (English Laundry Signature For Her EDP Spray For Women)
" Tap into the very essence of an English country garden with this beautifully fresh fragrance. Envelope yourself in top notes of rose geranium and creamy white flowers set against a woody spicy and musky tones"
I personally love this fragrance it only takes one spray to last an entire day, handy considering its a sample size. A cute essential for any woman's handbag. 

Dr Brant Pores No More (Pore Refiner)
"Targeting one of skincare's biggest issues, Dr Brandt's amazing Pore No More refiner gives a quick fix for oily complexions helping to hide pores, absorb oil and mattify shine. The silky smooth formula glides effortlessly onto the skin releasing microspheres which diffuse the light It also contains Tea Tree Oil for its essential antibacterial properties."
I do tend to suffer with bad pores but I don't have oily skin, I found this to be oily in itself but did give off the silky texture that every woman desires. Overall I prefer the Porefessional Face Primer in comparison. 

Korres Citrus Body Milk 
"With a nourishing and soothing combination of almond oil, aloe, shea butter and provitamin B5, this lotion will leave your skin feeling super-hydrated throughout the day. The lightweight formula's citrusy scent is the perfect morning pick-me-up ritual. Plus, there are no parabens, 
silicones, or other synthetics and the packinging is all recyclable".
This is in no way something I would think of buying I don't particularly like the smell of the expensive price tag.However it is always handy to have a travel size of anything and this is no exception.


Benefit Stay Don't Stray (Light/Medium)

"This little gem is foolproof way to ensure that your undereye concealer and eyeshadows stay put from morning to night. It comes in one surprisingly versatile shade that brightens underneath and above the eye. The lightweight formula blends in easily and won't clog the delicate skin around the eyes".I am a major Benefit fan I tend to have at least 3 of there products on my wishlist at one time. I find this Primer for the eyes and concealers to be effective, normally I would need to touch up or feel like the makeup is fading however with this product I am able to see a huge difference. Definitely on my wishlist.

Molton Brown Replenishing Hand Cream (Rhubarb and Rose)
"This luxury intensive hand cream not only smells temptingly sweet, it's instantly absorbed after application - so you can get straight back to what you were doing. White truffle extract ensures your hands stay soft, along with moisturising rose extract."
I must admit I am pretty bad when it comes to using any kind of cream so this gives me a push to use it more. Its nourishing and smells of summer definitely something to crack out when you need to give your hands some TLC.

So to anyone thinking of signing up to Birchbox I would suggest you do so, it is a cute little box that any beauty lover would enjoy and its super affordable!

Sign up here

Benefit- The best of Benefit

As an avid fan of Fashion Train AKA Becca I couldn't help but see her Twitter post on the Benefit - The best of Benefit box which included miniatures of all the best and popular items across the benefit range, at only £24.50! A perfect gift this Christmas for a beauty fan or someone curious about Benefit!

As you can see you get a miniture of the following:
Porefessional Primer
Theyre Real Mascara
Hoola Bronzer
Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain
Boi-ing Concealer
High Beam Highlighter

The Porefessional comes in a handy squeeze tube at a handbag size, the screw cap is a tad annoying, a screw cap would be much more convenient, the product itself is easy to get out so you only need to squeeze lightly to get it out.  The product is light-weight and spreads easy giving your skin a silky smooth feeling, great for the application of make-up. The price of the 22ml tube of porefessional is £24.50 which may be deemed a little on the pricey side but bare in mind it gives you the perfect finish and base for make-up. It just might sway you.

They're Real Mascara is a very hyped up among the beauty community and seems to be more hit than miss with most people. Personally I think this mascara opens up my eyes a lot which I love. However, I feel like this mascara tends to clump quite a lot but I believe that is due to the fact I have quite thick lashes already, however this is just my opinion so if it works for you then great!

Overall I like the Bronzer and would definitely think about purchasing the full sized version, I'm not a major professional when it comes to bronzer and this is a nice one to try and practice using. It blends well with the blush in my routine, it gives a natural glow that's not to overpowering. This is a reasonable price at £23.50 from Boots, definitely a good investment.

Benetint is a very sheet Merlot-rose stain which is way too thin and runny, it bled into my skin and stained whilst swatching it. It tends to look patchy and uneven on me. When applying it, I found it stains both lines and dry skin on my lips but doesn't stick to the rest of the lips. I'm not to sure if I like this product just yet, I'm gonna keep it in my makeup bag a little longer to see if I can get to grips with it first. It retails at £24.50 at Boots.

The think I like most about the concealer is that is amazing for use under both my eyes and my blemishes, many concealers seem to work well at either one or the other but this is redoubtably best at both. It doesn't crease as many concealers do in reference to under the eyes the staying power was great only wearing off a tad, I blame that on the fact my skin has been terrible. The one thing that would be the downfall for me would be the price at £18.50 which seems a bit steep in my eyes but unless I find a concealer that is as good as this for less then I will be purchasing the full size very soon.

The High beam Highlighter has been a must have for a very long time, I've never really tried liquid highlighter just matte so this was a whole different ball park for me, one I've been looking forward to trying. I found it to be a lovely highlighter that blends easily, looks natural and gives a great looking glow. If you are unsure just yet get a mini size to try it or better yet get this set whilst you can! The full size retails at £19.50 at Boots!


I hope this post helped expose you to the wonders of Benefit and this amazing gift set.