April Birchbox - 2013 Edition

So this is my second Birchbox and this is what I thought! Firstly I'm really sorry about the late post, I've just been all over the place at the moment and I've been putting my blog behind! This is just a quick review so apologises if it's not too in depth but I didn't want to add too much information!

So the first product is this little green tube from Weleda. Apparently it's a little wonder cream called 'skin food'. I must say I totally agree with the name! The first time I used it I slathered it all over my face at night and woke up with skin so soft I could not stop feeling it. It has a herbal scent too which is very refreshing but at night seems to make me feel sleepy. It hasn't once left my skin feeling greasy at all and if I could compare it to a product it would be a like to the Yu-Be cream which was within my last box. However Weleda is much more affordable, I will definitely purchase this again!

The second product is a beautiful little vintage box. It contains soap which is slightly random but I have to admit it smells beautiful! It reminds me of the Burt's Bees hand cream, it's just amazing! Unfortunately I won't be using this so scrub my hands with it because if I'm honest soap bars really irritate me. However I do have a soap collection going off in my clothes drawers. Just a little trick my Nanna taught me: pop a bar of soap in with your clothes and they'll always smell fresh. Simple.

The third is a lipstick pencil, otherwise describes as a chubby stick. The shade isn't my cup of tea as it's quite shimmery but I guess I would wear it casually within the day. It contains something which somehow makes my lips feel very moisturised. It's not a brand I have heard of but I guess they will issue other colours too, which if I ever feel like I need a chubby stick I'll have a look! But for now, I have enough! **must stop purchasing makeup**.

Nearly every single week I'm like 'urrggg, why do I not have a mirror in my bag'! So it's kind of obvious that receiving this was a godsend! I think I'll keep this mirror as a travel one and take it around with me. It's a mirror, they're all pretty much the same they just have different designs. I think this is pretty neat as only a limited amount of people will have it. Thanks for that Birchy!

Woah this next product sucked! No idea why this company believes that the smell of this is relaxing because I just felt ill each time got a whiff of my hair. It reminded me of the smell of green Thai curry which isn't a pretty smell in your hair! It didn't do anything to benefit my hair either so for that reason I will not be purchasing this product any time soon!

The last product is an age serum from Gerda Spillmann. I'm 18 years old so I'm not really in need of anti-again serums however I do believe it's good to start using them young to keep good elasticity within the skin to prevent winkles when I'm older. This is a very small sample and the price of the full one is pretty steep! I'm not aware of this brand so for anti ageing I'll most probably stick to brands such as Estee Lauder. 

Overall, I can say this month hasn't been super impressive. I do feel as though I have received great products for the price however I wont be using many of them on a regular basis and one of them I will not use at all so I feel it's a slight let down. I think I'll carry on with my Birchbox for one more month and then cancel my subscription as I haven't been as impressed with Birchbox as I have been with Glossy box. If I were to recommend one product from the box it will definitely be the Weleda Skin Food, it's simple amazing! 

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮

Birchbox- March 2013 Addition (My first Birchbox)

I received my first Birchbox on the 26th which was fairly later than most people. But I have finally got round to writing a blog post! This is the first Birchbox I have received, I signed up because I had heard very positive reviews about it and I wanted to see if they are true! I already had a hunch of what was in my box because, unlike Glossybox, Birchbox upload their surveys of the products that are in your box before you receive it.

Although Glossy Box have very good quality boxes and are very hard to compete against I am quite a fan of the Birchbox packaging too! I like the rustic brown cardboard contrasting the popping hot pink. I also like how everything is wrapped inside a little drawstring bag; it's kind of an extra little thing you can store products in!

The first product that got me going was this Sanctuary Spa mask! If you have read my other blog post you will pick up on my obsession for this brand. I have used a sample of this before and it is divine! You put two products on and the reaction of them mixed together creates heat. It is super soothing on your face and afterwards your skin feels polished. Just amazing, I really want to purchase this full price but the downside is it costs so much! I'm thankful I got myself another sample of it in my Birchbox!

The second samples is a perfume one. This Molton Brown fragrance isn't really for me. I would say it is more of a mature smell as it has that mumsie, nanna kind of zing to it. Personally I'm not a fan of this and for £65 a pop for a full sized bottle I will definitely give this a miss. It's still good to use as a room spray or to spray in your wardrobe to freshen up to stuffy clothes or linen. 

Okay, so when I opened my bag my eyes went straight to this. I was so so so confused when I saw it. The product is a Nick Chevez Thickening Spray for your hair. But the product was not advertise on the Birchbox website as an item from the March box so instantly I knew something wasn't right. I scrolled through the '#birchboxuk' tag on Instagram and saw that none of the other March boxes had this in. When I scrolled even further I saw that this product was actually featured in the February box. As you can imagine I was not impressed! I have contacted Birchbox over this matter and they are dealing with it. Anyway, after that massive rant I haven't actually tested this product but I have smelt it and it smells very salon like so I guess it is something I am willing to put in my hair. **Still not impressed** (rant over).

The next product is a La Sultane de Saba Body Lotion. This smells incredible! This lotion is like the smell of a baby in a tube. Okay, well maybe not like that, but it smells like baby powder and baby lotion mixed together. The lotion dries almost instantly which is great because it means your not waiting around for it to dry. Alternatively it could be bad as it doesn't feel like it's working! The one thing I love about this lotion is how long the smell lingers on my skin. I would consider buying this in the future because it does leave my skin very soft but we will have to see!

So for some reason the way I have edited this picture has make this product look slightly off colour! Anyway, this product is something different, it's a purple gel liner. I used to wear a purple Urban Decay liquid liner which I was obsessed with. But I've only just discovered gel liners as was a bit like, 'mmm will this work?' I've got it on today and I think it's something I could get used to. It has a long wear on it, it's simple to apply and I'm very impressed with the sample size!

Apparently Yu-Be skin cream is a Japanese saviour. I think it's UK rival is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. They're very alike in consistency and use. The cream has a strong medicinal smell but this disappears within minutes. It's very hydrating and creamy which is what is needed for a good old moisturise. This is a fairly small sample but like the Arden cream it does go a long way! This is just under £20 full size so I guess maybe as Winter comes back around I may consider purchasing this.

As it was Mother's day this month Birchbox gave each customer a small box of Lindt chocolates.They're chocolate, of course I like them, who doesn't! There isn't much to say about these apart from they're delicious and a fab little extra. I will probably decorate the tin and then use it to store my earrings or something in.

Overall I was pleased with the majority of products within my first Birchbox. However, I wasn't pleased with the delivery time as I felt I got my box after most others. I've also had some other issues with Birchbox about the Thickening Mist sample I got but I'll update you on that when they reply to me!

What did you get in your March Birchbox? Were you impressed? Did you receive any random samples?Leave me a comment below, I'd loved to know what others got! 

Ellabella 

♥ ✝ ☮