Birchbox Review – October 2016

October 2016 Birchbox Edition
Monthly subscription is £10.00 Plus £2.95 P&P
No. of Products in the Box – 6 items
www.birchbox.co.uk

First things first can we just all take a moment to admire this month’s Birchbox, it has a gorgeous astrological design that’s definitely worthy of hoarding as a keepsake and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s pretty unique – I can’t say in the 3 years I’ve been blogging that I’ve ever received a glow in the dark beauty box so well done Birchbox on your innovation which never fails to impress me! Dependant on your star sign and providing you’ve entered your birthday on your profile you can expect to see one of four designs based on the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Packed with just about every area of beauty with a guaranteed full sized make up treat they’ve covered a good ground for their October edition from skin and body care, make up and hair showcasing well known brands and those that are a little under the radar too!  

Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription service. The box consists of 5 luxe beauty treats from well-known brands and emerging brands and occasionally you may also receive a lifestyle item too. Birchbox is also a full-blown beauty destination where you can purchase all the brands which have been featured in their boxes with an exceptional and very generous reward program.

1.   Lord & Berry Maxi Matte Crayon Lipstick in Intimacy – Full Size RRP £12.00

One of the downsides of being a beauty box blogger is you’re bound to receive products that have already done the rounds and this crayon in the shade Intimacy is one of those products but luckily it’s something that I really loved first time round so I’m happy to have another on standby. The crayon is creamy, pigmented, glides on smoothly and is very moisturising. In terms of the shade it’s a good choice for this time of year and is something you’ll be able to pull off both day and night. The only downside is it requires sharpening and I much prefer twist up mechanisms. 

2.   Monu Professional Skincare Rosewood Reviving Mist – Travel Size 15ml. Full Size RRP £29.00

The Monu Reviving Mist contains  Lemon, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Petitgrain, Geranium, Clove and Clary Sage. The combination provides a light fragrance that refreshes, tones and sets makeup.

This delivers the perfect amount of fine mist all over your skin and while it can be used for both the face and body it makes a pretty good make up setting spray that gives a lovely dewy and fresh finish and is another product that I’ve tried previously. 

3.   Aromatherapy Associates Revive Body Gel  – Travel Size 30ml. Full Size RRP £10.00

Aromatherapy Associates is a brand I’ve seen quite a fair bit of inside beauty boxes recently however I’ve not tried much from them so the addition of their revive Body Gel is definitely welcomed.

Promising to make you feel more awake and ready to go, this refreshing gel increases circulation and eliminates toxins from the system. The mix of grapefruit, rosemary and juniper berry essential oils has cleansing and skin toning properties, leaving skin looking healthy, smooth and radiant. 

While gel-based products are beauty staples for me during the summer I’m not sure I’d get much use out of this during the winter months as the gel has a cooling effect and doesn’t feel comfortable especially when it’s so chilly! Having said that though I think this would be a great choice after a workout at the gym and the potent scent definitely works wonders to wake you and your senses up as does the coldness of the gel!

4.   Number 4 Floru5 Elixir Restore and Repair Oil  – Travel Size 29.6ml. Full Size RRP £14.99

The Number 4 Fluoro5 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil is a lightweight hair repair treatment serum that illuminates hair with time defying shine. This product claims to repairs, conditions and restores shine without leaving your greasy or weighed down.

My hair needs all the help it can get in the winter months so I’m sure this oil will be used at some point. 

My Verdict

As always Birchbox gets full marks for their innovative box design this month, I think I would have been equally happy with any of the designs and I loved that it was personalised in accordance with our star signs – such a lovely touch! In terms of the line up, I’ve got to admit I wasn’t overly excited with my contents mainly due to the fact that I had my heart set on some of the other items showcased and was slightly sad to see things I’ve already tried which of course isn’t Birchbox’s fault. Nonetheless, I think you’ll agree they’ve covered a good ground this month with a mixture of travel sized samples in addition to few full sized products too and I was delighted to discover another product from Aromatherapy Associates as well as being introduced to Manefit, a budget friendly sheet mask brand that covers quite a few areas when it comes to targeting specific skin concerns. The ever so popular drawer also made a comeback again this month and I really hope it’s something we can see more of as my collection already looks pretty awesome stacked up!

If you like trying out products from well-known, loved and emerging brands then Birchbox is definitely great for this. The subscription itself is affordable and the monthly rotation of treats introduces you to brands and products you might not have otherwise found, all of which can be purchased within their online shop. Whilst Birchbox send out smaller samples with 1-2 full sized items, in my opinion they are much more consistent and are more likely to send you something that you feel the need to purchase.

Birchbox Offer:

*PR Sample