Having had My Little Box taken away from me I have had a hole in my life every month... fellow Subscription Box lovers will understand! I had found the one that I truly loved and that never failed to disappoint, so now that the mourning period is over I am on the hunt for a replacement.
Enter Birchbox, I have seen these boxes pop up on my feed many times and whilst they have never really wowed me before with their content I thought it was about time I gave them a shot. That and they had an offer on, where I got two boxes for the price of one.
January's box was in collaboration with a Company called Ohh Deer, one I am not familiar with. They are a stationery company and boy did the box look super pretty!!! Within the box you got a set of planner stickers designed by Ohh Deer, to fit in with the box's look. I would like to say that there is a theme with the box, however, I cannot seem to ascertain an actual theme with this box..
Rituals, the Ritual of Ayurveda Foaming Shower Gel (Travel-size), R.R.P £4.50. This is a rich gel that transforms into a decadent foam. Sure to add some luxury to your morning shower, with soothing sweet almond oil and Indian rose. I found that it worked very well with my body puff and continued to foam even after it had been applied to the entirety of my body.
PARLOR Moisturising & Repairing Shampoo (Travel-size), R.R.P £16. Free of sulfates, parabens, and gluten; as well as being cruelty-free, this shampoo is off to a great start. This is lightweight but super hydrating; with lemongrass extract, sweet almond extract, oat kernel extract, and panthenol. These all work together to protect your hair from daily damage, gently cleanse and leave your hair ultra soft.
Lord & Berry Blusher Crayon in Peach, £15. This is something I was a little nervous about using, I mean once you have spent all that time applying your foundation etc. then you draw on with a blusher crayon? It could all go wrong right? Well, it didn't ruin my hard work, but it was quite hard to work with. I didn't want to scribble too much on and then have too much on, but drawing a circle on the apples seemed to do the trick. Rubbing it in with your fingers seemed to be the best way to blend, but I did find that up close it made my foundation look a little cakey and patchy. This blusher is cruelty-free and free from nuts & gluten, according to their website.
Marcelle, Waterproof Eyeliner in Charcoal (Travel-size), R.R.P £10.99. I am always happy to receive an eyeliner in beauty box's because let's face it, we always need a good eyeliner. That said this colour is probably not what I would usually go for, it does glide on smoothly and seems to stay in place most of the day.
Afterspa, Amazing Makeup Remover (Travel-size), R.R.P £5.50. I am always skeptical of these sorts of items, especially when it claims to only require water to remove your makeup. I have pretty stubborn make-up that requires just as stubborn cleansers to remove it, so when I tried this out I wasn't hoping for much. I was amazed to find that it did indeed remove all the make-up visible to the naked eye, the real test was when I followed up with my usual facial wash and bamboo cloth. That did show a very faint sign of make-up still on my face, so if you want to be completely clean, then you I wouldn't skip a cleanser. The other thing I found was that the Aftespa was filthy after use and wouldn't clean just under the tap, meaning you would have to wash it after every use. I don't know about you, but I can't be asked with having to wash a face cloth every single time I use it.
At the start, I said that I received two boxes for the price of one, well here is everything in one image. I was pretty happy to have received the Mermaid Edition box as I actually debated getting that box when I saw it featured back in August.
My Verdict, overall I wasn't initially wowed by this box. The main thing that I really liked was the cute little box design and stationary stickers. I find beauty box's to be a bit of a hit and miss when you are a makeup hoarder like me, especially when you prefer higher end brands. That said when I actually tried out the shampoo and shower gel, my opinion was swayed a little and I can see the benefits of trying out new products that are actually indulgent. I think I will give Birchbox a few months to see whether they are worth the money or not.
Keep an eye out for the follow-up review of the Mermaid Vibes Box.
Always be kind, you never know what personal battle people are fighting.
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