Reminder: this box is £10 a month + £2.95 P+P.
First impressions:
First impressions:
The box arrived really early this time around, almost a week before Glossybox did I think. I'm still super late with reviews because I've been battling a virus and have spent most of my days off curled up in bed feeling like death. Not great for trying out new products. After that my working hours tripled for the summer. Also not great for trying out new products. Let's just pretend that these June box reviews aren't being posted in August, shall we?
This month's box was a special edition drawer so I didn't get a drawstring bag inside as usual. The bonus part is that the products actually fit inside the drawer. They obviously can't cram a drawer in, it either fits or it doesn't, so this is the one Birchbox I have that stacks properly and closes properly. I didn't get the design I wanted - I liked the palm trees much better - but we didn't get to choose the design this time around. Inside, it's the usual story by now: a good mix of products with skincare, haircare and a makeup item. I had a liquid Absolution cleanser in my April Birchbox and it burned my eyes, so the cleanser in this box is hopefully nicer. For brands, apart from Absolution that I know from the previous box, I have heard of Jelly Pong Pong and Huygens from YouTubers but never seen any of their products, and I'd not heard of the other two. Again, it's a box of new things for me.
Here's what I got this month!
4/5
This product is full sized, so already the box has gone way over the price I paid for it. There were two shades of this and I got the pink one. It has a really nice fruity smell (you know, the kind that makes you just want to scoop the jar out and eat it) and feels very smooth like a balm. The balminess of it means that it's very easy to apply in thinner layers. This product is perfect for layering, both on the lips and cheeks. It can be subtle or it can be statement, which I really liked about it. Because it's a balm it's easy to smooth out so there's no harsh edges and it blends out on the cheeks very nicely. It also manages to not stain the finger I apply it with pink for the entire day. Unfortunately, it doesn't manage to stain my lips and cheeks for the entire day either. Easily washed off of hands, so it's easy worn off of your face. With cheeks this was less of a problem. I tested this when I went on a long walk/run on a sunny day, and it was still visible when I got back home. But the stain on the lips has to be reapplied: it applies like a balm, it feels like a balm and it wears off like one too. It's not straight off the first time I have a drink with it on, but it won't survive a whole day. If it was a bit more staining it would probably be harder to apply on the cheeks though, so it's a difficult one. Because it comes in a pot like a lip balm, it can be carried around like a lip balm for touch-ups, so on days when I can do touch-ups it isn't a problem. And it can be kept subtle during the day, and then applied more heavily for going out. All in all, it's not perfect because it can't be - I don't think it would necessarily be improved if it had a stronger stain - but it's a very versatile product and very handy to have.
This product is full sized, so already the box has gone way over the price I paid for it. There were two shades of this and I got the pink one. It has a really nice fruity smell (you know, the kind that makes you just want to scoop the jar out and eat it) and feels very smooth like a balm. The balminess of it means that it's very easy to apply in thinner layers. This product is perfect for layering, both on the lips and cheeks. It can be subtle or it can be statement, which I really liked about it. Because it's a balm it's easy to smooth out so there's no harsh edges and it blends out on the cheeks very nicely. It also manages to not stain the finger I apply it with pink for the entire day. Unfortunately, it doesn't manage to stain my lips and cheeks for the entire day either. Easily washed off of hands, so it's easy worn off of your face. With cheeks this was less of a problem. I tested this when I went on a long walk/run on a sunny day, and it was still visible when I got back home. But the stain on the lips has to be reapplied: it applies like a balm, it feels like a balm and it wears off like one too. It's not straight off the first time I have a drink with it on, but it won't survive a whole day. If it was a bit more staining it would probably be harder to apply on the cheeks though, so it's a difficult one. Because it comes in a pot like a lip balm, it can be carried around like a lip balm for touch-ups, so on days when I can do touch-ups it isn't a problem. And it can be kept subtle during the day, and then applied more heavily for going out. All in all, it's not perfect because it can't be - I don't think it would necessarily be improved if it had a stronger stain - but it's a very versatile product and very handy to have.
2) Percy & Reed Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray 50ml/1.7fl. oz - full size RRP £12
5/5
I was excited to get a hairspray. It's one of the things I really wanted, so getting this was great. It's a really nice size: perfect for a handbag, makeup bag or travelling as it's not big and bulky. The best bit though is that it definitely works! I tested it after braiding my hair, as my braid can get untidy by the time I get to work, especially if it's windy outside (pretty much always) and it kept the braid neat without making my hair feel crunchy. I've also tried it out on the top of my head to keep the little hairs around my hairline in check when I did a French braid and it worked perfectly there too even though it was a really hot day. It holds the style without making my hair look dull, it brushes through nicely, and it washes out easily. No sticky crunchy hair!
I was excited to get a hairspray. It's one of the things I really wanted, so getting this was great. It's a really nice size: perfect for a handbag, makeup bag or travelling as it's not big and bulky. The best bit though is that it definitely works! I tested it after braiding my hair, as my braid can get untidy by the time I get to work, especially if it's windy outside (pretty much always) and it kept the braid neat without making my hair feel crunchy. I've also tried it out on the top of my head to keep the little hairs around my hairline in check when I did a French braid and it worked perfectly there too even though it was a really hot day. It holds the style without making my hair look dull, it brushes through nicely, and it washes out easily. No sticky crunchy hair!
3) Huygens Le Gommage Visage 10ml/0.34 fl. oz - full size RRP £17.90
5/5
This has such a nice fresh and clean scent to it. The drawer smells of this as soon as I open it. It's a natural scrub with rice particles as the exfoliant and it made my skin as smooth as glass without irritating my skin or drying it out. I've been wanting a new face scrub without any harsh ingredients in it, so this was ideal. It contains 98.9% natural ingredients and 76.9% bio/organic ingredients according to the tub, but this sample doesn't actually list any of the ingredients on it. Because Birchbox has its own shop for the things you can get in your boxes, it's easy enough to find the list of ingredients there and this scrub doesn't contain any parfum, which is great. The full size is 50ml but you don't need a lot - I still have plenty left of this size. I am actually holding out on ordering from Birchbox because the full size of this is currently out of stock. I don't want to order at all if I can't have this in the order, so I'm waiting on it at the moment - I liked it that much!
This has such a nice fresh and clean scent to it. The drawer smells of this as soon as I open it. It's a natural scrub with rice particles as the exfoliant and it made my skin as smooth as glass without irritating my skin or drying it out. I've been wanting a new face scrub without any harsh ingredients in it, so this was ideal. It contains 98.9% natural ingredients and 76.9% bio/organic ingredients according to the tub, but this sample doesn't actually list any of the ingredients on it. Because Birchbox has its own shop for the things you can get in your boxes, it's easy enough to find the list of ingredients there and this scrub doesn't contain any parfum, which is great. The full size is 50ml but you don't need a lot - I still have plenty left of this size. I am actually holding out on ordering from Birchbox because the full size of this is currently out of stock. I don't want to order at all if I can't have this in the order, so I'm waiting on it at the moment - I liked it that much!
4) Whish Coconut Milk CC Body Cream 22ml/0.75 fl. oz - full size RRP £15.50
3/5
I don't get this product. It's a CC cream but for your body. According to the packaging, it "corrects, moisturises and soothes" and is for "bronze, shimmer, shine" (or something). I don't need colour correction on my body. I'm not even sure what that would look like. But this is definitely a nice moisturiser and it smells amazing (I love coconut). It just confuses me with everything else that it's supposed to do. For bronzing, this cream may look like a regular cream but when you rub it into your skin it has bronze-coloured shimmer in it. It doesn't actually bronze your skin, the cream is not coloured, it's just shimmery. If you don't already have bronzed skin, that coloured shimmer is probably going to look a bit weird. It gives your skin a bronze sparkle and I think that it's that colour sparkle regardless of your actual skin tone. On someone with a cooler, paler skin tone I'm assuming that it just looks like you've got bronze glitter on your skin, and a bit out of place. As a moisturiser, it's nice, and on my skin tone the sparkle can be nice too, but I wasn't really wowed by this product. I don't get what it's trying to be, and I'd like it so much more if either that sparkle didn't exist or the cream itself had a slight tint so that it actually bronzed the skin.
I don't get this product. It's a CC cream but for your body. According to the packaging, it "corrects, moisturises and soothes" and is for "bronze, shimmer, shine" (or something). I don't need colour correction on my body. I'm not even sure what that would look like. But this is definitely a nice moisturiser and it smells amazing (I love coconut). It just confuses me with everything else that it's supposed to do. For bronzing, this cream may look like a regular cream but when you rub it into your skin it has bronze-coloured shimmer in it. It doesn't actually bronze your skin, the cream is not coloured, it's just shimmery. If you don't already have bronzed skin, that coloured shimmer is probably going to look a bit weird. It gives your skin a bronze sparkle and I think that it's that colour sparkle regardless of your actual skin tone. On someone with a cooler, paler skin tone I'm assuming that it just looks like you've got bronze glitter on your skin, and a bit out of place. As a moisturiser, it's nice, and on my skin tone the sparkle can be nice too, but I wasn't really wowed by this product. I don't get what it's trying to be, and I'd like it so much more if either that sparkle didn't exist or the cream itself had a slight tint so that it actually bronzed the skin.
5) Absolution Le Nettoyant Pureté 15ml/0.51 fl. oz - full size RRP £26
4/5
I was a bit nervous of trying this after the burn from the Absolution liquid cleanser but I tried it with the Konjac sponge from the June Glossybox and it was fine. I could use it on and around my eyes and it didn't burn or otherwise irritate my skin. It actually did a really good job of cleansing my skin. I deliberately left my makeup on for it (not waterproof makeup, though. I use a waterproof makeup remover for that. I'm not going to scrub at my eyes if I don't have to) and it removed it nicely and also left my skin feeling super clean and soft. I have used it several times since with and without the Konjac sponge and it's always left my skin feeling nice. 99% of the ingredients are natural and 30% are organically farmed, so there's that too. There's no unnecessary perfumes or anything. It seems expensive, but the full size of this is 150ml, so it may last a while. I couldn't have it as the only cleanser I used though: my skin still got very oily very quickly after I'd used it. It could be a hot water thing, I don't know, but I couldn't use just this as a cleanser. Liquid cleansers usually work much better for my skin. If I'm going to use a cleanser like this, though, it's nice to know that a natural cleanser exists. When looking the product up I also spotted that Absolution have their own Konjac sponges available in the Birchbox shop, so I'm definitely eyeing those up now!
I was a bit nervous of trying this after the burn from the Absolution liquid cleanser but I tried it with the Konjac sponge from the June Glossybox and it was fine. I could use it on and around my eyes and it didn't burn or otherwise irritate my skin. It actually did a really good job of cleansing my skin. I deliberately left my makeup on for it (not waterproof makeup, though. I use a waterproof makeup remover for that. I'm not going to scrub at my eyes if I don't have to) and it removed it nicely and also left my skin feeling super clean and soft. I have used it several times since with and without the Konjac sponge and it's always left my skin feeling nice. 99% of the ingredients are natural and 30% are organically farmed, so there's that too. There's no unnecessary perfumes or anything. It seems expensive, but the full size of this is 150ml, so it may last a while. I couldn't have it as the only cleanser I used though: my skin still got very oily very quickly after I'd used it. It could be a hot water thing, I don't know, but I couldn't use just this as a cleanser. Liquid cleansers usually work much better for my skin. If I'm going to use a cleanser like this, though, it's nice to know that a natural cleanser exists. When looking the product up I also spotted that Absolution have their own Konjac sponges available in the Birchbox shop, so I'm definitely eyeing those up now!
Overall Impression:
I really liked this box overall. I got products that I will - and do - actually use. The full size products were great to receive and the samples are all big enough that I will be able to make a good judgement on whether or not it's something I'd like to have for routine use. There's definitely things that I want to have in full size. This isn't something I thought I'd be doing much of when I started with these boxes, but I have been looking for a good face scrub and a good hairspray and those two just seem to fit so well. I'll wait a bit on the hairspray, because I'm still not sure whether it's the one I'd definitely like to get (it's the only hairspray I've ever used), but I'm on the wait list for the face scrub. I spend the majority of my "me" money on makeup and I know that the investment is supposed to go into skincare, so I was planning a haul of skincare products in the future once I've caught up with makeup products and it's great that I've been able to get new things on my radar because of these boxes.
Nothing in this box irritated my skin. I really like the inclusion of the natural products. I know it's something that I asked for in the survey when I signed up, but it's really nice to be actually getting them. My skin loves them and I really want to be taking better care of it. I live in a difficult climate here that's very tough on skin so good skincare products are a must. The lip and cheek tint is a handy quick fix for faster makeup on days when I don't really have the time and the hairspray is handy to keep my hair neat on days when it needs a bit of extra help. The only product I don't really use that much is the body cream, but you probably gathered that much already. I already have a shimmery body butter if I want my skin to be shimmery and most of the time, I don't. It's just not a look I generally go for. It can be nice on summer days out though.
Nothing in this box irritated my skin. I really like the inclusion of the natural products. I know it's something that I asked for in the survey when I signed up, but it's really nice to be actually getting them. My skin loves them and I really want to be taking better care of it. I live in a difficult climate here that's very tough on skin so good skincare products are a must. The lip and cheek tint is a handy quick fix for faster makeup on days when I don't really have the time and the hairspray is handy to keep my hair neat on days when it needs a bit of extra help. The only product I don't really use that much is the body cream, but you probably gathered that much already. I already have a shimmery body butter if I want my skin to be shimmery and most of the time, I don't. It's just not a look I generally go for. It can be nice on summer days out though.
Box average: 4.2/5
Cumulative box average: 4.2/5
Another 4.2/5! Sneak peek for next month is a LOC lip pencil in collaboration with Millie Mackintosh. I'm excited to try the lip pencil after already trying an eye pencil, but I'm nervous that it's going to be one colour for all in case I hate the colour. With the summer boxes, I assume there's going to be more summer-themed products. That's actually kind of disappointing to me, because one of the things I really want is hand cream and I assume that won't make its way into boxes until it's winter. I use hand cream in summer too y'know, Birchbox! I suppose they're always going to tease something in the next box to keep people interested and entice new subscribers, but I really would like a box one month that's a total surprise as then I wouldn't have to spend a month worrying over whether a lip pencil colour will suit me or not.
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