MARCH BIRCHBOX REVIEW!

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all well, a couple of days ago I received my second BIRCHBOX! I absolutely loved the packaging, a very pretty pink, white and gold design with a "word-search" theme! Each subscriber has the chance to win a beauty prize worth £450 by completing the beauty-related word-search on the box lid! What a fun little competition.
The box contained a bag with the 6 products in like last month's - there were 2 full-sized products in the box and 4 generous sample-sized products. Also included in each BIRCHBOX is a lovely little leaflet which explains each product in the box (with information such as its price and "how to use") and information about sharing your BIRCHBOX experience and next month's edition.

MODELCO MORE BROWS Brow Gel
£13.00.

The first product in the box was a MODELCO MORE BROWS brow gel which was one of the full-sized products in the box and retails for £13. I have a few issues with this product; first of all, it only comes in two different shades (light/medium & medium/dark). I received mine in medium/dark and I find it to be slightly dark for my eyebrows but I think the light/medium would be too light. Also, the term 'full-size' is very far-fetched - this isn't a criticism of BIRCHBOX but of the product itself, it looks so much bigger in the photo to the left than it is, it's tiny. 

Saying that, I do like the product and probably would be thrilled with it if it was slightly lighter - the product itself contains small fibres (hair-like) which can be used to set and fill the brows. The brush is tiny which could be either really good for precision, or really annoying to use. I don't think I would purchase the product myself - maybe if there were more shades to choose from and they were more generous with the amount you get for what you pay but I can't say I'm over the moon with this although I do like the idea of including hair-like fibres to fill the brows in a more natural way.

POLAAR Night Cream - £32.00.

The second product was POLAAR Polar Night Cream (in a sample size) which retails for £32.00 (100ml). It claims to promote cell-regeneration and revitalise skin and is alcohol, paraben and mineral-oil free. The size of this sample is quite generous (especially for the price of the full-sized version)! I also really like the scent of this, its quite a subtle but fresh scent (nothing too over-powering or strong to wear on your face at night). The cream itself is quite thick and moisturising and leaves the skin feeling smooth and soft - I can't comment on if it changes your skin in any way as I haven't been using it for long enough but I am impressed so far! 
Saying that, for £32.00, I'm not sure I would purchase this as that is quite expensive for a night cream. I've currently been using the BODYSHOP Vitamin E Night Cream(50ml) which retails for £13.00 since Christmas and I love it - the pot looks tiny but, trust me, it is lasting forever and you need very little to cover your whole face. It is intensely moisturising and smells lovely - definitely will be repurchasing that one when I run out.

ARROW BOOST Colour-Enhancing Lip Balm - £11.00.

The next product in the box was ARROW BOOST Colour-Enhancing Lip Balm which retails for £11.00. ARROW BOOST is a BIRCHBOX exclusive brand and focuses on being a natural, cruelty-free, paraben-free vegan brand designed for those with an on-the-go lifestyle. 
The lip balm itself has lovely packaging and is a full-sized product. The idea of this lip balm is that it protects your lips and creates a soft colour based on your PH levels so the lip balm is unique to you! The scent is very minty and cooling on the lips and I love the slight pop of colour it gives me whilst moisturising my lips at the same time. 
I'm really impressed with this product but £11.00 may be slightly steep for a lip balm to some people (including myself), however, the idea of creating a lip balm which adjusts according to a person's PH levels making it unique to each individual is a great idea and something people may be willing to spend slightly more for.

AMIKA Nourishing Hair Mask -
£19.99.

The next product was a sample-sized version of the AMIKA Nourishing Hair Mask which retails for £19.99. The packaging for the product is very pretty and vibrant! - A very upbeat and attractive design. It claims to be for all hair types (as well as coloured hair) and contains Sea Buckthorn Berry and jojoba oil to intensely hydrate and repair hair's damaged and split ends.
It recommends using this once a week by applying to the hair for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing - I haven't tried this yet and I don't think I could reliably tell you if it is something to purchase with this one sample anyway. 

REGENERATE Enamel Science Advanced
Toothpast - £10.00.

The fifth product in the box was a sample-sized REGENERATE Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste which retails for £10.00. It says that it is "clinically proven" to reverse early signs of enamel erosion and therefore whitens teeth. It is extremely minty and is quite a thick toothpaste - the size of this sample is quite generous and I'm excited to try this out! I'm not sure if I would pay £10.00 for a toothpaste but that is dependent on how well it works - looking after your teeth and having a nice smile can make or break a person's confidence in my opinion so, if it does all it claims to, maybe I would considering purchasing a full-sized version as £10.00 isn't a bad price to pay for whiter teeth.
I really liked receiving a toothpaste in the box as it was something I wouldn't usually be able to try out myself without purchasing the full-sized version which I wouldn't do for the price without knowing how well it works - however, I wouldn't like to receive these types of sample often (though I love it as a one-off!)

HYDRALURON Moisture Boosting Mask - £19.99.

The last product I received in the box was an INDEED LABS HYDRALURON Moisture Boosting Mask which retails for £19.99 (I think you receive a set of so many for this price, though this isn't clear on the website). I haven't tried the mask out itself yet but it includes a face-shaped sheet which is drenched in a serum that contains hyaluronic acid; an ingredient which hydrates the skin for a long lasting effect against dryness  - I really didn't like the scent of this (it is quite "chemically" [if you know what I mean]). However, it does claim to plump and intensely hydrate dull and tired skin and the packaging and ingredients all seem very "high-end" and "luxury" so I'll be very interested to try this out.
I personally prefer mud masks in comparison to these types of masks where you have a face-shaped sheet you put over the face - they can be quite fiddly and sometimes messier than mud-masks.  

Overall, I'm happy with what I received in my BIRCHBOX! It's nice to try out lots of different brands (most of which seem to be quite expensive) in the generous sample sizes they supply and it was great to receive 6 products this month. I look forward to receiving my next one - after which I will be doing a comparison post on my thoughts about the GLOSSYBOX and BIRCHBOX subscription services, exciting stuff!
Thank you for reading and have a lovely day,

Holly Amber X

If you are at all interested in trying out BIRCHBOX, please subscribe through my personal link :) thank you!

REVLON COLOURSTAY GEL-ENVY NAIL POLISHES!

REVLON ColourStay Gel-Envy
Nail Polishes.

Happy Monday! Being somebody who was an aggressive nail biter since they were very little, over the past year I have eradicated the bad habit and grown my nails out - this also means that I can very rarely go without having my nails painted one colour or another.

I've tried many nail polishes in this very short year where my nails are long enough to actually paint but very recently, I have found my favourites...

The Revlon COLOURSTAY GEL-ENVY Nail Polishes.

After being introduced to these by a friend, these are the only nail polishes I have been wearing for a long time now, none of my other nail polishes compare. These can be purchased for £6.99 each at BOOTS which (for me anyway) is quite a lot to pay for one nail polish and I don't think I would usually pay that price for one.

However, I would much rather spend that price for one of these nail polishes than getting more for a cheaper price which don't compare. I currently have three shades: Checkmate (540) , Perfect Pair (535) & Hold 'Em (460).

The first shade I purchased was "Perfect Pair (535)" which is a beautiful pinky-nude - the perfect pinky-nude for me. Some nudes I find to be more of a purple-tone which I'm not really a fan of, I much prefer this pink undertone. I think I've already used about half of these nail varnish I've worn it so much. I would say it's my favourite but after trying out my next two shades I don't think I could choose a favourite.

The next shade I have is "Checkmate (540)" which is a very cool-toned stone shade (a grey nude). I've never had a nail polish which is this colour before and I was quite hesitant to purchase it but I really like it! It looks like a very classy, subtle shade on your nails - I really like it!

The last shade I own is "Hold 'Em (460) which is a beautiful plum-purple shade - absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes I really struggle to apply darker nail polishes as they can be quite messy but the formula of these makes them really easy to apply. This shade is the perfect plum - not too dark. 

The formula of the nail polishes is quite thin but has a very great coverage - the darker shades seem to be fine with one coat and I only tend to need two thin coats of the lighter shades just to be sure it fully covers my nail. The brush is a paddle-style brush which means it very easy to use and apply the polish with. They also dry quite quickly (as long as you don't apply too much for each coat). They have that gel-like finish which is really pretty and shiny and it also claims to act as a base coat (which is a bonus since you don't have to use a base coat layer). The more layers of nail polish I apply, the messier it seems to get because of how impatient I am but I find these don't need a top coat as the finish is nice (although they do look extra nice with a top coat).

I can't recommend these enough, I absolutely love them and definitely look forward to purchasing more shades.

Thank you for reading! 

Holly Amber X

 Note: I have just saw on the BOOTS website that they are offering select Gel-Envy nail polishes on a 3 for £12 offer so if you are interested I'd definitely have a look at purchasing some on this offer, great value for money!