MAYBELLINE LASH SENSATIONAL VS BENEFIT ROLLER LASH - FIRST IMPRESSION!

Hello lovelies!
I'm definitely late jumping on the Lash Sensational bandwagon since near enough everyone owns/has owned this in their lifetime, except me, until now!
My current favourite mascara has been the BENEFIT Roller Lash which is on the higher price-end for a mascara (£19.50 at BOOTS) so if I could find a cheaper alternative with the Lash Sensational (£7.99 at BOOTS) then brilliant!

PACKAGING
The Roller Lash packaging is definitely prettier and feels a lot higher quality but I feel as if this contributes to the price whereas I'd rather pay less for a simpler packaging design. The handle of the mascara wand is easier to hold than the Lash Sensational however, as it is a rubber material.
The lash sensational isn't even close to how pretty the Roller Lash packaging is but I don't dislike it at all - its compact and pleasant to look at so I can't complain.

MASCARA WAND
The Roller Lash has a slightly curved rubber wand which has small "hooks" which apparently help curl the lashes. The Lash Sensational wand is very similar in that it is a slightly curved, rubber wand but this one is slightly bigger. They're both very similar which is why I'm guessing many people compare them.

LENGTHENING
I find the Roller Lash to be slightly lengthening but I do believe it would work better for those with lashes that are already long, unlike mine. However, it does curl the lashes well, giving the appearance of longer lashes.
Although a slightly clumpier formula, the Lash Sensational lengthens my lashes A LOT more and I can apply multiple coats without it looking too clumpy. This did take some getting used to and I have to spend a little more time on completing my mascara but the overall look is much longer in the end.

VOLUMISING
I definitely believe the Lash Sensational too be better at volumizing as the formula is thicker. It can take some practice as it can be a "clumpy" mascara when applying for the first time but when you get the hang of it, it makes the lashes look much better in comparison to the Roller Lash, which doesn't do much for volumizing. However, I'm pretty sure the Roller Lash doesn't claim to be a volumizing mascara, simply more curling and lengthening so I didn't expect this anyway.

PRICE POINT
If you have the money to splash out on the Roller Lash, it is not at all a bad mascara and gives a much more natural look to the lashes. It was a lovely treat as a birthday present for myself and I still use it on makeup days where I want a more natural look. 
However, I would much sooner recommend the Lash Sensational if you are going to be using this type of mascara day-to-day as it is a lot cheaper. I prefer the overall look when using this mascara in comparison to the Roller Lash but it is all about how you prefer your lashes to look. If you're looking for natural length and curl - Roller Lash, if you're looking for stand-out length and volume - Lash Sensational.

I hope this was helpful and thank you for reading!

Holly Amber X

GLOSSYBOX VS BIRCHBOX!

Hello to all of you lovely people!
I thought you might be interested in a comparison of the GLOSSYBOX and BIRCHBOX subscription services after being subscribed to both of these for a couple of months each as I have a lot of thoughts to share with you!

A little about both of these for starters; each of these monthly subscription services cost £10.00 + postage (which is a little more for GLOSSYBOX) for around 5 products and, if you subscribe to the monthly service where you pay each month, you can cancel your subscription at any time. They both offer a range of products including beauty, makeup and hair and when you sign up you fill out a 'beauty profile' for each which is meant to tailor the products you receive a little more to you as an individual. I have found that there seems to be a lot more variation in what people receive for BIRCHBOX each month than GLOSSYBOX so it may be that BIRCHBOX take into account these profiles you fill out when subscribing but I'm not completely sure.

Now onto the packaging; both of these are obviously boxes. I kept all of my GLOSSYBOX boxes as they were so sturdy and the perfect size to store makeup in - I also love the simple pink with black writing design, so pretty and girly. Although the BIRCHBOX designs are always beautiful, I never keep my boxes as they are quite small and they're not as sturdy as the GLOSSYBOX ones. Also, the products in the GLOSSYBOX boxes were packed with tissue paper as padding whereas the BIRCHBOX's only contain a bag the products come in (I personally think the bag is quite pointless). I've not had any of the products come broken is either of these anyway - I think I do prefer the GLOSSYBOX packaging overall. 

In both boxes there is a information leaflet (GLOSSYBOX)/booklet (BIRCHBOX) which contains information on the products, where you can purchase them, how much they cost and other general information like that. The BIRCHBOX booklet does have some other bits of information in and is a magazine-style in some senses with small articles on makeup or hair etc. However, I am mainly concerned about the products in the box so I slightly prefer the GLOSSYBOX leaflet.

Both of these services have a 'points system' but they are used slightly differently - for GLOSSYBOX, you can refer friends and complete surveys to receive points which you can collect to eventually put towards a free box (1000 points = £10.00) whereas BIRCHBOX gives points mainly for referring friends (some for surveys also) which can then be spent at the BIRCHBOX shop which has a large range of products (100 points = £10.00)! I do love both of these points systems, however, points can take a long time to save up on GLOSSYBOX and, for BIRCHBOX, the points only last for 6 months until they are wiped off and I also find the products which I want to use them on the most are always out of stock which is slightly disappointing.

Some products received
in my GLOSSYBOXES

Some products received
in my BIRCHBOXES

One main difference between the products received in these is that BIRCHBOX tend to provide many more samples than GLOSSYBOX (when I say 'samples' they are luxury-sized samples in my opinion). Although it is nice to receive full-sized products, I do find that BIRCHBOX provide products which are slightly more higher-end and a wider range of brands which is lovely to try out. I really enjoyed the products in my GLOSSYBOXES when I first signed up in September, however, my last few boxes were slightly disappointing because they were using brands such as MUA and ESSENCE which are extremely cheap and easy to get hold of anyway (Note: I do like some MUA products but I prefer to receive brands which I may not have tried before or which are slightly better quality as it is more exciting). 
It's really hard to decide between choosing a box which provides a wider variety but does so in sample-size or a box which is slightly hit-or-miss but provides more full-size products. I personally haven't re-purchased/purchased the full-size version of the things I have received as samples so I think I'd lean more towards the GLOSSYBOX products (very slightly).

I understand that beauty box subscriptions are going to be hit-or-miss because you never know what you're going to get and what you may love one month, another may hate or vice versa. I love receiving either of these a month as its so exciting and for only £10.00, you get to try out products which you may not usually purchase or that you haven't even heard of before. I'm currently not sure which subscription service I'm going to go with next month - I may even search around to see what other beauty subscriptions there are to try so if you have any suggestions let me know!

I hope this was helpful to anyone trying to decide between these two services! Lots of love and happy days to you all as always,

Holly Amber X