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!

MY FIRST BIRCHBOX REVIEW! (FEBRUARY BIRCHBOX)

I was super excited to receive my first BIRCHBOX!

The box itself was lovely! I loved the design and that the quote "Shine bright like a diamond" was printed in shiny, silver colour. 

Inside the box was an information booklet which contained information about the products and a small bag with the products inside. (The bag could probably be reused for holding shower gels, shampoos etc. - I think it'd be great to take travel-sized samples away with you on holidays). 

The BIRCHBOX subscription service is a £10.00 monthly payment and you receive 5 products in each box (you can also pay for a 6-month/12-month subscription where you can save money). You can read more about BIRCHBOX here and browse their website.

DOUX ME Face mask and Exfoliating
Scrub - £18.00.

The first product I came to in the box was a sample-sized version of the DOUX ME Comforting Face Mask & Exfoliator which retails for £18.00 on the BIRCHBOX website. First of all, I've not heard of this brand before but I really like the sound it from doing a little research - they're environment-focussed and try to use natural, organic ingredients (listing them all clearly in a way that anyone can understand). 
It contains ingredients such apricot oil, cammomile and marshmallow extracts (can't say I've heard of a product containing marshmallow before). It can either be applied as a mask by using a thin layer which you wash off after 7-10 minutes or as an exfoliating scrub by applying in circular motions.

NUMBER 4 Prep and Protect Spray - £20.00.

I've not tried it on my face yet but on the back of my hand the exfoliation doesn't seem to harsh and it left my skin feeling smooth and soft! It doesn't have much of a scent which is better than a bad scent - I'm very much looking forward to trying this out.

The second product in the box was a sample-sized NUMBER 4 Lumiere d'hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect spray which retails for £20.00 on the BIRCHBOX website. You apply this to towel-dried hair by spraying and then combing through before styling as normal. It claims to strengthen and repair hair strands as well as detangling and taming flyaways.
Although this is a sample-sized product I think it's quite a generous size and I'll get quite a few uses out of it! 

SPECTRUM COLLECTIONS Tapered Powder
Brush - £7.99

The next product I got in the box is one of my two favourites -  A SPECTRUM COLLECTIONS Tapered Powder Brush which was (obviously) full-size and retails for £7.99 on the BIRCHBOX website. 
First of all - how BEAUTIFUL is this brush!? It's extremely soft (I can't stop feeling it at the moment!) and I love the design of these - definitely my favourite brush design I've seen (apart from the REAL TECHNIQUES Bold Metals collection) with it's pale pink handle and ombre blue to purple bristles.
The tapered end means you can be really precise with the brush and I'm really happy to receive this as I haven't got a smaller powder brush. Make-up brushes are definitely one of my favourite things to receive - very impressed with this product!

COHINE Hand & Body Lotion - £19.00.

The next product was a sample-sized COCHINE Water Hyacinth & Lime Blossom Hand & Body Lotion which retails for £19.00 on the BIRCHBOX website. The packaging for this product is really nice as it feels like you're using a luxury brand product; you also get quite a lot of product for a sample-size (I'll be using my sample as a hand cream). The scent is also really nice - quite subtle with a hint of lime. I like receiving hand/body creams in sample sizes as I very rarely get through a full-sized version of this type of product anyway! This was a nice little addition to the box.

The second of my favourite products (and final one) in the box was a full-sized, LOC (Love Of Colour) One and Done Shadow Stick in the shade "Champagne Problems" which retails for £8.00 on the BIRCHBOX website. 
Each subscribers got to choose between two different shades - I chose "Champagne Problems" as it was definitely my favourite type of shade, a champagne-gold with silvery undertones. The other shade was "Perfect Cents" which I believe was more of an orangey-gold (it looked like a lovely colour, just not what I usually go for). 

I am extremely impressed with this product! It has such a creamy formula which is so easy to blend out and I think they definitely need to produce more shades of this! It claims that it is waterproof and that it can last up to 11 hours without creasing - I haven't tested it for that long yet but I've had it on my wrist for nearly 2 hours now and it hasn't changed one bit from when I applied it.

I'd love to try out more shades from this product and other products from the LOC brand as I'm so impressed with this.

Overall I am so pleased with my first box from BIRCHBOX - there isn't one product that I'm not looking forward to trying out or that I disliked. I love that they supplied a range of brands, to try out some of which I'd never heard before, and their sample sizes were generous! I also like the fact that the two best products (in my opinion) were the full-sized products in the box. I am extremely excited to receive next month's box now and I urge you to check out their website and subscription service!

If you are at all interested in signing up for a monthly subscription (which you are able to cancel at any time), I'd really appreciate it if you did so through my personal link!
Thank you for reading,

Holly Amber X

Note: Today I reached 5000 views on my blog which made me so happy - thank you to every single person who takes 2 minutes out of their day to read a post, I appreciate it so much, it's so encouraging! I was always so nervous about starting something like this until I took the leap and had a bit of faith in myself - 5000 may not seem a lot to some people but to me it represents a lot of time and effort on my half and love and encouragement from your half :)

"And suddenly you just know its time to start something new & trust the magic of beginnings"

MY LAST GLOSSYBOX? (FEBRUARY GLOSSYBOX REVIEW)!

After the disappointment of my previous GLOSSYBOX, I was wary to receive my February edition - I hate being disappointed. However, I was optimistic that the January edition just wasn't for me; it didn't mean it was a bad subscription service.

This month's GLOSSYBOX was better than the last, but I'll explain my thoughts about my subscription to GLOSSYBOX as a whole towards the end. 

The box itself was, as always, beautifully designed and I've kept all of my boxes each month which I use to store my make-up or skin care products - they're really sturdy and I've saw people use them for many different things!

The first product in the box was an MUA PowerPout Glaze in the shade "Spellbound" (each subscriber got the chance to pick which shade they wanted). These can be purchased for £3.50 on the MUA website (or most drugstores) and they come in 6 different shades. MUA is definitely not my favourite brand for any type of lip products - I do like their highlights and eyeshadow palettes though. 

Unsurprisingly, I didn't particularly like this product (but it was not as bad as I had expected). The colour itself I don't like even though I had watched lip swatches before choosing my colour - it's a very sheer, shiny red colour which seems to rest on top of the lips. However, the consistency is only slightly tacky which I was happy about although I'm not sure how long it would last on the lips. 

The next product in the box was a set of slanted tweezers from the Vintage Cosmetics Company which can be purchased on their website for £8.00 - although I absolutely love the design of these (they have the cutest floral pattern), I already have about 4 pairs of tweezers. Definitely not a wasted product though, I just didn't necessarily need these.

The third product in the box was a Wilkinson Sword Intuition Sensitive Care shaver which can be purchased on the Superdrug website for £6.49. Again, this is not necessarily something I needed and I much prefer receiving makeup/hair products from GLOSSYBOX. I can't say I know a lot about razors but it states that it is good for sensitive skin as it moisturises as you shave and so requires no type of shaving foam/gel etc. It also states that it contains vitamin E and aloe vera. 

The next product in this month's box was a Nicka K 24-hour waterproof eyeliner in the shade "NYA41 - Dark Brown". I was especially pleased with receiving this as I was in search of a dark brown eyeliner. It comes with a wind-up eyeliner pencil on the one side and a small smudging sponge on the other end and the product itself is so creamy and pigmented! I would definitely recommend this eyeliner but I can only find it on the Nicka K (American) website for $5.99. However, if you can get your hands on this product you won't be disappointed at all, especially for the price you pay! 

The last product I received in the box was a NAOBAY (natural and organic) protective, volumising hair mask. I'm really excited to use this - I absolutely love the scent (although I'd be terrible at describing it). 

"This mask contains natural triglycerides that add density and volume to hair. It also features organically grown Shea Butter and Argan oil. Formulated for all hair types"

I was surprised at the size of this product also, will definitely get a couple of uses out of this. On the information sheet it states that it can be purchased form the NAOBAY website for £10.64 but I haven't been able to find this link myself.

Overall, the products in the box this month totalled to just over £30.00 and I wasn't over the moon with all of them. After receiving my box this month I made the decision to cancel my subscription with GLOSSYBOX for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I just haven't enjoyed the products I've received as much in my last couple of boxes - I understand that you can't expect to love every single product you receive but I feel as if the products do not match up to the first few ones I received. I think this can be seen in my reviews as well since I subscribed up 6 months ago. 

Also, each month the total retail price of all of the items in the box has slowly declined and I have started to receive cheaper products from brands I don't necessarily like (such as MUA, Essence etc). It is all a matter of opinion and I know many people who still love GLOSSYBOX and their customer service is brilliant - I just don't feel as excited as I previously was when waiting for my box each month and, although I may re-subscribe in the future, right now I've made the decision to try a different subscription service...

BIRCHBOX! 

So, in the next couple of days I'll be receiving my first monthly birch box and I will be sure to review and give my first impression.

Thank you as always for reading!

Holly Amber X

HAIR CARE ROUTINE (HAIR JOURNEY)!

My hair before cutting and
heat damage at the end of
2005 (aged 8).

I've always had so much trouble with growing my hair since I had it cut to my shoulders when I was about 10. 8 years later and my hair is finally growing and feeling healthier - but there is definitely some changes I had to make. Enjoy some embarrassing pictures throughout :)

The length of my hair at
the beginning of
2011 (aged 13).

The first problem was that, between the ages of around 12 and 16 I either straightened or curled my hair near enough every single day WITHOUT heat-protectant - What was I thinking? Honestly, I've now cut out straighteners/curlers near enough altogether but i understand not everyone feels comfortable doing this or some people just like doing their hair! This I completely understand, it's the reason why I used to use them so much but if you do choose to do that, please use a heat protectant spray! The one I've been using for a very long time now is the TRESEMME Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray (which is currently on discount at ASDA at £2.00!) I used this after I towel-dry my hair by spraying and combing through before I blow-dry or spray and comb through dry hair before using any heated appliances. 

Another obvious damage to my hair was done through colouring - I've had my hair so many

Purple-coloured hair in 2011
(aged 14).

different colours (red, purple, blonde, ginger, dark brown, black) which I did through home-colouring. I choose not to colour my hair anymore and if I do want to dye it again I'll definitely be going to a hairdressers who knows what they are doing. Home-colouring caused unneeded damage to my hair and the colour tended to fade quickly anyway - I think everyone goes through the teenage phase of experimenting with the colour of their hair but I wish I hadn't.

Very short, very dark brown hair
in 2010 (aged 13).

I would definitely suggest investing in a good quality hairbrush as we often damage our hair a lot when combing it through and combing out any knots - breakage can occur especially when combing through wet hair as this is when it is at its most fragile. I recently bought and reviewed the TANGLE TEEZER which you can read here, and I still stand by it as a great product, I have no regrets!

LEE STAFFORD Argan Oil and TRESEMME heat protectant
and hair masque.

I would say I wash my hair either 2 or 3x a week as my hair really doesn't need to be washed any more than that! I used to wash it a lot more often and I found that my hair became dirtier quicker when I did, and as I stopped washing it so much my hair just adjusted to the new routine. When I wash my hair I like to use the the Keratin Smooth shampoo from TRESEMME (the same line as the heat protectant) which is also £2.00 at the moment at ASDA! Then I follow by using the TRESEMME Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque  (also £2.00 at ASDA) which I leave on my hair for around 10-15 minutes then rinse off. I've been using this hair mask for such a long time now and it leave my hair feel so smooth, shiny and hydrated afterwards. I definitely recommend trying it out! If you're interested I'd grab it from ASDA whilst they are all on offer as they are usually around £5.00 each.

In between washes I also use the Lee Stafford Argan Oil (Nourishing Miracle Oil with Pro-Argan complex) to treat my hair where it may be slightly dry - it smells lovely and doesn't make your hair look greasy at all - its lightweight and my hair looks smooth and silky after use. This can be purchased at BOOTS for £11.99.

Hair extensions - 2014 (aged 17).

One last thing I used from the age of around 14 to 17 was clip-in hair extensions. I was so desperate to have longer hair but I really disliked my natural hair so didn't feel I could stop using my heat appliances on it. So I turned to clip-in hair extensions which, at the time, I really was happy with. 

However, when I look back now, they looked so dry and terrible after the first few times I straightened or curled or washed them. 

They were also so inconvenient - clips popping out everywhere or being able to be seen (I'm sure many girls can relate to this) and when I look back now it feels like wasted money. 

My hair currently.

They were around £40-£50 each time I purchased new ones and over those three years I spent a lot on them. The clips also used to pull at my hair which I'm pretty sure didn't help the growing process and it made me even more insecure about my real hair - I literally never wanted to go out without them. Now, I'd never go back to hair extensions personally, I've learned to love my own hair and I feel so much better for it. It's not the length I want it yet but it's getting there.

Thank you as always for reading! 

Holly Amber X

MY FIRST (SEPTEMBER) GLOSSYBOX! REVIEW.

I've been super excited to receive my first glossy box after hearing so many good things about the subscription. 

Glossybox is a monthly subscription service where you receive 5 make-up products (mostly full-sized) for just £10.00! After hearing about this from a friend, I thought that paying just £10.00 for over £60.00 worth of products was a no-brainer and signed up to try it out - I am not disappointed. 

First of all, the design and packaging of the box is beautiful! A very simple but attractive design. When you first open the box, you find a card of information with all the products on - this describes the product and also gives you the normal price of the product and where it can be purchased from. 

Underneath this is the best part; the 5 beauty products.

The first item I picked out was a beautiful, nude-pink nail varnish called UPTOWN from NAILSINC. This product was full-sized and can be purchased from www.nailsinc.com for £11.00. 

The first thing to point out is that, just this nail varnish alone, is more than what you actually pay for the whole box! 

The nail varnish itself dried very quickly which is perfect for people like myself who get frustrated waiting for their nail varnish to dry. The consistency of the product was a little thin which made it slightly harder to apply neatly but apart from that I loved everything else about the nail varnish. The colour itself looks so pretty on my nails and has a slightly matte-finish but for £11.00 I don't think I would be purchasing this myself.

The next product in my box was the traceless invisibobble hair ring which can be purchased on amazon for around £4.00. Although this was the cheapest product in my box, this was probably my most useful one and I have actually been meaning to get some of these for a while. These bobbles are easy-to-use, prevent kinks appearing in the hair and reduces the chance of split ends whilst still having a strong grip on the hair. 

For someone like myself who regularly gets headaches from having their hair up, this is the perfect hair tie as it puts a lot less tension on the hair than a normal hair tie would. 

The third product in my box was MARIA NILA Luminous Colour Hair Masque which was also a full-sized product. This would usually be £18.95 and can be found on www.sallyexpress.com.

I wasn't crazy about the packaging of this product at first but the pomegranate scent of the product itself is gorgeous. 

This product is for colour-damaged hair which needs deep nourishment or coloured hair which needs colour protection to sustain it. 

I also have a 20% off code on Maria Nila products on the www.sallyexpress.com website if you are interested in trying out any for their products: GLOSSYMN (valid until 31/10/2015).

The next product in the box was MARSK Eyeshadow Brush pro which is (obviously) full-sized and can be purchased on www.marsk.com for £16.70. 

The brush is shaped to a pointed end and has tight, compact bristles. It gathers eyeshadow really well and deposits it onto the eyelid accurately. It's perfect for applying a base coat of eyeshadow which you can then go on to blend out for a smokey look.

The final product in my glossybox was a BELLAPIERRE COSMETICS Shimmer powder in the colour WHESEK.  The colour of the powder is a shimmery grey-silver which is the perfect base colour for a smokey-eyed look. This is a full-sized product which can be purchased on www.bellapierre.co.uk for £12.99 where they have a range of beautiful, pigmented colours. I would definitely purchase another one of these in a different colour as the quality of the product is wonderful and a little of this powder goes a long way; this means it will last you a decent amount of time and therefore, is worth the price you pay. 

I am extremely happy with this month's GLOSSYBOX where the products I received totalled at £63.64 and I really do suggest you take a look at their subscription service too. If you are interested in signing up for their subscription, please do so through my personal link (www.glossybox.co.uk) as I receive GLOSSYBOX points which you can collect to receive a free box :)

Thank you so much for reading!

Holly Amber x