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!

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