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!

OCTOBER GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

After being so impressed with my first glossybox, I was beyond excited to receive my second!

October GLOSSYBOX.

As always, the box was beautiful in itself and the packaging of the products. I love the simple, baby-pink and black colour scheme of the box - so simple but so pretty!

Upon opening the box, I found a very exciting leaflet about glossybox teaming up with NARS in November where subscribers can receive a special box of NARS products for only £30! An option to sign up for the sales information of this box can be found here and the box's go on sale on the 16th of November - absolutely thrilling!

The first product I picked up in my box was the NICKA K Airbrush Blending Sponge. 

NICKA K Airbrush Blending Sponge.

I LOVE THIS SPONGE.

The domed-shape is perfect for blending into the small areas such as around the nose and under the eyes. You can use this is a rolling motion to give a flawless finish on your foundation and it does not absorb much of the product into the sponge which I was pleasantly surprised about. 
Like other blending sponges, it is advised to dampen the sponge and squeeze out the excess water before use to prevent it from absorbing any product.
It can be purchased on the Beauty Crowd Website for £6.50 and I definitely would recommend it! As an added bonus, the colour is gorgeous and overall, I'm very happy with this product.

TALIKA Photo-Hydra Day Cream.

The second item I looked at in my box was the TALIKA Photo-Hydra Day Cream. The instructions for use are: "Apply in the morning to a thoroughly cleansed face, neck and décolleté." 
The cream itself is quite thin (and works very well as a primer) and doesn't have a very strong, if any, scent at all which I do like in a day cream. I find that, if a scent is quite strong, it can become overwhelming and sickly having it on your face all day. 
The consistency of the product means it applies smoothly and absorbs quickly whilst still being moisturising and I much prefer a thinner face cream for daytime use so my skin doesn't feel too thickly-covered. The only thing I dislike about this product is that, as far as I can see, it doesn't have SPF in it which I think is vital for an everyday moisturiser. For this reason, I would probably apply a product with SPF under this (such as my N-SPA brightening day-cream with SPF 15) and then use this as a primer before my make-up.
This can be purchased at BOOTS for £43.50 (for the 50ml version).

So Susan Haute Light Highlighting Pencil.

The next (and least favourite) product in the box was the SO SUSAN Haute Light Highlighting Pencil which is a peach-hued colour. In the description of this product, it is described as a "creamy crayon (which) flatters everyone and can be used in numerous ways". 
I do not dislike this product completely, but I do not think the consistency is very "creamy" and I struggled to use it along the inner-rim of my eyes like the instructions suggested.
However, to use on the brow-bone or cheek-bone, the colour of the product is very pretty. I will probably go on to use this as a base highlight for my cheekbones which I will then apply a powder highlight over the top of. 
The packaging of the product is absolutely gorgeous but I just do not, personally, like using pencil highlights anyway.
This can be purchased on the SO SUSAN Website for £14.95. For this price, I wouldn't re-purchase this or recommend it to somebody else.

Lanolips 101 Ointment.

The next product in my glossy box was the LANOLIPS 101 Ointment. The baby pink packaging with gold text is very appealing and the product itself contains 100% pure medical grade lanolin (this is a natural ingredient found in sheep's wool which has protective and moisturising properties). 
"Lanolin is an excellent moisturising ingredient for dry skin, as it emulsifies water on the skin and holds it there; its cushioning, plumping effect is noticeable."
It is a multi-purpose treatment but I think I will be using it primarily on my lips throughout winter where the weather can be extremely drying and damaging. Although I don't mind this product being unscented, it would be nice for it to have a mild scent (such as a fruity scent) as I like this in other lip balms/treatments but it is still my favourite product in the box this month.
This can be purchased at BOOTS for £10.99 and I definitely recommend it!

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara.

The last product in my Glossybox was the JELLY PONG PONG Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara. I was so happy to see this brand in my box as I've previously used some of their other products and loved them (so I had high hopes for this).

It definitely didn't disappoint me! Although I wouldn't say that it is extremely volumizing, I definitely noticed as increase in length and it curled my lashes beautifully so I was very happy with it for everyday use. It is also very build-able for someone who would prefer a more volumized look.

As an added perk, I LOVE the packaging of the Jelly Pong Pong products - very appealing. 

The mascara brush itself was a nice shape for coating every eyelash right from the root and was also good for the bottom lashes as the brush wasn't too big.

This can be purchased on the JELLY PONG PONG website for £17.95 and I do believe it is worth the price.

Overall, the total cost of the products in my box was just over £72.00 which is amazing for the price you pay for the whole box being just £10.00! If you are interested in signing up for the monthly subscription, I'd really appreciate it if you did so through this link as I receive reward points :)

Thank you so much for reading!

Holly Amber x

SKINCARE ROUTINE - DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS.

Looking after your skin when you are younger is key to having beautiful, glowing skin as your grow older.

However, not everyone can afford the high-end, expensive skin care products (such as myself) and I personally think you do not need them - some drugstore skin care products can be just as good for only a percentage of the price!

Garnier's Micellar Cleansing
Water (400ml).

If I do my skincare of a night time, I will first remove all of my makeup with a cotton pad and Garnier's micellar cleansing water (for sensitive skin). This removes makeup, cleanses and soothes the skin and can be used on the face, eyes and lips. After using facial wipes for many years, I've found that this product is so much nicer and softer on my skin (mainly because it is fragrance free). It also lasts a very long time as you do not need a large amount of the product to remove makeup. Of a morning, this is nice to use to freshen my skin and give it a quick clean before I continue my skincare routine. 

Garnier's Fresh Radiance Boosting Scrub.

The next product I use is Garnier's fresh radiance boosting scrub (for dull and tired skin). For starters, the citrus scent is absolutely gorgeous. I gently apply the scrub onto damp skin in small circular motions and then rinse with warm water. I had previously been using Nivea's daily essentials gentle exfoliating scrub which was too harsh for my skin and left it feeling sore even if I used it lightly (so I very much disagree that it is "gentle"). However, my skin is quite sensitive and this product may be better on other skin types which can handle a more intense exfoliation.  
After using Garnier's scrub, my skin feels extremely fresh, clean and smooth without feeling sore.The moringa extract has anti-oxidant and purifying properties and the small exfoliating beads unclog pores and remove any impurities. I tend not to use this daily due to my skin type - I use it around 3 times a week. 

Nivea's Soothing Cleansing
Mousse.

On some occasions, I will then go on to use Nivea's soothing cleansing mousse (for dry and sensitive skin). The product comes out as a foam which you apply over the face and neck area and then rinse with warm water. It cleanses the skin deeply and leaves it feeling soft with the use of natural almond oil and the hydra IQ technology regulates the skin's moisture balance. I love the use of natural almond oil in beauty products (especially skincare products) as it absorbs easily and quickly into the skin and dislodges any impurities in the skin's pores.

N-Spa's Brightening Day Cream With SPF15.

Finally, I use the N-spa brightening day-cream with SPF15 which has been approved as suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin. I just apply a small amount of the product onto the face and neck in upward and outward strokes - a little of this cream goes a long way.
If anything, I would invest more money into a decent day-cream which is proven good for my skin type and definitely has SPF. It is very important to have SPF in your day-cream (or to apply something containing SPF beforehand) as this protects the skin from sun damage and prevents ageing. It is vital to keep applying some sort of SPF to the skin even in the colder months as the sun can still cause damage even when it is not piping hot.
This product is light and absorbs wonderfully - your skin is not left feeling tacky or heavy with moisturiser so, although some people may think this is pricey for a drugstore product, I would definitely recommend investing in this. 

Thank you very, very much for reading!

Holly Amber x