APRIL GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

Hey sugarplums! Hope you are all having/will have a lovely day today and thank you visiting my blog!

Let's get right into the review of this month's GLOSSYBOX! The box was the same beautiful, girly design as always - its no secret I love the design of the boxes, very pretty. The first product in the box was a set of STYLondon temporary white henna tattoos which retail for £5.99 on the stylondon website. I think these are a really nice addition to the box and they'll be perfect for summery occasions such as holidays and especially festivals! You apply them by cutting out the tattoo and placing a wet cloth over it on the area you want it to be for a few minutes. I don't think this is something I'd buy myself so its nice to receive it in the box.

The second product was an ESSENCE Mosaic Compact Powder which retails for £3.00 on the ESSENCE website. This bronzing powder is a mix of five different bronzing shades and I think it could look quite nice dusted over your skin when you have a tan. However, I don't usually buy ESSENCE products as I don't think the quality is very good - this isn't the worst product but it has slightly too much glitter rather than a subtle shimmer that I prefer. 

The third product in the box was the LEIGHTON DENNY Expert Nails Miracle Mist which is £12.00 and works to dry your nail varnish quickly. I absolutely love this as I'm so impatient when it comes to painting my nails and I always find myself fidgeting and ruining them. I think this is a genius product and I have not seen this type of product before in this spray-form. If this works as miraculously as it claims to, I think I would actually consider paying £12.00 for this as it would save me so much time and irritation painting my nails. I think this is possibly my favourite product from this month's box.

The fourth product in the box was a STUDIO 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner which retails for £22.00. Personally, £22.00 seems like a ridiculous price to me and I wouldn't have purchased this myself for that price! I'm not all too impressed with the eyebrow pencil anyway - I don't like the design of the product as you have to sharpen the pencil rather than it being a twisting liner. I don't think the brown shade which you use to fill in your brows is too bad but I find the 'highlight/lift' side to be too peachy-orange of a nude (for my paler complexion anyway). Its not a terrible product by any means but I don't think it is worth the price you pay.

The last product in the box was a sample (the rest of the products were all full-sized) of the Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil which retails for £28.00. For some people that may be a ridiculous price which I completely understand, but for skin care I always find I am more willing to pay a higher-end price as looking after your skin is extremely important. I've wanted to try out this oil for a long time now and I think it is a brilliant sample to be provided in the box. It allows you to try out a more expensive product and then decide to buy the full-sized version rather than buying the full-sized version without being sure you'll like the product. The oil itself feels really moisturising and smoothing without being greasy and the scent is a slightly herby, fresh scent as oppose to a sweet scent. Brilliant!

You can also watch the video of my April GLOSSYBOX unboxing via the video below or through this link to my YouTube channel!

The overall value of the full-sized product in the box was £43.00 and I really like that you get a sample of a facial oil which is nearly £30.00! I think the products in this box have been a little hit-or-miss but I am overall happy with the variety of products provided!
As always, thank you for reading this post and watching the video if you have done! I appreciate every single view and supportive comment I receive its really encouraging. 
Lots of love to you all, 

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

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!

MORPHE 35W PALETTE (SWATCHES AND REVIEW)!

I recently mentioned the MORPHE 35W palette in my latest blog post (What I got for my Birthday: Makeup Product Reviews!) where I basically said how great a value I thought this palette was for the amount and quality of shades you get in it! This palette can be purchased for £15.95 on BEAUTYBAY and it includes 35 warm-toned eyeshadow shades - all of which are wonderfully pigmented!

In this short post I'll swatch each column of colours (in the order shown to the left) and point out my favourites in bold, enjoy!

Swatches of shades 1-5.

Swatches of shades 6-10.

1. White/Cream base shade

2. Shimmery cream-brown 

3. Light coral orange

4. Warm brown with orange undertones

5. Shimmery mid-brown - absolutely beautiful colour, the pigment of this one is amazing and it feels so creamy when you swatch it.

6. Beige base shade

7. Champagne gold

8. Lighter coral orange

9. Another shimmery mid-brown with red/purple undertones - less shimmery than number 5 with a warmer undertone.

10. Matte mid-brown

Swatches of shades 16-20.

Swatches of shades 11-15

11. Orange-beige base shade

12. Matte light brown

13. slightly shimmery barbie-pink

14. Deep brown with a slight sheen

15. Deep purple-brown - beautiful matte colour, love the warm purple undertones to this one.

16. Very light, shimmery pink

17. True, deep orange

18. Purple with specs of gold shimmer/glitter

19. Another shimmery brown with red undertones - I think it's becoming obvious that I am definitely a person who likes shimmery browns.

20. Dark charcoal brown

Swatches of shades 21-25

Swatches of shades 26-30

21. Light orangey-brown base shade

22. Shimmery barbie-pink (much lighter and more shimmery than 13.

23. Gold-orange shimmery shade (looks more brown-orange in the palette)

24. Light, shimmery grey-brown

25. Deep brown-purple 

26. Light, shimmery orange-beige.

27. Mid-brown

28. Shimmery red-purple - Beautiful shade, has more of a red undertone than the other purples in the palette.

29. Dark purple

30. Glittery black - considering I don't go out much I don't know when I'll use this but the glitter in this is beautiful (it has shown up at all on the swatch).

Swatches of shades 31-35.

31. Light, shimmery champagne base shade - Very subtle, pretty shade (I love the champagne, shimmery colour.)
32. A very shimmery, true-orange
33. A light grey-blue - I'm really unsure as to why this colour is in the palette as it is meant to be a 'warm' shade palette (hence the 'W' in 35W). However, it's still a lovely shade, I just tend to use warmer shades.
34. Bright purple with a slight shimmer.
35. Matte black.

I'm really impressed with this palette and there's not really one colour I don't like; there are a few that I probably won't use as much as others but they're still all beautiful shades.
The texture of these is also very creamy and you don't need a lot of the darker/shimmery colours at all for a good colour pay-off. 
For £15.95, this palette is honestly great value for money! Especially for those of you who tend to go out a lot as there are endless possible combinations in this.
I'd be really excited to try another of the MORPHE palettes and plenty more can be found on the BEAUTYBAY website!


I hope you enjoyed this shorter post, thank you for reading!

Holly Amber X

WHAT I GOT FOR MY BIRTHDAY - MAKEUP PRODUCT REVIEWS!

Hi everybody! Im now officially 19 - my last teenage year which is a scary thought. Usually, I can't justify spending £30/40.00 on one makeup product so I thought my birthday would be a perfect time to receive things I've been wanting for a while.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS
Contour Kit.

Top Left to bottom right:
Vanilla, Banana, Sand,
Java, Fawn and Havana.

The first thing I received (I know I'm very late jumping onto this bandwagon) was the ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Powder Contour Kit which is £39.00 on the CULTBEAUTY website. I got mine in light/medium as I'm really pale right now and I like my counter to look quite natural. You get six different shades (3 are bronzier shades, 3 are lighter shades) which are all removable. I think I'll get a lot of use out of most of these! However, the highlighting shade "sand" isn't as good as some of my other highlighters so I probably won't use this one as much. I'm really impressed with the other shades though, they're all lovely colours for contouring with and are very pigmented - a little goes a long way with the bronzier shades! You can also purchase individual shades from the website now if you were to run out of one.

MAKEUP REVOLUTION
blush palette.

The second thing I received was the MAKEUP REVOLUTION Blush Palette in "Golden Sugar" which is £6.00 on the SUPERDRUG website.

Shades from bottom left to bottom
right, then top left to top right.

I am so impressed with this! For starters though, most of the shades in this palette are, in my opinion, much more like highlighters rather than blushers which is completely fine for me - I get much more excited about highlighters than blushers.

The pigmentation of these shades is amazing, especially for the price you pay! I absolutely love the first shade which is a very white, champagne shade but be very careful with how much of this you use - I dipped my brush in this twice yesterday and I looked like I'd be dipped in a bath of it. 

A couple of the shades have a little bit of glitter in which some people may not like in a highlighter but I can look past that for these shades with how beautiful they are!

BENEFIT Roller Lash.

The next product I received was the BENEFIT Roller Lash Mascara which can be purchased for £19.50 - bloody expensive for a mascara if you ask me (hence why I didn't purchase it myself). However, I do understand why so many people love this mascara. It gives your lashes so much length and curl and the packaging is absolutely beautiful (I'm a big fan of BENEFIT makeup packaging). 

I don't usually like rubber brushes like this one but its quite easy to use - it claims to "hook and roll" meaning it separates, lifts and curls each individual eyelash and I can see the difference from my usual Fairy Lashes mascara by JELLY PONG PONG (which is also a very good mascara, just less volumising).

Im not sure if I will re-purchase this when I run out of the product because of the price but we'll see how much my love grows for it until that time comes.

Natural Matte palette by TOO FACED.

The next palette I received I am so in love with - the TOO FACED Natural Matte palette which can be purchased for £27.00 from the TOO FACED website (or £32.00 from the DEBENHAMS website).

Top to bottom: Heaven, Cashmere Bunny,
Sexspresso, Lace Teddy, Strapless, Risque,
 Nude, Honey Butter and Chocolate Cookie

The palette comes with a "how-to-glamour-guide" which contains instructions for three different looks the palette is made for creating (a 'day' look, a 'classic' look and a 'fashion' look). This would be really good for someone wanting to buy a palette which they can achieve different looks from - the shades can be combined in so many different ways for both day and night. 

The shades themselves are beautiful - my personal favourites are "honey butter", "chocolate cookie" and "strapless" and all of the shades are so easy to blend. I definitely think this palette is worth the money as I'll be getting so much use of out it. I will admit it was slightly smaller than I had expected but the packaging and product is beautiful nonetheless. 

MORPHE Palette - 35W.

Another palette I received was the MORPHE 35W palette which contains 35 shades and can be purchased for £15.95 on the BEAUTYBAY website. 

All of these shades are quite warm colours - there is a combination of matte, satin and shimmery shades which are all really pretty and pigmented. In the picture to the right I picked out a couple of my favourite colours to swatch but they are all really impressive and the palette as a whole is a great price considering how many shades you get. There are many more MOPRHE palettes I'd suggest you look through before choosing one to buy as it was a very hard choice for me!

NYX Liquid Suede
Lipsticks.

The last makeup product I received was the NYX Liquid Suede Lipsticks (which are essentially matte liquid lipsticks). I got mine in the shades "Soft Spoken" and "Vintage" and these can be purchased on the BOOTS website for £6.50 each. 

The packaging of these is very pretty! I also love the applicator which is slightly slanted, making the product easier to apply. I am extremely surprised and impressed with the formula of these - they dry down to matte quite quickly and I wore "Soft Spoken" yesterday for about 7 hours and it wore really well (considering I was eating and drinking a lot, I only reapplied twice). With any matte lipstick I'd advise you to exfoliate and moisturise your lips beforehand as they can be quite drying but these lipsticks didn't dry out my lips too much and didn't sink into every tiny line on my lips as I find most matte lipsticks do. I'd suggest using a lip liner with the darker colours as they are slightly harder to apply - I'm definitely going to purchase some of the lighter shades!

 Thank you very much for reading! I was so excited to try these out to review and share with you all as I know spending money on makeup is risky business when you're not sure if its worth it! I hope this was helpful and a big thank you to my parents, boyfriend and friends for buying me such lovely presents and giving me a lovely birthday as always.

Holly Amber X

 

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"