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UNBOXING: Birchbox April 2018 – Cath Kidston

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A Cath Kidston box? Well the box was pretty enough. At best, we could have hoped for some classic British brands with English garden scents, but what we got was a small handcream and some Cath Kidston advertising. Ho hum.

MODEL CO: Baked Highlighter in Frose, 1.5g
Value: £10.29

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“This baked treat is an instant complexion illuminator. Just swirl a fluffy brush across the marbled powder and sweep over cheekbones for that lit-from-within glow.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: After preselecting which shade we wanted, we were looking forward to trying out this highlighter, however it is the most ridiculously tiny sample…about 1.5 cm across. We find it hard to believe that it is worth the quoted price or that anyone can use this tiny sample. Cunningly photographed. Can’t find this for sale anywhere other than Birchbox. Crazily overpriced. Just ridiculous.

BEAUTANIQ BEAUTY: Fill + Tame Brow Gel in Brunette, 4g
Value: £8.60

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“Show unruly brow hairs who’s boss with this easy-to-use formula. The vegan formula is enriched with nourishing aloe leaf extract and glycerin so there’s not risk of crunch or sticky brow hairs.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Small for a full size product. Another product that is hard to track down anywhere other than Birchbox. A bit of a gamble depending on the brunette shade (might be too warm) but happy to try a new product out.

CATH KIDSTON: Hand Cream, 30ml
Value: £2.50

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“Not only is the exclusive Birthday Rose packaging as pretty as a picture but the floral lotion inside will leave your skin feeling silky-soft and smooth.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Not exactly groundbreaking, but nice enough to put in a handbag or take for a trip away. Scent is quite strongly floral (not natural smelling). The formulation is easily absorbed. Is this really enough to warrant the Cath Kidston collaboration headline though?! We don’t think so.

PERCY & REED:  Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm, 30ml
Value: £7.20

“The haircare step you didn’t know you were missing?  A primer!  This multi-tasking balm boasts a  whole host of benefits;  adds moisture, boosts shine, aids smoothness, defines, softens, protects against humidity, and speeds up styling.  Phew!”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This was our favourite product in the box. A little goes a long way. We tended to use it on the ends of our hair to keep it sleek and stop flyaway hairs. Decent deluxe sample size too.

AFTER SPA:  Magic Make Up Remover Cloth
Value: £8.95

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“With this cloth there’s only one thing that you need – water!  Wet the cloth and massage it over your face to break down impurities and remove all types of make-up.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This just looks like a microfibre cloth and a small one at that. But this was the most exciting product in the box for us.  We’re not sure it will be as gentle as our oil cleanser especially on waterproof mascara, but if it works well without too much rubbing or scrubbing, this will be a boone as no products are required. We’ll definitely report back.

This is a dupe for the Magic Eraser and a review from Labmuffin is here https://labmuffin.com/how-make-up-remover-cloths-work-and-review/

OVERALL VERDICT:

Pretty disappointed with the overall theming of this box and the ridiculously small highlighter. Other than that, it’s an OK box, buoyed up by the magic cleansing cloth and the wonder balm. This SEEMS like a good value box, however a couple of items seem to have a massively inflated RRP and only for sale via Birchbox…hope this is not a trend we’ll be seeing more of.

Total value: £37.54

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox Jan 2017 – Sprinkle of Happiness

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“There’s no better time to shake up your beauty routine than a new year, which is why we’ve filled this month’s box with shiny new products.”

Say what? New products…shower gel, concealer, hand cream, day cream and a conditioner pack. Really? More like everyday totally ordinary items! Looking at the box variants that other people have received, there have been LOADS of variations. Was this just an exercise to throw whatever leftover samples they had at us?

LORD & BERRY:  Conceal-It Crayon in Beige, 1.6g
Value: £12 (full size)

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“This creamy pencil not only disguises imperfections but it’s also great at highlighting areas that you want to show off.”

BT INITIAL OPINION:  Hmm. We tend towards cream concealers and are skeptical that this can provide coverage. At first swatch, it seems chalky and don’t see it being useful as a highlighter, but we look forward to trying this as we do have a Lord & Berry eyeliner crayon that is great.

ELEMIS:  Hydra-boost Day Cream, 15ml
Value: £14.63

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“This hyaluronic acid-packed formula works to strengthen your natural moisture barrier throughout the day, improving your skin texture over time.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We like Elemis for high quality, good performing formulas. It is however too expensive, this cream being no exception. Hope it will at least deliver on its promises.

MERCI HANDY:  Hand Cream in New Wave, 30ml
Value: £4.90 (full size)

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“Make sure you show your hands some love with this sweet-smelling lotion. It’s packed with tiny pearls and nourishing extracts to papmper and soothe.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We thought this was toothpaste when we opened the box! But no, it was a hand cream from the people who make the hand sanitisers and fruity tooth gels that have flooded lots of boxes lately. We don’t really get this brand. It’s very cheerful, but it’s just hand sanitiser and hand cream in fruity flavours after all…

PRISMOLOGIE:  Yellow Day Shower Gel, 10ml
Value: £1.50

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“Add a splash of sunshine with this foaming formula packed with uplifting bergamot and zesty citrus. Tiny micro-crystals smooth skin and restore radiance.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Blimey! This is a premium product (£30 for full size), but how good can a shower gel really be? The sample is tiny – we’ll be sure to appreciate this splash of sunshine for the one shower it will last for 😀

JOHN FRIEDA:  Frizz Ease  Miraculous Recovery Deep Conditioner, 25ml
Value: £1.16

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“Formulated with an amino repair complex, this treatment delivers an intense shot of moisture to leave hair silky, smooth and shiny.”

BT INITIAL OPINION –  A sachet? As an actual box item? Really? And this is a product you can see in supermarkets and chemists everywhere. Not saying it’s not good, but what’s it doing in this box?!

OVERALL VERDICT:

This theme was laughable as were all most of the contents. Who would this box appeal to? The items are all handy but very much not special except the Elemis. We’re thinking about unsubbing at this stage.

Total value: £34.19

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox August 2014 – Away We Go!…the one with a mini-book

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This month’s theme was Away We Go!…we tend to find summer-themed boxes an excuse to skimp on luxe products and this Birchbox was sadly no exception. A slim offering from Birchbox…

Instead of the usual drawstring liner, this month’s offering came in a handy zip lock pouch.

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NUMBER 4: Super Comb & Protect, 30ml
Value: £3.00

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“A leave-in conditioning spray to detangle and protect against heat and sun damage.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: Useful purse-sized spray. That’s about all we can say about this. Not particularly exciting.

VASANTI: Brightenup! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator, 20ml (it says grams, but I think this is a typo)
Value: £4.34

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“A multi-action exfoliator to ensure a renewed, refreshed complexion.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Also a useful but not particularly exciting item.

 

NUDE: Progenius Omega Treatment Oil, 5ml
Value: £9.66

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“This nourishing oil is rich in omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9 for hydrated, smooth skin.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – The one item that piques our interest in this box. For a luxe product, the sample packaging feels very cheap, but we look forward to giving this a try and seeing how it performs against other recovering/miracle oil treatments.

SUPERGOOP! Daily Correct SPF35 CC Cream, 3ml x 2
Value: £4.09

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“A natural shade-adjusting CC cream with SPF to smooth fine lines and even out skin tones.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – These samples are so tiny, they had to include two! We like BB/CC creams, so don’t mind trying more out, but even with two tubes, it’s a small sample.

CHELLA: Highlighter Pencil
Value: £15.95

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“Highlight the brow bone, cheekbones and inner corners of eye with this chunky pencil.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We’ve already given this one a quick whirl. We’ll trial it more extensively and report back, but initial try was very disappointing.  We like the idea of this product, but its performance was poor akin to a product from the 80s.

LIFESTYLE EXTRA:
“Chapter One of this spellbinding and romantic novel, which spans 1950s London and present day NYC.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – we don’t mind this being included in the box, but it shouldn’t be in the place of a lifestyle extra as in effect, it is just advertising. If it were a complete short story or novella, then this could be considered an extra…

 

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OVERALL VERDICT:

This is the worst box we’ve ever had from Birchbox! A combination of a poor selection of products, tiny samples and a poor lifestyle item makes for a disappointing box. They did at least source unusual brands. We have serious reservations about the value of the Chella pencil being £15.95 – we wouldn’t even shell out £2.00 for it. Without this, the box seems pretty poor value.  The inclusion of a book sample as the lifestyle sample in addition to such a poor offering added insult to injury. No advertising dressed up as free gifts please Birchbox!

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer
Total value: £37.04

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 worth of points! You’re welcome 😉