May 18, 2016

Beauty Box Breakdown 

BirchBox Review – April 2016

Holly Palmer reviews last month’s BirchBox for us – here is what she thought:

April’s box was in partnership with Rifle Paper Co, an American stationery brand who designed the gorgeous box. As always BirchBox gave us the choice between two different designs – I chose the pink box as I loved the ‘blooming’ flowers on the front.

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1. Benefit Cosmetics – Dew The Hoola / RRP £22.50

I was so excited to see another Benefit mini in last month’s box. I’ve recently become a real fan of the Hoola Bronzer, so I literally ripped open the packaging to try this as soon as it arrived. I didn’t initially know what to expect but BirchBox suggested to ‘smooth on to bare skin or over foundation for all-over radiance’.

I used the product to define and radiate my cheekbones after applying contour. I loved the desired effect and found this product easy to use. As long as you blend well into your skin using your fingers or a blending brush, this product will become one of your summer essentials.

The only negative about this product is that when you first apply one pump to your hand, you quickly realise that a little goes a long way – therefore have a make-up wipe to hand just in case you pump out too much!

Personal rating of this product: 3.5/ 5!

2. Cynthia Rowley Beauty – Eyeliner in Black / RRP £11

I have used a variety of high street black pencil liners before and I sometimes don’t find them dark enough or I find that they just wear away really easily.  Well… NOT THIS ONE! I loved the dark pigmentation and I loved how silky and smooth it was.

I usually just apply black pencil liner to my water line as I tend to use a gel-liner to line my lash-line. But since using this product I have been converted! This creamy liner made it so easy to apply and lasted all day.

The one thing BirchBox suggested was to ‘smudge the line within 30 seconds for a sultry finish’. I would agree to work very fast with this liner as it physically doesn’t push once it has touched your skin. Also the matte packaging makes the product look expensive and classy.

Personal rating of this product: 4/ 5!

3. NUXE – Hulie Prodigiuse / RRP £17

At first glimpse I thought this was an extremely well packaged perfume sample, however it was a multi-purpose oil. It can be used to help hydrate your face or body and can be applied to the ends of dry hair. I love the idea of multi-purpose oil as I think it would be the perfect holiday item.

Personally I’m not the biggest body oil fan and when I applied this to my skin I found it took a long time to be absorbed. Also the scent of the oil is much stronger on skin in comparison to when on hair – it really reminded me of the old 1970’s perfume called Anais Anais.

I liked using this oil for the ends of my dry hair as I found that it did help to keep my hair silky and shiny. Plus the sample size packaging was beautifully designed and I loved the gold hardware.

Personal rating of this product: 2.5/ 5!

4. PARLOR by Jeff Chastain – Detangling Leave-in conditioner / RRP £17

 This product encapsulates why I love BirchBox – they allow you to find reliable brands that you’ll fall in love with forever. This has totally happened to me with Jeff Chastain hair care products. I have tried two of his products before and have loved them to pieces! I have added this leave-in conditioner to my list.

This tiny matte black bottle is so sleek and looks professional as well as smelling like summer. The spray is easy and quick to apply to hair feeling fresh and detangled.

I loved using this after I washed my hair as gave my hair a silky finish.

I seriously couldn’t fault this product!

Personal rating of this product: 4/ 5!

5.  Kueshi – Foot care cream / RRP £12

I wasn’t too impressed to see a foot cream in this months box as I don’t tend to use foot cream on a daily basis. But I quickly remembered that I do tend to hunt around for a foot cream to use during the summer months as I like to have smooth heels whilst wearing sandals.

To my surprise this foot cream seemed decent enough. Personally the packaging didn’t amaze me but the scent of the foot cream was pleasant. It was also very hydrating and made my feet feel fresh.

I don’t think the product is worth £12 as I believe The Body Shop do some great cheaper alternatives.

Personal rating of this product: 3/ 5!

Verdict:

Overall this was another lovely box with a mixture of different products. I loved the Cynthia Rowley Eyeliner and definitely thought it would be worth the £11 spend. I wasn’t overly impressed with the NUXE multi-purpose oil or the Kueshi Foot care cream. I believe these two products were over priced for what they were and some high-street shops stock amazing alternatives.

I did however love the little added extra of an exclusive 25% discount for Rifle Paper Co online.

May’s BirchBox is just around the corner and I can’t wait as I get to choose the shade of Spectrum Collections Blending Sponge that I’ll receive.

Written and Photographed by Holly Palmer.

@hollypalmerxxx