Another month, another Birchbox. And although I think the glory days of receiving full-size luxury products are all but gone, I thought this June’s offering was actually pretty nice. So no cancelled subscription yet!
This month, instead of a box, the goodies came in a reusable bag. I absolutely love this idea. They did a bag last year and I still use it now – in fact, I’d be thrilled if they did a bag every month, because I’m sort of harbouring a low-key obsession with cute little pouches.
This one was a pastel striped zip pouch with a little rope grab handle, which I’m sure I’ll find a great use for! The bag design is inspired by Brighton Beach, which is a place I have happy childhood memories of, so it made me smile – watercolour sunsets, chalk-coloured beach huts, sorbet ice-creams and sticks of rock. I really like that this pouch is different from the last design they had, both in design and in dimension.
The theme this month is loosely ‘daytripping’ – with lots of travel-size treats that would be perfect for a staycation.
First up, we have the MeechNMia Brow Liner. It's not a brand I’ve ever heard of before, but that’s exactly why Birchbox can be so good to discover new things. I know a lot of people are trying to go cruelty-free with their beauty items, so let out a cheer because this is a cruelty-free brand – hurrah!
Its always nice to discover a new brand that has those values. So there was a random selection of three shades, luckily I got a mid-brown colour that looks about right for me. Even though I have really dark hair, I always fill in my brows a few shades lighter so that they don’t end up looking scary and drawn on!
The pencil feels creamy and glides on easily. I’m usually a fan of pomades for my brows, but sometimes it's actually easier and quicker to use a pencil. And it's also ideal for taking away with you – I usually fly hand-luggage only, so around this time of year, I’m always on the lookout to swap out any cream or liquid products for solid ones due to the cabin bag liquid restrictions.
Next, there a little pot of Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream, and its really nice to see a bigger, more established brand in there alongside the smaller, up-and-coming ones. I like to have a mix!
My under-eye area is a complete battle zone, and the worst area on my face, so I’m always keen to try out new eye creams in the hopes that I’ll find something miraculous. So far, I haven’t found that one miracle product that tackles the mix of lines, dark shadows and puffiness I have. This is described as ‘an espresso shot for under the eyes’ which sounds promising.
It's really handy to have the mini container as well because travel sized eye creams can actually be quite hard to find. The completist in me loves that a couple of boxes ago, we got mini Bobbi Brown face masks, so that makes a nice little set with this eye cream. I hope it works the miracles that it promises!
Bumble and Bumble are already a firm favourite of mine – I couldn’t live without their Pret A Powder – and this is a chance to try their Don’t Blow It Thick (H)Air Styler. This cream is all about air-dryed styling for thick locks, which is great for me as I’m pretty much allergic to using my hair dryer and always leave my hair to dry naturally overnight, especially when I’m on holiday and the warmer air dries it even quicker.
This styling cream works with your hair’s natural texture, with polymers and oils to condition and enhance. My hair is naturally a sort of very loose wave, and I would love to get away with using my straighteners or curlers less, but it just never seems to sit right when left to its own devices. I’m hoping this cream could be the answer to lower-key hair, because I’m really not here for long periods of styling!
Scrub Love Coffee Mango Body Scrub got me excited the second I saw the colourful package peeping out of the delivery box. I am a massive fan of natural body scrubs that use coffee grounds. They make a complete mess of your shower, but your skin will literally never be softer.
My friend Katie introduced me to the Grounded range a while back which is similar and I’m religious about it now, so this is a great chance to try out a rival brand. Again, the sachet is the perfect size to travel with which is great, because I would definitely want to take something like this with me on holiday. Made from 100% natural ingredients, this will help stimulate circulation, encourage cell turnover and buff away all that rough skin. It also contains moisturising agents, so you’ll feel silky smooth after using. I already know I’m going to love this!
And finally, there is the Brightening Illuminator from Cynthia Rowley Beauty. I feel like I’ve tried something from this range before, but I can’t recall what! The illumination this provides is supposed to be quite subtle, which I much prefer to anything too sparkly.
You dot it onto brow bones, cheekbones, the corners of your eyes, bridge of your nose and centre of your lips to provide some gentle sculpting and a big dose of radiance. I do love glowing, healthy looking skin, so I’m definitely looking forward to trying this out.
So the June 2017 Birchbox is a hit, I’d say. I’ve actually been on a big drive to make sure I really use the samples I get, because I have drawers and drawers of un-used stuff accumulated over time, but in this instance, all the products are so perfect for a holiday, I’m going to save them for when I go away in a couple of months.
Well played Birchbox – this is a little slice of summer fun that brightened up my day!
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