Birchbox September 2017 | Review

A few boxes ago, I thought Birchbox had bombed.

The contents just didnt seem to be inspiring me, and there were quite a few repeat products. I was seriously losing interest. But now things seem to have turned around.

And while, Tili had taken over as the best beauty box for a while, their offering for the past couple of rounds has been lacklustre. Birchbox is back on top!

After loving the summer ‘Mermaid Vibes’ box, what was lying in store for the change of the seasons?

The September box has been produced in collaboration with Oliver Bonas.

This makes me very, very happy as I'm a big Bonas fan, and I was never happier than when one opened in my town. The box itself is one of two exclusive designs, and inside was a voucher for 15% off, which I’ll definitely be using as an excuse to treat myself! But what was inside the box?

First up, everyone received a full size Mannakadar Fantasy 3-in-1 Blush, Highlighter and Eyeshadow. A few boxes ago, there was a bronzer and highlighter duo from the same brand, which I found to be really good and that I'm actually still carrying around in my handbag!

This product is a dark, dusky pink pearlised pigment designed to add a warm glow and a velvety radiance to skin. I'm quite interested in it as an eyeshadow, as Im finding myself using more pinks and reds on the eyes at the moment.

Unfortunately, mine did arrive broken which was a little disappointing. There was a note in the little booklet that comes in the box stating “this product is a little fragile” and giving the customer service email address, so they were obviously aware this was likely to be a problem - which makes you wonder why they didn't just package it better!

Im hoping for a replacement and looking forward to trying it out.

Next up, and a little less fragile - was some Dr PawPaw Original Clear Balm. This is a cult classic that always seems to be mentioned by celebrities talking about their favourite products, but I've never tried it.

Before Eight Hour Cream was so famed for its multi-tasking properties, you had this little yellow tube. It's a balm made from fermented paw paw fruit that's naturally healing and hydrating.

You can use it as a lip balm, a moisturiser, a cuticle cream, or to sort split ends, so it's a useful thing to keep in your bag. With the change of seasons rapidly coming, I tend to have frizzier hair and dryer lips, so this could be great timing to discover a new favourite - and I do love a products with multiple uses!

Clinique Take The Day Off was one of the original cleansing balms, so I'm excited to have some to try in the box. Although I love discovering new brands, I also get really excited when established ones crop up in sub boxes. Sometimes it can make you see a brand with fresh eyes.

This is a solid balm that transforms into a light oil on contact with your skin, and makes light work of removing make-up, dirt, impurities and sunscreen. After you rinse it off, skin is left silky smooth and fresh.

It's the kind of thing I tend to use coconut oil for, so Ill be interested to see if this feels better to use.

Polaar Icy Magic Instant Eye Contour Energiser came at just the right time, as I'm coming to the end of the eye cream I have been using and I was in the mood to try something new out!

I love Polaar hand cream and there's some on my desk at work as we speak. This promised to be a super-soothing roll on treat with a cooling gel formula packed with brightening ginseng that tones and rejuvenates sagging, tired under eyes. I popped some on an instantly felt refreshed.

Finally, Arrow Boost Colour Enhancing Balm, which I was really pleased to get. I've actually been wanting to try this for a while - I saw it in another beauty box ages ago and I didnt receive one, and I recall feeling disappointed, mainly because of the super chic geometric packaging.

Im someone who likes to keep a lip balm in every handbag and in my car, so I never have enough of them. This one contains super-hydrating mango seed butter to revive and protect dry lips, and it cleverly adjusts to the PH of your skin to create a custom colour that cannot fail to flatter-  what's not to love about that?

Another brilliant box of beauty bits - I'm already looking forward to next month!