Hey everyone - I hope you all enjoyed some sparklers and toffee apples yesterday! As you've probably guessed from the title, I'm going to un-box my Birchbox today and I thought I'd take you along for the ride and share with you my initial thoughts on this month's contents.

Now, if you don't know what Birchbox is, it's a monthly subscription service where you receive a selection of beauty samples to try out all in one cute and compact package. I must say, this month's box is probably the prettiest I have ever received - the seashells just make me think of The Little Mermaid and that is never a bad thing!



The first thing I find is a product which I knew we were going to receive this month thanks to a Birchbox sneak-peek on Facebook and it is the LORD & BERRY Silhouette Neutral Lip Liner (full size RRP £9). This is a decent sample size and I am always a fan of how simple and elegant L&B products look. I've only just dipped my toe in the ocean of neutral lip liners so I'm excited to have a new one to try out - its feels like a nice smooth formula which will be easy to work with so I'll definitely be giving it a go.



The next thing I pull out is from Absolution and is their La Creme de Teint (full size RRP £35) - a tinted cream which claims to be velvety-soft and a low maintenance route to flawless skin. I am not usually a big fan of tinted moisturisers as they tend to leave my skin feeling a little greasy and they never have enough coverage for me. However, this feels rather different - it doesn't feel at all greasy and is definitely more like a very light foundation consistency and it looks completely matte when swatched. It seems to give a pretty even coverage (albeit, a light one) and, strange as it may seem, I really like the smell. It reminds me of what my Mum's dressing table used to smell like - maybe that only makes sense to me, but if you know what I mean about that make-up smell of the 80s and 90s then let me know! I highly doubt this product will take the place of my much loved foundation routine, but, if there was ever a lightweight alternative for those lazy days, this could just be it.



Moving along, this box includes a full size So Susan Featherlash Mascara (RRP £18) - I've not really heard much about this brand so I did a little digging (i.e. googling) and accidentally got sucked in by how beautifully packaged their products are (of course I want lipsticks with flamingos on the side, who doesn't?). I'm very pleased to have a full sized product, especially of something I know I will use so Birchbox get a gold star for that.



The wand looks like a fairly generic bristle wand, which isn't a bad thing as I cannot stand a fancy mascara wand for the sake of it (why does it need to be S-shaped? I'm looking at you Lancome!). The formula doesn't seem at all thick or clumpy so I will definitely look forward to using it and see how it compares to my other much loved mascaras.




Also included in this month's box are two moisturising sample products - obviously they got the note about my dry winter skin. We have the Delarom Creme Acquaconfort (full size RRP £34) which is a facial moisturiser with almond oil, apricot oil and Vitamin E. This has a really subtle scent and a light liquid texture. However, it does contain benzyl alcohol which is something I try and avoid as a lot of products which contain this irritate my skin (my daily moisturiser and all my other most used products don't contain this). I'm no scientist but whenever a new product has irritated my skin it always seems to contain benzyl alcohol so I'm afraid I might be passing this sample on to someone with more hardy skin than me.



We also have a product exclusive to Birchbox (cue firework display ooo-ing) - the Beauty Cream Body Lotion from Beauty Protector (full size RRP £8). I'm glad to note this doesn't contain benzyl alcohol but there are no ingredients listed on the packaging so the internet had to tell me that. I actually really like this moisturiser - it's quite a thick texture and definitely feels hydrating. I have so many body lotions I fear I may die before I get to use them all so if I'm not immediately impressed they tend to get passed on to a friend - this one, however, has the sort of sweet smell that I just love (similar to the COWSHED lotion from my October favourites) so I think this can stay in my collection for now so I can put it through its paces.



Finally we have a little beauty bonus treat which I am most delighted with - a set of Thumbs Up Rosa Nail Wraps (RRP £6.99). I love nail wraps to add a little bit of quirk to your manicure without the painstaking effort or skill required (who has time, honestly?). The design of these almost looks like a modern floral wall paper - second only to a garish flock wallpaper in my eyes, my tastes are strange I'm afraid. They are 'accent' wraps which means they have a clear background so they can go over a block nail colour and just add that bit more interest. I think these would look great over a white or cream base - look out for me on Instagram as I'll undoubtedly post a picture of these in action.



All in all, I'm pretty happy with this month's box - although to be honest, it could have been empty and I'd still have been made up with the seashell box. I'm a little disappointed about the abundance of moisturisers and lotions Birchbox seem to send me every month - there's only so many I can use and I think I'm reaching my limit! It's great we have a couple of full sized products this month and these are incidentally the products I'm most looking forward to using. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the Absolution tint - this definitely seems like a high quality product. Well done Birchbox, I'm a happy camper this month, just a happy camper drowning in creams and lotions!

Check out Birchbox at https://www.birchbox.co.uk/

Have a great weekend and don't forget to let me know what you got in your Birchbox!

NSB x