Hands up who's a control freak? Hands up who's incredibly picky and hard to please? If you put your hand up, and I know I did, then beauty subscription boxes may leave you feeling a little cold. I do love Birchbox but every month there is bound to be at least one item that I will never use and is left to collect dust in my expansive product stash. Thankfully, Birchbox's residency at Selfridges is back for 2016! You get to pick 5 products for yourself plus a beauty bonus for £15. It's currently at Oxford Street but last year they also hit other Selfridges locations so hopefully you'll be able to find one on your travels.

Here's what I got this year...

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Lip Tar Primer - RRP £12.50
As a liquid lipstick fanatic, the idea of primer to stop your lips drying out sounds pretty essential. This is a teeny tiny tube but one drop goes a long way. I have never tried anything from OCC before (as their Lip Tars are always sold out on Beauty Bay) but I'm looking forward to testing this out.

Spectrum Collections - Unicorn Tears Wonder Sponge - RRP £4.99
I've already had one of these and it was one of the best blending sponges I have found. I couldn't resist getting another, as blending sponges do have a lifespan before they start sprouting limbs and walking around your dressing table. This one has a really high quality feel compared to others in this price range but it's also one of the softest when dampened, making for flawless blending.

Caudalie - Glycolic Peel - RRP £22
Already being a fan of Caudalie, I went safe for my skincare item and it was also the first thing out of the box for a trial. This is really light exfoliating mask and left my sensitive skin feeling really smooth and not at all irritated.

anatomicals - Citrus Body Scrub - £4
The body care products were the most disappointing this year (self tan and essential oils not really being my thing) - in the end I plumped for this scrub. I love a citrus scent but I already have so many favourite body scrubs at home, this felt like a bit of a filler item for me.

Beauty Protector - Protect & Detangle - £18.50
I can't live without de-tangling sprays and as I already owned the other products in the hair care range, this was an obvious choice. Birchbox had some great brands available here though - Number 4, Parlor and Philip Kingsley have all featured in my hair care routine. We'll see how this Birchbox exclusive product fairs against the bigger names.

Beauty Bonus - Polka Dot Hair Tie
These ribbon hair ties don't generally stand a chance against my thick, long hair but they're just so cute I had to have one. I'm not here to make the sensible decisions!



Skincare and hair care definitely ruled this year in terms of the products on offer. The main drawback was the lack of new products - as a Birchbox subscriber for nearly two years, I found that I already had a lot of the samples available. For £15 I still found some products that I knew I would use and love but there was nothing ground breaking here. Except for the box, which is stunning holographic heaven.