I'm going to start off by being honest with you all - recently, I'd fallen a little out of love with Birchbox. So much so, that I was going to cancel my subscription because I just wasn't receiving enough items I saw myself using. However, and it's a big however, I forgot to cancel before December and I am so happy that I didn't because this month has been the most exciting box for a good while.

The box itself I absolutely love, it's the most festive colours and I actually prefer the plain, block colour theme to a lot of the patterns they usually print on the box. I need to re-purpose this box somehow. Even the pouch is a beautiful burgundy this month but more importantly, here's what was inside...

amie skincare | New Leaf Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish | RRP £5.95
Starting with my least favourite for two reasons; firstly, I received this in my December Pink Parcel and secondly, I'm allergic to some of the ingredients. I have to avoid any ingredients derived from benzyl/benzoate which is a skin irritant - before I knew I had an allergy, I thought my skin was just always red and painful when in fact it was the fact that so many skincare products use these ingredients. So unfortunately, I can't try this out. If you have problematic skin, try cutting out products with benzoate or alcohols in the ingredients list - I used to think I had acne when in fact I was just using the wrong skincare and I basically had a permanent allergic reaction!

Percy & Reed | Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm | RRP £18
I love Percy & Reed products and this one is completely new to me. I always use a conditioning treatment before I blow dry to protect and moisturise my hair; this one promises to do this as well as speeding up styling. Bold claims. I'm used to quick and easy sprays so I'm not sure how evenly a balm will apply but I will definitely be giving this a go.

Benefit | the POREfessional: Matte Rescue | RRP £21.50
Another favourite brand of mine - I've been doing a lot of stalking around the Benefit counter recently, especially since all of their Christmas gift sets are so cute. My skin has always been dry but recently, I have actually been noticing a change and my skin getting oilier (possibly now that I've stopped drying my skin out with harsh alcohols, see above). So, a matte primer is something missing from my collection and this is a great sample size to really trial out over the festive period.



Ciate London | Fierce Flicks Eyeliner | RRP £15
This is the only full sized product this month - although all the sample sizes are pretty decent. Ciaté is a brand I would like to try more from, I think they've released some very exciting products this year. This felt-tip liner has a great slim applicator and just swatched, it doesn't smudge or fade. It's a good matte black and I will be putting this to the test against my current staple, Maybelline Master Precise.

Laura Mercier | Caviar Stick in Amethyst | RRP £22
I am so excited about this product. I love Laura Mercier so much and to get such a good sample size of this product in such a stunning colour has just made my December. This is a beautiful, soft metallic cream shadow stick in a purplish taupe - a really flattering colour. These are really long wearing and I like them just all over the lid and blended out for a really easy eye look. If you love low maintenance looks but with a little bit more oomph, you need a caviar stick in your life.



So whilst there was one product that just isn't for me, the other four were so exciting that I think Birchbox has redeemed itself. The main reason I first loved Birchbox was being able to try out more luxury brands and I feel like this is the first box in a while that really delivers that. Loving your work Birchbox!