Korres

Beauty Boxes, Lifestyle, Vegan, Vegetarian

Birchbox January 2015 – Women’s Health Edit – Review

January 22, 2015

I’ve been waiting for this box to come for a while now, ever since I found out this month’s box Birchbox would be in collaboration with women’s health. Gem and I are both gym nuts and I was hoping there would be some exciting products to get me back into the groove after a few weeks of sheer gluttony during the festive season. Because my box was so late this month, I’d already sneaked a peek at what was in the box, something I usually try to avoid, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise when it finally arrived.

In the box:

This month’s little booklet was filled with lot’s of great bite size challenges and tips which I really enjoyed reading! They certainly motivated me to get off my Christmas behind and back to the gym.

stila – lip glaze | £15 | full size product

This is the second lip glaze I’ve had from stila now, and I’ve not even opened the first one. I’m not a gloss person, it annoys me, my hair sticks to it and colours like this really don’t do much for my complexion. As glittery as this is, I don’t think I’ll be taking it for a spin on my lips any time soon. Not to mention there were talks about stila no longer being cruelty free a few year’s ago and it had been heard on the grape vine that they were potentially involved in some 3rd party animal testing. Despite their claims against this, I’m still not 100% sure I want to trust the brand.

Green People – Intensive Repair Shampoo | £11.95 | 30ml sample

This is actually a fairly decent sized sample as far as Shampoo goes, thankfully this intensive repair shampoo is for coloured hair which is great news. I get so many samples that I can’t use and my other half ends up with (he does have hair longer than mine!) because I almost exclusively use sulfate-free Shampoo on my vibrant locks. This is also Vegan and approved by the Vegan society which makes me one happy bunny. If it’s any good, I’ll definitely be looking at switching brands again.

Caudalie – Vinoperfect Radiance Serum | £45 | 10ml sample

I’ve literally just finished a massage oil from Caudalie which was truly spectacular and has lasted me month’s! This seem’s a fairly standard serum, to be applied pre moisturising. I’ll be adding it to my collection then! I can confirm that Caudalie state they do not test on, nor use animal products and in scouring their website, as I have to do when checking all products I came across this little snippet from their FAQs;

Also, please be aware that we continue to defend our Cosm’ethics and are always seeking to go one step further in our commitments. Hence, in 2012, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, the founders, decided to donate 1% of Caudalie’s turnover to ecological associations for the protection of the planet and the preservation of plant and animal species.

I definitely have no qualms about slathering this serum over my face morning and night now.

Korres – Citrus Showergel | £8 | 50ml sample

I actually have some Korres body lotion hidden in my enormous stash that I’m yet to use. It was clearly waiting for this showergel to come along so they could be used together. I really like the subtle scent to this though, although labelled as Citrus, it’s not too overpowering and has a fairly subtle sweet scent. This is another product that I believe is cruelty free, I know that there were huge issues with Korres and China some years back and they pulled out of various deals due to concerns about animal testing. Their customer service team also seem relatively happy to answer queries and have confirmed and provided lists of their alleged Vegan products to other people (widely available on the internet after a little searching) which includes their shower gels.

activbox – Cooling Finish Lotion | £12 | 20ml sample

As a sucker for piling on the weights in my Body Pump class, or trying out classes that involve way too many squats for my liking, this is definitely a welcome gift. I’m a huge fan of the Nip + Fab post workout fix and this is pretty similar by the looks of things. A menthol packed lotion for massaging into clean skin. Just what I need when I’m struggling to walk up and down the stairs the morning after the session before! After checking out some of their other products online, they come with a pretty friendly price tag so I’ll be trying this lotion out and perhaps spending some more time in Boots picking up the others.

Embrace Matcha – Green Tea | £24.99 | 1 sachet

I’m afraid, as English as I am, this is completely wasted on me. I really don’t like the taste of Green Tea and as much as I’ve tried, I just can’t get into it. The instructions do say that this can be added to a smoothies as well which I might consider – If I’m not feeling brave enough I know a few people who will welcome this though, but at a price tag of £24,99, I don’t think my circle of friends or I will be rushing out to buy any more. Pukka tea bags all the way!

Birchbox Pilates Band | £7.99 | Lifestyle Extra

This is pretty cute, and pilates has just been introduced as a new class to our Thursday gym time table, which we’ve been thinking of going to. Great for improving muscle endurance and it can be used at home! There are lot’s of tutorials and youtube videos should you fancy taking a peek and trying out a resistance band in the comfort of your bedroom whilst watching your favourite show.

Writing this review and really looking at all the products, I’m more impressed with this box than I was when first opening. There’s a great selection, albeit the stila lip glaze and I’m looking forward to trying out a few new brands. I think the collaboration with women’s health has been a great idea for January and has given me a little more motivation to pick up my gym back and get my behind back into gear. My subscription for Birchbox run’s out in March and I’m still not sure whether I’ll be renewing it. Not because the past few month’s haven’t been good – because they have been absolutely amazing and remained top of my list for beauty boxes, but I do find it a big effort to check every single product before using it.

If you feel like you want to take the plunge and subscribe to a box this month, I’d definitely recommend Birchbox. It’s just £10 a month plus p&p or you can opt to buy a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription which works out slightly cheaper. You also receive Birchbox points for completing surveys on the products you have been sent, which can be used to purchase lot’s of extra goodies from the Birchbox shop! To subscribe, just visit their site here.

Have you had this month’s Birchbox? What were your thoughts? If not has there been anything that’s kick started a new routine from to help with the transition from Christmas couch potato to spritely and enthused January go getter?

Totally hellbent for products to help with aching post squat thighs

– Pants

Beauty Boxes

Birchbox September 2014 Review

September 18, 2014

How am I still catching up on so many blogs? Where does time go? How is it Birchbox time again! Alas, this month’s box has arrive promptly and has a “Happy Days” theme. – a box to celebrate capturing nostalgic moments and making new ones. Before I start with the contents, it’s important to note that I had help from a very special individual. Not only was I given help to open this month’s box, but I also had help taking my photographs;

Meet Pickle – the new addition to the Hellbent For Lipstick “red camp” household – Gem has been making the epic long journey of approximately 30 seconds from her house to mine to lavish attention upon him and he has been ~~helping me to blog and work~~ – distracting me from everything important that I need to do.

With his incredibly useful *raises eyebrow* intervening, I finally managed to get my box open and see what it had inside!

Agave – Healing Oil Treatment – 4ml sample – £16 for full size

I’m building quite a collection of hair oils, which I don’t mind so much since they are really great for my hair. This oil promises to restore and transform unmanageable frizzy hair and is a little different to the current “Argan Oil” trend. Although the sample is small, I’ve found that I don’t need to use a lot of oil for my hair despite it’s length. It smells quite fruity – which I imagine would be a little sickly if too much was applied but it’s quite pleasant in small doses.

Benefit – It’s Potent! Eye Cream – 30g sample – £25.50 for full size

Gem and I make no secret about our love for Benefit so our excitement about receiving anything Benefit related in our boxes is often difficult to contain. The sample is gorgeous and although I already own this eye cream, it’s very welcome in my skincare collection. After a few sleepless nights thanks to Pickle’s arrival, this eye cream is pretty wonderful at perking me up!

Korres – Citrus Body Milk – sample – £9.50 for full size

At first glance I thought this was a cheaply packaged runny body milk but I was very wrong. When held the packaging is more luxurious and sturdy, housing a beautifully thick body milk that rubs into the skin, leaving a gorgeous “herby” scent. There is no overwhelming Citrus smell and it soaks into the skin very quickly, leaving it feel lovely and soft with no greasy residue. I’ll definitely be looking out for more things from this brand.

ModelCo – Lip Lacquer in “Morocco” – small sample – £15 for full size

I own a few “lip lacquer’s” or should I say “lip gloss'” from ModelCo. One striking thing about them is the scent. They all smell like sweeties which I adore. As for the colour of this gloss, it’s a sort of opaque nude. Definitely wearable, my only qualm with lip gloss’ is the stickiness they leave behind so I’d usually much prefer to go for a lipstick over a gloss. Alas, this will pop nicely in my handbag for a bit of colour when I don’t want to don any lipstick.

Beauty Blender & Blender Cleanser – Full Size – £26

What a surprise this was for Gem and I! After both of us missed out on the beauty blender a few boxes ago, we thought we’d never receive them but this month we were very blessed and over the moon! We’ve been wanting to try these out for absolutely ages. A lovely egg shaped sponge to help us apply our base with ease. Perfect for gigs where we have to lather on the foundation to cope with the heavy stage lights. With it came some blender cleanser – or rather a disc of “soap” for cleaning it, which is also very handy.

Urban Fruit – Perfect Pineapple – 35g snack pack – £13.20 for 6

I am a fan of Pineapple, as well as cramming as many of my daily fruit and veg “allowance” into my body, so this was a welcome extra. Pure pineapple coated in a little rice flour and at 100 calories per bag – it’s definitely a healthier alternative to a bag of crisps. I like discovering products like this, but £13.20 for 6 packets is a little overboard for me when there are so many great healthy treats available.

Birchbox – Happy Days Photo Clip – Lifestyle Extra

This is so adorable! It’s made it’s home on my desk in the office – currently holding the vaccination details for Pickle until I find a fitting picture to go here – by fitting picture – it will probably be a ridiculous shot of Gem and I drunk at a festival this summer! This fits wonderfully with the theme of the box and really tops the contents off nicely.

I have to say that Birchbox have really stepped up their game in recent months and each box keeps getting better. Their themes are fun and filled with lovable and usable brands and it’s definitely my favorite beauty box out of Glossybox and Love Me Beauty. So if you want to try Birchbox out, you can do so for just £10 plus p&p each month via their website – or you can opt for a 3 or 6 month subscription if you’re already hooked!

Totally hellbent for a box full of amazing treats and a tiny puppy to help me dispose of the packaging

-Pants