My first Birchbox

I read quite a few local fashion and beauty blogs, so I've often heard mention of Birchbox, but I hadn't thought of signing up to it until recently. However, after trying out lots of beauty samples through Spa in the City, I was kind of in the mood to try more new beauty products!

If you haven't heard of it before, Birchbox is a beauty subscription that sends you a box of goodies each month. I really liked the look of the June one, and there was a choice of different box designs, so I decided it was time to give it a try for a few months.

1. The box

I love the box itself! I chose a design which looks like liquorice allsorts, and has kind of an 80s feel to the design. It was so hard to choose between this and the one with blue and white stripes! It's a box that will be really useful for storage or, if I covered up the logo, as a gift box (but I don't think I could bear to give it away!). The only thing I felt about the box was that, if your business model is sending things by post, would it be possible to design something that would fit through the letter box? But perhaps that would narrow down what products would fit in the box.

2. The booklet

There's a handy little booklet in the box that tells you all about the different products and how to use them, and gives information on other products. The booklet seems to be tailored to exactly what items have been chosen to go in your box.

3. English Laundry No7 fragrance

Didn't like this at all, it's very overpowering, and I wouldn't even give it to any of my friends or family, as I wouldn't want to smell it on them! It's a shame that Birchbox doesn't let you opt out of getting perfumes, as I find they are a very personal thing and so many of them make me headachy.

4. Cowshed Knackered Cow body lotion

Love this! It smells like Turkish Delight, similar to Lush's Charity Pot. And it's a good sized bottle.

5. Nude treatment oil

I really liked the feel of this on my face. It's hard to tell if it's doing all the nourishing it promises, but I do like it and will continue to use the whole sample. The oil is quite orangey coloured, so I make sure it is well absorbed before bed as I wouldn't want it to stain the pillowcases.

6. Beauty Protector hair oil

Again, I liked the feel of this and will continue to use it. There were two small bottles of this in the box.

7. ModelCo mascara

I really like the design of the brush. It's fat and bushy and really seems to coat even the smallest lash. It made my lashes long without being clumpy or spidery, so that's great!

8. STYLondon metallic temporary tattoos

Can't wait to use these! I'm loving the look of metallic temporary tattoos, and these gold ones are just what I wanted.

9. French Sole shoe bag

This is going to be really useful when I go on holiday later this year! It matches the liquorice allsorts design of the box. The shoe bag was the deciding factor that made me plump for this design, as I felt the blue and white one would be more likely to show dirt.