HAPPY DAYS BIRCHBOX - SEPTEMBER 2014

This month's Birchbox is themed around the back to school season and reminiscing about the happiest days of out lives. The products in this month's box celebrate capturing these moments and making new ones. Inside there are products that will help you look your best during your happiest days.

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream, full-size 14.2g £25.50 - This is an eye cream that I have used samples of before, really enjoyed it, but never purchased the full-size. The formula is really creamy, but still lightweight and I like that it comes in a pot. It's really refreshing around the eye and seems to reduce dark circles. It helps to smooth fine lines and protect against free radicals with this light peptide-packed formula.

Korres Citrus Body Milk, full-size 200ml £9.50 - Korres is a brand I always have a look at when I go down the beauty aisle at Waitrose. I have tried a couple of their moisturisers and lip products. The body milks are lightweight, so it's better to use this in the summer months. I like to use this out of the shower and you can layer up the scents by using the matching shower gel. It contains almond oil and shea butter and is great for dry skin.

Model Co Lip Lacquer in Morocco, full-size 3ml £15.oo - This month everybody got to choose one product they would receive. The choice was out of the Model Co Lip Lacquer in Morocco or Viva or the Model Co Powerlash Mascara. I chose the Lip Lacquer in Morocco which is a lovely nude pink. I haven't tried many products from Model Co before, but the Lip Lacquer is long wearing and highly pigmented. The formula isn't sticky at all, they're hydrating on the lips and I really like the glossy finish. This is one of my favourite discoveries this month.

Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub, full-size 100ml £25.00 - Premae is a brand I have only used from beauty boxes before. The brand is well known for their Vegan values. This product is a face and body scrub containing olive granules. This is great for blemishes, decongested pores and dull skin. I do get worried about using a scrub on my face which is also suitable for the body, but this isn't harsh at all and my skin is always super soft afterwards. This is also great for use after tanning and hair removal.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment, full-size 120ml £27.00 - Not a brand I have heard of before, but this lightweight oil helps to smooth hair, build resiliency and boost shine and colour. You can use this or dry or damp hair from roots to ends and I love the coconut scent. I would definitely be interested in purchasing the full-size of this.

The lifestyle choices this month were a Birchbox Happy Days photo clip, which went with the theme of the box. They also included Urban Fruit Smashing Strawberry, which are so yummy, I'm going to have to try the other flavours. I'm now off to redeem some Birchbox points in the e-shop against my favourite full-sized products.

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YOU BEAUTY DISCOVERY BIRTHDAY SPECIAL SEPTEMBER 2014

You Beauty Discovery has become one of my favourite beauty boxes to receive every month. It’s now been a year since they launched and I've been a subscriber since the beginning. The concept of the box is that they give the customer the choice to pick two items from a list of around ten products every month. I love picking my choices and it still gives you that surprise element as they might be items you wouldn't normally pick up, or beauty products you have wanted to try for a while.

This month they also included some birthday treats, £25 off your first order with Hello Fresh, two soothing Crabtree & Evelyn tea bags and a face sponge. Everyone also received an extra full-sized product, the Toni & Guy Glamour Volume Plumping Whip – which I already own and love. This is applied at the roots before blow drying to create body and volume.

The first product I chose was the Eyeko Hydrogel Eye Patches which come in packs of two and we received two sachets. I’m always excited by these kind of skincare products, I love a good face mask. You place these directly underneath the eyes and they help to instantly brighten and revive tired eyes. Great to use after a night out or if your feeling extra tired as they help with puffiness and dark shadows and leave your skin hydrated. Just leave them on for 30 minutes, take them off and carry on with the rest of your skincare routine. You can gently pat the eye area to help the skin absorb the nutrients, they contain concentrated botanical blend with Vitamin B and fruit extracts to treat the delicate eye area. I haven't tried much from Eyeko, so I'm looking forward to giving these a go on a pamper evening.

My second choice was from a brand I hadn't really heard much of, Ark. I received the Ark Age Aware Skincare Loving Body Wash and Body Butter duo. These are great products to have with the colder months coming and perfect for travel. These products help to soften skin with a blend of essential oils, chosen to boost your well-being. The scent is lovely - a creamy, sweet floral Rose, Jasmine and Orange flower, it actually reminds me of the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish.

You Beauty still have a few options available for this month, but a lot of them went out of stock straight away, so you have to be quick to make sure you get what you want. I think You Beauty Discovery is a great box if you enjoy discovering new products and at £6.95 it’s a lot cheaper than other beauty boxes.

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