BIRCHBOX JULY 2014 - SUN, SEA & SAND BEAUTY BOX

This month’s Birchbox is all about the summer holiday, sun, sea and sand. The box includes products which will see you through the hottest season (maybe not in the UK). I receive 4 products every month for £10 including p&p.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream £20.00 – This is a product I have used in the past, if I had to recommend an eye cream it would probably be this one. Great for younger skins, to brighten the eye area and keep wrinkles at bay. It’s really light on the skin and a little goes a long way, like to apply this at night time. It contains a unique blend of Roman chamomile, lemon, cucumber oil, witch hazel, anti-oxidant spruce knot, virigin coconut, rosehip oil and carrot oil. I have gone through two little tubes of this and have found no need to repurchase a bigger size, as I keep receiving samples in beauty boxes.

Laqa & Co Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in Bees Knees £14.00 – Love the shade of this lip pencil, it’s a lovely coral pink. I have really been enjoying using lip crayons instead of lipsticks as they are so much easier to use and re-apply.  The finish is a glossy sheer wash of colour, which is great for summer days to stick into your handbag and re-apply on the go. This is my first taste of the brand and I would like to try more from the range.

Gilchrist & Soames English Spa Sea Kelp Extract Mineral Bath £11.25 – I pick a bath over a shower any day so this is the perfect product for me. You pour this under hot running water and this foamy gel creates your own mineral bath to invigorate the skin. The formula contains marine nutrient sea kelp and feels like such a luxury product. It has a lovely citrus and herb fragrance and you can also use this as a shower gel. This isn’t a brand I’ve heard of before but I’m definitely enjoying it so far.

Whish Three Whishes Lavender Body Butter £14.50 – I’m not a big fan of lavender scents but when the product card promised ‘not your granny’s lavender’ I was intrigued to try it. It is super sweet and smells like something Laura Mercier would sell in her Bath & Body range. It feels really soothing and not greasy at all on the skin and is great for dryer areas. It contains Organic aloe, shea butter and raspberry butter to conquer dryness, while organic seaweed extract contains naturally high levels of skin-firming peptides.

You can also receive this month; Benefit’s Porefessional, Compagnie de Provence Hand Cream Mediterranean Sea, Laqa & Co Sheer Lip Lube in Menatour, Models Own Nail Polish, Number 4 Jour D’Automne Non Aerosol H Air Spray. Philip Kingsley One More Day Dry Shampoo, Soigne Nail Lacquer, The Chia Co Chia Shots, Ultradex Oral Spray, Vita Coco Lemonade, Weleda Millet Nourishing Shampoo and Welda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash.

Not the most exciting box I have received from Birchbox, but still a few new products to try out and one product I love to use.

What is your favourite beauty box? 

WHAT I THOUGHT OF SEPTEMBER'S GLOSSYBOX 2012

I know this is not the most up to date Glossybox but I thought it would be a good idea to review the products I have used up in the box instead of just showing you what I received in my box that month. I am also doing my dissertation around the beauty box concept so it's helpful for me to view each section of the box and look back on it.

September's box was designed by Maggie Li a London based up-and-coming illustrator. I love the design and have since put it to good use on my desk and filled it with any jewellery that was just sitting around.

Lady Gaga Fame Fragrance - Fullsize 30ml, £25.00 - Ever since this product was released I wanted to test it, as I was so intrigued by the black liquid. I did wonder if the scent was going to be like some other sickly sweet Celebrity fragrances and not to my taste, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really like this fragrance, I don't know if I like it enough to buy the full-size for myself, but the sample went straight into my handbag and is on it's last legs as I write this. I think it's a great little innovation how the liquid comes out clear on your skin. 
Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum - Fullsize 25ml, £127.00 - I'd heard a lot about this wonder product before using it, so I was expecting great things from it. Obviously, at the age of 21 I'm not the best person to test this product for results with fine lines and wrinkles. But I did see a visible difference in my skin's appearance and it has got me interested in discovering more affordable serums that I can use in my night time skincare routine.
Rodial 5 Minute Facial - Fullsize 50ml, £35.00 - This is my ideal product to receive in a Glossybox. I love any kind of pamper products and I found that with this mask. Again this product helps with ageing skin, but I loved the clay texture of this and felt this gave me similar results. I have seen a cheaper alternative which I'm tempted to try by Botanicals which is under £5 at the moment in Boots. 
Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - 15ml £20.00 - I'm so glad I received this product as I had just run out of a tube I received in a past magazine. I've really enjoyed using this product , I feel it does brighten up your eye area and it is very soothing on the skin. I would definitely repurchase the full-size after my second tube runs out as the 7ml lasts me a fair few months, so I feel it's very good value for money.

Vichy Idealia Day Care Cream, Fullsize 50ml, £22.00 - This is another skincare item which I have fallen in love with and featured in one of my favourites posts. This moisturiser is for normal to combination skin and smells just like raspberries! I have enjoyed applying this every morning and I feel it helps to illuminate my skin and sooth any dry patches I may have. I would repurchase this as it is the first Vichy product I have tried and I am very impressed by the quality of this day cream.
Maghrabian Hair Oil, Fullsize 50ml, £13.00 - I love trying any kind of oil treatments on my hair, it is definitely a nice treat and leaves my hair feeling so soft and in the best state it could be in. It removes any frizz and protects the ends of your hair. I'm not so keen on the scent, I find it quite 'manly'. But it is a lovely intensive treatment for your hair. 
As you can see I pretty much loved every single product inside September's Glossybox. Which product did you enjoy the most? I was lucky enough to recently win the Glossybox Pinterest Competition in collaboration with DrJart! and received one of three lovely DrJart Boxes with four product from their new skincare range. I will be sure to update you on how I got on with those, but to view my winning Pinterest Board click here.