Beauty: Birchbox September 2014

I may not be a beauty blogger, but I do enjoy reading the occasional beauty blog which is how I came across beauty subscription boxes. Some of the boxes have been around for years, but I've finally decided to give a few of them a whirl to see if there's one I'd like to stick with for a monthly beauty treat.

Basically, a beauty subscription box is where you get sent samples and full-size products of various beauty brands. This could be some make-up, a nail polish, some hair products, a body scrub or face cream, and it seems to be you get at least three items, maybe a few more, at a cost of around a tenner per month. Some become cheaper if you commit to a six or twelve month contract, but most offer a rolling contract that you can cancel at any time. It's the beauty equivalent of Hello Fresh and SimplyCook that I've talked about before.

First up, I tried Birchbox which cost me £7.95 for my September box as I had a code. (It will cost £12.95 next month.)

The box was nicely presented and had the theme of "School Days" though, admittedly, it has been recycled as I couldn't see myself turning the box into photo frames, as suggested. Ditto for the Birchbox Happy Days photo clip. (Maybe if I was 15?) I also gave the Urban Fruit in Perfect Pineapple flavour to Olly as that's not my sort of snack.

This still left me with a few goodies though to try out, and they were all beauty goodies which is what I signed up for! The Premae Mild Pro Dermabrasion sample seemed quite watery but left my face feeling fresh, and I estimate I'll happily be able to use it a further three or four times.

I've used Moroccan oil on my hair before so know it's awesome at making my hair soft and replenishing it on the day I use it, but I always need to wash my hair the next day as it goes greasy. I had the same issue with the Agave Healing Oil Treatment sample, though it did make my hair smell gorgeous.

The ModelCo lip lacquer in Viva was, quite frankly, horrid. It was a good sample size, but the colour clashed with my skin tone and, for some reason, the colour wouldn't even sit on my lips. It oddly pooled around the edge, and I found the non-sticky formula to be sticky.

The beautyblender (with blendercleanser) is a full size product, which has a value of £26, and it's used to eliminate lines and streaks when you're putting on foundation. I just use my fingers to apply my make-up (bad, apparently) and it felt a bit like the beautyblender was actually rubbing off my foundation when I used it... I'll share my proper thoughts in October's Birchbox review blog post once I've used it more!

My favourite sample was the It's Potent! Eye Cream by Benefit as it had a nice smooth texture and felt luxurious - it's definitely better than the Liz Earle eye cream I currently use, and might just be my new eye cream (though I do have Avon's ANEW Clinical Eye Life Pro to try out).

I really like that you earn points for completing surveys on the samples you get. I earned 47 from September's box, which equates to £4.70 to spend on the site, though I have to collect 100 points before I can spend that. If you want to try Birchbox yourself, use this link and it will add a free £5 into your account.

I've got another box coming from Birchbox, and then I'll decide whether I'm keeping or cancelling this subscription. I'm also trying My Little Box and Glossybox so look out for my reviews when those boxes arrive. Have you signed up to any beauty subscription boxes? x