The June Birchbox is actually a 'Birchbag'!
Now I'll admit that when I read that the June Birchbox was going to be delivered in a bag rather than a box, I was quite disappointed. As my previous Birchbox post revealed, I am very much a fan of using the boxes as cute storage spaces for my makeup, and the news that I was instead receiving a bag (of which I already own too many) was met with a sigh.
However, upon receiving my 'Birchbag' my mind was swiftly changed. The bag came in either mint green or yellow, and I chose the mint green version. As soon as I saw the bag I was thrown back to summer vibes of holidays by the beach, cocktails in the pool, and that illusive golden tan. It truly got me into the summer mood. I will definitely be using this bag as my go-to makeup travel bag.
Whilst the bag has become a holiday essential, the main function of the Birchbox is to deliver new, exclusive and/or interesting products to subscribers. As usual, the monthly Birchbox contains five items, which I will be reviewing in this post.
1st Item - MeechNMia Brown Liner in #021 RRP £12.99*
Rating - 8/10
The first item, and the item that every subscriber received in their 'Birchbag', was this eyebrow pencil from MeechNMia. Recently I have moved away from eyebrow pencils, towards a combo of pomades and powders, but I was happily surprised by how much I liked this product. Birchbox allow you to fill out a questionnaire once you have subscribed so that they can match products to your skin tone/hair colour/eye colour and general preferences, but I was amazed at how well suited I was to this shade. The application was easy, and its texture helped keep my eyebrows in place. Overall, I was very satisfied with this product, and it will definitely be my go-to eyebrow product when I'm in a rush!
Would I recommend? - Yes, I would definitely recommend this product if you are looking for a quick way to create those perfect brows.
2nd Item - Arrow Enhance Waterproof Eyeliner in Bright Now RRP £12*
Rating - 7/10
The second item, a Birchbox exclusive, was a waterproof eyeliner by the brand Arrow in a nude shade which, once applied on your lower lash line, supposedly brightens up the eye. This product certainly brightened up my eye, and I have used it in various makeup looks this month, including this one:
However, though I think this product does what it claims to do very efficiently, and does indeed accentuate my eye and make me look more awake, this is personally something that I never really thought that I would need.
Would I recommend? - Yes, if you are looking to brighten up your eyes and look more awake. However, at the RRP of £12, I probably wouldn't buy this again, purely because it is not something I feel that I need at the moment.
3rd Item - Cowshed Cow Pat Hand Cream RRP £8*
Rating - 9/10
The third product is a hand cream by the brand Cowshed, a brand which my friend immediately recognised and told me was very good, filling me with confidence that this product would be one of the highlights of the 'Birchbag'. And Cowshed certainly didn't let me down. The cream smells amazing, and reminds me of complete and utter relaxation. It transported me back to every good spa I've ever been to. Not only does it smell amazing, but my hands felt incredibly soft and moisturised. In addition, a little goes a long way with this product, and I can see it lasting me for a while.
Would I recommend? - Definitely. This is my favourite product in the whole bag, and mainly because it smells so so so good. And at £8, it is super affordable. A dry-skin must have!
4th Item - Korres Milk Proteins 3-in-1 Cleansing Emulsion RRP £15*
Rating - 5/10
Though its name is fairly long and complicated, the fourth product is essentially a cleanser, which can remove makeup from both the face and eyes. To use, the product should be gently rubbed into the face, neck and eyes, and excess product should be removed with cotton pads. This product can be rinsed or tissued off. The cream proved easy to apply and the fact that you just wipe it off with a cotton pad was simple and timesaving. However, I was disappointed in the smell which was very neutral, and I also found that there was not much product within the bottle (it took several attempts to squeeze a product out, there was a lot of air inside) which was very surprising considering that the bottle was very small itself.
Would I recommend? - Probably not. I can see myself using this again, but I don't think it is an outstanding product, and I would rather just use a good face wipe to wipe away makeup and a liquid cleanser to clear up any makeup remnants.
5th Item - Scrub Love Coffee Body Scrub RRP £11.95*
Rating - 3/10
The fifth and final product was a body scrub from the brand Scrub Love. I was excited to try this as I have never tried a body scrub before. Containing robusta coffee, sweet orange oil, orange peel, pink rock salt, vitamin E & C, and sweet almond oil, this scrub promised to exfoliate, energise and soften the skin. I followed the instructions by massaging the scrub first onto dry skin then rinsing away.
The issue was that it felt like rubbing sand or dirt into your body. There was no cream or gel holding this product together, so it got very messy and made me wonder whether anything was actually happening. It did leave me smelling of coffee (so if that is what you're looking for then it does the trick), but the texture and application of this product was a bit too much for me. I will try this product in the bath in the future, as I feel like I would be wasting less product (a lot of it falls onto the shower floor). As I said, I have never tried a body scrub before, so perhaps they are just not my cup of tea, but it didn't leave my skin feeling any different if I am honest.
Would I recommend? - Unfortunately, no. Body scrubs in general (or at least ones like this) don't really seem to do much for me.
And that is it for my review of the June 2017 'Birchbag'. Unfortunately, I have been very busy throughout June so I have only now been able to write this review. The products for June were a mixed bag (no pun intended). Overall I was pretty impressed with this month's selections, in particular the Cowshed Hand Cream. Are you subscribed to Birchbox? If so leave a comment telling me what you thought of your 'Birchbag', and feel free to check out my social media links if you enjoyed this review!
EBB x
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*RRPs correspond to full-size items at birchbox.co.uk/shop
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