Birchbox was one of the first beauty subscription boxes. It was and still is, a fun way to be introduced to beauty brands you might not have heard of before. It was how I came to know and love, The Balm’s Stainiac, Chella’s Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil and of course, Pixi.
Easing into autumn is the October offering from Birchbox called Days like these…
amika SOULFOOD nourishing mask
Packed with vitamin-rich sea buckthorn berry and jojoba oil, it intensely hydrates strands while repairing damage and sealing frayed ends. Best of all, it’s free of parabens and other unwanted chemicals that have no place near your head.
I’m no stranger to Amika hair care products. I have the Bombshell Blowout Spray which gives insane volume to fine hair. This conditioning mask has a lovely fresh, clean fragrance and is best used on the ends of your hair to make them look less straggly.
Daily Concepts Multi-Functional Soap Sponge Charcoal
This 2-in-1 soap-sponge hybrid tool combines detoxifying charcoal body wash with a mild, exfoliating scrubber so you can skip a step (and a product) in the shower. Expect to feel satisfyingly squeaky clean after using.
This is a square of charcoal soap with a thin layer of an exfoliating sponge on either side.
In the shower, this will exfoliate dead skin cells, remove old tan and prep skin for new tan. It leaves skin squeaky clean and smooth although you won’t realise how smooth until you apply body lotion. I felt this might be too rough on my face, so I just used it on my under chin area where I get tiny bumps and it did a good job of smoothing the skin.
There are loads of rave reviews for this product on the official Birchbox website. The few negative ones come from people who don’t like the scent which I find strange because it smells a little bit like Omorovicza Ultramoor Mud Mask.
There’s an inner plastic bag to store it after use, although I would leave it out to dry off a bit first. The ‘sponge sandwich’ doesn’t soften, split or break away and remains firm. Talking of firm, it’s available in 3 strengths, Mild, Gentle and Vigorous for hard core exfoliating.
Winky Lux Strobing Balm
Bring the spotlight with you with this high impact strobing balm. Easily blendable, get your highlight on in seconds – the ultra-smooth cream melts onto skin, leaving you radiantly glowing.
I’m 55, any kind of strobing make-up is a no-no for me. I was going to pass it on but as i was closing it, my finger hit the palette and made an impression, so I thought I might as well swatch it.
It’s very lightweight and creamy and can be blended to a faint sheen on the top of your cheekbones if you use the tiniest amount. Radiant Pink is a surprisingly subtle shade, (although I think it will really pop on darker skin tones). I use a cotton bud to pick up the smallest dot of product, and put a tiny bit on my cupid’s bow to highlight the top of my lips and make them look fuller.
Lord & Berry Magic Brow
The marbleised pencil is a mix of three colours to naturally fix any thinner patches and avoid an unnatural block-brow look.
I was so pleased when I saw this, because brown eye pencils never appear in beauty boxes or gifts with purchases, it’s always black. But this actually isn’t an eye pencil it’s a brow pencil – there’s no spoolie with this size which is why I got confused.
However, I’ve always said that brow products make the best eye liners because they’re designed to adhere to hair. Case in point? HD Brows, I use the Carbon shade from the Foxy palette to line my upper lids, once applied, it’s there for life.
I line my lower lids (three quarters along from outer to inner eye) with the superb, non smudging, Mac Stubborn Brown eye pencil. The line can sometimes look a little hard, so I’m using Magic Brow to give a softer and more natural finish to the end of the line. I also went crazy and used it as was intended and because it’s a dark golden brown shade it actually gave a nice polished edge to my fair brows without looking harsh.
BeautyPro THERMOTHERAPY Warming Gold Foil Mask with Hyaluronic Acid & Q10
Hydrate and stimulate tired skin with this luxurious mask. Self-warming foil allows ingredients to deeply penetrate the skin, improving elasticity and collagen production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles for a radiant glow!
I always use self heating masks in the evenings. I find they heat up a little too much and leave my skin very pink looking. This one I would’ve used the day of an event. It doesn’t warm up to an uncomfortable degree, there’s no downtime, ie zero pinkness and skin is noticeably softer, plus there’s a generous amount of serum to rub into skin afterwards. I can just imagine how superb my make-up would look if applied on the same day.
Also included was a sample of Hugo Boss BOSS The Scent Intense For Her Eau de Parfum
25% off Birchbox! Choose 1 month, 3 months or 6 months of beauty discoveries. Hurry, ends Wednesday 31st October!
