Birchbox │ June │First Impressions

Hellooo everybody! Before I get on with my regular Birchbox vs. Glossybox post for this month, I thought I’d better tell you my first impressions of this month’s offering from the gems at Birchbox – a little late, but there we go. For June, we received a Birchbag instead of the usual box and it’s SO lovely. The stripey design, in pastel pops of colour, was inspired by the beach huts of one of my favourite English cities, beautiful Brighton. As always, it arrived a few days before my Glossybox and I was a little underwhelmed when I first opened it. I felt like the products were a bit samey and it just didn’t have the wow-factor, if I’m honest. The bag is cute af, but I just wasn’t blown away initially. That is, until I tried some of the products…

MeechNMia Brow Liner in #021│RRP £12.99 (full size)

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This is a smooth and creamy liner aimed at adding definition to the brows. It’s cruelty-free, which is an added bonus, but personally, I find it difficult to add detailed brush strokes to my brows with it, as it tends to smudge and blur. It’s great at defining the lower length and arch of my brows, but I’ll stick to my trusty brow powder to fill them in.

ARROW Enhance Waterproof Eyeliner in Bright Now│RRP £12

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This is a vegan and cruelty-free formula, so I was massively impressed to receive more than one cruelty-free product in the adorable little Birchbag, BUT it’s another eye liner product, which was a bit of a let down. It’s designed to brighten your eyes and is a creamy pink colour, so it ticks the on-trend neutrals box. Subtlety is its strength; it’s not something you’d use for a pop of drama at all. It’s fairly long lasting and it has added a little liveliness to my horrid hay-fever eyes! However, on Birchbox’s website, it’s a 2-in-1 double ended product, so I do feel a tad short changed to only have half the eyeliner.

Cowshed Cow Pat (yes, you read that right) Hand Cream │RRP £8 (full size)

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This is a rather oddly named, and oddly scented, hand cream. It contains both grapefruit and bitter orange oils, but I find the fragrance a tad overpowering. It’s super moisturising, which is a plus, but I’m just not a fan of the scent. I checked the FAQ of their website and they state that they’re against animal testing and won’t do it, “not now, not ever”. Their ingredients are holistic, naturally sourced and contain no parabens, which is another plus, so I would definitely love to try some of their other products in the future.

Scrub Love Coffee Body Scrub in Coconut Mango│RRP from £11.95*

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Last month’s Glossybox contained a 200g Scrub Love pouch, so although I loved receiving a new scent, it was underwhelming to get a little 50g offering from Birchbox. I much prefer this fragrance to the Cucumber & Bamboo one I got from Glossybox and it’s one of the BEST scrubs I’ve ever come across. It’s VERY messy however and I do wish Scrub Love would alter their packaging to make it easier to use in the shower. I am a neat freak though, so give this a try and see for yourself! The mess might not bother you as much as it does me (I’m anal af) AND it’s 100% natural and cruelty-free, which is pretty darn fabulous.

Korres Milk Proteins 3-in-1 Cleansing Emulsion │ RRP £15

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I wasn’t particularly excited to try this product when I first opened the Birchbag and felt a little flat about receiving it, but then I tried it *cue heart eyed emoji* This is a gorgeous, effective cleanser that is gentle on the skin and uber nourishing. It removes makeup whilst also cleansing and toning, and because of their gentle ingredients, it’s kind to all skin types. I completely misjudged this product and will definitely repurchase it in the future. Another tick in the Korres box? They’re cruelty-free, they even closed their stores in China to take a stance against animal testing!

After researching each brand for this post, I discovered that every product in this month’s Birchbag is cruelty-free! WELL DONE BIRCHBOX. This has made me incredibly happy and I’m naturally looking forward to what July has in store. Long may the compassionate cosmetics continue!

What did you think of this month’s Birchbag? Thanks for reading!

Jess XO

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