Birchbox vs. Glossybox │ June

Hellooo, everybody! Sorry for the delay with this post, June has been one hectic month. Also, where did June go? It popped by and then disappeared faster than you can say beauty box! As I already shared my first impressions on June’s Birchbox and Glossybox, I’ll try and keep this post brief – although being succinct is NOT my best skill… #sorrynotsorry. Let the battle of the boxes commence!

BIRCHBOX

This month, we received a super cute Birchbag, reminiscent of Brighton beach huts and lazy, hazy, summer days. But what were the products like?

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

This is a smooth, cruelty-free liner designed to add detailed brush strokes to the brows, but it doesn’t really work for me as it tends to smudge and blur. It’s fairly decent at lengthening the ends of my brows, but I’ll stick to my trusty brow powder to fill them in. 5/10

ARROW Enhance Waterproof Eyeliner in Bright Now│RRP £12

This product is also vegan and cruelty-free, which is majorly cool (GO BIRCHBOX!) but it’s ANOTHER eye-liner product, which is a bit of a let-down. It’s designed to brighten your eyes and is a creamy neutral pink colour, however, it’s a bit of a nothing product. Super subtle, it helped my eyes look a little more normal when they were puffy with hay-fever (cheers, pollen), but now they’ve calmed down a bit, it doesn’t really do much. Plus, on Birchbox’s website, this is a 2-in-1 product and we only got half of it! Snore. 4/10

Cowshed Cow Pat (no joke) Hand Cream │RRP £8 (full size)

Naturally sourced, paraben-free, holistic and not tested on animals; Cowshed products tick a LOT of top notch boxes, but I just don’t love the scent of this moisturising hand cream. The bitter orange notes are rather overpowering, but it does leave my hands feeling lovely and smooth. I’m SO keen to try more of Cowshed’s products, but this one isn’t a favourite for me. 7/10

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

As I mentioned in my previous post, last month’s Glossybox gave us a 200g Scrub Love pouch, so it was hard for Birchbox’s 50g offering to measure up. Having said that, this fragrance is gorgeous and far lovelier than the Cucumber & Bamboo one I got last month. I’ve used it ALL already (50g really doesn’t go very far!) and will definitely be buying more. 100% natural and cruelty-free, it’s a dream product. Especially if Scrub Love edit their packaging so it’s easier to use in the shower and less messy to soothe my (not-so) inner Monica Gellar. 9/10

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

Another cruelty-free product from the Birchbox beauties! This is a lovely, creamy cleanser made from gentle ingredients so it’s kind to all skin types. It’s the ideal product to take on a weekend away as it removes make-up whilst also cleansing and toning, leaving your skin feeling clean, fresh and nourished, and your bag less weighed down by tonnes of products! I’ve fallen in love with it and will definitely repurchase it in the future. 10/10

BIRCHBOX TOTAL: 35/50

GLOSSYBOX

This month’s Glossybox was veryyyy exciting, as we got a bonus sixth product and a sneak peak at blogger/vlogger extraordinaire Louise Pentland’s debut novel! Urgh, she is serious LIFE GOALS. Here’s the low down on the products…

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo │ RRP £22.50

Oh, how I love a good highlighter! Especially when they’re cruelty-free formulas, like this summery offering from Manna Kadar. It’s perfect for creating the desired dewy glow that’s just gorgeous for these summer months. Even if we’re blighted by grey skies, at least your face will scream summer. It’s not as easy to use as a powder/compact based highlighter, but it’s still pretty darn fabulous. 8/10

Beauty Pro Black Diamond Peel Off Mask │ RRP £4.95 for 3

This is SUCH a satisfying product to use! You smooth it over your face, allow it to set, and then peel it off to reveal smoother, clearer looking skin. It’s great at deeply cleansing your pores and it’s just oddly addictive! AND it’s cruelty-free. Winning! 8/10

Batiste Stylist Oomph My Locks XXL Volume Spray │RRP £4.29

I have pathetic, flat hair and long to look like Rachel Green circa 1995, but it takes a lot to get even a smidgen of volume in my locks. This product is AMAZING at creating some serious oomph and stopping it looking lank between washes. However, it can leave my hair really knotty the day after use, so be careful if you use it and be sure to comb through your hair thoroughly and gently to avoid breakage. 7/10

Sleek Makeup Power Plump Lip Crayon │ RRP £5.50

I love this stuff, it’s genius! For those of you who want luscious lips without painful, risky injections, this is your guy. It’s a lovely pinkish-nude colour and it leaves your lips tantalisingly tingly! Plus, Sleek products are cruelty-free, so what’s not to love? 10/10

111 Skin Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel │RRP £110 (still I say, wtf)

Crafted for astronauts to reduce the extreme ageing effects of space travel by Harley Street whiz kids, this is meant to reduce puffiness, fine lines and dark circles, all whilst maintaining moisture. The sample is teeny tiny, although it is an extra product in this month’s box, so I can’t really complain about that too much. I’m not impressed with this product at all, I haven’t noticed any improvement with my under-eye area and there’s nothing solid about the company’s animal testing policy anywhere. I tweeted them for clarification and asked whether they sold in China and they replied saying their products are sold worldwide *eyeroll*. AVOID. 1/10

Himalaya (since 1930) Purifying Neem Face Wash │ RRP £3.29

This is a lovely organically grown, eco-friendly face wash from a company who are completely against animal testing. It leaves my skin feeling super soft and clean and it’s an absolute STEAL at £3.29. Worth it. 8/10

GLOSSYBOX SCORE: 42/50 which makes them June’s winner! Roll on July’s boxes!

What are your thoughts on Birchbox and Glossybox? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading, chums.

Jess XO