February and March Birchbox

Hi guys.  

I know...it's been a while since I have posted a 'proper' post but university just got so busy and I have been suffering with my sleep so I have had no motivation to do anything but sleep.  I am now back but how often I will post still remains to be determined.  I would like to get back to my small series but again that will take time.

I have decided to combine both February's and March's Birchboxes together as I cannot justify doing two separate blog posts considering it is now March so technically the February box is very late so that is why I am including it within this post.

February 2015

As this is a February box, the theme of the box is love, after all Valentines day is all about love!  In my opinion, there wasn't much in there in respects to love but there was some products that can be used for pampering yourself.

The first product that I received was London Butterflies Bath Salt Scrub.
Birchbox says: Dead sea salt and almond oil renew the skin and lock in moisture.  I haven't had the chance to try this but the scent of this is amazing.  It smells so fresh and looks like it has just the right amount of graininess to it.  It comes in a nice glass jar which make this look expensive.
Full price: £35

The second product is theBalm Cosmetics Stainiac in the shade Beauty Queen.
Birchbox says: Add a pop of long-lasting colour to lips and cheeks with this gel stain.  Again, I haven't tried this as I am a bit weary of stains for cheeks and I am only just branching out into bright colours on my lips.  I will try this product once I have gotten a bit more courage for the bright lip.
Full price: £10

The next product I was hoping for in a previous box is the Eyeko Fat Eye Stick in Guilt (I think)
Birchbox says: Your smokey eye just got as easy as 1-2-3 with this bronze jumbo pencil.  I love this colour and again I haven't tried this yet but I cannot wait to try this and hopefully some more from this brand
Full price: £16 for a trio.

This next product is Electric Hair's Hydrate Shampoo.
Birchbox says: Boost, moisture and restore shine with this ultra-hydrating shampoo.  I have never heard of this brand before so I don't really know what to expect and because my hair isn't super dry, I don't know if this will work to it's full potential.
Full price: £17.50

The fifth product I received is Caudalie's Vinoperfect Radiance Serum.
Birchbox says: Skin will be glowing thanks to this radiance-boosting, oil-free formula.  I have heard good things from this brand so I am looking forward to using this.
Full price: £45

The final product and the only lifestyle product is Vita Coco Coconut oil.
Birchbox says: Use as a moisturiser, hair treatment, smoothie ingredient and more!  I don't really know what to use this and am thinking about using it to make my own lip scrub (Will hopefully do a post about it if I get around to using it.
Full price: £10.99

So that was February's Birchbox and overall, I am happy with what I got.

March 2015

This months box has collaborated with Habitat, a furniture and homeware website.  This month is also about trying things at home with an incentive to  refresh homes and selves for the spring and summer.  Also this month, subscribers as well as new subscribers can pick their own sample.  Birchbox teamed up with Benefit and gave us three sample size mascara's to try, BADgal Lash, Roller Lash and They're Real! Mascara.

The first product I got was a product I was really excited to receive.  Benefit's Roller Lash.

Birchbox says:  A jet-black, lash-perfecting formula from the masters of lashes themselves.  I chose Roller Lash because of two reasons, first, I couldn't find any Elle magazines (which were also giving away free samples of this mascara) and second, I loved the way it looked compared to the other two mascara's)  I have since tried this out and so far I am liking it but I am going to keep using it to get a better feel for what the mascara does and how I like it.

Full price: From £17.50

The second product is a perfume sample of Catherine Malandrino's Style de Paris.

Birchbox says: A playful yet sophisticated fragrance with citrus top notes and a fruity twist.  I had seen this in a previous box and was happy enough to receive this as I had never gotten a perfume sample before and I am looking for a spring/summer fragrance.

Full price: £50

The third product is Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer.

Birchbox says: A pre-shampoo treatment the restores suppleness and bounce to damaged tresses.  I have heard about this brand before but not this product so I don't really know what to expect from it plus from the directions, it says to leave on hear for 20 minutes but I don't know if I have time to use it properly.

Full size: £27.50

The fourth product is Whish Three Whishes Lavender Body Butter.

Birchbox says: Not old fashioned lavender - this sweet-scented antioxidant-rich lotion nourishes skin.  I was excited to see a lavender scented product in my box as I have been having trouble sleeping recently and lavender is supposed to help relax and calm the body so I am excited to try this out at night. 

Full price: £14.50

The last beauty product is Lord & Berry's Couture Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Black.

Birchbox says: A silky-smooth, highly pigmented liner for the ultimate smoky eye.  I love eye liner so a sample of one is more than welcomed in my collection.

Full price: £10

The first of the two lifestyle products is a sample chapter from A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi.

Birchbox says: An epic tale of ambition, ego and passion with the beauty industry as its backdrop.  I don't know how I feel about getting a sample of a novel in a box like this as everyone has different tastes and not everyone is going to like it.  I may have a look at this but for now it is say in a drawer gathering dust.

Full price: £7.99

The final product and the second lifestyle product is Birchbox & Habitat Exclusive Notebook.

Birchbox says: A petite but perfectly formed jotter to pen all your ideas and inspirations inside.  This is tiny and I don't know how much I will use this as I have other notebooks that are a decent size.

Full price: Is exclusive to Birchbox so does not have a price.

I am very impressed with the beauty side of this box and am looking forward to using the products as much as I can.  Next month's box is also another 'pick your own sample'  this time it is the turn of a brand called Laura Mercier.  I have heard so much positive things about this brand and I am looking forward to seeing what the options are for the pick your own sample.

Once again, I felt that I couldn't warrant separating the two boxes with it being 22 days into March so that is why I have merged the two boxes together.

Which box is your favourite?  Does any of your products differ to mine?  What Benefit mascara did you pick?

Bye for now.

Jess. X