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

#30DaysTested

Well February flew by and it is time for another #30DaysTested review.  I know this is a little late and I have explained why my blog posts have gotten a bit sparse here. This was created by Gemma from Beautiful Things.  She came up with a great idea of actually using a product for a month to see how well it actually performs as most of us tend to buy products, use them and go onto other products after a short period of time. Each month, I am testing on product out of the categories (Found here) and just using that product exclusively throughout the month.

This month's review is on hand cream

What brand is it?
Sainsbury's

What is it?
Vitamin E Hand & Nail Cream

Where is it from?
Any Sainsbury's stores and online.

What is it said to do?

'Nourish and hydrate dry skin'

How much was it?
£1

Did you use it for the full 30days?
Yes.

First thoughts?
'wow this smells amazing!'  It is a nice thin cream which is almost gel like

Positives...
Nice smell, great texture, great, simple  packaging

Negatives...
I don't think I have any negatives about this hand cream as it did what I wanted it to do.

Will you buy it again?
Yes as it is effective yet affordable

Overview
Great for using when hand are dry and it softens the cuticle as well.

Next months #30daystested product will be a Nail Growth Treatment / Nail Polish. So look out for that.

Bye for now.

Jess. X

A bit of an update

Hi guys.

Wow it's been a while since I have updated my blog but uni has been manic.  I have been trying to sort out getting a placement as I am supposed to be starting tomorrow but that doesn't seem to be happening.  Luckily, I have been told that I can still do my placement outside of my lectures but it is just finding one that is proving difficult.  Also my sleeping pattern has gone awry again.

I will be posting more often during March and some of my February posts will be a little bit late.  I would like to thank those who have been patent and you will be hearing from me soon.

What would you like to see for my next post...February's Favourites, #30daystested or February's Birchbox?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

50 Random facts about me

I was watching Ingrid Nilsen the other day and she uploaded a video on her 50 random facts about me and I thought how good that would be as a blogpost so here is my 50 random facts that you may not know about me.

1. I own more socks than I do underwear.  They are so cheap and you can never have enough pairs of socks.  I can get 7 pairs for £2 at Primark.
2. I can eat Nutella straight from the jar with a spoon.  I always tell people that if they get me a jar of Nutella, a spoon and a corner I will sit and be quiet!
3. I am a first year university student and want to become a Neonatal Nurse.
4. For 22 months I was in a hostel and within those 22 months I feel that I have grown up a lot as it was a very eye opening experience.
5. I cannot stand watching the movie 'ET'  From a small age, I have always been afraid of the film.  I went to DisneyWorld in Florida when I was 12 and my dad made me go on a ride that was 'ET' related and I had to sit right in front of the basket where it would pop up.  I bawled my eyes out for an hour afterwards.
6. I binge watch videos on YouTube.  Only the YouTubers I like.
7. My favourite number is 7 (or any number with the number 7 in it...like 77 or 777)
8. I don't like custard or cream and my boyfriend calls me a freak because of it!
9. I read Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca when I was 8 and I love reading books (if only I had the time to read anything other than books relating to my course at the moment!)
10. I have only ever broke one bone in my body and that was 3 weeks into year 11 (I was 15 at the time) and that happened as I was helping put up the trampoline in P.E.
11. I love going to the gym.  I started going to my university's gym as I gained a scholarship which gave me a free gym membership.  It gives me a break from work and I can just plug my headphones in and forget the world for a hour.
12. I only went to two freshers events back in September as I don't like going to nightclubs.
13. I got a 1st in my first set of assessment results and I am so proud of that.
14. I am lost without my glasses.  I am that short sighted that I have to have things right up to my nose before I can see things.  
15. Speaking of glasses I have been wearing them for 21 years.  I was 4 when I started wearing them.
16. I have met Bear Grylls who is the Chief Scout in the UK and I share the same birthday (7th June for reference)
17. I love snow.
18. I hate been cold and always say that I am living in the wrong country.
19. Instead of holding my knife in my right hand (the normal way) I have my fork in my right hand.
20. I grew up with two left handed parents.
21. I lost my dad 3 weeks into my first year of university.
22. I was the only one in my family who could tame small animals.  
23. I have had 3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 bunny, 5 guinea pigs, 6 hamsters, I budgie and countless amounts of fish. (I feel like I am forgetting a few pets.)
24. It took me 5 years to get into Harry Potter and now I am obsessed and cannot believe the saga is over *starts crying*
25. I spend more time tweeting on my blog twitter account then I do on my personal account.
26. I love writing stories.  I completed NaNoWriMo back in 2012 and haven't completed it since.
27. I am a Scout leader and love everything about scouting but gutted I don't have the time now I am at university.
28. My boyfriend is my District Commissioner in my scout district so I get to take part in event automatically (unless I am busy at the time)
29. I am obsessed with stationary.  I only wish that I was living in the US as they seem to have much prettier stationary than the UK.
30. I bought my first high end foundation at the age of 25 and have a wish list for so much more.
31. I recently chopped off my hair to shoulder length and my friend almost cried when I did it (It was half way down my back)
32. I don't like wafers but I can eat Cornettos and KitKats.
33. I cannot stand feet.  
34. I hate my feet being touched yet I allow my boyfriend to rub them sometimes.
35. My favourite colour is pink.  Doesn't matter what shade of pink it is as long as it's pink.
36. I drink too much Coca Cola or Pepsi.  Not the diet versions but the regular version.
37. I put mayonnaise on virtually every hot food.
38. I have been with my boyfriend 2 and a half years at the end of February.
39. I am 4 foot 11 inches and everyone comments on how small I am...annoys me sometimes but I have learned to accept my shortness.
40. I am the eldest out of three children and my 21 year old brother will graduate before me.
41. I have two mothers, one who is my biological mother and one who is so much like a mother, I sometimes call her mum.
42. I love sleep (who doesn't?)  I could sleep for ever but I go to bed late so don't get as much sleep as I want.
43. I don't have a passport.  I have never owned one but have been out the country.  (on my parents passport)
44. I have been to Crete three times, Menorca once, Paris twice, South of France once and Florida once.
45. I spent my 12th birthday in Florida which was a really good experience.
46. I get bored easily.
47. I have started a blog so many times and each one of them have failed after a week apart from this blog.
48. I can crochet and cross stitch really well and taught myself how to do them both.
49. I hate spiders.
50. People say I am kind and considerate and always think of others.

So that my friends is fifty random facts that you may not have known about me.  I don't think I have done much in my life but looking at the list shows me that I have some interesting parts to me.

What randoms facts do you have?  Have you any that are similar to mine?

Bye for now.

Jess. x