Happy Monday everyone! Hope you are in the Thanksgiving mood. I can’t believe that it is already the end of November…. crazy.
Anyway, this is the final Birchbox UK I’ll receive. I’ll be placing an order from the shop soon since I have points, but this is my last regular box. 😦
This is a gorgeous bag! I love the blue color on it. I have saved all the bags that I’ve received. Hopefully they’ll have a good use back home. They are too cute to throw out. I should point out that cardboard boxes are so nice, too. If I had a use for them, I would take them home, too. They are much sturdier than the US Birchbox cardboard boxes.
This first product is awesome. I am really in love with this. This is a sample of the English Laundry Eau de Parfum. According to the cheat sheet that comes with the Birchbox, the notes in this are quince, jasmine petals, and musk. I don’t think I’ve ever used a perfume with quince in it, but I’m a total convert now. I really want to order this, but it is kind of expensive, and I really don’t need more perfume (I have a TON of Bath and Body Works stuff at home). Sigh. The value of this sample is 1.88 GBP.
Next, I got this product from Weleda. It is the Replenishing Oat Shampoo. It seems like it will be good for dry hair (I have that!). It doesn’t smell THAT good… it kind of smells like hotel shampoo. You know how some hotels just have their own brand of shampoo/soap… it smells like that. Oh well, I will still use it. I might run out of the shampoo that I bought before it is time for me to leave, so I’m super happy that I got a sample size of this. It will be most helpful. This sample is worth .85 GBP.
I received this Chella Highlighter Pencil. I know that they were also sampling this in the US boxes this month. I checked online, and I didn’t get it in mine. I am definitely glad that I get a chance to try it, but I hope I don’t end up getting another one in future US boxes. The only reason I say this is because it is more or less the same color as my skin tone. I don’t get any kind of highlighting effect from this thing at all, which is disappointing. I also find it a little hard to blend. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still use it, but only on days where I want something more subtle. It might be more useful in the summer when I have a little more of a tan. This is a full-size, however, and is worth 15.95 GBP!
So this product got a bit damaged during shipping. The actual product itself is fine, but the label has unfortunately worn off. According to my card, this is the Laura Mercier Body Butter. My incredible deductive abilities (sarcasm) led to me to the conclusion that this is the Fresh Fig scent. It doesn’t smell bad, but it is definitely not my favorite. I’m excited to give this a go. I’ll keep you posted and will let you know how I get on with this. This is a significant value at 4.33 GBP.
I got a second makeup product in my box this month. This is the lila ‘lli Line Define Fill. Apparently, you can use this on your eyes or lips, but seeing as Notorious is a hot pink, I’ll stick to using it on my lips. I’ve never owned a lip pencil before, so I was super excited to try it out. I have to admit that my first impression isn’t a very good one. I find this pencil to apply the color in a blotchy way, and it is also quite sticky. I love the finish of the pencil, though. I really like matte finishes. I do find this very cool toned hot pink to be wildly inappropriate for this season. I love bright lip colors any time of year, but this is just too much. I think it might be too much in general… I think I am getting a bit old for these obnoxiously bright colors. I am thinking about internships and jobs and… ugh adult stuff, and I don’t associate this color with those things. It does look pretty with the Skylark Sophia gloss on top, but on its own, it isn’t my favorite. When I get home to my full lipstick collection, I’m sure I will find a good combination. I won’t let this product go to waste. It is a full size, and its value is 10 GBP.
adds .34 GBP total to the value of the box.
The lifestyle extra this month: tea. Since being in England, I have developed quite an appreciation for tea. I got three different kinds from the brand Pukka (which I do see in Sainsbury’s/Tesco… just not these flavors). The flavors are Earl Grey, Three Cinnamon (can’t wait to try this one), and Elderberry & Echinacea. The Earl Grey and Three Cinnamon are each worth .11 GBP and the Elderberry & Echinacea is worth .12 GBP. This lifestyle extra
This was considered a “goodie” this month. I have to say that since I received two products that will need sharpening in the future, I am quite excited to have received this Birchbox pencil sharpener. It is worth 3 GBP!
Overall, I am very pleased with this box. Even though the Chella and lila ‘lli products aren’t my favorite, I’m very happy to have received them so that I can try them. The total value of the box is an impressive 36.35 GBP! I am sad to leave Birchbox UK, but my wallet will be a bit happier now, I suppose.
What do you think? Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think in a comment below.
I’m not getting paid for this post. All opinions are my own. I bought everything myself.