Birchbox October 2013 UK

Today, I received my first Birchbox today! I am so impressed!! LOVE LOVE LOVE. After so many disappointing Glossyboxes, I can only kick myself in the bum for not switching over beauty boxes sooner. I don't think the quality of this months Birchbox is a one off, I have always looked at the reviews and unboxing blogs and have always been amazed at some of the items they send out.

Birchboxes are exactly the same price as Glossybox £10 plus £2.05 p&p. They send out 4-5 luxury samples, as well as an additional 1-2 lifestyle products. 

The box itself is a bit smaller in size than Glossybox and the items come in a little drawstring bag :)
As a new subscriber, I got a little welcome card; which I thought is such a nice touch - I never had this before in Glossybox - being acknowledged and appreciation for my custom!

Five core products

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser 14.7ml sample

Super generous sample of the cult product. I received the colour sand, which is a little too dark for me :( but because it's very sheer, I'm hoping it will adapt to my skin tone.

KMS Silk Sheen styling cream 50ml sample

A lightweight control cream with added heat protection. Can be used on damp hair or on dry hair for a more textured effect. I've never used this brand before but first impressions is that it seems a fairly decent product - feels lightweight and smells nice. Also this is a first! receiving a product for my hair type!

The Balm Stainiac gel lip and cheek tint 1.2ml sample

Apparently from reviews I've read, people who have tried this and Benetint, much prefer this brands offer. It's quite a light gel and doesn't have that rose water scent normally attributed to such stain products. The applicator is a doe foot and with it being a gel consistency, it applies much better than the usual runny liquid and nail varnish brush offer. I'm also loving the results, it's not super moisturising but more so than any other stain I've tried previously. The colour payoff is also much better than the competition; normally I would apply three coats for my desired look but I only needed one with Stainiac.

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant 7.5g sample

A full size of this product retails for over sixty pounds and it looks like I'm going to get about five uses out of this sample - very happy! This exfoliater is meant to mimic the results you get from a professional treatment as it's packed with crystals and lactic acid (very good for my skin).

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips 3ml Sample

I received this product from Glossybox a couple of months ago and although I don't dislike the product, it's not something that particularly excites me. 3ml sounds like a small sample but you honestly don't have to use much of this product. I would have been disappointed to receive this if the rest of my box wasn't as amazing.

Two lifestyle products

3 sachets of Egyptian Magic cream

I remember this cream made the rounds in magazines about four years ago, about it being a miracle product. I didn't buy it because it was (and still is) mainly only sold online. The product is quite expensive but you do get a lot of product in one pot - so if you factor out price per gram, it is quite reasonable. I'm looking forward to trying this so much as my skin is always dry and flakey . This balm is quite solid, so you rub it between the palms to melt into a oil to apply. I got three sachets as an additional item!!! Glossybox would have given me ONE as one of my five.

 Birchbox gel mask

Another lovely addition, a gel mask for tired eyes. Pop into the fridge for cooling effect. 

As you can tell, I am soooooo impressed with Birchbox! As well as amazing sized samples they are also so generous with their additional items. All the products are by fantastic/interesting/premium brands - no Collection or MeMeMe here. I'm so HAPPY!!!!

What did you get in your Birchbox?

Would you consider switching over Beauty Boxes???
 (-to the good side ;p)