Birchbox December 2013

I have to admit my box came at 4pm and by that time the curiosity to see what I had was too much and I first looked at their Facebook site, oh my they have stirred up a hornets nest, and then went and looked at my surveys to see what I would get in my box and to be honest as a Christmas box it was a let down.

On receiving it and opening the outside packaging I was pleasantly surprised as the pattern is really nice and my picture doesn't really do it justice. It is reminiscent of lots of Christmas trees to my eyes. Really a lot prettier than the normal box.

First thing I saw when I opened the box was a voucher, which I will discuss below, as well as a rather festive looking set of cards as well as my information cards. To be honest I preferred the leaflet and these cards just feel like they are looking for another opportunity to sell to me. Call my a cynic, but it probably is.

This is my $20 Baublebar gift card and a bit of a fake gift as all it does is give you free delivery, not including taxes, from their American website. This was an alternative to new members getting a bracelet in there boxes and has left this existing member with a very bad taste in her mouth.
Birchbox have said they are looking into this at the moment as the Facebook page is full of angry people so I will update you on this on a newer post if the situation changes and there is a resolution. I hope it does as if it doesn't a lot of people will leave.
This is especially irritating to me as I have six more months and if this is a game they will play every month I won't be happy.

On opening the bag with a seasonal forest green logo I saw these products and although I was prepared by looking at other people's products and my surveys I was in a distinctly less than holiday mood to look at them.
Maybe I am expecting too much and being spoilt by youbeautydiscovery and Love ME Beauty, which is a sad state of affairs.

The first item in my bag is a Nail Rock kit in 'Glitter Dust Pink' and it is a tub of pink glitter and 10ml of pale pink nail varnish. At the moment I am wearing nail wraps but I really want to try these out but will really have to wait for a time without my son as you need to wait fifteen to twenty minutes for it to set and that length of time is a luxury for a mother of a toddler and housewife when with nail wraps it is stick and go and they last a week on me.
Additionally, these won't be too practical and I would have to wait for a special occasion to wear them and be somewhere I won't mind if I leave glitter everywhere if it start to shed it.
It has a rrp of £6.99.

The second item is 43ml of the Number 4 High Performance Hair Care Non Aerosol Hair Spray.
I tried it on my hair around where my hair was secured into a ponytail by the Twistband and it seemed make it hold well but wasn't overly sticky and didn't have the horrible hairspray smell that can overwhelm you if you use too much of it. According to the Birchbox card it should be crunch free but to be honest there is still a bit of a crunch after it dries fully.
Birchbox sells 200ml of this for £18.50 so the sample is worth £3.98.

This is the third item in my bag and is 3ml of Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil.

It has a very strong smell and is definite a morning oil that will have to wait until I have a morning bath for me to use it. I normally bathe at night before bed so it might be a while until I use it.

This is a picture of it next to the one I receive in my advent calendar from Youbeauty this month and by showing I can better illustrate how tiny this sample is compared to the other bath oils I have received recently and almost half the size of the one Love ME Beauty threw in as an added extra this month from Balm Balm, which was 5ml.

This is an entirely natural product and I really like the bath oils for this reason. This one is a mix of pink grapefruit, rosemary and juniper and will definitely give you a wake up call.
The sample is worth approx. £2.13

The fourth item is ONE twistband.
Although I love these it is a cheap item to have as one of your items as it is only worth £1.66 but I am happy it is in a colour I haven't already got and I now have eight.

The fifth item was also a huge disappointment. It is my alima pure  luminous shimmer eyeshadow in the shade 'Paris' and as you can see my sample wasn't complete. I have emailed them but I don't want to swatch it for you as I want to use it as it looks a really nice nude glittery colour and it would make a really nice colour over the holiday season.
I have no idea how much this sample is worth if complete but the full sized is £12.50.

The sixth and last item is a 5ml sample of Sin -Care Booster Serums Party Girl. According to the bottle this serum assists in reducing signs of skin fatigue due to indulging in late nights and alcohol.
This serum comes out as a thick gel and although it spreads well on the skin and it may work really well but the smell is repugnant to me and I won't be using it. But I suppose as a teetotaller it might not be aimed at me anyhow.
It has definitely been matched to my profile on Birchbox.
It costs £46.50 for 50ml and tbh that seems overly expensive and this sample is worth £4.65 but I won't use it.

All in all a very disappointing box with a voucher that has as much use as a chocolate teapot, a serum that has a smell that upsets me, a morning bath oil that smells good but would wake me too much at night, a cheap lifestyle extra I love but is cheap for them to use as my extra none the less, nails I would find it difficult to fit into my life, a hairspray that does leave my hair crunchy and finally a nearly empty eye shadow.
The box contents excluding the voucher and eyeshadow is £19.41.
Roll on next month.