Birchbox July 2013

Nothing reminds me how fast the month is passing like the arrival of a Birchbox.

I was excited for this month’s box, I sensed a lot of hype around the it so I avoided any spoilers and waited patiently for it to arrive. But when it arrived I had mixed feelings, but more on that later. 

The theme this month is Jet Set, so each of the products comes from a "far-flung destination” and is also suitable for summer holidays.

So what’s inside the box:

Blanc Cachemire Creme De Jour Protectrice (full size £54.75)

I’ve said before that I am always happy to receive face creams. I am not sure how easy this is to get hold of in the UK but I’m not sure I’ll repurchase at that price anyway. Nice to try none-the-less.

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle (full size £15)

The eagle eyed among you will notice that I received this item in last month's box. I'm not sure how I feel about that, I haven't tried the product yet but I am keen to. If it turns out to be wonderful, having two won’t be a bad thing. 

theBalm cosmetics inStain long wearing powder staining blush (full size £21.50) 

I've always wanted to try a Balm product so I was happy to see this, but I have no idea how I'm meant to get this on a brush well enough to use it as a blusher. A little is meant to go a long way so hopefully this sample will last me a while.

Laura Geller Beauty Inkwell Gel Eyeliner (Full size £24.50) 

I think two makeup items in a box is pretty special so ignore the dent because in my excitement I dug my nail into it. The liner is a beautiful deep purple colour. I am not much of a coloured eyeliner girl but purple I can do, so I am looking forward to testing how this holds up.

Waleda Skin Food (full size £8.95)

Again another product I have received before. Like the protect and detangle I haven’t tried this yet. If I don’t love it I know I can pass it on to family to try. 

Lifestyle Extra! 

The Chia Co Shots (Full size £4.79) 

I missed the inclusion of a lifestyle extra last month, I think it is a great way of making the box unique. I’ve heard a lot about chia recently so I am looking forward to trying this. I am fasting for Ramadan at the moment and one of the recipes in the magazine this month sounds like a perfect morning treat to sustain me for the day, but if you have suggestions for other recipes do let me know. 

Now I can’t say I am disappointed with the box, but I am not wowed either. The inclusion of two products I receieved in the last 3 months isn’t great, but luckily they aren’t products I hate so they won’t be wasted. I haven’t read any other reviews with the same issue so I think I just got unlucky.

For next month’s box Birchbox have teamed up with InStyle, so I am not sure what to expect but hopefully it will only be good things.

A subscription to Birchbox costs £10 plus £2.95 P+P.