I haven't done a Birchbox vs Glossybox since 2014, it seemed to be a well liked post back then so I thought I would do another one for you. This way you can see what's in both of the most popular beauty boxes and make up your own mind if you would like to subscribe or buy a one off box.
Birchbox
My Birchbox was the first to arrive this month, so I will go through that one first. Lets go through the design of the box first, its different to what the design usually is. This month I wouldn't really describe it as being a box, its more of a draw. As you can see from the photo the inside pulls out like a draw. I think this is a great and a nice change up. I was automatically thinking this would look great on my make-up desk to store things in like lip liners. The box design that I received is a light blue box with a palm tree print and a bright yellow draw. There is two different deigns that you could get this month, the other one is a light pink with a pineapple print, with the same yellow draw.
Inside the box there is five products, one is full sized and the other four are sample sizes.
1
Jelly pong pong paradise pigment in the shade cake pop
This is the full sized product that you receive, its £17.95 and you could get the shade cake pop or fig jam. The shade I received was cake pop, which is a bright pink. This is a multi use product, meaning that you can use it on your lips or cheeks to add a pop of colour. It says that a little of this goes a long way and you can build this up for a bolder colour by applying more, depending on how confident your feeling. This product is supposed to be blend beautifully and is ultra-hydrating.
First impressions:
Personally I'm not really into lip and cheek products, I never use them on my cheeks. Usually the colours are way too garish for me to even think about using them on my cheeks. I also prefer the control you get from powder and you can easily blend powder out if you have applied too much. However as a lip product I like it, its a great summer colour and I always love a hydrating lip product.
2
Percy & Reed hairspray
This is a strong hold hairspray that's ultra fine, humidity resistant and doesn't have that crunchy feel. For 250ml this costs £12, I received a 50ml sample so that would be equal to £2.40.
First impressions:
I can always benefit from travel sized hair spray. I really like that this is a lightweight hairspray but still delivers a strong hold. I really hate when hairspray leaves your hair feeling crunchy, or even when you can tell that it looks crispy. The fact that this product promises not to leave your hair feeling crunchy, for me is the most exciting thing about this product. I just hope of lives up to that promise!
3
MONUSpa enriched body cream
This is a rich body cream that's packed with orange, lemon, geranium and rose essential oils. It also contains marine collagen, that smooth and firm the skin. Cocoa butter is another ingredient in here that deeply nourishes the skin. It says its suitable for all skin types, so anyone with sensitive skin should be able to use this product. This retails at £24.00 for a 200ml pot, I received a 40ml sample which would retail for £4.80
First impressions:
To be honest when I saw this product I wasn't happy, I'm really not into the MONUspa products. I don't like the smell of them and I've never liked any sample that I've tried by them. The smell of this product though is actually quite nice, you can really smell the orange oil. I like how many nourishing ingredients are in this product and I also like the idea that this could firm the skin up. However this is only a 40ml sample, so I will probably only end up getting two uses out of this product and wont really get to see what this product could do.
4
James Read overnight tan
This is supposed to be a fuss free alternative to tanning. This product has been created to work it's magic while you sleep! It's fast drying and it goes on colourless so no need to worry about staining your pillow. This develops overnight so when you wake up you should have a golden glow to your face. This costs £25 for 50ml and I have a 25ml sample that's worth £12.50.
First impressions:
My face never really tans and I do like to keep it protected from the sun, to stop the damage from the sun ageing my skin. So I'm quite excited about this product. I like the idea of it working overnight and waking up with a golden glow. I'll feel like I've been to a sunny destination in my dreams!(haha) The only thing that worries me is that it goes on colourless. How will I know if I've missed a bit of my face other than waiting until the morning? That will be the fun part of trying this product out I guess, at least there is a good amount of the sample to truly test this bad boy out.
5
Ainy
A gentle face scrub that turns into a nourishing milk on contact with water. This releases a burst of jojoba microspheres to exfoliate your skin. Your face should be left looking smooth and radiant. This retails at £29 for 50ml, the sample I received is 20ml £11.60.
First Impressions:
This is a great sample size for a facial scrub, normally their a lot more stingy on facial samples. I love face scrubs and I really like the idea of this turning into a nourishing milk after you've finished exfoliating. I've never heard of this brand before, which is great. It's always good to try unknown brands, even if their only unknown to me. I'm looking forward to trying this out, it seems like it would be a great product.
Total box value = £49.25!
Glossybox
This month Glossybox's box was the normal pink box and black ribbon that arrives most months. So nothing interesting to report on the box design. However the box felt very heavy so I couldn't wait to see what was inside. Inside I found 6 products 4 full sized products, 1 sample size and the last one was a bonus product.
1
Spa to you - Konjac sponge
This is supposed to be the latest trend from Japan and Korea. This sponge is made from natural fibres from a porous root vegetable called the Konjac,that is known for its abilities to hold water. Its more gentle than a scrub but can still give your skin a good buffing. This rubbery sponge is said to leave your skin clean and unbelievably soft. This is a full sized product that's priced at £6.99
First impressions:
For me sponges are never something that I would get excited about. However this one seems to be the daddy of sponges, with its claim for leaving your skin feeling clean and unbelievably soft. I'm unsure on how a all natural sponge will cut the mustard on making me feel clean but I'm willing to try it out. I love that its 100% biodegradable and that there is no added nasties to this product. I'm looking forward to trying this weird new Japanese and Korean product.
2
Origins - Ginzing refreshing eye cream
An eye cream that should make tired looking eyes appear awake and brighter. It has ingredients such as coffee beans, panax ginseng and optic brighteners that should help to reduce dark circles and the appearance of bags and puffiness. This should retail at £20 for 15ml, the sample size I have is 5ml so this would retail for £6.67.
First impressions:
I've already tried this product before, not through Glossybox but in an origins Christmas set. I didn't really like this product too much then so I'm not wowed by it being in my box. It does brighten the under eye area but not as much as the product I'm using now. I don't really get puffy eyes so I cant comment on that, but that's maybe why I didn't enjoy this product as much as other people did. It's a good product, its just not a match for my needs. As I've already tried this and know its not a product for me, I'm going to pass this on to a friend or family member, so they can try it out and see if its a product for them.
3
De Bruyere
This is an aftersun lotion that helps to soothe your skin after sun exposure or simply help to prolong your tan. It's enriched with gardenia petals soaked in coconut oil and vitamin E. That will help to nourish, hydrate and calm your skin. I received a full sized item which is 50ml and retails for £9.48.
First impressions:
The packaging on this is absolutely beautiful, it has a tropical look to it. It also smells amazing, coconut and vitamin E smell really good together. But lets get real for a minute, I have no idea why you would buy this as an aftersun. Its so small, if your using this on your whole body, it will be gone in two to three uses. Don't get me wrong its a lovely product to receive, I'm sure it will be the most luxurious after sun I've ever used. I just don't understand why a 50ml aftersun would even exist?
4
Ladival
This is sun protection that has spf15. It's scientifically proven to protect against four types of UV rays, many sun creams don't! This is supposed to be non-greasy,water resistant and free from perfume, which makes it suitable for sensitive skin. This was also a full sized product that costs £19.99 for 150ml.
First impressions:
To receive a full sized sun cream is great, sun cream can be so expensive. I really like that this protects against four types of UV rays. I didn't even know that most sun creams don't protect against the four types. This has a 4* UV rating which is great as I only choose sun creams that have a 4* or 5* rating. This gives immediate protection which is fab, especially if you have kids. No need to wait half an hour before going into the sun. Major brownie points too for it being water resistant and suitable for sensitive skin. I'm looking forward to trying this sun cream. However if we don't have a good UK summer or go away this year, this product will end up in the bin as it has an expiration date of 12/2016.
5
Emite make-up
This is another two in one product, a lip and cheek tint. It doesn't tell me what shade it is, but it looks like a berry red. This is a speedy time savour, that's easy to use and easy to blend by just using your fingertips. I received a 6ml product which is a full sized product and costs £12.50
First impressions:
You already know my thoughts from above on lip and cheek tints. I will use it on my lips but most likely not on the cheeks. I like the look of the product and the colour, but I don't think the shade is quite right for this time of the year. It reminds me of winter months more than it does of summer months. So I don't know if I will use it right away. but its definitely a product I would use in the winter months.
6
The bonus product
Aussie 3 minute miracle
It's a deep conditioner for damaged hair. It has balm mint extract to smooth rough cuticles and help restore manageability and add shine to your hair. You can buy these single sachets in shops and they retail for £1.09
First impressions:
I used to use these and use to love them. When my hair used to be blonde the Aussie range kept my hair looking shiny, glossy and healthy. But when I went back to my natural hair colour (brown), the products made my hair dry and straw like. I have no idea why changing my hair colour would have this affect to my hair but my hairdresser said that it was the hair care range I was using. As soon as I changed to the range he recommended, my hair went back to its glossy and healthy normal self. So for me this isn't a product I will be using, but again I will pass this on for someone else to try.
Total box value = £56.72!
Although GlossyBox has a higher box value than Birchbox, I think my favourite has to be Birchbox this month. This is down to the fact that I've never tried any of the products that came in this months Birchbox, whereas I had already tried a couple of the products out of the Glossybox. Birchbox also have products that I could use straight away, whereas Glossybox's products seemed to be more use to somebody going on holiday.
Leave me a comment on which box if your favourite this month?
Would you like to see this post on a monthly basis?
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