Birchbox UK v Glossybox UK September 2013

Both boxes turned up on the same day this month

First up Birchbox:

This month it contained:

Reverence de Bastien nail polish shade no 13 which is a nice deep red with a touch of shimmer.  The RRP for this is £16 and it definitely feels like an expensive product.  Not a colour I would usually choose for myself but I'm pleased they sent it as it is great to try for the autumn.

Bioderma Sebium H20 make up remover 20ml.  Not much to say about it other than it is a make up remover and it removes make up effectively.  I don't think I would buy it again but it was nice to try.

Eva Cosmetics Mystic Diamond 60ml.  Hair oil with diamond powder for incomparable shine.  I love hair products that add shine and this one didn't disappoint.

Model Co Party Proof Lipstick £15.50 for a set of 3 so around £5.18ish for this one.  The shade is called Kitty and I absolutely love it. It is a nude pink in a shade I've been looking for in Boots for ages so I'm chuffed to bits with this.

Molton Brown Ylang Ylang Nourishing Body Lotion 30ml.  This is the same fragrance as the body wash in the last box.  Love it.  It holds the fragrance for quite some time.

Green & Black's White Chocolate mini.  Love love love white chocolate. Shame it was a small sample but that is a good thing for the waistline.

Fabulous box this month from Birchbox. I couldn't be happier with it.


 

and here's what Glossybox had to offer this month:

The box this month was a fun union jack design and the tissue paper was printed with iconic british things like telephone boxes and black cabs.

The contents were:

Toni & Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum. Full size 30ml.  Another shine product.  I feel spoilt.  Love it.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Onyx Eye Liner.  A black eyeliner like a felt tip.  I must admit to not having tried this as I don't really use eye liner but it is good to have in my kit.

HD Brows Bronzer Full size £19.95.  I'll be honest and say that despite the description being that it suits all complexions I found that it is a case of using a very small amount as a blusher or you end up looking like a tango oompa loompa.  Probably would be better to describe it as suitable for medium to dark complexions.

Eylure Pre-glued lashes.  Hmmm I hate it when they put these things in the boxes.  I hope it is a one off and we aren't getting them regularly as happened with She Said Beauty last year.  I just don't wear them so these will be a gift I guess.

Elizabeth Arden Untold 5ml sample.  Unlike a lot of other people I actually really like perfume samples in beauty boxes.  This one is like a miniature bottle which makes a nice change.  This particular one is absolutely gorgeous.  I always associated Elizabeth Arden as being highly floral scents which I'm not too fond of but this is one I could see myself buying.

I should just add that I was sent an additional product by Glossybox because I complained about receiving Olay again.  The additional product was a Philosophy cleanser which I have enjoyed using.

So a direct comparison this month and I think Birchbox has the edge because I will use every single product whereas the Glossybox (whilst still good this month) has those flipping lashes.

Birchbox UK August 2013

Being somewhat disillusioned with Glossybox this month I looked for alternatives and found that Birchbox took over another beauty box company earlier in the year - yes I know - what planet must I live on not to know this little nugget of information. It was a Birchbox on someone's blog from the US that set me off on my beauty box adventure so I was chuffed to bits to find out they are now over here. 

I ordered it over the weekend and it arrived on Thursday via the Yodel courier who thought, since nobody came to the door, it would be ok to put it in a 'safe location' ie throw it over our 6ft back gate straight into a fresh doggie doo. The outer box had come open but thankfully the inner box was fine. Needless to say I complained to Yodel who were a bit dismissive and just said the courier would be told. I also asked Birchbox if they could put a note on the address label in future that there is no safe location. They were fantastic and are taking it up with Yodel and are using Royal Mail for my delivery in future. 

Onto the box - they come in a box with a cute little drawstring bag holding all the products. 

and the contents in that cute little bag

Bluemandarines SkinLife Energetic Cellular Cream - a light peptide packed cream which brightens, refreshes and protects skin.  This smells really expensive and feels fabulous on the skin. Definitely something I would consider buying if I could afford it. Full size is £35. 

Philip Kingsley elasticizer - a hair saviour. This mask strengthens, nourishes and prevents breakages.  I've used this today and whilst it does the job I have to say that at £27.50 it is a tad expensive and I preferred the Tresemme treatment from the Glossybox. I do love trying hair products that aren't of the tousled beach variety so it's a good choice. 

Gerda Spillmann Hydro Pearls - ensure your base lasts and lasts with this smoothing primer. I'm looking forward to trying this. I have noticed my eye makeup disappears from one eye faster than the other so hopefully a good primer will keep them both the same for longer. Full size for this is £30

LAQA & Co Lip Pencil - a moisturising lip pencil perfect for day to night, in two hot summer colours. My first thought was oh another red lip product which just is not me but I did give this a go. It is quite intense but blotting it decreased the intensity quite a bit so I am quite happy. Full size is £14. I think this is probably half size. 

Molton Brown ylang ylang body wash - wow what can I say besides it smells amazing and is a body wash. Love their products. Full size is £18. 

Inner Me supplements - bonafide superfood, packed with health boosting omega 3 protein and more.  I'm not so sure about this. It is supposed to enhance skin, hair and nails which god knows I certainly need. I need to do a bit of research into this though before I stick a tablet in my mouth. 

Last of all Birchbox Gel Mask - this gel filled mask cools the eye area and decreases puffiness.  My daughter has one of these and swears by it for hayfever symptoms so its good to have as a standby for puffy eyes. Mine are terribly sensitive lately so this can only be a good product. 

All in all in very happy with this box. Can't wait to see what they have in store for September's box.