"Birchbox X Pinterest" January Birchbox: Unboxing and Review

I was so pleased with my first Birchbox ("All That Glitters"post) that I kept my subscription going and I'm so glad I did!
This month's box was a collaboration with Pinterest and so, as such, the box was a complete Pinterest inspired design and I thought it was so cute and pretty.
I thought the packaging was seriously adorable. I'm now assuming that they all come like this but as my first box was slightly different I wasn't expecting it to be wrapped, then the box, then inside was this adorable mesh tie bag which is going to be so useful for travelling and even keeping little products within easy reach in my handbag.
RITUALS Rice Scrub - £10

I love gentle exfoliating products. I use Clinique's Exfoliating Scrub on my face about once a week. As my face is very sensitive to getting acne I decided not to try this product on my face and instead used it on the rest of by body. My first impression of the product was that it smelt very soft and feminine but not overpowering; the product came out in a gel-like liquid and contained microbeads. As I applied a small amount of water the gel became very much a foam and I slowly lathered it onto my skin. I didn't need to use very much so I think that this product will last a long time. The microbeads were very gentle on the skin and felt amazing. The downside to it's use was that the smell became a much stronger floral scent with the larger volume being used, which while most won't have a problem with, I much prefer citrus smells which this definitely wasn't. After washing it off and drying, my body felt super soft but it does with most exfoliating scrubs when I take the time to use them. It did leave a nice soft scent after drying off though that was new. The massive downside to this product was that my hands became very dry and sensitive in the hours and day following, so this product definitely wasn't hydrating. I think it might have been because I was using my hands to massage it into the rest of my body so it was on much longer. I will use this product up but I will be sure to wash my hands off thoroughly in future.
BEAUTY PROTECTOR Protect and Detangle - £14

This smells so nice but I have no idea how to explain it other than that it is super subtle and calming. This product works wonders. I have very thick, dead straight hair that can have lots of flyaways. I still shampooed and conditioned in the shower but on Day 2 and 3 (and 4 and 5 and 6) hair I used this and the lugs and knots in my hair were so easy to comb out without making my hair go super shiny and feeling sticky. It left it still feeling soft and when I did go a little overboard the first time, it combed out with a few brushes. It does need a few shakes before use because otherwise I've found it doesn't spray very well and instead sort of dribble out of the bottle. It's also nice knowing that my hair has another added layer of heat protection for when I do straighten and blowdry ect. 
BENEFIT They're Real Tinted Primer - £18.50

After my first Benefit experience last month, I wasn't too happy to receive this product but after using it, I completely changed my mind. This worked wonders! I was a little shocked by how brown the product was initially as I've only ever worn black mascara but once applied it looked really nice on. It applied really smoothly and evenly with no clumping. My eyelashes separated and looked much more fuller and afterwards it almost seemed like they were conditioned. You could easily get away with wearing this product without the need for mascara over the top but when I did but on mascara, it applied much more smoother and I only needed on layer to get the full look, instead of 2/3. The sample size was really small which meant it was a little fiddly to apply but other than that, the product itself was great.
EYEKO Fat Liquid Liner - £12

So this product was the full size product that I received this month. The booklet read 'whether you're a liner whizz or a complete novice, this chubby pen delivers an effortless slick of smudge-proof definition'. I'm a complete novice for sure so I thought great! I tried it and I completely messed up but kept at it. It's literally a chubby pen and holds as one. The pen itself is easily to direct but doesn't seem to be able to get as close to my waterline as I would like. The colour is super bold and dark dark black and it's perfect for a simple winged eye-liner but I must insist that this isn't smudge proof! It smudged when I purposely did it after a few seconds after application and then later about 10 minutes by accident. Even after an hour it was still a little smudgy but maybe I applied a too thick layer on my wing? I will say after a couple of hours it won't budge, but for a while, it will so be careful. You also need to have a heavy duty eye make-up remover because it's very stubborn to remove.
ABSOLUTION L'Eau Soir et Matin - £27

I usually just use water and The Original Makeup Eraser (a soft flannel) followed by Lush's Eau Roma Water to remove my make-up but when wearing eye make-up I like to have something a little stronger. That being said after looking at the RRP price I can tell you this product is not worth the £27 being asked. It's scent is very strong but where others complain, I weirdly quite like it. The product didn't cause any irritation and instead left my eyes and face feeling very clean. The downside is that it isn't very strong. It took a lot of pressure to actually remove and took a long time with repeated reapplication onto multiple cotton pads so this product wouldn't last me very long if I was using it everyday. I think that it's great for the face and lips but for the eyes it's too weak. Another negative is that the container it come in isn't a spray or like fully open but instead a very small hole that is hard to control the amount that comes through, either: too much when squeezed or too little and takes forever when dabbing and shaking.

This month there was two little extras. Yey!
Birchbox Compact Mirror - £4

The first was this cute little mirror, about the size of your palm. On the back it is pink and says '#NoFilter BIRCHBOX'; the front is a simple clear mirror. My old mirror had just broken and so I've been wanting to get a new one and this came at just the right time. It easily fits into my handbag, no matter how tiny it is. It's simple and and very useful to have for every occasion whether it be daily make-up, applying lipstick on a night out or sorting out your hair after a gust of wind! The only downside is that the mirror isn't very good quality so from a  distance you can't see much but up close it's perfect!
The second extra were these 5 cute little Pinterest postcards. Yes they have the postcard design on the back but I just want to be selfish and keep them all for myself so I currently have them up on my desk. I think it would be really cute to put a couple in picture frames. My only hatred of these is that I wish they'd had 2 black/3 white or vice a versa because then it would balance it out a little more.

Overall, I absolutely loved this box! From the moment I opened it, I fell in love with the box, the packaging, the Pinterest cards and the products. I couldn't be more pleased with this selection. All that was missing for me was a lip product! :)

PS. Let me know what you think of these photos because I tried to make them a little more professional using an "official" background. Next time I will try to sort out the lighting issues!

PPS. It was a blanket! :')

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