Birchbox Review May 2017

The May Birchbox has arrived!

I was very excited to receive my May Birchbox through the post a few days ago. I follow Birchbox on Instagram and had been teased with a few exciting spoilers, so I couldn't wait. This is my third box to date, so I feel a review is well overdue.

The first thing I noticed was this month's gorgeous box design of marble accentuated by a rose gold sheen. I'll admit, the marble trend has never really died in my eyes, and I think it's Birchboxes best design so far. If, like me, you prefer to store clutter in neat little compartments in order to reduce the messiness of your room then the Birchboxes are a functional and stylish way to do this. Personally, I use mine to store my makeup palettes. The beauty of May's box design is that it is perfect for displaying on your desk. 

Whilst the box was a gorgeous addition, the main function of the Birchbox is to deliver new, exclusive and/or interesting products to the subscribers. As usual, the monthly Birchbox contains five items, which I will be reviewing in this post.

1st Item - Marsk Eyeshadow RRP £14.49*

Rating - 7/10

The first item I want to talk about is the item where subscribers get to pick between two colours/designs; this month the choice was between a white and a grey mineral eyeshadow by the brand Marsk. I am a self-confessed eye-shadow palette addict, therefore I felt like neither shade was particularly missing from my makeup collection. I decided to try the surprise me option, where the company pick for you. The shade I received is called Fifty Shades, and (as you can probably guess from the name) is a soft grey tone that looks more shimmery than matt. My initial thoughts on this product are that it applies gently, so it is  best used for a subtle look, or can be built upon to make more of a statement. I think this is a definite perk of the product as it allows for versatility with use. When I tried it as part of my daytime makeup, I felt no need to add any other eyeshadow as it worked well on its own. Thankfully it did not fade much throughout the day or spread from the areas I intended to apply it. Overall, I would rate this product pretty highly, although given the amount of eyeshadows I already own, I would probably not have thought to purchase this until it came in the Birchbox.

Would I recommend? - Yes, but at a recommended retail price of £14.95* you might be better off trying a full makeup palette for a similar price if you are working on a budget or are just starting out with makeup.

2nd Item - Doucce Punk Volumizer Mascara RRP £18*

Rating - 9/10

The second item is a black volumising mascara from the brand Doucce, which I believe all subscribers received in their Birchbox. The item is listed as a Birchbox exclusive. I was really happy to see this product in the spoilers because I had been considering buying a new mascara for a long time now, and it was good to see that I didn't have to bother leaving the house to get one! The product was slightly on the small side but this can be viewed as a positive when you want to travel or carry your mascara around with you. In terms of the quality of the product, I would rate this very highly. I was very impressed with the volume the product gave my eyelashes. My older mascaras were becoming a bit clumpy, but this mascara separates the lashes beautifully and leaves you with more spread out and natural looking eyelashes. When I first used it I received several compliments on my mascara, particularly from my boyfriend who I was very surprised to find had noticed a big difference between this one and my old mascara. Overall, I was very impressed with this product. 

Would I recommend? - Definitely. Of all the products I have ever received from Birchbox, this is by far my favourite.

3rd Item - Kueshi Hair Mask Shine & Volume RRP £10.50*

Rating - 5/10

The third product is a hair mask which uses rice protein, shea butter and jojoba oil to nourish hair and leave it soft and silky. The only time I have ever used a hair mask is at the hairdressers, so I was interested to try this product out. I followed the recommended directions of applying it on freshly wet hair, leaving it for 3 minutes and then rinsing it out. Whilst I did notice a slight difference in my hair, the results were a little underwhelming. However, the product does smell lovely, and I did receive compliments for nice smelling hair. It is also probably important to note that my hair is not particularly damaged, and is usually very soft and silky anyway because I use tonnes of conditioner. Perhaps this product would have also been more effective if I had used more of it, or if I had blow dried and straightened my hair afterwards, rather than letting it dry naturally. 

Would I recommend? Possibly. I would have to try the product out again with a few variations to how I used it and how I styled my hair before I could categorically say yes or no. 

4th Item - Whish Firming Body Cream RRP £27*

Rating - 7/10

The fourth product is a body cream with a blend of cocoa seed butter, green tea and various other ingredients. The cream has three key purposes: to smooth blemishes, the provide a firmer feel to the skin, and to moisturise. Whilst the product initially appears to have very little scent, once it is rubbed onto the skin the smells grows stronger and it is actually very pleasnat. I applied the cream to my hands and the product started moisturising them straight away. Overall as a moisturiser this product is a good one, particularly if you are looking for a scented cream.

Would I recommend? Yes. I have dry and sensitive skin on my hands, so hand creams usually give off a burning sensation when applied, however this one was much more gentle on my skin.

5th Item - Dr. Brandt 

Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant RRP £67*

Rating - 9/10

The fifth product initially confused me as the label emphasises its age defying properties, which (I hope) I do not need just yet! However, it soon became clear this was an exfoliator, which I thought would be fun to try. The directions for use were as follows; dampen skin with warm water, gently massage the cream onto the skin for 1-2 minutes (avoiding the eye area obviously), rinse well, and pat dry. They recommend using this product 1-2 times per week, allowing 3 days between applications. The product has a slight citrus scent, and definitely reminds me of products used in spas. The product was easy to apply, however it left my skin feeling a little dry (I naturally have very dry skin), but after a little moisturising my face was left feeling incredibly soft. The added bonus is that you end up giving yourself a face massage for a couple of minutes which definitely adds an element of relaxation to the product.

Would I recommend? - Yes. It is a great product, and I would have scored it 10/10 had it not been for the hefty price tag, which my student budget cannot quite stretch too. As a birthday or christmas gift, however, this product would be perfect.


And that is it for my review of my May 2017 Birchbox. Overall I was very happy with the contents of this box. Are you subscribed to Birchbox? If so leave a comment telling me what you thought of your box, and feel check out my social media links if you enjoyed this review! 

EBB x

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*RRPs correspond to full-size items at birchbox.co.uk/shop