Destination Inspiration | June Birchbox

June saw the new Birchbox brand re-design which is definitely a design I approve of. The box is a lot easier to open, the design is unisex and the drawstring bag is recycled and therefore softer and eco-friendly. It came with the usual magazine and product card, but also included a set of four postcards. While the theme wasn't clear this month, I adopted the title of the postcard set as the theme because the magazine seemed to include topics such as holiday essentials and festival must-haves. This month, there is no Lifestyle Extra but instead, a Birchbox pillow gift box with a different variation of another product.

The postcard locations represent the head offices of Birchbox; New York, Paris, London and Barcelona. The box celebrates and welcomes Birchbox's new HQs in Paris and Barcelona, and is themed around summer destinations. The magazine covers festival essentials, the exclusive Color Club for Birchbox Wanderlust collection inspired by their head office locations and an run-down of what to do in Manchester, which I enjoyed reading as Manchester is quite local to me and is where I studied. I couldn't agree more with Birchbox and would definitely recommend Teacup and Affleck's Palace.

Products In Box

S Beauty Protector - Protect & Detangle

S Coola - Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber

F Model Co - Eye Define Eye Pencil

S Noble Isle - Bath & Shower Gel

S Color Club - Nail Lacquer

S Color Club - Nail Lacquer

At first, you will notice the lovely smell of your box and that is due to this spray by Beauty Protector and is the Protect & Detangle spray for your hair. It has a very sweet, almost marshmallow scent which I am currently addicted to. It is fairly well sized and comes in a plastic bottle with a rubbery exterior and a liquid pump. The problem I found with this product though was that it didn't spray straight away even after over 20 pumps (yes I pumped it that many times and nothing came out). It wasn't until I unscrewed it to pump before it worked. After many people complained to Birchbox, they created a very handy animated gif to help you get your spray working. 

I've yet to see the de-tangling effects of this spray but it does smell divine. The problem I'm finding with many of these Birchbox products though is that they are only available to buy through Birchbox, and while I understand why they're doing this - it also means there's a limited amount of information on the product itself on the internet and as Birchbox doesn't tend to include information such as ingredients lists and even volume sizes, this made calculating the box's worth very difficult which you will see later on.

Again, you can never go wrong with moisturiser and this is perfect for the current season. This is the Classic Sunscreen Moisturiser with SPF 30 in the cucumber scent by Coola. While it may not necessarily be beaming at the moment, we have had some intense sunshine and so it is always important to wear SPF, especially on your face. The sample size is great for the area it has been developed for and smells of cucumbers.

This is the first Model Co product I've received and while very basic, it's good quality. It's precise but soft and easy to sharpen. This is the only full-size product in the box and came in Black 01. It is quite long-lasting too as I rubbed the swatch dry and wet, yet a stain remained. I can't imagine me needing a black pencil eyeliner for a while however, as I have still got two to get through. I probably wouldn't repurchase this at £10 as I believe the price to be a little steep.

Included in my box was this Bath & Shower Gel by Noble Isle in Willow Song. It is described as 'An unreservedly romantic fragrance, with floaty green florals and soothing extracts of willow and water lily.' It smells incredibly fresh and floral but not overpoweringly floral that it smells like your nan's soap. It comes in a 30ml sample size which I believe will last two uses.

I was very happy to see Color Club in my box this month as I had previously been eyeing up some of their polishes. As stated in the magazine, each person will have received two colours out of the four in the Wanderlust collection which is exclusive to Birchbox. For me, the first was London Calling, a lovely pea green colour that appears neon green in dim light due to contrast. So far, I've been very happy with the nail colours I've received through Birchbox as I am always sent colours I like but don't have in my current collection. The colour is very opaque on first application and only needs two coats for full coverage. The polish also smells very much like the Nails Inc polishes, with a slightly sweet scent to it.

Lastly, in my pillow gift box was another colour from the Wanderlust collection. I received Mod In Manhattan which is a creamy off-white colour. This is great for bringing out a tan and using for nail art. Again, very opaque and sweet smelling. Out of the two, I would say I prefer London Calling and out of the entire collection, I would've preferred Reign In Spain instead of Mod In Manhattan but beggars can't be choosers!

Calculations

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle - This is a sample size but there is no information online disclosing the volume of the sample or the full sized product. Therefore, I cannot work out the value of the sample included.

Coola Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber - Also a sample size at 7ml. The full size is 50ml and according to Birchbox is £26. This is more or less accurate, making the 7ml sample worth about £3.64.

Model Co Eye Define Eye Pencil - This is the only full sized product in the box at 1.2g. Birchbox's RRP is accurate at £14.

Noble Isle Bath & Shower Gel - Another sample at 30ml. The full size is 250ml and accurately valued at £20 by Birchbox making the sample worth £2.40.

Color Club Nail Lacquer x 2 - These polishes are both 7ml making them sample sized. The full size is 15ml and wrongly valued at £10 by Birchbox when they are in fact £5 for 15ml. This makes each sample worth £2.66 as opposed to £5.33.

In total, there were six products; five of which were sample sized and one of which, full sized. The products were mainly skincare and beauty items, all of which I will use. The box has been valued by Birchbox to be over £30.71 when in fact it is worth over £25.36. While this is one of the lowest valued boxes I've received so far, I am still happy with it.


£25.36*

Overall, I am happy with this box. All of the items, I will use and even though only one item was full-sized - I still believe this to be a good box. I would love to see more full size products however and would like to see a wider variety of items in my box and maybe less of the basics such as moisturisers, shower gels and eyeliners as I believe many people will have accumulated several of these and will not be in need of any more. I would've liked a Lifestyle Extra this month but appreciate that I received two Color Club polishes instead. Unfortunately, I don't feel the products fit the theme very much, if at all. I am very thankful to have received such products to try and enjoy, especially the hair protector and sunscreen as I believe it is important to look after the body I have been given.

*Not including value of Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle