Birchbox July

When I received this month's Birchbox I was initially slightly disappointed. There was one product that I was really excited to have received but the others I felt a bit 'meh' towards. After trying them a couple of times I am still not massively sold on them, it seems a lot of people had received the same products as me though so I can't complain too much!

So here is what products were found in my Birchbox this month:

From left to right is: Ultra Dex Fresh Breath Spray (WTF???), LAQA & Co Lip Lube, Whish Body Butter, Gilchrist & Soames Mineral Bath Gel, Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream and Weleda Nourishing Shampoo. A good range of products, just not anything mega exciting...

I was instantly put off by this body butter because it stated that it was lavender scented, is it just me or does that not instantly make you think of your gran?! Now, I love my nan but I really don't want to smell like her (no offence). So I put off trying this for a while, but then the body lotion I was using ran out (I get through these sample bottles so quickly) and so I thought I better at least give it a try. Luckily I was quite surprised as this doesn't smell strongly of lavender at all, it was quite subtle and therefore bearable to use in the mornings. It had quite a nice texture and absorbed really well, despite the fact it had an almost gel like consistency. Left my skin feeling very well moisturised and so I would recommend it, possibly in a different fragrance though if I'm perfectly honest.

I had received a shower gel from Gilchrist & Soames in a previous month's box and was not particularly blown away by it. I think it was because I had researched it and found it was quite a high end brand so was expecting big things when in fact I didn't like the smell and found it slightly dehydrating. Because of that, I wasn't interested in this product at all. It said on the product card to pour this under running water for your bath, so I gave this a go. Again, I didn't think the scent was all that impressive. It didn't really dry my skin out too much but it didn't really have any beneficial effects on it either. Just a pretty bog-standard, boring product in my opinion. Sorry Gilchrist & Soames, I'm just not sold on your products. Possibly make them more affordable and I'll reconsider?

The product card advised to use this product as a normal shampoo, but don't expect a lather. I instantly felt a bit disappointed - again! I was quite excited to use a Weleda product as I read so many great reviews on this brand but I'm just not a fan of shampoos that don't lather. I have tried non-sulphate shampoos in the past and am just of the opinion that a good shampoo should have a good lather, that's what makes it feel really clean. I'm fully aware that this is completely psychological and that this non-foamy shampoo will probably wash my hair just as good, I just am put off using it a bit. Saying that though, the scent is quite nice and my hair did certainly look clean and shiny after use, just would have liked a few bubbles with it!

I here so many great things about Balance Me and so I can't really understand why I don't feel blown away by it. The products work well, the price isn't bad and the packaging always looks appealing, and yet I still think of it as a bit of a basic brand. This eye cream is pretty good, does exactly what it says on the tin, but I have been using Clinique's eye cream up until now and just find that one so much better for fine lines and dark circles. I'll continue to use this because it is quite nice, I just probably won't repurchase it.

I recently got sent a couple of PR samples from LAQA & Co to review (here) and loved them! I even mentioned in the review that I really wanted to try their lip lubes as they looked gorgeous and came in some great colours so I was SOOO pleased to receive this in my box, and I love the shade!! It really is a great product, I have been wearing it nearly every day. It just applies so smoothly to the lip and is so easy to apply neatly and on the go. The shade is beautiful for the summer and really would compliment a tan. I can't sing this products praises enough! It was by far my favourite product in this month's box and I would recommend these to any one.

Now this 'lifestyle extra' just seemed a really random 'WTF??' addition to this month's box, what are you trying to say Birchbox?! I hope I'm not the only person that thought this (or received this for that matter!). Ok, it's alright for what it is. It tastes pretty nice and minty, it does freshen your breath without the need to chew gum. But it is just not anything to get excited about is it?! A bit odd in my opinion.

So that's all this month's products. In hindsight, they actually weren't too disappointing but Birchbox has done a lot better with past boxes. I hope this was just a blip! But I did like the design of the box and this month's theme, here is a photo of one of the cards included in this month's box because I just thought they were simple yet very cute (and a bit of a nail art inspiration!)

*LAQA & Co*

I was very lucky to be sent 2 items from the new spring launches from LAQA & Co last week. The first thing that caught my eye about them was the gorgeous packaging (it really is attractive) and I couldn't wait to try them out! The items I received were a nail polish in shade Nemesis - a warm coral shade perfect for summer, and the Gold Fleck Manicure in shade Lacey.

So, a bit about LAQA & Co; they describe themselves as a 'bold line of beauty products in strong colours. Done with attitude. Something that not only inspired, but gave back' and from first impressions they are just that. Their products range from Nail Polish pens (so you can do your nails on the go!), nail polishes, Mani Pens and Lip Lube pencils in all manner of beautiful, bright colours. What I really love about them though, is that each items packaging is covered in 'unique artwork by young artists looking to get their work seen...' and they really are eye-catching. Imagine that, just the box it came in is a little bit of artwork. I think this is a brilliant idea and really supports new talent, helping them get their work noticed, I like that idea a lot.

I guess I should really talk about the product itself now. I found the applicators were a bit thinner than I would usually like, I prefer a brush that applies polish to the entire nail in one swipe as it just makes application soo much easier. Regardless of this though, the product was incredibly easy to apply as it had a really good consistency - thin enough to apply easily but thick enough to not leave streaks. I could have applied just one coat and it would have been enough but in the pictures they are all 2 coats. They dried quite quickly, but not anything noticeably fast.

 I applied Nemesis to my toes and was impressed at how, one week later, they are still perfect and unchipped! Sadly, the Gold Fleck Mani didn't last so long on my finger nails and was chipping after just a day or two. I think this is largely down to the size and thickness of the gold flecks as they don't bend brilliantly around the nail and do begin to peel off quite easily. Which is a shame because I really did like the look when they were first done.

In conclusion, LAQA & Co seem a really good brand with some clever little quirks that really makes their products stand out (that packaging, again I'm obsessed!). Their Gold Fleck Mani's I'm not completely sold on but their polishes are good and I really want to get my hands on some of the Nail Polish Pens to see how they work and the Lip Lube Pencil, being a massive Lip product addict. They've recently had some new launches as well which, from the product listing, look quite worth looking at.

All products from LAQA & Co are available at www.myretailbeauty.com and here for anyone in America (they are a New York based company).

This post contains a PR sample