June Birchbox

The World Cup is over!! Even though I'm not a huge football lover, it is a nice way for the world to come together and have mutual interests. Much like this Birchbox, everyone gets a little inspired from it, and it gets us all a little patriotic!

This genius Birchbox put in products from different countries over the world, in a mini cosmetic tournament, and even with these products, I was kind of rooting for the British product to be the best, but just like our team, it was a little disappointing! Lets take a look in the box and see if Birchbox did a Suarez, and bit off more than they could chew, with combining cu;t products from around the world.

Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask

So to kick off the game we have this product representing England, which is this hair mask by Silk + Honey who I had never heard of before. After a little research I found they are incredibly new brand who only launched February of this year. It's a natural brand, which send out kits of all the ingredients needed for you to make the product when you receive it. The kit for this hair mask retails at £55 which for that price, I think I would want it already made up for me to use with no work required! I have to say that this mask was incredibly disappointing, and I actually used the whole pot in one go because I felt it just wasn't doing anything each time I applied it. Shea Butter to me, is a very creamy and thick moisturising ingredient, so I was expecting a highly nourishing product that would leave my hair feeling soft and hydrated.  I actually had to use my normal conditioner after using this just because I felt it had done nothing to my hair at all.

Its such a shame because I think the idea behind the brand is actually really fun and exciting. Being able to see all the natural ingredients and creating a completely chemical free product in your own home, is a really revolutionary idea, and a good way to educate people on natural skincare. However if the product doesn't perform, then it isn't going to work. I think I would like to try more from the brand to see if I was just unfortunate with this mask. As a small company there are only three other kits available at the moment which make a hand cream, a body moisturiser and a lipgloss.

O.P.I Mini Colour

So after a bad start from England, lets move onto the real winner of this box for me, which of course was a nail varnish. I don't think I will ever be dissapointed by a nail polish, but this one in particular was perfect for me. This O.P.I colour is from the Brazil collection which I have been DESPERATE to get my hands on. I love every single colour in the collection and think it is just perfect for summer.

The cute mini sized colour I recieved was called 'Kiss Me I'm Brazilian' and it is such a pretty pink. It's really bright and fruity and I have had a few compliments on the colour. Much like Brazil, it oozes fun and sun.

 Yves Rocher Lipstick

This a product I was also excited about receiving as I am a big fan of red lipsticks and this was another to add to my collection. I have tried an Yves Rocher product before but I can't remember what it was. This lipstick was actually very sheer as you can see on my swatch below, and didn't give a very bold red card colour which I like in a lipstick. I think if you want a sheer coverage then a gloss is better.

I think this would be a good product for someone who is experimenting with red lipstick, as it is quite build-able and the lasting power is only a couple of hours max. If like me however you like a bold red lip this may not be the lipstick for you.

 Embryolisse moisturiser

The next product is also a french product and apparently is a cult moisturiser in France. Its all natural again which is a big plus, and can be layered up to use as a mask. Unfortunately again for the French, I just wasn't keen on this product either. It is incredibly thick and actually made me sweat when it was on. It is very nourishing and perhaps used as a 10 minute mask it would benefit me more, or maybe as a winter moisturiser. Sorry France I would have preferred quality to quantity.

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion

Finally we have the Spanish body lotion. This was light weight and very citrusy smelling. It is meant to add radiance to the skin with its shea butter, olive and avocado oils, all of which are organic ingrediants. This was a nice light lotion and the smell died down after a while so you could wear your normal perfume. This was a nice product but I probably wouldn't buy it.

Overall, I was hopeful for this box like I was for England in the world cup, however the initial excitement dwindled as I realised most of these products were not for me. Maybe if Birchbox has popped in a German product, we would have been onto a winner!