Beauty Box Subscriptions | Are they worth the money?

The answer to the question depends entirely on you and your lifestyle/priorities.

Are you someone who impulse buys beauty products? Perhaps you buy things, try them once and then leave them in a cupboard? If this sounds like you I think you'd be the perfect candidate for a beauty box.

I am trying to save money, so why buy into beauty subscriptions you say? Sounds frivolous doesn't it!

The reason I started these is to have a little something to look forward to, I would be so good and not spend then I would splurge on makeup, etc. Now that I commit to these boxes I don't feel the need to splurge when feeling fed up because I know a little monthly treat is coming my way.

My subscription box journey started with BirchBox and soon I was hooked and welcomed GlossyBox into my world. In all I was paying approx £26 per month for both beauty boxes, and in my experience it's totally worth it.

What's great is that it forces you out of your comfort zone and encourages you to try wonderful new products which is something I've really enjoyed over the past year having been stuck in a rut with a lot of 'old faithful' products previously. 

I went on the rolling contracts which was the slightly more expensive way of doing it but means you can cancel whenever you're ready. I have found that every month both boxes have contained near to double the value of the the price paid in products, sometimes more. I have had GlossyBoxes that have carried a value of over £70, which for a £10 subscription (£3.25 P&P) is fantastic value.

Both of the beauty box offer point systems which can be redeemed against further boxes and/or products in the BirchBox store Each month you get the opportunity to have your say and review the products, this gains you points. So far I have used £30+ BirchBox points on beauty treats which are great little extras.

There are so many different subscriptions out there which is great, I have found that my GlossyBox has outperformed my BirchBox every month which isn't to say BirchBox isn't good, just so far GlossyBox has been amazing! I have decided to have a break from BirchBox and to try something new for a while.

The wonder of these subscriptions is that there are so many to choose from to suit all budgets. The new one that I am trying is the You Beauty Box and it is the cheapest box I have seen, £6.95 including the postage and packaging, plus you get to choose your main 2 beauty treats so in all i'd say this box is fantastic value and I look forward to receiving my first one. Keep an eye on my Youtube channel for an unboxing video. I got my first box half price, so £3.48 for 2 products of my choice and free P&P can't be bad!

If your interested in signing up for BirchBox, I would definitely recommend it - and if you use my link https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/FrugalCookie this will entitle you to £5 worth of BirchBox points!

I would also really recommend the GlossyBox too, again if your interested in signing up please use my referral link https://www.glossybox.co.uk/referal?CI=MjEyOTA5

I'd also recommend checking out https://box.you.co.uk/home

Do you get any subscription boxes? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

Cookie x

e.l.f. Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer - The Review

So far on my journey finding more affordable makeup I have found some great things, but also some not so great products too.

I have spent money on these things and yes they're cheap but sometimes it really is a case tha you get what you paid for and for this particular product that really rings true. 

As I am trying out a lot of products I think it's only fair that I share my experiences with you, and you can then make your own decisions as to whether you will make a purchase. The below comments are just my personal experience and I am sure there are some out there that have had success with these products. 

The first product in my series of flops is the e.l.f Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer

I got this product because all of the cream eye primers at e.l.f were sold out, and not I can see why.

For your £4.50 you get 2 products, a primer and an eyeliner sealer, this seems like really good value, and it would be if I hadn't already given up on this. 

So first of all I will talk about the primer and the whole reason that I bought this product. This is essentially a stick concealer, its very thick and doesn't glide onto the skin very nicely. I also found that it created little clumps and I would say this did't help with the application of eye shadow at all.

So as the primer is disappointing perhaps the other end of this stick will perform better? Nope, this is sold as a liner sealer. I tried this, I spent a long time applying my liner then started to apply this. Surprisingly it removed my liner, so I thought perhaps I hadn't let it dry long enough. So I left the liner dry for a decent length of time and tried again, still it removed the liner rather than sealing it in.

I have really been impressed with the e.l.f brand so far, but this has got to be the exception and I can' help but feel frustration about this product which is a completely pointless product which in my experience did the opposite of what it's supposed to do.

Coming soon.. I have been trying a lot of different cleansers and toners so I will be doing a feature on my experience with a variety of these. 

I will also be sharing some of the budget beauty items that have worked well for me and some that haven't/

I'd love to hear your comments, have you tried this? perhaps you have some recommendations for me to try?

Cookie x

My first BirchBox | November 2015 | Disappointed

Hi guys,

I have recently signed up to BirchBox and also Glossy Box. That's not very frugal, I hear you say. Perhaps not but it's a great way to try something new without having to splash out on full size items. It also gives me  a little something to look forward to during the winter months, I don't know about you, but when I get fed up and feel I don't have anything to look forward to I splurge, and spending a little each month on this may just help that - it's definitely more controlled than online spending blow outs that I have had in the past!

The box costs £10, and is £2.95 delivery - so for 5 items (usually 1 full size) it's not a ridiculous price, plus the box itself is a little work of art and does cost to produce.

So this wasn't a great start, my beautiful little box had a massive skid mark down the front. not impressed so far..

Here's what it looks like inside, I didn't read the booklet till the end as I don't like to spoil the surprise.

I love the bag and the box too, so far the packaging is a winner with the exception of the skid mark.

So here's what I got. See below for my opinions.

Lord and berry 0.5g translucent lip liner, this is to combat lipstick bleeding and feathering. This isn't a product I will use to much as I usually use quite neutral lipsticks and don't have fine wrinkles around the mouth as yet.

I have used this now with a deep red lipstick and I have to say, it still smudged so I just don't get what this product actually does.

REN 10ml sample of the wake wonderful face mask. I had read some great things about this, having used this I woke up with a greasy T Zone but don't really notice any great difference from having used this.

This was my only full size item, and I have to say I was really disappointed as I saw that others got 2 full size items (a mascara worth £18, and this cream worth £8).

Coriander and grapefruit are my 2 least favourite scents, so I shall be passing this on.

Living proof - restore, instant repair 30ml sample. This smells really nice and does feel nice on my hair, however I have other products that are cheaper and work the same.

I have seen a lot of negative comments on this perfume, but I really liked the masculine scent.

The final item I received is the trilogy make-up be gone cleansing balm, this product is OK, but I do have another one that works exactly the same.

So in all the major annoyance was down to the box being in the condition that it was, however the products weren't great and of course I already wasn't in a very forgiving mood.

I complained to BirchBox in an email with a picture showing them the box, they replied a day after the original quoted 48 hours as I got a holding email advising they were experiencing a high volume of correspondence. 

When they got back to me they apologised and gave me £5 to spend in their online shop. 

A couple of days later I received a little pink bubble envelope with some travel size samples from La Roche Posay, Clarins and a small So Susan foundation quad palette. However I can only assume that this came from them as there was nothing else in the package, and no indication of where it came from. 

I will be getting the December box and will decide thereafter whether to carry on for a little longer.

Please check out my unboxing video below.

                         

Cookie x