Birchbox Goodies // March 2017

So here's my review for the March Birchbox! I wasn't expecting it to come so soon as I'd only just received the February box, but I'm not complaining as I've been looking forward to this one! In this month's box I got a sample size of Benefit's new They're Real! Double the Lip lipstick, which I can't wait to try! I also got a Balance Me Instant Lift Primer, a full-size Model Co. Highlighting Trio, a Dry Texturizing Spray from Oribe and a Marcelle Gentle Make-Up Remover which is a new product from them, so it will be interesting to see what that's like!

What's In My Box?

Benefit They're Real! Double the Lip lipstick in "Lusty Rose"

So Benefit released these lipsticks over the summer and they originally started with three shades in a set but they've since brought out lots more colours. It has a unique teardrop shape with a liner at the pointed end and it's basically designed to give your lips a fuller appearance. I have to say, I didn't really think my lips looked any fuller than normal and I have quite thin lips so it should have been quite obvious on me. I do, however, absolutely love the formula and the colour of this lipstick! It's really hydrating and it lasted really well over the course of the day. At £16.50 I think it would be an expensive lipstick to buy if you are someone who wants fuller-looking lips; you'd probably be better off buying a separate lip liner and over-lining your lips slightly. But the quality of the lipstick would definitely be well worth it!
Rating - 4/5

Balance Me Instant Lift Primer

I'm a little bit on the fence with this primer if I'm honest. I'll start off with what I really liked about it; I thought the consistency of it was really lovely and my make up definitely stayed put after using it. Having tried lots of different make up primers I definitely think I prefer ones that have more of a serum consistency, so this one is definitely more my kind of product. I just wasn't a fan of the tingly sensation which left my skin feeling quite tight, even after I'd moisturised my skin, and my pores didn't really look that much different if I'm honest. It's currently selling at £22 on the Birchbox shop and while this isn't hugely expensive, I probably wouldn't spend that much on something that hasn't really wowed me.
Rating - 3/5


ModelCo Highlighting Trio

I was a little bit worried that I'd struggle to use this product; I'm definitely someone who likes things that are easy to blend out in case I make a mistake and I usually find with cream products it's a lot harder to do that. However, I made the mistake of using the pink shade as a highlight, not realising quite how pigmented it was. I quickly backtracked and decided to use it as a blush, but had applied a little bit too much and ended up looking like a China doll. Luckily my kabuki brush worked really well to buff it out, and left me with a subtle pink glow on my cheeks. The lightest shade is also absolutely beautiful as a highlight, it looks so subtle and fresh! I haven't tried the bronze colour yet, but so far I'm really impressed with this little trio! It's currently £17 on Birchbox, which again is quite pricey, but the quality of these highlighters is really worth it!
Rating - 5/5

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

So I was quite intrigued by this spray. It's part dry shampoo and part texturiser and it's designed to give a lift to unwashed hair. I have to say the volume I got was pretty impressive and one thing I liked about it was that I didn't get any white patches which often happens when I use a normal dry shampoo. I wasn't a huge fan of the texture I got; as I've said before my hair is quite dry and frizzy so this spray just seemed to make it feel even more coarse than it already is. I think it's quite expensive at £19 as well, especially when most dry shampoos are quite good for giving your hair a bit of volume.
Rating - 3/5




Marcelle Gentle Make-Up Remover

Ok so I'm really bad when it comes to removing my eye make up; I usually just use a face wipe for my whole face and then use a proper remover to get rid of any bits I missed. I think it's mostly down to having never found a good remover that actually gets everything off without using a million and one cotton pads, so I was a little bit skeptical about this one. Boy was I wrong! I used this to remove eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara and one sweep of my lid and everything was off! I am so impressed with this so I might have to get the full-sized version! It's selling at £14.50 which is maybe a bit more than I'd normally pay but from what I can tell it's only available through Birchbox's shop at the moment so it might go down in price later on.
Rating - 5/5