Birchbox - January 2014

I'd seen so many blog posts and videos over the past couple of months from people who had subscribed to Birchbox and I have to admit I was a little jealous of some of the goodies they were receiving. I'd been subscribed to Glossybox in the past but unfortunately felt like I had to cancel due to too many disappointing boxes. But after a while I began to miss my monthly supply of sample beauty products and wanted to give something else ago. So, after a few months of taking a nosey at other peoples boxes and liking what I saw, I took the plunge and bought my own.

You may notice this post is a little late and so many other Birchbox posts have already been done this month, but unfortunately I only got this box today as my first box never turned up. Not the greatest start to my subscription, but I have to say the customer service team were fantastic. They responded to my email within 24 hours and assured that a replacement box would be sent to me straight away. Big thumbs up to them! So here's the products I got in my first Birchbox...

Benefit The POREfessional An award winning primer that magically erases pores and leaves skin velvety. £24.50
When I read the spoiler on the Birchbox website and saw that all subscribers would be receiving this in their box, I was so excited and hit the subscribe button straight away. I was considering leaving it a few more months before subscribing but I just had to have this! I love Benefit and have been wanting to try this product for such a long time but I wasn't too sure how it would work with my skin type, so I was reluctant to spend so much on a full size, so this was the perfect opportunity to try before I buy - you can expect to see a review post on this in the next few weeks!

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer A hair saviour. This mask strengthens, nourishes and prevents breakages. £27.50
Back when I was subscribed to Glossybox, this was one of the samples I was most excited about when I saw it on their website, and was gutted when I didn't receive it in my box. So you can imagine how happy I was when I opened my box to find this inside. Although I am looking forward to using this up, it will have to do a blooming fantastic job for me to repurchase, as I am very much in love with my Charles Worthington melting balm which is almost half the price.

Premae Anatomy Nutrients Instant Renewal Body Oil Moisturise, tone and detoxify skin with this natural allergy tested body oil. £9.50
Premae is a brand I've never heard of before so I'm curious to try this one out. I don't often use body oils for my post shower moisturise - I'm more of a body butter kinda girl. I've had a quick whiff of this and it smells pretty nice, containing sunflower and rosewood.

Delarom Acquaconfort Mask A smooth hydrating mask to nourish skin and restore suppleness and vitality. £24.00
I've bought/received so many face masks recently, but I guess another one won't hurt! This is a hydrating face mask so should be good for my skin type. Again, this is a brand I've never heard about before but their full price product retails for around the same price as my favourite Origins masks, so it will be interesting to see how it compares in terms of results.

Laura Mercier Body Butter Ambre Vanille Packed with nourishing shea butter, jojoba, grape seed oil and protecting aloe vera gel for silky, scented limbs. £26.00
I wasn't too fussed about receiving this product, but that was purely down to the fact that I'd received the sampler set for Christmas, which contains this scent, so I have some of this to get through already - but how were Birchbox to know that?! It is a lovely product though, so it's nice to have some more to tide me over before I consider whether or not to spend an insane amount of money on repurchasing!

Birchbox Eye Mask This gel filled mask cools the eye area and decreases puffiness. £10.00
Suffering from sleep problems for a while now, means that my eyes are very often dark and puffy. This was a nice little extra to find in my box and it's already gone in the fridge ready for use tomorrow morning!

I was very happy with the products I received in my first Birchbox and I'm excited to start trying them out - starting with a pamper night tomorrow! Overall the sample sizes are pretty good - no sachets in sight! Already this is beating my Glossybox subscription for me, so fingers crossed the next few boxes leave me just as pleased.

Have you tried Birchbox, or any of these products, before? What was your opinion?