My Top Ten Birchbox Products

Around this time last year, I kept seeing the term ‘subscription box’ everywhere. If you’re not familiar with subscription boxes, they do exactly what they say on the tin: you subscribe to a company and they will send you a box of surprise goodies, usually once a month, depending on the box. You can get all sorts of subscription boxes, from beauty, to clothing, to food (Graze is probably the first one I remember seeing). I was really interested in subscription boxes and after doing a little research I decided to go with Birchbox, as it had really good reviews and seemed to be reasonably priced at £10 a month (plus P&P at £2.95).

Just some of my boxes.

On signing up on Birchbox’s website, they ask you a series of questions about your skin, hair and personal style. By answering these questions, you can be sure that where possible, each box will be tailored to your needs. You see, not everyone receives the same products; while most of them might be the same, they’ll try and send you one or two products that work for you. After answering these questions, I ordered my first box. I wasn’t sure I’d be a long-term subscriber at first, I just wanted to try it out, but I loved my first month so much that I’ve now been a subscriber for a whole year and have received twelve boxes.

So what did I like about my first box so much that made me want to get a second one? Well my first box wasn’t even a box; it was a cute makeup bag which was perfect for my upcoming holiday, and I even got to choose between two colour options. The products were great too. I really liked the idea of receiving products that I might not think about buying when out shopping, from brands I might not have even heard of, but that are all great quality and would be useful to me. On top of receiving five goodies every month, the boxes are always adorable, and they often collaborate with other brands, which means can also receive vouchers in your box!

My June box (or tin)!

After my first year I have received around sixty products; some sample sized, some full sized, some from big brand names, and some from less familiar brands. Here are my ten favourite Birchbox beauty goodies, and, just so you know, it was really hard to pick just ten!

10. Birchbox Brush Cleaner

You may have seen these nifty little rubber brush cleaners around, you can pick them up pretty much anywhere. Well Birchbox make their own! I really like this brush cleaner; it has different types of nodules and ridges, and it’s larger than most of the ones I’ve seen around, meaning it’s perfect for cleaning brushes of all shapes and sizes. I love the colour too.

9. Afterspa Magic Makeup Remover Cloth

Image credit: Birchbox

I love this handy little product! This a microfibre cloth which you wet and use to remove your makeup. This might sound like a simple product but it’s really soft on your skin yet really good at taking away your makeup with just water. For those have sensitive skin and can normally only use baby wipes, this would be great for you. If you’re conscious about your eco footprint like I am, it’s also great that you can use this over and over. I usually use mine three or so times – thoroughly washing it with hot soapy water between uses – before throwing it in the washing machine with my clothes. If you have a couple of these you’ll have no need to keep buying face wipes which either get thrown in the bin or flushed down the toilet (which can be really harmful, by the way!)

8. Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow Illuminator

If your skin is a little dull and you want to give it a glow without layering on unnatural looking highlighter, this product is perfect. If you’re not into heavy makeup, then it’s a great lightweight BB cream that’ll illuminate your skin without looking cakey. You can also use it under other BB and CC creams or foundations as a glowing primer. I love the natural dewy look it gives my skin.

7. SAND & SKY Brilliant Skin Purifying Pink Clay Mask

Image credit: Birchbox

I’m sure you’ve seen this product all over Instagram and Facebook. I know I had, so I was super excited when I received it in my box. This is the Australian face mask made from pink clay which is supposed to combat oily and clogged skin. Now I only received a sample, which probably contained enough for about five uses max, and the S&S website suggests using the mask two or three times a week. I decided to use it just once a week to conserve the product, so I was never going to achieve miracles, but I did notice my skin looking less oily and my blackheads beginning to unclog for a few days after use.

6. Benefit POREfessional Pearl Primer

I received the sample-sized version of this product (3ml), the travel size version (7.5ml) retails for around £10.50. This is also a really good product. I have enlarged pores around my nose, which Birchbox knows about from my Beauty Profile questionnaire, and this really blurs the pores and gives me a great base for my foundation. As it’s the ‘Pearl’ version of the primer, it also gets rid of any dullness, which is exactly what I need!

5. Sebamed Clear Face Foam

I have specified to Birchbox that I suffer with acne and so they sent me this antibacterial facewash, with a pH level of 5.5. This is a really gentle facewash which gets rid of spots without irritating the skin. I was worried that switching up my facewash would cause a reaction, but I’ve had no problems using this. I also wondered if it would dry my skin out as foam cleansers often do, but again, I have no complaints!

4. Benefit BADgal Bang Mascara

Yet another Benefit product, this is probably the most hyped mascara of 2018. I again receive sample version of the product (3 grams) – a 4-gram 'travel' version retails for £10.50 – however the Birchbox version comes in a plain packaging, not the studded retail version, which I’m sure will disappoint a few people. This is a great mascara that gives you good volume and length. Whilst I really like Benefit products, I don’t buy them very often as I sometimes find them overpriced, so I’m really happy I got this in my box!

3. Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

I love Eyeko and I’m pretty sure this is a full-size eyeliner (if it’s not, it’s a great sized sample). I’m terrible with liquid eyeliner, especially if I’m trying to get a nice thin line. This eyeliner makes it relatively easy to get a nice neat (and thin) line. The full-size product retails at £16, which is a great bonus too!

2. Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Image credit: Birchbox

I know, another Benefit product. I promise it’s the last one. As you might have guessed, this is the sample version of the product, and it comes in a less fancy packaging than the retail product, which costs £12.50 for the small version. The reason I like this product is because it’s not too sparkly. Whilst I want to look glow-y, I also want to look natural, and I hate glittery bronzers for everyday looks. Hoola is a matte bronzer, so I can still look sun-kissed without covering my face in sparkles.

1. Polaar Icy Magic Instant Eye Contour Energiser

Image credit: Birchbox

This not only my favourite Birchbox goodie, it’s one of my favourite skincare products full stop. I have naturally dark under eyes, which often look puffy in the morning, leaving me looking super tired. This eye gel contains Ginseng, which really wakes up your eyes in the morning. I also noticed that with continued use of this, the bags under my eyes started to reduce. I received the 10ml product, which retails for £20! The Birchbox version comes in a slightly different packaging, but that didn’t bother me at all. I will definitely be purchasing this product again (I'm hoping to get another one in my box).

So there you have it, my top ten Birchbox goodies. Like I said, it was hard to pick just ten out of over fifty, and I can honestly say I have liked everything I have been sent, and a lot of my goodies have made it into my daily skincare and makeup routines. Here’s to another year of my Birchbox subscription!

Disclaimer: This article is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Birchbox.