The only beauty boxes I buy these days are from Latest in Beauty or QVC’s massively underrated Tili Box. I can also be swayed by a limited edition brand collaboration if the price is right. Five years ago, the concept of beauty box was totally new to me and I was subscribed to You Beauty (anyone else remember this?), Glossybox and Birchbox. I’m guessing that because it was such a long time ago, all the ‘first-time subscriber’ promotions seem to work at the checkout despite the fact I already have accounts with them. I recently treated myself to the August Glossybox which you can read all about here. It contained a full-sized Huda Beauty lipgloss worth £17, eyelash curlers, liquid eyeliner pen, shower foam and hydrating undereye patches. I really couldn’t have been happier with the contents. So when a discount code for this month’s Summer Lovin’ August Birchbox popped up on my Twitter feed, I decided to try it to see what I had been missing these past 5 years. Turns out, it was a disappointing reminder of why I cancelled my subscription in the first place…
Let’s start with the packaging, a pretty summer-inspired design but really not a patch on this month’s Glossybox. I’m loving that it’s all recyclable, however, it felt cheap and thrown together. The packaging of my Glossybox felt luxurious, it was carefully wrapped in their millennial pink tissue paper, sealed with a sticker and finished with a silk ribbon. This box is very, very basic. I opened the little drawer and it was the most anticlimactic unboxing of all time.
Inside I found a full-sized tube of Anatomicals Great British Flack Off Summer Strawberry Body Scrub worth a whooping £1.50. Yes, that’s right, the ‘full-sized’ tube only contains 50ml. Next up, a sample of Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow Illuminator (a 10ml sample available in one shade), a 5ml sample of Hyaluronic Plumping Mist from Balance Me and a 15g sample of GLAMGLOW Thirstymud Hydrating Mask Treatment. The final item from my box, advertised in the booklet included inside, was supposed to be a full-sized Marble Fan Brush from one of my favourite brands, Spectrum Collections. Unfortunately, this item, which would have been the highlight of the box even though it’s only worth £4.99, was missing.
I have emailed customer services and I’m still waiting for a reply. This box is a prime example of why I cancelled my subscription. This box retails for £10 plus £2.95 for postage and packaging. That’s £13 for three samples, (15ml, 5ml & 10ml), a 50ml body scrub and a missing item. I was really excited to open this box and was hoping that Birchbox had improved over the years, however, I’m incredibly annoyed that I allowed myself to get sucked in again.
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