You should all know by now that anything with the word 'cosy' in, I'm all for. If I could waste away my time cosied up in bed with Netflix and tea, nine times out of ten I would. I'm all about winter and snuggly jumpers and blankets, rainy afternoons and building forts. So when I found out that my My Little Box this month was Cosy themed, I let out a little squeal of excitement, and anxiously checked the post on a near hourly basis.
I've never ordered a Birchbox before, because I've never been that impressed with the contents, It always just seemed like lots of samples that I'd probably never use. After seeing a few pictures on Instagram this month, being impressed and realising that it was Cosy themed too, I decided to bite the bullet and order one, and even found a £5 off code. I figured this was a good opportunity to compare the two, and the approach to the Cosy box!
I'll start with Birchbox since it's the first one I've tried! The box was smaller than I expected, and actually a little flimsy too, I can't imagine being able to re-use it for too long without it breaking, but it's compact and it does the job. There was a ton of leaflets and postcards inside, I quite liked the postcards actually (and the pyjama one made it's way on to my pinboard), and there was a lot of information on the products inside. All the products come in a little drawstring bag which I can imagine would come in handy despite it's slightly odd shape.
On to the products! Birchbox only promise one full size product but I somehow ended up with three, which I was super pleased about. I got five beauty items and one lifestyle, which I believe is pretty standard month on month.
Dr. Jart + Pore Refine Recover Primer - £18. This is the item I was most excited to see in the box, it's a generous 30ml size, and I love the pastel packaging. I'd previously never tried anything from Dr Jart, but I'm really impressed with this. Less than a full pump covers and smooths my whole face before makeup, it creates a really even base and helps disguise pores too. The box was worth it for me for this product alone, massive thumbs up.
Révérence de Bastien Nail Polish - £16. I'm always interested to try out different nail polish brands, but I found the inclusion of a summery pink shade a little odd in a 'cosy' themed box. Maybe a darker shade would be more appropriate? It's a nice enough shade anyway, and the formula is good, nothing spectacular, probably not worth £16 but I'll definitely get a lot of use out of this.
Beauty Protector Protect & Treat Hair Mask - £16 for full size. It's always handy to have a few hair masks around, these tiny little pots are enough for one application each on hair my length, I'll probably save one of these to take on holiday with me, it's a good little travel size. I haven't tried this yet but it smells nice, and I imagine the pots will be handy to reuse after.
Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry - £8. Another full size product! These had been on my radar for a while but I really didn't need to shell out £8 for another lip balm so I restrained. I was really pleased to find this in the box though, it's nice and soft & hydrating on the lips, and the colours a pretty pink that's buildable to be quite bold. A nice handbag product for the winter.
Lord & Berry Mini Bronzer in Sienna - £19 for full size. I've heard a lot about Lord & Berry but I've never tried anything from the brand. This is a nice matte bronzer that blends out really easy, I actually think it looks really natural on the skin and I'm quite impressed. It's kind of a shame about the packaging though, you're not going to be able to take it anywhere unless you have a z-palette!
Drinkwel Vegetarian Capsules - £39.99. I really am not a fan of the inclusion of supplements in beauty boxes, but the rest of this box was so good I'll forgive it. You only get six in here and you're supposed to take 3 a day, so you aren't going to get a good trial out of this pack. I already take the vitamins I know my body needs so I'm just wholly disinterested to be honest. I feel like it's kind of a cop out to include these as a 'lifestyle item', just doesn't feel like much thought went into that.
Overall I'm massively pleased with this box. I don't really think any of the products inside represent the 'cosy' theme very well, it sort of just feels like a random selection of products and I think they do cut corners with the quality of the box. But, for £12.95 including delivery I definitely think it was worth it, I'll use all of these beauty products! Unfortunately, I don't think Birchbox are particularly consistent month to month, and whilst this was a great box, I've seen a lot of crappy ones in previous months, and that's put me off subscribing. I'd rather order the odd box here and there should I like the look of one.
My Little Box comes in a touch more expensive than Birchbox at £14.95 including delivery, but I personally think it's worth it. I do feel like this box has had a lot more thought and care put into it, it feels like a specially curated little gift every time it arrives! It's worth noting that the quality of the box & drawstring bag is better, and the drawstring bag is a better shape for re-using. I love the attention to detail with these boxes, the continuity of the theme, the illustrated boxes and the little illustrated postcard, and the ribbon to tie it all together. It just feels like they've put a lot of thought and effort into the making of it. I also love the little magazine in the box, it's got a nice selection of interviews, makeup tips, recipes, and totally pinnable images. It's a nice touch.
My Little Box put more emphasis on the lifestyle side, and in this box I got two lifestyle items and three beauty. I think that all the My Little Boxes sent out in England are pretty similar, you don't get as much box diversity as you do with Birchbox, but I quite like that, and I feel like the products would suit most people. All the beauty products are themed around 'the perfect smokey eye' which I think is quite a good idea, since I'm all about smokey eyes this time of year.
My Little Bouillotte Microwavable Pillow. This is hands down my favourite thing from both these boxes, and I can imagine a lot of people not being too fussed. This little pillow is the perfect size for resting on achey shoulders, popping on poorly tummies and it's even the perfect size for putting on my lower back when I'm driving (I always get a bad back when I drive!). It only needs 30 seconds in the microwave to heat up, and it doesn't smell like lavender like a lot of these pillows. I've had really bad period pain this week so I immediately warmed this up and set it to work, it's perfect!
Coffee Cup. The cutest little illustrated espresso cup. I'm looking forward to whipping up a gingerbread macchiato in this little guy.
Yves Rocher Intense Colour Eyeshadow in Coffee Brown - R.R.P. £13.20. I don't buy a whole lot of single eyeshadows because I rarely use just one shadow at a time, and I like to have everything in one place. I couldn't see this colour working for me on first glance, but it applies lighter than it looks, and actually looks great all over the lid, pared with a good inner corner highlight and lots of eyeliner. Very wintery and lovely. It blends well, not quite as easy as a shimmer shade, but it's not too taxing to get even, and there wasn't any fallout when I applied it which is rare!
Starliner Black Waterproof Eyeliner by Arancil - R.R.P. £5.50. Not the most exciting product but a good black liner is always handy. This was soft to apply, easy to blend and long lasting, I love the look of this smudged into the lash line over the Yves Rocher shadow. Smokey and wonderful.
My Little Beauty Volume and Care Mascara - R.R.P. £16. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting big things from this, I'm pretty hard to please on the mascara front, but I really like this. The brush is simple, the formula is nice, not too wet and not too dry, and it really coats all the lashes, creating volume and length. It wore well throughout the day, didn't flake or smudge, and the packaging is really cute. I actually really like this, I may even end up repurchasing it down the line.
I really like the combination of the three beauty products used together, it was a good idea! I really love receiving these boxes, it feels more like receiving a present from a friend than a random selection of samples!
Whilst I'm really pleased with the products I received in my Birchbox, My Little Box wins for me!
Which of these boxes do you like the look of more?
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