Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the biggest fan of summer. I am the colour of a ghost and just as translucent, and as someone who naturally runs much hotter than the average person, it’s generally a bit of a sticky, moody mess for me. So when faced with this time of year, it’s nice to have things to look forward to that don’t involve frying on the beach… and that thing is Birchbox.

I’ve been dabbling with a few different beauty subscription boxes lately, but have been sorely disappointed with most. That’s why Birchbox is a breath of fresh air – for the first time, I feel as though the beauty profile you fill out when you start subscribing actually means something. You don’t just receive a one-size-fits-all box – you get things that are genuinely based on your preferences, and not one of the four boxes I’ve received so far has been bad (and in case you’re wondering, this isn’t a PR sample I’m reviewing – this is a 100% honest, unbiased review of a product I bought myself). So, onto the box!

This month, we had the choice of three different box designs – Breton stripes, floral and a bit of a mental pick’n’mix print. I totally forgot to do it, but got the stripes as my random choice – ideal, as it’s what I would’ve chosen anyway, were I not such a forgetful eejit. The June box is a collaboration with French Sole, and every box contains a cute little shoe bag to match the box design – now I just need to buy some shoes nice enough to warrant using it… I had a little bit of help with these photos from one of my rabbits, Truffles, who just couldn’t resist doing a spot of modelling for me.

The first product in my June 2015 Birchbox was a very generous 100ml miniature of the Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Body Lotion. I’ve used this brand before, and while I’m not much of a lotion person, it’s a handy thing to take on holiday to combat dried-out skin, and it helps that it smells nice too.

The next item was this teeny weeny little Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Poppy – an item exclusive to Birchbox. I’m a big fan of a red lip, especially in summer when my favourite plummy, purply reds are just too full-on, and this is a really nice formula which isn’t drying (unlike a lot of lip stains). I actually like having tiny baby products like this, as I never finish my lip products (except my MAC Russian Red lipstick), so it’s always good to have a little one to throw in my bag to make me look a bit more human on days where I’m looking exceptionally rough.

The second Birchbox-exclusive product is this HIP Ultra Shine Shampoo. To be honest, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I had a few highlights put in fairly recently, and the bleach always leaves my hair looking a bit dull. Shiny, swishy, Kate Middleton-esque hair is all I really want in life (is that really so much to ask?), and I’m hoping this is going to work some miracles for me. It contains peppermint and eucalyptus oils, so it’s a pretty unisex fragrance – but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be sharing it with any boys anytime soon.

This, for me, is this box’s star item. I’ve wanted to try Penhaligon’s Iris Prima EDP ever since its 2013 launch, but the fact it starts at an eye-watering £85 has somewhat put me off. Being the fragrance fanatic I am, you may be surprised to learn that my Birchbox profile says that I would like to receive as few perfume samples as possible. They’re not worth a great deal, and I’m familiar with so many fragrances that it would be a bit of a waste. But I was thrilled to receive Iris Prima. It’s supposed to be reminiscent of the ballet, and I totally get that from this scent. It’s delicate, floral and woodsy, like the boards of an old stage, and it’s an incredibly elegant scent. It smells of the colour of ballet slippers. That might sound ridiculous, but it’s true.

This little tub is a sample of Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub. I don’t like excessively scrubby scrubs, as they just scratch my skin and make it red and angry, so this is ideal. It contains Italian olive granules for gentle cleansing and softening, and for someone who can consume olives all day erryday, this is no bad thing. Again, I like the fact this comes in a mini tub, so I can sling it in my hand luggage when I go on holiday, use it up and not have to worry about bringing any excess home with me.

The final item is this little pack of STYLondon Temporary Metallic Tattoos. I wasn’t sold on the idea of temporary tattoos at first (they’re a bit year 6 school disco aren’t they?), but the glitterbug in me was won over by the gold. I quite like the leaf pattern and the three simple stripes, and while I’m not off to any more festivals this year, I can see myself trying one of these out one weekend. I never shy away from metallics, and of course, it’s only temporary – if I really do look like an overgrown 11 year old, I can always get rid of it with the Premae scrub!

It’s worth saying that not every box will contain all these items, as they try to tailor them to your beauty profile, so if you decide to order the June 2015 Birchbox you could end up with a totally different selection. But that’s the beauty of Birchbox – you really do never know what you’re going to get, so you always end up with some nice surprises.

I hope you enjoyed my June 2015 Birchbox review, and would love to know which items caught your eye. If you fancy treating yourself this month, you can use my referral link to get both of us a free £5 to spend in the Birchbox shop!