First Birchbox with Review (picture heavy)

A few weeks ago my first Birchbox arrived in the mail!  For those of you that do not know, Birchbox is a company that for $10 per month you get four or five deluxe samples delivered to your door.  It is a great and rather inexpensive way to get to try new products out.

Here is how the Birchbox arrives at your door:

The outside packaging is really bright pink!  But there is another box inside:

When it first arrives you think "Wow...it's kind of small!"  But just wait, when you open the box the sample sizes are a pretty good size.

When you finally open the inside box - try to be patient and savor the moment - you are welcomed with a card from Birchbox explaining the theme of the box.  Each month has a different theme.  For January the theme is Clarity.  As the card states: "January sets the tone for the rest of the year, which is why we're focusing on bringing clarity to every aspect of our lives - from our minds to our beauty regimen."

On the back of the card is the list of products that are in your Birchbox with a description of each item with what they do.

In my January Birchbox were the following products:

1.  Algenist Firming & Lifting Cream
2.  FIX Malibu Immaculate Complexion Smoothing Serum
3.  Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum Spray
4.  Zoya Nail Polish in Kendal
5.  Sample of Granola from 'wichcraft

Now on to the review:

1.  Algenist Firming & Lifting Cream - this is a pretty good size deluxe sample that was in the box 15ml with the full size at 60 ml.  It is also a sample that is full to the top.  (You know how some packaging can be deceiving!!)  From the Birchbox card it states that this product can "turn back the clock with this sophisticated moisturizer, which uses a unique microalgae compound to boost skin's elasticity.  Since receiving the Birchbox I have used this product once a day, everyday since.  While it does state to apply it to the face and neck twice a day, I use this mainly at night after my nighttime cleansing routine.  It has a nice creamy texture that is really unlike anything I have ever used before.  My jar stays a little cool and you do not need a lot of product.  A little bit goes a long way.  It does not leave my skin feeling greasy or tight either as some firming lotions can do.  I will say that in the three weeks I have used this product my skin feels amazing.  I notice that it really has firmed up a bit - seems to have minimized some of the fine lines.  And the good news is that after three weeks I still have over half of the jar left!!  I will definitely keep using this product until I am all out.  Then I will definitely have to decide whether or not to shell out the money for the full jar as it is quite expensive at $94.00.  Based on that this deluxe sample jar was worth $9.57.  This one sample alone almost covered the entire month's fee of $10.00.

2.  FIX Malibu Immaculate Complexion Smoothing Serum - Now I will be honest.  I am not much of a serum kind of girl.  Per the packaging this is a "breakthrough serum [which] uses highly stable antioxidents & dynamic skin smoothers to brighten & hydrate the skin while dramatically improving its texture".  First - the packaging.  While this is a smaller sample, the packaging is deceiving.  The actual size of the product inside is rather small and mine only had about half of the product in it.  So, that was a little disappointing.  As I am not a serum girl I did give it a try though.  It is a little bit greasy which I was not expecting.  They say that a little goes a long way and boy are they right.  Put too much on and you feel greasy and heavy for a while after applying.  Also, this product smells like Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon - exactly!!  After applying this that was all I smelled.  I really couldn't even try it for another day!  If you like that smell, which I do in hand lotion, than maybe this is for you.  Not really for me.

3.  Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum Spray - this is your typical perfume tester spray.  Comes in the normal packaging that you would get from Sephora if you got a sample with your purchase.  As the card states "Juicy's signature fragrance is a blend of sweet floral notes.  Sophisticated and feminine, it's perfect for day or night".  Well, not really.  Perfume is very subjective.  So, what one person likes another might not.  I prefer my perfumes to be rather clean smelling or some floral.  This was really sweet smelling and reminded me of something a teenager would wear.  Not very sophisticated at all for me.  Again, perfume is very subjective so I would say if you like sweet floral this could be very nice for you.

4.  Zoya Nail Polish in Kendal - Now I had really never heard of Zoya until my Birchbox came.  The sample size was about a 2/3 sized bottle from a normal bottle of nail polish.  Kensal is a "sweet cream periwinkle" from Zoya's new Feel Collection which is a collection of winter to spring neutral shades.  I don't know if I would call this color periwinkle as I always think periwinkle as more of a blue shade. This is definitely a more purple shade and from a distant even looks a little bit light grey.  Really pretty.  Zoya nail polishes go on really smooth and not too sheer.  I fell in love with this color right away!!  So much so, that I bought a few more Zoya Nail Polishes a few days later!

5.  Granola from 'wichcraft - this is what Birchbox calls a "lifestyle extra".  Sometimes in your Birchbox will be a product that is not beauty related, i.e. jewelry or in this case food.  'wichcraft is a food chain from Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio.  The sample was a small handful of granola which was ok.  Nothing to write home about.

There you go folks.  My first Birchbox which I would consider a success.  While it did seem like a 50/50 split the Algenist cream alone was worth the whole box!

New To Me Products!

New (to me) Products I Am Loving Right Now!!

It has been a long time, what with the holiday being so busy and then trying to get back into a routine, I have been discovering new products.  Well, not all of them are new to the stores but they are new to me.  I have really gotten to test out products that I have bought and gotten as gifts for Christmas.  Thought I would share some of them with you and give you my reviews.  Here they are (in no particular order):

1.  Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer:  First let me say that I have never tried a tinted moisturizer before but have always wanted to.  After hearing about this product from Beauty Broadcast - which everyone should check out - I decided to try it.  Well.....YEAH!!  This tinted moisturizer actually has some coverage to it.  It goes on smoothly and a little bit goes a long way.  Comes in a pump bottle (which I really wish more companies would use.  Especially drugstore foundations!)  This does have some staying power.  Not all day but throughout my work day at least.  Also, it does not make my skin feel oily at all.  The packaging states that it "evens tone and texture" and it does just that.  My skin looks radiant and smooth. The only downside to this product is the smell.  It is not a bad smell just an unusual one.  Most of the Aveeno products do have a smell to them - kind of like oatmeal - and the tinted moisturizer is the same.  Not a deal breaker just wish it was a little different if there is going to be a scent.  The scent does not last so after the application of the product you cannot smell it anymore.

2.  Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara:  This is a new mascara from Revlon and this is hands down the BEST drugstore mascara I have ever used!  Heck, might even be the best mascara I have ever used.  Although Make Up Forever Smokey Lash Mascara is right up there!  Unlike a lot of drugstore mascaras this one is not that wet when applied.  This has a nice long brush with little bristles that really coats my lashes.  The formula seems more like a gel consistency and does not clump on my lashes.  I got this mascara in 02 Black Noir and the black is AMAZING!  The definition of my lashes has never been better.  Now, I think it is only fair to add a disclaimer - my eyelashes are really long and full so I really do not look for mascara that is supposed to add length at all.  My eyelashes already are sometimes too long.  So I cannot attest to if this mascara adds any length.  I will tell you that what I notice is the definition of these lashes and because it does not clump - at all - I do not even need to use my eyelash comb after application.  This has definitely become my new go to mascara.

3.  NYX eyeliners - Having a gift certificate to Ulta from last Christmas that I had not used yet I decided to go to town and get some NYX products.  I bought two of the NYX Slide On Eye Liners in Jet Black and Brown Perfection.  They go on so smooth and creamy and look fabulous in the waterline.  The first real eyeliner that I have gotten to look good there.  They go on a little "wet" and you can smudge them - great for a smokey eye.  After about 30 seconds they dry and do NOT budge!  Looking forward to getting more colors in the future.

4.  That's right!!!  Got a Clarisonic Mia for Christmas.  LOVE...LOVE...LOVE IT!!!  I cannot imagine how I lived without it.  After much research I finally decided to ask for this for Christmas.  Now that I have been using this for a month my face has never felt this smooth.  It is amazing.  Now, it is true what you have heard.  There is a little adjustment period and your face will break out - just a little after the first few days of using this.  (Probably because your pores have never been this clean!)  But, after the little adjustment my skin has never been better.  While I still have the occasional acne spot coming up - I am prone to one from time to time, my skin has never felt better.  I use the sensitive skin head that came with the Mia and do not feel the need for any other brush head.  It is soft and the sonic motion really feels great on the skin - not harsh at all.  When using this let the brush do the work for you.  Do not press hard and you will see the results.  One of the other things that I really like about this is that while it came with a Clarisonic cleanser I can use my own cleanser to wash my face.  You can either put your cleanser on your face and then use the Clarisonic or you can put your cleanser directly on the Clarisonic and then use it on your face.  Both ways work but I prefer to put my cleanser on my face first.  Also, as a side note....I would remove my makeup prior to using the Clarisonic.  While it does remove makeup, leaving makeup on will dye the brush heads and make them look dirty.  I cannot recommend this product enough!

A Pretty Disappointing Product Review

I was actually really excited to try this product but it turned out to be pretty disappointing. While browsing through Walgreens a while ago I was debating between getting the Revlon Colorstay foundation and the new Revlon Age Defying with DNA Advantage. I decided to try the latter. First, let me tell you how great it was to see a drugstore foundation that had a wide variety of color shades. As a girl with pretty fair skin most drugstore foundations can be too dark and sometimes too yellow. My skin really needs a foundation with more of a rosy undertone than a yellow undertone. This foundation had a great ivory shade that was actually a pale ivory with rosy undertones. From the first pump I loved the color!
However, that is where the love ended with this product. I tried multiple ways to apply this product to try to get the right coverage and never really did. It does go on quite smoothly but really thick. A little goes a long way and takes quite some time to blend it into the skin.
Then, during the day the coverage actually fades pretty quickly - even after setting with powder! At the halfway point during my workday you could already see the shine coming from my nose!!
After several attempts at trying this product I was really disappointed and will not be using it again.

Sephora and Drug Store Haul

Hey everyone! This past week I finally found my way back to Sephora to use the VIB coupon before it expired. Decided to try some new products that I always wanted to. So I got the following:

1. Benefit Ultra Shines Lip Gloss "Life on the A List"- It is a really nice light pink color with a lot of shine to it. The packaging is great as the lid really does tighten down nicely. The only thing I am not too sure about the few times I have worn it is that the brush applicator is pretty small - not a lot of coverage on your lips with the brush stroke. Still a pretty nice lip gloss over lipstick or even by itself.

2. Sephora Lip Attitude Lipsticks - I actually really do like the Sephora brand for some of their staples. I have been a fan of some of the Nano eyeliner shades for a while now. So, I decided to try out the lipsticks as I was looking for some good neutral/pink colors and they were on sale! (Always nice to see) The two lipsticks that I got were Mauve Emotion (#G09) which is a sheer cool raspberry color and Romantic Rose (#G18) which is a sheer light nude rose. These lipsticks go on extremely creamy and smooth and you can either wear it with the nice shine that they give off or blot the lips leaving a great matte color. These do not dry out the lips at all and they last for a good chunk of the day as well. So far, I would recommend these lipsticks from Sephora.

3. Make Up Forever HD Powder - Ok, this was an impulse buy at the sample/travel size aisles before checking out. I did want to try this product just never really wanted to spend that kind of money for the full bottle of this loose powder. Well, Sephora had it in a trial size for a pretty good price (I think either $10 or $15 but cannot be too sure) So far, not much to say about this powder. Have not noticed any real difference to the setting of my makeup yet. Will keep you posted.

4. With my purchase and my VIB points I decided to splurge on the Tarte sample sizes bag which included the following: Tarte Smooth Operator - an Amazonian Clay illuminating serum; Tarte ReCreate - a silicone-free primer with wrinkle rewind technology; Tarte multiplEYE lash enhancing mascara and primer; Tarte natural lip sheer; and, Tarte park avenue princess mineral bronzer. Out of this pack I have only tried the primer and the lip sheer. The primer was ok - a little thin as I am used to Smashbox Photo Finish or NARS Pro-Prime but it really did not feel oily and my makeup did go on smoothly. The lip sheer was a very nude color for me as it is just a tad rosier than my natural lip color so it was really just like a nice nude lip balm. Nothing much too it. Not too sure about trying the bronzer as it really does look dark - even for a skin test and I do have very fair skin but we shall see if I can use it at all for a contour.

Then, while perusing Walgreens I decided to try wet n' wild's eyeshadow palettes. They were really cheap and I have heard great things about them (they even qualify for some MAC eyeshadow shade dupes!) Got the 3-color palette Sweet As Candy (#381B) which is a neutral bone shade, a nice brown and then a pink shade. I also picked up the 8-color palette Blue Had Me At Hello (#737) which is a nice palette with shades of blue, grey and black. I have been looking for a matte navy as an eyeshadow palette I have from the Sephora brand has some nice dark blues in it but the navy has a lot of sparkle to it and I am not that great of a fan. The nice thing about this palette is that it has a matte black and a sparkly black as well! Looking forward to trying some nice smokey eyes with this palette!

And finally I decided to pick up a new foundation as I need to start expanding my collection. Right now I use Clinique Even Better Foundation (#02 - fair) and I just love this foundation! It has an SPF 15 and really evens out my complexion and gives good coverage without covering up my freckles (which is a really tough task!) After doing some research I was trying to decide between Revlon's colorstay foundation and Revlon's Age Defying foundation. Well, the Age Defying foundation was on sale at Walgreens so I decided to pick that one up in Fresh Ivory (#05). I will keep you advised as to how I like it!

New Product of the Week

I have read so many blogs and seen so many posts on YouTube regarding this product. It is Revlon's Color Burst Lip Butters. With so many people raving about this product I just had to try it. I chose #050 - Berry Smoothie. This actually goes on with a very nice color - a little bit more than my natural lip color.

It goes on very smooth and does not dry out my lips. Now, this product is extremely soft so you need to be careful when applying it to you lips that you don't press too hard and it can get caught on the sides of the tube if you did. It does not last very long, but if you are ok with that than this really isn't too much of a negative. The packaging is gorgeous and unlike other drugstore lip products you can see the actual color from the top of the packaging with is clear. This product is really more like a lip balm than a lipstick but the colors are not sheer like other lip balms so you do get more bang for your buck. There are many colors to choose from and I have decided to purchase another one so I guess this gets my approval. You can buy these at your local Target - where I purchased mine - but do not be surprised if a few of the colors are sold out!

Review: Lip Balms

Winter is officially upon us here in the Midwest so as I am sure like everyone does, your lip balms get a nice workout this time of year. I have tried numerous lip balms throughout the years as my lips tend to get extremely dry during the winter months. With all the drying heat in stores and at work I need to keep my lips hydrated. Here are my top three lip balms:

1. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. This has a little bit of a nice reddish-pink color which gives off a nice natural lip. The balm is not greasy and goes on very smooth. As with all lip balms you do have to reapply it but not that often throughout the day. This can be bought at any drugstore and at Walmart and Target (which is where I purchased it)


2. Chapstick Moisturizer Lip Balm. Now, there are many Chapstick products that I like, especially the Chapstick Naturals as well, but this one is my favorite of the bunch. It really goes on smooth, does not have any of the weird scents that Chapstick has started putting into this line - it also comes in Green Apple scent which can I just say - ugh! But it really just glides on and lasts especially outdoors. I have also used this on my lips at night before I go to bed. This can be bought at any drugstore as well as Walmart or Target.



3. L'Occitane En Provence Ultra Rich Lip Balm. This is my absolute favorite lip balm of all time. You know it's one of your favorites when you have gone through this product more than twice and you have multiple of it - one in your purse, one on your nightstand, and the other on your desk at work. This is so smooth and not greasy at all. With the shea butter in it, it smells amazing! Also, really protects from the elements outside - wind and snow. I also use this product all year round. It is just that good. When you put this on at night as a moisturizer your lips the next morning are very soft. Now this one is a little bit pricier than the other two and I but it a Sephora. (There are actually L'Occitane stand alone stores in the mall as well) I believe that it can run about $10.00 but well worth it.

New Product of the Week!

I have been looking for a cream eyeshadow to try and while at Target - yes that is one of my favorite stores - I noticed the Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quad in Just Nudes. They are a quad of cream eyeshadows in various shades of neutral browns. Very creamy. This product works best well if applied with your finger tip to the lid of the eye. I have even used the very lightest color of the quad - a light taupe color - as a base for a smoky brown eye that I did earlier in the week. Does not crease! Worth giving this one a try!