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January 2017

Beauty

January Birchbox Review

Posted on January 30, 2017

After having Birchbox since last April, I just figured out that I should be reviewing the products that I receive on their website. Why?  Because it helps them know what to send me.  DUH!  Well, I’m happy to say that even though I just started reviewing the products – this January box was the best!  I was excited to try each and every one of them.  That’s a win!  Read on!

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk | Birchbox $20:  I love dry shampoos.  Ever since I figured out how to not wash my hair every single day (except when I workout of course), dry shampoo is my favorite thing.  I save so much time in the morning.  I cannot believe I didn’t do this earlier.  So, how is this one?  It’s not bad.  It smells and feels very powdery.  I currently use the Living Proof Dry Shampoo and I like it more.  Smells better and doesn’t leave as much white powder on your scalp.  Skip!

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner | Birchbox $18:  This is a great eyeliner.  It is comparable to my favorite Kat Von D Tattoo Liner.  Did I really just say that?  Yes, I did.  If you want that nice pointed wing for your cat eye, this is it!  I’m going to get the full size as soon as I’m done with my stash.

Wilma Schumann Skincare Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads | Birchbox $18:  I cannot tell you how excited I was when I saw this in my box.  I have seen these all over the internet on bloggers.  Sadly, I was disappointed.  First of all it comes in a tray.  Which I didn’t realize until I ripped it open and all the liquid started dripping out everywhere.  That’s my bad.  So the eye pads themselves feel nice on.  The weird thing is that it started to sting.  I only kept them on for maybe 10 out of the 20 suggested minutes and didn’t see a huge difference.  I would skip on this but am definitely open to trying a different brand.

Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil | Birchbox $32: This stuff is great.  I actually really enjoy using cleaning oils.  But I like to use it after my normal cleansing soap.  I wear waterproof mascara and sometimes my makeup remover doesn’t take it all off – this stuff is stubborn!  So I use cleansing oil and it’s usually pretty much almost gone.  I like the pump for this a lot.  I love!

Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel | Birchbox $18:  This is your standard clear brow gel.  It isn’t bad but it didn’t do anything fantastic.  I like to use a brow gel that has a tint in it since I have pretty sparse brows.  This would work great if you have full brows.

When you subscribe to Birchbox you get to pick one of the samples.  Well, by the time I went to pick one for my February Birchbox they were all sold out.  What does that mean Birchbox?  Let’s hope you don’t start disappointing me.  You’ve done so well these last two months!!!

If you want your own Birchbox subscription, click here!

Until next time!

Beauty Style

Grey Turtleneck

Posted on January 25, 2017


Can you believe it?  One year ago today I pressed “Publish” on my first post. One year has flown by so fast.  It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.  That’s how you know I’ve been having fun with this thing.  Yes, there are times when I don’t want to work on this (out of sheer laziness and sometimes life just gets in the way).  But I have to say, at the end of the day…this is something I enjoy.  Taking photos of beauty products, style photoshoots, and writing reviews is fun.  Having people tell me that I inspired them to start their own blog, is fun.  Having someone ask me for style/beauty advice because they saw my blog, is fun.  Plus, it keeps me on my toes and makes me up to date with everything that is going on in the world of fashion and beauty.  Without it, I would probably be a slob.

But enough about that milestone.  Onto the style post!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that it’s been raining non-stop here in Southern California.  Well, the one day that it stopped (Saturday), you better believe I ran outside and started taking some photos.  I’m wearing one of my favorite lip colors – MAC Rebel.  It’s not a true red, but almost a purple/burgundy/red.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, it’s beautiful and I love it.

I got this turtleneck on sale at Anthropologie when they were having a super sale.  It’s turned out to be one of those “I don’t know about you” purchases into a “I love you and I’m going to wear you as many times as I can!” purchases.  I don’t have any turtlenecks and with the cold weather, it’s the best thing ever.  Scarves are not needed when you have this on it’s so warm.  Perfect for the weather we are having right now!

Outfit Details – Turtleneck: Anthropologie (on sale!) | Pants: CurrentElliot | Clutch: Gianni Chiarini  | Booties: Rag&Bone (similiar) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Watch: Michele (simliar) | Bracelet: David  Yurman

 

Beauty

December Birchbox Review

Posted on January 18, 2017

The weird thing about Birchbox is that they didn’t let me know that my subscription was ending.  I had a 6 month gift card that a friend gave me for my birthday, so I had been using that.  Imagine how sad I was when December was almost done and I still had not received my beloved Birchbox.  Well, I went on my account and signed back up for a year subscription right away!

What does that mean for my lovely readers?  Well, 2 back to back reviews on my December and January Birchboxes.  If you read my Nlast review post, you will notice that I was quite disappointed in what I had received.  Get ready because Birchbox definitely redeemed themselves this time around!  Now read on.

This box came with some lovely holiday gift tags and a pretty travel mirror.  What fun surprises!

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-minute Peel | Birchbox $48:  Holy moly this stuff is amazing!!!  After 1 use, I went right online and purchased the full-size.  No joke this stuff is great.  Wash your face, keep it damp, massage this stuff on and keep going until you feel bits of your skin coming off.  Wash your face again and it’s as soft as a baby’s bottom!  Seriously, the best!!!  Trust.  You need this in your life!

amika Un.Done Texture Spray | Birchbox $24: I love a good texture spray.  Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray is my holy grail hair product, but I am open to trying other brands as well.  Having messy hair is my favorite.  That could be because I am not very good with styling hair, so you better believe that I hope this “messy hair, don’t care” trend stays for awhile!  This stuff definitely works.  I used it today to help put my hair in a high bun.  The thing I didn’t like though was the smell.  Unfortunately I will have to stay true to Oribe, but this is a great product if you can get past the smell.

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick (Out of Your Shell) | Birchbox $10: This is a very pretty color.  Good highlighter for the inner corners of your eye or even to highlight your brow bone.  I have a few similar items to this and I just don’t use it in my makeup routine.  I don’t hate this, but I don’t love it either.  If you need one, this is a nice version.

IPKN Radiant Cream Primer SPF 15 | Birchbox $28: There are two wonderful things about this primer.  First, it smells wonderful!  Second, is that it sparkles.  Not in the “I just threw glitter on my face” sparkle, but that luminous pretty one.  You can see it on my hand in the second photo.  This is very close to the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow.  For half the price, this is a great alternative.

Avene Micellar Lotion | Birchbox $20:  I am all about Micellar Waters.  Garnier’s SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water & Makeup Remover is also a holy grail item for me.  Since I wash my face at night, why wash it again in the morning?  I use this stuff and I have had no breakouts from lack of cleanliness.  I definitely recommend it.  So, how is the Avene version?  It’s wonderful!  It’s different because this is a bit thicker than water since it is a “lotion.”  I feel like it is more moisturizing which is always a good thing in my book, especially in the winter months.  I am going to buy this as soon as I run out!  I say it’s a thumbs up!

The takeaway from this post is that I love micellar waters, texturizing sprays and chemical peels.  If you want your own Birchbox subscription, click here!

Until next time!

Beauty

Sephora VIB Haul 1.0

Posted on January 10, 2017

Who else has been loving the weather down here in SoCal?  I love being able to wear boots, scarves and big sweaters.  It’s the perfect time to cover up and be cozy!  I am catching up on product reviews, so please bare with me.  One of my favorite times of year is when Sephora has their VIB sale.  It’s when VIB members get 20% off everything during a certain time frame.  This happened at the end of last year and it’s the best time to stock up on favorites and try some new ones.  I went into the store (which was madness) and also ordered a few items online, so there will be another review coming up!  Read on to see what I bought.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Anti-Aging Collagen | Sephora $48:  I am always looking for a good serum. This one is formulated with vitamin C to boost collagen, brighten and minimize fine lines and wrinkles.  I have been using this every night for about a month now and so far, I can’t tell a difference. I do like the orange candy scent that this serum has.  I’ll keep on using this and see if I notice a change in my skin.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Vanilla | Sephora $29:  This is my favorite under-eye concealer and highlighter.   It’s really creamy and doesn’t sit in your fine lines like some other concealers.  I initially thought that this was too light for my skin to use as a normal concealer, but once I started using it to highlight, I realized that it’s great for that!  My face really looks much brighter and more awake on a sleepy Monday morning.

Sephora Collection Solid Clean: Solid Brush Cleaner | Sephora $14:  If you read my Sigma Brush Post, then you know I was not too happy with the brush mat I bought from them.  Well, I bought this as a cheaper version to the beautyblender beautycleanser solid and when I opened it I saw that it comes with it’s own cleaning mat!  Save yourself the money and just buy this instead.  You get two things for the price of one!  Also, this cleanser works just as well as the BeautyBlender one.  Win win! *side note – I just noticed that the beautycleanser comes with a little cleaning mat now too!*

Lancome Juicy Shaker Meli Melon | Sephora $21:  Truthfully, I bought this because my friend was buying it and it looked cool.  It smells like melon which I love.  It’s a lip oil and I like it better than the YSL Oil Tint I reviewed last year.  It’s fun since you have to shake it before using it.  The formula separates.  This is a fun product to have.  You don’t need it, and I don’t need it but it’s a nice novelty lip item.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 Fair/Light | Sephora $39:  I don’t know how I feel about this yet.  My friend uses it and her skin looks amazing.  I don’t know if it’s because she has naturally amazing skin or if it’s this BB Cream.  In the winter, I like to use foundation since it’s cold and I won’t sweat my face off.  In the hotter months I like to use BB creams since they are more lightweight and are kind of like moisturizer and foundation in one.  This BB Cream has SPF, moisturizes and primes.  You can wear it alone or under your foundation for a flawless canvas.  I will keep you updated.  I have only used this a few times and so far it’s okay, no “amazing” skin yet.

Did anyone buy some new products during the VIB sale that they love and I need to try?  Leave a comment below!

Beauty

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop

Posted on January 7, 2017

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.  I was incredibly lazy the last 2 weeks and it was wonderful!  I was able to spend time with my closest girl friends, do a thorough cleaning of my room and closet, and hang out with my cats.  I am pretty sure I took a 2-3 hour nap almost every single day and I have to say that I enjoyed every minute of it!

As I was looking through my posts, I could not believe that I have not written a post about the best highlighter ever!  A few months ago, I was online and noticed a huge trend for the Becca and Jaclyn Hill collaboration.  Of course I was intrigued. Jaclyn Hill is an incredibly popular beauty YouTuber known for her love of highlighter.  I went right over to Sephora and purchased the highlighter not really knowing what to expect.  Man oh man, this is the BEST highlighter ever!  I sweep it on the apples of my cheeks with a fan brush, dab a bit on the inner corners of my eyes to look awake, and another dab right on my cupid’s bow.  I look awake and refreshed without looking like I just threw glitter all over my face.

I think it’s perfect for a lot of different skin tones and can definitely work for you.  I purchased the Champagne Pop color which is a soft white gold with pinky peach undertones.  This color is also the main staple of the BeccaxJaclyn Hill collaboration.  A lot does go a long way so be careful when applying.  Also, I heard that if you travel with it, it WILL most likely shatter so be very careful.  But if it does, there are a lot of great hacks online that will help you put it right back together.

So, what are my final thoughts?  This is a definite NEED in your cosmetic arsenal.  I cannot tell you how much more awake I look with this on and, dare I say, glowing?  It’s worth the hype!