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Beauty

July Birchbox Review

Posted on July 28, 2016

It’s my favorite time of month again (except pay day of course)! Time to review some new samples.  Ready to find out what I loved?  Keep reading…

July Birchbox 4 July Birchbox 5 July Birchbox 6

Avene Thermal Spring Water | Birchbox $14.00:  At first I thought – what on earth do I need this for?  But after reading about it I got really curious to try it out.  Most noteworthy is that this stuff soothes redness and calms all sorts of skin problems.  You can use it as a morning toner, mid-day refresher or set your makeup.  I have been using it as a morning toner and to spray after I work out.  I wash my face, then spray it on!  Great if you want to spoil yourself!

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle | Birchbox $23.50:  This stuff smells amazing and does a million different things for your hair!  It minimizes frizz, protects your hair against UV rays and heat, safeguards color, and adds shine!  I spray it on before I go to bed and I can still smell it on me the next day while I’m at work.  I will probably buy the full size as soon as I am done with the sample!

What I didn’t care for:

July Birchbox 1

Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara| Birchbox $14.00:  Having tried almost every single high-end and drugstore brand mascara in my 33 years of life, I was not really expecting much from this one.  Sadly, I was not disappointed.  I curled my lashes and then put this stuff on.  Almost immediately I saw my eyelashes fall and go stick straight.  BUT the good thing is that this definitely does lengthen like it says!  1 point for that!

July Birchbox 7

Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 35+ | Birchbox $32.00:  Didn’t care for this primer and foundation in one.  The color was off, which isn’t their fault.  Good if you don’t wear much makeup and just want to be able to put something on your face with an SPF and some color.

July Birchbox 9

Balance Me Radiance Face Mask | Birchbox $34.00:  This felt more like a scrub than a mask.  It’s clay based (which is good) and it’s supposed to cleanse, exfoliate, and brighten your skin.  It was okay….

Weird how the only products I was able to sample on my hand were the ones I didn’t care for.  ha!  Anyway, the samples this month were okay.  2/5 were winners.  It’s nice to try products I would not normally buy.  Still enjoying getting a present every month!

Want your own Birchbox for $10 a month?  Sign up here!

 

Beauty

May Birchbox Review

Posted on May 24, 2016

IMG_4435 IMG_4438I was super excited when I got the email that my May Birchbox had shipped and was on its way.  For this one, I got to pick one sample (Supergoop! Sunscreen Oil) that I wanted to try out of a few options before my box shipped.  Also, you’re able to get a sneak peek and see what is in your box before you get it.  Since I don’t like waiting, of COURSE I looked to see what was in my box!  Now onto the reviews….

Cargo Blush and Bronzer Duo | Full-size $35:  I was so excited to try this duo.  I have always had my eye on Cargo’s products, especially this one.  I am traveling for work next week and this is absolutely perfect to throw in my makeup bag.  The colors?  Love… they went really well with my skin tone.  What I also like about this product is that it’s pretty sheer, but you can build it up to the color you want.  The last thing I want is a giant brown streak across my face with a pink dot in the middle of my cheek.  I obviously packed on the color to show you the swatch on my hand, so don’t be afraid of buying this!  I will buy the full size!  

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Cotz Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40 | Full-size $20:  This is a lightweight sunscreen that actually gives a matte finish! It’s oil-free, fragrance free and free of harsh chemicals.  Win win!  Only bad thing is that it comes with a tint, so unless you have a medium complexion, this won’t really work for you.  I still like my Clarins SPF, but this was fun to try.

Davines LOVE Smoothing Shampoo | Full-size $25:  I literally took a shower just so I could give you a review on this product.  I wasn’t expecting much but I have to tell you… I LOVED IT!  The smell is amazing… I have no idea what it is.  There’s olive extract, but I’m pretty sure that’s not it.  Smells like a light floral scent. I felt like I was in a fancy spa while I was taking a shower.  The shampoo foams and suds almost immediately and there is a LOT of bubbles.   It’s for coarse/frizzy hair, which I definitely have.  I didn’t feel like it dried out my hair and after I let my hair air-dry, I could tell that it was less frizzy and soft.  Am I going to buy the full size?  YES YES and YES!  *The conditioner was added as an extra bonus to my Birchbox.

Supergoop! Sun Defying Sunscreen Oil with Meadowfoam SPF 50 | Full-size $34:  For some reason when I picked this, I thought it was for my face.  I don’t know why it didn’t cross my mind that this could be for the body.  So, of course, it turns out that you’re supposed to use this when you are laying out on the beach and want some sunscreen and moisturizing oil.  Well, since I really do not like to lay out in the sun, I haven’t been able to slather this on my body.  What I did do, was put it on my arm to see if I would get an allergic reaction.  There have been some reviews that this can cause small red bumps on your skin.  I didn’t notice this at all and there is a nice citrus-y scent.  I would recommend this if laying out is your thing, otherwise, you can skip this.

Vera Bradley Fragrances Macaroon Rose | Full-size $48: It is incredibly difficult for me to find a fragrance that doesn’t immediately get musky on my skin.  So you can imagine how surprised I was when I put this on and I didn’t smell like someone’s grandma!!!  This is a very floral, girly scent.  It has the scent of macaroon, rose, sandalwood and jasmine.  I’m not quite sure I smelled the macaroon, but I definitely smelled everything else.  A bit too girly for me, but I would recommend this for someone looking for a new floral scent for summer!

If you want to jump on the Birchbox bandwagon too, here’s a link to join!

Beauty

March Empties

Posted on April 11, 2016

If you read my Finished February post, you may recall that I said I was worried I wouldn’t have anything for the end of March.  Well, what do you know?  I have 4 products that I finished!  YAY!

Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30:  Lightweight serum that is like a moisturizer and a sunscreen in one.  Can be used year round and is good for summer when it’s super hot and you don’t want to feel like everything that you put on your face is melting off.  Works great as a primer.  I do like to use the Clarins Sunscreen but when I’m lazy and don’t want to slather on 2 separate products (moisturizer and SPF), I do like to use this serum.  My face doesn’t feel like I have SPF on at all and it’s great for my oily skin.  If you typically hate using anything with an SPF because of how it makes your skin look or feel, try this serum out! 5/5

Lush Snow Fairy Limited Edition Shower Gel:  Bubble gum and sweet vanilla scent with biodegradable “fairy dust” – what more can you ask for?  I absolutely love Lush products and mainly use their soap and shower gels with a loofah (gross I know, but I LOVE loofahs!).  I actually really enjoy the smell of their products and get really happy when I walk into the store and am engulfed in all those scents.  I like that Lush is handmade, not tested on animals, they buy ethically and use fresh ingredients. I bought this shower gel the day after Christmas – which is THE BEST time to buy any holiday Lush products.  Everything is buy 1 get 1 free, so it’s when I stock up on ALL my soap for the year (and sometimes the year after if I am lucky and get the soaps I love).  This year I went a little before opening and there was already a 30 deep line.  It wasn’t too bad though, the location that I went to actually had some really good items still leftover so I left very happy!  Note:  This is limited edition and only available during the holiday season.  5/5

Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Deodorant Vanilla Grapefruit:  This stuff is aluminum free and 100% natural, safe and effective.  It is not an antiperspirant so you will still sweat if you wear this.  I initially found this through a YouTuber that I follow.  She had said that she used this so I figured why not give it a try.  Well, this is my 3rd one that I have purchased – which pretty much means that I love it and will not use any other deodorant other than this one.  I have tried the Vanilla Lavendar one and this Vanilla Grapefruit scent.  I really like all of their scents and if you want to try a deodorant that is safe and natural…this is definitely the one to try!  5/5

Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash:  Even though it says “deep cleansing” sometimes you may think that means dry.  Actually, the entire time I was using this face wash I thought it was meant for sensitive skin because it doesn’t dry my face out at all and is very gentle.  I like foaming face washes.  It just makes me feel like it’s really cleaning my face.  Plus I wanted to use this with my Clarisonic, so I was immediately attracted to the pump.  The only bad thing about the pump is that it almost feels like you’re wasting it towards the end when the product doesn’t reach the pump.  So, I do what any other person who wants to use up as much as they can do – I add water and will unscrew the top so that I can get every last bit!  Since I think this really does what it’s supposed to do, but I don’t see any real improvement to my skin – I’m going to give this a 4/5.  If you’re looking for a new face wash, I would still really recommend this!

If you’ve made it to the end of the post – I have to say, you must be a good friend of mine!  haha… I’m going to have to put it out there that my dad is currently in the hospital so my posts may not be as often.  I hope that you do still come back and read when I do have the time to post something.  Please think positive thoughts for my father and thank you for being a blog friend.