Birchbox Subscription Review

Hello Friends!

Last time I blogged I promised you a February Birchbox review, but unfortunately, as a college/university student, my life has been too crazy to try out all the products in it, so instead, here's a review of my experience with the Birchbox subscription experience as a whole.


For those of you that are unfamiliar with Birchbox, it is a monthly beauty sample box- kind of like a fruit of the month club. For $10usd a month, I receive an average of 4-6 sample sized products, and often one full sized product. When you sign up, you fill in a questionnaire detailing what types of beauty products you are most interested in, and what beauty concerns you have (oily or dry skin, for example), so that they can customize your box for you.

Each month, the products revolve (more or less) around a central theme- February's was Red Carpet, since here in America we've had a lot of award shows and "big-ticket events."
In my February box, I got:

• Beauty Protector: Protect & Detangle spray (Full size $21)
• Juicy Couture: Couture La La perfume (in the gold envelope) (Full size $90)
• Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox: BB Beauty Balm (in envelope) (Full size $36)
• Color Club: Fiesta Collection Nail polish in "Wild Cactus" (Full size $8)
• Ghiradelli Squares: Milk and Carmel ($4.25 for a package)

I felt like the box kind of fell flat this month. While I love the nail polish color, I kind of feel like the boxes with food samples are kind of a cop-out (and that's been five out of the ten boxes I've received).

The second part of the subscription is access to the Birchbox store. The store is stocked with all the products they send out, and you can spend money or points. For every $1 you spend, you earn a point (including your subscription fee), and every 100 points counts as $10 in their store. While that sounds kind of ridiculous, you can also earn points for reviewing the products they send you- 10 points per review, and with 4 or more products every month, that can add up quick. You also get free shipping on the full-sized versions of the products that shipped in your box that month.

Now, do I think it's worth it?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I would like to say yes, but I've never bought a full size product from them. At the same time, I look forward to my box showing up every month. I think what Birchbox does for me is showing me products I might not have tried on my own, like a beautyblender, and products from other countries that are not widely advertised here in the US, like the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè moisturizer from France. I also love all the perfume samples! (I'm pretty sure I will never have to buy perfume again!)

So I guess, all in all, I'm not sure if it's worth the price... but I'm pretty sure that when May comes around, I'm going to re-up my subscription :)

I know that a lot of you ladies are from over seas (about half, which is pretty exciting!), so Birchbox might not be available in your area, since it's only in the US, the UK, France, and Spain right now, but there probably is a similar service in your area.

Ok, so a side note:

Like I mentioned above, I'm a student right now (until June, when I'll be alllllll done with college/university!), so I am not able to blog as much as I would like to, however, I am going to go ahead and commit to posting every Tuesday, and maybe a bonus "mini" post later in the week if I can. I sat down and brainstormed some ideas, so be looking forward to some cool topics coming up! (interestingly, my boyfriend and his brother had some great ideas... who knew?)

If you have any requests or suggestions, feel free to send me a message or comment!

Always,

Nani <3

P.S. I'm thinking about starting a Twitter- how many of you guys are on there?

About Me Tag

It seems like tags are everywhere these days.. now it's my turn.

                                                   

About me:

Birthday: 25th August
Place of Birth: Portland, Oregon
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Male or Female: Female
Occupation: I'm studying to be a medical assistant right now
Height: 5ft 1"
Hair Colour: Auburn/Brown
Hair Length: Waist-length
Eye colour: Green/blue
Glasses? Contacts, mostly
Piercings: Three in my left ear, and two in my right
Tattoos: None.
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Thing you cannot leave the house without? My iPhone (I'm an addict) and a notebook (you never know when you might need to jot something down!)
Favorite brand of makeup? Hmmm... This is tough. As of right this second, Make Up Forever.
Favorite flower? Peonies or Ranunculus, maybe... I'm not sure. Side note, I'm a florist when I'm not in school!
Favorite clothing store? There's a store in my local mall called Romy- they have beautiful dresses, lots of casual vintage styles. I also love H&M and Target.
Favorite perfume? I have a few. For everyday I like Twirl by Kate Spade or Intimately Beckham for Women. For going out I prefer Coco by Chanel (a gift from my wonderful boyfriend!)
Heels or flats? I wear flats of some sort most days (I'm only allowed to where plain black leather shoes for my program in college), but I do love a nice pump, since I'm quite short.
Do you make good grades? Yeah. I got straight A's through high school, then my grades went down a bit when I began college, and now they've gone up again.
Favorite colors? Greens, Blues, and Greys. I love neutral colors.
Do you drink energy drinks? No. I don't like their flavor, and I'm worried about the health effects.
Do you drink juice? I do! There's a microjuicery downtown that fresh presses juices... They're so good. I'd love to get in to pressing my own juice someday.
Do you like swimming? Nope. I never have. I love going to the beach or on the river, but I prefer the shore or to be in a boat.
Do you eat fries with a fork? I do when I'm at home. It's not very common in America, but I prefer to.
Favorite moisturizer? Ole Henriksen Vitamin Plus Creme or Embryolisse Concentraited Lait Creme (Reviews to come!)
Do you want to get married later on in life? Definitely, probably in the next few years :)
Do you get mad easily? Not really.
Any phobias? I don't think so. I'm not a big fan of bees, though.
Do you bite your nails? Never. I tried once. The feeling freaked me out.
Have you ever had a near death experience? If you count trying to cross the road in Costa Rica, yes :)

Anyway, I hope that helped you get to know me a little better. Look out for a Birchbox review soon!

Always,

Nani

Micellar Water Comparison

Hello Friends!

A few months ago, I was introduced to the joys of micellar waters by a Caudalie sample set I got at Sephora. Micellar waters are a soap-free makeup remover/cleanser. The micelles absorb the makeup, dirt, or oils on your skin, removing them instead of smearing them around on your skin. The waters are not meant to be used on their own, but are a great step in a skin care routine.

The first cleansing water I used was Caudalie Cleansing Water ($28 for 6.7oz/200mL)

Caudalie is a French brand that uses extracts from grape plants in their products. Their cleansing water is brilliant. To use, I simply apply a small amount to a cotton round, and wipe over my face, starting on the forehead and working my way down. I have found that 1-2 rounds remove all of my makeup, including waterproof eye makeup. After I use it, my skin feels clean, and ready for the rest of my skin care regimen (I'll discuss that in a later post). The water has a gentle scent, clean and mildly fruity, from the grape extracts, presumably. Using it twice a day, the 6.7oz size lasted about four months.

While I love the Caudalie water, I wanted to look for something a little less expensive when I ran out last week. After doing some research, I settled on the Melvita Bioexcellence- Micellar Toner ($19 for 6.7oz/200mL)

                           

Melvita is also a French company, started by a biologist. Their products are all organic, and draw their ingredients from nature. The main ingredients in this micellar water are damask rose, Seville orange blossom, cornflower, and lavender (along with some other botanicals). The combination of these ingredients makes for a slightly overwhelming aroma- sweet and definitely floral. I can't decide whether or not I like it. The product itself works well, although I find that it takes 3-4 cotton rounds to fully remove my makeup, and I often use another one to remove my eye makeup. After using, my face feels clean, but the skin itself feels tight, so I find myself using more moisturizer. I haven't noticed a difference in my breakouts since using this one instead of the Caudalie.

All things considered, I like both products. I think that if I had used the Melvita first, I would have been happy with it, but when compared to the Caudalie, the scent and skin tightness are the nails in its coffin. I'll continue using the Melvita, but once it's gone I will be returning to the Caudalie.

Always,

Nani

Sephora Haul! 02.05.2013

Hello Friends,

As you will soon learn, I have an addiction. I can't go into Sephora without spending money. When I say addiction, I'm not kidding. The employees literally know me by name.

Anyway, I went into Sephora in need of foundation the other day, and came out with ten products. Sigh.

I've been using various shades of Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + foundation,

but I found that before the expiration date comes, the foundation oxidizes, and turns pink. Since I have fair skin with golden undertones, the pink looked ridiculous, so it was time for a change.

Felicia, a wonderful employee at my local Sephora (although she's leaving for Rhode Island soon!), introduced me to the new Make Up Forever Pro Finish powder foundation in 113 Neutral Ivory ($36).

Normally, I don't like using powder foundation, but I love this foundation. I can't rave about it enough. It goes on very smoothly and has a good coverage. I get bad breakout when I'm stressed, and as I'm a college student going in to midterms, I'm definitely stressed, and it covers the spots very well. For best results, I apply it with the Sephora brand Perfectionist Makeup Sponge (A molded Beauty Blender dupe, $12).

It can be used wet or dry, although I prefer dry, since the wet application is a little sheer for me.

Since I have oily skin, a good primer is essential for me. Something I hadn't realized is that oily skin also tends to be dry skin- your face produces more oil to make up for it. Because of this, Felicia found a really nice hydrating primer, Smashbox Photo Finish in Hydrating ($42)

It has a really good feeling to it. It's very sheer, and smooth. It soaks in nicely, instead of sitting on top if the skin, and it smooths out the skin to leave it ready for the makeup, which is especially important with a powder foundation.

She also recommended another primer for the under-eye area (which was her very gentle way of saying "Those dark circles under your eyes are horrific," which they are), Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($29).

The information on their website says that it reduces under eye circles, puffiness, bags, and fine lines. I'm not sure how much I believe them. It does hide the circles to an extent, since it refracts the light, but I'm not sure I'll be buying this product again, especially since it's almost thirty dollars.

Since my foundation changed, I needed a new concealer, too. Felicia found the Cover Fx Cream Concealer in N Light ($27). (I ended up exchanging it for the G Light, as the N was too orange-y for me.)

I'm having a learning curve with this stuff. It is so concentrated that I only need a tiny bit, and I still find that I tend to put on too much, causing it to show through my foundation. It does totally wipe out my under eye circles and spots though! For now, the jury's still out.

Since I was going for a 1940s glam look, Felicia set me up with some neutral eye shadow. She actually used three, but I had some similar to the other two. I ended up purchasing Urban Decay eye shadow in Secret Service, a lovely matte brown ($18).

I love this color. It's so beautiful, and very natural. It blends well, and as an added bonus, it is exactly the right color to fill in my eyebrows.  I'll definitely be purchasing this again.

We chose a red lip color, Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella ($25).

This is one of the best lip colors I've ever used. It 's highly pigmented, glides on, and lasts a very long time. I have very dry lips, and it moisturizes really well. I appreciate that once it's on, I don't notice it anymore. The color is opaque, but it doesn't dry harshly. I'm very pleased with it.

In the picture at the top of the page, there's also a cream eyeliner, and two brushes. The cream liner is Sephora Collection Waterproof Smoky Cream Liner in Must Have, a matte black ($12). I like it, but it's pretty generic. My only complaint is something I should have expected- because my eyelids are a little oily, if I don't put a powder over it, I get a mirrored image of my eyeliner in the crease of my eye. The brushes are both Sephora brand, a fluffy eye shadow brush, and an angled flat liner.

For a finishing touch, I got a setting spray (since, like I mentioned, I have oily skin, it's a must). I settled on Urban Decay's De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray ($29).

I didn't think it helped that much, until I went without it. With the spray my makeup lasts all day, but without it it only lasts about 4-6 hours. It's definitely worth the price.

Since I spent a ridiculous amount of money on this stuff, and I'm a student, I have grounded myself from going in there until... I'm not sure. But not for a while.

Always,

Nani

Welcome!

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my beauty blog! Here I will be posting product reviews, hauls, and anything else beauty related that tickles my fancy. I have purchased all of the products I will be reviewing, and I am not getting any reimbursement or sponsorship from any external entities. All opinions posted here are my own, and unbiased.

Always,

Nani