BIRCHBOX Review - August 2014

OK. So I missed July's review. My bad. With the transition going on, I just didn't have time to try all the products, and I hate not being able to give an honest review. I've mentioned it before, but I much prefer to do a "how did I like all the products" review instead of an "unboxing" review where I just tell you what I received. Plus, I feel like I'm getting my money's worth when I actual try the samples, since that's kinda the point of getting them. Now I'm just rambling. Moving on to August.
The first thing I can say about this box is that is was ADORABLE. So many cute touches. It started before I even opened the box. They added adjectives before everyone's names on the shipping label. Mine was addressed to "Elegant Elizabeth". The next cute touch was the sleeve that the smaller products came in said "Tee-Hee". I don't know why but I thought it was adorable. Also, the description card was fun.

Now onto the reviews of the actual products. In the good category we have:
Vasanti Detox Nutrient-Rich Facial Cleanser (sample size)
My face felt really clean after using it without being too dried out. Definitely no tight skin as can happen with harsher cleansers. I approve of all but the price. $24 for a bottle of cleanser is a bit much.
Dr. Jart+ Pore Medic Pore Minish Primer (sample size)
I fell in love with the Dr. Jart+ CC cream when I got that sample months ago, so I knew I liked the brand (plus it's a Korean company and I'm kinda partial). This stuff was pretty good too. It didn't feel oily or overly thick and I saw a difference in my pores. It smelled nice too. Not scented, just not too medicinal smelling.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (sample size)
The surprise success award of the box goes to this sample. I usually hate dry shampoo. I don't feel like it works. My hair usually feels even more greasy after using it, but of course, I felt the need to try it anyway. I didn't wash my hair for 2 days (you know I like doing things FOR SCIENCE!), and this morning I sprayed the roots with this, then ran my fingers through my hair a couple times to work it in. Not only did it smell amazing, but my hair immediately felt less greasy and that's saying something. I'm a wash my hair every day kinda gal because I have really oily hair so this was super impressive. Granted I wasn't going to wear my hair down because it had all kinds of unsightly creases from being in a bun all day yesterday, but at least it didn't look gross.
You be the judge. Does that look greasy to you? It doesn't feel greasy at all. This definitely gets an A+ in my book.
Next we go to the bad category:

Noir Long-Wear Eyeliner (full size)
Normally I love getting eyeliner samples (although I've amassed quite the collection) and I was happy to get a full size one this time. Too bad it was not good. First, it went on more of a charcoal color than a true black, but it went on smooth and being the optimist I am, I just thought I'd use it when I didn't want something as dramatic. Well, I put it on 5 hours ago, and this is what it looks like now.
Not only was there transference to my upper lid which I hate, but it's almost completely gone. "Long-Wear Eyeliner" my patootie. If it can't even last 5 hours, it's not long wear. P.S. It's super hard to take pictures of my own eye. I don't know how my make up artist friends do it all the time.
Lastly we have the meh category:

Harvey Prince Ageless Body Cream (sample size)
It smelled very perfumey. I mean, that makes perfect sense since it's the lotion version of the Ageless perfume, but I prefer my lotion to be lightly scented (and usually fruity). Good news is, the smell didn't overwhelm all day. It was strong going on but within 30 min, I could hardly smell it anymore. The lotion itself was adequate.
Overall, it was a good box. I liked most of the products, and thought the theme was cute. I can't wait to see what next month brings.
If you're interested in signing up for BIRCHBOX, use my link here!
Happy Shopping!

What I Wore to Church - Customized Ikat Dress

Dress: eShakti Smocked Elastic Waist Maxi Dress (customized)
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Navy
Shoes: Bucco Wedges from Zulily

New background! That's because there has been a lot of change in my life in the last two weeks. I'm sorry I missed last week's outfit post. I was in a car driving halfway across the country. We have relocated! I got out of the Air Force, and Kyle got a job in Midland, Texas which is only about 2 hours from my mom in San Angelo. While we're in transition and looking for a house, the baby and I are living with mom. It's already been rough only seeing Kyle on the weekends, but it'll be best in the long run. I'm not sure if this background will be the permanent one. I'm still figuring out where the best lighting is, but it works for now. I miss my brick wall background.

Another challenge this has presented is that I'm not going to see my stuff for the next 3-6 months, so the clothes I brought with me are what I have. I tried to be selective, but near the end, I just tossed a bunch of clothes I wear often in my suitcase and called it a day. I'm sure I can make it work.

This particular dress I purchased before I left, and had it mailed to my mom's house since I knew I was headed that way. This was the first time I customized more than just the sleeves on a dress. It was originally a maxi, but I thought the pattern was a bit too busy for me to pull off as a maxi. I changed the length to knee length and added sleeves. Below is a picture of the dress as it appears on the site, and the post-customization dress.

I really like the way it turned out.

I paired it with the navy Charter School Cardigan to tone down the print a bit on top. I was tempted to wear my mustard cardi to bring out the yellow in the dress, but if my purpose is to tone down, a mustard cardi does quite the opposite. I also realized after looking at the pictures, I could've added a belt, but it worked fine without it. Maybe next time I'll do the mustard cardi and the belt, and turn it into an entirely different look.

Just a note, today is the last day for eShakti's big site wide sale. It's definitely worth a look.

Happy Shopping!

ipsy Review - July 2014

Sooo. I didn't quite make it to church today. Between having family in town, and having a pretty rough couple of days with the baby, it just wasn't going to happen, but since I hate to disappoint, here's my July ipsy review instead. I know it's not quite as much fun, but it's something, right?

The theme for this month is "Sensationally Sunkissed" and I can't tell you how pleased I am that they DIDN'T send me some kind of bronzer or self-tanner. I just won't use that stuff. I was quite happy with most of what they did send me.

We'll start with the good.

Pur-lisse Pur-protect Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 (sample size)

If you've been reading my BIRCHBOX and ipsy reviews for awhile, you may have noticed there are a couple of items I'm really picky about. One of them is mascara, another one is moisturizer. I've got my favorites and products have to be pretty amazing in order to surpass those. This moisturizer is one of those pretty amazing products. It moisturized, it smoothed, and it protected. I even went on a couple of walks with it on in the heat of day and not even the slightest hint of sunburn. For my sensitive, pale skin that's a pretty big deal. It wasn't oily or heavy. It was perfect. The only downside? The price tag. I can't see myself paying $55 for a 1.7 oz bottle of moisturizer. That's too bad.

Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum in SPF 15 (sample size)

Yes that's the whole name of the product. I received it in Barely Nude. I was skeptical as I am with most eye shadow, not because I have a favorite, but because I feel like most eyeshadow is pretty much the same. I know some of my makeup artist friends are gasping at me right now for that, but I'm just not that picky. This however, was fantastic. It was easy to put on with the applicator, easy to blend, and stayed on without any weird creasing or smudging. The nude color was subtle enough to make a difference without making me feel like I was wearing too much color.

Pixi Beauty Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm (sample size)

I received this in Unique Pink which is supposed to work with your PH to show up in your own personal pink color. I'll be honest, it pretty much had no color on me. I don't know if that's because my PH created such a sheer pink that it didn't show (which makes me think there's something wrong with my PH. I'm talking about PH like I understand the science behind it. Spoiler alert: I don't) or if that is just a fancy gimmic and it's more for a placebo effect of "oh look at my own personal pink!" Either way, the balm part of it really did moisturize my lips and it smelled nice. Overall it got my lip product seal of approval.

There wasn't anything in the bad category so we'll go on to the meh.



Clear Clinic Laboratories Vanished Clear Spot Treatment (sample size)

I'll be honest, this is in the meh category because I haven't had a chance to use it. I've been lucky enough to be breakout free for awhile so I had no spots to use the spot treatment on. It could be a fantastic product. It could be a terrible product. I have no idea, but since I can't use it right now, it's meh.



Model's Own Nail Polish in Red Sea (full size)

Normally I'm super excited about nail polish, so why so meh about this one? I don't do glitter polishes. It's just not my thing. This nail polish is perfectly acceptable as a nail polish. I just don't see myself ever wearing it.

Overall this was a pretty good month. Any month where there's nothing in the bad category is a good month, and there were more products that I loved than products that I didn't care for. Yes, I think that fits the definition of a good month. It's not exactly rocket science. High five ipsy.

If you're interested in joining ipsy, use my link here. I'm told if you use a referral link, you skip the waitlist, but I can't confirm that. I think it's worth the $10.

What I Wore To Church - Roses Are Radiant Skirt

Skirt: ModCloth Roses are Radiant Skirt
Top: LOFT Shirred Linen Tee in Perfect Navy
Shoes: ShoeDazzle Sailor (from a few years ago)

Wow. Just wow. That's the best way I can describe this skirt. It is seriously gorgeous and super photogenic. I only took a few pictures today because it was raining, but my eyes were just drawn to the skirt in all of the pictures. I didn't even notice that I forgot to put on makeup. The pictures still turned out great! Wouldn't you know I got it on sale? It was only $27! There's still some available in a 4X if you're that size, but it does run a tad small. The only thing that would make it better is pockets. I kept trying to put things in them all day and was disappointed every time when I realized they didn't exist.

You may notice I'm not wearing one of my signature cardigans. With the wow factor of the skirt, I wanted to keep the rest of the styling as simple as possible. I paired it with a simple linen tee from LOFT in a dark color to keep the print from becoming overwhelming, and simple flats in coordinating colors.  It's one of the easiest outfits I've put together, but already one of my favorites.

I'm trying to squeeze in as many florals as possible while it's still summer. I'll be sad to see them go (or at least have to tone them down) but I'm super excited for fall colors! Fall colors are a redhead's best friend, and I know I'll be wearing a ton of them soon. I need to start stocking up!

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore to Church - An Unusually Fall Outfit

Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Camel
Skirt: ModCloth Breathtaking Tiger Lilies Skirt in Stem Green
Scarf: Zulily
Shoes: ShoeDazzle Omaira (from a couple years ago)

I'll be honest. I did not plan my outfit to look this "fall" and now that I see the pictures, I'm kinda kicking myself for not trying to work with different colors.  I was inspired by my sister's outfit last week. She looked so good in her scarf, and it made me want to plan an outfit with a scarf. I've had this cute summer scarf that I bought on Zulily for awhile now but I hadn't found anything to wear it with. It's so airy and light and I love the floral pattern. Also, I love infinity scarves because I'm too lazy to figure out how to wear the non-infinity ones.

Long story short, I tried on about 3 different combinations of skirts and cardigans and this is the one I liked the best. Now that I see the pictures, it definitely looks like a fall outfit. Oh well. I still thought it was cute. Just wrong season. Sigh. Well I guess I can't get it right every time.

Despite the season mismatch, I love this skirt. The last time I wore it I was pretty pregnant, but that just tells you how comfortable this skirt is. It's got an elastic back and pockets! I desperately want it in the mustard color, but it's been sold out of my size forever.

Should I talk again about the cardigan? I'll spare you. Hopefully by now you're well aware of my love for the Charter School cardigans and this is no exception.

Moral of the story, sometimes it's good to just dress in what feels good and ignore the rules.  In my world, fashion is about having fun and feeling confident. My world may not be the real world of fashion, but I'm ok being delusional.

Julep Review - July 2014

For the first time in a long time, I didn't skip Julep. I haven't been feeling them lately because I'd usually like one color, but not the other, or I wasn't interested in the extras, or I just didn't feel like paying the $20 that month. This month, not only did I want both colors, but I found 3 add ons that I wanted. Their Poolside Collection is a lot of fun!

We'll start with the polishes.

Lorenzana (Shiitake Creme)
Tamara (Lipstick Red Creme)

These were the colors included in the original Boho Glam box. I loved the taupe because I can wear it to work and it looks subtle but (forgive the pun) polished. I needed a good red as well so this box was perfect for me.

Lissa (Tumbled Turquoise Creme)
Vicki (Pink Flamingo Creme)

These were 2 add on colors that I chose because they just looked fun, bright, and summery. I'd been on the hunt for a good turquoise, and who doesn't love flamingo pink?

Since the lighting in my house sucks, I also took a picture outside in natural light. Lorenzana (taupe) and Vicki (pink) required 2 coats.  The other 2 were good with just 1.

Bare Body Milk

This was the additional item other than the polishes that came in the Boho Glam box. My hands were super dry today and I didn't put on lotion all day (totally on purpose because I knew my box was coming, right? Just kidding, I just kept forgetting to put on lotion but it worked out in your favor FOR SCIENCE) About a dime sized amount and my hands are moisturized and smell amazing. The dryness and cracking are gone. This stuff is legit.

Clean Slate Polish Corrector Pen

This was my third add on. These things are great! I usually use a q-tip to touch up my nails but this is so much more precise.  Plus, you may notice it comes with extra tips for when the end gets too dirty. Awesome! Now I can make it look like I did my nails right the first time instead of it looking like a toddler attempted it.

Octavia (Smoky Indigo Creme)
Soraphine (Classic Sheer White Creme)

This pretty set came as a gift because I chose 3 add ons! I was pretty excited about that.

(Wow, the lighting in my house is really bad.) Both colors took 2 coats. Clearly Soraphine is meant to just be glossy and not really a color.

So overall, I got 6 polishes, awesome hand lotion, and a polish corrector pen for $33. Sounds like a pretty good month to me!

If you're interested in trying Julep, use my link here. They are a subscription service but you can pick and choose which box you want each month and you can skip months! You can get your first box free with code FREEBOX (totally original, right?). Just pay shipping.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Happy Independence Day!

My Outfit

Tank Top: H&M Lace Trim Tank Top
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Navy
Skirt: eShakti Gold Buttoned High Waist Skirt
Shoes: ShoeDazzle Marva

Crystal's Outfit

Tank Top: Gap Essential Rib Tank
Cardigan: Tilly's Essential Elbow Sleeve Cardigan
Skirt: Navy Exchange
Shoes: JustFab Lainey
Scarf: Jersey Loop Scarf

Happy 4th of July! In honor of our nation's birthday, I decided to attempt a pin-up look by featuring yet another eShakti skirt that I got in their overstock section. I loved the high waist and the gold buttons, and of course I appreciated the fact that it had pockets. While dealing with an infant at church, I've realized that pockets are practically essential. Where else am I going to put her pacifier when she decides she doesn't want it? If I put it in my bag, it'll get lost in the bottom buried, under burp cloths and diapers. Clearly that's an item that you need within arms reach, but I digress.

You know none of my outfits are complete without the perfect cardigan to pull it together, and I'm so happy I snagged the navy Charter School Cardigan in their last sale. My other one (not ModCloth) developed a hole, and I was devastated. Everyone needs a navy cardigan, and this one is perfect. These cardigans are so soft and super good quality.

I'm not sure if I totally pulled off the pin-up look but it was fun to try. I may need some work on my pin-up posing. Does anyone have an airplane or a classic jeep that I can borrow to practice?

It was super exciting to have my sister in town this weekend, and our outfits complemented each other perfectly. PS. That was totally a coincidence. We share a brain.

I hope you and your families had a fantastic Independence Day and that you found a good sale or two to take advantage of.

Happy Shopping!