Nail Polish Collection Part 1

This post has been in the works for a while but I finally found some time to sit down and swatch each color on white paper. I know it isn't the same as seeing it on the nail or in the bottle, which is why part two will be pictures of the actual bottles.

However, I think on a white background you can really see what the true color of it is. I think when looking at nail polish on different skin tones and colors it can change a little. So here is my collection! Enjoy!

Fall Drugstore Haul

CVS got a little visit from me the other night and I did a little damage. I have been pretty good lately with not buying any new make-up which is surprising since I've walked passed Sephora almost 5 different times this past month! It is hard to resist that place, but I held out.

So, when I had the opportunity to wander the aisles of CVS I took it! I am pretty happy with everything I bought too.

Above, are two Maybelline Color Tattoo colors and I am in love with them! They are incredible cream shadows with intense staying power. After swatching them on my hand even with make-up remover I was scrubbing. The one on the left is Tough as Taupe and on the right is Bad to the Bronze. 

Next, I was looking at some concealers but I really like the two concealers I have been using (Bobbi Brown and Sonia Kashuk's Hidden Agenda Palette), so I opted for a brightener. This is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles. It is a great product because not only does it do its job of brightening but it offers a little extra coverage. I am victim to the dark circle so this helps me combat them even if I'm not wearing anything more than some concealer and powder.

 Then I couldn't resist the nail polish section and got these two beauties. I have to say these might be my go-to colors for the fall. The purple is called Sexy Divide and it is a true royal purple, and I love it! On the left is Mink Muffs, a browny taupe color. They are just so nice to look at and they apply really well. 

Finally, I picked up yet another Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. This is a mauve pink color and it is a great lip color for the colder season. It isn't too bright but the color payoff is perfect and it would probably compliment most skin tones. 

September Birchbox!

Ready for another Birchbox? I sure am, it feels like I'd been waiting forever for this next one. The box is a sort of welcome to fall/fashion week so I think it is pretty appropriate especially because the weather has been cooling off quite a bit. 

It came with this cute booklet or their version of the fall fashion mags haha

First item is the La Fresh Nail Polish Remover Acetone-Free pad. I've seen these around on YouTube so I'm excited I will get to try this out. I haven't been doing my nails lately (I don't have enough time to let them dry!) but I just painted my nails tonight so when I switch colors I'll give it a go!

I am super excited about these teas by Mighty Leaf. I love tea and when it is cooler out it is the perfect drink. The three flavors are Vanilla Bean (yum), Green Tea Tropical, and Chamomile Citrus. 

This is an enzymatic face rejuvenator by Vasanti, not a brand I have ever heard of, but I am always willing to give new stuff a chance. Plus my skin has been pretty decent lately, so I can afford to branch out a little. 

This is what I was most excited about, however I think the sample could have been a lot bigger than .07 ounces. At least give us a full ounce! This is the matte moisture tint by Jouer. I put it on and I am in love! It has amazing coverage! Like this is truly closer to a foundation. It is amazing and it isn't too matte which is nice because this is when my skin starts getting really dry. 

This is Twirl by Kate Spade, and I have smelled this before and love it so I was so happy to see this in the box. I feel like I enjoy it enough to buy it, but I don't know if it is really a fall/winter scent. However, knowing me I'll probably buy this and a few others because I think I've loved all but one or two samples so far.

This is the big loser for me in the box. I watched the video for the month preview by Birchbox and they introduced the line of nail polishes by Color Club dedicated to social networking. This is the one color (Tweet Me) I did NOT want to get. It is described as a creamy Chartreuse and honestly, this picture makes the bottle look too yellow and not enough green. However, when it is on the nail it is streaky as hell and the color is puke green/yellow. I would have preferred any of the other three to this one. 

Finally, I was amazed to see this because I LOVE Madewell and J. Crew. Since I need more cold weather clothing I will be using this up right away. Thanks Birchbox!

July Birchbox!

Holy cow! Can I just say this might be the best Birchbox I have gotten yet?!? It is incredible! Birchbox teamed up with Glamour magazine to do a box all about the senses: smell it, touch it, taste it, hear it, and see it.

The colors on the box are awesome, first off. I always have loved the blues, greens, and purples.

First item is one of the lifestyle products: a LARABAR. In particular it is a Uber Roasted Nut Roll. I don't usually go for bars like this but I'm willing to try anything once. Variety pack of 16 is $27.95.

This is the sheer glo shimmer lotion by Manna Kandar. This is more of a highlighter than a lotion. You can mix it with your foundation, which is probably what I will do. Full size is $29.









Next up is the other lifestyle product! Ear buds! I'm totally excited because I was trying to find a pair in my room and they are long gone, but now I have these. They are cute in the neon color, sort of reminds me of watermelon! They were considered a Birchbox exclusive and were specifically designed for the box.

In the green wrapped part of the box I found a new nail polish by Color Club called Blue-Ming. It doesn't look like it in the bottle but it is supposed to be a green-turquoise. I tried it on my nail it the color is what it says. The only thing I was a little upset with was that it is majorly streaky. Once it dries it disappears a little but you need to be careful how you apply it. Full size is $8.

This is something I am super hyped to try because the summer and my crazy shower schedule is not being nice to my hair. This is a High Gloss Masque by Gloss Moderne. You massage it into your hair for five minutes after giving it a rinse, and then after the five minutes you rinse it out. The sample is actually huge so I will get a lot of use out of this :) Full size is $39.

This is super cool too, it is a Balancing Kit from Suki skincare! It says it is supposed to calm and purify troubled skin. What they included is: [Left] Pure facial moisture-balancing (organic blue chamomile and echinacea) which is like a skin oil. [Top left] the concentrated balancing toner (white willow salicins and vitamin c polypeptides). [Bottom left] the exfoliate foaming cleanser (lemongrass extract and natural sugar). [Top right] Balancing day lotion (white willow salicins and natural retinol). [Bottom right] Transformative cleansing clay (white willow salicins and antibacterial zinc).

Whew! The whole kit you can buy for $40 but this is a great starter set to try it out. These packets have a few days worth of tries, most people think you are supposed to use it all up in one try but it is too much product and won't work for you skin if you do!


















Last but not least is a fragrance sample by Harvey Prince. It is the Eau Flirt (or Flirt water haha). It is a scent with fresh citrus and jasmine notes over a base of lavender and pumpkin. At first pumpkin threw me, the only thing I like pumpkins for are their seeds. I was sort of right, it smells too citrusy and something else (probably the pumpkin), plus I'm not crazy about the packaging. It looks like something a 10 year old would pick up. But nice effort with the floral parts of the scent! Full size $55-$98.

So there you have it the July Birchbox! It was a great box!

June Favorites: Nail Polish

So I was inspired by my trip to the nail salon on Friday to do a post on nail polish. I've been very into painting my nails for a while. For whatever reason, my nails are actually healthier when I put nail polish on. Whatever works right? 

I went and got the shellac done on my nails which will last for like two weeks. By this point if I had a regular manicure my nails would be shot to hell already! I believe it ended up being like $35 but it was so worth it. I don't know if I'd do it multiple times in a month to keep up with it but once a month? Yea I would. 

I'm including swatches of all my favorite colors for the month. There are quite a few but I adore all of them and they are maybe only a fourth of the polishes I have! Enjoy!

What are your favorite nail polishes this month?

My first Birchbox!

So I could not help myself and a few weeks ago I bought a yearlong subscription to Birchbox. If you don't know, it is a monthly subscription service where for ten dollars a month the company sends you five to six beauty samples.

The samples range from makeup to hair care to skin care to tools and even lifestyle products. I think this is genius. There are now a ton of these companies out there but I just adore Birchbox personally. The great thing is if you fall in love with anything you can buy the full size on the website!

So my Birchbox had five items: 
the Ahava Essential Day Moisturizer, normal to dry

 I haven't tried this yet because I'm trying to get rid of all the moisturizers I already have, but on my hand it felt so light and yet moisturized.

 Eau d'Hadrien by Annick Goutal

 The downer about this it it doesn't have a spray, it has a wand you apply it with. It isn't my favorite scent but it isn't that bad. It was inspired by Tuscan citrus groves.

Color Club nail polish in Jackie Oh!

 I've never owned a neon polish in my life, so I was happy to see this. While I'm not the biggest pink fan in the world, I really do love this color, and the name is awesome.

 the Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser

 I have always been intrigued by Juice Beauty because I love really healthy product lines, so I can't wait to try this, plus with the warmer weather I've been sweating more and breaking out a little more so this is just in time.

 the Kerastase Elixir Ultime

 I usually hate putting any product in my hair, I don't blow dry it I don't style it or anything. (I'm lucky and don't really need to.) However, I tried this, and it was amazing, my hair wasn't greasy and it smells wonderful. It softened my hair and I will certainly use it again.

and finally Tea Forte teas.

I love tea. I haven't had too many kinds of it but I'll try anything once. I'm skeptical with the first one, only because I hate cherry. It is the one thing I depise. However, we'll see :)

I think Birchbox was a true success, and I reccomend it for anyone who wants to just treat themselves. I know personally, samples usually last me a long time, so it is worth it. Plus you get points for doing reviews on the website and 110 points = $10 (which I got for buying the year subscription instead of monthly). Plus there are so many items in the shop that if you didn't want to wait to try something you could just go for it!

All photos taken by me.

Friday Favorites

This week was so different from the one before. I hate when I go from one week with nothing to do, to a week that is jammed packed. I'm exhausted! So I have bunch of favorites this week, so let's just jump in!

Black Nail Polish: I don't know why but I love when I paint my nails black. Especially when my nails are a little longer, I think it looks so great.

Revlon Lip Butter in Creamiscle: This is by far one of the most perfect pink-nude colors I've ever seen. I cannot say enough good things about it. Plus it is a lip butter, and with the cold weather it is nice to have something with color that still has moisture in it.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes: I know that I have three already and I did a post on them but I cracked and bought two more haha number 30 which is Candy Coral and number 40 which is Pink Plum. I have all but 2 now...wow.

"Turn Me On" by David Guetta with Nicki Minaj: Just such a great song. Totally gets you pumped up, although the music video is a little creepy...plastic mannequins running around? No thank you :)

Netflix: Shaun bought Netflix on his Xbox and it's literally all we watch when we don't have one of our shows on. We've watched a lot of 30 Rock, Arrested Development, and Family Guy. It's awesome.

Juicy Juice in Berry: I know this is a weird one, but I've been really liking this lately! I very very rarely will ever drink something other than water, and I just needed something different. So yummy :) Plus, it makes me feel like a kid again haha

Last but not least, I have to say one of my top favorites this week was Jenna Marble's new video. It is called "Things girls don't understand about boys", and it is hysterical. It is a must watch.

And on that note, have a great weekend everyone!