Tag: Birchbox
Birchbox Limited Edition – CEW Insider 2015
I loved last year’s boxes, so I snatched up this year’s CEW Insider boxes as soon as I got the email. Again, $28 for both boxes…but I had $20 in Birchbox points, so I got all this for $8. And since I’m now a Birchbox Ace, free shipping!
The Prestige Headliners Box has these fancy products: Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner (time for a friendly game of eye liner chicken); COOLA SPF 50 Sport in “Mango” (this stuff ROCKS – waterproof protection with NO breakouts); Fekkai Hair Fragrance Mist – “Creme Vanillee” (actually smells good – like Blue Bell Natural Vanilla Bean – craving it so bad now, but I can’t have it); GlamGlow ThirstyMus Hydrating Treatment with a bonus foil pack of PowerMud DualCleanse Treament; Marula Pure Marula Facial Oil; and NUDESTIX Lip/Cheek Pencil in “Blush”.
The Mass Appeal Box has drugstore finds, but certainly not the cheap stuff: Burt’s Bees Lip Crayon in “Sedona Sands” (can’t tell if the color will end up nude or not); Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths; LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask (Yes!); Olay Regenerist Luminous Dark Circle Corresting HydraSwirl Eye Cream (I still haven’t cracked the jar I got in my last Target Beauty Box); Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Eyes Curves Mascara in “Black”; and Simple Skincare Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer (I am loving the new gel moisturizers).
You can still get these boxes from Birchbox – get to clickin’.
August Birchbox – Candidly Nicole
It’s not that I give a rat’s ass about Nicole Richie, but the curated box option looked kind of cute. It’s called “Candidly Nicole”, with products picked by Nicole Richie, promoting her reality show. The box itself is the cutest ever – very Betsey Johnson flowery.
Nicole’s box comes with dr. brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant; LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip in “Humble Brag”; OPI “Worth a Pretty Penne” from The Venice Collection (LOVE); Rene Furterer LISSEA Leave-In Smoothing Fluid; and St. Tropez Gradual In-Shower Tan (nope, nope, nope).
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
July Birchbox – Go Bold
Birchbox must have heard my whining – my box arrived first this month, even before Julep.
July’s theme was “Go Bold” – which is odd, because this isn’t an overly bold box. Maybe somebody else got some bolder stuff. Inside this month’s box: clariSEA Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant (I’m turning into a charcoal junkie); a 2.5 ox bottle of Davines MINU Shampoo, with bonus foil packs of MINU conditioner and MINU hair serum (I get so annoyed by mismatched sizes in my samples); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid (to match the cream I got last month?); Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint; and stila look at me liquid lipstick in “bella” (sample choice for the month). I take it back – that hot pink lipstick is pretty bold!
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Neither Bikinis, Nor Martinis
I am a fan of neither bikinis, nor martinis – but that’s not the reason that ncLA “Bikinis & Martinis” frustrated me. First off, it’s a plain, light coral – not a fan of coral. Application was streaky – even after 2 coats, I had streaks. I used a good base coat – Orly Bonder – and “HK Girl” helped a bit, but not entirely.
The most shocking thing about this polish is that the list price is $16. $16! Luckily, I got it as part of the Birchbox “Under the Sun” Limited Edition Box – but, still – $16 for a streaky polish in a basic color.
I think I’ll give it a try with glitter – glitter fixes everything.
June Birchbox – Say Yes!
Why is Birchbox all of a sudden taking so long to get here? Is it because everyone I know gets one now?
Instead of picking this month’s curated box from “The Tig” (I was disappointed that it wasn’t curated by Tig Notaro), I went with the regular “Say Yes!” box, picking COOLA SPF Sport 50 in “Mango” (water resistant – yay!) as my sample choice. Also inside my box: Comptoir Sud Pacifique “Vanille Extreme” (not quite Atelier, but similar); Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream (I am starting to love these expensive skin care samples – my skin hasn’t looked this good since the last millennium); Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in “Mulberry”; Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (I got a sample of this in my last Birchbox order – LOVE it); and a SARAHPOTEMPA Darby clip – very bright and 80s.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Online Shopping Binge
I kind went nuts last week with the online shopping – between Thursday night and Saturday morning , I placed no less than 6 online orders…so many sales and coupons in my inbox…I couldn’t resist.
With the long holiday weekend and biblical flooding, almost all of the packages hit at once yesterday. Instead of half a dozen different posts, I figured I’d stuff most of them into one…
I am fairly shameless, so I’m not going to show the pile of underwear from Victoria’s Secret. Yup, I hoard panties, too.
I had been eyeing the Sephora Sun Safety Kit – I need to protect my easily scorched skin. Inside the kit are 16 different sun protection products in a cute travel bag: – AmorePacific Natural Protector SPF 30, Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50, Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Light Medium, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen, Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15, Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47, Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Ole Henriksen total truth eye crème SPF 15, Origins VitaZing Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen, Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion SPF 30, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (80 Minutes), St. Tropez One Night Only in Light-Medium, Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30, and Vita Liberata Passion Flower & Argan Dry Oil Broad Spectrum SPF 50. PHEW – that’s a lot of sunscreen!
For my 3 samples, I chose Viktor & Rolf “Flowerbomb” (spicy and flowery, reminds me of a Victoria’s Secret scent), Maison Martin Margiela REPLICA “Beach Walk” (this doesn’t smell like a perfume – it smells like a thing – LOVE), and dr. brandt Do Not Age. Sephora was also running a Jetsetter deal – pick 3 extra samples – so I got Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, and boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel. My face is gonna be SMOOTH.
I can’t say no to Birchbox’s Limited Edition Boxes. As soon as I got the email got the “Under the Sun” ($55) box, I knew I would eventually order it…but not until I got that 25% coupon. 25% off and $10 in Birchbox points and ADD TO CART. Inside the box: Baggu Tote Bag (I had my fingers crossed for this elephant print!), Cynthia Rowley Beauty Beauty on the Go Multi Blush & Bronzer Duo (meh), Laura Mercier Bakes Eye Color in “Cameo” (yasss), Sugarpova Flirty Candy (why does Maria Sharapova sell candy?), Chloe + Isabel Birchbox Exclusive Medina Convertible Pendant Necklace (my favorite part of the box!), Knockaround Premium Sunglasses (silver!), ncLA Nail Lacquer in “Bikinis & Martinis” (it’s the color of bubble gum you’d find stuck under a picnic table), and Supergoop! Skin Soothing Mineral Suncreen with Olive Polythenols SPF 40.
For samples, I got Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator and Sumita Jumon Contrast Eye Pencil. I also finally got my Birchbox Anniversary Keyring (not pictured).
…and today, I got a big box of Deep Cleansing Hand Soap from Bath & Body Works. You know that I start to get the shakes if I have less than 30 bottles under the sink. They were all between $2.75 & $3.25, plus 20% off and free shipping. I threw in a handful of Scentportables for my car for good measure.
I also received my Dream Polish Gem Glam Topcoat in “Lily Flower” – yes, it’s scented! This another popular one on Instagram and it’s 5 free – I can’t wait to try it out.
I am still waiting on my sale order from Delush Polish – that’s the only one that hasn’t arrived. I think I have enough stuff to keep me busy…until next week when all my subscription boxes start rolling in!
May Birchbox – Beauty Solutions
Another Beauty Solutions box so soon? We just had one in March!
I don’t even remember what made me choose this curated box – it was probably because I hadn’t heard of any of the products in it? The box contains: Cotz Flawless Complexion SPF 50; JUARA Candlenut Body Creme (I had to Google Candlenut); Marcelle Hydra-C 24H Energizing Hydrating Gel (Mmmmmm…I love the new gel trend); Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion; and W3LL PEOPLE The Expressionist Mascara in “Black”. This is a kind of skin-centric box, but I this is the time of year my skin needs a lot of help – it alternates between greasy breakouts and dry scales. Ugh.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
April Birchbox – Mad Men California
My Birchbox has been sitting here at least a week, calling to me…
I admit it, I’ve only seen a few episodes of Mad Men, so I’m not all heartbroken about the final episodes. But the products in the California box were compelling. Inside my box: 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment; CLEAN Original Eau de Parfum (the card says it was inspired by soapy – it’s way TOO soapy smelling, but my husband liked it and actually put it on); Cynthia Rowley Beauty Brightening Illuminator (yup, another one); LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in “Honeypot” (Honeypot!); and Not Soap, Radio Body Wash in “Bathing with sharks” (a fresh clean smell – my husband said it smells “yummy”.)
There was also a New York box – it was so hard to choose!
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.
Back from Hiatus
Somehow I managed to get stacked with a business trip to Dallas and a Girl’s Weekend in New Orleans within the same week.
It was like I was on another planet for over a week!
At least I had the pleasure of coming home to a nice healthy pile of boxes – Birchbox, Ipsy, Beauty Box 5 and Influenster!
I’ve managed to open them all and peek inside, but it will probably take a few days to post them all…
Since we were going to New Orleans, I had to bust out “Bitchcraft” from Delush Polish’s Scream Supreme Collection.
My nails had to look good as long as possible, so I used my best base coat – Orly Bonder – and topped it with 2 coats of Glisten & Glow “HK Girl”.
After 2 coats, my nails were as hard as rock.
Let me tell you, it was a sonuvabitch to get off – it took over 30 minutes.
We had planned on doing a full American Horror Story Coven tour, but my hangover prevented us from going on any tours. I’m not as young as I used to be – I can’t hang with the big dogs. We did, however, go find Madame LaLaurie’s mansion in the French Quarter before we started drinking too heavily. They don’t allow tours anymore, which is a bummer, but we did peek into the courtyard and look into the windows.
I guess that just means we’ll have to go back again soon to get to see the Garden District house and all of the other locations we had planned on going to see!
March Birchbox – Beauty Solutions
Yet again, I picked the curated box – based on one product I really, really wanted.
March’s curated box is called “Beauty Solutions.” I really wanted the Laura Geller Beauty Baked Blush-N-Brighten in “Pink Grapefruit. I love baked! Also inside: Dear Clark Volumizing Hair Tonic; derma e Evenly Radiant Brightening Day Crème; Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream (SPF 37? Why 37? Is it a Clerks reference?); and Whish Three Wishes Body Butter in “Almond”.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.