It's November Birchbox Time!

With all the crazy weather on the East Coast one would think that there would be a delay on the November Birchboxes considering their headquarters are in New York.  I would have been completely understanding, but like always, Birchbox is amazing, and I got my box in the mail on time!  I am really happy with this box.  :)  If you aren't sure what Birchbox is, check out my blog post here which explains everything you'd want to know about it.

This month, the theme is "Give".  Completely appropriate around Thanksgiving and the holidays if you ask me.  They are teaming up with a charity called The Heart of Elysium which works with actors, artists, designers, and musicians to dedicate their time and talent to children going through different medical conditions.  It didn't say on this month's card, but I am assuming some of the profits from buying full sized products would go towards this non-profit organization, but I'm not for sure.  I love that Birchbox has teamed up with different organizations and that we are able to support them through Birchbox. Additionally, Birchbox included a little 'giving' box for us to fill with something special for someone and then for them to pass it along doing the same.  Clever!

Here's some pictures and information on what I got:

This is the little gift box that Birchbox included to 'pay it forward' to someone with a little gift.

This is ModelCo's SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss.  It is HUGE and full size ($16 value!).  It is an award winning Australian gloss.  The mirror is a bonus for application.  This is in the color "Strip Tease" and it is a nice sheer shimmery pink.  It isn't sticky, it smells like strawberry candy, and it is super moisturizing.  I'm excited to put this in my purse!

Next up is Oscar Blandi's Pronto Texture & Volume Spray.  I've heard awesome things about Oscar Blandi products, so I'm excited to try this out.  Who doesn't love a little extra lift and volume?

I recieved per-fekt's Brow Perfection Gel in the color caramel.  Apparently this contains 'nourishing sage extracts'.  Interesting.  It came in a little packaged bag which I thought was unnecessary, but I guess it is because the sample doesn't have the ingredients or anything on it.  The brush is as big as a mascara brush; a little bigger than I would think necessary for brows.  I don't know that I'd buy this product because I like my Stila Brow Perfection Gel, but I'll try this out.

 

Another perfume sample came in this box.  This is Stella Cadente's Miss Me perfume  I love that it is a SPRAY BOTTLE!  :)  It also came in a little bag, only this one is actually cute.  The smell is interesting.  The card says it is a French scent that is a 'blend of exotic blossoms " with "a subtle powdery finish".  That is a perfect description.  I don't know that this scent is for me.  It is very strong and it reminds me a lot of Kenra hairspray's scent.  I don't know that I like that for a perfume for me, but someone else might.

I am rather excited about this 'lifestyle extra'.  It is a little bite sized Chuao Chocolatier Chocopod bar.  This is in the flavor of Firecracker which is sea salt and chipotle in dark chocolate with popping candy.  Talk about an explosion!  This is also free of hydrogenated fats, artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and sweeteners.  It is 100% natural and only 50 calories!  If this is as good as it sounds, I might have to get some more of these!

Birchbox also included a coupon card for Chromatic Gallerie which is a shoe company.  Even with the coupon, the shoes are still expensive.  I don't like to spend a lot of money on shoes, so I don't think I'll be using this unfortunately.

Overall, great box!  If you are interested in signing up for Birchbox, it is only $10 a month and it is WELL worth it!  Here's a link if you want to join:   https://www.birchbox.com?raf=gafkf

What did you all get in your November boxes?

-polish. impress. repeat.

Review: Bath & Body Works Fall Mini Candle

I received this White Barn candle from Bath and Body Works free in my Beauty Blogger Vox Box from Influenster a couple weeks ago.  I LOVE these candles and I was stoked so see I got one in my box.  I had actually already bought this scent in the three wick candle about a week prior to getting the mini.  These candles smell incredible, they have a large range of scents, and the scents are long lasting.  They fill up a whole room in no time.  I highly recommend these candles.  They are very affordable on go on sale frequently.

-polish. impress. repeat.

Review: Goody Simple Syles Spin Pin

I received these Goody spin pins free in my Beauty Blogger Vox Box from Influenster a couple weeks ago.  These pins are incredible!  Not only do they LOOK fun, they ARE fun.  They are super easy to use and they made a messy bun less then a minute to put together.  I love these and I will be using them a lot.

-polish. impress. repeat.

Review: Not Your Mother's "Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream"

I had received this product for free in my Beauty Blogger Influenster Vox Box a couple weeks ago.  I tried Not Your Mother's "Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream" and I am ready to share my review with you all.  First off, I really don't like the name.  I think it is rather inappropriate.  Secondly, it smells VERY strongly of grape candy.  I am assuming that is what "grapeseed" smells like.  If you don't like strong smells or the smell of grape candy, this won't be a good product for you.  After I put it on, I could still smell it even AFTER I washed my hair.  Aside from those two things, this is an excellent product!  It really did 'define' my natural waves and left them looking nice.  I hate when curl defining products leave my hair sticky or crunchy and this did neither.  It left my hair very manageable which I appreciated.

This is a product that I might pick up again in the future, but I really don't know if I could handle the scent on a regular basis.

-polish. impress. repeat.

OPI - The Living Daylights over Nails Inc. - Black Taxi

It's been a while since I've been able to post!  Today, I share with you "The Living Daylights" from OPI's Skyfall James Bond 007 collection.  This polish always intrigued me and I decided to try it out for myself.  It is chunky glitter in a clear polish.  The glitter is gold, silver, teal, and this peachy orange/red color.  Perfect color combo for fall!  I chose to put it over a black base, so I used Nails Inc.'s "Black Taxi".  I'm still getting used to this combo, but I think I'll really grow to like it.

Black Taxi was very easy to apply.  It has a slight 'jelly' quality when applying. It needed two coats to be fully opaque.  I love this polish and I'd definitely wear it by itself in the future.

 

The Living Daylights was very goopy and clumpy, but that worked as a benefit because it made the glitter stick together.  I hate when glitter polishes do not get on the brush.  I used two coats of this so make the glitter more apparent and full on my nails. 

What do you all think of this manicure?  Do you suggest any other colors from the 007 collection?

-polish. impress. repeat.

Influenster Beauty Blogger Vox Box

The kind folks over at Influenster chose me to receive another Vox Box!!!!  The last one I had was so fun and this one is no different!  I love the variety, the amount, and the size of the products!  I will hopefully get full individual reviews on most of these products in the up coming weeks.

Here's a closer look at what I was sent in this box:

Sorry for the glare in the picture!  This is NYC's IndividualEyes Custom Compact.  I'm not a huge fan of using black or grey for a dramatic eye, but I'll try these out for sure.  It comes with a primer, highlighter, all over lid color, two crease colors, an illuminator, and a dual ended sponge eyeshadow applicator.  This is full size.

False lashes!!!  These are so much fun.  I rarely use them because I'm not the best at applying them, but they are great for special occasions.  I love the look of these ones!  The best part is that it comes with the glue and a little applicator tweezer.

Before I even opened up the box, there was a strong smell coming from it.  That smell was from this little gem.  I was super impressed to see this in my box.  I already own this particular scent in the 3-wick candle, so now I have a little baby one to burn too!  Mahogany Teakwood is a scented candle by The White Barn sold at Bath and Body Works.  These candles along with the Slatkin and Co. candles that are sold there are my all time favorite candles.  The scent fills up an entire house and the scents are indescribably amazing!  I love this one because it smells just like Fierce which is the cologne that Abercrombie & Fitch sprays their stores with.  It is one of my favorite smells.  Included was a coupon to get a 3-wick candle for $10.  Soooo worth it.

EBoost health booster drink!  I hope this tastes good.  I'm always up for getting a little extra vitamin dosage in my daily life.

These look so fun!  They are like bobby pins, but twisted and they will hold much more hair than a bobby pin ever would.  Influenster sent ones that perfectly match my hair color too!  Awesome job!

This is Not Your Mother's "Kinky Moves".  I am almost out of my Paul Mitchell "Round Trip", so this might be a great alternative.  It smells yummy.

I was lucky enough to receive one of the bonus items!  I got this "Green Apple & White Lily" body spray from Vitabath.  This body spray actually has vitamins in it to help nourish your skin.  This smells like fresh laundry.  I like it and happy I was chosen to receive this.  I know some other people got a cake scented one. 

Stay tuned for reviews!

-polish. impress. repeat.

October 2012 Birchbox

Hello faithful readers!  It's that time of month... BIRCHBOX time!  :)  Birchbox is a great little gift in the mail, and it brightens my day!  This month, Birchbox teamed up with GOOP to make a special themed box.  I didn't get that box, instead, I got the regular October box.  It had a theme of transformation to go along with Halloween.  It wasn't really a 'Halloween' themed box though.  Make sense?  Okay.  Anyways, I was pleased with this month's box. 

 

 First up is Lucy B Pink Frangipani & Wild Jasmine Roll-On perfume oils.  This was an extra treat to get TWO perfume samples instead of the usual one!  I like the spray bottles better, but at least these have long plastic applicators rather than nothing.  I'm not a huge fan of jasmine for a scent of perfume, so I'll probably give that one away.  The Pink Frangipani one smells great!  Too bad it was half full and the jasmine one was over flowing...

I also got Mox Botanicals Pomegranate & Fig Lip Butter.  I LOVE me some lip products, so this was great!  It smells tasty too!  It is super tiny, which is perfect to fit in my pocket to carry around!  I can't do that with my EOS lip balm.

This is NUXE Fondant Body Scrub.  I'm not sure why is is categorized as a 'fondant' body scrub versus a normal body scrub, but I am a huge fan of scrubs nonetheless.  This one smells fantastic by the way.  I am excited to use this!  It was a little disappointing to find out that this tube is only about half full of product when I opened the lid to smell it. 

I got Mary-Lou Manizer from theBalm.  It is essentially a highlighter.  It is a gorgeous color as swatched on my hand.  I like that it is in a little magnetic book.  Perfect for travel!  It is a pretty good amount of product in this sample.

My lifestyle extra this month was tea!  Birchbox has given away tea in boxes many times, but I have never gotten any. I am a tea snob, and I was stoked to see these in my box.  The orange one is a mate tea with orange and  chocolate scents which should be interesting.  The green one is a mate green tea with lemon grass and lemon flavorings.  Both are not typically something I would be drawn too, but I'm interested to try them out.

None of the products from this month's box were brands I recognize.  That's just one of the amazing things about Birchbox.  They introduce you to great products and amazing brands you might not know are out there.  If you are interested in joining Birchbox, it is a $10 subscription per month (box).  Here's my referral link if you are interested:  https://www.birchbox.com?raf=gafkf.

What was in your Birchbox?

-polish. impress. repeat.