June 2015 Birchbox Unboxing and Review

I’m baaaackkkk. Yes I know I’ve been MIA for awhile with my reviews but I have had a lot of life stuff going on. Boo life stuff! I’m back with my unboxing's though and I’m also happy to announce that my YouTube channel will be up and running in July! Whew that channel has been a crazy effort! For June we’re going to start with Birchbox. Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that provides you with 5 beauty or lifestyle samples. Birchbox is $10.00 per month and is worth it just to expose yourself to new products. 

Now onto all the things! 

First we have the amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo – full-size price $21 dollars. I love dry shampoos. Living in Florida if I don’t use a dry shampoo my hair would look nuts in a few hours. I’m a huge fan of the John Freida dry shampoo as well as the Kloraine Oat and Thistle dry shampoo. I have to say that I’m not a fan of how the amika dry shampoo smells. It works well though so if you’re not sensitive to smells like I am then give the amika dry shampoo a try. 

Supergoop! Everyday SPF 50 with Cellular Response Technology – full-sized $19 - $48. The Supergoop! Sunscreen is the same consistency of other sunscreens but the smell is different. It has a light scent of black licorice along with the normal sunscreen smell. Not much to say other then it works well as a sunscreen. 

Look at the hair tie by L. Erickson. This is the Narrow Grab and Go Ponytail Holder – full-sized $12. I like this. I do put my hair back into a ponytail a lot in the summer. My hair obscenely long right now (getting it cut soon) so I really am happy to get the hair tie in my Birchbox Would I spend the money on it myself - Probably not. 

I love the color of the Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner – full-sized $11. I usually wear a navy blue eyeliner for a pop of color. The product goes on smoothly and is opaque. I only wore the eyeliner for a few hours before I took my makeup off to work out, so I can’t speak to wear, but it did last well in the Florida humidity for those few hours. 

If I didn’t have the information card I would have thrown out the Dr. Jart+ BB Night Beauty Blam – full-sized $38. The product is clear with small white beads. I thought the product had separated and had gone bad. However, the info card warned that the product is a clear gel with beads so score. Birchbox provided a small sample so I can’t say it did anything for my skin. What I can say is the product did not irritate my sensitive skin, has no scent, and my face felt hydrated in the morning. 

Last we have the Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel – full-sized $48. The product is clear and has a gel like constancy. I have not tried the peel because I’m worried about irritating my face and when I put a little on my hand the product had the subtle scent of burnt wood. The product is well packaged and the sample is large enough to get a good idea of how it works. 

Well, that’s my unboxing of the June Birchbox. I’m curious to know what others got this month!

January 2015 Birchbox Tone it Up Unboxing. Spoilers!

Hi everyone! I finally got my January Birchbox (the crowd goes wild). To be honest I not only got Birchbox but my Boxycharm and a Korean Beauty haul (yes I’ll blog about them all). So this was a good beauty day!

I feel like I explain what Birchbox (and all the sub boxes) is every month. So, if you want me to stop doing that please let me know. Birchbox is a $10.00 a month beauty subscription service that sends you five sample to deluxe sized samples a month. You also have a chance to pick one of your samples every month or choose your box. This month I decided to get the special Tone It Up box. This box claimed to have gym essentials in it. 

Now on to all the things!

I have heard so many things about the Klorane Dry Shampoo that this alone made me choose the Tone it Up box. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk sample (Full-sized $19.50) is said to absorbed grease and put the bounce back into second-day or post-gym hair. I’m so excited about this dry shampoo. I’m going to use it tomorrow on my “second-day hair”. 

Whish Three Wishes Body Butter in Lavender sample (full-size $24) is an antioxidant-rich hydrator that softens, soothes, and firms. The smell is not something I personally like for a body moisturizer. It’s very perfumy and smells a little like baby powder. As an adult woman, baby powder isn’t my go to scent – smile. 

Aquareveal Satin Bright Soft Water Peel for Face sample (full-size $49.00) is a gentle treatment that removes impurities and exfoliates without irritating skin. This I’m excited to try. Yes I know face stuff is iffy for me but this is a clear gel with no scent and no abrasives. I am going to try this tonight to see how my face reacts. 

Next we have the COOLA Environmental Repair Plus Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion (long name) sample size (full-size $32.00). The lotion is soothing with agave to moisturize, protect, and calm and post-sun woes. I’m not a sun worshiper (I’m in Florida and I don’t like skin cancer) so I’ll keep this just-in-case something happens this summer. 

I’m really enjoying Costal Scents palette’s lately. This sample palette in Latte by Costal Scents (full-size palette $19.95) is no exception. The colors are great and the pigment is spot on. No fallout to speak of and it’s the perfect size to throw in a travel bag or purse (or gym bag). Great little sample!

I have to say that Birchbox has been hitting them out of the park for me these past few months. Keep up the great work Birchbox. What did you think about your Birchbox this month?

Birchbox December 2014 Unboxing/Review, Spoilers! Plus - Giveaway Reminder!

This is my review of my December 2014 Birchbox. Birchbox is a subscription beauty box. For $10.00 a month you get five small to deluxe sized samples (and a few full sized) of beauty product’s that that range from skin care to makeup tools. Just so you know I buy this box myself with my own money. If you want to check them out please click here

Clicking the link above does not benefit me in any way. So, click away. Let’s get to all the things!

FYI I'm a spirited Genie!

This box contains five products which ranged from eyeliner to hair care. The first product I pulled out of the box is Essential Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Gel – Full-size price is $19.00. This cleanser infuses the skin with nourishing honey, softening rosemary, and mint oils. The smell is really nice (have I talked about my psycho issue with smells?) and the mint comes out strongly. I love the smell of mint, even going so far as to grow my own, so of course I love the smell. However, if you hate mint, this product is not for you. I used this product today. Now, the water here in Florida is full of harsh things like chlorine and my skin is always very dry after a shower. This gel did a nice job of keeping the moisture in while also cleansing. That combined with a smell I love and this product is one I want to purchase. 

When I first pulled this product out I thought it was from the same company as the Wakeup Rosemary Body Gel but it’s not. The Davines Replumping Superactive is a leave-in treatment for hair which fortifies strands’ structure to leave hair looking thick and shiny. Full-sized cost $39.50. The smell is nice and it’s a pretty big sample for my hair. I had every intention of using this product but…I forgot. No other excuse, but I will try it tomorrow – smile. 

Birchbox also threw in a sample of the Davines Naturaltech Replumping Shampoo and Conditioner. Nice little bonus to try with the leave in treatment!

So, let me tell you something. I have been looking for a SPF for my face so the Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face was perfect. The full-sized is priced at $36.00 which is pretty steep for a tinted moisturizer with SPF. I put this on my hand and it didn't seem like it had any tint to it at all. Also, the tube is 95% empty. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to tell if I like it or not. 

I’ve been looking for eyeliners and I got eyeliner in this box - woot. This is the Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner. The full-sized price for the eyeliner is between $11.00 - $21.00. I thought I would love this color but I’m really not impressed with the eyeliner. It does go on smoothly but it did tug a little. I’m not sure I want to subject my eyes to too much of that. 

This is a very small sample of the Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream – Full-size $16.00. This is all-over hydrator which heals and softens everything from rough heels to chapped lips. So, this smells like Vicks vapor rub. I’m not even kidding. I love the smell of Vicks (it’s addictive) but I have no desire to put Vicks all over my body and/or lips. I’m going to have to take a pass at using this on a regular basis. 

That is my review of the December 2014 Birchbox. The box was good for the $10.00 price tag although I was not happy that one of the samples didn’t have much product in it or the skin cream aka Vicks in a tube. Let’s see what they have in store for us in January! 

Also – The Kbeauty Blog Hop Giveaway goes live on December 19th. That’s THIS weekend! Don’t forget to check back here for my contest and a list of the other blogs participating!

November 2014 Birchbox Unboxing and Review (spoilers)

First off, I have to say that this box was much better then my last. This time I did opt for the special box this one was The Happy Holiday Hacks Featured box. Now, I hope (maybe) that next month I won't be tempted to get a special box and I'll actually give you a review on the general box (but if it's to good to pass up - I'm apologizing now). Now, if you haven't opened your box and don't want to know what's in it don't continue reading (smile). 

The first product out of the box is the amkia Nourishing Mask. Full sized cost - $28. This is a paraben-free treatment that conditions and repairs your hair with see buckthorn berry. The smell is very fresh and not to over powering, and we know that’s an issue for me. At first I was not sure what this was. I thought it was a face mask and I was thinking “Oh no, something my face won’t be able to handle” but I was happy to note that the card said it was a deep treatment for your hair. THIS I need. My hair and I are at odds all the time. Now I will say I don’t treat it very well (did you see the running photo from last post?) and since I’ve been trying to be more proactive about treatment (angry face) and my hair (I have thin hair but that’s for another post) I really am looking forward to see if this helps my dry hair.

The next sample that excitedly pulled out of the box was Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Body Wash (seriously read the bottle). Full sized cost - $16. Not Soap, Radio is lemon-scented cleanser which will brighten your outlook while you later (according to the lovely card Birchbox includes). It is also paraben-free. I love the smell of this. It’s not to strong (so it does not smell like floor cleaner) but still gives a nice fresh smell of lemon. I love citrus smells (Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue!) and I can’t wait to use this with my Lush Ocean Scrub.

Now we come to the dr. brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner. Full sized cost - $45. I’m not opening this product because I won’t be using it. I am lucky that I do not have black heads (yay for something not on ma face). I will be gifting this to a friend and will let you know how it works for her.

I did not notice this product until after I opened the pillow box but I’m going to mention it before I talk about the pillow box. This is MAKE Silk Cream Lipstick & Lip Primer. Full-sized cost - $36. I am 100% going to try this. Since I opened this box late in the day I will put it on tomorrow and give you an update in a future post. I’m not sure about the lip primer because I’ve never used one before. So, I will look it up and see what it’s supposed to do and tell you guys if it works (yes I know the basics behind it – laugh).  I am severely lacking in the lipstick department (I will rectify this soon – Sephora is having their 20% VIB sale right now). So, this MAKE sample is perfect timing for me.

Now onto the pillow box contents which included a RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in RUFFIAN Naked. Full sized cost - $10 and a bonus! The bonus is a Firecracker ChocoPod. First let me talk about the chocolate. This is so funny to me. I was just looking at this at World Market (a store with lots of chocolate and other things from around the world). It has pop-rocks in it people! It’s great!

The RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer is a great nude color. It’s very opaque and looks like it will be a one coat application. I just did my nails before I opened this box, so I will show you a swatch on my nail as soon as I change my color.

Overall this box, to me, is amazing. I love every product in it (even the dr. brandt). I can’t wait to try my products and to tell you all how much I liked or hated them (smile). 

Girls Rule and I Am So Excited!

Ok, FIRST the reason I am so excited. I am getting my first Boxycharm! Boxycharm is just like Birchbox but a little more expensive (I have to pay tax here in Florida so it works out to just over $22.00 for me) but the higher price tag includes more full sized products. This means I will have a Boxycharm review up soon. Yay for subscription boxes! 

Actually, I'll have more Birchbox, Ipsy, MemeBox, and Boxycharm reviews as I start receiving them. I HAD to get MemeBox...it's Korean... (laugh).

Now on to why girls rock (other than the obvious reasons). My lovely dining room table has been wobbly and by wobbly I mean it's going to fall apart. It's been like that for at least a year but I've been to sick (chemo) to do much about it. I'm having a party today (late Halloween/Birthday Party for my friend) and I got a wild hair up my ass and decided "I'm going to see why the table is shaking". Now, I'm feeling better but I still have crappy stamina and get sore easy, but here I am thinking it's a good idea to crawl on the floor. 

Well, I figure out that the table legs, which are screwed to a piece of wood which then attaches to the table, are loose. And then...I took them apart. Oh yes, took them apart with the help of my 73 year old Korean Oma (mother - well mommy actually but I like calling her Oma instead of Oma-ne). 

And this, my friends, is what a table leg looks like when you take it off the table. 

You can see how loose the screws are. Hell, they're over 1/4 of an inch off of the wood! 

This is what a flipped over table without one leg looks like. 

After tightening both legs, installing them back onto the table, and putting the table back upright this is what we have, 

TADA! 

I'm very proud that we could do this! Women Rock! 

And...this is my dog Kobe trying to help. 

He looks like the devil...because he is... (laughing).