May Birchbox

Hello! I have had my Birchbox for over a week now & I am so excited to share it with you. I get so pumped every month when that little box is in my mailbox. If you don't know what Birchbox is: It is a monthly subscription to beauty samples. It costs $10 and you get 4-5 sample sizes of high end beauty products. If you are curious, click here. I absolutely love it :) So here is what I got this month:

This month, instead of the usual hot pink Birchbox, it was in a black box with pink design.

I was a little unsure of the reason of black instead of pink, but I soon found out...

This month's theme was Gossip Girl so the regular Birchbox was covered in a sleeve with a pic of New York City backdrop

Since it was Gossip Girl themed, the inside "post card" came with pictures of characters from the show. It has a little greeting about going out and preparing for a night out & being an "uptown lady."

 Here is the back of the post card from the pervious picture, it has a small description of each product I received.

Diorshow Extase Mascara: It is for length & volume with dramatic effect. This is by far my favorite out of the entire box. It goes on smoothly & does not flake or smear. It it very long wearing and gives my lashes a great shape.

Miss Dior Eau De Perfum: It claims to be mostly floral. Personally i think it smells like an old lady & I'm tired of getting mini perfume samples every month. Maybe that's jsut me but oh well.

Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 in Glow: This is a tinted treatment that covers scars & blemishes on your arms/legs. It appears to be a shimmery bronzer that I think will look nice on legs and my shoulders/chest if I wear a sundress. I haven't used this yet, I feel like I need a special occasion for it.

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo: this comes out like any other clear shampoo but is pretty thin. It turns into a light foam when you lather your hair. I have used it twice and noticed that even after one use my hair felt more smooth, full, and healthy.

As a lifestyle extra I got a post card note with XOXO on the front that came with a hot pink envelope. I already sent it to one of my friends because it was really cute & i forgot to snap a picture of it.


All-in-all I think my May Birchbox was pretty good. I have never watched Gossip Girl. I did read the books way back in the beginning of high school but I just have not had time for TV lately. I do think that I would enjoy it if I had the time to sit and watch all of them. It is not a show you can watch one or two of and enjoy, you have to see them all in sequence. However, I don't think that changed my feelings toward my Birchbox this month. When I was opening it I thought I might feel a little left out when I opened the box but I did not feel that way at all. I do prefer boxes that are not quite as themed, but I still really enjoyed this one. :)

If you got a Birchbox let me know what you got or direct me to your blog post/video of unboxing! Have a great day :)

Sample Size review :)

Good afternoon! I forced myself to study all day for a huge final I have tomorrow so now I will do a little blogging for you all. I have been using up and enjoying a lot of sample sizes here lately. Some are from the drugstore & others are from Birchbox. All in all, i have concluded that I love beauty minis! I obviously get too distracted to commit to one full size of anything. Of course I have my staple beauty products but I love to supplment with minis. They are small & cheap so f I do not love the item there is no harm but if I love it I can always go & get the full size. Most beauty products are soo expensive therefore I am saving money by only spending on what I know I like and will use. Also some items I just want for a season because of a certain scent or for a special occasion. So, enough rambling on about loving sample sizes..Here is a littl review of some drugstore & some Birchbox minis:

This is the amika nourishing hair mask that I received in my April Birchbox. It contains Obliphica  and Argan oils for shine & restoraton. It is also safe for color treated hair which was a plus. This 0.67 fl oz size was completely full so I used it 3 times! That is pretty good, some samples are one time use. It felt like a thick conditioner and smelled really nice, like fruit & flowers. It did make my hair feel softer and less frizzy & dry. I really liked this mask but full size is $40 & I don't feel like I really need it. However, I might splurge when I rank up some more Birchbox points.

Another one from my April Birchbox: juice Beauty Oil-free moisturizer. It is certified organic and made from fruit oils. I really really liked this. It has a pretty strong fruity smell but it was a good smell. It is a pretty thin consistency but a little covers your face evenly. It did not cause my face to break out and actually cleared up one breakout. It was extremely hydrating on my face without being oily. I used it at bedtime because it does not contain SPF & I always protect my face during the day. The full size is $28. Once again, I want it but my less than $10 drug store moisturizer is doing fine.

The Biore Combonation skin balancing cleaner came on the back of astrigent that I bought form Biore. I didn't think I was even going to use it but one day I noticed it on the edge of my shower and thought, why not? It is a clear formula & feels like hand soap when you squeez it out. It really foams when you lather it onto your face. I have used it whenever I get a breakout or feel one coming on & t seems to help. I like it for every once in a while but it would be too drying for me to use everyday. I will not be getting a full size when this runs out.

The St. Ives Apricot Scrub is a drug store classic but I had never used it before. I always get those litle red itchy bumps on the back of my upper arms & one of my friends suggested that I use this scrub. I decided to get one of these little bottles for $1 in the travel isle an give it a try. I have been using it about twice a week for a month now & my little bumps are gone! I had no idea this was going to be successful. I just got one more travel size today because now that they are gone I will probably use it on occasion instead of a few times a week. This is now a beauty staple.

I hope you guys enjoyed my sample reviews. Do you like to get beauty minis or would you rather just buy the full size? If you do like sample size, where you you prefer to buy them? Leave me some comments about how you like to find beauty staples. :)

Spring Favorites & catch-up

Hello everyone! It has been such a long time since I have blogged & I am sorry for that. I have been trying out some new products, so since I have about an hour of down time i thought I would share my favorites of spring along with a few newer products I have not used yet.

I have really been loving the Loreal Youth Code line. I believe I have previously mentioned both the Foaming Gel Cleaner & the Eye Treatment. I really like both of them & my Garnier SPF moisturizer is almost empty so I got the Loreal Youth Code SPF 30 Day Lotion Moisturizer. The box claims it to reduce the signs of stress, fatigue, and aging. It smooths, hydrates, and reduces wrinkles so skin looks rested. Personally, my new goal is to not use a day moisturizer/makeup onmy face that does not contain SPF of at least 15. I love that this is lightweight but still SPF 30. I have really dry and sensitive skin but this lotion has made my face feel less dry without being oily. I have used it for about 2 weeks now and I am really liking it. In fact, I like it so much that I do not want to finish up my Garnier moisturizer. Also I want to get more of these Loreal products because I am loving the 3 that I have bought.

This past weekend I went to Bath & Body Works, which always spells disaster. I got the full size shower gel & body mist in Be Enchanted. At Christmas I got the mini ones in this scent and I loved it but I ran out of the shower gel months ago & my body mist is always lost in my purse. I have been wanting the full sizes fo staples on my bathroom shelf. They were running a special so for free I got a tote bag with flowers on it & a full sized body lotion of the new scent Malibu heat. As if that wasn't exciting enough, I saw something brand new that I had nevr seen before. True blue spa has a new summer time collection. I picked up the Malibu Waves Spray for Hair. It is a UV Absorber as well, to protect my color. it smells very strong in the bottle but I sprayed a little out into the air and it smells very fruity in a weird sort of way.

This is the Sephora Summer Essentials kit. I purchased it while I was shopping in Pittsburgh on spring break. So far I still haven't used every product, but the ones I have used I love. The OPI by sephora nail polish is really bright and that beautiful coral color that is everywhere this year. The Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 is ont of my favorites. It is the perfect base for foundation on a hot day when you feel like your makeup is going to sweat off. it really does mattify my face and it does not have much of a smell. I don't think I have enough left to even use one more time, I really need to look into getting the full size. The waterproof eye makeup remover is nice as well, because it is pretty gentle on my skin without drying me out but def gets everything clean. I have not had the chance to use the Supergoop sunscreen but it is riding around in my purse waiting for me to spend a little time outside. I have not had hte chance to use the TANtilizer or the NARS orgasm cream blush yet but I will keep you posted. Another absolute favorite of mine is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder. It is the perfect color for contouring & smells like chocolate!! The benefit Bad Gal lash mascara is one of my favorites already & I am saving it for when my other one is empty. I am so glad that I got this summer kit for only $36. I love the mini sizes.

 2 other Items I picked up from Sephora that day were the benefit Hervana blush & Kat Von D eyeshadow. the blush is a perfect blend of pinks that naturally pop on the cheek. I am usually not big on blush but I really like this one. The Kat Von D eyeshadow palette in Beethoven is fantastic. It has beautiful purples, grey, yellow, brown and black. It blends well with matte and shimmery shades. I have been wearing these shadows almost everyday. The do not crease or fade after all day, which is amazing. i want to try more of her makeup line.
I also got a couple samples of Philosophy micro delivery. It is a really gentle face scrub. It has a classic clean "philosophy" smell to it. i really like it & want to get a full sized bottle. It cleared up my face because I get dry skin & dirt/makeup gets trapped under there.

& last but not least, my current face combo:

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Radiant Firming Makeup SPF 18 in 220 Sandy Beige. I have been using this for about a month now & i like it. It is a littl thicker than what I prefer but this color goes well with my new fake & bake tan :) The Loreal true match super-blendable power is nice too. I am in the Warm W3 nude beige. I like it a lot better than the powers I have previoulsy used because it layers evenly without feeling caked on.

I hope this blog was not too long for you to look at/read. & I also hope you enjoyed my opinions of these products (please remember that they are my opinions & I bought everything myself) Let me know if you have tried & liked any of these items. Also let me know if there is anything you want me to share in greater detail :) comments are loved & always replied to. Have a great night/day :)