Best of Birchbox

So I wasn't able to get a birch box this month and I feel like crying because I see everyone else got theirs!!! As I mention in almost every post I am down to no money and it has been hard for me to find a job!! with all of my whining and crying aside, I thought it would be really fun to do a Best of Birchbox post. You guys always kinda see more of a haul type of thing when I talk about my Birchbox and I never really mention an opinion because I haven't had a chance to try anything.

What Im going to do is pick out my absolute favorites from the past few months.

Laura Geller Baked Blush N Brighten- When I first got this and was using it, I did like it but I have to say it certainly wasn't my favorite bronzer. When I first got it in my June Birchbox, I was much darker and I guess it wasn't looking it's best on my skin. Now that I dont have as much of a tan, I am in love with it and have been using it to contour every day since then. As I mentioned before it is really shimmery but honestly, I dont think it's too shimmery as I thought it was before. You do have to use a light hand and be sure to tap off the excess & I know bronzers used for contouring arent supposed to really shimmer, but if you are a bit on the lighter side, I think it actually works really well as a bronzer. It does have shimmer to it, but not too much. And I hear once you hit pan, it isnt a pan but an Italian stone that it was baked on, I cannot wait to hit the tile!! yay!

YBF Beauty Brow Pencil- I have seen her on QVC or HSN so many times that when I seen YBF in my box, I was ecstatic. And it really exceeded my expectations. I love how if you apply it just right, it looks like hair and just blends in- I love this damn thing. As I mentioned before too, this really is a brow pencil only- which I think is a good thing because it dosen't look too heavy on your brows- it actually looks more like hair and mess like pencil marks. U could never use it as an eye liner or anything like that but I do think everyone needs one of these babies in their collection.

LIV GRN Earth Eau de Parfum the card read: "Made from biodegradable and sustainable ingredients, this lush scent is laced with jasmine and sandalwood." This is my favorite scent out of any of them I have received- I just am so in love with it- it is so clean and delicious and girly. check this out if you can, you will probably wanna drink it! well maybe not.... haha! I got this in my very first birchbox

On the Fence

these next items I like alot and I am really grateful to get a chance to try them out, but I don't think they are "must haves" or the best.  So I like them, but I don't love them

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Face Wash- This is a really gentle face cleanser and I do have sensitive skin but I personally think I like the L'Oreal 360 Clean that comes w/the scrubbie. They are very comparable, so if you are interested in this Philosophy face wash, I say save your money and opt for the L'Oreal 360. I also do like exfoliators in my face washes. If you have ever used Proactiv or Clearskin from Avon then you know what I mean. I like to mix Purity with Clearskin. I feel like I get a deeper cleaning w/ an exfoliant. So for this stuff, it's a great face wash but you can buy the L'Oreal 360 for much cheaper and have it do the exact same thing. I think that it is a good dupe for this stuff (and you get the scrubbie!) This would get a 4 but because it is expensive and I feel there is a dupe im gunna give it 3/5

Pangea Organics Toner for Normal Oily Skin- I have been using this toner almost every day since I got it. I really do like something about considering I keep on using it. I usually throw this in my bag if im going to be outside running or whatever. So that way when im all sweaty, I can just spray some of this stuff on and my skin feels refreshed. I think that any other toners I have give that extra step of cleansing more then this stuff does tho. Pangea Organics dosen't burn your skin like some other toners may but honestly, I like that sting just because I know it's getting the job done. The company claims that it gets rid of oil and impurities and I think that claim would be true. It also is supposed to help balance and hydrate your skin and also repair damaged tissue. I can't be positive about any of these claims. Also too, if you dont like the smell of like herbal/hippie scents, your not gunna like the smell of this- I personally don't like the scent. So im gunna give this a 3/5.

Stila Eyeshadow in Coco- When I first seen this in my Birchbox I was soo exited to try out a Stila shadow since I never have before. I think the color is really nice and it does have a good color pay off. I really like that it is matte so I can use it on my brows as well if need be. The only reason I am on the fence with this one is because I have an exact color from Mark. and they are identical twins. Mark.'s Espresso has the same color pay off, pigment, etc. So this is a great shadow but it isnt a unique color, & if you can get it cheaper then I say why in hell not? so again 3/5

1 Week in Diet & Exercise

Ok so im sure you guys know that I love photography, and if you don't well know you do!! Anyways, I love WeHeartIt and I typed "Fitness" into search it on WeHeartIt and this is what I found. These help me probably more than any other health regimen does just because these are so pretty. I am more of visual kind of person I guess- if you are visual like myself, then I hope these will help you as much as me! I think I may create little pictures like this to fit my own lifestyle. For now, these will do

So yeah I just think it is a really fun (& different) way to amp up your diet and exercise and stay on track while also rewarding yourself (: notice how there is only 6 days? i like it- I know, for me, I need to know that I am working hard for that 1 day a week break

So what do you guys think, gunna try any of these suggestions?

Makeup Storage Ideas

I dont know about you, but I am always looking for practical, functional, & stylish organization tips & ideas. I have learned a thing or 2 and have found some great ideas. Bobbie pins are always in my way so I was on a mission to find a great storage idea for them. Doesn't it seem like they are always everywhere? Only when you really need one, they are nowhere to be found! my latest brilliant idea which my best friend came up with was to throw them in these shot glasses we got! her work was throwing them away so we decided to give them a good home and make them a good home for our bobbies! success

I hear it is not good to keep your makeup in the bathroom, because the steam from the shower gives the makeup bacteria. That is the lightest place of my house as I do not have my makeup mirror anymore (I need a new one) and it just works for me to put my makeup in the bathroom. I have a roll-away stand that a store everything on which is great for when you wanna sweep-

the pink box thingee that is storing my face washes I got from the $1 section in Target- the Target dollar tree always gets me! Functional meets Stylish meets Cheap

So this is how I organize my makeup int the drawers you see in the picture above: you can kinda see what is what in each drawer if you look close.

• In the top drawer I keep all my brow stuff  & tools: stencils, brow powders, tweezers, pencil sharpener. all that kinda stuff. 
• Next drawer down, I keep concealers, highlighters, & primers. 
• Next drawer, I keep bronzers and blushes. 
• Next drawer after that I keep all eye liners and mascara's.
• In the last drawer I keep all of my lipsticks, liners, & glosses. 

In this silver bucket,  I just keep basically all of my foundations and powders in. Face items. I also keep my lash curlers just because they really don't fit anywhere else.

       

I hang all of my irons and hair tools up on the rack which works out pretty well. That way, they are tucked back and organized and the cords aren't running for miles, which really bugs me! My blow dryer is actually hung on a nail. As is the hand-held mirror. 

The basic rule of thumb is to keep like things with like things. Even tho my makeup collection isnt as big as some others, I still have a couple of each items. I find that the rule of thumb works out for me to find my stuff quicker, as I am usually in a hurry anyways, after all.

I see everyone do this with their makeup brushes. It's a great idea I think b/c you don't hafta store them just laying down where the brush hair could potentially get messed up. I had rocks and beads so I put the biggest rocks at the bottom and then the smaller beads are at the top...as you can see the rocks get messed up, but whatever. It really is a great storage idea- I bought the vase it's in for a buck at Marcs.

All of my eye shadows & palettes are in the bin at the bottom. Since I have the most shadows out of anything, I need the most space. You can find these bins at the dollar tree for cheap.

So yeah those are my storage tips for makeup and all that junk. Anybody have any other good ideas for storing hard-2-store stuff? Can you believe that this whole blog post was only supposed to be about how I store my bobbie-pins?! yeah, im crazy...thanx for reading!

HairOTSummer & FOTD- Smoldering Plums All Over My Eyes

So I thought it would be fun to do a look using just what I got from Clinique a while back so here we go!
I have been doing alot of natural/neutral looks. I wanna do like a pink/purple one - yes guys pink can be complimenting!! So yeah I have pictures for that FOTD so I will be posting that later. For now, heres my: Smoldering Plums from Clinique look

Face: (in order)

• Avon Healthy Makeup Mousse Foundation
• Maybelline Superstay Concealer 
• Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (I use the applicator it comes with! use it! not all applicators are useless!)
• Laura Gellar Blush n Brighten in Honey Dipped
• Mark. Just Pinched Cream Blush Tint in Peachy
• Mark. Shadow in Biscotti (for a highlight) 

Eyes: (in order)

• YBF Automatic Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe
• Jesse's Girl Eyeshadow Primer
• Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - under brows, inner corner and inner 1st part of eye
• Clinique Smoldering Plums palette's Twilight Mauve (lighter color) over where I applied Milk
• Clinique Smoldering Plums palette's Brandied Plum on the outer corner
• Almay Eyeliner Crayon in Black in waterline & on lid. I also tightlined with this.
• Mark. Get In Line Liquid Eyeliner to create the wing
• Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara

 Lips-

• I went with my favorite lip combo and lined my lips with a medium pink color
• Nyx Matte Lip Color in Tokyo right smack in the middle of top and bottom lip- its a lighter color so it makes my lips look bigger
• Maybelline Born With It lipstick

About my hippie braid- This was actually worn all morning and right before I took it out I wanted to capture the kodak/half fallen braid moment! lol, I used to work as a server in a restaurant and every day I was asked by every girl who worked there and had to have her hair up to do the hippie braid on them. I have found it is actually harder for me to do it on others. I do have a video camera, but its not the best- if you are interested in a how-to type thing I can set it up for you, because it's fairly easy- just have to practice
So there yah have it! I hope you guys like my look

Update, Beauty Wishlist & ?OTD

Ok so as you may know, I have been unemployed. Well after weeks of searching for a job I finally got a call back from Burlington & a local bar Quench. (which happens to be literally 2 seconds away, which is awesome because I don't like driving at night on the weekends.... too many drunk drivers and too many cops!) I do not have the job(s) just yet, only interviews. But I am hopeful! I am exited- I love Burlington! After scheduling the interviews, I jumped right on the computer to see what I wanted from Sephora once I get paid! haha....The funny part is that I am not kidding...that is how ridiculous I actually am

1.Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage- I have wanted this for some time now....I went to buy it a few months back and it was sold out! Gotta get my hands on this! Has anybody tried it? $26


2.Smashbox Try It Kit- I have been eying this all summer long! It comes with a foundation primer, lid primer, mascara, lip gloss (illume is the name of it) and liner. I do love Smashbox but I have never tried any of these things. I am particularly exited about the liner- it looks really creamy. the best part is $19 for all of it. These are all minis with the exception of the gloss & liner I think. Either way, it is a great way to try everything!

3. Benefit Feelin' Cheeky- This is an exclusive to Sephora that has the High Beam, Posie Tint & Benetint mini's for $15. I have never tried Benefit's Tints and I am really itching to, so this is a perfect time to do so again!

4. Nars Sea of Love Set- This is a new limited edition and also exclusive to Sephora only. Oh my gosh! This is perfect for me because that is everything I wanna try from Nars- Turkish Delight has been on my wishlist for some time now (once I found out Kim K uses it, of course!) So this has the mini Turkish Delight gloss (too bad it isnt full size) mini Super Orgasm in blush form, mini Orgasm Multiple, & a full size Laguna Illuminator. $49 

So yeah there was some other pretend shopping to be done...

1. Naked Palette- I think I am the last person in the beauty world to grab this baby but what can I say about it? Its the perfect colors to do any look- and the price has went down at Ulta to $48.

It has been a few weeks now since I blow dried my hair...which I am now realizing that my hair has become a lot softer and it's getting longer, quicker. I do know I will go back to blow drying (can we say addict?) but before I do that I need to give my hair a major break and some tlc...(blog post in the works for exactly what i am doing to make hair healthy)

2. Nexxus ProMend Split End Binding Line- I have researched and so far, I have found that this is the ONLY line in drug stores for dead ends! I need to concentrate on my ends and keep on re-mending them. They have a Shampoo&Conditioner, Overnight Treatment Creme, & Leave in Treatment Crème     u can grab these at Ulta or any drug store- prices range from around $10-$20  

3. Lush Balance & Repair- This has the Rehab Shampoo, H'suan Wen Hua Hair Moisturizer Treatment, Retread Conditioner, & Jumping Juniper Solid Shampoo. I actually wasn't really impressed with Lush's bar of soap (Rockstar)- It was really drying- but I wanna give Lush another shot. I hear good stuff about the H'suan Wen Hua so we shall see- I am on the fence with this purchse tho- any feedback? It's $25

4. Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment- Another I have had my eye on- I hear there are many benefits with argan oil and im sure you have all heard the hype!

Question so my question for you guys is about a good full coverage foundation. I currently am using and loving Revlon Colorstay- It has great full coverage and stays on all day. I wanna try something new tho- I feel like the only foundation that ever gets mentioned is Laura Mercier & Colorstay.  

So I wanna know, what foundation do you guys like? 

Skinny Bitches

hey guys happy August! I dont know about you but I don't want summer to end at all! I have been trying to keep up with my healthy habits and although it is pretty hard at times, I have actually manged to do pretty good lately! I have been eating good & I have been exercising (but not enough, honestly! I need 2 jump on that!) One weakness I do have is desserts & sweets! So I have seen desserts like this all over the internet but everyone else uses yogurt. I love yogurt but this cheesecake pudding  is so freakin good! I can honestly say that if I ordered this from any restaurant-  I would be happy. Here's what I used:

-Jell-O Cheesecake Pudding Mix - The best part of this pudding? fat free & sugar free.
not necessarily good for you because has no nutritional value, but also not the worst! Works for me!

Strawberries (I put like 2-3 & also cut mine up) & Blueberries (handful or so)

• high in antioxidants
• high in vitamin C

Kashi Cocoa Beach Granola Cereal (I have yet to eat it as cereal, I love sprinkling it on yogurt and the like) this stuff has:

• Good Fats—300mg Omega 3
• Whole Grains—over two—thirds of your daily needs
• High Fiber—25% of your daily fiber needs*
• All Natural—No preservatives or artificial sweeteners and flavors

   
 The cheesecake Jell-O Is even good as a fruit dip- I have been dipping everything into it- yum yum

For anyone that has read Skinny Bitches, you will know that those girls are vegan so this does have milk in it (in the pudding). I personally try to stay away from red meat so if your vegetarian, & not vegan,  this is an excellent dessert- I hope you guys enjoy

I also have been finding so many delicious, healthy, (& cheap!) things at the grocery store and if you want me to share them with you, comment below! (if not, I just might anyway haha!)

So I wanna know: do you guys exercise & try to eat healthy too? Have any tips for the rest of us?

also I wanna know: what do you buys think of my recent blog page face lift? also do you guys like the wider page or no?

1 more thing! Don't forget to vote in the poll for your fav. summer/spring trend if you haven't already! (located at the top of the right sidebar) Once that is over I want to talk about all of the fall trends!

Thanx for reading & Happy eating!

Vitamins: Healthy Habits

****this was written in march of this year- here's a link of where it should be! I was changing the label on this post and it just re-posted it self and didnt go back like it usually does to the day it was written!****


hey everyone! If you dont know, MSodaPop posted something on her blog called "The Healthy Journey" & for anyone who wants to join us comment below!  

Quick "Rules"
-8 glasses of water a day
-Eat healthy
-Exercise
-Motivate &  Communicate about how our day went

Now here's my whole thing on The Healthy Journey. I decided to join along because I have gained like 30 pounds in a year, I know that doesn't sounds like much. There was a time in my life that i used  to work out every day and be some-what healthy and I would like to get back to that. My weight gain is not healthy. I feel really tired in the morning and all day and I want to be able to feel good in my bikini. So I have been eating healthy, Lots of Fruits and Veggies, I will post some great recipes, & different work-outs that I have been loving, but this post is all about the Vitamins I have been taking
-Vitamins I Have Been Taking:

Milk Thistle: This is good for your liver. If you drink alcohol at all, this would be the go-to vitamin. It is to keep your liver healthy.

Women's One A Day- It has %50 of your daily Vitamin A intake (or at least how much Vitamin A you should have) Also has as much C, D3, & E  you should have daily, along with some other supplements but it also has Niacin in it and Niacin is actually a diet type of supplement.

-Vitamins I want to Take:

Quick Trim: For every 1 lb you work off, Quick Trim goes that mile and you actually work off two. I would love to try it!

Muscle Milk: I dont know if the Muscle Milk works against the Quick Trim I would like to check into that, but the Muscle Milk is supposed to be taken (or drank) after a strength work-out. All of that work you just did makes your muscles thirsty for lack of a better word

Fish Oil- This is actually supposed to help you lose weight along with a healthy diet. It has Omega 3 Fatty Acids & are not only good for weight loss, but are good for arthritis, anti-aging, helps reduce inflammation ex: Alzheimer's & Psoriasis. It also helps with sight. I just want to try it because it will help you shed pounds but the extra benefits are added in bonuses!

Prenatal Vitamin- Hence the name, they are for pregnant women but they do help your hair grow faster and makes it shinier and healthier. They also are good for nails. They help your nails grow quicker & longer and have a reputation for strengthening your nails

Updates on the healthy journey - I have been doing quite well but for some reason I cant seem to break my addiction to Pop! (soda for all you non-Ohioan-natives) I love Pepsi and it's like I crave it and im not satisfied until I get a sip a pop! But besides that so far so good for me.Some food ive been eating:
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/fruit

 Turkey sandwich, alfalfa sprouts, baby bell cheese on wheat bread.
(It tastes just like Jimmy John's)

Dinner- Tuna mixed w/hummus, little greek yogurt, a hard-boiled egg salt, pepper, and some other seasoning on special K crackers

Dessert- Greek Yogurt w/truvia and some fruit

Vitamins ive been taking: (im not a Dr. these are just what I have been taking)

Vitamin E- It's a powerful antioxidant and is going to help with premature aging of cells! You really cant go wrong with E its good for your brain, heart, respiratory system, breast health, and also helps with PMS too! Also if you have seen the Cool Idea/Ice Facial post, she talks about putting it (along with some green tea) on your face- it's gunna make your skin nice as well.


P.S. I am not a Vitamin expert, but I have done the research and (a) these are things that I have found out about each supplement and (b) I have been taking these and these are just my own opinions and facts about how they make ME feel. Thanx For reading! xoxox