Birchbox August 2013

I received my August Birchbox!

First Look!

This month's theme is 'Finishing School'

2 fl. oz. EVOLVh 'Ultra Shine' Moisture Conditioner This organic conditioner is specifically made for color treated hair. 

2 fl. oz. DermaE 'Hydrating Mist with Hyaluronic Acid'  This is supposed to be used as a facial mist or a makeup setting spray.  I'm mostly interested to see how this compares to my Urban Decay 'Up all Night' setting spray.  DermaE also included a special offer with the sample.  Use code BIRCH2013 to save $5.00 off any full sized product. Offer expires September 30, 2013.

 One packet of Whish 'Deodorant Swipe'. This also claims to be a hair inhibitor. This sample is a perfect thing to place in a gym bag or my purse, for when I'm feeling a little stinky. This was my Beauty  extra for the month. I wish they had given me something different as a beauty extra since I received another Whish product in this month's box and I have received a shave cream in a previous Birchbox. At least it's not the same product or the same type of product...

.75 fl. oz. Whish 'Exfoliating Body Wash in 'Coconut Milk' I really like the scent of this body wash. I'm really into coconut smelling things right now. 

0.03 fl. oz. Stila 'Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick' in Beso I saw this on the Birchbox Facebook page as an option that could be in this month's box. I was really hoping that I got this sample, so I was happy to see that I received it. I wasn't too excited to see another red color. It seems like all the sample boxes always send red lip products. I decided to try it out anyways and was pleasantly surprised with the product. It is a blue based red, which I don't currently have. I put this on at night and when I woke up in the morning the lipstick was still on my lips as if I just applied it.  The only evidence that I had slept in it was the streaks of red running down my lips as if I was a sparkly vampire that just went out to eat. I touched up my lips with a lip brush and went to work with the red. It stayed all day at work without any touchups. As for the bad things about this product: I didn't like the applicator. It picked up a lot of product and was messy to apply. With a red lipstick there isn't much room for mistakes so the applicator didn't make for an easy application. Since this is a sample I can't really hold the applicator against this product, not knowing what the full sized product's applicator is like. The second thing I did not like I can hold against the product.  As the lipstick started to fade at the end of the day it faded from the inside out. Which left me with what looked like a bright red lipliner on bare lips. The product was hard to wipe off, so I ended up looking ridiculous at the end of the day because I didn't have the lipstick with me to reapply. Needless to say I am thinking of purchasing a full sized product of this lipstick in different colors. It wasn't drying and really had some lasting power. It did have some transfer throughout the day, but it didn't show on my lips. 

Swatch of Beso. This swatch really doesn't do the color justice. The red is so much more vibrant and beautiful on my lips.

This month Birchbox partnered up with Ann Taylor to make special offers for Birchbox subscribers. They included this brochure with different Birchbox store beauty products and Ann Taylor accessories. 

They also included this special offer on the back.  I used to work at Ann Taylor  and know the quality of the products is excellent.  The prices for the products are a bit high for my non profit paychecks, but I'll keep this coupon in my purse in case I find some more Perfect Pumps that I have to get.  These heels are so comfortable and the only pair of heels that I have found that I can wear all day comfortably.  I have two pairs of these heels and could always use more, because they really are PERFECT!   

 If you would like to sign up for Birchbox please use my Referral Link

H&M Online Haul

 HEY!

Did you hear?

H&M WENT ONLINE!

H&M finally went online and opened up an online store. I honestly don't know what took them so long. To celebrate the opening of their online shop they offered a bunch of 'Opening Deals'. Which were basically online only deals for some of their products.

I had to take advantage of these deals (and some other great pieces).  My package just came in the mail. Check out my haul below.

Jersey Top with Lace 

This was one of the 'Opening Offers' I got this tank in grey (above) and black for $5.00. I got one for myself and one for my sister. It's a simple tank with the lace detail on the front. I think this is great for work. Since both myself and my sister work in an office setting where we are moving around a lot working with our clients. This shirt is comfortable enough to wear all day and also appropriate to wear without a jacket if we get hot. 

Oversized Top

I got this oversized shirt as a basic. It looked really comfortable in the pics on the website. After receiving it in the mail today, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. I got it in my size, but I think it's still a little too oversized for me. I may end up keeping it. 

Cotton Cardigan 

This cardigan I just had to have. I found a coupon on Retail Me Not for 20% off one piece and this was the highest priced item so the 20% came off of this. H&M calls this a cardigan, which in shape it is. But it feels and wears like a sweater. I love this piece, but it's too big for me. I need to go a size down. 

 Jacket

This was an 'Opening Deal' and I got the jacket for $10.00. This is a lightweight jacket and it doesn't have any buttons or pockets. It looks like there are pockets there, but they are the fake ones. I love this jacket, it's perfect for the fall. 

Close up of the pattern

Loose Fit Pants

I didn't realize that these pants and the jacket that I ordered above were in the same pattern. These pants are made out of the same fabric of the jacket but has a much lighter feel. These pants can easily look like pajamas if worn incorrectly. These call for some great chunky heels or wedges.

I got the pants in black too. Here is detail of the hem of the pants. I love the hem. It's different and lays on the food differently, creating a different shape.  This cut also shows off your fabulous shoes!

Superstretch Twill Pants

These pants were also part of the "Opening Offers" sale. I got these in this taupe color (above) and a black pair. These have some stretch in them and will be great for work...if they fit. H&M runs so small! I knew that they run small so I went up a size, I should have gone up two sizes. I was able to button up the pants, but I can't feasibly wear these and breath. I have to exchange these for a larger size. 

H&M still has some 'Opening Offers' on their website. They will be available until August 22. So act fast to ensue that they have the color and size you need. A lot of the products have sold out already. 

This took forever to ship out and get to me. But I'll forgive H&M. I'm sure they were bombarded with orders from other excited H&M clients finally able to order their H&M goods from the comforts of their home. Hopefully future orders will not take as long to ship out. 

The other disappointing aspect of this order is that these products cannot be returned to the stores!!! Hopefully this will change in the future. I'm not sure if I will be able to make online purchases anymore  knowing how inconvienient the return policy is on my life. I'm not sure I would have initially made these purchases if I read the return policy before placing the order. 

Also looking back at the pics of my order, I really need to add some more color into my wardrobe. I was told in the past that I wear all black and white and I looked at her like she was crazy. Then I went home and looked in my closet. She was right. Since then I have been trying to incorporate more color into my wardrobe. Looks like I failed. 

Fab Fit Fun Summer 2013

My Summer FabFitFun box came in the mail today.  I was hoping that FabFitFun would release one of the products that would be in this quarters box before it came out, so I checked the website periodically.  They didn't release any of the products, so everything was a surprise this time. 

This month they started a referral program. I have my referral number listed above to save $10.00 off your first box. I'm not sure if it's a one time use code or it can only be used once.

Looks like this offer is expired. If you want to try the code and see what happens, but can't read the numbers it's 388021. Good luck!

FULL SIZE  It Haircare 'Surf Spray' I can't find this product anywhere on the website. Maybe it's a new product, hopefully FabFitFun didn't send a discontinued product...

FULL SIZE Catalina Su lipgloss This is reportedly a brand from Giuliana Rancic's own makeup artist's line. I wasn't that impressed with the lip gloss. The color first off didn't have a name, secondly I didn't like the color. It applied splotchy and didn't last. 

FULL SIZE Orly nail polish in 'Harmonious Mess Really subtle, pale purple color. I'm not sure how it will look on my nails, but it looks like a great color for some nail art. 

FULL SIZE Ivory & Mason Sunglasses You can exchange these sunglasses for a different style for a $10.00 fee. I still haven't decided if I will be switching these out or keeping them. UPDATE: I ended up keeping these sunglasses, mostly because I was too lazy to mail them back. These ended up being really nice sunglasses. The shape is unique when worn, but I like it. I like things that are different.

...and here we go again with the rotated pics....

 FULL SIZE Evian Facial Spray  I have heard of this product before and have always thought that it was an extravagant, unnecessary product that people with too much money were spending they cash on. Now that I have one, I still believe that - based on the fact that I still haven't used or even tried this product yet. I will update if I try it and it proves me wrong...

FULL SIZE Infinity Sun 'Glow on the Go' Sunless tanning spray

 10 pack Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes Perfect size for traveling!

FULL SIZE Purlisse 'Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser and Makeup Remover. I was excited to try this out because it cleanses the face AND removes makeup. I currently use Philosophy 'Purity' to cleanse and remove my makeup so I was interested to see if this is comparable. I used this with my Clairsonic 'Mia 2' while taking a shower at night. This product didn't foam up very much, even with using the Mia 2. I was having a dirty face day and wanted to make sure that my face was really clean, so I ended up using another cleanser to make sure that everything was off. I will keep trying out this product to see how I like it and if it really does remove my makeup. It was really gentle on my face, which I did like. 

Kind 'Dark Chocolate Chili Almond' bar.  This was okay. When I ate this I got a chili mecca in one of my bites, so it sort of choked me up a bit, but for the most part it wasn't too spicy.  You could definitely taste the chili pepper, but it wasn't too spicy. I probably won't be repurchasing this. So far each FabFitFun box has one snack bar in each box (so far there has only been two boxes) This is an improvement upon the first snack bar in the last box, but that's not saying much about the taste of this product. It's mostly an improvement in that I could actually finish the whole bar. 

FabFitFun is becoming my favorite subscription box and I'm so happy that I signed up. It is still pricey at $49.99, but I so far the value of all of the boxes have been really good. The products are also really nice, so I will continuing this subscription. 

Love with Food July 2013

First Look!

This month's theme was "Fun on the Boardwalk"

"Twangers Snack Topping" in 'Chili Lime', 'Lime', 'Lemon Lime', and 'Pickle'

 Lord Nut Levington "Rebel Mary Peanuts" in 'Spicy Bloody Mary' I tried these and really liked them. It was slightly spicy, without being too spicy for me. There was a coupon in the box that I think I might use. I heard that these are sold at Target.

Vermont Real Sticks Beef Stick in 'BBQ'

Necco Candy Wafers I'm already familiar with these candy wafers. I have been eating them since I was a kid. I always get the chocolate wafers, so this is something different to try out. 

Kukuruza Popcorn in 'Hawaiian Salted Caramel'

Uncle Henry's Handmade Pretzels These sourdough pretzels were good. I ended up dipping them in the Bufflo dip that I received in a previous Love with Food box. 

Angel Mint Orange Salt Water Taffy

Nature's Bakery Strawberry Fig Bar I was expecting these to taste like a Fig Newton bar, but they were nothing like it. I ate it, it was okay, I probably wouldn't purchase these again. 

If you would like to sign up for your own Love with Food box, please use my Referral Link.

Slim Fast Strawberries 'N' Cream Shake

I was picked from Influenster to participate in the Slim Fast Challenge.  I received a box in the mail with a Strawberries 'N' Cream shake and  a plastic martini glass.  The box also contained some recipe cards to make different mixed drinks depending on the shake that you received.  There were four different options that you could have received in the box. 

The receipe card that coincided with the Strawberries 'N' Cream shake that I received called for the shake, some rum, strawberries, pineapples and ice.  You basically blend everything together and it's good to go. I didn't have any strawberries and pineapples and I didn't really want to go out and buy a whole pineapple for two chunks of it for the shake, so I substituted in what I had. 

I added a handful of blueberries, a quarter of a nectarine two cubes of ice and 3/4 of the shake to my Magic Bullet and blended everything all together. I didn't follow the recipe on the cards because the units of measure were done in ounces. I didn't know how to convert them to something actually usable in the recipe and didn't really feel like looking it up. I also skipped the rum because I'm not a big drinker, so the virgin version would have been much tastier than the hard version. 

Everything all mixed together.

Made enough for two drinks.

Shot of the shake in the martini glass that Slim Fast and Influenster provided. 

I honestly wasn't very excited when I was picked to be a a part of this challenge. I wondered why they chose me to be a part of it. I answered the survey questions honestly when they asked all the weight loss questions.  I want to lose weight, in the same way that everyone wants to lose weight, but it's not a major part of my lifestyle.

Needless to say I received the box and tried out the product.  I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the product. It wasn't too sweet and had a nice taste to it. Because of the amount of blueberries I put in the product, that was the standout flavor, but it mixed well with the other flavors that I put into the shake. I wish the shake was a little thicker - in a more shake like consistency. If I had some yogurt I would have added it to the blender to make the shake a little thicker.  Ice cream might have been a nice option to make this a dessert shake. Which would in essence defeat the purpose of a weight loss shake. Maybe some low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt would be a viable option?

I think that I would be able to use Slim Fast - for a short amount of time - to help lose some weight. I like that the shakes can be mixed to create a different taste to mix things up a bit. But the whole drinking my meal idea probably wouldn't work for me for too long. I need food.


I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes

Birchbox July 2013

First Look!

This month's theme is Power Play. I was having some issues with the camera or Blogger - not sure what was happening but some of these pictures are rotated the wrong way. I don't know how it happened or how to fix it.

Kerastase Chroma Thermique Leave in Treatment

PUR Minerals CC Cream. I tried this out and wasn't really impressed. I was excited to try out a CC cream and this is my first one. I was under the understanding that CC creams are supposed to have more coverage than a BB cream and I need that for my acne scars and hyper pigmentation.  This product did not seem to cover any better than the BB creams that I have tried.  I don't think that I will be purchasing this. 

Birchbox Bobby Pins

Vivant Skincare 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in1 wash.

   Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Purple. I was so excited to see this in my Birchbox! I have heard some really great things about this eyeliner from Jen at From Head to Toe.  She says that this is her holy grail eyeliner and it's really great for her asian eyes. I wanted to try this out, but just haven't had the chance to. So I was really happy to see this and even more surprised that I got a full sized sample of the product.  I liked that it came in a purple color and it looked good on the eyes. The eyeliner didn't remain all day without smudging but it didn't smudge too much - like the Canmake eyeliner that I got in Thailand. 

This month was a pretty good box for me. The eyeliner was my favorite part of this box.

If you would like to sign up for Birchbox, please use this Referral Link.

Thailand Haul: Makeup and Beauty Products

These are all of the beauty/makeup products that I got while in Thailand.

Dolly Wink Eyeliner in white. I got this at an import store near the airport. Some woman has the hookup and gets all of these products for her store from different countries, most of which cannot be purchased in Thailand outside of this store. Dolly Wink is a Japanese brand that I have heard some good things about. I used this liner to line my waterline and brighten up my eyes. I liked it. Love the packaging. The cap has a little flower on the top. 

Canmake liquid eyeliner in black. This is another Japanese brand.  I purchased this at a Watson's.  I wouldn't repurchase this. It didn't last all day and smudged all over my face. The panda look is not a good look for my everyday makeup.  It has a felt tip applicator that is really stiff and hard to apply. 

Oriental Princess Juicy Fruity Lip Care.  I was looking around the store, sniffing things and came upon these lip glosses. The smell is soooo nice and I ended up purchasing one for myself in the pomegranate scent, then went back and got some more for myself and my friends. They were having a 25% off sale for their members (which one of the girls I was visiting has a membership). They had six flavors: Pomegranate, Strawberry, Orange, Cherry, Raspberry and Blueberry. I got one of each flavor, except for the Cherry one. The cherry scent was nasty.  The girls working at the counter said that these are their best sellers. Each scent is tinted according to the flavor and the color is really subtle on the lips.

Also taking advantage of the 25% off sale, I purchased this highlighter and lip gloss. The highlighter came in two colors, gold and pink. The top of the highlighter is a solid pearly shimmer and the bottom is a liquid highlight.  The lip gloss had three colors. Red, Pink and Peach.  I ended up with the peach color, which is the least saturated of the three.

This is one of the brands that I was most looking forward to check out and also the hardest to find in Thailand. Lioele is a Korean brand and unlike the other brands that I was looking into, there aren't any Lioele storefronts in Thailand.  I found these products in a supermarket on accident. There was a small display of Lioele products and I picked up a few of their face products.  This is the Skin Fix Powder Pact in Moisture Type.  There was also an oil control version, I have combination skin and basically what made me choose the moisture  one was that this was closer to my skin tone than the oil control one.  The color is a little light on my skin, but I just use my faux tan from Bare Minerals all over my face to darken it up a little bit and it works. I love the packaging on this brand. Everything is super cute!

Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream. I love this BB Cream.  It has coverage to cover up my acne scars and hyper pigmentation without having to build up the product on my face. I don't need concealer using this BB Cream.  I would definitely repurchase this BB Cream. I have a Texas company that sells the Lioele products linked in this post, so when I run out I will have somewhere to repurchase without having to deal with international shipping. 

Lioele Water Drop BB.  This BB cream has less coverage than the Triple the Solution BB cream above. If you need light coverage and nice skin this might work for you. I have neither, so I have to layer concealer and foundation powder on top to give myself the coverage that I need with this product. 

Red Earth is an Australian beauty brand that we don't have in the US.  I got both of these products at the import store, but they are also sold throughout Thailand.  They were having a sale on all Red Earth products that day so I picked up a couple of things. One of the girls that I was visiting used the Brow Perfecting kit on her eyebrows, so I previously tried hers out. I needed something for my eyebrows and liked her kit so I went to pick one up for myself. I originally went up to the girl at the stand to see what color I should use and she ended up putting a full face of makeup on me AND  shaped my eyebrows complimentary! I ended up with the brunette eyebrow kit and the Pure Color Luxe Lipstick in Peach Berry. It's a cream lipstick in a nice nude color. 

This was also purchased at the import store. I had never heard of this brand before, but being obsessed with Hello Kitty I picked up two of the lip products. I got the Kiss Lipstick in 05 and the Lip moisture pot, in ?. There wasn't a color for the pot, but it's a sheer red shade. The lipstick is more of a gloss and is a super sheer pink color. Can't beat the packaging on these products. the top of the lipstick is a rhinestone! I couldn't find any information on this brand. It's not the same as the Hello Kitty brand sold in Sephora.  I think that this brand is sold in drugstores, but wasn't able to find a website. 

I stopped in Beauty Buffet and picked up two of their products. Gino McCray is the professional brand that is sold in Beauty Buffet stores.  I got a lipstick in Oranda and a shimmer powder that I gave to my sister.  The lipstick applies very orange when first applied, but turns to a darker, redder color once it oxidizes. 

This is a brand that I had never heard of, but found out about while I was in Thailand from one of the girls that I was visiting. I got their Baby BB cream and Super Black liquid eyeliner. Both of these products were really affordable at around $3.00 each.  The BB cream came in one color and ends up being very white on my skin.

I picked up a bottle of Soap and Glory Hand Food at Watsons.  I really liked this hand cream and it's a staple in my bag. The scent smells really nice and isn't too strong.  The price for the Soap and Glory line is comparable to the prices in the US, as they are a UK line. The Watson's didn't have that big or different a selection that you can find in a US Sephora. 

I picked up a few sheet masks from Boots.  I heard that asian sheet masks are really good so I got some to try out. 

These are hand and feet masks. One side has the mask and the other side has a glove/sock to put on over the mask. I have never seen something like this in the US and was intrigued.  I might save these for the winter time when my hands and feet get really dry and cracked. 

I found this mask at Watson's.  Tea Tree is supposed to be good for acne so I wanted to try this out out. 

I got this at the airport in Japan.  My sister is obsessed with her Shu Uemura eyelash curler, but for some reason Shu Uemura pulled out of the US market and can only be purchased overseas or through their website.  I got my sister a replacement eyelash curler for $20.00 (+ shipping) from the Shu Uemura website for her birthday in March. I wasn't planning the trip to Thailand at that time, otherwise I would have waited. This trip I tried to look for the pad replacements for the curler, but I guess they don't manufacture them anymore. They sold the eyelash curlers in a Shu Uemera store in Thailand on sale for around $18.00, I saw it at the duty free in the Bangkok airport for around $17.00 and found it at the duty free at the Japan airport for $10.00! So glad I waited to get this in Japan.  I could have gotten a pack of two curlers for around $18.00, but thought that was eyelash curler overkill.