February 2014 BirchBox Review

I haven't talked about BirchBox here on the blog for a while!  I'm still subscribed to BirchBox (as well as Ipsy, that review for the month is coming soon!) but I was too happy with last month's but December's was nice!  BirchBox is a subscription service for only $10 a month & if you're looking for solely beauty items, you're out of luck here.  

To me BirchBox is more of a lifestyle box.  You get different things in there each month that don't necessarily relate to beauty.  I think that a lot of the bad reviews that BirchBox gets are because people forget that BirchBox is more about lifestyle - it even says it on their about page!  So sometimes I just don't quite care for the lifestyle things.  Sometimes they aren't as unique as they could be, but this month was pretty good:

The outside packaging was rather fun this month too.  It was red with different like tools on it: hairdryers, mascara, scissors, tubes of product, etc  Really different from their usual outer wrapper.  Inside were 5 products that made the cut for me this month!

Dr. Brandt Pore No More Pore Refiner - I'm not sure if this is intended as a primer or just as a pore minimizer, but I use it as a primer just to test out what it does.  I love trying new primers & have a whole section in my everyday make up drawer dedicated to primers/pore fillers/pore refiners/etc.  This seems to work ok as a primer & reminds me of Benefit's Porefessional.  It has a beige/skin tone tint to it & smooths over the skin like the Porefessional.  I think it makes my skin smoother, but it's nothing to really wright home about for me.

Juicy Couture Couture La La Malibu Sample - I think I get a nice amount of perfume samples sprinkled in my subscription with BirchBox - not too many, not too few, just the right amount.  I throw these in my vanity & pull them out when I need a change from my current perfume.  I'm not one to have a lot of perfumes so having a variety of small sizes means I can shake it up when I want.  From all these samples though I haven't found my all time favorite perfume yet!  I don't own any thing Juicy Couture so that was also a fun little surprise.

32 Oral Care Effervescent Breath Crystals - This is a lifestyle thing that is super unique.  I actually haven't tried them yet because I don't want to waist them!  Are you like that? I'll hoard one of something until the very exact time it should be used - spoilers: there is no exact time!  They come in interesting flavors like Peppermint, Honey Mint, Spearmint, and Lemon Mint.  Apparently these kill bacteria & freshen your breath instead of masking it.  Maybe there is an emergency time to use these!  Can't wait to try them.

Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish - This is actually a brand I already own & love!  I found this brand at Meijer this past summer but I think they stopped carrying it there recently.  I have about four spring colors but this bright pink is to die for.  The color I got in this box is called Kitten Heels & is a bright pink indoors and a deeper orange-red outside.  These are really fun in the summer & I'm so glad to own another polish from this brand.  This size is just right too because I hardly ever go through an entire nail polish!

Beauty Protector Protect & Oil - This is another brand I've previously tried out from BirchBox & really love it so getting another product from the brand to try was fun.  This is a hair oil & it smells divine.  I keep this little bottle by my bed so I can run it through my hair before falling asleep.  It's designed to protect hair from heat styling & UV rays.  I rarely heat style my hair but I've found oils like these keep my hair from getting tangled during the day & I'm always up for trying different types.

So, was this box worth it?

I think so!  I love trying new things so primers, nail polishes, & hair oils are all welcomed.  To me BirchBox always hits it right with at least one thing in the box!  These boxes are good to try new things and also to get things to travel with & that offer connivence.  That small bottle of hair oil is perfect for beside my bed & takes up much less space than my Suave Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil.  Travel sizes of things are always great for travel or your purse.  I totally think that BirchBox is worth the $10 a month!  Plus you earn points when you review that you can redeem in their online market place.

So if all that sounded pretty nice to you ($10 + free shipping for 5 lifestyle samples a month!) then I encourage you to sign up!  You can do so by clicking here.

Are you subscribed to any services?  Which are your faves?

xoxo, Moe

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Current Nail Care Routine + Current Holiday Manicure

A long time ago, like two summers ago, I was super into nail polish.  I also was taking the Nail Tech class at the career college I worked for - so I got a little bit of nail knowledge there too.  Currently it's like the arctic tundra up here - meaning there is snow everywhere & it's super cold.  My skin can not handle it!  Namely my hands are dry and chapped all the time.  Skin just flakes off & it's gross.  So I thought I'd put together a little Nail Care Kit that I can keep in my night stand or grab & travel with.  I will be heading down south to visit my family in the next week (yay Christmas!) so I definitely need a little kit to travel with.  So here's what I'm loving to keep my hands soft & nails beautified this winter:

I put this little kit together, like I said, so it's easy to grab & run with.  Normally I keep it in my night stand (a new addition from the what's in my nightstand post here) so I can remember to do moisturize & take care of my hands before bed.  Before this I kept a random bottle of lotion but that seemed not to be enough, adding the cuticle oil has really helped with hangnails & the tender skin around my cuticles.  I feel like that gets super dry as well.  This little kit has everything I need for quick moisture & maintenance all wrapped up in an old Ipsy make up bag - I knew those things would come in handy for something!

The first product here is the Tocca Cleopatra Grapefruit + Cucumber Hand Cream.  This stuff smells divine!  I'm really loving the cucumber scent right now, it's never been a favorite before but I'm suddenly all about it.  I got this in a Birchbox one month & instanly fell in love.  It's hydrating & non-greasy.  I love that it absorbs very easily & I can open doorknobs after putting it on.  Cuticle oil has suddenly fallen back into something I use regularly as well since my skin is dry & flakey.  I also work with paper all day long - touching it every two seconds - so that dries out my finger tips.  I don't if the two are neccessarily related, but I think they are.  So cuticle oil has saved my tender skin from the pain of hangnails.  I feel like the deep moisture of the cuticle oil is amazing.  The current one in my kit is something I got as a part of another nail kit a while (like a long while) ago - it is Swisa Beauty Sensation Dead Sea Cuticle Treatment.

Another lotion in my little kit is something Zach grabbed for me from a hotel he stayed in.  In fact every time he comes upon these TempleSpa packs he snags them.  They also have a calming fabric mist that smells so relaxing - I love to spray it on the bedding when I can't sleep.  So heavenly & relaxing.  This lotion is the TempleSpa Peace Be Still Calming Face & Body Balm.  There isn't a scent description on the tube anywhere  & honestly I can't pin point it, but the smell is so relaxing.  It's a deeper scent & I love it before going to bed.  I've never used it on my face though, I'm scared I will break out!  Then of course for any maintenance that may need to be done I have a small nail clipper & a small box of TweezerMan nail files that I also got in a Birchbox one month.

After all my hard work to get my hands & cuticles refreshed and moisturized it's time for a holiday manicure.  Of course I turned to a classic red & a bit of glitter.

I used my favorite base & top coat from Icing - the Do It All Topcoat - that sadly they are discontinuing.  Honestly, I don't know if you'll even be able to find it.  I picked up the last two on clearance last time I was in an Icing.  So sad.  I then used the Nicka K polish I received in Ipsy bag this month.  I topped my ring finger off with a bit of a glitter polish from Sally Hansen I received, complimentary, in the Violet Vox Box from Influenster.  I like this Triple Shine polish mainly because even thought the glitter is in a blue tinted base it really comes off as pure silver glitter.  Great for sparkly holiday-ness just around the corner!

What are your nail care must haves? How do you battle the cold weather?

xoxo, Moe

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How to Write A Helpful Product Review

Lately I've be loving writing reviews on products I've been using on websites such as Influenster, Birchbox, Ipsy, & this blog.  While I'm by no means a professional critic I've found there are something that make a review more successful than others.  For example, when I'm looking to know if I should buy a certain product I like reviews that give me the most information about the product & information about the user in the briefest way possible.  The nine word this product is so great, I just love it! reviews are not helpful.  So since I've been reviewing my butt off on these sites - did you know you get points for reviewing the items in your Birchbox?  And that those points can give you credit to purchase things!?! - I thought I'd share with you how to give helpful reviews if you're looking to get into that sort of thing.

Title with Key Words - Just like with writing a blog post, you're review title should be descriptive & give an indication whether you liked the product or not.  You can touch on the performance, the price, the quality, the way it affected you, etc.  For example below is a screen shot of the review I was writing on my current favorite shampoo - Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Shampoo (I also love the conditioner, the mask, & the styling oil!).  You can see in the title I've used key words to sum up the gist of the review - it's affordable, feels luxurious, & does give shine.  This is the review in itself & will have people reading your review since it's very descriptive.  You can also use this technique if you're writing a review on your blog.  Having a descriptive title gives readers a reason to click & also appeals to search engines when others are searching for products.

Informational yet Brief Review - The body of your review should give a lot of information but doesn't (necessarily) need to be five paragraphs.  In the example above, I used two short paragraphs to describe the product.  First, I started off with information about myself - I have oily hair & this product isn't targeted towards oily hair, but it works on this hair type as well.  This is helpful for others who might shy away from the product since it's not necessarily targeted towards them.  Then I elaborated on the product & it's affect on my hair type.  I once learned in an english class that the best way to write an essay is to create the previous sentence into a question & then answer it in the next sentence.  This is sort of hard to describe but has really helped me take writing seriously.

It might be small to read, but the first sentence is: Even though this shampoo is targeted towards normal to dry hair, it works great for oily hair as well. If we turn that into a question Why does this shampoo work great for oily hair as well? then you'll see that next sentence answers the question: This shampoo (and the whole Moroccan Infusion line) works wonders for adding shine while not adding greasy-ness.  Shine with out turning your hair into a greasy mess is a challenge for those with oily hair.  Keep turning your sentences to questions to elaborate.

Continue to answer these questions, briefly, and expand on the title.  You might find it helpful to write the review first then pick the most relevant words to create your title.

Consider the Cons (or the Pros) - If you're in love with a product you might want to consider the cons, just in case.  (Or vice versa).  In this particular review I noted that the moroccan oil scent is strong so if you're sensitive to smells, you might not like this product.  Influenster has a section to list the pros & cons of a product.  These pros & cons go at the top of the review to help readers get the overview of your review.

I think that product reviews are very helpful - if your writing on your blog or as a part of a subscribtion service or you just plain like a product - others get to know what might be right for them.  A helpful review gets more credit than an OMG this is great! review, if you know what I mean!

xoxo, Moe

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Make it Monday // Recycled Birchbox Box #2 - Chalkboard Storage Box

Last week I showed you how I recycled an empty Birchbox box into a distressed storage box.  This week I wanted to share with you another fun idea using chalkboard paint on the box!  Again, this is a storage box but this one is more than pretty - it's practical!  You can write right on the box exactly what's in it! Super easy to see what you have if inside!

Supplies: chalkboard paint (this is what I used), paintbrush, 24hours+ in time

I've never used chalkboard paint before but I think I'm in love!  I want to paint everything in chalkboard paint now.  But you do need a lot of time for this project since the paint has to cure for 24 hours & you have to wait an hour between coats.  For such a small project, that's a lot of time!

This DIY is also super simple - paint the lid of your box (or both the lid & the bottom if you wish) in an even coat of the chalkboard paint.  Set it aside & wait an hour before applying the next coat.  Now wait 24 hours for the chalkboard paint to cure.  That's plenty of time to gather all the other things you want to paint in chalkboard paint!  (I didn't realize you could still read the Birchbox logo until after I'd finished conditioning the lid!)

After it's cured for 24 hours, find a piece of chalk & condition your chalkboard surface by rubbing the chalk all over the chalkboard surface.  Wipe it off & you're good to go!  So neat right?  Spoilers - next week's Make it Monday uses chalkboard paint too!!

This matches my bedroom decor much better than the white & teal box from last week.  I still don't know where to put it!

What are you going to cover in chalkboard paint next?

xoxo, Moe

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June Birchbox Review

I feel like everyone always does a Birchbox Unboxing but I don't think I've ever seen a Birchbox Review.  I recently subscribed to both Birchbox & Ipsy.  July will be the second month for Birchbox but the first month for Ipsy!  Last month I missed the ball on my unboxing but I recently just got around to using one of the little bits and thought about a review post!  

This box's theme was Wanderlust.  At first I was like 'I don't get it' but all these things really reflect travel or a get away, especially fun postcards with nice, geometric images of various worldly places that I think I'm going to frame.  This box also included: Color Club nail polish is Mod in Manhattan, an LAQA&Co Lil Lip crayon in a bright, bright! pink called Lambchop, a Tweezerman matchbox style thing of nail files/emery boards, a small sample of Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser, and a Comodynes Self Tanning towlette.

My favorite bit of this box was the LAQ&Co lip crayon.  Are you kidding me? Include a lip product & I'm sold.  I really signed up for these things for the beauty products & to try something new so I was excited to get both a nail polish & a lip product.  I love the pink of this lip product because I just love bright lip products - remember my love for Maybeline Vivids?  The color of this is really bright.  Theres quite a bit of product in this little guy.  My favorite way to use him is to layer over a more wearable color for work.  I love the pencil type for precision & this one rolls up so there's no sharpening.  I tend to use the sides of things like this to keep the point so I'm not too worried about it dulling.

Also included was a small screw top container of the Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser.  When I first popped open the box I thought What a small bottle! How am I to really figure out how I feel abou this?  But once I hopped in the shower & dipped my finger in, I realized that I could get about 3 uses out of this.  It scented with lemongrass & chamomile which smells divine.  Something about citrus really gets me relaxed.  The sugar dissolves after a gentle exfoliation & the product foams.  It's nice!  I really like this little guy!  The Birchbox website says it exfoliates & cleanses without stripping the natural moisture  of your skin.  Winner winner, chicken dinner! Though the $32 price tag for the full size of 4oz is a bit out of my price range.  This would be something great for a once in a while at home spa day!

The nail polish in Mod in Manhattan, is a great creamy, pinky white color.  It is really nice & fresh for Summer.  Of course I will pair this with Icing's Do It All Top Coat to make it long lasting!  I think this little bottle is perfect for me because I don't think I've ever used up an entire bottle!  This color is great to pop your tan, even though I'm so slacking in the tan department - I got no color over the fourth!

Speaking of tans, there was a tanning towlette included in the box.  I haven't tried it yet because I'm scared.  I don't do self tanning....I prefer to soak up the sun.  I'm also afraid this won't really cover enough of my body to show me anything.  Has anyone tried one towlette? How far does it go? Let me know!

So that is all that was included in the box! Overall I'm satisfied with paying the $10 bucks a month for this cool little service & can't wait to get my July box.  I've got my shipping code...I'm just waiting for it to show up in the mail box.

Oh, I also wanted to throw in here that after I used the Suki cleanser Zach said I looked cleaner than normal!  So I guess it did the job right?

How did you feel about these products? Are you subscribed to Birchbox?

xoxo, Moe

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