Birch box review

Hi! I have made a personal goal that I will use each product from my birch box and not waste them and let all these samples pile up. First off I just want to say that I've only gotten one birch box but I am LOVING it already!!! I can't wait for my next one!!



I have used the Orofluido elixir and it's really amazing. I have used the Moroccan Oil and it is similar but I do feel like this one is a little more hydrating and keeps my dry hair really smooth. I really am considering buying this. I'm going to do a little comparison between my hair products i have now and see if it's worth the purchase but so far I really love it!



The teas are great! Now granted I only have one of each so I don't know if the beauty benefits are happening or not but- it tastes good and there are so many amazing ingredients and antioxidants in them!! I'm all about health and getting amazing benefits from drinks and foods and whatnot but the truth is I'm just not a huge tea person so these are great but Just not my "cup of tea." haha get it? But if you're a tea person go for it!!



I love Jouer luminizing moisture tint. I will say it does not have the best coverage but the beautiful glow that comes with it is just amazing!!! I am really considering purchasing this!! It gives you the most natural, beautiful, subtle glows that I have ever seen!



The Ahava is a great moisturizer. It doesn't break me out and it feels really good. I will definitely use this but I just love so many moisturizers that most likely I will go back to my old standby when I finish this one. If you have really sensitive or dryer skin this would be a great option for you!



I am LOVING this!!! I can't wait to see all the other colors in the line! I have seen a few and they are so bright and beautiful and I am definitely ready of order some more bold beautiful colors for the summer! It has a sheer almost jelly sheen to it so it's easy to layer and build up the color. Here's a look at it on my toes- don't judge my polish application I'm awful at it!! And don't pay attention to how big my feet are!!






Annick Goutal perfume is amazing and smells so great!!! It's not too heavy but it still has an amazing scent and it's just light and lovely!!


I hope you enjoy!!


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New favorite line!!!

I was working and a client asked me about this one Skincare line called Lumene. She was explaining what product she was looking for and I hadn't heard about it. I looked it up and really was intrigued by the products. I was really impressed by the company and their philosophy. What really sparked my interest was it is sold at CVS!!! So I ran out a few weekends ago and got a ton of their products and I have been trying them and LOVING them!!!

Before I get into all the products I tried here is a background on the company!!


Lumene is a holistic cosmetic and skin care company from Finland and their goal is to use at least 80% of natural ingredients. This line does not test on animals and they are Eco-friendly.

Here are the main products that Lumene uses in their products:


Cloudberry is a plant found in Finland that is known to be age-defying. Cloudberry contains a high amount of vitamin C (they contain twice the amount of an orange) and is also known to strengthen the skin. Cloudberry also is detoxifying so it helps brighten and add radiance to the skin.

Heather is known to help with the the production of fine lines and wrinkles. Heather also helps prolong elasticity of the skin as well. Antioxidants and flavonoids are known to help fight free radicals and premature aging which is also from heather. Heather stalks contain Arbutrin which helps brighten the skins and helps prevent changes in skin pigmentation change.

Spring water helps soothe and strengthen the skin. Magnesium, sodium, and potassium are all minerals found in spring water that help prevent different skin problems.

Sea buckthorn protects the skin from free radicals, helps stimulate circulation, moisturizes and strengthens the skin. Sea buckthorn contains vitamins A and E, carotenoids, plant antioxidants, fatty acids, antioxidants- just a lot of good stuff basically to help against aging and damage to the skin and the DNA.

Lingonberry is antioxidant-rich and has phenolic acids that help promotes skin renewal. Arbutrin is also found in lingonberry which lightens the skin and it has vitamin C that protects and brightens the skin.

Blueberry extracts prevents premature aging and protects against stress factors. Blueberry also has fatty acids and vitamins A and E which help the well being of the skin. Moisturizing and collagen and elasticity promoting will help firming.

Rosehips help condition, hydrate and soften the skin.

This is a lot of information so I'm going to stop here and write about the products I've tried in this line later so your head doesn't explode. So until next time!


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I got my first birch box!!!



It came in the mail and I am SO excited!!! This is what came in it!

Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien perfume



It smells really yummy and the scent really stays on! This line uses Tuscan citrus groves as their muse and this perfume has essence of lemons, grapefruit and green mandarin. It really is light and yummy and you get a decent sample size and a little goes a long way!! The full size is $85

Ahava Essential Day Moisturizer





This little beauty is awesome!! I have been using it after I had my little breakout after testing out that BB Cream and it's really hydrated my skin without clogging my pores and causing more breakouts!! Ahava uses minerals from the Dead Sea and vitamin E and aloe. It's really great for sensitive skin and it's just really hydrating and perfect!! A full size moisturizer will set you back $38.50

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint




This tinted moisturizer is BEAUTIFUL!! It has this amazing glow to the skin and makes you look like J. Lo and in my book, that's a very good thing!! I also like that it has zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active for the sun protection. This will give you great protection all day long!! They also have wide color ranges.



I know that doesn't look like a lot of colors but since it's got this beautiful, sheer, multifaceted look to it the colors will cover a wide range of skin tones! A full size is $38

Orofluido Beauty Elixir




Ok- I admit I haven't tried this yet but I can't wait!!! I haven't tried it yet because I don't wash my hair that often... Sorry I can't help it!! This is an elixir for your hair that is mixed with argan, linseed and cyperus oil. The smell is yummy (it's a yummy vanilla amber scent). Full size is $29.99

Color Club Nail Polish in Peace Out Purple




This color is beautiful and SO perfect for summer! I keep hearing about day-glo on nails for the summer and this will definitely make your nails pop! I haven't tried it yet but my sister-in-law loves nail polish and is my go-to nail pro so I'm going to let her check this out and let me know what she thinks about it!! $8

I also got an extra goodie in this birch box!!

Tea Forte Skin Smart Teas




These are antioxidant rich teas that will help your skin glow from the inside out!! I got a correcting Cherry Marzipan tea that will help fight aging. Honey Yuzu has green tea for natural renewal and it will help the formulation of elastin that will help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and correct damage. Cucumber Mint to help enhance collagen and get you a healthy, youthful glow!

You can rate all these products on the birch box website and if you really love the products you can buy them on their website! You get free shipping for purchases over $50 and you gain points for e every product you buy!

I've also liked the birch box page on Facebook and oh my gosh it's amazing!! I get daily beauty updates and it's just really helpful! I love it!!

Www.birchbox.com

If you want an invite to get a birch box let me know and I will email you one or click here!


http://www.birchbox.com?raf=2hs27



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BB Cream Review

Well I tried out a BB Cream and it was one I didn't even write about in my previous blog about BB Cream. But the only one I could find at a drug store was the Garnier BB Cream and so of course I bought it.




This one cost about $12 and I was excited to try it. I honestly didn't notice a huge difference. It did add a little bit of glow to my skin but you have to use a pretty good amount of it for good coverage. As for hydration, I could have used a little more. It really didn't do a ton of concealing but it was alright. The main problem is IM BREAKING OUT!!!!!! I definitely think it is because of the silicone from the primer portion of this product. I have barely put a dent in this bottle but I cannot finish it up because my skin is looking so bad and I know this is what it's from! So no more!! If you are prone to breakouts stay away!!

I'm going to do a little more research on the other BB Creams out there and see if I breakout like a little teenage girl on those as well! I'll keep you posted!!

Stay beautiful!!
Andy
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Don't WasteYour Money Honey!

Ok here is a little short and sweet blog about saving a little dough. I ran to Wal-Mart to check out their beauty stuff just to see what they had and they actually carried the makeup line Hard Candy! I remember this line YEARS ago!! I was in 6th grade and got my first YM magazine (y'all remember that mag!?? Oh my gosh I loved that magazine!!) I learned so much from that magazine thst I still reference back to. I actually got it when our first Target in town opened...wow I'm getting old. Anywho the YM magazine had Gwen Stefani on the cover and it was the first "girlie" magazine I had ever had. I remember always reading my aunts "W" magazines and stuff like that and I was always interested in those but YM was for young girls and everything was very young & fresh and new and I was mesmerized!!




You remember this mag?? This magazine showed me new clothing to wear, different fashion styles and most importantly how to apply makeup. I credit a ton of what I do today to that magazine. When I was in junior high I would hang out at my house by myself at nights or during the weekends and I would study every single makeup tutorial and go out and get every single product I could find and really try to perfect my technique. I remember many nights sitting in front of my makeup mirror and applying makeup all night trying to get the perfect look.

The Covergirl ads at that time really took my breath alway. I think it was because it was my first time I started to pay attention to makeup and beauty. Here is one of my favorite ads at that time


I looked at everything that Nikki Taylor was wearing from Covergirl and begged my mom to go out and get it for me! Here's another ad




There as another Covergirl ad with these models in beautiful fall hues out in a bunch of leaves and this ad had a little booklet that showed all the different fall colors and this one made the most impact on me and unfortunately I can't find it online :(

Most of the makeup I would be able to get from the magazine was Covergirl or Revlon all the drug store brands that I was able to get. There were times where I would read about certain makeup lines but I could never find them, Hard Candy was one of those lines. It looked so cool to me, the packaging looked like candy and sweets and the colors popped and sparkled and everything looked so cool!!




Well 15 years later I see it at Wal-Mart! I felt like I was in 7th grade again (minus the bad hair, insecurities and immaturity) I got all excited and just couldn't even focus on the whole line. I purchased one thing in the line that I needed rather than purchasing everything I saw because the 26-year-old came out and decided to control my spending and be responsible (boo) so I got the concealer palette.




This is what I got the Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette. It's about $8 and umm....I don't like it. What a bummer right??? I'm reminiscing on all these childhood memories. Warm and fuzzy thoughts of first falling in love with makeup and boom-disappointment. I will say if you want very light coverage than this will be great for you. I think it would work awesome for a young girl first learning how to apply makeup but for major coverage this is not good.
I love contouring and really giving the illusion of a perfect canvas. So I love a really even skin tone so this one did not cut it for me. It had a beautiful
Sheen to it but just not enough coverage. So don't waste your money.

For great even skin tone look I still love Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Corrector first and then I apply Maybelline Fit Concealer on top and it's just perfection!!







I hope you enjoy!!



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Quick Cleanser

Hi! This post is going to be a follow up to my previous post on the Simple Skincare Line. Not only did I buy the Revitalizing Eye Roller, I also bought these awesome cleansing wipes. They had just your basic cleansing cloths but the ones I bought are exfoliating. I am quite weary of exfoliaters because sometimes they are way too harsh for your skin, like that St. Ives apricot scrub...KEEP THAT STUFF AWAY FROM YOU!!! It is waaaay too harsh for your skin. So that's why I bought those exfoliating wipes. I thought, "if these are good and have the right amount of exfoliant then I'm sure their basic cleansing cloths are good."

I really love these cloths!!! They have the perfect amount of scrub to them and one side is just a basic cloth and the other one has scrubbies on it. I really do love these!! I use them in the morning and they feel really good!!! These would be perfect after a workout or while you're doing some sort of sport activity. (can you tell I'm not too sporty after using the words sport activity, haha) but I do use these in the morning and sometimes at night when I feel like I want an extra clean I will use these after I cleanse with my basic cleanser. Do not use these after you use an exfoliating cleanser! If you do want an extra clean then just use your basic gentle cleanser and then use those wipes. I'm definitely going to go buy the basic ones too!!




Not only are these cloths easy and convenient but they also have added vitamins like B5 to soften and restore skin and vitamin E to moisturizer your skin and really improve it overall. These cloths also have aloe which helps soothe and better the condition of the skin. Also with the Simple line there are never any added dyes, irritants, or artificial perfumes. These little puppies will set you back $5 a pack and you will love them!!

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Not so tired eyes

I have found a great, new, affordable eye treatment! I got mine at Target and it's by the UK line Simple. I tried out the Revitalizing Eye Roll-on. First off when you're applying it the gel serum and the roller-ball applicator feel really good on your tired eyes. It really soothes them at night and helps me wake up in the morning. This eye treatment is going to help puffy eyes with the massaging application and it also contains cucumber which is great for the skin which helps refresh and revitalize.

The Simple line is based out of the UK. They really try to focus on sensitive skin. This line contains no perfume or color, no irritants and dyes. So many people get skin irritations from the products they use and this line didn't want to cause any types of irritation. It is the UK's #1 skin care brand.

This eye roller has cucumber to help revitalize and refresh and it also has vitamin B5 which helps restore, soften, and smooth the sensitive eye area.

I have never really had an issue with super dark circles. I mean I have dark circles but it's never been my main issue. But in the last few weeks I have noticed dramatic darkness around my eyes. So when I saw this product and saw that it will help refresh and awaken your eyes, I went for it! I have noticed great results and I am really happy with it!!

It's $10 at Target and here it is!




Try it, you'll like it!
Www.simpleskincare.com
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