Birchbox Review!!

Here's my birchbox review! I've been awful about writing about them but I didn't want to write about them without having a review. So here are the past 4 birchboxes-



Here is a link to my blog on my first birchbox from March-



Here's a follow-up to March's birchbox-



I loved the color club bright purple nail polish! It stayed on really well and you could layer it up to get a great bold color or just do one coat and have a nice wash of color on your nails.



Another thing i loved from my first birchbox was the Jouer luminizing moisture tint. It went on great and added an unbelievable glow to my skin! If you're looking for that dewy, highlighted glow-then get this!!



I still use the Ahava Essentials Day Moisturizer most mornings and it's really great and it doesn't clog my pores. Just a great overall moisturizer with no fuss.



Orifluido is still something I use as well. I find it very comparable to Moroccan Oil and I can't really tell a major difference so since Moroccan Oil is easier to buy-I'm going to continue using that one. But it was awesome to try out and learn about a new product.

The other stuff was good but these were my main ones I wanted to bring attention to.

Once again- To see pictures of what products were in the birchbox and to hear the full descriptions of them, check out my previous blog.

http://thethriftymakeupartist.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html

April's birchbox-

This birchbox was natural themed. That's what I love about birchbox they have themes and I really like that!

This was a good birchbox here's what was in it!



Atelier Cologne- this is an orange-scented perfume. I really liked it! It wasn't too over-powering and it didn't smell too fruity or sweet. It had the perfect blend of essential oils like jasmine and sandalwood and it was wonderful. The full-size bottles range from $55-150.



Marula The Leakey Collection-I have never heard of this stuff before but I loved it and used it all up already! I went a little overboard this month with facial peels and was so dry and flaky so I used this at night and by the next morning my skin was back to normal! It is so hydrating and feels amazing! This product costs $78 for full size so unfortunately I will not be purchasing this again but if you have extremely dry skin all the time and can't find the right product to fix your alligator skin, this will be your life saver. This product is from the East African Marula fruit. This oil has high levels of antioxidants and omegas so it's awesome for stopping the signs of aging.



Weleda Pomegranate Firming Night Cream-this is a great all-natural firming night cream. This line is super affordable, a full size of this anti-aging cream is only $35! It feels so rich and creamy and I most likely will add this in to my skin care routine in the winter time. I'm at the age where I am starting to be proactive towards my skin and aging and this will be the perfect addition to my Skincare routine, but only during the winter time! This is super rich so I will not be using this during the summer!!



Zoya True Spring Collection-this was a nude nail polish that is supposed to last 50% longer but the color was too nude for my taste. It almost blended with my skin and it freaked me out so I don't know if it lasts 50% longer because I took it off! It never gave me the color name so here are just a few colors I could find online. But, I really don't know who this nail polish would look good on so I'm moving on.



Bonus product!!! Yes To Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes- love them!!! I used these when I went to Indiana for a weekend and I love these babies!! Great price, $7.99 for a 30-pack I suggest everyone get these!! I still washed my face first and then used these afterwards just to get that extra clean or I use these before I work out or when I want to start fresh with some new makeup. These are a must-have for everyone!

May Birchbox-Gossip Girl Themed! I have never seen this show but all I know is I opened up this box and gasped!! It had one of my favorite products in a cute little sample size in a new flavor so that was it, I'm sold! I LOVE birchbox and I am SO glad I got it!!! Soooo worth the $10 a month!!

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

First off the product that made me gasp in such a crazy, dramatic way was-



Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment SPF 15. The original Sugar lip treatment is my absolute favorite but I hadn't tried the Rose so I was THRILLED!!! I love this!! It's in my bag right now and has the perfect light color to the lips! This is a water-based lip treatment so it naturally plumps the lips by hydrating them. It's amazing!!! $22.50



BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Toilette Spray-this is nice but it's a little too perfumey for me. I can't really judge this because everyone is so different and everyone has a particular smell that they like and what works for them so I'm just going to say that it's so cool that once a month you can try out awesome perfumes to see what works for you and what doesn't without dropping a lot of money. This full-size bottle is $64. Check it out!



Kiehl's Abyssine Cream+ this was created when Scientists were in Galapagos and found Abyssine. This molecule thrives in the darkest parts of the ocean and Found that Abyssine protects the skin. This molecule can soften wrinkles and gets rid of free radicals which cause aging. It goes on soft and creamy and it is really gentle and great for most skin types. A full size jar is $48.



Sarah McNamara Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20-this is like s primer and foundation for your body!!! I love that it has a SPF 20 and it evens out your skin all over your body!! This cream hydrates, masks scars, evens out ski tone, and is awesome for the warm weather when you wear shorts and summer dresses. This costs $34, awesome for people who want that flawless ski look without going to the tanning bed or even using self tanner.

I also got notecards in this birchbox which I threw away...oops. I wasn't going to use them anyways.

Speaking of throwing things away, I threw away the card that came with this birchbox that gives you a little blurb about each products and discusses the theme of the box, which I love and try to keep them, but I lost this one and while I was writing this I could not remember what all was in this box and what is another cool part of birchbox is you can hop online and look at your past birchboxes and reorder what you had and refer back to what I got.

This months is pretty awesome too!

June's theme is travel and here's what's in it. I'm not going to explain it all yet I'm just going to show pictures and prices



Ada Cosmetics Bronzer, $12.45, this is the best picture I could find...sorry!



Likewise Facial Moisturizer + Sun Protection SPF 50, $44, perfect for summer!!!



Masqueology Brightening Mask, 3 masks $24, I'm ready to try this baby out! This aesthetician's skin is completely neglected!!



theBalm cosmetics Stainiac in Beauty Queen, $17, so excited to try this!!!



Extra Bonus gift!!! Cynthia Rowley Dress Up Band-Aids!! They are SO cute! These band-aids have fashion-inspired prints all over them so even when you hurt yourself you'll look cute and fashionable!





Hope you enjoyed!! I'll review these products from this month's box soon!

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Hairspray!!!

So I'm not a huge hair girl, I'm awful at styling and I never put enough effort and time towards drying it. But after getting pinterest and just paying attention to hairstyles in photographs and magazines I was inspired to put a little more effort towards this rat's nest on my head. When I started trying out different styles and when I watched how-to videos online I realized hairspray is a must!! So I have tried a few at work:




the Moroccan Oil Hairspray ($20) smell delish and gives me enough hold for just every day hairstyles. And when I say every day hairstyles I mean like straight and down-nothing fancy at all!!!! I pretty much use this as a perfume. If you need strong-hold this is not the one for you. But if you just want your hair to smell good and your hair is down and you just want to spritz this just for good measure go for it!

Oribe Superfine Hairspray




This is $29 and smells like heaven!!!! The whole entire line smells amazing!! But this hair spray will hold a lot but still be nice, fine spray that isn't sticky. This one isn't the strongest hold but messy up-dos and stuff like that will work great with this. I loooove this one!!

If you need a stronger hold there is the Oribe Superfine Strong Hairspray





This is around $35 and it is an awesome, major-hold hair spray. I sprayed it in my hair once right after I washed my hair and I was SO mad at myself because my hair felt kinda sticky and I thought, "oh great!! Now I have to wash my hair again tomorrow!" and if you know me you know I do NOT wash my hair every day! So I was a little worried about what my hair was going to be like once I got home and took my hair down. I was honestly so pleasantly surprised by my outcome!! I took my hair down and combed through it and viola! My hair was soft as could be and no sticky!!! I didn't have to wash my hair for 3 days!! Yay!! (my hair is so dry I only wash it twice a week, don't judge) so-obviously this is great for super strong hold and then all you have to do is gently comb through your style at night and you're good to go!

*after proof-reading I am realizing I obviously love this hairspray. I'm shooting exclamation points all over the place in that last paragraph. It's like I'm just screaming the whole time!

I'm going to have to write a blog strictly about Oribe because I like a lot of stuff in their line!

Now on to the more affordable side here is L'Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray




This stuff stinks!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I am SO sorry if anyone loves this smell I don't meant to disrespect your olfactory nerves but wowie! I HATE this smell! It's like instant grandma scent-no offense to you grandmothers out there either! It is very powdery and strong!! The hold is awesome and I love everything else about it so I hate that this stuff stinks because it's awesome besides that!! Once again, I am SO sorry if you love the smell!! We are all different, we all like different things I just have a super sensitive nose, all my other senses suck, so my sense of smell is out of this world!! So I think just spraying that so close to my nose it really bothers me and it stays on the hair quite a while. So if smell are your thing (they're my thing) then this might not be the one for you. It's a little pricier for drug stores as well, it's about $14.

This is Pantene Pro V Anti-Humidity Hairspray




This hairspray is really affordable, about $4, but it's very sticky. It holds really well but it is sticky so if you like a soft-touch to your hair you might want to pass on this one. This one doesn't blow me away or anything I'm pretty neutral towards it.

So the jury is still out on some affordable hairsprays, I'm still on the hunt! I'm going to Target tonight for some research and development!!

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Valentine's Lips!

Hi and happy valentines! I wanted a write a blog on some affordable, beautiful, valentine lip colors. Wearing one of these lips colors will take your valentines day look to the next level!

First we will start off with the reds!
-Revlon just bitten lipstain and balm in gothic (great starter red lip color because it's not overwhelming)



CoverGirl lipstick in 430 (great red that's not too bold)




L'Oreal lipstick in British Red (thanks Rachel!)



the next grouping will be frosty nudes

CoverGirl Lipslicks in Cutie (love these!!)



Wet 'n Wild Megaslicks in 563B (good one to wear by itself or layer to lighten up whatever color you put on)



CoverGirl Lipslicks in Starlet (I love these!! Any of these colors are amazing!)




Next up is that color that is just a shade or 2 darker than your natural color

Both by Revlon Just Bitten
Mystical (really great natural color to just add an extra pop to your lips)



And Revlon Just Bitten in Victorian (this one isn't super-bold but it has a little more of a pop of bright pink)




Last but not least- pinks!
Here are some frosty pinks

Wet 'n Wild Megaslicks in 564A (just a nice frosty light pink-don't go too heavy with it though!)



N.Y.C. Lipstick in Flirty (not the best picture but it's the best I could find to show the bolder pink look) this is still frosty but it definitely has a brighter pink hue to it



N.Y.C. Lipstick in Blossom (a pretty pop of pink but slightly a shimmer to it to help lessen the bold look)


Here are some true pinks- no pearlized frost sheen to them

CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Sandstone (this is a really natural pink)



Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Pop (this is a bolder pink but it's a gloss so it still isn't too much)



Revlon Just Bitten in Passion (this is a beautiful bright pink and all these stay on so well!!)




Now every single one of these are from my own personal collection and I love them all!! No matter which one you choose this will add an extra bit of romance to your Valentine's Day!

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The good and the bad, in products that is

It has been a while since I have written. The holiday season just rolled up so quickly and I haven't had a moment to even relax and breathe let alone blog! But-I have been trying products out the whole time even though I haven't been blogging lately. Lately I've tried a few things here are two, one is great one is not so great. We will start off with the not so great one so we can end the blog on a positive note!--i dont know what i did to make this blue and underlined!!! oy!

I usually use a yellow concealer to help lighten the dark circles and redness around my nose. I have tried and LOVED the Cover Girl Simply Ageless Anti-aging yellow corrector. I really love it! But it can be a little pricey for drug store brands, it usually runs around $10 or so. But it goes on really creamy and smooth and doesn't dry out your skin and really gives a flawless look to your makeup application. I ran out so I went without the yellow corrector for quite a while but I realized I really needed the yellow corrector. I just didn't have that flawless complexion that I was going for without it. So-I tried this one out: Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer in Yellow. It's about $3.50 and it's really not that great. :( I wish a $3.50 concealer stick was amazing but it's just too drying. I have to do a lot of maneuvering to make my application not look too drying. I really like a flawless finish on the concealer and foundation and this does not cover, conceal or give an even finish that I like. So pass on this one! The concealer that I do use is amazing though! I have written about it before it's the Maybelline Fit Concealer. It is amazing!!!

The other product I tried out lately was the N.Y.C. brow powder and gel. It's called Browser Brush-on Brow kit and it's only about $3.95. It has the brow powder and a gel to hold your brows in place and the color looks amazing on and the gel keeps everything in place.

I have tired a few different brow pencils and I just can't do pencils. I am too heavy-handed and the brows don't look natural. I think it is so much easier to use a brow powder, I know it seems like it's more intimidating to use a powder over a pencil but it's so much easier! Powders last a lot longer and it gives more of a natural brow look! A lot of the other colors I use drugstore brand or higher-end brands are hard to find a good color to match your brows but this one isn't too red or orange and it really is a beautiful natural look! Try it out it's so cheap, will last a long time, give you the pop you need for your face and will keep your brows in place!

New Mascara of the Month!

So, I have decided to start writing about a mascara of the month because mascara is definitely my favorite beauty product so I really love trying new mascaras out! I have written so many blogs and reviews on mascaras I don't even want to go back and look through my blogs and see how many times I've reviewed them. I have a few that I have loved, L'Oreal Voluminous but it's one of those that when you first open it the mascara is really thick and gooey and it's kinda hard to apply but once you get a little air in the tube it thickens up the mixture and helps it not go on as clumpy. That's kinda the same with the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes and the Too Faced Lash Injection so that's just a little warning. Once there is a little air that gets in the tube it applies much better!! This mascara that I just tried was amazing from the get-go! Right when you open it the application is so amazing from the first try! I was really amazed at the length that the mascara adds as well! It doesn't smudge, doesn't flake all over the place, doens't make your eyes itch, it looks good all day long as well! I am so obsessed with this mascara and for $6 you can't beat it! Everything that I want in a mascara (length, definition, no clumps, volume, curl) is in this tube of mascara. Love it, love it, love it!

5 minute makeup plan!

Hello! Here is a post how to apply your makeup in 5 minutes! Yes-you can do it in 5 minutes! I tend to do my makeup quite fast but the one thing that takes up a lot of time for me is eye makeup application and liner as well. So-I have found a small amount of products that will take only 5 minutes to apply and this stuff will stay on ALL day! I'm not kidding! I have been trying this application technique out for about a week now and even through my busiest days at work my liner, mascara and eye shadow didn't budge! My good friends Laura and Travis bought me a web cam for my birthday so I will post a video on my application of the 5 minute makeup once I get them over here and they can show me how to upload it!

First I start out with a moisturizer. Even when I use a tinted moisturizer as my foundation I still like to put a moisturizer on first because I like that extra hydration throughout the day and it also gives your skin this beautiful glow. I like to use the CoverGirl NatureLuxe Tinted Moisturizer, it's about $9 and it is amazing!! I really can't try anything else right now I'm so in love with it! All I do is apply this all over the face, neck if you want to, I do.

Next I use that fantastic concealer that I also cannot live without! I have yet to try another concealer since I tried this one because it is really creamy and has fantastic coverage so a little goes a long way and it lasts all day without going flaky, crepey or melting off. I apply this under the eyes, around the nose and around the mouth and chin. A little goes a long way!! This little gem is only $5.

After I apply a light amount of concealer I use one of my more expensive but SO totally worth it makeup pieces! I promise you this piece of makeup is worth every dime!! I have two of these multiples in different colors because they are so amazing and versatile. I have this one I'm going to talk about called Orgasm and the other color I have is called Maldives. They are called multiples because you can use this cream-based stick as a cheek color, eye shadow and lip color as well! So see, it's definitely worth every penny! I will give a word of warning----do not use over a powder unless you use a brush. If you apply this cream stick directly onto the cheeks it will take off your powder color and you will look splotchy. So-if you are doing exactly the steps I'm doing here you can apply it directly onto the cheek but if you throw a powder on top of your face after your concealer then use a foundation brush to apply this color on your cheeks. I apply this multiple stick on the apples of the cheek and go up the cheek bone and stop when you are just below your eyes. Barely blend this, it will go on so sheer and light that you really won't need to blend. This is my little gem:

Nars Multiple in Orgasm, yes that's the name, $39

This color is written up in all sorts of magazines because it is so universal. Any beauty editor can write about this blush color and know that it is going to look good on everyone. This is a beautiful peachy/pink with a beautiful shimmer to really accentuate the cheekbones so it will make those pop and give you a beautiful glow!

The next quick step is throw a little eye primer on. I have written about this one before but it is amazing! It helps keep any eye makeup you put on to stay on all day and it gives you this beautiful even shimmer on the lids if that's all you want to wear!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight $18

A little goes a long way on this product as well. If this is the only color you want on your eyes go for it. I apply this from the last line all the way up to the brow. It's a beautiful shimmery nude color that will wake up your eyes but give a nice shimmer too. I also hit a little right near the tear ducts just to make your eyes pop. This primer also gives a really nice highlight for right under the brow so that's why I simply apply this all over the lid. Now-if you want to stop here you can and give a really light, natural eye look. If you want to do that then skip down to the liner portion, if you want a little extra color read on...

Okay, if you want a little extra color this step is quick, easy and it will last ALL day!!

Jemma Kidd Vintage Gold Liner $20

Yes, this is a little bit pricier than what I normally write about but this is also another multi-purpose piece. You can line your eyes with this and I'm telling you these babies don't move!!! You can also draw this all over the lid and smudge to give this beautiful shimmery, copper shadow that will stay on all day! That is what I did on Saturday and it looked amazing all day! These liners are the best in the beauty industry!!

Next step is liner. I would line this color on the inner rims of the top lid and do on the lash line for a really natural look and that's all I would do. The liner I would use is:

Once again, Jemma Kidd Liner in Zodiac, $20

Yes, I know these items I have written about are a little pricey, but I am here to help you not waste your money so yes, there are sometimes I'm going to find a piece that is so fabulous that it is worth the money so I promise you, the multiple and these 2 liners are so worth it!!!

Next step would be throw on a little mascara

I have been using this one lately. It's pretty good. I have been getting a lot of compliments on my lashes lately and the only thing I'm doing is using this mascara so something must be right!

CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion $8

Finishing touch: my new favorite lip stain

Revlon Just Bitten Lip stain in Desire, $7

This 5 minute look might take a little longer at first but once you get the swing of it you will be ready to go in no time!! I really think this look will look right on for the fall beauty trends as well. My prediction for the fall beauty look will be really neutral and dewy with a pop of lip color. This is exactly what you're going to get when you do this makeup look!!! The blush color is beautiful and shimmery, the eyes are very neutral but your eyes will pop when you line the inner rims of your eyelids with that zodiac black pencil and throw a little mascara on and that pop of lip color I think you will look amazing!!! Video to come soon!!