Birchbox January 2017

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was a Korean Beauty Box. The sample choices were the Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner, the IPKN Flash Cream Radiant Primer, and the TonyMoly Delight Tony Tint. I picked the Eyeliner because I wasn’t very interested in the other two choices and I was also interested in the liner since we were all supposed to receive it in a box months and months ago and never did. 

The products I received this month were as follows:
 

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (Full-size $22)- This is another dry shampoo that is meant to revive hair and remove oils. While I’m getting a little bored with receiving dry shampoo as it doesn’t work well with my curly hair, I do LOVE the scent of this brand. For that alone, since it is residue free, I will use this product on my hair. Even if it’s just to spray it and make it smell good in the morning.

Whish Three Wishes Body Butter- Lavender (Full-size $24)- This product is pretty self-explanatory. I really dislike Whish products. I think their packaging is horrible and the smells always irritate me. This one smells like hospital soap and I am not a fan. I will say that the product itself is decent. It’s not overly greasy and seemed to moisturize my hands (I can’t say for how long as I literally tried this right before writing this unboxing). 

BioRepublic Skincare Pomegranate Cursh Illuminating Sheet Mask (Full-size $14.50)- This mask is meant to brighten skin and even tone. Yay! Those are two things that my skin needs. I have a love/hate relationship with sheet masks but I’m excited to try this. I think they are effective but because my face is small they are always awkward to wear. I definitely prefer other types of masks. Hopefully this is effective!

IPKN Flash Cream Radian Primer (Full-size $28)- This primer is meant to nourish and create a smooth canvas for makeup as well as having an SPF 15. I used this before a night out and it did seem to make my makeup go on smoothly. It also helped the wear time and kept my makeup on my face. It didn’t pill when I rubbed my face at all which was nice. It does have a pearlescent sheen to it, so if you are oily I can’t see enjoying it, but it would be nice on days when I feel my dry skin needs a little extra boost. 

Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner (Full-size $16)- This is a felt tip black liquid liner that allows a bolder line than other liquid liners. This is a really nice liner. It is very easy to manipulate and gives a solid, smooth black line. The nice thing about it being thicker is that it doesn’t look as wiggly when you draw the line. I don’t currently own a liquid liner so I’m excited to play around with this more.

Overall, this is a mediocre box. I’m excited about half of the products, but the other ones are kind of meh. I don’t feel like I’m ripping into this box to try the samples.

December Birchbox Update

(MALIN + GOETZ) Clarifying Clay mask- I’ve used this mask twice and I love it! The first time I used it as a spot treatment and it immediately cleared up my pimple. The next time I used it over the majority of my face and again, saw great clearing results. I will definitely be reaching for this whenever a pimple comes up.

Christian Siriano Silhouette Eau de Parfum- I honestly forgot about this perfume. I did really like the scent on first sniff, so I need to make sure I try it on some other events to really test the strength and staying power.

Gorge I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray- I don’t know how I feel about this product. It didn’t really seem to do much. My hair reacts better to conditioning creams than sprays, and that’s what I saw with this product. I think I’ll be passing this one on.

Gorge I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray- As I expected, this product is great. I really like the Coastal Scents Eyeshadows and this one delivered. I think the other colors I’ve received were a bit more pigmented, but they have really good staying power and I’ve found myself reaching for these colors on special occasions.

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forever Peach- I brought this on my honeymoon and found myself using it on days when I wanted a little color on my lips but nothing I had to worry about. It was nice because it works almost as a lip balm, so I would reach for it for that instead of my lip balm. I might end up purchasing this one day.

Book Club January 2016

This month’s book club book was picked by Denise and is The Bitch Proof Suit by De-ann Black.
 

By: De-ann Black
Published Year: 2010
Publisher: Toffee Apple Publishing
Pages: 300
Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Blue (Bluebell) Byrne is up against the odds in the world of New York fashion marketing, she needs the ultimate in accessories - a bitch-proof suit. Her marketing experience has helped her create the perfect suit. She had it made by bespoke tailors, cut with twice the precision at half the price. No labels, no trends, just sheer cutting edge class.

The story starts in Manhattan. Blue is about to put her suit to the ultimate test when she vies against a boardroom full of conniving business rivals to win the top job assignment - to work in the company’s office in Dublin, Ireland, and settle a few scores at the same time.

The suit, her negotiating skills and gutsy determination helps Blue win the job. Within hours she sets off for Dublin. It’s the one place she swore she’d never go back to. Six years ago she’d left that city behind, along with Morgan Daire, the man who broke her heart, sure she’d never return. It had almost destroyed her once, but hell...she loves a challenge!

She’ll be working with the unspeakably glamorous and influential Verde Valmont, and Verde’s Irish assistant Emer. Blue will also be facing up to the formidable Dubliner, Morgan Daire, the man whose past is inexorably linked with hers. Then there’s her friend, Dublin designer, Murphy, an incorrigible rogue whose flirting causes jealousy and all sorts of trouble. She also encounters the sexy and handsome Sears Pearson, a New York coolhunter, who takes an interest in her. With Morgan and Sears vying for her attention, and Murphy causing misunderstandings, her love life is anything but smooth.

                                                             First Impressions

I thought the name made it sound like a cute book. I was intrigued when Denise shared the summary with us even though it wasn’t something I would’ve picked up on my own. The cover is also very blah and I wouldn’t have picked it up based just on the cover.

                                                              What I thought

This book was so frustrating. The beginning wasn’t bad. I liked the voice of the character and it seemed like a nice refreshing change from what I had recently been reading. Then I started learning everyone’s names and they are just completely ridiculous. I felt like the author just started making up the most ridiculous names she could imagine. Bluebell, Verde (pronounced Verdi), Sears, Magenta?! I know it’s petty, but things like that irritate me.

 Bluebell (aka Blue) is the main character. She is a futurehunter which is someone who searches for the future trends in fashion. She takes on the world with her Bitch-Proof suit. I feel like this aspect of the story was so weird. Like she was so protective about the suit, and it was almost like it had magical qualities but this wasn’t a book about magical things. It just seemed like it could’ve been part of a different story or if it had been toned down it would have made more sense. It just was odd.

Then on top of that, Blue moves to Dublin to work as a futurehunter and confront her past. The relationships in this story were just wonky. She claims that Sears was one of her closest friends when she was in Dublin the first time, but the minute she gets back he’s madly in love with her and she has no relationship with him whatsoever. On top of that is Morgan, who was her ex-lover and the reason she left Dublin the first time, and Verde who is her evil co-worker. The only person that I actually liked in this story was Muphy and he wasn’t in it much.

I just felt like this story was very underdeveloped with minimal character development and plot line. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did because I felt like it had great potential. But in the end it was boring and predictable and I found myself skimming to get to the end just to finish it.

                                                 What book club thought

It seemed like everyone was on the same page with this one. We all seemed annoyed with the same issues (mostly what I talked about above) and some additional issues came up as well. One of the members talked about how she didn’t understand what kind of company Blue even worked for. Was it marketing? A fashion company? It was a little unclear who exactly these future fashion ideas were going to, but I didn’t even notice this completely until she mentioned it. Some people seemed more annoyed than others, but it was kind of funny to have all the same opinion as we normally vary. There was one member who enjoyed the book more than the others, but I think the general consensus was that it was a cute story, but underdeveloped which caused a lot of irritation and general dislike of the book.

We did also discuss that the concept, if developed properly, could make a really fun Lifetime show. I think it would be similar in tone to UnReal in the level or drama and cattiness, so it could make some great trash TV. We didn’t discuss who we would pick to play the different characters, and because it wasn’t a heavy book we didn’t have many poignant questions.

Book Club for February

The Lake House By: Kate Morton

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Book Club Date: February 7th
 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

During our Honeymoon, the husband and I made a brief stop in London. While there, I knew I wanted to get to a Boots to try some beauty products I had heard about. I watch a lot of British beauty bloggers so I had a short list of things I wanted to try. Number one on my list was the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. It costs about 4 pounds or about $5.75 and is absolutely raved about by everyone as a Holy Grail product. Considering I spend about $25 on my Estee Lauder concealer (which I love) I was excited to try such an inexpensive alternative.

Unfortunately, due to short amount of time I wasn’t able to make it to an actual Boots story, like I wanted to. So I hit up the one at the airport. From what I saw, this concealer came in 3 different shades. I was the darkest shade in Warm Medium. I debated getting Cool Medium which had pinker undertones, but I think overall my skin is closer to the warm with the yellower undertones. I think it’s nice that they have options of two different types of medium. I also loved that I was able to swatch the different shades in the drug store which you can’t do in the US.

Let me start off by saying that this concealer is seriously impressive for the price (even though the packaging is not.). I completely understand why people love it and rave about it and keep one on hand at all times. However, I do have some issues with it which I will explain.

I think this concealer is almost an exact dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. If you are a fan of the NARS concealer and have a chance to try this one out, I would highly recommend you pick this up. While I think this is a major pro, at the same time, for me it was a con. I have dry skin and often have psoriasis patches on my face which I like to cover up with concealer. Because of this, I need a very creamy concealer with almost a wet consistency. That is why I didn’t end up loving the NARS concealer. It was too dry for me and would often cling to my dry patches.

I love this concealer for my spots though! I think that it is great with its staying power and coverage. Especially considering it’s so inexpensive! Next time I’m in London (this summer!) I will definitely pick up a few for the future.

I don’t think it’s a great all around concealer though. It’s a little dry for the under eye, and like I said, it does cling to dry patches. I was so excited I was able to try this concealer out and it will definitely stay in my bag. I might finally become a girl who uses two separate concealers since I like how well this covers (and continues to cover) my pimples and dark spots. I don’t know if it lasts for 16 hours like it claims, but it definitely lasts through a work day! 
 

Goals of 2016

I am not typically one for New Year’s Resolutions. I like the idea that the new year means a fresh start, but I feel like you can make goals throughout the year and not just on the first. However, I do have a few things that I thought I would like to accomplish on the blog/with blog related things.

Books

My Goodreads goal for 2016 is 80 books. Last year my goal was 75 and I read a little over 90. I’m a little nervous about my goal because I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, but hopefully that will pick back up. I always tend to be a little slower in the winter with my reading, so here’s hoping that’s all that this is.

Book challenges. I am participating in the Debut Author Challenge again this year, and hopefully I will do better with it this year than I did last year. I participated really well until about August and then just dropped off. I also want to participate in a re-read challenge. I’m hoping to re-read Harry Potter this year, but I say this a lot so we will see how it goes. I have also looked into a few other challenges, but haven’t officially signed up for anything else. If I do, I will update you!

Beauty

Skin Care Routine. I feel like for a while, my skin was looking great and lately it is kind of looking blah again. Since I am in my late 20s, I’d really like to get a solid skin care routine under control. While I’m great with putting on serum and moisturizer every day, I’m terrible about washing my face.  I think that’s my biggest goal for 2016. I can’t currently think of anything else I’d like to work on.

Buys

Budget. Since I am planning on traveling this year, I’d really like to be better about making a monthly spending budget and sticking to it. I do save my money but I’ve never made a set budget for buying clothes and beauty products. J’s Everyday Fashion often writes posts about budgeting and it has really inspired me to try her method budgeting. Hopefully this will help me from not spending a lot of money on unnecessary things so that I can afford my trip and afford fun things on my trip.

Blogging

Update the blog. I feel like the blog has gotten a little stale. I’m hoping (once I get time) to update the look of the blog and maybe play around with how I review some of my books. I’m also hoping that by doing this, I can increase my readership a little bit. I’d love to have more readers!

Consistency. I am hoping to get back into being more consistent on my blog posts. I was really good at posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the beginning, but then with the wedding and the honeymoon I got really behind. I’m hoping that over the next month I will get back into the habit of blogging and regular posts.

                                                 Do you have any resolutions?
 

Birchbox December 2015

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was a Winter Essentials box. The sample choice this month was a the Coastal Scents Eyeshadow in 3 different color pairs. The color choices were green and gold, champagne and a pinky/red, and a dark silver with black. You could also choose a volumizing spray. 

The Products I received this month were as follows: 

The Products I received this month were as follows:
 

(MALIN + GOETZ) Clarifying Clay mask (Full-size $48)- This is an exfoliating clay mask that claims to treat blemishes and oiliness. I don’t have oily skin, but I do get blemishes. I love masks and am always up for trying a new one. I’m looking forward to try it! Maybe I’ll bring it along on the honeymoon in case I get pimples that pop up.

Christian Siriano Silhouette Eau de Parfum (Full-size $22-$92)- The notes of the perfume are described as cassis, wet greens, purple berries, jasmine, rose, and freesia with base notes of woods and moss. I really like the smell of this fragrance. It smells very similar to the Sensual Amber fragrance from Bath and Body works which I love. I would definitely pick this up if it was less expensive, especially since the bottle looks so pretty! The staying power isn’t great, granted I can’t 100% judge that based off of a sample.

Gorge I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray (Full-size $29.95)- This is a leave in conditioning spray that uses lime, green tea, and quinoa, to hydrate, add shine, reduce oil, and protect hair. It doesn’t smell too bad, but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. It will be interesting to see how it does. I’ve learned that with curly hair leave in conditioning creams tend to work more effectively than leave in conditioning sprays. I’m excited to try it though!  

Coastal Scents styleEYES Eyeshadow Palette- SocialEYEs (Full-size $12)- This was the sample choice for this month’s box. I picked the green and gold for Christmas. I love gold shadows and don’t currently own a green like this one. I receivedCoastal Scents sample in a previous box and I really love their shadows. They’re smooth, pigmented, and have decent staying power. They’re also very inexpensive which is great! The gold is just what I expected from this brand. The green is a little iffy. I found that I needed to really rub my finger in it a few times to get a smooth color pay off. Otherwise it was little patchy. I’m hoping to use it as an eye liner (probably under the eye), so I’m hoping that it works well for that.
 

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forevr Peach (Full-size $25)- As stated, this is a lip and cheek stain and it is meant to adjust to your skin for a custom color. I was a little nervous trying this product because I have received two lip and cheek stains in previous boxes. One worked great on the cheeks but not on the lips, the other was great on the lips and not on the cheeks. I was a little put off when I took it out of the box and swatched it on the back of my hand. It was very orange. However, I gave it a chance and put it on both my lips and cheeks and loved it! It turned into a very beautiful peachy pink color that I really like. It’s very natural and very smooth. It was kind of fun watching it change as I put it on. It went on a little orange but then changed to pink. It is the most moisturizing cheek and lip stain I have ever tried and I’m definitely a fan!
 

Nude Lips

Nude Lips

Overall this is a great box! I really enjoyed everything in it and the things I haven’t tried I’m very excited about.

November Birchbox Update

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo- This dry shampoo is the whitest one I have ever used. I went to use it once and it looked like I put talcum powder on my hair. I also don’t like that you’re supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes, then brush it through. I can’t dry brush my curly hair. It would be a disaster. This product is a definite fail.

Temple Spa La La Lagoon Aromatic Bath & Shower Gel- I still haven’t tried this one, but it will get brought on the honeymoon to try! I’m excited to use it.

Liz Earle Superskin Moisturizer- I have been using this daily and am still not sure how I feel about it. My skin does feel moisturized but I have started breaking out on my chin again which stopped while I was using the No 7 moisturizer. Now, I have had high levels of stress, so that could be a definite factor. I’ll have to see what happens when I switch to a different moisturizer.

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick- I am obsessed! This shadow stick is really nice. The color is beautiful and it is very smooth. The only issue I have is it’s not 100% crease proof. But they’re relatively inexpensive and perfect when I’m feeling lazy.

MAKE Face Gloss- I had abosultely no desire to try this product so I gave it away to a friend. It was just a miss for me.

With the exception of the shadow stick, November’s box was a miss. I was not very impressed with most of it and the only thing I would purchase would be the shadow stick.
 

2015 Reading Re-Cap!

Here is my 2015 Reading Stat Re-cap! This questionnaire was created by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner! 

Number Of Books You Read: 97 (more than last year! woo!)
Number of Re-Reads: 10
Genre You Read The Most From: Probably YA

1.   Best Book You Read In 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
White Rose By: Amy Ewin
I loved The Jewel so much and this book just really disappointed me.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
Finding Mr. Brightside By: Jay Clark or Wuthering Heights By: Emily Bronte 
Both in a good way!!

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Before I Go By Colleen Oakley

 5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?
Series Starter- The Winner’s Curse By: Marie Rutkoski

Series Sequel- The Heir By: Kiera Cass

Series Ender- Perfect Couple By: Jennifer Echols

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Huntley Fitzpatrick! I LOVED My Life Next Door

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Here By: Richard McGuire

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Career of Evil By: Robert Galbraith

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Before I Go By:Colleen Oakley

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

Love, Lucy By: April Linder
There is just something about this cover that I absolutely love!
 

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Werner from All the Light We Cannot See

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

All the Light We Cannot See By: Anthony Doer

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

The Husband’s Secret By: Liane Moriarty

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

I don’t keep track of quotes

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Longest: The Marvels By: Brian Selznick (665 pages)

Shortest: Ms. Marvel #1 By Willow G Wilson (32 pages)

Hah! Both books have "Marvel" in the title!

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Career of Evil By: Robert Galbraith
I didn't find myself able to predict this book. It kept me guessing which is rare

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

I don't tend to ship fictional characters to a point that I remember it after the book is over. 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The Sisterhood from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Heir By: Kiera Cass

21. Best Book You Read In 2015That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Happiness for Beginners By: Katherine Center or The Start of Me and You By: Emery Lord

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

I don't tend to do fictional crushes with books. I do with movies, but books I tend to forget about the guy after I read it.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

Mosquitoland By: David Arnold

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

All the Light You Cannot See By: Anthony Doer

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Why Not Me? By: Mindy Kaling

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

Before I Go By: Colleen Oakley

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Maybe in Another Life By: Taylor Jenkins Reed

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
I don't think I read a book that crushed my soul...

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

The Marvels By: Brian Selznick

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Silent Alarm By: Jennifer Banash (Definitely not because I didn’t like it. It made me mad because of the content and how it affects real life)

1.   One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?
How We Met By: Katy Regan

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?
Remembrance Mediator #7 By Meg Cabot
I have been waiting 10 years for this book!

3.   2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
The Heir and the Spare By: Emily Albright

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?
The Winner’s Kiss By: Marie Rutkoski

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

I hope to get back into the swing of blogging and get the chance to review more books.