November Birchbox 2013

Yup, it's that time of the month again! I've finally used all of my Birchbox products. They have been tried and  tested, and now you get to hear how much I loved or hated them.

First and foremost is this little serum by DDF.

This "amplifying elixir" is supposed to increase my skin natural moisture retention rate. And with winter in full force, even here in the South, that's something that I find really important. My skin is now in its winter state of dry, scaly awfulness. Even my eyelids are dry, and honestly, how does that even happen?

Honestly, though, this stuff didn't come to the rescue. In fact, I've only used it twice. The first time was a disaster. My skin felt like I had a really bad sunburn. It itched and tingled. It was red and blotchy and painful. Even after a full night of sleep, I woke up to warm, tender cheeks that still looked like I'd been slapped. I was going to put this product off as another failure, but I gave it another chance. Why? Because before application, I had just exfoliated. I thought that might have something to do with it.

And sure enough, the second application wasn't nearly as painful. But it didn't really do anything for my skin. At all. And it tingled just enough to be uncomfortable, and I'm not about that. I wear beauty products to make myself happy, not to punish myself. End of story.

Next up was this perfume:

Since it's hyped so much by the Birchbox staff, I was expecting something tremendous. But in the end, this was just an ok perfume. Nothing new or noteworthy. Floral, fruity, and young with just a hint of mature musk, it smells an awful lot like everything else on store shelves right now. Kind of a meh for me.

However, the iffy box was redeemed by the next several products I used. First and foremost, this Color Club nail polish in Baldwin Blues. 

I love blue. LOOOOOOVE it. And this shade is no exception. It's a deep, denim blue that goes on perfectly in two coats. Color Club never fails when it comes to polish. This one is as stunning as all of the others that I've tried. 

TheBalm Stainiac was....alright. I'm a bigger fan of Benefit.

The color is great, don't get me wrong. It's a pinky-red color that is bright and flattering. It's the formula that breaks it for me. It's a gel, which is odd enough on it's own. But this gel has a habit of clumping up into these little nuggets of color that settle into the cracks on my lips. It doesn't provide an even coat of color. Just a spotty wash. Now, if your lips are in awesome condition, then fabulous! This product will give you a bit of a just-bit-my-lip pink. Otherwise, you'll have to exfoliate the living daylights out of your lips to get it to work well (like me). 

And last but not least, the Mox Botanicals Bath Milk. 

This little teabag was awesome! It had a bunch of great smelling goodies inside that did really well in my steaming hot tub.The scent was just right, a mix of earthy and smooth. The coconut really came through during the whole length of my bath. I can't say much about how my skin felt afterwards, because my skin always feels awesome after a bath. But I can say that I smelled really nice. 

I would love to try out the other scents that this brand has and give them all a good, solid review. 

Thanks for reading! 

A to Z: P is for Perfume!

Again, sorry about this being a day late. Life, you know? But I'm going to try my absolute hardest to make sure that I do every single letter, even if one or two are a day late.

So today, I'm going to talk about perfume!

First and foremost, I'm a huge fan of oil based perfumes. They tend to be more expensive, but in my opinion, you get more bang for your buck. The throw isn't as powerful, and a lot of the scents can react with body chemistry to produce something awful, but in the end, I love them. The scent is purer. More true. It can smell exactly like that chocolate cake you had for your fifth birthday, or bring to mind the exact smell after a strong spring rain. 

Not to mention, I find that most mass manufactured alcohol perfumes smell too floral. They are a combination of scents that are heady and unfocused. Misguided and overpowering. Cloying and pricey.

I'm also a huge fan of indie perfume brands. My personal favorite brand of perfume is Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. They have such unique collections, each with their own story. They have Neil Gaiman scents, RPG scents, fairy tale scents. If you can dream it, they probably have it. And each scent will have its own history and meaning.

And let's just say...I have a bit of an addiction.

Yes, those are each a completely unique, individual scent. Packaged in 5ml "imps ears" so that I can wear whatever I want, whenever I want. 

Some of those perfumes are delicate and floral and smell like "tears and wet straw" and some smell like the beach. Some smell like candy and cookies, others smell like fruit. 

Really, my tastes run the gamut. And I love that with BPAL, I can sample what I like and if I love it enough, I buy the full bottles that you see in the top picture. 

Not to mention, the great thing about indie brands is that most of them have a cult following. BPAL is no exception. The family of BPAL lovers are, as a whole, intelligent and cultured, loving and passionate.There is a website called BPAL.org where fans of the scents swap, sell, and giveaway the perfumes and products. Have a perfume you want to buy, but want to test it first? See if someone has an empty or nearly empty that they can send you cheap/free. Love something that's impossible to find? There's surely someone who has it and is willing to strike a deal. Or, if you're lucky, "fairy" will gift you that limited run perfume you have been searching for. 

Indie perfumes have love in every bottle. And in the end, I think that's what I'm drawn to the most. The passion, the commitment, the pure and unadulterated heartfelt joy (or intricate sadness) of each scent. 

Thanks for reading!

If you're curious about my collection, here is my stash of imps and bottles.

April Birchbox: Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue

Birchbox describes this perfume as follows: Top notes of Italian bergamot sourced from Calabria, Sicily work in sync with Italian green mandarin to create an amber halo. The fragrance opens to middle notes of fresh jasmine and exotic cinnamon Ceylon from Sri Lanka, while base notes of African myrrh and Indian sandalwood provide an earthy counterpoint.

Over all, I have to agree with their description. It's an earthy scent with just a breath of floral. It's grounded by a cinnamon that blends with the sandalwood to smell almost like fresh-cut cedar. It's earthy without feeling dirty, and would smell absolutely heavenly on both genders. 

As the perfume dries, it smooths out even further and the cinnamon really comes out to play, especially with the jasmine. It smells a little sweeter once completely dry, but it remains true to the original scent. Rich, earthy, and inspiring. 

I love this perfume. I have added it to my favorites to remember the name. I'm sure I'm going to be wanting a bigger bottle of this soon. 

Thanks for reading! 

Birchbox February 2013 - Juicy Couture

Juicy Couture Perfume - Couture La La

Birchbox describes this scent as "a stunning mix of mandarin, red currant, lily, and orange blossom." And you know what? It is stunning.

Ok, as you guys have probably noticed, I’m super picky when it comes to perfume. My skin is finicky, for starters. It amps certain notes and then completely masks others. So I’m always a little hesitant when I try “mass market” perfumes. Especially this one. I saw all of the floral notes and was worried that I would smell like baby powder (which is how floral and I usually end up together).

But this perfume…this is a real winner. Even with my weird body chemistry, it smells fabulous. Mellow and sweet and subtle, with a touch of something that seems a little like amber and vanilla had a love child. A really great lovechild.

The smell is not cloying. It is delicate and feminine, which is exactly what the description on the package proclaims.

Props to Juicy Couture for making a mass market perfume that doesn’t make me want to run for the hills. In fact, I could see myself running out of the sample and buying a full bottle.

This is a great scent for spring. And oh man, Valentine’s Day. Perfect for Valentine’s Day.

It is womanly without being over the top, and young without being childish. Romantic. Sweet. Sexy. I'm absolutely impressed. 

Hooray for delightful scents!

Birchbox January 2013 - Harvey Prince Skinny Chic

Let’s start off with something simple, shall we? 

I’m a huge fan of Birchbox. I mean a HUGE fan. It’s really assisting my foray into the world of makeup and skincare and everything in between. If you’re lost in this world, you should absolutely subscribe. 

By far, Box day is my favorite day of the month. It’s like Christmas and Spa day all rolled into one. I know that I’m bound to find some favorites the ladies in New York know what they’re doing. 

In fact, I would love to work for them. Birchbox, if you’re listening, HIRE ME! ;) 

Now, on to the review. 

The first thing I am going to talk about is going to the perfume sample that I got in my Birchbox. It’s by a brand called Harvey Prince, which at first I knew nothing about. After reading the blurb on Birchbox.com, however, now I’m really excited to recommend this “company” to my friends. 

Here’s my thoughts on the perfume.

Harvey Prince – Skinny Chic perfume

Birchbox description: The dominant note of crisp green apple is tempered by marine mint and lovely lotus blossom. In the background, notes of grapefruit, bergamot, fennel, white cedarwood, amber, and iris mix and mingle.

Overall, this scent is exactly what it says on the label. It’s a light, delicate, young fragrance. The apple is there, but I especially smell the lotus and marine notes. Not exactly up my alley, since I usually go heavy on the foodie scents (and I generally use oil based perfumes), but this is still a really great scent. I can definitely see myself wearing this during the spring.

This fragrance does wear close to the skin, so if you’re looking for a lot of sillage, it might not be for you. I also didn’t get super long power out of it. It faded relatively quickly, but then again, my skin tends to eat floral notes faster than others. I would say this would be great sprayed into hair after a workout if you’re looking for more length. I don’t think it would weigh it down at all. More throw would also be an effect of putting it in clean hair. 

Also, as the perfume wears, the amber really comes out to play. What starts as a bright, sharp hit of floral and fruit mellows into something great for day time. It’s a simple smell that my skin and preferences just didn’t like, except for the rare spring day. But it is not by any means a bad perfume. I’m thinking about giving this one to my sister-in-law, since it suits her 15 year old sensibilities more than mine. 

Thanks for reading!