May Birchbox

I'm giggling with joy because I cannot, literally cannot, wait to share my latest find. I stumbled upon Birchbox via Miss Glamorazzi of Youtube. She's amazing and  for those of you who aren't familiar, her videos have turned me on to some of my favorite products. We even share the same skin routine now. Anyways, getting back to the point, Birchbox is a monthly subscription in which you receive high end beauty products ranging from fragrance to makeup in deluxe sized samples (basically travel sized). At just $10 a month, you definitely get your money's worth, half the products are worth $10 alone. It's also great because you earn reward points along the way for purchasing the box, referring friends, and reviewing the samples. For every 100 points, you receive a $10 credit towards a full sized purchase. I can't rave enough about this.

This month's box

 

Birchbox never fails to impress! A card (upper left) is included with product names and prices along with a little note. Extras are inlcuded that don't exactly relate to beauty, but are still pretty darn cool. This month included a cute blank card and a free custom card through tiny prints.com in regards to mother's day.

Products

Birchbox products vary from person to person based on your beauty profile, so each box is unique to the person. I've received two Oribe shampoo and conditioner samples for color treated hair, Erno Laszlo transphuse (yes, that's how it's spelled) night serum, Stila eyeshadow in mimosa, Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir fragrance, and Archipelago Pomegranate Tripple Milled Soap. Might I add that the Stila eyeshaow s full sized and costs $18 alone? What a steal!

If anyone is interested...

Web address: birchbox.com

Miss Glamorazzi:http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi?blend=1&ob=5

Moon Nails (The Easy Way!)

Frankly, I don't have the time or money to visit nail salons very often, so when I discovered moon nails, I had to learn how to do it myself. It's a great twist to the usual manicure, and so so easy! You heard me right, easy. After some trial and error, I've found a way that works best for me.

You Will Need

• Yard sale price stickers cut in half
• Base Coat (I've chosen OPI's Do You Lilac It? with Sally Hansen's HD Nail Polish in DVD)
• A second color to go over the moon (I've chosen China Glaze's Bermuda Breakaway)
• A clear top coat (I've chosen Sally Hansen's Double Duty)

Steps
Paint your nails as you usually would with your base color. Allow to dry completely.

Place the half stickers at the base of your nail with the round side on your nail. The stickers peak should be no higher than 1/3 of your nail's length unless you have super short nails like me.  Press the sticker firmly to your nail so no polish leaks beneath.

Paint your nails, feel free to paint over the sticker. The color I chose is highly pigmented so I chose to do one coat, but you may choose to do more.

Allow the paint to dry for about 1 minute before removing the stickers, but not much longer. I find if I let the polish dry completely, the stickers are not only harder to remove, but tend to peel the freshly painted polish. Coat your nails with the clear topcoat.

 Voila! Awesome moon nails. I didn't come up with this on my own, but I know I sure had a hard time finding it, so I thought why not share it with you guys? I get tons of compliments on this look. Everyone assumes I've used nail art pens, but the stickers are so much easier than that, and they provide a good crisp line. If anyone's interested, I got my Sally Hansen polishes in a buy one get one pack currently still sold.

Hope you enjoyed!

PS: In case you were wondering about the odd background, I paint my nails at my crafts table. It's the only place I don't worry about spilling!

Let's get this blog started!

The word "obsession" doesn't even begin to describe my passion for all things beauty related. For quite some time, I've been exploring the great glamorous, yet intimidating, world of beauty. Through ups and downs, that one dreadful orange spray tan and the facial cleanser created from heaven above, I've loved every drop of the the journey. It sounds gushy, but my experiences have played a vital role in making me who I am now in the most positive way. That's not to say all things aesthetic are the answers to life's problems, but they sure can influence your perception of yourself. I can't stress enough how important it is to use makeup and such as means of empowerment rather than a disguise for who you wish you were. Life's too short to go without your own identity. Through this blog, I hope you ladies find what it beautiful means to you and have the confidence to own it. My first "real" blog will be posted soon.

Enjoy!