Beauty Box 5: May 2014 Review

Hey, friends! Today I'd like to share with you my very first Beauty Box 5 (BB5)! There was a promotion going around so that you could get your first box free, so I figured I would give it a try. Sorry for not sharing! As an apology, I scoured the internet to find their free box promo for June (you're welcome). Click here if you've never tried BB5 and want some free goodies! You're not held down, so you can cancel after getting your first box with no repercussions. Hooray for cheating the system!

Beauty Box 5? What's that? Beauty Box 5 is a beauty subscription service that delivers a box of five samples to your door each month (Do you see where they got the "beauty" and "box" and the "five" from? Shit, they really thought this through!) Like Birchbox, however, sometimes you'll end up with four items instead of five (which is lame). You take the beauty quiz, as is typical with these kinds of subscription services, to alert of them of your hair/skin/makeup needs and wants. They ship to Canada and all U.S. states but Hawaii and Alaska (sorry, international readers!) It costs $12/month, but you get discounts with 3-month ($10/mo) and annual ($8.25/mo) subscriptions. If you would like to sign up, please click here to use my referral link! (Note: this link doesn't combine with the free box offer, so if you haven't subscribed before, I recommend snagging your free box first. Note #2: I have no idea if this referral even benefits either of us since I'm no longer a subscriber and I don't think you get anything out of it either, but I had to put it out there anyway. Live yo life.) 

Sammi's Mani: Nicole by OPI Blue Lace + Jamberry Flirty Flair

Hi, friends! Today is a "Sammi's Mani" kind of day, which is basically a NotD (or "Nail of the Day" for those of you unfamiliar with the term) but it rhymes. You may have seen a sneak peek of this on my Instagram, but here is the real deal! This is going to be all about the manicure I'm rocking right now, as well as a mini review of all the products I used.

Let's get started!

My Favorite Things: April 2014

Hi, friends. I'm pretty sick today, but I promised you a monthly favorites post today and that is what you shall get. I will try my best to put forth an adequate amount of enthusiasm, though my head is aching and it feels like something small and furry died in my mouth.

On to the good stuff!

The Wet Brush Paddle Brush in Purple ($12)

I know my hair is in it I know it's tacky I KNOW

I LOVE MY WET BRUSH. I wish I could shout it from the rooftops! Instead, here is a poem

Behold, a haiku:

Before The Wet Brush

I'd always tear my hair out

With a wide toothed comb

I know, I know, please save your applause. 

There are those who say to only use a comb when your hair is wet, and others who say not to comb through it at all because your hair is the weakest when it's wet. However, my hair is very long and tangly, so not combing or brushing is not an option. You have to be gentle with your hair when it's wet, but sometimes the knots just don't come out without a little help from a comb. I had been eyeing this product for awhile, and finally I just threw my hands up in the air and decided to go for it. I was a little skeptical, because it is a brush, this this is so much gentler on my hair than a comb! The bristles are extremely flexible and it glides through my hair with ease. Never again will I have to do that stupid "hold your hair in place and try to ease the knots out" thing (you know what I'm talking about). If you have knots and are tired of ripping the hair out of your scalp, get this brush. 

Finals Are a Drag

Hi, friends. Finals are an absolute drag aren't they? For the next two weeks, I basically won't have any free time for fun or friendship or anything pleasant like that.

It pains me to have to say this, but I will be taking a short (SHORT) two week hiatus from this blog. If I tried to write a blog post this week or next, it just wouldn't be up to my standards and it would just be a hot mess. So, I will be writing my next post the weekend I get back from school. You can expect to see my April Favorites post by Sunday, May 4th, 2014. Rest assured, beauty buffs! I will not forget you!

Disclaimer: are you kidding me 

Birchbox: April 2014 Review

Hi, friends! It's that time again: Birchbox unboxing time! Birchbox is still in the middle of moving their warehouse from New Jersey to Tennessee, but my box arrived here earlier than it has in a long time. It got here before the 10th, so I didn't even get to peek online to see what I was getting. It was a fun surprise on multiple levels. Woohoo!

Birchbox? What's that? - Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products in the Birchbox Shop! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link. Thank you!

My Favorite Things: March 2014

Hi, friends! I had too many favorites last month to shrink them down into a Fave Five, so this post is going to be a little longer than usual. There were products I discovered, rediscovered, undiscovered(??), and I will be covering them all in this post today! Without further ado, here are my favorite products for the month of March.

Tres Pure Face Tonic ($65 for 4oz)

I received this in my Sample Society box back in July and, like many products, it sat in my drawer for awhile. After going through my stash and finding this, I decided just use it up and get rid of it, since it's only the .33 fl oz sample size. One of the things I absolutely loved about this product was the smell. It smelled just like Pez! Do you guys remember Pez candy? Are they even still around anymore? Either way, it smelled sweet like Pez, but it was still mild enough that it didn't bother me. My skin usually isn't a fan of scented products, but I had no problem with this. This product got a zero on Skin Deep, something that I hardly ever see (the lower the number between 0 and 10, the more natural it is and the less harmful chemicals it has).  This toner has antixoidants for your skin, as well as soothes and balances it out, and it doesn't dry out my skin! It's a miracle! It feels so refreshing on the skin and if you have wrinkles, it is marketed to help soften the appearance of them (which I do not have, being 20). I would like to repurchase this, but I sure as hell can't afford to pay $65 for a beauty product. If I ever see it on sale for say, 50% off, I would most certainly consider buying a full size.

Spring Product Picks

It's the first of the month, and you know what that means: the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community Blog Hop! This month we're talking about our favorite beauty products for spring, and I'm so excited to share mine with you! Frankly, I think I'm mostly excited because it means winter will EVENTUALLY END. I'm so over it. In Boston, winter seems to last from October to April, and it's just not fair. So far the only part of spring (which we are just starting to get, by the way) is the rain. Granted, I'm thankful that it is no longer cold enough to snow, but seriously, can we stop with all this rain? I'm over it. I haven't seen the sun in days!

Okay, enough melodramatics. Let's get on to the good stuff~

CORAL

I adore coral for spring! It looks so fresh and it's a nice change from all of the deep reds and plums. I don't tend to wear coral much in the fall and winter, but once spring rolls around, you bet your butt I am pulling out the coral in my stash. 

stila Convertible Color in Gerbera ($25 for .15oz)

Do you see my little camera in the mirror on the left? :) 

I recently purchased this from the Birchbox shop when I saved up enough points, and I am obsessed with these cream blushes! I originally got a sample of the color Peony back around Christmas time when I placed a Sephora order for my mother--they came with a free bag of 15 free samples and I had to let myself have at least one (shhh it's fine). I wasn't sure of what color the sample was since it wasn't labeled, so I ordered Gerbera by mistake, but I'm glad I did! It's the perfect cream blush for spring, and I'm excited to have it in my stash. I'm not a big fan of the Stila Convertible Colors on the lips--they make my lips look very dry--but they look so natural on the cheeks. It looks like my cheeks are blushing all on their own! When I actually blush, my whole face gets red and hot and it's just unflattering, so I prefer this method of getting some color onto my pale face. This blush is amazingly pigmented and so easy to use and blend that I can apply it flawlessly while half asleep in the morning. 

Similar / Alternative: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enough Buff (because who said you can't use lipstick as blush?)