June and July Birchbox!

As you can tell by the title of this post, I procrastinated...big time. lol. I kept telling myself to take pictures and post the June Birchbox but it somehow just kept being put off. I just got the July Birchbox yesterday so I'm on top of this month! Not so much last months. : ( ha. Anyway, on to how I'm feeling about Birchbox now that I'm a few months in! I'm still HIGHLY impressed with the products I've been getting! The company has seriously stepped up it's game. If your interested in a subscription service I definitely suggest you try this one. It's $10 a month but it more than pays for itself every month (especially when you get full size products!). This post is going to be split into June and July because I think it will be a lot easier just to do this one post versus the 2. Let's get staaaaaaaarted!

                                                                       JUNE

                                                       The theme for June was Jet Set!

Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive

Who needs the sun when you can get a safe, buildable, and natural-looking tan with these bestselling European towelettes? (As described on Birchbox card)

Pack of 8: $14.99

Stila One Step Bronze

Fake an island glow with this three-in-one bronzer, primer, and serum. It also keeps your skin's oil production in check.

Full-size: $36 (This is a full size that came in the box!)

theBalm Cosmetics Staniac in Beauty Queen

Without Flash - One swatch is applied thick and the other is sheered out.

With Flash

 We're crazy about this two-in-one lip and cheek stain: the sheer gel formula delivers a subtle, long-wearing flush. *I've used this and I LOVE it!!

Full-size: $17

Wonderstruck Taylor Swift

The pop-country songstress' scent is as catchy as her lyrics. We think it's worthy of a standing gig on our vanity. *This smells good but it is really strong and almost gives me a headache!

Full-size: $49.50 - $59.50

LUNA Bar Luna Minis in Peanut Butter Cookie

LIFESTYLE EXTRA
Whether we're running errands or hopping on a plane, we always have emergency snacks on hand. These just-sweet-enough treat's are our go-to's.
Pack of 15: $18.75



                                   
                                   JULY

                                     Birchbox partnered with GLAMOUR Magazine for July!

Color Club Blue-Ming

Use this green-turquoise polish on fingers and toes all summer long.
Full-size: $8

Gloss Moderne High-Gloss Masque

 Sun, heat, and pollution all strip our hair - happily, this vitamin-rich conditioning complex restores bounce and shine.
Full-size: $39

Harvey Prince Eau Flirt

 The fragrance is equivalent to a wink, this fanciful scent layers fresh citrus and jasmine notes over a base of lavender and pumpkin.
Full-size: $55 - $98

Manna Kadar Sheer glo shimmer lotion

 This cult luminizing liquid adds a super-model like sheen to skin. Mix it with your foundation, or apply as a highlighter to cheeks and browbones.
Full-size: $29

suki Balancing Kit

 This all-in-one set calms and purifies troubled skin, leaving it smooth and hydrated.
Full-size: $40

LIFESTYLE EXTRAS

Birchbox Exclusive Ear buds

We designed these neon headphones just for you. Pair them with your best playlist.

LARABAR uber

The latest addition to our snack drawer, these healthy and satisfying bars are packed with dried nuts and fruits.
Variety pack of 16: $27.95



Check out my favorite makeup brushes here!    http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=160988
Get 10% off using code AP2012 now through July 31st!!!


XOXO,
Brooke

May Birchbox!

Hey guys!! If you read my last blog post you already know that I decided to cancel my Glam Bad membership and go back to Birchbox. I can honestly say that the Birchbox that I got this month blew my last two Glam Bags out of the water! It really stinks that Glam Bag is making so many mistakes and sending out bags that are not worth $10! I feel that it could be a great company if they paid more attention to the product quality they put in their bags...Anyway, enough about that, let's talk Birchbox! I was subscribed to this company a while ago and cancelled for no reason other than saving the $10 a month to go towards other things. While with any subscription service it can be hit or miss from month to month, I think Birchbox's box's are worth the $10 value every month. I got a full size Stila liquid liner that retails for $22! That alone paid for my box double! If your looking into subscription service I recommend giving Birchbox a try! $10/month and shipping is free!

This BirchBox was GossipGirl themed so it came in a special sleeve and yellow tissue paper! On a regular basis it looks like the bottom picture with pink paper.

These cards come with every box and it just explains the theme. The back tells you what products are in your box and what a full size of that product would cost. There are also different boxes that go out each month, the box you get depends on how you fill out your survey when you join the site! Mine is called, "Downtown Book Party". I believe there were like 3 other boxes this month.

 

Color Club nail polish in Disco Nap

As described on card: Just in time for summer, this metallic gold polish looks glam day and night.
Full Size Cost: $8

Dr. Jart + Waterfuse BB Cream

As described on card: Think of this four-in-one moisturizer, serum, sunscreen, and skin - perfecting tint as the (extremely stylish) Swiss Army Knife of your beauty lineup. ( I did try this sample already and there really wasn't enough product to fully tell what its like.)
Full Size Cost: $32

Kerastase Cristalliste Lumiere Liquide

As described on card: Smooth this lightweight, fragrant serum through dry ends to add gorgeous shine.
Full Size Cost: $42

Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Curacao

 As described on card: Pearly shimmer meets intense pigment in this lasting liner. Better yet, the pen-like wand makes wiggle-free application a breeze. (middle pic is w/o flash, bottom is with flash)
Full Size Cost: $22 (Full size product is what came in box)


EXTRAS

Kerastase Cristalliste Bain Cristal and Cristalliste Lait Cristal

Shampoo: This shampoo removes oil from roots while leaving ends healthy and soft.
Full Size Cost: $36

Conditioner: Thanks to hydrating aloe, this rich conditioner seals in shine and moisture.
Full Size Cost: $39

Notecards

 Text messages are no match for handwritten notes on fun, modern stationery.
Full Size Cost: set of 12, $10



This was it for this months BirchBox! So as you can see the quality is great and getting a full size product that more than pays for the box is pretty cool! That being said every box might not be as impressive, but it also depends on your taste in products.

I'm also thinking about starting a Youtube channel dedicated to beauty reviews, tutorials, and hauls. I'd really appreciate your input on the whole Youtube thing in the comments! : )


Check out BirchBox!! : https://www.birchbox.com/

Favorite Makeup Brushes: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=160988

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooke-Wood-Makeup-Artistry/267711139943284

Giveaway I'm involved with (A Salute to Love): http://asalutetolove.com/


XOXO,
Brooke

April Glam Bag!

I did it! I cancelled! While the April bag was (somewhat) better than the March bag (of course you couldn't go anywhere but up from it) I decided that my ten bucks would be better spent elsewhere. It always scares me to cancel these things just out of fear that the next bag will be amazing but I (and a ton of others) are just fed up! The very first Glam Bag was amazing but the quality got worse every month, I don't like spending money on inconsistency so I decided to give Birchbox another chance. I would advice anyone to skip My Glam and look into other great monthly subscriptions! So for the last time, here is what I got in the April My Glam bag!

Urban Decay 24-7 pencil

 This was the best thing by far in the bag and the color is great! That being said, it doesn't make up for the rest of the bag!

These are probably the worst false lashes I have EVER seen! They are plastic and the band tat holds the lashes is a piece of string! No good! They remind me of those horrible fake lashes from Halloween stores.

So bad!!

More brushes! These brushes are not bad quality and I think it is a good idea to include brushes for those who don't have a lot. At the same time I don't think they should be in every bag taking the place of possibly a better product. It would be a good addition to every few bags but not everyone.

This is an okay product. It's very thick and has a really weird smell/taste. I'm really bad about wearing lip products at all to begin with so if I do it has to be a really good product and I've honestly only worn this once and already dislike it. Lip products are personal to begin with, some like sticky lip gloss and others hate it for example. I think some people would really like this but it just wasn't my thing.






And that was it! The bag felt empty just picking it up! I'm just going to end this post here as I've already told you all why I dislike the company. : ) Stay tuned next month for BIRCHBOX!!!! : )


Check out my favorite brushes: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=160988


Do you know any engaged military friends? Tell them about this AWESOME give-away! -  http://asalutetolove.com/



XOXO,
Brooke

March Glam Bag!

Hey everyone! So I know it's a little bit late but I wanted to show you all what I got in last months Glam Bag! March's Glam Bag was all about repair and restore. I'm going to be honest and say I was NOT impressed by this past month. It had me wanting to unsubscribe and put my money towards another monthly subscription. I decided to give it one more month and see if the quality improves (I haven't received the April bag yet) and if it doesn't I'm going to cancel my membership. The service only started about 4 months ago but if you see the first month's bag and then this bag you can see an obvious decrease in quality. The other thing that really gets me is how they have these "gift cards", they are not in any way a gift certificate! With a gift card you don't have to spend money to buy anything but with these it's always spend $50 and get $25 off or something along those lines. I'm just going to show you all the (kinda crappy) stuff I got now and you can judge. : )

Michelle Phan on the front of this one.

As described on back of card by MyGlam: Hand-selected by Michelle from her recent trip to Hong Kong for Cosmoprof Asia, freshen up your spring makeup routine with this myglam exclusive classic crease brush and case.

As described by MyGlam:

• For all color treated and natural color hair
• Color free formula will bring out the shine and accentuate all of the existing highlights
• Designed for daily use with all hair types

As described by MyGlam: Fruit butters and healing vegetable oils make Pur-lisse Pur-Lip Comfort Daily Lip Nourisher - a petroleum-free formula that doubles as a primer - one of the beauty industry's most effective lip hydrators. Vitamin E softens and protects against free radicals, bathing your pout in luxurious moisture.

As described by MyGlam: Pur-lisse Pur-Protect SPF 30 Essential Daily Moisturizer delivers reliable broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection plus rich hydration, thanks to a couple of exclusive complexes, vitamin E, soy protein and calming antioxidant white tea. Skin is left calm and smooth.

As described by MyGlam: Increase your skin's firmness by 50% in as little as 15 minutes with this revolutionary product, which relies on exclusive firming and luminating complexes to address dark circles, both instantly and long-term. A subtle tint adds just the right amount of coverage.

As described by MyGlam: Enjoy this Gift Card which will save you $25 off of any order of $50 or more on DermStore.com. Each Glam Bag subscriber will get a unique code inside her Glam Bag, to enter at checkout. Please note, this offer is valid for one-time use only through May 1, 2012, and some brand exclusions apply.



So this is all that came in this past months bag. How do you feel about it? My April bag should be here soon and hopefully the quality is 100x better! Until next time,

XOXO,
Brooke

Influenster

Hey Guys!! It's been a couple of weeks since I posted but I've been trying out these fun (FREE) products and wanted to give a complete review of everything!

Introducing Influenster! This sight is awesome! It is ALL completely FREE! Who doesn't love free stuff? All you have to do is sign up and complete badges (basically little surveys) to help you qualify for a "Voxbox". What you get in your box is a surprise and the only requirement is that you somehow review the products, it can be a blog, facebook, ect. The boxes are also themed! This is my first one and it's the "Love VoxBox". The box before this one was the "Holiday VoxBox". Just because you sign up doesn't mean that you are guaranteed a box. I'm not completely sure how often they get sent out but you will get an email if your being considered! When you get the box you simply log into your Influenster account and "check-in" you box and then get to testing your products! A few weeks after you get your box you will have to complete a survey about the products. There are also product challenges on the site! You could win MORE free stuff just by doing the challenges! So now that I've given you the low-down on the whole thing, here are the products I got!

 Kiss (Nail Dress)

These are comparable to the Sally Hansen salon effects. Out of the two I do prefer the Sally Hansen ones just because the sticker itself has the ability to be stretched to fit your nail. The kiss ones don't really have any give to them. The Sally Hansen one's are $10 vs The Kiss one's which are around $6.

Stash Herbal Tea Sampler

I'm going to start off by saying I'm not really a hot tea drinker so the review on this will probably be swayed just because it's not something I usually care for. That being said there are 9 flavors that you tare able to try! So far I've only tried one, which was the cinnamon apple one (YUCK). To say the least it was not my cup of tea (did you see what I did there? hehe). I still am going to try the other flavors which include, acai berry, blueberry superfruit, chamomile, cinnamon apple chamomile,lemon ginger, licorice spice, mango passionfruit, peppermint, and wild rasberry hibiscus.

 Truvia

This is an all natural artificial sweetner that comes from the stem of the Stevia plant. I personally am a splenda girl so it's hard to get used to the taste of a different one. I tried this in the stash tea but the flavor of the tea overpowered and I really couldn't taste the Stevia but it did sweeten it. I plan on trying it in coffee as well.

 Gillette Venus & Olay Razor

This is awesome! It hasn't even hit shelves yet (coming soon) but I love it! It has 5 blades and the moisture strips are huge! I love the convenience of not having to use shaving cream! I will for sure repurchase this!

  Ghirardelli Chocolate

We have all probably tried this but it was a nice little treat to get in the box. This is probably the smoothest chocolate I have ever tasted. It also came with a coupon.

Overall I really loved the process of getting the products and trying them out! You all should definitely go check this site out and give it a try!

Influenster: http://www.influenster.com/

Check out my favorite brushes: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=160988

XOXO, 

Brooke

China Glaze Capitol Colours - The Hunger Games nail polish swatches

Hey guys! So I'm sure most of you know about a little book series called The Hunger Games, if not I highly advise you to check them out! They are some of the best books I've read in a while! I actually read the back of the book and thought it sounded boring but ended up buying it on my kindle since it was only 5 bucks, needless to say I was wrong and couldn't put it down! The movie is coming out on March 23rd (Woot Woot!) and is expected a hot one for the box office this year! In conjunction with the movie coming out, Lionsgate and China Glaze teamed up to bring you Capitol Colours. This collection has been drama filled, from not being able to decide to do "character" themed names or "Capitol" names to not even releasing the collection period. In the end this collection of 12 is named after Districts 1-12 (not including the actual Capitol) and based on what each District is responsible for. I myself purchased 8 of the 12 polishes and that's what I'm going to show and describe to you below. I'm also going to include the original "character" themed names, which I personally prefer. lol. So let's get started!
                                                                                                                                                                     

• Smoke and ashes (originally "Fight to the Finish") - District 12 (Mining)

This one is basically a black but has tiny blue and green sparkles suspended throughout. This was originally named "Fight to the Finish" because it was based on the night sky the tributes looked up to every night while in the arena. Since you couldn't really see from the swatch that it had the sparkle I added the last picture so you can (kind of) see them. This applied great and was opaque in one coat but I did two just out of habit.   

• Agro  (originally "We could Runaway) - District 11 (Agriculture)

This polish is a really nice and unique olive green. It honestly looks a lot better on the nails then is does in the bottle. It was originally named after the woods that Gale and Katniss hunt in. The application is a tad bit streaky but is opaque after two coats, In the swatch I did three. Metallic finish.

• Foie Gras (Originally Rebel) - District 10 (Live Stock)

Originally inspired by Gale, is a really nice taupe color. This one is easily "dupable", OPI You don't know Jaques is practically identical and is part of their permanent collection so don't worry if you can't get your hands on this one. This applies nicely and was opaque in two coats. Creme Finish.

• Harvest Moon (Originally Cinna-mon) - District 9 (Grain)

Originally named after the eyeliner Cinna is described to be wearing in the books. It's a nice true bronze color and has a metallic effect on the nails. It was opaque in two coats and is one of my favorites from the collection! Metallic Finish.

• Dress me up (Originally Primrose) - District 8 (Textiles)

The original name is based off of the character Primrose and it's easy to see why they would have based it off of her. It is a soft muted rose color that was opaque in two coats. Creme finish.

• Fast Track (Originally Catnip) - District 6 (Transportation)

This one has a gorgeous beige base with flecks of gold throughout. (LOVE this one). It was originally named "Catnip", which is Katniss's nickname. Opaque in two coats. Satin like finish.

• Riveting (Originally Fire in Flight) - District 3 (Technology)

Out of all of the colors this is the brightest of the bunch and originally named after the flaming mockingjay. It kind of has a gel like finish and is a pretty sparkly orange. Opaque in two coats. Gel like finish.

 

• Luxe and Lush (originally Flaming Gems) - District 1 (luxury)

Last one! lol. This is a flaky polish! Essie and Zoya also makes one but the Essie one doesnt really show up on light colors vs this one which does. Originally named after Katniss's interview dress, this is a color to be applied on top of other colors to give a fun effect! Below I put it over Dress me up and then over Foie Gras. 

Over "Dress me up"

Over "Foie Gras"

                                                                                                                                                                


Overall I really loved this collection, obviously since I bought 8 of them (haha). I feel like most of these are very unique and a little cheaper then OPI and Essie. I purchased all of these from Sallys Beauty Supply. The colors I decided to skip out on are:

• Hook and Line - Grey with a slight grey undertone. Metallic finish.
• Stone Cold - Sparkly deep grey (almost black). Matte finish.
• Mahogany Magic - True mahogany color (in my opinion a "poop brown") lol. Satin Finish
• Electrify -  Orange and yellow glitter suspended in a clear base.

Check out my favorite makeup brushes :http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=160988

Thank you for all of the feedback on my Facebook page! Please leave comments telling me what posts you want to see in the future or if there's any request's! : )

Also a HUGE thanks to Jessica Rienhart for the extra set of hands! : )

xoxo,
Brooke