June BirchBox

Hi everyone!

A couple of days ago, I received my very first BirchBox! I had been obsessively checking the tracking information, so you can imagine how excited I was to actually have it in my hands! Here's what it looked like when it arrived:

So pretty and pink and full of promise! Ha! I opened up the pretty pink cover/shipping shell to see this:

Not quite as pretty, but I can appreciate the simplicity. ;) Ahh...just look at it. What? Oh! You want to see what's inside? Oh alright, I guess I can show you that, too... 

Oh look! A nice little card explaining the theme of the month. On the back, there is information on each product inside the box. It tells you the brand name, the price of a full-sized product, and how to use it! Very helpful! It's nice to see the prices of the full-sized products because a) you can see how much of a value you're getting by only paying $10 for everything and b) you'll know how much the bigger version is before you go falling in love with it! Haha. What's that? You want to see what's really inside? Ah well...if you insist!

At first glance, I was worried I didn't get any of the exclusive Color Club polishes that came out this month, but it was sneakily tucked away inside that pretty green pouch along with numbers 3 & 5! Alright, I'll get to what you've been waiting for... The samples!

1. Color Club Wanderlust Collection Professional Nail Lacquer in Reign in Spain

-This is one of four colors created exclusively for BirchBox. It was my favorite sample this month! I love the pretty neon-pastel coral shade! :) It's so bright and fun for summer. I'm definitely planning on purchasing the four-pack with the rest of the collection from BirchBox.com!

2. Wanderlust Themed Postcards

-These were sort-of a little bonus item. There's one post card for each of the BirchBox headquarters around the world: New York, Barcelona, Paris, & London. This is a welcome addition to my postcard collection!

3. Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner
-A very generous sample size! I don't really use that much conditioner because it tends to make my hair look really oily. I'll definitely be trying this on the ends of my hair, though.

4. Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo
-Speaking of generous sample sizes--get a load of this bad boy! This is what I call a luxury-sized sample! There is a substantial amount there that will last for quite a few showers. :) Oh! And it smells absolutely lovely! Must be the Indian fig extract. ;)

5. Davines Oi/Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion
-This completes the Davines 3-Step System. I'm a little worried to use this because, again, my hair gets oily very easily. I'll definitely try it out, though. Who knows? Maybe it'll surprise me!

6. Oscar de la Renta Live in Love Body Scrub
-Ooh! Fancy! This says that it is a foaming body scrub so I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about. It has quite a few different floral notes, so I'm hoping I like the scent. I don't like anything too overpowering.

7. Youngblood Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder
-This is interesting to me because I wonder how a powder could be hydrating. I am actually in the market for a finishing powder, so I hope this works out! The sample size is teensy, though, so I need to figure out a good way to get it onto my massive powder brush! Ha!

Alrighty, there you have it. My first (of many, hopefully!) beauty box. I can't wait to see what next month brings! I will be trialing all of these products in the next few days, so stay tuned for reviews! :) I'll leave you with this picture of the lovely postcards...

Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Sleek Order

Hey guys!

I've heard so many amazing things about Sleek Makeup from all my favorite Brits, so I decided to splurge a little and order a couple of things. After waiting for what seemed like forever, a small, white parcel with "Royal Mail" stamped across the front arrived on my doorstep! I was so happy!

Here's what I got:

1. i Divine Au Naturel Palette

2. Face Contour Kit in Light

3. Blush in Pomegranate

I was probably most excited about the shadow palette. So many colors! I'm a neutrals girl, so I started off safe! :) I haven't used this enough for a full review quite yet, but I will say that I like the shimmers a little more than the matte.

 

The colors in this palette are:

Top Row (L-R): Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honey Comb, Toast, Taupe

Bottom Row (L-R): Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

The contouring kit is a new concept for me. I'm still working on the fine art of contouring, but hopefully (with lots and lots of practice) I can perfect it!

And last but not least, the blush. It was extremely pigmented, which I'm sooo not used to with blushes! I looked like a bit of a clown for my first go 'round with it. I'm going to have to play around with pomegranate a little more so I can figure out the best way to apply it. :)

That's all for this time, but I'm already planning my next Sleek order! Have you tried any Sleek Makeup? What's your favorite product of theirs? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Birchbox Subscription

Hello everyone!

I've been considering a subscription to a beauty box for a few weeks now. I started searching online to see what my options were and was surprised (and slightly overwhelmed) to learn of all the different companies providing them. There are so many! In the end, I went with Birchbox as I've heard a lot of good things about them. They seem to be one of the best brands out there and at only $10 a month, they're also one of least expensive! I'm so excited to receive my first box! And of course I'll be posting a review of all of the samples, so look forward to a monthly Birchbox rundown! :)

Something really cool about this company is the fact that they offer full-sized versions of all of the samples for purchase on their website. So, my lovelies, this means that if you really enjoy one of your samples, you can pop right over to the Birchbox Shop and order yourself some more! Not to mention, they offer a rewards system where you can earn points that can help you save on anything in the shop! What a fun new way to explore new brands and products. I can't wait!

If you'd like to subscribe to Birchbox as well, comment below and I can email you a referral!

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? What are your favorite companies? Let me know in the comments! 

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Nails of The Day: Sparkly Plum

Hey guys!

Here's a fun little post for you! One of my favorite nail polish brands is the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line. They have so many great colors to choose from and I love the design of the packaging; it's very sleek and pretty. I think I own about 8 bottles so far and I'm always on the hunt for more.

I decided to use a combination of two Xtreme Wear polishes for this NOTD. As a base, I went with Plum Power (shown above, on the left) which is a nice shimmery purple. And over top of that, I chose Strobe Light--a lovely mixture of small ballerina pink glitter and slightly larger rainbow-y, holographic flecks. It's my go-to polish as of late!

I love to use glitter polishes over the top of other polishes to give my nails that little something extra and make them look slightly more interesting. Also, glitter polishes alone tend to be really tough to remove and I feel like the regular polish as a base helps them come off a bit easier. It works as a great top coat, too! I usually get a couple extra days of wear out of them! :)

What are some your favorite polish brands? Do you have a go-to color? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Manda

CVS Quick Trip

Hey there!

For this post, I've decided to give you a two-for-one! I picked up a few things from CVS the other day and since it was only three products, I've decided to do a mini haul and review all in one post! :) I hope you like it!

Here we go!

1. Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer in 001
-I really wanted to try this primer after seeing it on a list of the "Top Ten Products Under Ten Dollars" or something to that effect. I've only ever used one other primer and that was the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer--I received a sample in a Target Beauty Bag. I loved it!
Review: It was a lot more of a dark pink color than I expected as I put a bit on my fingers. I was really worried, but once I applied it all over my face, I hardly noticed any color at all. My face did feel smoother, though. And I feel like it made it easier to apply my foundation. I'm undecided on whether I'll repurchase this yet.

2. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick-Kate Moss Collection in 103
-I was a little surprised to see this in CVS because I didn't realize it was available in the U.S. (That's what I get for only reading/watching British bloggers! Oh well.) I was so excited that I was actually going to be able to try a product that one of my favorite bloggers had recommended. There weren't many shades to choose from at my local CVS, so I picked up the one I thought suited me most and did the pinky test. It looked great, so in the cart it went.
Review: I wore this the day after I bought it. It has really good pigmentation and it lasted quite a while. Also, it didn't dry my lips out, which was great. I think the color looks nice on me and overall, I'm very happy with it. My only complaint is the scent. It's kind-of like a burnt watermelon smell. I'm not a fan of artificial watermelon scent in any shape or form, but I can live with it because I really like this lipstick. I would like to try out a few other colors from this range.

3. L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown
-This was sort-of a blind purchase. I was looking for something similar to all of the great liquid eyeliners I've read about online, but I was having a hard time finding the American equivalent. This is not it.
Review: This was my first time trying liquid liner. While the applicator was fairly easy to work with (for a beginner, like me!), I didn't really like the formula itself. It looked really great at first, but then it flaked off before I even made it to my destination. :( I won't be repurchasing this one. If you have a favorite liquid liner that is readily available in America, please let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Alrighty, that's all from me for now. Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Essie Snakeskin Magnetics Review

Hello again!

Welcome to my first review! Let me start off by saying that I promise to always give my honest opinion in any and every review posted on this blog. Scout's honor! That being said...

Here are my thoughts on Essie's Snakeskin Magnetics Nail Lacquer in "Sssssexy":

(Did you read all five of those S's? I hope so because it took me quite some time to count them out for you! ;) )

I saw this polish when I was shopping for my basic starter supplies in Target. (You can find my Target Mini Haul post here.) I didn't go shopping with the intention of buying any nail polish, but when I saw the cool "snakeskin" effect, I was intrigued. I was unsuccessful in finding the price posted anywhere near the polishes so I was slightly cautious about tossing this in the cart. By the time we reached the checkout, I'd pretty much forgotten about checking on the price. It was only after we'd paid for everything and were walking out the door that my husband pointed it out on the receipt. A whopping $10.99! He was none too happy with me at that point.

Moving on...
I got it home and was so excited to try it out. Imagine! A nail polish that you can manipulate with a magnet! It sounds so cool! And of all the colors, I think I chose the best one. The rest seemed fairly dark and I'm not really into dark polishes at the moment.

Anywho...I took its photo, gathered my cotton pads & acetone, and broke the seal! (So dramatic!) I started with my pinky...brushed it on and quickly held the magnet over the wet nail and waited for the magic to happen.

Nothing.

Okay... Maybe I didn't hold it over long enough, I thought. So I quickly googled instructions as there weren't any readily visible anywhere on the actual bottle. I read a review that said to hold the magnet over the wet polish for a count of twenty and that a few of the colors don't even work. Uh-oh. So I painted my ring finger, quickly placed the magnet as close to the nail as I could without smudging it, and counted to twenty.

Again, nothing.

And I even counted Mississippi-ly! I tried a couple more times with a couple more nails. I held the magnet over for much longer. I tried vigorously shaking the bottle to make sure the formula was thoroughly mixed. It just wasn't happening. :(

So I must conclude that, while this polish is a very pretty color, it didn't perform as advertised and I consider it a bust. For almost $11, I'm not going to keep it around for color alone. This will be making its way to the returns counter as soon as I can get it there!

Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed my first product review! Hopefully I saved you a little time and money. Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Target Mini Haul

Here we go!

To jumpstart my new little adventure, I knew I would need some supplies! No more sponge applicators for this girl! I have a pretty small budget so I went for mostly cheap-y things to start out with. I'm sure this collection will eventually grow to more high-end products, but that's a long way away! ;)

On to the goods!

1. E.L.F. Studio Blush Brush

-I've been using a massive powder brush for blush since I can remember. I never realized what a difference a smaller, more precise brush would make!

2. E.L.F. Professional Bronzing Brush
-I needed this for another little treat which you will see soon in a blogpost to come! Contouring! Who knew?

3. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in Classic Ivory
-My current foundation has a very matte finish and tends to look cakey. I've heard a lot of good things about this foundation and its dewy effect. I'm hoping it doesn't make my skin look too oily. I really want to try the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, but as I live in America, that probably won't be happening anytime soon, I'm afraid!

4. Essie Snakeskin Magnetics Polish in Sssssexy
-I've actually already tried this! Review coming soon! :)

5. E.L.F. Professional Eye Shadow Brush
-I already have an old brush that I use for shadow, but after learning all these new things about makeup recently, I'm not actually sure if it's even meant for shadow! Ha! Can't wait to try this out!

6. Up & Up Eye Makeup Remover Liquid
-I'll be honest and say I'm not really good about taking off my makeup at night. (Bad, I know! But I typically only wear makeup once a week, so it's not as bad as it sounds.) When I do, I use makeup removing wipes. Most recently, a sample packet from Pond's that I got in a Target Beauty Bag. They work pretty well, but not so much with the eye makeup. I'm eager to try this as Up & Up (Target's store brand) generally has quality products. We'll see if it's any good and if it isn't..hey--it was only a couple of bucks! Look for a review sometime next week!

7. Johnson's Baby Shampoo
-I'm just going to use this as a temporary brush cleaner until I can find one I like. If you have any suggestions for a good one, leave them in the comments! :)

8. E.L.F. Professional Defining Eye Brush
-I plan to use this for crease work with another new product I just purchased which will be featured in the post I mentioned up there under number 2! Stay tuned!

So that's it! My Target mini haul... I can't wait to try everything out and let you guys know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading!

-Manda

My Makeup Story

Hi there!

I'm Amanda. I'm southern, though, so you can call me Manda. ;) I'm not sure where to start, so let's go with the beginning...

I'm from a small town on the coast of Georgia. I was raised by a single mom (with a huge help & influence from my sweet grandparents) and I have two younger brothers. As a toddler, my mom put me in pageants. Don't worry, it wasn't anything like Toddlers and Tiaras! I did get to wear pretty dresses and  a bit of make-up, though, and I guess that's where the love began! By kindergarten, I had moved onto dance classes...tap to be precise. This activity involved more fancy costumes and makeup! (Are you noticing a theme?) After that first recital, I was hooked! For the next few years, I took tap, jazz, ballet, and even a couple of gymnastics classes! I loved to dance, but the recitals were my favorite because that was the dressing up part!

By thirteen, I was feeling a little old for dancing, so I retired my ballet shoes. But not my love of makeup! I was finally old enough to roam the mall without parental supervision...sweet freedom! I still remember perusing the packed shelves of Claire's and finally deciding what to spend my few precious dollars on. My very first cosmetic purchase was a shiny, cobalt blue nail polish. I was so pleased with myself. I smiled all the way home! When I got there, not so much. My mom was not thrilled with my choice. In fact, she felt I was too young to wear any nail polish, let alone bright blue! So I did what any teenager with a makeup obsession would do...I painted my nails at my friend's house! Ha! Eventually my mom gave up the fight and I found myself buying more and more crazy polishes. They were my gateway cosmetic. ;)

I don't remember when I started wearing actual makeup, but I know there were a lot of shiny, glittery, shimmery pink, purple, and even white eye shadows! And there was my favorite lipstick, a root beer scented number from a brand I've long since forgotten. I must've looked like a clown as a young teenager! But by sixteen, I was pretty satisfied with my makeup routine. Foundation, blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, my rootbeer lippy, and even lip liner!

I wasn't an expert by any means. Growing up with a busy, working mom (who wore very little makeup) and two brothers, I didn't really have anyone to teach me the proper way to apply anything! So, I watched my friends, I used a little common sense, I read Seventeen Magazine... I was teaching myself and I think I looked decent for someone who was basically guessing her way through the world of makeup!

Eventually, I got married. I moved across the country to be with my husband who was in the Navy at the time. A year later, we moved to another state and had our first baby. After he was born, I went through a bit of postpartum depression and lost my interest in makeup or really anything to do with myself. My focus was my sweet, new baby boy. We moved back home to Georgia when he was five months old and I was in total mommy mode. I will admit, I had basically let myself go. A couple of years later, as I was slowly getting out of my funk, we found out we were expecting again! As my pregnancy progressed, I started feeling like my old self again. I felt more feminine. Less frumpy. My interest in makeup was returning, starting again with nail polish. :)

After our second son was born, I was lucky and didn't fall into another bout of ppd. I had my two boys, my hard-working husband...I had a job working with my family... I had plenty of things to keep me busy! Fast forward three years later and I'm back at home with my boys. I decided to quit my job after my oldest finished kindergarten last month so I could spend the summer with my babies. Their afternoon naps left me with a lot of free time on my hands!

Enter YouTube. One day, I was searching Urban Dictionary for a British slang word translation. Below the definition was a video of these gorgeous English twins teaching an American guy British slang. You may know them as Jack & Finn of JacksGap. I was so enamored with them! They were cute, funny, seemed really smart and their videos were of a really high quality. So I started from the beginning and kinda binge-watched all of the videos whenever I had an extra minute here or there over the next few days. (Ha! That's a bit embarrassing...) Anywho, from there I was introduced to a whole new world I never knew existed! (What? YouTube isn't just for looking up clips of old tv shows and funny cat videos?!) There were so many amazing people; young adults who were clever, witty, and entertaining! Sam Pepper, Marcus Butler, Alfie Deyes, Caspar Lee...I was obsessed! I think you can see where I'm going with this. Eventually, I found Zoe, Louise, Tanya, Fleur... One by one, all of these beauty gurus were coming into my life. Beautiful, confident women who had flawless faces and great personalities! And my favorite part..they were British! (I suppose now would be a good time to mention that I'm a bit of an Anglophile!) I found myself watching video after video of hauls, reviews, tutorials, etc. I was finally learning how to properly put on makeup! My love had returned!

So here I am. After a few excited tweets and instagram photos, a lovely friend of mine (Hi Stephanie!) suggested I start my own beauty blog. I was very hesitant at first, because I felt that I wasn't in any position to give advice on makeup when I'm really just learning myself! However, I feel like I'm ready to invite people on this journey with me. I'll be posting hauls, honest reviews, and maybe a few of the ups and downs I'm sure to experience now that I'm starting fresh in the world of beauty! I hope you'll join me on this new, exciting (and possibly bumpy!) road. I can't wait!

Say goodbye to the old me! This is the last photo taken before I caught the beauty blogger bug! :)

Thanks for reading!

-Manda