BIRCHBOX! May Issue...

It's Biiiirchbooox tiiiime!!!

Love this time of the month!  There were some curve balls thrown into this months Birchbox... but nothing I'm about to complain about.  

Okay so this month, I was given:

• A single note card from Tiny Prints.  You know the concept.  Go online and design your own cards, invitations, stationary etc. 
• This was especially great because... I started reading a book this month called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  It has actually been inspiring me to get a hold of my life that has been wildly out of control and disorganized.  One of the things to focus on is friends.  So it's kismet that I was sent this box with a tiny card in it I suppose.  I possibly have a note to write that is long overdue.  

• Archipelago Pomegranate Soap ($12.50/6.8 oz. bar): I like the smell even though it is a little intense just sitting in the box.  I have yet to use it so my feeling of it could change once it is diluted a bit.  

• A Stilla Eye Shadow Pan ($18): in Wisteria (purple).  I appreciate this one.  My eyes are hazel so this works nicely when I am attempting to bring out the green.  I wore it the night I got my box and as far as I could tell... It didn't budge.  

• A sample of Bvlgari Mon Jasmine Noir ($80): I LOVE Bvlgari perfume... I have never tried the Jasmine one but I have a feeling I will like it.  I have a Jasmine plant in my house that I also love.  Smells divine.  I will keep you posted. 

• Ahava Deadsea Water Mineral Hand Cream ($20):  This hand cream is surprisingly silky.  I really, really like it!  It isn't oily at all!  And BONUS... It smells so good!! 

Finally, last month I said that I would keep you posted on the Zoya nail polish that I got in Dove (grey).  The statement about it not chipping isn't all that true.  It may not have chipped - chipped... but it faded.  What I mean by that is rather than chunks of polish coming off at one time, the polish started to turn light grey at the tips of my nails due to it rubbing off.   I'm not completely turned off though.  I'm going to try it again possibly with an extra coat of the grey and a top coat.  (What?! I was feeling lazy that day).

Until Next Month... 

Groom Those Eyebrows!!

Okay, grooming our eyebrows is something that we all do... or maybe should do.  Read below for some information, tips, and suggested tools...

Why to tweeze versus waxing or threading:

• The skin around your eye is extremely thin and unfortunately, skin that is pulled on regularly is the first to start sagging with age.  So, for those of us that have been waxed before, we know that there is a lot of pulling that goes on.  And equally as important, there isn't any precision.  Has anyone ever had a bad eyebrow waxing job? 
• Threading also loses all precision because it is pulling multiple hears out at one time.  While there isn't as much pulling on the skin,  there are hairs being pulled in all sorts of directions which can lead to breaking... which can lead to (it pains me to say...) ingrown hairs!!  
• Not to mention... Someone else is doing all of this for you.  These are your eyebrows!!  You need to customize it to what you think looks best. 

Here are some tips to help you shape your eyebrows:

• Ditch the magnifying mirror and bright lights!  The bright lights force you to see more hair and you will end up plucking them and will then have severely over plucked eyebrows.  Cute.  The magnifying mirror will focus too much on the eyebrow and not on your entire face... you will lose perspective. 
• Switch the eyebrow that you are working on regularly.  This will give you new perspective of your eyebrow allowing you to appropriately assess whether or not you need to continue plucking and your eyebrows will be even.
• Go with the natural shape of your eyebrow.  Don't try to insert and arch where there is, in fact, not a natural arch.
• Get rid of the uni-brow.  Rule of thumb: Align the inside of your eyebrow with the inner corner of your eye. 
• Try to stay away from plucking the top of your eyebrow.  More often than not, it ruins the beautiful arch you've just worked so hard to achieve. 
• Don't pluck the outside edge of your eyebrow in too far.  Rule of thumb: If you are working on your right eyebrow.... take your thinnest make-up brush, stick the bottom of the handle to the outside your right nostril.  Lay the brush on your face so that you are making a diagonal line from your nostril to the outside corner of your right eye.  Where ever you brush lands on your eyebrow is usually where your eyebrow should stop. (Beware: If you make your eyebrows too short, you may lose the the arch and your eyebrows will look straight). 
• Brush the eyebrow hairs upwards and trim any hairs that may be long.  

 VOILA!  Beautifully groomed eyebrows!

Tools to use:

• Slanted tweezers.  Tweezerman is a great brand. 
• Brow brush and Brow scissors
• Brow pencil (customize it to your brow color)

Jenn's Trial!

Okay, this has been long overdue!  It's been over a month since I've posed last.  Shameful. 

The month has been slightly busy... I've been away for a few weeks and trying to wrap up the school year as successfully as possible.  And as always, I've gotten my latest installment of Birchbox (stay tuned for blog post...coming soon).

 

BUT!  this past weekend I did a trial for Jenn!  Her wedding is in July.  She is a no makeup kind of girl... naturally beautiful.  Lucky her!  We went with a very fresh look.  Our inspiration was a combination of Kate Winslet in the Lancome ads in beauty magazines and a Ralph Lauren ad.  Products used: Laura Mercier, Bobby Brown, and Chanel.  

So excited for her wedding day!!  

ISN'T SHE SO PRETTY!

 

Before

 

After (excuse the quality of the picture)