The Beauty of Birchbox

 

Words cannot express the excitement that filled my heart as I walked up to my porch and saw a little pink box hiding in my mail. Two words (maybe one?)  that make the middle of my month 100% happier: BirchBox.  This is an absolutely genius company that has put together these special boxes that deliver a variety of hand-picked products,  from lip and cheek stains, facial masks, ear buds, even designer Band-Aids, for $10/month. Crazy, right? I know people who spend $10/week on soda! $10/month for fabulous new beauty products to try each month? It’s a win win for everyone.

 You can influence the type of products that you receive by checking the things you like on their website: www.birchbox.com, but I genuinely LOVE not having a clue what is coming to me. The packaging of Birch Box is impressive, with its quality little box, and pink ribbon, AND makes opening it up all the more exciting. Clearly, I have a thing for packaging. Inside you will find products, with explanations of what each are, and what they are for. If you happen to want full size of any of your samples, you can hop on over to their site and order them! You also receive very cool perks like points, by referring friends, which turns into money you can use to purchase full size products!

 Another cool side of BirchBox is they also have an online magazine/blog, where you can read articles they have written about the hottest designer products, as well as very cool new and upcoming beauty companies: ALL FOR FREE. This month the site hosts articles directly written for BirchBox from Glamour Magazine; BirchBox teamed up with Glamour, whose July issue features the 5 senses.  My BirchBox  reads : See it, hear it, taste it, touch it, smell it. Yes, you guessed it, I received products to … see, hear, taste, touch and smell! So, the crowd consensus, well, my consensus, is that BirchBox is pretty much amazing, and now I have to leave you with this review to go dive into my little box of goodies. My recommendation? Apply for your membership now! You might be put on a wait list, and they will send you an invitation. I just happen to have a pretty cool editor who did all the hard work for me, and I get to enjoy all the benefits of this fabulous company.

 

** As always, please check out the magazine I write for and post lots of happy comments! A portion of this article can be found at the following address: http://datenightmag.com/story/beauty-budget-beauty-birchbox 

Also, don't be lead astray by the name, it houses a lot of awesome articles, not only on dating, but also on restaurants, salons, traveling, etc, so check it out! **

 

How to avoid looking like 'The Walking Dead'

Summer in Georgia; the sweltering heat is horrible enough to send me running for the hills… or, Alaska, at least. There are 4 absolutely miserable months in Georgia where there is really no use putting makeup on, or attempting to do your hair. As a Midwesterner, gracefully enduring the summer, without  looking like I am auditioning for a role in ‘The Walking Dead,’ is an effort.  I am always on the hunt for a solution to looking ‘put together’, with as little makeup as possible. I have gone through all of the self-talk of ‘Who needs makeup? Natural beauty is in!’ Don’t get me wrong, it is. I applaud women for feeling beautiful without makeup. I find it empowering, but the truth is, either way, I LOVE MAKEUP. It’s truly a joy in my life. However, for 4 months out of the year, I have a 5 minute makeup rule; seriously.  Are you ready for my trick? Stains; thank me later.

No this is not a plug for the show, however so I never get
any legal notices, and all that jazz, here's where I got the pic:
 http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead

I have written previous articles on various lip stains, but I wanted to go even further and try out a product introduced to me by a very fabulous client on her wedding day! (Thanks a bunch Ashley!) Here enters my favorite stain : Posie Tint. It comes in an obnoxious metallic pink container that looks like it should be applied to your fingernails, not your lips and cheeks.  Unscrew the top, and it is COTTON CANDY PINK. Yuck, right? Surprisingly, it gives you the most perfect ‘glow’ with a hint of pink on your cheeks and lips that make you honestly look like you are just naturally flushed. I love it. Apply the product  to your fingers first and then rub it into your cheeks in a circular motion, and out toward your hairline. I wouldn’t apply directly with the brush, to your cheeks, remember, it is a STAIN. However, I do apply directly to my lips, however, due to the brush, the application can be messy, and if you aren’t careful, you can look like that sweet older woman who insists on drawing her lips up to her nose. The down side is the price tag. At $30, it is definitely a splurge for this bargain hunter. However, I purchased mine in February, and I still have a good amount left. Face it ladies, most of us spend more than that on Starbucks in a month.

As you know, I am slightly obsessed with Birchbox, and could not have been ANY MORE excited when I found a new stain to try in my latest delivery! It is called Stainiac, by The Balm, and mine came in ‘Beauty Queen.’ I was a little put off by the color initially. Beauty Queen is a bright ruby red and I had no desire to emulate the gorgeous Marilyn Monroe’s infamous lips. However, much to my surprise, the color is incredibly subtle, and because it is a gel consistency, unlike the Posie Tint, which is much more of a liquid, it is very easy for beginners, and you can layer it until you accomplish the desired effect! I used it on my cheeks as well and could not have been any happier with the result. The best? Its half the price of Posie Tint!

My favorite trick with these stains is to apply first, and then throw a light powder on top of them to blend. I don’t want to look like I am wearing blush or lipstick, I just want to look like I have some color, and have made a bit of an effort. My stain, a little powder and my favorite mascara, and I am truly down to a 5 minute makeup routine, that looks put together and, yes, keeps me from having the whole ‘melting skin’ effect that this heat often produces, even on the best of us makeup connoisseurs. Enjoy and Happy Summer! 


Minor update: After searching out a host of images for this article, I decided you guys were better spared from me including a zombie apocalypse picture. Gross. I had the opportunity to work on one of the 'Zombies,' although, for a different movie, not for 'The Walking Dead,'- prior to my understanding of what this show was.
Needless to say, after she showed me pictures on her phone of what she looked like in full- face eating zombie gear... I was thankful I wasn't working on THAT movie. :)

"I want the skin of a 15 year old teenage boy!" -said no one, ever.

I must give credit where credit is due.
I stole this picture from Aveda, because
I have been trained by the Aveda Institute.
What a better company that to take a
beautiful skin care picture!

I always felt that I was blessed when it came to lack of skin issues. I went through all of High School without anything more than a mild break out... once a month. No scaring, no serious issues, no visits to the dermatologist. I was lucky.

Then enters the late 20's. WHAT IN THE WORLD?! All of the sudden I am walking around with the face of a 15 year old boy, and praying that I don't look like a total jerk while shopping in sunglasses. I freaked out. Anybody with me? I didn't know how to handle a break out on my own face, even though I'd been giving advice about it for years! I knew how to educate YOU if your skin was breaking out, but there is a whole new level of humility that comes around when you go through it yourself. While I am not an esthetician, and am in NO WAY qualified to create a treatment plan for skin that needs help, I WAS lightly trained in skin care, and the basic needs. Plus, lets face it... anything we are passionate about, we research, and once my face started going haywire, I hit the books, blogs, and q and a'd with professionals, so I could truly understand what was going on! However, I have always felt that experience is the best education.

Recently I was emailed by one of my closest friends, who was in the same situation, and freaking out just as much! She wrote me quotes such as "my face has started breaking out like no other, and nothing is helping clear it up.."  and "it makes me feel so ugly..."

Do I ever understand. Its true, and so heart breaking that a change in our skin can truly affect us so devastatingly. I understood, because I, too, could say my breakouts made me feel ugly! So I thought- this is a great opportunity for my readers! I wanted to include my advice in a blog, because I have recently made some changes in my own skin care and they have worked!

1. Don't touch your face with your hands, ever. (apparently... this made her laugh.)
2. Switch out your pillow case often. I think once a week is sufficient.
3. Never work-out with makeup on. If you can, wash your face prior to your work-out. Also, wash your face immediately after working out while your face is still warm and your pores are still open. Last- while you are working out, never wipe your sweat with your hand. Use a clean towel, or your shirt if you must.
4. Drink a lot of water, and don't just say "I do,"- truly monitor it. When I did, I was completely surprised that I wasn't taking in as much as I thought I was.
5. When you are drying your face, use a clean towel, or one that you use ONLY for your face.
6. When washing your face, wash your hands first!
7. Last- use a line. Face wash + moisturizer, or face wash + toner + moisturizer. Whatever you can faithfully do every morning and every night. I am busy busy busy, so that extra step of toner, is not something I am going to do, although I know the benefits of it (balancing the ph in your skin, removing excess cleanser), it may be something I do eventually, but right now, if I can faithfully wash and moisturize my face, I'm good.

I hope this helps. In a week, after my friend has tried the skin care line I am using, and I get her results, I'm going to blog about what it is that has truly changed my skin... and get this, it was $10. I know you are stoked.


Please remember this- our skin, our makeup, and our hair are fabulous decorations, but they are not WHO we are. I am not devaluing what they are, because they have been my passion, my career, and ultimately a huge portion of my life, but they are things that change and age. I was taken back by my friends comment that it made her feel ugly, because I realized.... my skin made me feel the same way, and I never realized it. Chances are... no one else is seeing your break outs, but they are HUGE to you (mine are to me), because we obsess and look at them, and we are convinced that is all someone sees. Believe me. They don't. And sweet friend... you are beautiful inside AND out, and remember that.

Have a beautiful day!