Birchbox June 2013 Review
My first Birchbox was a really exciting experience! I tried most of the products, and although I didn’t love everything, it was still a lot of fun.
Color Club Nail Lacquer in Pardon My French, $8 for the set of 4
I’m pretty sure I always thought this polish brand was cheap and/or for little girls. The daisy on the bottles has really been throwing me, I guess. It was cool to get the chance to try a brand I never would have tried otherwise! The formula of the polish was really nice, it flowed on easily and covered evenly with two coats. The color was a pretty pinkish-lilac, but it wasn’t really anything special. Off the top of my head, I have at least 2 other polishes in my stash that look like Pardon My French. I hate putting products on blast like that, but whatever. It’s gotta be done. That’s the beauty review game. I was actually really hoping to get the mint color, but that’s ok.
Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream, Blueberry, $20
“This decadent shave cream from whish one-ups its competitors. Made in the U.S. with eco-friendly ingredients, the non-drying formula gives you a mighty close shave without leaving legs devoid of moisture.”
This is $20 shaving cream. Come on.
I’m not even going to try to justify spending that money. And I will spend money on all kinds of nonsense. Hell, I throw away more groceries every week than I’m comfortable admitting. We’re working on that.
But this, this is shaving cream. I shaved one leg with this, and one leg with my regular shaving cream. There wasn’t any discernible difference moisture, or otherwise, between the two. In fact, I’d be willing to bet if I did a close inspection, I’d find more leftover hair on the Whish leg than the Skintimate leg. Not because the shaving cream is bad, but because it doesn’t show up on your legs like regular shaving cream, so I kept losing my place! I really, really hate that. That’s how I end up out in public with a big strip of hair up the front of my shin. I wear glasses, I’m basically flying blind in the shower.
The only thing this shaving cream has over regular shaving cream, is the delicious smelling blueberry scent. I could smell it as soon as I opened the Birchbox. Mmmm!
My Prime Mattifying Moisturizer, $68
“Finding the right dry-touch formula is challenging, but this cream offers the right amount of moisture without any heaviness or residue.”
This worked ok, I guess. My face is matte. That’s true. The texture was so odd though, it was off-putting. Like, it was thick and didn’t apply smoothly. I didn’t feel like I was putting moisture INTO my skin, it felt like I was just pushing product around on my face. That by itself, was enough to make me not like it. My skin doesn’t feel any better than it did before, in fact it feels a little worse. It says it’s supposed to be so moisturizing, but it made some spots on my cheeks a little rougher. I’m sure that’s due to the mattifying, but I have other products that do the same thing without leaving my skin feeling weird.
I haven’t tried the Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir yet, because I just started doing my new hair washing method, and that would have messed me up. I do really like the little tili Bag zippered travel bag. It’s cute, and I’ll definitely use it when I’m traveling this month.
Initially, I felt like my first Birchbox was disappointing. I was a little underwhelmed with what I got. But, then I noticed things like the primer being anti-aging. Usually, I don’t care about stuff like that, but lately, I’ve been looking into working some into my beauty routine. I told them that! So, they sent me anti-aging. That moisturizer was $68, and I probably never would have used it otherwise. That makes me think that probably, sometimes, the Birchbox is a fucking gold mine. Beauty gambling!
Rihanna Hearts MAC RiRi Boy
RiRi Boy is a muted, bright lavender in the same “retro matte” finish as RiRi Woo. I think purple lipstick is kind of intimidating for some people, but RiRi Boy is a cool purple with a lot of pink in it, so it’s pretty wearable. I loved this color!
I don’t love photos where I’m looking away, but, HELLO LIPS!
This picture makes me want to softly kiss my own mouth. I don’t know. I look pretty kissable. I have managed to bite the same spot on the inside of my lip three times in the last two days, so maybe I’m just trying to work up the courage to make a go at a real kiss with myself. Fingers crossed!
Like I said in my review of RiRi Woo, the “retro matte” finish means your lipstick isn’t going anywhere, but you also don’t have room for mistakes. It doesn’t dry your lips out, but it doesn’t moisturize either. It will definitely show if your lips are chapped or dry. I really like this finish though because I talk, and eat, and drink a lot, and I don’t want to worry about if I have lipstick everywhere on my face but my mouth. My rep couldn’t handle that kind of damage, you guys. I’d be ruined. Plus, gross! Get it together!
RiRi Boy is sold out right now, too, but their Up the Amp is the same color in MAC’s “cremesheen” finish. So, again, if you really have to have the color, you can get it. The finish will be glossier, and it won’t have the staying power, but you’ll have the color.
Orrrrrr…..you can enter my giveaway! Stay tuned? Stay connected?
Those aren’t right, and they sound stupid.
Keep your internet on!
There we go.
P.S. There’s a third RiRi Hearts MAC lipstick, a berry color, Heaux. I didn’t buy that one because it’s the same color/different finish as MAC’s Rebel, and I already have Rebel. I can post pics of that one if you guys want to see it, but it isn’t a new color.
Rihanna Hearts MAC RiRi Woo
I am a big Rihanna fan. I love her style, I love to sing her songs, and I love that she is unapologetic about who she is.
I think we’d get along great! We enjoy similar after-school activities, and we seem to have the same views on dudes and what they’re packin’. Namely, don’t brang it if you can’t swang it. Know what I mean?
Her badass personality and look make her an awesome collaborator for MAC. I don’t jump at every one of their collections, but I was EXCITED for this one.
RiRi Woo is a cool toned red in MAC’s creamy “retro matte” finish. This formula makes for a lipstick that goes on smoothly, but does require a little finesse and a steady hand. It’s highly pigmented, and the matte formula keeps it from slipping or fading. But, if your lips aren’t in good condition, it’ll show. People who are new to the vivid lipstick game might struggle with it a little, but practice makes perfect!
Please excuse my “art” photo. I wanted to get my nails in there too!
I wore RiRi Woo for 6 hours the other day, and in over 100 degree weather while I was eating through a farmers market. The matte finish means it didn’t go anywhere.
I took a picture, and I’m going to show it to you, but I look like I’ve been sweathogging all over the place. Be kind.
Just be glad you can’t smell me.
RiRi Woo is sold out right now. The site says there will be more, but who knows if that’s true. If you MUST HAVE IT, its namesake, “Ruby Woo,” is a MAC classic that’s always available. People who own both RiRi Woo and Ruby Woo say the difference between the two colors is minimal, so you can get the same look with Ruby Woo.
If you don’t want to settle for Ruby Woo, keep an eye out for my giveaway soon!
African Black Soap
My dream skin would be described as, “velvety.” People would compare my cheeks to rose petals, and dairy products (cream, etc.). Now, I’m not gonna front, I have nice skin. But, that only makes it more obvious when things go wrong.
I’d been pretty happy with my Fresh Soy Cleanser, but then it got to be 108 degrees. After that, things went downhill pretty fast. Between my Cymbalta and the heat, I’ve been a pretty disgusting pile of sweat. Like, I saw Craig Robinson on tv talking about how he always keeps a towel on him because he sweats so much, and I actually thought to myself that it didn’t sound like a bad idea.
A sweat towel.
Seemed like a good idea.
That’s gross.
I started breaking out from the sweat and the heat, and then, to make matters worse, I started ignoring my #1 skincare rule: DON’T PICK AT IT. I would be sitting on the couch in the evenings, poking my zits with my bacteria tipped nails and trying to squeeze them without even looking in a mirror. Obviously, they got worse. I had one zit that was so stubborn and angry, I had begun to take steps towards accepting that I might have this zit for the rest of my life. Only in death would I be free….
I’d seen African black soap mentioned here and there, and I’d been curious if the praises about it were true. So, when I ran across Nubian Heritage’s bar of black soap at the health food store, it seemed serendipitous.
“Nubian Heritage’s authentic African Black Soap combines shea butter’s healing and hydrating properties with the ancient medicinal properties of palm ash, plantain peel, tar and tamarind to balance and resolve problem skin. Our deep cleansing formula aids exfoliation and promotes new cell growth to reveal radiant, fresh, even and healthy skin.”
This stuff is the real deal, you guys. It lathers up thick and luxurious, and it feels soothing and moisturizing on your skin. I’m not even talking about after you rinse it off, I’m talking about while you’re washing your face. It feels good, and it smells wonderful. The box is sitting here on the table next to me, and I keep picking it up to sniff it. After you rinse it off, your skin will be cleeeeeean. At first, I was worried, because my skin felt “squeaky” clean, which is bad; cleansers that leave your face feeling like that are most likely stripping oil out of your skin. But, after I dried off, and felt my skin again, it was SO SOFT. So soft, and so fresh and so clean.
After the first use, my everlasting pimple aka conjoined forehead twin, was nearly gone, and the other little ones I’d been picking at, just flaked off and disappeared. I have this bright red blemish in the soft, tender area right below one of my eyes, it’s been there forever. I didn’t even think it was a zit, I just thought it was a red mole or something. After a week of using this soap, it has shrunk a lot and it isn’t near as red. My dry patches don’t exist at all, my pores on my nose are clean, and my zits have been kept at bay, even as the heat has gotten worse.
I wanted to get the most accurate read on this soap that I could, so I’ve been using it for a week without any other products. No other cleansers, no other moisturizers, I didn’t even use any of my exfoliating tools. It even removed a full face of makeup, mascara included, without leaving behind any trace of color at all. Now, I feel idiotic because this soap is so cheap, it works amazingly well, and I’ve been chasing after expensive products all these years. I’m into it though! It’s so much chicer to be able to be able to nonchalantly say your skincare products are under the radar and/or cheap. Right? Like, “Oh, my beautiful skin? It’s just this really cool black bar of soap that’s made from ancient ingredients. Cleopatra probably used something like it. It costs $3.”
I am extremely confident that this soap will lead me to the heights of high priestess of the velvet-cheeked promised land. I hope the rest of you join me! I can tell you right now I won’t be gracious about my new station in life.
I’ll probably start alternating my new soap with my Fresh cleanser, but I like this soap way better. It’s like the saying, goes, “Once you go black, you’ll never go back!”
Rad Hair Day
When it comes to our tech and electronic stuff, Jason’s the boss, when it comes to our hair, skin and faces, I’m the final word.
It works out pretty good for everyone. I have this beautiful site, and I don’t miss tv shows; Jason sometimes uses lotion on his face that I picked out, and I make him get haircuts. I guess. I guess that’s the trade.
I’ve got Jason on the no-poo train too, but his system is a little different than mine. I thought I’d tell you guys about it since some of you are dudes, and some of you have dudes.
Jason has super thick, really wavy (maybe even curly) hair, I have super thick hair. There’s no way our baby doesn’t come out on full Crystal Gayle status. I made us a baby, just to check, but the baby morpher didn’t have an option for “hairiness.”
Precious baby, Xenadrine, got her mom’s lazy eye and her dad’s 5 o’clock shadow.
Jason basically has the worst druff I’ve ever seen on an actual person, up close. I don’t know if the bad dandruff is something he had to adopt, back in the day, to get into a D&D guild or something, but it’s a problem now. I mean, he would NEVER survive in Gattaca.
So, after doing more research, I’ve got him washing his hair with Dr Bronner’s Tea Tree Oil Castile Soap
After a couple washes, he’s definitely got less dandruff and shedding, so this is already a success. Plus, the vinegar is making his hair look really shiny (I especially noticed that on his sexy, sparkling grays), and his curls are much better looking, and not all fluffy. I think this is a keeper for him.
I promise this will be the last no-poo or co-wash post for a little bit. I know it’s been a lot lately! I’m just like, super into doing beauty experiments, so I get excited. I get even more excited when they work! I’ll update you guys on how things are going next week, and we’ll see if I’ve gone back to regular shampoo by then.
Oh. I also made a baby for me and my very first true love, Edward Furlong. I had to use a mugshot because it was the only photo I could find where he was looking directly at the camera.
Look at our lil Mexican baby! I’m gonna pierce her ears!
I wonder if he got my letter all those years ago? My chances are probably better now! I’m going to write him another one and say, “Look. Neither one of us looks as good as they did at 14. What’s up?”
Makeup Color Wheel
It’s the end of the day on Friday, blow off 15 minutes to watch this brilliant video and learn nearly everything you need to know to pick makeup colors that will beautifully complement your eye and skin colors.
This video is so informative, and the visuals make everything really easy to understand. Pleeeeease watch it! Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did.
Into The Gloss has a time marked summary of the video if you already know color theory, or want to get a quick idea of what you’ll be learning.
Hair Today
I pulled the trigger on my new co-wash hair system last night, and it went pretty good!
First, before I even got in the shower, I, like, thoroughly brushed my hair with a big paddle brush. I always do this before I wash my hair. It’s my desperate attempt to cut down on the amount of hair I have to feel creepily sliding down my body in the shower. Judging by the Andre the Giant sized merkin in my drain right now, it might not work, but I do it anyways.
After I got my hair as wet as I could, I glopped a big puddle of my Suave Coconut Conditioner in my hand, and went to work on my roots. Working in sections, I scrubbed and scrubbed my scalp with the pads of my fingers, stopping to add more conditioner when I needed it. I tried to use as much conditioner as I felt was necessary to really clean my thick, longish hair. It was a lot, but what do I care? The family sized bottle of Suave cost $1.88. The need for so much product was one of my biggest problems with the Wen system. There was no way the bottle they sent was going to last me a month, and it cost $30. I’m sorry, but one of the reasons I went to beauty school was so I’d never have to pay $30 for a bottle of shampoo again.
When I felt like my scalp was good and clean, I added a little more conditioner and worked it through the length of my hair. I let it sit for a minute, then I rinsed my hair really well. From what I’ve read, the rinsing part is really important because you need the motion of the water to pick up the dirt and grime and carry it away since it doesn’t get stripped out by shampoo. Or something like that. I don’t know. I rinsed the shit outta my hair!
Then, I sprayed the apple cider vinegar/water mixture onto my hair, pulled it through with a wide toothed comb*, let it sit for a minute, and rinsed it really well.
I went to bed with my hair wet, and when I woke up this morning, it looked pretty good!
Please excuse my new mystery bruise and my, once again, makeup free face.
My waves were really wavy and defined, my hair has lots of volume, and everything is pretty shiny.
UM. I just remembered I didn’t put any moroccan oil on my hair last night, and that makes this morning’s outcome even better! I was going to say it looks like it usually does when my hair dries on a really good day. But, my hair drying like this with no additional product is pretty amazing! That’s the dream, right? Hair that looks good all by itself. Like, you could walk out of any situation and look fucking gorgeous because your hair just IS fucking gorgeous.
Honestly, you guys, even if today is a fluke, and I ultimately end up with a disgusting greasy head and a jones for shampoo, I won’t care. I love doing stuff like this. It’s so much fun. And besides, I’ll never know if it works if I don’t try it! That’s my motto. Worked out for me with Weight Watchers and vodka, why not co-washing?!
*You really shouldn’t put any combs or brushes in your hair when they’re wet. I was just checking to see if the vinegar was really detangling like the internet said it should. It was.
ShamBOOOOO
When it comes to my beauty regimen, I’m never satisfied, and I’m always trying new products. But for my hair, I’ve sort of been stuck using Head & Shoulders not matter what. I don’t know if I really have dandruff, because the H&S never completely clears anything up. Any other shampoos I’ve tried have definitely made things worse though.
That’s me. Weirdo dandruff queen/compulsive liar.
So. I’m going to stop using shampoo altogether.
I’ve been hearing for years that adopting the “no-poo” method will do amazing things for your hair. Supposedly, cutting harsh surfactants and detergents out of your haircare regimen can clear up dandruff, make your hair shinier, smoother and stronger, and can make curly/kinky hair more defined and manageable. That all sounds too good to be true, but when you start looking into it, it makes sense! So, I figured I should just go for it. If my hair turns greasy and/or disgusting, I can just say it’s for science and people will have to MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
Here’s what I’m going to use if you want to try it with me:
I’m going to start washing my hair with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Conditioner
In the shower, I’m going to wash my hair with this conditioner, really thoroughly scrubbing my scalp with my finger pads to break up any dirt or grease, before rinsing like normal.
Then, I’m going to condition my hair with an apple cider vinegar rinse. The apple cider vinegar is supposed to detangle, and seal the cuticle, making your hair really shiny. It’s also supposed to help with the dandruff issue.
You’re supposed to use a raw, organic apple cider vinegar; I bought Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar at one of my local health food stores. Then, I mixed up a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water and put it in a spray bottle.
After co-washing (co-washing means “conditioner washing,” and it doesn’t make me cringe with embarrassment like the words, “no-poo”), I’m going to spray the vinegar rinse on my hair, let it sit for a minute, then rinse rinse rinse so I don’t smell like a delicious salad dressing.
I like that both of these products were cheap and easy to find. As much as I love having things other people don’t, I really hate having to search all over for something simple I’m trying to buy. I get resentful of products that make me do a lot of work just to fork over money.
It’s supposed to take a few weeks for your hair to adjust to having to overcompensate for the oils being regularly stripped out of it, so you might be greasier than usual. I plan on putting my rubber bands, claws and hair ties to work on keeping it looking decent.
OR
This look is due for a comeback!
Anybody else want to do this with me? It might be cool to get a few other different hair types, lengths and styles in on this! FOR SCIENCE.
You can read a lot more about the co-washing method HERE. That post has the answers to pretty much any question you might have.
My Birchbox came! I made a quick video to show you what was inside.
*DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY* Be on the lookout for the moment where my brain loses the word, “reviews.” I can’t stop laughing at the dumb face I make while I’m frantically trying to pull it up!