Review: July 2012 Birchbox

Hello everyone! 


I can't help but rave that I am in LOVE with July's Birchbox! I was impressed with last month's offerings and continue to be impressed by Birchbox.  This month, Birchbox collaborated with Glamour magazine to bring us a box inspired by Glamour's Five Senses of Summer issue.  Each item included in the box can be attributed to one of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.  

In this month's box, I received... 

Beauty Blender

Sample of Harvey Prince's Hello Fragrance

Sample of Jouer's Luminizing Moisture Tint 

Stila Lip Glaze in Camera

Tea Forte Minteas

Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds

If you've read my previous post on the Beauty Blender, you know how in love I am with them.  So imagine my delight when I received one in my Birchbox! The $10 I spent on the box this month has already been justified with just this one product.  

While I don't mind fragrance samples, it's always a difficult product because everyone has their own preference.  I don't mind Harvey Prince's Hello, however, it is not what I consider a summer scent.  It is very floral and I can see it giving me a headache if I apply too much.  

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint / Stila Lip Glaze in Camera

The mini sample of Jouer's Luminizing Moisture Tint was interesting.  I've been meaning to try out Jouer's products since hearing about them on missglamorazzi's YouTube videos, but haven't had much access to them.  Now that they're being sold at Nordstrom's, I may think about test driving out some of their products, especially after trying out this Moisture Tint.  The coverage it provides is very light -- very much like a tinted moisturizer.  It evens out my skintone, but does not cover my blemishes.  It feels very lightweight and refreshing to wear, especially in this sweltering summer heat.  

I've had a couple of Stila Lip Glazes before and I can say that I am still not a big fan.  The tacky texture and sticky residue it leaves is irritating to me.  I like glosses that have no taste and a non-sticky residue, much like Le Metier de Beaute's Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses.  

The lifestyle extras were definitely fun! I can't say if the Teamints provided me with a boost of energy, but they are certainly delicious.  The bright colored earbuds are useful because I'm constantly misplacing my own earphones, so these will be a nice backup! 

I highly, highly, highly recommend you get a Birchbox... and soon! :) 

Review: Beauty Blender

Hi everyone! 

It is ridiculously hot in California right now -- I melt the minute I step outside in the 100+ degree weather! Thankfully, putting on my makeup isn't as terrible as I thought it would be in the summer.  Usually during this time, I dread putting on foundation or any heavy makeup because it will just melt off of my face a couple of hours outside.  Luckily, I've found something that makes putting on makeup just as enjoyable as it always has been for me! 

I bought the Beauty Blender at IMATS this year.  While there have been many rave reviews, I never had the chance to buy it because I didn't want to pay for shipping costs on Sephora.com! When the chance came, I went ahead and bought myself one at IMATS for a discounted price.  I can understand the hype around these beauty blenders! Putting on my regular medium coverage foundation with this is very refreshing -- especially in this weather. I simply wet the sponge and use it to dab my foundation on my face.  I find that not only is it refreshing because it is wet, but it also leaves me with a sheerer, yet still flawless, finish.  It is a definite MUST HAVE for the summer! 

Beauty Blender has its own cleanser.  However, I've found that if washed every couple of days with a blend of olive oil and anti-bacterial dish washing soap, it removes what foundation is on the sponge and returns it to looking new and clean.  :) 

Haul: IMATS Los Angeles 2012

The International Make-up Artist Trade Show (otherwise known as IMATS) came to Los Angeles this past weekend, June 23-24.  I was unable to make the show on Saturday as tickets sold out for that day a week and a half in advance; however, I managed to buy tickets for Sunday.  

Before going to IMATS, I did some research to see what it was like and what things I should expect to see.  It's kind of like going to Disneyland because you had to make sure you knew where you wanted to go and which you wanted to see the most! 

After reading tweets from Saturday's show, I expected to be stuck in hour-long lines so I made a plan with my friends to go early on in the day.  It opened at 10am on Sunday and we arrived at the Pasadena Convention Center at 10:30am.  We stood in line for about 20 minutes before getting in the door, but had to wait in another line inside for an additional 10 minutes.  The lines went faster than I thought, but I assume it's because it was Sunday.  

Once we got in, my friends and I made a beeline for the Inglot booth.  I had heard that it is usually one of the most popular booths at IMATS, along with Make Up For Ever, MAC, and NYX.  I assumed there would be a line, but when we got to the booth, it was a mass of people hovering around, swatching what they could.  There was a piece of paper that you could fill out to place your order.  Once you did that, you simply had to hand your piece of paper to a worker and they would fulfill your order.  While it took awhile to get in to swatch some eyeshadow colors, other attendees were very polite and we all took turns trying to see what we liked best.  In the end, I made it out with a 5 shadow freedom palette.  A word of caution, however: they were sold out of some of the colors and make sure to double check to see if they gave you the correct colors! 

After being there for three hours, here's what I managed to walk away with: 

Overall, I can't remember the exact discounts that were given, only that there were discounts at most booths.  When we arrived at the Sigma booth, they were sold out of all of the Synthetic Kabuki Brushes.  I had raved about them to a friend, but we were unable to procure any that day.  However, they did give us a coupon code for 15% off an online purchase so maybe I'll put that into use sometime soon! 

Oh and I definitely cannot forget to mention the highlight of my day! IMATS is a popular event where you can be sure to find many YouTube Beauty Gurus, and just my luck -- I got to meet both Tiffany from MakeupByTiffanyD and Tracy and Stefanie from eleventhgorgeous! They are such amazingly sweet and incredibly down-to-earth ladies and I am so happy to have had the chance to meet them!

This was my very first IMATS experience, and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to go back next year.  They're changing up the dates, so IMATS LA 2013 will actually be held in January 2013.  If you're curious, I highly recommend you give IMATS a try -- you won't regret it!