My April Birchbox

I promised that all my posts wouldn’t be about Birchbox, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to share about my monthly Birchbox!

20140421-125336.jpg

This month’s Birchbox theme is Rainy Days. And even though Vermont has been seeing more snow showers than rain, in my book (and Birchbox’s…I asked on Twitter and they said yes) it still counts!

20140421-125714.jpg

While I really liked everything in my Birchbox this month, I was particularly excited about the Color Club Art Duo Pen. I got it in black and plan to use my points to purchase in white.

20140421-125834.jpg

Do you have a Birchbox subscription? What was your favorite product in your Birchbox this month?

Have twitter? Follow me
@20somethingplus

I’m On YouTube!

Ok, so please keep in mind that I am just experimenting with YouTube and and by no means proclaiming to be a vlogger.

For now I am only sharing a few videos (really slide shows) that I have made using the Flipagram app. Nothing too fancy! Eventually I’ll step up my game, but not yet.

I have already uploaded two videos, one of them is of my March Birchbox!

20140313-180958.jpg

Two Subtle Ways to Try Orange Lips

It seems like everyone is talking about orange lips and while I’m all for bold, I’m not sure orange is something I’m ready to jump into…At least not yet.

Want to try it without actually trying it? There are two ways that I have started bracing myself for giving this trend a shot:

1. Not ready to go so bold? Try a colored balm, it gives you the orange color minus the shocking electric effect.

I used Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in 12 Oversized Orange
I used Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in 12 Oversized Orange

2. Don’t mind bright lips, just not sure about orange? Go for a red lipstick with an orange tint.

I used MAC Cosmetics  Lipstick in Lady Danger.
I used MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Lady Danger.

Already dived in? What orange do you use? Have any recommendations? Would love to hear your suggestions, in case I do decide to give this orange lip trend a try!

One Perk of Being VIB Rouge

Being VIB (Very Important Beauty) Rouge status in the Sephora Beauty Insider program has it’s perks. Some of the reviews I’ve read online on various makeup forums and beauty blogs say that the only benefit is the free shipping. I disagree with this on so many levels, but I wanted to share how the free shipping is amazeballs! Not only can you buy one item, any item and get the standard three free samples, but you don’t have to spend $50 for free shipping.

Givenchy Le Rouge deluxe sample in 202 Rose Dressing, Marc Jacob Lash Lifter - Gel Definition Mascara deluxe sample, and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 deluxe sample.
Givenchy Le Rouge deluxe sample in 202 Rose Dressing, Marc Jacob Lash Lifter – Gel Definition Mascara deluxe sample, and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 deluxe sample.

Why is that such a big deal? I get emails that are exclusively for Beauty Insiders. This happens quite often as I also get emails for VIB only and occasionally for VIB Rouge only. I don’t always take advantage of these deals but one was for three free luxury deluxe samples with a purchase of $35. I was torn because I didn’t want to spend any money, but I had a few things I needed (OK, maybe just really wanted) so I got them and the deluxe samples without having to torment myself by debate between paying for shipping or spending another $15 just to qualify for free shipping. Again AMAZEBALLS!

Givenchy Le Rouge deluxe sample in 202 Rose Dressing
Givenchy Le Rouge deluxe sample in 202 Rose Dressing

Do you shop at Sephora? What are your thoughts on their BI program? Where do you prefer to buy your beauty products?

Twenty Something Birchbox Sample Wins

I promise that my posts won’t always be about Birchbox or even products, but I wanted to share some (twenty something, well twenty one to be exact) of the samples I’ve received, tried, and hearted. Some of them I loved so much that I purchased the full sized version from the Birchbox Shop.

Birchbox Samples
(Above brands in no particular order: Chap Stick, Evologie, Juicy Couture, Dr. Lipp, Fekkai, Ahmad Tea, Color Club, Evologie, Ruffian, Coola, Stila, Benefit Cosmetics, DDF, LAQA & Co., Whish, Vasanti, Beauty Protection, Juice Beauty, Supergoop!, and Cargo)

Find Me Some Finds

If you’ve never heard of Birchbox, you should check them out, but Birchbox can pretty much be summed up as being a monthly box of awesome (well really, four or five awesomes for only ten bucks).

I have been a Birchbox subscriber for a little over a year and have no intention of canceling my subscription. And no, they are not paying me to say any of this. Month after month, I anxiously await getting my Birchbox in the mail and trying out the samples that are tailored to me.

Thanks to the Birchbox app, you can now track your box and get a sneak peek of what’s inside. If you have Birchbox or are even just considering signing up for it, I cannot stress enough that you should really write reviews for the products you’ve sampled. Each review gets you points and points add up and can be redeemed for full sized purchases.

Every once in a while, Birchbox offers special limited edition boxes with themes like home, snow day, precious metals, etc. After surveying subscribers on what they’d like to see, Birchbox recently launched a finds themed box. Now, I personally like finds because they are typically things you can find and buy from your local drugstore. For $18 you get $55 worth of products.

Birchbox Finds
(Included: Bioré Self Heating One Minute Mask 4 Pack, Covergirl Bombshell Shine Shadow by LastBlast, Covergirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast Mascara, John Frieda Frizz Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir, Nivea Kiss of Care & Color, Rimmel London Stay Glossy 3D Lipgloss, and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure)

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? Did you purchase the Limited Edition: Birchbox Finds box? Share you thoughts, I’d love to hear what you think! Think I should review the products in the Limited Edition: Birchbox Finds box?  Let me know!