Stepping out of the kitchen....

About 6 months ago, my eyebrow went rogue.  My right eyebrow constantly appeared as though I had just face-planted and took a nap on my face for 2 hours.  I had never used any brow gels or products so I just kept smoothing it back into place every time I looked in the mirror.

On a whim, I bought Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear.  It was on clearance at CVS so I paid a few bucks and thought it might be nice to try on weekends when I was looking for something subtle.  Silly me.  Little did I know it was the greatest brow gel ever.

I don't have to fuss with matching colors since I'm not looking to fill my brows in.  I'm just looking for a little styling power for my crazy rogue eyebrow.  I use just a bit by swiping it on my brows with the applicator as one of the last steps of my routine and my brows look great all day long.  

So much cheaper than "real" brow gels and a lot less fuss.  At about $5 at most drugstores, you can tame those brows girl!  Show them what's what.      

Do you have any drugstore faves?

January Birchbox Review

Have you heard of Birchbox?

Allow me to explain.  You request an invitation.  You wait anxiously for your invitation via email.  You think maybe this is an incredibly exclusive club.  You receive your invitation and confirm your subscription type (for me, I chose a $10 month-to-month).  You receive your first Birchbox!  

For $10 smack-a-roos, I get a box with about 5 sample-size beauty products chosen according to my account preferences once a month.   It includes a brief description of the products with further online info and tutorials, and should I fall in love with any of the products, I can order them directly from Birchbox, sometimes with a discount and free shipping.  

Being that one of my New Year's Resolutions was to spend money more frivolously, I thought this was a great way to spend $10 every month!  I kid.  It seemed like a great idea for me because I don't have the moolah to buy fancy products all the time.  So if I find one or two great products from Birchbox and decide to splurge and buy them, I can feel confident buying a product I've sampled and enjoyed.  

Let's get started:  

   

The lineup.  A selection of hair, face, and body products.

Harvey Prince/ Skinny Chic:

This is a perfume described as "a zesty blend of apple, mint and lotus blossom."  I'm not entirely sure I know what lotus blossom smells like and I couldn't detect any mint, per se.  First impression- it's certainly a strong, sweet scent.  I think I'd be more likely to wear it in summer.  It also alludes to keeping energy levels high and fighting cravings.  Yeah.  Sure.  I still ate three M&M cookies but I won't blame the perfume for that.  

100% Pure/ Nourishing Body Cream: 

Please excuse my un-polished nails.  

It's vegan!  Given the amount of butter I use, I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I'm not vegan.  However, I do like knowing this hand-cream is made from vegan and organic products.  At least I'm not slathering some chemicals on my body.  And this stuff is thick and luxurious with an amazing coconut scent.  Loving it so far.  

Clark's Botanicals/ Smoothing Marine Cream: 

This one is the fancy schmancy face cream.  It's billed as an "exfoliating moisturizer" with glycolic acid.  It smells glycolic-y (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and it tingles for a few seconds after applying.  This past week in Chicago has been frigid cold and I used this on a day that I desperately needed  moisture.  This certainly did the trick.  Being $115 at full price, I'm not entirely sold yet....

theBalm/ Put a Lid On It:  

This is an eyelid primer and I was most excited to try this product.  I have yet to find a primer that actually keeps my eyeshadow in place.  I kind of assumed it didn't exist.  I've only used this one day so far (not a long workday) but so far, so good.  A 10-hr workday will be the real test though.  

**2/8 Update: I've been using this daily and it's totally amazing.  Does an excellent job of preventing creasing and even works to hold some less expensive eye shadows that usually diminish throughout the day.  I'm in love.  

amika/ Color pHerfection Shampoo: 

Full disclosure, I haven't tested this yet but the description says it keeps hair color bright and shiny using omega acids and buckthorn berry oil.  It smells delightful and that is often all I need to be sold on a shampoo.  

So far, I'm pleased with my first Birchbox experience! It's a great selection of products and they're the perfect size for tossing in my purse.  Have you tried Birchbox? 

Product Review- Revlon Lip Butter

To say I've become a bit obsessed with makeup lately is an understatement.  In the years I've been doing my makeup, I basically resigned myself to some concealer, mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss.  Anytime I attempted to execute eyeshadow or god-forbid a smoke-eye, it inevitably ended with my face  in the sink as I washed off the wreck on my face.  I've been through a lot guys.  Life's not easy.

But then I found Tiffany D: http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/  She's got some amazing tutorial videos (and a makeup collection to die for) and she's basically livin' the dream because her blogging and YouTube tutorials have taken her to collaborations with beauty companies and even her own product line.  Uh yeah.

So aside from harboring some MAJOR jealousy, she's inspired me to branch out and *gasp* wear lipstick! I grew up thinking lipstick was sorta old lady-ish since my first memories of lipstick are of my grandma's collection of assorted mauves.

Enter Revlon Lip Butter.

Of course one of my favorite beauty products would have the word butter in it.  Butter is an appropriate descriptor because these babies don't dry out lips like many lipsticks and they go on easy.

I think what I like the most about these is that you can build up the color.  If I'm feeling meek, I can give it one swipe for a nice tint.  If I'm bold, maybe 2 swipes!  I know! 2 swipes!

I'll admit that the packaging can be a bit deceiving in terms of color representation but if you're in the right color family (like cool pinks or orange-y reds), you'll likely still be happy with the results.

And get this, I even found a red I'm willing to wear!  Normally I look HILARIOUS in red lipstick.  It's a real laugh riot.  But Red Velvet totally works for me since it's got blue undertones.  It took me 28 years to realize that I need to avoid orange tones at all costs.  Lives were lost.

Here's an idea of how they apply:

And this is only about 1/3 of the collection!  There's around 20 colors and I've spotted them at CVS, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart for around $7.50 or so.  

So yes.  Yes to them all.  I would like to buy them.  Can you imagine how sassy and feminine I'll be?  (not that much)  

Drugstore Find: Chapstick

As much as I hate to admit it, I might be too old to be carrying around some Bonne Bell chapstick.  With flavors (scents?) like Vanilla Frosting and Cotton Candy, it just doesn't say "I'm a young working professional with a salary and a savings account" (<< barely a savings account).  So recently I decided to find an inexpensive replacement that was maybe a bit more age appropriate.  Of course, the replacement I found was called "Baby Lips" so not sure if I accomplished that mission.  

I've been using Maybelline's Baby Lips for a few months and I really bought it on a whim.  I happened to be in a rush and ran to the drugstore to grab any chapstick I could find.  Baby Lips was inexpensive (about $3-$4) so I chose a scent that included SPF and was on my way.  I used it for a few weeks and really liked how well it moisturized and the slightest hint of gloss it provided.  When that stick ran out, I stopped to get more but grabbed a different scent because I like a little spice in my life guys!  

To my surprise, with the new stick, I realized the scents were actually a bit pigmented too.  I'm making discoveries all over the place!    

  

(P.S. Yes, I definitely have gold-speckled Formica countertops)

So I grabbed a few colors and I've been loving them all.  They're actually quite a bit pigmented but not quite the commitment that lipstick can be.  I have commitment issues with lipstick.  I think it stems from my childhood.

I realize this picture makes it look like a crayon but I promise it's not.  I would never recommend you use a crayon on your lips.  Marker maybe, but never crayon.  

So there ya' have it, a chapstick recommendation from someone completely unqualified to be providing beauty product recommendations.  You're welcome.  

      

Best Hairspray Ever

I'm a girl who knows her hairspray.  I have likely used gallons of hairspray in my lifetime.  Not even a little bit embarrassed by that.  So naturally, I've experimented with mmaannnyyy a hairspray.  And in general, I tend to believe that products from the drugstore get the job done just fine (or even better in some circumstances) then most of the pricey stuff.

So good news and bad news.  My fave hairspray IS available at the drugstore BUT it's a bit pricier than what I'd usually spend.  However, hairspray is my thing and there's just no going back.  Besides, I never buy fancy face creams or expensive makeup brushes or whatever other stuff people spend money on so this is where I splurge.

And let's be clear.  By "splurge," I mean $14.  Admittedly, it's not breaking the bank but $14 ain't nothing to ignore either.  That could buy, like, two Subway Italian BMT 6-inch sandwich meals.  I do all my calculations in terms of Subway meals.

However, if you keep your eyes peeled for sales (like Buy One Get One Half Off) and you happen to be an Ulta Club Card member (and why wouldn't you be?!), you can use $3 off coupons practically all the time.  Which is obviously what I do.

So if you're willing to throw down about $14 smackaroos, get yourself to a drugstore and buy: Nexxus Maxximum Superior Hold Finishing Mist.  Don't be intimidated by that very aggressive name!   

 This hairspray was sent by angels from heaven and is made from unicorn tears and children's laughter.  I'm just guessing on that.

It's got a super fine mist and holds my style all day.  I'd like to say it leaves hair "touchable" but I don't think that's entirely true.  Although, I use more than the average person so that may just be caused by my misuse.  

All in all, it smells nice, it sprays well, it's got great hold and it's reasonably priced for the quality.  

Nexxus 4 lyfe.