Mens November Birch Box review

 Birch box for men is a monthly subscription service available for $20 dollars through
 http://birch.ly/13WAleF (my referral link, I'll post a non referral link at the bottom of this post). They send mostly higher end products, with some more affordable items and every once in a while a new "discovery" product. This is my husbands November box and it's most likely the best one we've received so far, certainly his favorite!!!

First up is Ernest Supplies Anti aging Vitamin A and E moisturizer.

This is likely the only product he wont use, only because he doesn't have an issue with oily skin. It's full of anti-oxidants and vitamins and I love that the sample he received has that little topper on it. Most of his sample packs come with those, it makes it so much easier to store them. It's available here http://www.birchbox.com/ for $25 for 2.5 fl oz. A little on the pricey side for me.

Next up is The Yes To Cucumbers towelettes

 This is a product I think most of us are familiar with, he was really pleased to see this in his box (so was I, but I can't take them lol) It's a pretty good sample size, with 10 towels. The full size comes with 30 towels per pack and retails for 5.99 each. They're 98% natural, the claim is the cucumber extract helps remove dead skin cells, the green tea is an anti oxidant that works as an astringent to help ease "troubled skin" and the aloe vera helps sooth and protect. I just like them because they're so convenient and inexpensive.

The next two items he received are Vtiamine and Sea shave cream and English Laundry #7 Cologne

 He always likes to get shaving products in his boxes, and I like it when they send them in the little tubs so I can re purpose them!! According to birch box.com this cream is packed with vegan, certified organic ingredients like kelp, dandelion extract, and gotu kola (I'll be looking the third one up) The aloe vera is suppose to prevent ingrown hairs and razor bumps. It has ingredients like coconut oil and sweet almond oil to smooth and moisturize. I love both of those oils!! Maybe he'll let me try this one :) The English Laundry is your typical cologne, there was nothing really special or "amazing" about this, we both liked the scent and he'll use it, but he has others we enjoy more.

The Vitamine and Sea is available here http://www.birchbox.com/ for $36 for 7 oz. It comes in a beautiful jar that I would love to have. This may be one I purchase a full size of.

The English Laundry goes for $72 for 1.7 oz and $84 for 3.4 oz.

The last item and our favorite from this month is The Apolis Transit Issue Travel Candle..

This candle smells absolutely amazing!!! It's 4 oz, which I find perfect. It has a burn time of 40 hours. The scent is cypress and fig and it's really a very sexy, sensual scent. It'll fit perfectly in a bag to take with you on a weekend away. I look forward to burning this one.

This is available here http://www.birchbox.com/ for $30 for the 4 oz size. I haven't been able to find it in a bigger size, but I think the 4 oz is perfect.

Do you get birch box for men? for women? Let me know what you think.

Monthly and yearly subscriptions available http://www.birchbox.com/

Thanks for reading!!

Nancy

Life is a gift!! Open it and live it beautifully <3

One more primer for the night. My pick for summer!

I found this primer through Birch box.com It came in one of my monthly boxes and I absolutely love it. It's OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel

Birchbox breakdown


 To keep contestants’ faces shine-free under pressure (and scalding-hot stage lights), makeup artists for shows like American Idol and The Glee Project turn to this mattifying gel. The fast-drying formula creates an inte...rmediate layer that absorbs grease for eight full hours. Use it to score a matte, shine-free look—with or without the help of makeup. Alcohol-free and oil-free, it’s safe for even acne-prone skin. Get ready for your close-up.

Now my take, at $41.00 for 1.6 ounces this is one of the more expensive primers I tried!!! The verdict is it works!!! It does everything it says it does and is perfect for summer. I haven't used this once since the dog day heat of our California summer in mid August, but I will most likely purchase this for next year. I wore this to an outside birthday pool party. I didn't swim, but it was about 115 degrees and my make up barely moved. I wore a bb cream over it, and while I did have to blot a little bit, it was nothing like I would normally have to do. I'm pleased with this one, and while it does come with a bigger price tag, I feel it's worth it and remember, you only need about a dime sized to maybe a nickel sized amount to cover your face. I give this one a 10

Get it here http://www.birchbox.com/

Life is a gift!! Open it....Live it beautifully <3

Nancy

Primers and more primers.............

I'm fairly new to primers, just having "discovered" them near the beginning of this year. Growing up we weren't allowed to wear make up so I'm a little behind the curve on this. I wanted to give some fair reviews on a variety of products and there are so many out there for every skin type. The first primer I tried was from The Body Shop and to be honest I really liked it at first. That is, until I got my hands on some other primers, both expensive and inexpensive. So first up....

The body shop Matte It was the very first primer I ever tried and probably my least favorite now after trying all of the ones I have. It works ok, but it just doesn't have the satiny finish I've come to expect from my primers. It's thick and takes quite a while to dry. It does do what it says; it keeps your skin a "matte" finish, but with so many other, better primers out there that do the same and give you a good finish I can't recommend this one. Unfortunately I bought two of them. I may just keep it around in case I run out and need a back up. I'll give it a five out of ten.

Available for sale here http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/makeup/foundation-concealer/skin-primer-matte-it.aspx for $15.

 

The second primer I tried I actually got in a Sephora favorites collection. Hourglass Mineral Veil.

 

 

This is a mineral based, water resistant primer with an SPF of 15, a little on the low side. It gave me exactly what the description says....a satiny finish, with my make up going on smooth and staying on all day. According to Sephora.com it's completely 100% fragrance, oil and gluten free, without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes or fragrances and is formulated without chemical sun blocking agents. It's on the pricey side at $18 dollars for 0.33 oz or $52 dollars for 1.0 oz, but I feel it's completely worth it. A dime sized amount is enough to cover your entire face, this is a primer I would probably save for fall and winter, only because I found one that I absolutely love for the summer!! I have to give this primer a solid ten!!

 

Available here http://www.sephora.com/hourglass

 

The next primer I tried after watching countless youtube video's and having it recommended time after time is ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer.

 

 

 It's very inexpensive and works well. It's a good every day primer. It comes in four "colors", clear, tone adjusting green, lavender and radiant glow. I use the clear because I use a color corrector mixed into my foundation or BB cream. It goes on very smooth and leaves a satin finish very similar to the Hourglass Mineral Veil without the hefty price tag. It retails at just $6 for 049 oz and is often on sale for 50 percent off. I love this primer and will definitely recommend it, don't let the "small" price tag deter you. Beauty doesn't always have to cost a fortune. This also gets a solid ten!!

 

I have several more primers that I'm going to be adding, but I'd like to do them in more than one post so stay tuned.

 

Do you have any favorite primers you recommend I try? Any that you couldn't or wouldn't do without? They may be on my list, but if they aren't I'd love to try them!!! Leave a comment and let me know :)

 

Thanks for reading!!

 

Life is a gift!!! Open it and live it beautifully <3

 

Nancy

October Julep It Girl intro box!!!!

This was my first month as a maven with Julep and I'm actually really pleased with what I received. The box is usually $19.99 a month with free shipping. I got this one free with the promo code FREEBOX, I added two polishes to get free shipping, so my actual total cost for this was $10.98. I received four nail polishes and a juleps nail therapy base coat. The add on color I chose was in "Kai" it's a light baby blue that reminded me of the ocean, I'll be trying this out soon, but I bought it for next summer for my toes!!! Really happy with the color. I used the base coat and I love it. The three colors that came in the box were all really pretty and those were bought for a gift for someone, I really hope she loves them. They are Josephine, a matte dark blue/grey color. Candace, a beautiful micro glitter gold; this is my favorite for her as her favorite color is yellow and this is perfect for fall!!! The last color is Ciara. This is by far the most beautiful one in the box. It's a micro glitter teal blue and I love it. I'm on the fence about keeping the last one!!!

In all I'm happy with the service, you can preview your monthly boxes before you commit and you can skip any month you don't want to receive one. You just need to log into your account before the 24th of the month to either accept the box or decline it for the month. You can also choose which box you get for that month. It Girl, BoHo Glam, etc. I like this part of it.

They also give you the option to upgrade your box and add on other items. I did choose to skip Novembers box, I some how became over loaded with nail polish at the same time I decided to sign up for maven status!!!

http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/221132/ This is my personal link for anyone who wants to sign up. I'll also post a non referral link as well.

http://www.julep.com/

Thanks for reading....Do any of you subscribe to julep or any other nail polish services out there?
Let me know in the comments below. Feel free to leave your personal links and referrals!!

Life is a gift!!! Open it, live it!!!!

My Big Day Box Launched their new quarterly subsription today!!!!!

http://www.mybeautybootcamp.com/


My Big Day Box has launched their quarterly subscription information today!!! Link provided above. My Big Day Box was formerly a monthly subscription service ran by Stephanie and Daniel, a woman and her fiancé. Stephanie has told me it has always been her dream to bring beauty, health and fitness to women all over and her fiancé is helping her realize this. In my opinion they have the best customer service out there for a subscription service, going above and beyond anything I've seen; connecting with their customers on a personal level, listening to what we want and need. They're very honest and open and always happy to answer any questions we have.

I'm very excited about their new quarterly sub, the way they've set it up. They're not just going to send out products for a quarter then disappear. They plan to stay with the customer all the way, providing a "boot camp" for the season, tutorials on how to use the products they send and offering live boot camps in several states through out the season!! Stephanie has always made herself available for questions and I'm sure this will continue with the new boxes.

The price for the winter box is $79 dollars for a standard winter box that includes 8-11 products and beauty lessons and much more and $89 dollars for a deluxe box that includes 8-11 products, a fashion accessory and a handbag.

They're also offering grab bags for sale right now on their new website for $29 with free shipping. These include items from the previous bags in case you missed out on them. I'm excited for this as well. I use the product "The Eyes Have it" every night and my eyes have never looked better. The dark circles I've fought with my entire life have lightened dramatically. That product alone is $100, and it's included in the grab bag. I might just have to order one of those as well!!

Check them out, give them a try....you wont be disappointed!!!! Use the link above to go to their site and pre-order yours today!!!

Life is a gift!! Open it, Live it!!!!

Glossybox October 2013 review

I've had an off and on love affair with Glossybox since April of 2013. I've always loved their boxes and I've had the pleasure of receiving two of their limited edition boxes. The only problem I've ever had was with the shipping. I did cancel my sub, only to re-up this October for their collaboration box with Byrdie.com. The two major selling points on this months box were the Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara from Tarte and the Lotus Youth Preserve face cream from Fresh. These are both products I've never tried and have always wanted to, so I'm super excited to get the chance now.

The box came on time this month (actually early), that's a big plus for me. It was, as always, beautifully packaged and I loved opening it. I'm not really sure about the mascara now that I've seen it close up. It's packaged so differently than what I'm used to. It's almost a thick card board type package, only very shiny. It came with instructions on use, complete with a little sample brush to show you how to apply it. I'll let you all know what I think when I get a chance to try it out. The face cream by Fresh smells wonderful, like fresh cut cucumbers; which I love. I'll be using it tonight!!! It also came with a lip salve by Balance Me in the color beige. I'm just not sure about the color. I was hoping for the red, but I'll give it a try :) The last two items in the box were Sesha Renu exfoliating gel and BVLGARI Eau Parfumee. I have a lot of exfoliating products waiting for me to try and review, and I mean A LOT. So while I will give this a go, it'll be a while before I can give a review on it. The perfume will likely be given as a gift to my mom who loves these kinds of scents, it's not a bad scent by any means, it's just not for me. The bottle it came in is truly pretty.

The October Byrdie Glossybox overall was a great box, a good value with wonderful products. I paid $18.90 with a promo code (the code is no longer valid, otherwise I'd be sure to give it to you). The box normally sells for $21.00 per month as a monthly sub, but there are always promo codes out there, for either a discount or a bonus item with sign up.

http://www.glossybox.com/ This is the link to their website. I don't have a referral link to put here as I've had to skip November's box this time around. I hope you all found my review helpful and enjoyed reading!!!

Life is a gift!!!! Open it, live it!!! <3

My Big Day Box sneak peek number three!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=612852132111906&set=a.536483756415411.1073741826.536477253082728&type=1&relevan
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