Birchbox and MyGlam June 2012

So this month was freakin' awesome for my beauty subscriptions! They are each $10/mo but added up for my $20 total spent this month--I got almost $80 worth of stuff. Hell yes. Full size products = AMAZING. I was beyond satisfied with this month for both Birchbox and MyGlam. BB more than made up for last month haha. So I guess I will dive in and start showing you guys what I got!! :)

MyGlam Glam Bag June 2012

"Out All Night"

The gold glittery bag is really cute but it sheds a little.. I've heard that if you spray it with hair spray, that will stop the shedding. I'll definitely be doing that. It's a cute bag, but I'll probably use it in the winter. I think I've mentioned that I feel like warm tones and shimmer are, in my opinion, fall and winter colors. I like matte and pastels, neons, or neutrals in spring and summer. This bag was very exciting. I love NYX, especially their lipsticks.. I have quite a few haha... 

Products:

NYX Round Lipstick in 639 Eucalyptus: This isn't a color I would normally purchase.. ever.. but it is beautiful and who knows.. maybe I'll feel adventurous and wear it!

Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Moisturizer: Smells sooooo good! It makes my face so soft and doesn't at all leave it oily which I love... and it IS oil-free.. so that makes sense. Duh.

Living Prood Nourishing Styling Cream (Anti-Frizz): I have not heard of the company prior to this and have not tried it yet, but I will let you know how it works. My hair definitely needs some frizz control in the summer. Damn you humidity. This also smells good. It smells familiar if that makes sense. It smells like something I've used before, and it's a very clean smell.

Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen (Black): This pen is very precise and is pretty much a marker. I'd never heard of this brand either but I like how easy it is to use. I'm just not sure how I feel about the "permanent" aspect. If nothing else, this will go in Brandon's kit (for special fx). TIP: Don't try to smell the marker. I accidentally touched it to my nose. Yay.

You can't really tell from the swatch but it's a fuschia/hot pink with subtle red undertones. 

Very pigmented and vibrant.

This bag also came with two coupons: Living Proof Anti-Frizz set for $35 instead of $46 & a Philosophy coupon for free shipping.

Birchbox June 2012

"Jet Set"

I was VERY pleased with this box. OMG the full size Stila made this box for me. 

Products:

Stila One Step Bronze: (FULL SIZE!) It's 3 in 1, bronzer-primer-serum that makes you (obviously) look more tan and I love it as a foundation. It's pump bottle and it comes out multi-colored until you blend it. A little goes a long way so start with a pump or two and you probably won't need more than that.

Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift: This actually reminds me of Britney Spears' Fantasy (which is one of my favorite perfumes!) So I'll definitely be wearing this and maybe buying it.

theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen: This is a two in one cheek/lip stain. There were 3 shades, and I ended up with the only one I wouldn't buy.. but again.. it's a pink/red shade so maybe I'll feel adventurous and wear it with the NYX lipstick. Using it for blush and lips, will definitely make this perfect for purse or travel carry. I'm going to throw it in my purse and I can see this being a beach bag must have. The other shades are a light pink and a nude.. so I think I might have to buy those.

Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive Towelettes: I love tanning. I had a blog all about it and I cannot wait to try these. I'm always open to try self tanners because I don't want to always be in a tanning bed or the sun. When I try these, I will post a review with pics.

LUNA Bar Peanut Butter Cookie: It's a peanut butter cookie... do I really need to say more? This was kind of random but it tastes pretty good and it's 80 calories so that's an added bonus.

That's the Stainiac on the left beside the NYX swatch.

STILA!!! My first ever Stila product and it's a bronzer! Perfect!

I'm not sure if you can see the different colors when you pump it out, but this is one small pump.

This is lightly rubbed in, just so you can see the bronze look. When I rubbed it all the way in, it covered my hand. A little goes a long way.

I loved my goodies this month! If you have MyGlam or Birchbox, leave me links or comments so I can see what you got! Thanks!

Interested in trying them out?

If you guys want to get a MyGlam account, go to:

https://www.myglam.com/

For Birchbox:

https://www.birchbox.com/?raf=hz7hw

Erin 

Product Reviews: JWOWW Lotions

So, this is about tanning lotions. Yes, I tan indoors and outdoors. Yes I know the risks, blah blah. I'm sure you're all aware of Jersey Shore, whether you watch the show or not, the cast is almost always in gossip magazines and on TV and it's a HIGHLY popular reality show on MTV. Well, Jenny "JWOWW" put out some tanning lotions and they are flying off the shelves. I actually bought the lotion before I'd even watched the show. Last summer, I bought the JWOWW Blackk Bronzer lotion (there's also a JWOWW Gold). It worked sooooo well. I definitely saw results, and got very, VERY dark. I bought it because it was on sale (most everything I buy is on sale!) and I also got $10 off the sale price (awesome!). I believe it retails at about $50, but mine was on sale for $35 and then I got the ten off that. It smells okay, definitely has that tanning lotion smell.. but I don't really mind tanning smells. After one week using it (going about 4 or 5 times to tan), I saw really dark results. It lasted me for that entire summer and I still have some left for this summer. I would, and probably will, purchase again!

A couple of days ago, I bought the JWOWW Shimmering Body Lotion. It's an after-tan and after-shower lotion. It's about $15-20 (depending on where you go) but since I bought mine at my salon and had my "Ultracash", I got $10 off, so it was really cheap! It says "Pearadise Breeze" is the scent, and OMG... it is probably one of the best things I have ever smelled. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It gives you a shimmer to your skin, not a chunky glitter look, but kind of the same shimmer that you find in a body powder or bronzer powder. I will MOST DEFINITELY buy this again and have become obsessed with trying all of her lotions!

Erin

All About Tanning!

I'm naturally very fair skinned. But I do love to look tan. I have done it all.. from tanning beds, to self tanning lotions, to spray tans, to laying out in the sun. I know that tanning beds and laying out is not good for you. I know the dangers of skin cancer, aging, dark/sun spots, freckling, etc. But I don't pass judgement on anyone for tanning, because I tan and I know I hate being judged for it. To each their own, ya know?

With self tanning lotions, most just made me orange.. and the only one that didn't was a Jergens tanning lotion. BUT everytime I showered, or shaved my legs, I felt like it all went away. Plus it made my face splotchy and that... is a definite deal breaker.

With spray tans, I have done the at home ones (they work okay, but don't last very long) and I have gone to UltraTan (my local tanning salon) and gotten the Mystic HD tan. If I just do the Glow or Light level, I get a nice sunkissed look. Anything darker than that (medium or dark levels) and I look like a bronze statue. Ew. But the color will last for about a week. When it starts coming off though, you better scrub, scrub, scrub and get it all off or you will look like you have a patchwork tan. TIP: Don't wear white clothing or underwear when you go spray tan. It WILL get on your clothes. My advice, wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty and that are loose fitting, and wear sandals!

Laying out is so relaxing to me. And you can see some gradual results, very gradual in my case and it takes me a while to get dark. After I applied SPF, I would lay out for about 30 minutes (15 on back, 15 on stomach) then apply some tanning oil or lotion with bronzer and lay out for another 20 to 30 minutes. I feel that works best for me. If I start out with bronzer and oils, it all comes off super quick anyway. That's just me though... Also, something that works REALLY awesome if you laying out... being in a pool will help you tan faster. Even if it's just a kiddie pool that you are laying in. The rays reflect off the water and so you're getting double the exposure. If you don't want to lay in a kiddie pool, and don't have access to a regular pool... get a spray bottle, fill it with water and mist yourself while you lay out. Not only will get faster results, but that cool mist of water feels awesome when you're out in the hot sun. *Fun fact: Did you know you can burn or tan easier when it is overcast?

Last but not least.... Tanning beds!

I absolutely LOVE tanning beds. Yes, I'm aware of the fact that they can be harmful to your skin (cancer risks, aging, etc) BUT.. this is something that I enjoy doing. I love the lotions, the fast results, and the different kinds of beds you can use. I tan at UltraTan and it's just awesome. I used to tan at a salon that had only one kind of bed and one flat fee for the month, but they went out of business :( It sucks.. I got my first and best tan ever from that place. But I do love UltraTan, especially since they have so many different beds. My favorites are the stand-ups and ones with additional tanners (Shoulders, sides, facial). I like using lotions with bronzer, but not tingle. Holy crap.. tingle hurts. BAD. And you can't use it on your face so you'd probably have an uneven tan. I'm not big on hemp lotions, I don't really see results with them, but they smell really good usually. Bronzers give you a bit of a glow after tanning, and an instant sunkissed look. I've used a body blush lotion too and it was really good, worked beautifully, but they no longer sell it there and I can't find online either. Sadness. My tips for tanning in tanning beds are: (1) DO NOT WEAR MAKEUP on your face/neck. Your face is harder to tan without makeup, don't make it worse by wearing a full face to the tanning bed. I've gone straight from work multiple times and had makeup on, so I carry some makeup remover wipes in my bag and just take it off when I'm putting on my lotion. Some eye make is fine because the goggles you wear cover your eyes anyway. Which brings me to the next tip... (2) WEAR THE GOGGLES. These are here to protect your eyes and your vision, so do it. Yes you might get those little tan lines around your eyes, BUT if you enjoy being able to see, wear them. (3) TAN EXTENDERS ARE AMAZING. Use a tan extender on a daily basis, and you won't have to go tanning as often. (4)ALOE, ALOE, ALOE!! Aloe Vera is so, so good for your skin. I use aloe vera gel on my face, neck, chest, and shoulders (my peel prone areas) every day and night when I first start tanning. It keeps me from having redness, heals sunburn, and I don't peel. I just tan. After I get my base tan, I only put it on my face and neck, before bed and before makeup the next day and it keeps my skin soft and my skin stays pretty clear of blemishes. Which my skin is always clearer when I go to tanning beds anyway, but the aloe just makes it pretty damn near perfect.

These are just my own personal opinions; what works for me, may not work for you. The sun and tanning bed's UV Rays can be harmful and damaging to your skin. You do whatever you want, this is just what I do. :)

Erin

Luau Hair & Makeup!

For my birthday, my friends threw me a Luau party. Granted it was indoors and completely full of cheese, but I loved it!

My makeup was a very natural, bronzed look. I used:
Physician's Formula bronzer in Medium to Dark on my face
Clinique blush in Cupid
CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus in Black Onyx on my waterline
Nivea Kiss of Shimmer Lipbalm
Revlon Custom Eyes Masacara

My hair was curled (thanks Amanda!) in big, soft curls and I had pink peek-a-boo strips clipped in (also curled). Amanda also made me a little hair clip to match my lei. :)

Excuse the shine on my face... that is sweat. It was VERY hot in there. That's August in the south for you though... hot and humid. Also, if I look a little... out of it, I was partying like it was my birthday so.. yeah. Haha.