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 

Photo of the Day! Curly Girl..

So this was in the backseat headed to GITM band practice about a week or two ago... I just let my hair air dry naturally and this is how it looks. But apparently it's a good picture, people loved it. LOL

Photo of the Day!

Amanda did my hair! We got the idea off of Pinterest. Thanks Amanda!

Courtney's Makeover!

Our friend Courtney came to visit and while I think she is completely adorable just the way she is, I wanted to see her all dolled up. So I did her hair and Amanda did her makeup. :)

Here's the before and afters:

*The before picture is just a random one from her facebook. I forgot to take some while we were making her over.. but whatever. :P

Good Hair Day...

I am having a good hair day.. sooo... that's all. :)

Favorites!

Hello!

This blog is ALL about my absolute favorite things! Favorite brands, favorite colors/shades,styles, etc!







Eyeshadow: Definitely my Naked Palette, by Urban Decay. I love neutrals and really dark colors, so this is definitely the best. I love how it has matte and shimmery powder, definitely a plus! My favorite single eye shadow colors are probably "Naked" from the Naked Palette and "Perversion" by Urban Decay. Naked is the best neutral EVER. I use it to fill in my eyebrows as well, and it works whether my hair is blonde or brown. Perversion is the best black eyeshadow I've ever used. It's very pigmented and rich. (It's from UD's Matte Shadows)





Eyeliner: It used to be the Perfect Point Plus in Black Onyx by Covergirl, but then I tried Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On in Perversion, and OMG, AMAZING. It is hands down the blackest eyeliner. But it is expensive. Covergirl eyeliner is about $5-7 and UD's is $19... so... they're both my favorite.




Eye Primer: I tried the ELF eyelid primer in Pearl but it was gritty and kind of coarse feeling. Maybe their flesh tone one would work better?? I see people on YouTube using that one all the time and raving about it. But currently I'm using Eden Primer Potion by UD (of course). I got the "Little Sins" set and I love it. Eden is my favorite because it works double for me. It's a great shadow primer, but it also works amazingly as an under-eye concealer.




Mascara: HANDS DOWN--Loreal's Voluminous Million Lashes in Carbon Black. It makes my lashes HUGE! Love, love, LOVE.






Powder/Bronzer: Physician's Formula is my favorite brand for powders and bronzers. They last really good, they don't look too cakey or powdery when applied and last for a good while. Also, they don't break me out which is always a good thing. I love contouring with the darker shades.




Blush: Clinique blush in Cupid is my favorite. I'm actually almost out. I hit pan and kept on going! It's really expensive, but I've seriously been using it for years so... well worth the money. It has lasted me almost 4 years. That's crazy to me. But then again, it's so pigmented that it really doesn't take much to apply and I don't wear it every day. Still, well worth the money and amazing. (You can see I love it, I've hit some serious pan!)




Lips: Nivea Lipcare, A Kiss of Shimmer. It's chapstick but with a hit of shimmery, baby pink. Also SoftLips in Pearl (it's a little darker than the Nivea, but still really pretty)




Lotion/Moisturizer: I love using Aloe anything! I use Aloe lotion and if I've been in the sun I'll use Aloe Vera gel because I hate getting sun burned and peeling. But pretty much, I just use aloe stuff. I'm not big on the overly scented, perfume kind of lotions because most of those just break me out and don't do ANYTHING for my dry skin. CeraVe is good, but kind of pricey and in the winter I use Curell Intensive Healing. (Tip: The Curell Intensive Healing is also good for tatoos)

Acne Treatments: I don't use any medications or Proactive... nothing like that. In fact.. I don't even use face wash. (GASP!) I use baby wipes to take off my makeup, and wash my face. If I have a really red, swollen blemish.. I use hydrocortisone cream on it. It removes the redness and the it really will help with some of the swelling. I also will use aspirin. If you wet an aspirin and hold it to your pimple, it helps to minimize it. If I have a scab on my face from scratching bumps or something, I'll put Neosporin on it. It helps A LOT. And sometimes I'll use toothpaste on blemishes. Just put some on before bed and wash it off the next morning. Another thing, holding an aloe leaf to your face can help clear up the zits/acne. I know all of this sounds crazy, but I don't have bad acne.. my skin is mostly clear, but when I do break out, it's always the big ones. So these things just work really well for me. I'm not at all saying it will work for everyone, but it works for me. (I don't do ALL of these at once, I just kind of do whatever I can with what I have in the moment.)

Shoes: In the summer, FLIP FLOPS. When Old Navy has their flip flop sales, I'm all over it. In the winter, I love Ugg style boots and riding boots. For high heels, I'm all about pumps. They're the sexiest shoes to me. Wedges are great too, but usually I only wear wedges in the summer. For sneakers, I love my Sketchers Tone Ups. At work, I am 99% of the time in ballerina flats. Black. Always black.

Pants: My favorite pants lately are Gloria Vanderbuilt jeggings. They're black and soooo comfortable. Also, they can look really casual or really dressy depending on my tops and shoes. Definitely my favorite.

Tops: I love layering. Usually I'm wearing a tank top or cami with a cardigan or light sweater on. That's probably my favorite for tops, just because I do that the most. It's pretty classic I guess, but I go with what works.

Purses: Kathy Van Zeeland. The end. I seriously have a wall shrine of my bags. It's crazy.

Shampoo/Conditioner: I love Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine, and Herbal Essences curly hair s/c. They just smell really good. I use Ion Intensive Therapy for my deep conditioner, and it works beautifully. I'm almost out, so I'll be going to Sally's to get (hopefully) all Ion products for shampoo, conditioner, etc.

Heat: I love CHI Iron Guard 44, and Beyond The Zone's Smooth Criminal. Both work really well and the Smooth Criminal smells SO good and leaves my hair very shiny but not greasy looking.


So some of my favorite makeup brands are Urban Decay, Physician's Formula, ELF, Hard Candy, and Wet 'n' Wild. Favorite clothing brands are Derek Heart, Rue21, Forever 21, Converse, Mossimo, LC Lauren Conrad, Hurley, Element, OP, Bongo, Candies, Abbey Dawn, and Angels Jeans. Favorite hair care brands are BedHead, Ion, Beyond the Zone and Sexy Hair (Even though I can rarely afford it!)

Anyway.. that's just some favorites. I'm always open to suggestions on products and stores, websites, etc..so feel free to leave me some! :)

Thanks!

Almost Kate Middleton Hair..

I got one of the best compliments EVER today. A coworker came up to me and was like "Your hair looks good today. Really good. Almost Kate Middleton good." Haha hell yes. Princess hair... sweet. Anyway here's the hair.

Pink Hair!

I'm wearing 4 clip-in human hair extensions in pink that I got from Sally's Beauty Supply. Just experimenting...

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.

Our First Post!

For this first post, we wanted to give a little background on us and what we're hoping to accomplish with this blog. We're married. Artists. Starving artists, actually. And we're overflowing with hobbies and ideas. Probably why our office is always a mess...

Here we are, Brandon and Erin.



Brandon will not be posting as much as me (Erin), simply because he is always, ALWAYS working. He works two jobs, and works on his own projects in between. One of his jobs is with a special fx company, making props and costumes. (Pretty awesome, right?) When he's not working, Brandon can be found either sculpting, drawing, writing, casting, molding, painting, or watching special features from every DVD we own!

We'll each post our own separate blogs with a little more depth sometime soon.

I (Erin) will posting much more than my husband. I have more time to do so, and I'm the more tech savvy, blogger type of the two of us. When I'm not at work, you can find me paiting, screen printing, making jewelry, giving furniture a makeover, decorating, taking a million pictures, doing hair or (my favorite hobby) doing makeup. I love creating beauty, whether it's on a canvas, a T-shirt, a wall, or a face.

That's all for our brief little intro! We'll be back to post more soon! Thanks!

Brandon & Erin