Birchbox February 2012

I really need to stop watching the videos on the Birchbox YouTube channel. Because then I see the preview for the boxes before I get mine... And then I have a little disappointment when I see that an item I wanted isn't in my box. This month was the beauty blender. I hear lots of great things about it and have always wanted to try one to see if the hype is really just that. Alas, it was not meant to be.

But I'll get on to the things I actually got in my box for February.

Birchbox February 2012

Jouer - Luminizing Moisture Tint in Bronzed
The votes are in, and this award-winning tinted moisturizer
tops the list. It's our daily shortcut to dewy, glowing skin. 

Yet another Jouer product from Birchbox. The previous 2 Jouer products I received were both lip products, so this is definitely a nice change. Particularly because I didn't really care for either of those lip products.

At first, I was definitely hesitant to use this product and go out in public. I got it in the shade bronze and I've very hit and miss with any sort of bronzing product. I can either look good or look orange [aka bad]. The closest product I found that doesn't make me orange is Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Moisturizer in medium to tan. And this product requires a lot more work than I care to do.

I was pleasantly surprised with this product. It is suppose to be a tinted moisturizer. However, it's a little thicker in application and comes off more as a very light coverage foundation than a moisturizer to me. I do have to be careful with this though. While it is oil free, I did find that I broke out a little after wearing this product. However, that did not deter me from buying a full-size version of this product. I liked the effect it had on my skin and the light bit of coverage it provided.

colorescience pro - glow and go travel puff in kissed by the sun
Use these handy, powder-filled puffs to keep your skin
shine-free and luminous while you're out on the town

So far... I'm not liking this product at all. I don't know if I'm just being stupid about it or what. I can't seem to figure out how the whole puff thing works. Do you take it out of the little plastic covering or are you suppose to use that little perforated section to get the bronzer out. Until I can find out how to use this right, I can't really form an opinion. The directions are vague and this would be OK on-the-go if you kept the the outside packaging. So far, I've only found it to be a bit too messy.

dermalogica - daily microfoliant
Skincare insiders swear by this genius exfoliating powder. Just
add water to create a rich paste that will buff dead cells away

I love the concept of this because it is absolutely perfect for travel. Let's put it this way, it is way easier to clean up powder than liquid/cream products. Of course, we all hope no accidents happen but it's best to be prepared.

As for how this product actually works, it was alright. It would work if I were travelling but I can't say it had any special effects. It felt nice on my skin but I did not really feel much in the way of exfoliation.

EYE ROCK - Designer Liner
Stop wrestling with liquid liner and achieve a perfect
cat eye with these single-use stick-on liner

I don't know how to feel about these. It seems to be like a temporary tattoo in the form of eyeliner. I don't know when I'll use this because each of the liners seem to be a little bit dramatic for me to wear on a regular basis. Also, they are all black, which I usually don't ever wear. I would have liked to see a brown or a black-brown.

I also cannot say this would be any easier than using liquid liner as I don't have experience with liquid liner. I think the lines with liquid liner are too harsh for my tastes.  I'll definitely be talking about my experience when I do use these.

Birchbox Extras

Heart Shaped Nail File

Ok, I am not going to use this. I've been spoiled by my crystal files. With my somewhat flimsy nails do not like the feeling of the rough, somewhat cheap files. It is a really cute idea but I would not carry this in my purse as suggested but maybe my mom would be interested in having it.

Green River Ordinance
This was definitely a nice surprise in my Birchbox this month. I love finding new music and new bands. More bands should really be putting themselves out there in subscriptions, whether it be through beauty boxes [very good for any band that would appeal to young women] or maybe a subscription to a physical or digital magazine. They are listed as a rock band on their Wikipedia page but they are a bit more mellow than traditional rock. Birchbox gave their subscribers 7 of their songs:
Dancing Shoes
Endlessly
Healing Touch
Heart Of Me
Learning
On Your Own
Out Of My Hands


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I also want to note that my Birchbox for March is going to be the Teen Vogue version. I'm assuming that anyone who gets this box will pretty much be getting the same box, with very slight variations. If you sign up for a Birchbox subscription for March and want this box, you should get an e-mail. Even if you don't sign up for Teen Vogue box, there is still a possibility of getting it. My referral code for Birchbox is in the right side bar for anyone interested.

Budget cuts are a part of life

I hardly keep up with what is going on at my Alma Mater. At this point, outside of a few sisters in my sorority, I don't really care what is going on there. For some reason though, some of my classmates do. And one posted on Facebook about how our school had just cut out men's track and field, and men's cross country. 

In my mind, I feel as those this is a pretty staple sports team to have. It is a sport of disciple and in some cases, requires the least amount of money of many of our athletic programs. It does not require a lot of financial support from the students to participate, just being there and working hard. 

I am not an athlete. I never have been and I don't imagine I'd ever get into it in the future. Which may be part of the reason I can't truly deep down feel bad for this cut.

The other reason is because I've always been a supporter of the arts, which has been seeing a shrinking budget for years. In many cases, it is usually the first area to be cut. 

I was in the marching band at my Alma Mater. And every year was a financial struggle for us*. We had to be wise with what little funding we had. My freshman year, we started out with 5 school buses to go to local competitions and 3 coaches buses to go to one distant competition. When I finished out my junior year [and my last year in marching band], we were down to 3 school buses for fewer local competitions and (maybe) took 4 school buses for our one distant competition. Also in my junior year, our band director at the time [we went through 3 of them in the 4 years I went to my school] had fronted his own money to rent a truck to transport our equipment to our distant competition. 

We got lucky though that this particular band director fought so hard. He managed to get the marching band a truck of it's own, some instruments, and new uniforms. Granted, the truck and the instruments may have been owned before, and the old uniforms were probably somewhere between 15-20 years old, it was still a big leap for the band.

For athletics, there is always the option of creating a club. It is not nearly as competitive but it is something. And for athletics, it is a bit easier to form a club sport as oppose to a club marching band. Unfortunately, it does require them to find money in places other than the school. This is when you hope that the record keeping has been kept up-to-date and alumni are readily available to support where they can. It also requires finding someone to be the leader of the club and work on really getting it started. There can be little to no dependency on a professor to do all the work. This means getting people together for meetings, creating a committee, finding a teacher to sponsor the organization, and again, contacting alumni for financial support. 

So while I do feel sad about this cut in the athletics department, I cannot feel terribly bad. 

* It should also be noted that a part of that financial struggle was because of an occurrence that happened a few years before I entered college. The then band director had stolen money from the marching band fund and had run off with it.

Julep Maven - February 2012

Julep Maven Box - It Girl - February 2012

Is it sad that I get really excited when I get my notification that my Julep Maven box has been sent? I don't think so. For some mavens this month, it included a new product from Julep.

Julep Top Coat for Hair

I really was not interested in getting this item in my box [it was included in Bombshell, and Classic with a Twist]. I'm still loving my Amika hair treatment [October 2011 Birchbox] and have no need to deviate from it right now. I simply figured I'd share this with anyone who could be interested. 

For Boho Glam and American Beauty mavens, the extra was Essential Cuticle Oil [which I already have two]. This left me with choosing It Girl yet again this month, which is box with only nail polishes. Not that I have any problem with that but my addiction to nail polish is becoming incredibly noticeable...

Anyway, I'll get into the lovely colors I got with It Girl. The overall theme for this month was Oscars! And I love it! And the no polish that all Julep Mavens got was this:

Oscar - Sparkle like a star with this ultra chic, multi-dimensional gold glitter

It's a clear polish with gold glitter in it. The glitter itself is reminiscent of the glitter they sent in my December 2011 box. It's very tiny flecks that is not chunky. Application is very easy and doesn't feel too rough on my nails. It is definitely a layering type of polish. I would think the darker the under color is, the more the gold will pop!

Elizabeth - Midnight blue with a hint of shimmer

This is definitely not a color for every girl. Unless you perfect the art of one coat nail polish application, this midnight blue can certainly come off as a bit more purple-y black. Where I successfully put two coats of polish on my toes, the color definitely does not give the impression of blue. In those spots that don't quite have two coats, there is a bit of a purple hue. This comes off even more if you layer it with Oscar on top. If I ever use this color on my finger nails, it will most likely be for an accent nail. It's a bit too dark for my tastes and I don't really notice the shimmer. However, I know that colors on my toenails don't always look the same on my fingernails. 

Rachel - Warm rich copper shimmer

Definitely the winner in the box for me. I love love love this color! I could not wait to put it on! I was excited just from the pictures, which do it no justice. I'm definitely going to have to get a second wearing in sometime soon. It makes me think of a new, shiny penny.

Bonus! The people are Julep sure do know how to make a girl happy. As a little added bonus in the box, there was some dark chocolate shaped like an Oscar! I love the little bonuses that seem to really tie into the theme for the box. I like that it is a dark chocolate, which in my mind just seems a little bit classier than say, Hersheys [though I love those too].
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Currently on nails: Zoya's Kristen