Styled Pretty

The past couple days (part 1 and part 2) I've reviewed my first Birchbox subscription, which was curated by the wedding blog Style Me Pretty.  What does the recent divorcée wear while experimenting with wedding makeup?  This.

 

Jacket, Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted; dress, Xhiliration, swapped; sandals, Mossimo, Target; earrings, Walmart(?); necklace, handmade by me; embellished hair tie (worn as bracelet), Deepa Gurnani, Birchbox.

 

Things I like about this outfit:

• Cost: The total cost for the entire outfit was around $10.  The jacket was $1 at an estate sale, the dress was swapped, the sandals were clearance... You see what I mean.
• Lace: I love lace.  It is just so pretty and feminine.  
• Multi-tasking: I love how the Deepa Gurnani embellished hair tie looks as a bracelet.  

*This post contains referral links.  If you sign up for Birchbox or ipsy through the links I may receive points towards future purchases.  This is not a sponsored post.

Nice Day to Start Again

My first Birchbox is curated by the wedding blog Style Me Pretty.  It is one of the two beauty box subscriptions I chose to help me feel like me again after divorce.  The humor is not lost on me.  It's not exactly a nice day for a white wedding, but it is a nice day to start again.  Cue the Billy Idol.

I tried the products in my Birchbox yesterday, and, let me tell you, Birchbox is a great idea, wonderfully executed.  I tried everything in one go, so here are my thoughts, with pictures, in the order I used them.

• A card with information about the products: It's a little touch, but this card made a big difference to me.  I like having information about all the products in one place, in an easy to access format.  The card tells a little bit about each product and how to use it.

• Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator:  This says it's a powerful exfoliant.  It's not kidding.  It has the maximum amount of exfoliation that I can handle before it makes me skin raw.  That's a good thing.  Many exfoliants don't seem to have enough grit to actually do much.  This one quickly and easily sloughed off the dead surface skin, leaving my face feeling very refreshed.

Before.

I quickly realized it was a mistake to try to take
pictures in the mirror, but not quickly enough.

• Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow:  I wasn't sure whether this BB Cream would work with my skin because it looked a little too tan coming out of the tube.  It does work!  It's great!  The consistency is smooth and creamy without feeling greasy.  My skin looked dewy and felt incredible.  I seriously had to tell myself to stop touching my face because it was just so smooth.

Redness was reduced and skin tone evened withouth
a heavy feel.

• Laura Geller Beauty Baked Color True Blush:  I probably wouldn't have picked out this blush for myself, but I really like it.  It looks bold but still natural.  It's what I wish I looked like when I blush naturally or have just finished some healthy exercise. (In reality my face is beet red in those situations.)  So it's a bold blush that is natural, but better than natural.  

I love this rosy-cheeked look!

•  Kérastase Exilir Ultime:  The best thing about this hair elixir is the smell.  It works really well.  I think it minimized the number of flyaways I had in the Georgia humidity.  It left my hair shiny and smooth, but the smell is incredible.  It smells so good.  I wanted to get extra close to people so they could smell my hair, but that would be really weird.

You can't see that much of a difference, but the scent
is divine!

•  An embellished hair tie from Deepa Gurnani:  I started out with the hair tie in my hair, but I quickly switched it to my wrist and wore it as a bracelet.  I really like it as a bracelet.  It worked less well as a hair tie because my hair is very slippery.  If the hair tie was loose, it slipped right out.  If it was tight, you couldn't appreciate the pretty design.  It fits nicely around my wrist and looks pretty, and I can still use it as a hair tie in a pinch.  

Pretty pony.

The look: completed with the help of a little eye
liner and mascara.

• La Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover:  I am terrible about removing my makeup at the end of the day.  I know that many of my readers just wretched at the thought of sleeping in makeup.  I know I should take it off, but I usually don't.  This makeup removing wipe did a great job getting my face fresh and clean.  It smells like lavender, and I love lavender.  

The hair and makeup after 11+ hours.

Scrubbed fresh and clean.

 These samples are generous sizes.  I'll have weeks (months?) of use from the Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator, Laura Geller Beauty Baked Color True Blush, and Kérastase Exilir Ultime.  The BB cream will last for a few uses, but I may save it for times I want to look especially radiant.  The only sample that has very limited use is the La Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover.  Of course with two, single-use packets, I will get two uses from that product.  Still, I'm thrilled with these products and I intend to use them all.  

*This post contains referral links.  If you sign up for Birchbox or ipsy through the links I may receive points for future purchases.  This is not a sponsored post.

Hooray for Birchbox

I know I'm late to the sample subscription party, but one of the tactics I decided to use to recapture my spark is a subscription to two of the most popular.  I couldn't decide between Birchbox and ipsy, so for now I'm subscribing to both.  Birchbox came first, so I'll review it first.

The Birchbox subscription is $10 per month with free shipping.  I found a code for 50% off the first month, so my first month was $5.  According to a breakdown on The Subscription Box Family, the total value of the items in the box is $55.81.   I usually don't spend much on beauty products, so the subscription lets me try some higher-end products without spending too much.

The box that came was cheerful.  It's great packaging.  It made me happy to look at it.  It did give me a slightly twisted laugh that the fist box they sent me was curated by wedding blog Style Me Pretty.  Nothing says "recovering from a divorce" like beauty products aimed at brides.

I can see myself slightly modifying and reusing the box itself because it is a nice size for a gift box, and I like the "hooray" message on it.

The box contains:

• A card with information about the products
• Kérastase Exilir Ultime
• Laura Geller Beauty Baked Color True Blush
• La Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover
• Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow
• Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
• An embellished hair tie from Deepa Gurnani

I'll try and review all of these products tomorrow.  Get ready for beauty!

*This post contains referral links.  If you sign up for Birchbox or ipsy through the links I may receive points towards future purchases.  This is not a sponsored post.

New Times of the Old Girl

Typical afternoon: tired and dirty
from whipping the yard into shape.   

Hi, internet.  I haven't had a much time for you recently.  I've had a lot of change in my life these past months.  I got divorced.  My two dogs died.  I bought a fixer-upper.  I've been working morning, noon, and night at work and on the house.  Things will get better.  Things are already better, but I feel like I've lost a certain essential spark.  I want my spark back.

I have some plans for re-sparkifying.  They're coming.  I'm going to blog about them for the same reason I started blogging in the first place- accountability.

I'm ready to feel like myself again.  I'm ready to talk about it.  I'm going to do that here.