Spring Tag

I got tagged by my friend Danielle to do this tag a while ago and I'm finally getting around to finishing it.

1. Favorite spring nail polish?
Wet and Wild megalast in I Need a Refresh-Mint. It was my favorite last year and I still love it.

2. What is your must have lip color this spring?
It's my Revlon lip stain and balm in Victorian.

3. Show us your favorite spring dress?
My favorite spring dress is white with a black design along the top and bottom. I also love my yellow strapless dress I bought last year but I need to lose the weight I gained over the winter before I can wear that one again.

4. What's your favorite flower?
In the spring I love tulips. Otherwise I love roses all year especially the lavender ones, but they can be hard to find.

5. Favorite spring scarf/accessory?
My favorite spring scarf is a floral one I got a few months ago because I thought it was really pretty and its light. My favorite accessories are my rose earrings. The teal ones are my favorite but I love them all.

6. What spring trend(s) are you most excited about this year? I'm excited for bright colors. I have so many colors of eye shadow and I'm excited to experiment with them now that winter is over.

7. Favorite spring candle?
I just bought myself a Peach Bellini candle from Bath and Body Works. That is one of my favorite scents from there.

8. Favorite body spray/perfume for spring?
I just bought the Pink Chiffon body spray from Bath and Body Works and I have worn it every day since I got it.

9. What is spring like where you live? This year we had snow on our third day of spring but usually it's rainy but we get random weeks of gorgeous weather.

10. What's your favorite thing about spring?
The weather. Right now we are having a streak of amazing sunny days. I also love when the cherry blossoms bloom at the beginning of spring.

11. Are you a spring cleaner? I want to be but no I am not. I wish I could be more organized but for some reason I just can't seem to make myself do it.

12. Any plans for spring break or an upcoming vacation? I just got back from visiting family in Arizona a few weeks ago. I don't really have any other big trips or anything planned.

Ipsy vs Birchbox-March

This is the third month of receiving the beauty subscription boxes/bags. When I signed up I knew that this was the month I would make my decision on whether to continue my subscriptions or cancel one or both of them.

This month Ipsy's theme is The Great Escape.
What I got in my Ipsy bag-
Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist(1oz) I think this stuff smells so bad I can't even try it on my face. Which is disappointing because this was the item I was most excited about. I dumped out the mist and I'm keeping the bottle for traveling. The only good thing about this in my opinion was that it is a really nice size for being a sample.
Glam Rx Freestyle Mini Palette-This is the only thing in my bag this month I ended up liking. I'm excited to put shadows in this when I travel or to keep in my purse.
Yaby Eyeshadows in Azalea Petal and Seashell-These are both really similar to MAC shadows I already have in Star Violet and Shroom. I hoped they could be good dupes that were travel size, but only one of them was.  The Azalea Petal looks like it would be pigmented but it does not show up at all on me. I might repurpose this color and turn it into nail polish. The Seashell is a really pale with a slight shimmer so it makes a good highlight color. I will use this one.
LA Fresh Makeup Remover Wipes(8 wipes)-They smell like baby wipes which I'm not a fan of, but they remove makeup so they do their job. I will keep these around for back up when I run out of the ones I have, but I would not purchase these.
This is the first month this year where there has been a printed bag. It's a super cute nautical theme and I am obsessed with navy blue right now so I loved it.

This months theme for Birchbox is March Madness.
What I got in my Birchbox-
Whish Shave Crave Shave Cream in Blueberry(.75oz) This smells just like blueberries and it's really creamy. It worked ok, I will keep  this one around for travel.
Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Sulfate Free Color Saver Shampoo (2oz) First thing I noticed was that it smells really good. It got my hair clean but I haven't been using it long enough to really be able to say if it's color saving. I will be using up the rest of this sample.
MAKE Matte Eyeshadow in Burnt Umber (.03oz) It's really pigmented and feels super soft. It is a really dark matte brown so it will also make a great color for eye liner.
MAKE Face Primer SPF 30 (.18oz) Again a really small sample. Since it's a face primer you don't need much so I actually tried it out. Since it has an SPF it ended up feeling really greasy on my skin. I plan on keeping this in my purse in the summer as emergency sunscreen for my face.
Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board-This was the beauty extra this month that came in all the boxes. I can always use a new nail file so I am happy with it.

This month for the first time Birchbox won for me.  I was so excited for my Ipsy bag and it was really disappointing when I actually tried out the products. I have had low expectations for my Birchboxes since I haven't been super impressed so far, but this month made up for the first two.

I have decided to keep my subscription to both boxes for now. I have hope that Birchbox will continue to improve and Ipsy has only been a disappointment this one month so far so I will continue.

Nail Day

Today I'm spending the day with my 12yr old cousin. She is a little bit beauty obsessed so after going through all my makeup and watching me put on mine we decided to do our nails.

For mine I did two coats of Wet n Wild megalast in Through the Grapevine. On my ring finger I did two coats of Sephora by O.P.I in It's Bouquet With Me.

She decided to be a little more adventurous. She picked five colors and painted each nail a different color. Starting from the pinky she did Sinful Colors in Fusion Neon, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Lickety-Split Lime, Wet n Wild megalast in I Need a Refresh-Mint, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Lacey Lilac, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Snappy Sorbet.

Ipsy vs Birch Box-Feburary

Since it is awards show season both Birch Box and Ipsy had "red carpet ready" themes this month.

What I got in my Ipsy bag
Coastal Scents eyeshadow quad in Glitz and Glamour (.07 oz) I'm really glad I got this quad the other option was golds and i already have those in my Urban Decay Naked 2 pallet.  They are really pigmented and are really good colors for a smokey eye.
Pixi Flawless and Poreless primer (.5 oz) This isn't bad but it still does not work as well for me as my favorite TooFaced Primed and Poreless primer. 
popbeauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! in Smoky Black (.17oz) I have so many mascara samples in my makeup drawer so I have not wanted to open this one yet.
Mica Beauty Cosmetics gel eye liner- it didn't come with a brush so I haven't tried it as liner yet. I did experiment with using it as a base for a dark black and grey eye and it smudged easily.
Lash Cards Mascara Shields (it came with 4 cards) These are supposed to help prevent mascara smuding but  I don't really see the point. I feel like it would be more work to try and hold one of these up to your eye while trying to put on mascara. They are also supposed to be single use which seems like a waste of money.  If I ever decided to use them I would definately use them more than once.

What I got in my Birch Box
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara in Excessive Black (.135 oz) It has an s shaped wand which is different.  It coated all of my lashes really well and it didn't flake. I really liked this one.
Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (20g) I have used almost this entire tube. So far I really like it. 
jouer matte moisture tint in Hazel (.07oz) Smallest sample EVER. I doubt there is even enough to cover my face so I have yet to try it.
TwistBands Headband in Gray- It's cute and really soft and stretchy. I don't wear headbands often because they never stay on my head but I do really like this one so maybe I will use it.
Ghiradelli Milk and Caramel Squares (one square) This was the Birch Box extra this month. I love these, chocolate and caramel can really never go wrong.
(not pictured with the Birch Box products are the TwistBand because I couldn't find it and the chocolate because I ate it) 

This month they were kind of equal.  I am still  dissapointed with the size of the samples in Birch Box some of them have been so small that I will not get a good enough impression of the product out of just the one use I get from the sample they send.

Travel Beauty Essentials

Right now I am in Arizona visiting family so I figured it's a good time to post about the most important things I had to bring.

Since I was determined to carry my luggage on the plane this was a perfect opportunity to use some of the samples I have laying around.

John Frieda Root Awakening Purify and Nourish Shampoo. Burt's Bees Ginger Citrus Body Wash. Clean and Clear Morning Burst Fruit Infusions purifying face wash. Yes to Cucumbers face wipes. Boscia Oil Free Moisturizer. Got2B Smooth Operator Leave-in Conditioner. Biosilk Silk Therapy. Bath and Body Works Energizing Orange Ginger body lotion. Pantene Hairspray.

Primer- TooFaced Primed and Poreless. Foundation- Cover Girl 3 in 1. Concealer-Rimmel Match Perfection. Powder- Cover Girl Fresh Complexion. Blush-Rimmel Lasting Finish in 030 Berry. Eye Primer-TooFaced Shadow Insurance. Eye Shadow-e.l.f pallet. Mascara- TooFaced LashGasm.  Brushes- Real Techniques stippling brush and blush brush and my Sonia Kashuk travel eye brushes.