Blitz Blogging: May 2012 Birchbox

By sheer way of not having a tele, I don't have any prior knowledge of Gossip Girl and the themes of the show; the jist I've found to be high-fashion, rich, and gossip, so I probably wouldn't really watch it anyway. However, the themes of the show did provide some gem products in the month's Birchbox.

Dr. Jart Waterfuse Beauty Balm SPF 25++ is a silky, creamy moisturizer, primer, tint, and serum all in one. To be honest, long-term use of this product is out of the question for me, but I love the idea and the coverage. From what I hear it is one of the original Korean brands to come out with a BB cream, so I'm not surprised that it's the best I've seen (and felt) so far. With daily use my oily/combo skin starts to get a little moody with breakouts--partly because summer is so humid and hot, all the product and my natural oil is getting stuck on the surface of my skin all day. I will probably try this again in winter when I need a little heavier protection and moisture during the day.

Twistband Skinny Headband is a super stretchy band that I can use as a doubled over ponytail holder as well. I'm not super fond of the bright pink color I got, but I use this all the time and it doesn't leave a huge crease when you remove it. Generally I like them, but I have a ton of headbands already. I'm going to test mine out in the pool, and if it can stay on so I'm not blinded during swimming, I will probably change over to nothing but these!

Color Club Foil Collection is the second Color Club polish I've received in my Birchbox since starting in March. It's a very metallic gold that goes on a little thick but lasts well through hard work. This polish really needs a good time to dry, but once it sets, it's on for the long haul. Metallic gold is not my color or style but I'm not complaining about someone putting me on trend. Did you see the Essie metallics that came out? Cute!

Beauty Blender blendercleanser reminds me every time I see it to wash my brushes that I've been hiding in a drawer, so cleanliness is the virtue that this liquids been pushing on me since its arrival at my door. I don't own a Beauty Blender sponge but do need reminding to keep all my home stuff nice and sanitary to use on my sensitive face.Thanks for the reminder!

20% Pink Z-Palettes For Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For the month of October, Z-Palette will be 20% in their Fabulous Pink color in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Both the Large and Small sizes are discounted online at $16 (instead of $20) and $11 (instead of $14). This means it's a really great time to go do your own organizational project, and you can save enough to get the pre-cut magnets as well, you know, if you're into that kind of thing.

Click here for the Large!

Click here for the Small!

This prices are valid until October 31st, so treat yourself to something pink this month and really show some support, some taste, and some clean good fun by grabbing these awesome organizers!

Kirkland Signature by Borghese Mineral Loose Eyeshadow & Mineral Eyeshadow Base

$17.99 for 0.53oz/15g & 2 brushes

At Costco, magic happens; there is really no denying that. You get to fulfill those long-suppressed fantasies of binge-shopping and have next to none of the guilt. In fact right now all I feel guilty about is not getting the anti-aging wrinkle defense serum in conjunction with my night cream, oh and I really want Fango--not a real reason, but it sounds like a do-it-yourself spa day in a jar.

But COSTCO, my love, this is a lovely birthday present for me! You shouldn't have! Count 'em: 4 full size eyeshadows (0.07oz/2g each), a full size/larger base (0.25oz/7g), AND TWO FULL SIZE BRUSHES. And honey, I've paid more for a single brush that's done less for me and my beauty than even just one of this seven piece kit!!! Lordy, my personal heaven has arrived, and it's a warehouse.....?.....

without eyeshadow or primer, only concealer

Setting aside my personal love for everything Costco, first, the two included brushes a perfect for use with these eyeshadows and every other eyeshadow you own. That's versatility for ya. One is a liner brush with medium firm bristles that will not scratch the lash line and have a dual fibered look (coloring, not composition). The other is a tapered slightly fluffy blending brush for both all-over and crease application, again with dual coloration, and both are fantastic at what they do.

Z-Palettes and My Organization Project

Anyone remember a while back when I made some organizational promises to myself (and I believe I said I would do it within that month, lies!)? Well, I think I actually accomplished both! Shortly after my birthday in June, I graduated from Aveda, having sold over $1,000 in retail products and completing over $3,000 worth of services. I'd say that's above average and really marketable, wouldn't you? For a program I completed within 4 months (minus one day), um...yeah, let's go with decent. 

And to top that off, I feel far more comfortable saying I can, in reality, do someone else's makeup and get paid for it. That bit is mainly due to the fashion show from May, where I designed and completed 7 models' makeup (5 without any assistance from the other team member). Oh, and those Z-Palettes are here and getting pretty full! Here's what they look like right now:

I Almost Forgot! e.l.f. Daily Brush Cleaner and Brush Shampoo

e.l.f. Studio Daily Brush Cleaner and Brush Shampoo, $3 each

To be indiscreet, GET THESE, GET THESE, GET THESE. Now, onto an actual review of them.

These are unmissable tools that I forgot mostly because I use them without thinking about brand or color or anything, but I have to mention how amazing these work. First of all, washing your makeup brushes can be a pain in the butt that doesn't seem so necessary until it really is. When I think of washing brushes, I think of paint, which is creamy or liquid, I think of how you dip the brush in water first or you soak it to keep it "fresh" to use. If you're like me, most, if not all, of what you use brushes for is powder, so needing to wash them frequently seems tedious and unnecessary.

Lip Define & Shape Pencil from e.l.f. - Another Miss or Just Missed Me?

Day eight of e.l.f. Week...yeah, I can count. So far, you'll realize I am a big fan of e.l.f. products because you can really get an incredible result without killing a budget, which feels really satisfying if you're a hard-core beauty fan. Honestly, it's quite satisfying if you're a fan of just putting a bit more life into a look for work or day or night or whatever...

...This doesn't seem to be one of those products. First, because for me lip liners are rubbish (usually). Second because this dual-ended pencil is no different. Third because this is not only a product that doesn't look quite right but it does not wear well after about 15 minutes.

Shape on left, Define on right in daylight

Shape on left, Define on right with flash

The two ends of this pencil are Shape (called Nude, a pink with golden sheen) and Define (called Natural, a slightly plumed rose with rosy sheen), but neither stands out as particularly natural. The heavy sheen makes this feel very noticeable.

$?$?$? e.l.f. Studio Lip Lock Pen$?$?$?

At $3 I don't know what to make of this one. Guys, seriously, I have no idea whether this works or not. I don't use lip liner often, and I also don't wear dark lipstick so frequently either. After using the Lip Lock Pen upwards of a week, I couldn't tell whether I was seeing less smearing because I was trying to pay attention to whether there was any or because the product was working.

I feel kinda useless for this review, so I will be sure to keep trying, though I can't promise I will ever notice the effects of this product. (I find that the e.l.f. regular Lipsticks stay in place exceptionally well, and the Mineral Lipsticks don't migrate unless it's something that wouldn't be resisted by this type of product.)

e.l.f. Lip Lock Pen

e.l.f. Tools I Might Never Live Without Again

Clockwise from top right: e.l.f. Shine Eraser Oil-Blotting Sheets, Blending Wedges,  Toe Separators, Mechanical Eyelash Curler, New Nail Block, and Cuticle Pushers

Mechanical Eyelash Curler $1
Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✪✩✩
I don't curl my lashes often and don't, really don't, like for things to get that close to my eye, but these have never pinched me and I've gotten some fairly good results. My lashes are long and rather plentiful, and most mascaras I own curl them just fine; however, using the curler for special occasions has paid off for a little more eye-impact. Especially if you use curlers often or want a back up set or even want to try them out, worth it!

e.l.f. Mechanical Eyelash Curler

e.l.f. Brushes- Essentials, Studio, and Mineral

Left to right: e.l.f. Professional Brow Comb & Brush, Lip Defining, Bronzing, Eye Liner, Smudge Eye Sponge, Eye Shadow, Defining Eye, Blending Eye, and Eye Crease Brushes

e.l.f. (Essentials) Professional Brushes:

Left to right: e.l.f. Professional Brow Comb & Brush, Lip Defining Brush, and Bronzing Brush

Brow Comb & Brush $1
Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✪✩✩
Standard, but for one buck worth it, easily washable and durable in transport. I've had no teeth fall off or bristle fraying. This will last me far longer than $1 usually goes in value!
Lip Defining Brush $1
Beauty Newb Rating:✪✪✩✩✩
This one is not the best lip brush I've found, though I like that I feel comfortable using it and/or buying a bunch to use in cycle for combining colors or if doing someone else's look. Still worth it and easy to wash. Bristles stay stiff after washing but do fray periodically, have thus had some shedding.
Bronzing Brush $1
Beauty Newb Rating:✪✩✩✩✩
Pretty sure I've only ever used this as a blush brush, and when none of my others are clean, this gets the job done. I would only recommend using this with sheerer blushes/bronzers because it's not the best at perfect blending. More pigmentation would be more difficult to blend. The bristles are rougher than I'd like, not physically scratchy, but not luxurious to touch. Still works in a pickle though.