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!

OPI Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Shatter Polish

Regis Pink Shatter; 0.5fl oz/15ml

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, OPI has come out with a special pink shatter polish with part of the proceeds going to Breast Cancer research. Not only is this a fun and stylish way to show your support for the fight against this terrible disease, you can liven up any older colors that don't usually work for the season or on their own anymore.

Regis Pink Shatter by OPI

Worst Polish I've Ever Bought--Essie's 160 Sugar Daddy

Serves me right for trying to find a substitute for a Dior product I wanted...

When I was over at Easton, in Nordstrom I was eyeing Dior's spring pink polish, and I even whipped out a thumb and applied the polish. I passed though, because I thought "hey, I'm going straight over to Target after this; I will just match the color there." Lo and Behold I found what looked like the perfect match in the bottleEssie's Sugar Daddy.

Holy mess, was I totally wrong! Now, I've heard a lot about how fantastic Essie is supposed to be, and yes, this is my first polish from the line, but shouldn't you be able to see some color after FOUR coats of polish? Worse yet, isn't polish supposed to last more than a few hours before parts have literally worn off or whole nails have completely chipped/peeled away? Also, when you put four coats of polish on, it will take over half an hour for anything to begin to dry, and even then you should not go touching it within several hours.

Four coats of Sugar Daddy on thumb (left), bare nail on right with flash

Don't Break A Nail: Take A Nail Break!

Borghese Toscano Spice ($7.99 for 0.4 fl oz.)

Alright, while e.l.f. Week is rollin' along, I've been trying to keep my wits about me and my nails--I mean, nerves--intact. So tonight it was off with CHANEL Rouge Noir and onto Borghese Toscano Spice Nail Lacquer Vernis.

CHANEL Gets Another Chance with Le Vernis Rouge Noir

Rouge Noir in direct sunlight

Ok guys, I'm not gonna sugar coat this: Chanel has not wowed me yet. However, this does not mean I'm not still looking forward to trying many more products (granted there is a good return policy in place) and finding a few key pieces that I adore.

Which brings me to my current polish... Before all the holiday bustle, since we are on the subject, I took the opportunity to buy a nail polish trio containing Gold Lamé, Coromandel, and Rouge Noir. I had been lusting after Gold Lamé for a few months by that time, so I jumped at the chance to own it. Alas, the Gold was a disaster, Coromandel was an unexpected win  of a bright red, but Rouge Noir was the real prize from the purchase. At $23 a pop for a Le Vernis, it better be a smash hit, and at least this one is!

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Pro Nail Polish in Gold Silk- Possibly my favorite nail color ever.

$3.99 for 0.45 fl oz.

Today I present to you one of my all-time favorite nail polishes, and when I bought it I wasn't even sure I would like it! This is not your typical gold, which may be a big part of why I love it so much (I had to give away my Chanel Gold Lame polish because it was so so yellow). I have yellow undertones in my skin, some people call it 'golden' tone, and most golds are just too gold for me. This Gold Silk is perfect, a frosty metallic finish which reminds me of rose gold because you can just feel the skin-y pink and flesh tones in it. I'm really so in love with it.

I use a good base coat and two color coats to get the coverage and staying power, and then finish with a shinier top coat (in this case the same Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Nail Strengthener for both base and top coats). The brush for Rimmel Lasting Finish Pros are wider and flatter than the typical brush I've had in my polishes, for example e.l.f. nail polish, and I like how easy it is to cover the nail but not your cuticle. My polish skills have vastly improved over the course of Rimmel use, hurray!