September Birchbox- Unboxing!

The September Birchbox theme is fall fashion- how exciting is that???

The first thing I noticed when I opened my box is the magazine. I really like that Birchbox is making its service more "luxurious" by including this little magazine. On one hand, I'd rather get more deluxe samples, but I did like the magazine.

The first sample is a deluxe POREfessional by Benefit. If you've read my blog in the past, you'll know this didn't work out for me, but I know I can give it to a friend whom this will work for, so this one was "meh". Full size is $29

Next was the Color Club Custom Polish. I received "Insta-this" , a beautiful bright cobalt blue. This reminds me a lot of the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Pacific Blue that everyone's been raving about. I kept eyeballing it at the drugstore, but I'm definitely happy with this ColorClub version! Full size is $8

This little perfume sample is of Kate Spade's Twirl. I like it. Its very fruity with a bit of floral but I don't think I'll be running out to get it. Full size is $18-80

 

Next we have foil packet samples of the Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Treatment System. I'm not the hugest fan of packet-type samples as I much prefer deluxe sizes, but I've heard good things about this line, so I am excited to try it. Full sizes range from $9.99-$14.99

Last is the twistband hair tie, I received the red one. I had purchased a pack of these in jeweltones in the Sephora version forever ago, so its nice to have received a different color one. I'm liking red for fall. I'm already thinking about a high pony with this and some matching red lipstick. A set of 12 will run you $18.

Then lastly, 2 lifestyle extras. one is a Tili Bag, which I've never heard of. It's pretty much a ziplock bag with really cute designs on it. Not incredibly useful, but its not really part of the 5 sample deal- its an extra and it is cute. Maybe I can use it to store my makeup or skincare stuff when I travel.

The last lifestyle extra is a digital download of music by Tristan Prettyman. Another "meh" inclusion.

Overall, I did like this box with my favorite items being the Color Club Polish and the twistband hair tie.
Are you subscribed to Birchbox? What did you think of this month's box?

Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel

I was extremely excited when this product came out. It's marketed as a nail polish that has the longevity of gel nail polish. So... I stalked my local drugstores until I found a display at CVS (makes me sound like a creeper!). I picked up the pretty copper color, 140 "Fall Mood" and the top coat.  I was really puzzled because I did not find their base coat on the display but I later learned that the base coat didn't come with the original display. That's just weird and makes no sense to me. I really wasn't willing to order the base coat online, so I set it aside and waited for the base coat to come into stores.
I finally had a chance to do a mani and here is the verdict. I loved the color- a beautiful metallic copper that looks a lot like rose gold. Here's what the polish looks like (plus base and top coat):

Application was a breeze and the formula easy to work with. However, I noticed that it took FOREVER to dry. I used thin coats but even after an hour, I managed to mess up my nails pretty badly, which you can see a little bit of in my pinky in the picture above. also, the polish had a really strong, strange smell. I couldn't quite place my finger on it (no pun intended!), but I guess the closest way to describe it was a strong, plastic-y odor. Usually this wouldn't bother me but it actually continued to smell for a few days- until I removed it.
This is Fall Mood after 2 coats For some reason, the nails make the polish look much more orange. The way it looks in the bottle is dead-on though.

Revlon says that this nail polish will last up to 10 days however, I removed it after four. I was impressed at the fact that there was no chipping, but there was some noticeable tip wear. I tried to get a picture, but my camera wasn't picking up on it clearly. Overall, I did notice that this polish stayed on longer than most, but the strange smell really threw me off. I think I'm going to pick up another color to make up my mind about this line.

Have you tried the Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel? What color(s) did you try and what was your experience with it?

NOTD: Turqoise and Caicos

Today's NOTD is Essie's Turqoise and Caicos. I've heard so much buzz about this color and while I don't usually gravitate toward blues or greens, this was such a pretty color it was hard to say no.  actually ended up really loving the way this color looks on my nails- this was three coats:

The formula was a bit goopy which surprised me. I feel like the typical Essie formula is usually on the runnier side. While the formula was a little hard to work with, at three coats it looked smooth and even.

Here's a closeup (by the way, the color is dead on. I just installed a new lighting system in my office and it looks like Times Square up in here!)

I really like this color. Have you tried any trendy colors that are outside of your comfort zone? What color was it and did you end up loving it?

Guest Mani!

Hey all!

Today's post will feature my friend Jessica's mani. She used Essie Lilacism and Essie Cute as a Button for the accent nail.

Image credit: Jessica

I love the way she used two of the hottest color trends for spring- a pastel and a bright coral (you guys know I'm all over coral right now!)
If you aren't into brights, pastels, especially lilac, is very flattering on every skin tone. A great alternative to Lilacism is Essie's St. Lucia Lilac in case you can't get your hands on Lilacism.

What do you think of Jessica's manicure? What fun colors have you been trying for spring?

Oh my... GOSH

Over the weekend, I was in the car, when at a traffic light, I happened to glance over through the window of Duane Reade. Dare I believe my eyes? A GOSH display? But wait, I thought GOSH was exclusive to the UK? All these thoughts took about half a nanosecond to process and before anyone new what was happening, I yelled that I'd be back, dashed through oncoming traffic and ran into Duane Reade as fast as my little legs could take me. Yes. This is how I know I need an intervention lol.
The GOSH display was a large end cap right in the from of the store and carried polishes, mascaras, liners, primers, powders, bronzers, lip products, and a small section of their current collection. My heart was set on the legends that I have yearned for from YouTube like the holographic polish (#549) and Darling lipstick but I knew it was too good to be true, as both were already gone from the display.

However, I am still super excited that this brand is now in the US, so here are some things I did pick up:

(Clockwise from the dark polish)
(a) 007 Rebel Yell, a dark dusty teal
(b) 595 Miss Sweety, a creme finish peachy-nude polish that will give the mannequin hand effect
(c) 608 Dusty Rose, a darker version of Miss Sweetie that leans more tan
(d) Lip Gloss in 0059 (no name)
(e) eyeliner in White- great for brightening up the water line and inner corner highlights.

I will keep you updated on my experiences with these products. Have you ever used anything from GOSH? Are you interested in checking this brand out?