Tried a slightly different approach this time. Also, the sides come up just a tad bit higher than the front and back, and the skirt is shorter. I have to say…I like it. 🙂
Month: January 2013
Birchbox January 2013
I decided to sit on this post for a little over a week, just so I would have a chance to actually try out some of the products before talking about them. And I’m so glad that I did, because I fell in love with a few things that I honestly didn’t think that I would even like!
Birchbox Jan 2013 – Box 17
Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Thickening & Strengthening Serum – I have tried Oscar Blandi products when they’ve come in a Birchbox in the past, and I wasn’t really sold on their products…until I tried this one. I will be buying a full-sized bottle of this stuff, and that’s all that I have to say about that!
Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray – See the above review and add a “good gracious!” The combination of both products leaves my hair manageable, a little silkier, and my hair also doesn’t tangle as easily either. The dry heat protectant is interesting, because you almost don’t feel like you’re using a heat protectant. They’re usually wet and in a spray bottle, not in what resembles a can of hairspray! I will be buying the full-sized version of this product as well.
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner – I normally have issues with liquid eyeliner (shaky hands!) so I use pencil or gel instead, but I actually had no problems with this one. Color me extra surprised! The description says that it is user-friendly, and I would have to agree.
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy – I actually haven’t smelled this one yet, as I’m not really a fan of Juicy Couture perfumes on me, but it will go in the emergency sample fragrance container anyway. You never know.
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre 24-Hour Miracle Cream – Yay for French moisturizers, right? It says that it “heals dryness” and can be used as a primer. I really like this one. It is not a heavy cream, but I still prefer to use it at night. When I wake up in the morning, my skin is smooth and glowing! If I use it during the day, it’s only because it’s a day where I felt like using foundation.
All in all, I’d have to say that I really liked this box! But then again, I usually do. 🙂
Chuao Chocolatier – Potato Chip Bar
Chuao Chocolatier is a Venezuelan chocolatier based in Southern California, and their gourmet chocolate creations are known for their unique flavors and seemingly odd combinations. Such as their potato chip chocolate bar.
Wait, what? Chocolate and…potato chips? Yeah, the same scrunched up look crossed my face too when I first heard of a chocolate bar with that combination. But curiosity got the better of me, and I went ahead and ordered a bar through Birchbox using my points. Hey, that’s what the points are there for, right? 😉
The Potato Chip Bar is made up of milk chocolate, sea salt, and kettle-cooked potato chips, for that extra bit of crunch. It sort of sounds like a strange mixture of flavors, but honestly…it’s good. It’s really, really good. You taste the chocolate, you taste the sea salt, and you feel and hear the crispy potato chips. And the flavors blend together beautifully. I would have to say that this was definitely worth the $6.00 price tag. Yes, $6.00 for a bar of chocolate. But it’s not something that you would eat everyday. It’s an indulgence of sorts. 🙂
Now, I have absolutely no business eating chocolate right now, as I had my gallbladder removed a month and a half ago, and chocolate is one of the foods that still cause me to have a lot of pain. But this was worth it. It was WORTH the pain. You can purchase Chuao Chocolatier products through Birchbox, or you can buy them directly from the company’s website – Chuao Chocolatier. If you try their chocolates, please let me know how you liked them!
DIY Cleansing Cream
Hey there! So I mixed up a cleansing cream some time ago and decided to wait a few weeks just to make sure that it wasn’t irritating to my skin before I posted it. Again, my face is super sensitive! However, I like the results that I’ve gotten from this cream, so…here it is!
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Ingredients/Materials Needed:
Sterilized container to store your cream (can hold one cup of product)
Large bowl for final mixing
1 tablespoon of Jojoba oil (or you can use 1 tablespoon of glycerine)
1/8 C of baking soda (optional – for exfoliation. If you don’t want an exfoliating cleanser, leave this out)
1/2 C water in a microwave safe bowl
1/8 C Grapeseed oil
1/8 C Stearic Acid (powdered)
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1) In a microwave safe bowl, mix the jojoba oil, baking soda (optional), and water. Set aside for now.
2) In another microwave safe bowl, mix the grapeseed oil and the stearic acid. Microwave this mixture while stirring at 10 second intervals until the powder has dissolved. Transfer mixture to the large bowl.
3) Microwave the jojoba/water/baking soda mixture until it begins to boil.
4) Pour this mixture into the large bowl with the oil and stearic acid, and blend until the texture is fluffy/creamy.
5) Move the mixture into the sterilized container, and refrigerate until cooled.
6) Voila! You now have a DIY cleansing cream!
If you use the baking soda in the recipe to make this an exfoliating cream, be sure to only use it once or twice a week so as to give your skin time to heal and refresh itself between uses. If you’re using it as a regular cream (without baking soda), you can use it every day. Everyone’s skin is different, so please use your own judgement – if your skin has a reaction, please stop using the cream. As far as the shelf life, the cream was still stable after two months. So when you make it, just keep an eye on it. If it looks like it’s gone rogue, don’t use it! 😉
DIY Slouch Clutch – Tan Version
Again, in a sort of tan/beige color. Still need to fix a few things…
Relax, I've Had Coffee. 
