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(click photo for larger version) So this is a deep navy with small dot patterned shirt. I believe I got this last spring when I was thrift shopping.
It’s not my norm because I have a hard time getting button up shirts to not gape in the front and also not look like I’m wearing a tent.
Anyway, it’s nice and well made and looks ok. It is a full sleeve blouse but looked a little better with the sleeves rolled. I could wear it under a sweater though this winter too.
As part of my September Birchbox I received a blue lace twistband. Out of the box it looked ok but when I put it on the first time, the underside (which did not have the lace pattern printed on it) flipped over enough that it didn’t look great.
A month later, I’ve worn it a few more times and it’s just not holding up well. It doesn’t flip over as much in my hair but it still doesn’t look great AND it’s starting to come apart.
$14/6pk = $2.33 per band which is far more expensive than the average hair band and I would hope they would hold up better. They ARE more comfortable in your hair so I’ve relegated this one to nighttime braid use. The neon twistband from the March Birchbox is holding up much better but I haven’t used it maybe only twice.
If you really like these and want them to last awhile, I would recommend investing in some Dritz Fray Check. It’s a sewing product that is like a glue to keep the ends of ribbon from unraveling.
I still really like the concept because it’s like a better looking scruncie and easier on your hair than most hairbands, but I’m thinking about buying some elastic at the fabric store or online to go the DIY route for less and in a wider variety of colors. Or so I can have a pile of brown ones to last awhile.
Hint Hint: There are also people on etsy selling similar hairbands for much less.
More catchup posts here with photos I took in the Spring.
This is a gray slub shirt I bought at Target. I think it was clearance and I actually bought it because I wanted something comfy for sleeping in to go over a tank. It looked ok though with a tank under it and thought it was worth getting a few daytime uses in before it pilled (which it eventually did… as I suspected it would.)
Ignore the fact that the photo on the right is grainy, I was trying to show it with the rainboots (link is to a previous comparison review of rainboots.)
It was an ok shirt but I’m getting tired of shirts pilling so quickly. So far the only ones that don’t pill are the ones I buy at Chico’s but that gets boring after awhile.
The necklace I’m wearing was thrifted and actually used to be silver and a muddy nude. I painted all of the nude portions with a navy nail polish and it looks a lot better.
Is it just me or can it be hard to put together a good outfit that doesn’t involve a dress when it comes to rain boots?
These Kamik “Jennifer” rain boots are actually getting a lot of use. I ended up wearing these last Friday to run through a very muddy corn maze in Versailles (Kentucky) as well.
They wash off fairly easily which is nice. Tim’s boots (just an outdoor hiking boot) on the other hand involved scraping and scrubbing.
So I signed back up for KlutchClub. And I’m really looking forward to getting this box. I’ll do a review when I get it in.
They’ve made a few changes since I gave them a try in April. When you sign up for one month, it’s auto-renewing like birchbox so you’ll be charged $18/month but you can cancel any time.
But I saw what they plan on sending out in the October box and they had me at the Yurbuds, a brand I wanted to try and been hearing good things about. And the Devita Natural Eyeliner because I’m on the lookout for natural and organic cosmetics brands to try. The supplements don’t hurt either since I’ve really started focusing on doing protein shakes more. I’ve also been looking for a vegi protein that is NOT soy which is also part of this box.
Full disclosure: KlutchClub’s May & June boxes were sent to me by the company. These are my honest opinions however, not a paid sponsorship and I AM paying for my October box (and did pay for my April box.)
So I was running low on my Everyday Minerals base. Really low. And since I have to buy two different powders and combined them to match my skin (about a $30 minimum order) AND I have to wait for the shipping… I decided to try and find something quickly at the grocery.
What I wanted: Something that might serve as a quick in a pinch substitute and maybe to throw in my gym bag. Something that wasn’t going to kill me with chemicals either. No talc, no cornstarch, no parabens, no petroleum or mineral oil.
There’s not a lot at the grocery that fits those requirements. Even many of the powders labeled “mineral foundation” had toxic junk in them OR had something I know would break out my skin (cones like dimethicone. Dimethicone is a safe ingredient but it clogs my pores quickly for some reason.)
What I found was Physicians Formula Mineral Wear. Not the loose powder. Not the cream foundation. Both of those had junk in them. The plain pressed powder, spf 30, “16 hour airbrushing finish.” It’s pressed into a sort of wave pattern in a metallic aqua case. Don’t be tricked into thinking that because they have one good product that the rest of the Physicians Formula line has healthy ingredients too.
I bought beige. There were two colors available at the store. There are apparently 3 colors available total. If they don’t work with your skin tone you’re SOL. It appears to me to blend pretty well though. I put it on my arm both the top and the bottom (which are different shades from being outside … plus I have freckles) and it held up to not looking too out of place on both sides.
Cost: $11.99+tax
Cosmetics Database gives it a 3.
Active Ingredients: titanium dioxide (15%), Zinc Oxide (10%)
Inactive Ingredients: Mica, Zinc Stearate, Tricaprylin, Boron Nitride, Lauroyl Lysine, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Magnesium Silicate, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, May Contain:, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide
Click on any of the images below if you would like a closer view. All photos taken after a week of regularly wearing the Physicians Formula Mineral Wear
First impressions (first 10-15 minutes): Color works on my face. Better after I’ve added bronzer. It’s a little light for my skin otherwise. Coverage is not as good as Everyday Minerals and a little more obvious that I have powder on but it also doesn’t scream or look caked on. I think it’s a bit drying because suddenly I have some super-fine lines where I’ve never had any before. At least not regularly (if I don’t sleep and drink too much caffeine it’s been known to happen.) There’s no obvious makeupy smell to me which is good.
It’s the fine lines that already have me thinking that this is not something I want to wear daily. I’m not worried about natural wrinkles but I don’t want the products I’m applying to my face to start creating them at a rapid rate.
2nd DAY, applied my homemade moisturizer before the powder. Still dry feeling. Still creates little fine lines near my eyes. When I go to take it off at night my skin is flakier than usual. I suddenly realize this basically has retin-a in it which is sometimes used to treat acne. :/ I’m not sure but I want to give it a few more days.
After a day of wearing it: Well it stays on well. It doesn’t cause my skin to get oily. In fact still the opposite. Still dry at the end of the day.
3rd DAY, different moisturizer before applying it (Juice Beauty.) Trying to find the right combo. I don’t think I’ve ever felt my face this dry feeling this consistently. I don’t really like it. I think my face skin cells are turning over faster though which I’m thinking might be a good perk. Still dry feeling at the end of the night and now I seriously need to exfoliate. More than usual. I think what I dislike about this most is what it does around my eyes … how dry it makes that area even with moisturizer. Maybe I’ll apply something else around my eyes tomorrow. I don’t think more moisturizer is going to cut it.
OVER A WEEK:
Verdict. It’s really drying for me. This might be a good thing for some. If you have crazy oily face or acne I would give this a try. I have combination skin (usually … I still feel dry now without makeup on after a week of using this.) The color is good. It covers and evens out the skin blotchiness but I really seriously prefer the everyday minerals over this. I DO like knowing of at least one drugstore brand I can use in a pinch however.
I think I might keep it around and use it for my T zone on certain occasions like if I think I’m going to have a long day or might have my photo taken.
If you’re a birchbox subscriber, be sure to be on the lookout for an email giving you a choice on your October box (check those spam folders if you don’t see it soon!)
(More info below the screenshot of the email)
What is Goop? Goop is Gwyneth Paltrow’s “…weekly publication delivered straight to your inbox offering exclusive limited edition collaborations, recipes, travel notes, shopping ideas and wellness tips for you, your wardrobe and your home.”
Ok so it’s not only Gwyny’s deal, there’s a staff and writers and such. And yes, the products on the site are out of the average person’s price range. It’s been called a site for spoiled white rich girls actually.
That doesn’t keep this $515 cute heart cashmere sweater from being cute though. WAY out of my price range but still cute. $200 and I might start thinking about it as an investment piece … but it’s too casual for work so probably not still. But that’s besides the point. No wait, actually that IS the point.
This is exactly why I want to make sure I get the Goop Birchbox.
So be sure to look for it in your email if you’re already a Birchbox subscriber. I think the only way to opt in for this box is to click on the link in your email. If you’re not seeing the email, check your spam folder.
If you’re not already subscribed to Birchbox I’m not sure if you will get the option on sign up but it’s worth a shot. Sign up for Birchbox! (referral link):
http://www.birchbox.com/?raf=3l3e7
Oh also to note … apparently supplies are limited so act soon. This is the email confirmation I got (grumble):
