April 23, 2012

Everyday Minerals Glo base discontinued

I got this via email this morning (click image for larger view) and panicked since there seems to be a history of EM discontinuing my staple items (the Raw Sugar Bronzer AND the pressed powder foundation.) I quickly double checked the bases that I use and thankfully for me, I don’t use the “Original Glo” base.

But I thought I would post it to let people know that it looks like they’ll be selling them for a short period of time and then discontinuing them all together. So go grab som while you can if you use this base!

http://www.everydayminerals.com/store/base/original-glo.html

 

April 21, 2012

amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask review

I received a sample of the Amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask in the April Birchbox. I LOVE what this does to my hair. The photos are actually all the second day after using this (gallery below)

My hair was still shiny but not oily. NO additional products. No hairspray, no gel, no shine serums, nada. Just shampoo then the amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask. My hair was straight with a little more volume on the first day. Second day I decided to curl it without rewashing and this is how it looked at the end of the day.

I also LOVE that the ingredient list is all natural.

The big downside for me (and also probably the ingredient that causes the shine) – even though I rinse it out in the shower after 5 minutes, the dimethicone still seems to break me out a bit. I will give it another shot again in another week but I’m fairly certain this was what caused the couple of little deeper below the surface zits that are painful and last longer. That has been the pattern with anything that has “cones” in the ingredient list for me so I wasn’t surprised.

IF dimethicone doesn’t bother you, I definitely would recommend picking up this product and trying it.

April 19, 2012

klutchclub – like a fitness & health birchbox

KlutchClub is an interesting new company: A fitness and health box similar to birchbox but instead of makeup, full of goodies like DVDs, food and organic items. I’ve done an unboxing video linked below:

Embedly Powered

Ignore my comment about what people got in their box, it looks like everyone gets the same box and the website has more details on what the April box contains now: http://www.klutchclub.com/womens-box-subscription/

There may be some variance on the flavor of the potato lentil chips or some of the other items but I expect overall they are fairly similar.

What they say their company does: “We know you already know the value of accessing the best products and services to help you live full and healthy lives.  But here’s a reminder to help you fully explore KLUTCHclub.  Each month, you’ll receive a  selection of items that have inspired, motivated, nourished, comforted, and even pampered us.  You’ll receive anything from nutritious snacks to brilliant skincare to cutting-edge fitness regimes, all from a range of partner companies that we know and trust.  In addition, you’ll get exclusive discounts and offerings only available to KLUTCHclub subscribers.”

In my box:

  • “Kristin McGee’s Power Yoga” dvd
  • HyDrive Energy drink in Berry Blast
  • Zico natural coconut water
  • Tea Forte sample pack with cherry marzipan, honey yuzu, and cucumber mint flavors
  • Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser. Micro-dermabrasion in a bottle. A cleansing organic deep-pore facial wash.
  • Barlean’s Organic Oils Mango Peach Organic Swirl. Organic omega 3, flax and fish oil supplement.
  • Plentils in Garlic & Parmesen flavor. Gluten Free, wheat free, soy free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free, fish free, tree nut free, shelfish free.
  • Enjoy Life “Not Nuts: Seed & Frut Mix” in Mountain Mambo
  • Kind Plus Bar in Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + protein
  • gift code for $25 off of Hyde organic yoga clothing

It’s $18 per month if you do the month to month “subscription” and there is a 3 month or 12 month subscription option as well which will get you a bit of a discount. They have a page for next month’s preview but they don’t have anything up there just yet. http://www.klutchclub.com/next-months-preview/

KlutchClub Subscription Screenshot

I’m really happy I did this and I will probably continue to do this box on a month to month basis because these brands are brands that I know and already love plus I’m still getting to try enough that are new to me that it’s an excellent deal. At least so far. 😉

Are there other “box subscription” style programs you’re subscribed to? If so, which ones? Do you like this new subscription trend? I’ve been thinking about trying the Eco Emi subscription, are there any others I should be looking into?


Update: The yoga dvd was kinda disappointing but again still a good box.

I am however glad I’m doing this one month to month because the May box is a little less interesting to me personally.

May 2012 box

  •     Hydroxatone’s Instant Effect 90 Second Wrinkle Reducer this would be the expensive sample item in this box. If you’re interested in this, purchase this box because the full size is $70! This is however something I wouldn’t use, not natural enough and I don’t really have any fine lines to worry about.
  •     ONE coconut water I do like some coconut water but this doesn’t alone make this box worth it for me.
  •     Moving Comfort sports bras $25 off. Use coupon code: MOM and get 20% off your klutch order this month. So $14.40 for $25 off would be a good deal if I wanted one of these sports bras. For me, meh. For someone having a hard time finding a good sports bra to hold everything in place, I have heard good things about this brand.
  •     Yoga Download classes LOVE yoga downloads. They have a podcast that’s excellent and I’ve donated money to them to keep them going. Also bought the android app for the kindle fire. But not worth the box.
  •     Think Thin bars they use too much soy protein for me
  •     A KLUTCHclub water bottle meh

April 18, 2012

Business Outfit – dusty rose & gray


I had a board meeting yesterday so I was aiming for business conservative without being completely boring. The shirt is a very light dusty rose which comes across more like a cream in the photos.

Outfit details below. Click any image to enlarge.

Dusty rose silk Talbots top, Chico's gray slack, business outfit

I’m wearing:

  • Simply Vera by Vera Wang black heels seen in my previous blog post here. I got a lot of comments on these. Lot’s of questions about whether or not I thought I was going to fall in them too because they’re so tall. 🙂 I wouldn’t want to wear them daily but they’re fine for a day with a little walking and a fair amount of sitting in between.
  • Talbot’s outlet dusty rose silk top seen in this previous post. I love how simple the draped strips of fabric at the neckline make the blouse just that little bit interesting.
  • Chico’s gray dress slacks. These are a great staple item for me. So much so that I bought a second pair when they were on sale. Long enough to wear with heels and short enough that somehow I can still wear flats without them puddling at my feet. I believe they are the “Smooth Stretch Flare Trouser Pant, Style: 570034128” which they don’t seem to have gray in at the moment.

April 13, 2012

Zoya “Lotus” with Essie “A Cut Above” and Sally Hansen Crackle polish in “Antique Gold”

I DO think that Zoya’s “Lotus” looks better with a top coat. Particularly Essie’s “A Cut Above” pink glittery top coat would be my choice.

Zoya "Lotus" with Essie "A Cut Above" and Sally Hansen Crackle polish in “Antique Gold”

It draws attention to some of the pink undertones that Lotus has but are hard to see. I still feel like this isn’t a very spring color for some reason. Maybe because I’m personally interested in pastels, golds and neons for spring. :/ 🙂

Zoya "Lotus" with Essie "A Cut Above" and Sally Hansen Crackle polish in “Antique Gold”

April 12, 2012

April Birchbox 2012 unboxing

My April Birchbox 2012

Unboxing video:

Embedly Powered

 

What’s inside:

  • amika: Obliphica Nourishing Mask (see why I couldn’t pronounce this!) The ingredient list looks wonderful… but I’m not sure if the “fragrance” is synthetic or from natural oils. I’ve sent them an email and I hope they will let me know. EDIT: They responded “We use natural oils in our products.” 🙂
  • Juice Beauty: Oil-Free Moisturizer these products naturally have a scent. No synthetics but it’s also not fragrance free (if you are someone who HAS to have unscented.) I have tried this brand before and didn’t have much luck with it but I don’t think I’ve tried the moisturizer. It feels pretty good on my hand and the ingredient list is excellent so I will give this a shot.
  • Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift as far as I can tell there is nothing natural about this.
  • Zoya: True Spring Collection in Lotus This is a shimmery yet muted purple color. I’ve put it on a nail wheel (what are those things called) and I’m not impressed by itself BUT I think it will be a good color to use a crackle coat or some sort of sparkly top coat on. Birchbox, if you’re reading this, I lean towards jewel tones. Tru would have been a slightly better pick.
  • Lifestyle Extra :: dropps Laundry Detergent pacs in Fresh Scent. Haven’t tried this one yet BUT big plus is fragrance from natural oils! Ingredients : Laureth – 7 (Plant derived + biodegradable cleaning agent), Polyoxyethylene oleyl ether (Plant derived + biodegradable cleaning agent), Propylene Carbonate (Processing agent), Hexylene glycol (Processing agent), Agua (water), Fragrance (derived from natural oils)

What I mentioned that I didn’t get that I still want to try is the AlimaPure products. I said I was going to use my birchbox points but it looks like they are out of the berry color lip product I was going to buy and I know that the Alima site does mini samples of foundation and bronzer (not lips or eyeshadow as samples) on their website so I’ll probably do that soon. Bronzer is the other thing I’ve been thinking about trying from them.

If you want to sign up for Birchbox, please use my referral link! (please!): http://www.birchbox.com/?raf=3l3e7