Showing posts with label Styling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Styling. Show all posts

Friday, February 20, 2015

February Birchbox Unboxing - 2015

It's that time of the month again (no not that time of the month), it's Birchbox time! I am on the fence about these monthly beauty subscriptions lately for a few reasons. One is that they are very hit/miss, even though I am very careful to curate the quizzes they make you take which help determine what you receive. Another reason is that I end up with samples that I won't use, but don't feel good about throwing out. I do try to give them away to people I think would like them, but I don't have many girl friends here in the city.

Anywho, on to the photos of what I got this month!


They have really stepped up their game of the look of the box lately. I love the bright colors because I am SO READY FOR SPRING!


If you haven't seen the inside of a Birchbox box, here it is. They've started putting the smaller samples into those smaller containers which is cute, but not really necessary. I suppose it might help keep things from rolling around too much and getting damaged, but who knows.


The first item out of the box is a sea salt spray which I'm very interested in trying, but also VERY skeptical about. I have extremely curly/dry hair, so I'm afraid this might make it look ratty rather than beach-chic. I have always envied women who can attain those gorgeous beach waves. My hair tends to look horribly disheveled if it even thinks I'm near a beach.


The second item is a body lotion. I have received the body wash from this brand before in a Birchbox. It smells of rosemary and is amazing. I don't mind receiving something so similar twice because it's such good quality. The size of the sample is perfect, I will get a good few uses from it.


The third item is a conditioner. I'm glad that if they aren't going to send me a set that they at least send me the conditioner instead of the shampoo because, let's face it, we all run out of conditioner first. This has honey and calendula in, so I'm excited to smell it and see how well it works (even though there's only enough for one use. I have super long hair). 


The fourth item is a mascara. I'm cool with receiving mascaras every other month because I don't buy non-drugstore brands ($$$). However, if you don't like getting them, brace yourself because this is an item that is sent out often (though not as often as black eyeliners).


And the Fifth and last item is a CC cream with SPF. I have to be honest, I am completely disappointed in this sample. I would never consider this to be a "deluxe" sample (which is what you are promised with this service. I received this size in a BB cream before from them (different brand) and was hoping it was a one-time occurrence...apparently not. I love the brand Supergoop!, I think they have great products. I use their sunscreen all the time and will repurchase when I run out, but this sample is sad. I feel like the point of a deluxe sample is to have multiple uses to be able to make the decision to buy this product that is most likely a higher-end product ($$$). I can't make a decision to spend a chunk of money after only one use, that's not how I roll. 

Overall, nothing too exciting, in my opinion. One sample I've had something similar before, one is too small to do much of anything with, one could cause my hair some serious problems, one is a mascara, and the last is one use of conditioner (though I'm excited to try it). 

This is the kind of box that makes me wish I had just saved my money, but having someone introduce you to new products and brands is half the fun. Like I mentioned before, these services are hit/miss, so you just need to decide if it's worth it for you to start and continue. I have had some really nice boxes with exciting samples, so I won't be cancelling anytime soon. I will, however, be reviewing these products so that they are aware of my opinion on the samples.

That's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

I Tried: Braid Hawk (Curly Hair)

Lately I've been seeing a hairstyle dubbed the "braid hawk" floating around Instagram and I kind of like it. I typically wear my hair in only three different ways; down, side braid, and top knot. However, I have been keeping an eye out for my next "look" and when I saw this I just couldn't resist.

And then I remembered that my hair looks like this...


Which is great! I'm not complaining. I love my curly locks, and they are so indicative of my personality. Buuuuuuut it's not so great for braiding. In fact, it's really annoying for braiding, but I soldiered on because I didn't want to be left out of this cool (at least I think so) trend.

so, without further ado here are some pictures of my first attempt at the braid hawk!

Side

Front

 
Side With Eyes Closed...

 Back

Top

After trying to section off the first three pieces of hair I felt immediate regret for having begun this process, but I was committed! By the end of it all my arms were tired and had not a single drop of blood left in them, and I'm pretty sure I damaged my hair trying to section it off. 

This style is basically a poof at the front with a french braid that you loosen up afterward. I did notice that this looks better if the sides are tight to your head because it really helps to show the height of the poof and braid to give that faux-hawk look. If you have little fly-aways, just pin them into the base of the braid to hide the bobby-pin and add a little hairspray for good measure. 

I really enjoyed wearing this hair style (after I regained the feeling in my arms) and will probably do it again in the future. If you are wanting to shake up your look, but don't want to make any serious changes, I feel like this is a great alternative.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and thanks for stopping by!