July 2011 Birchbox

What is Birchbox? Birchbox is a membership service that delivers 4-5 deluxe size beauty samples to your door monthly. The cost is $10/month and that includes the shipping and handling. If you like what they send you, you have the option of purchasing full sizes on their website, many of them with free shipping. Membership also includes access to their website, which is loaded with beauty tutorials and the latest in beauty information. 

Last month I hinted that July's Birchbox was supposed to be something special, and special it was.  For July, Birchbox partnered with iconic designer Cynthia Rowley to create a box filled with Cynthia's personal favorite things.  This months box was a special present and opening it was a delight.

The first thing different I noticed about my box, was that it was covered in a pretty water marbled over wrap, just like gift wrap!  Inside, instead of the traditional pink tissue paper, this months goodies were wrapped in pretty turquoise tissue.  The wrappings while pretty aren't really the meat of this box though.

Inside was a beautiful nude Zoya nail polish.  It's a pretty pearled nude that actually looks good on me.  I've struggled with nude nail polish and it always gives me cadaver fingers.  Zoya's Shay had enough reflective properties to help me pull the look off.

Also included is a 1 fl oz sample of my favorite cleanser Purity.  For more on this fabulous cleanser check out my post here.  Needless to say I was quite happy to receive this travel size of my favorite cleanser.

I have been on a seemingly endless search for the perfect hand cream.  I almost found it in this months Birchbox.  It's the Ahava Mineral Hand Cream.  It absorbs nicely into my hands with a nice soft non-greasy finish.  Unfortunately it has a rather strong fragrance (not unpleasant) and due to my "real" job I have to try and stay "fragrance free".  There's also some political stuff brewing around this Israeli based company and I prefer my cosmetics to be a "political free zone".

My favorite addition to this months Birchbox is the the Redken Shine Flash 02.  This is a hair shine product that leaves an almost glossy finish to my hair.  Cynthia Rowley uses this on her models before they march down the catwalk.  I love the finish it gives my hair, it even tames those pesky baby hairs.  I do not love the stinky smell.  It quickly evaporates though and is undetectable in my hair.

Last but not least was this months "treat".  Tucked away in the box was a KIND Almond & Apricot bar.  I have seen these before at Starbucks and have hesitated to try them.  Not any more, they are yummy! This snack is loaded with nuts and fruits, but no preservatives or "hard-to-pronounce" ingredients.  Since trying this, I have purchased several of the other flavors and Almond & Apricot is my favorite.

Have any of you subscribed to Birchbox or are you thinking about it? The last two months have been great, can't wait till August's box comes!

5 Great Nailpolishes for Summer

Summer is almost here and to get you in the mood, I thought I'd share with you my favorite summer nail polishes.  Summer is the time to go bold on your nails. Whether it be your fingers or your toes, these colors shout summer.

Zoya, Kimmy is an orange based red that's loaded with tons of sparkle.  Kimmy has a nice red base and tons of gold reflects. It's not a glitter polish, the finish is smooth and glossy.  Kimmy isn't subtle at all, she's a party waiting to happen.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, Coral Fever is a perfect coral polish.  I love the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure formula and Coral Fever didn't let me down.  It's a bright coral cream, but not obnoxiously so.  Coral Fever bridges the gap between the subtle peach tones of spring and the bright oranges of summer.

Essie, Trophy Wife screams summer.  It's an electric teal with a pearl finish.  Beautiful on your fingers it is an absolute knock out on your toes.  This is a color that works well with both cool and warm skin tones.

Essie, Watermelon is a bright pink cream finish polish.  Think of a really ripe juicy watermelon on steroids.  Essie describes it as a juicy red.  While I agree with it's juiciness, I see far more pink in it then red.  Just looking at the color makes my mouth water.

 Chanel, Mimosa is a bright sunny yellow.  Originally I was going to pass on this color, but every time I saw it, I had to pick it up.  As a rule I NEVER pay that much for nail polish, but for the sake of you, my readers, I made the sacrifice (aren't I great!). This is a yellow that looks best on warm skin tones.

You may have noticed that I'm haven't included any of OPI's new colors in my list and that's because I just can't get too excited about their summer release inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean.  The colors are nice but they certainly don't say summer to me. Not to say I didn't pick any of them up (3!).  I really love the silver Shatter!

Do you have a favorite polish, one that just screams summer?  Time to pull it out and get ready for the bright sunny days ahead.

April's Birchbox

After much anticipation and many disappointing trips to the mailbox, my April Birchbox finally arrived.  It was a bit late this month because it contained something a little different, and required special shipping. 

This months Birchbox "theme" was Earth Day, and in honor of Earth Day the boxes were loaded with earth friendly products.  I was excited to receive this months Birchbox because I had heard it contained nail polish.  Nail polish can't be shipped by air, hence the special shipping and long wait for my box.

My box was indeed filled with eco friendly products.  Inside the box I found skincare, fragrance, nail polish and as an extra, a lovely tin of Italian Chamomile tea.  Unfortunately,  the cleanser lid had cracked and leaked a bit in my box.  It wasn't a catastrophe by any means, just a bit disappointing.

The perfume sample was Liv Grn, Natural Eau de Parfum.  The description on the Birchbox card states it is "made from biodegradable and sustainable ingredients".  The scent is described as "bright, grassy and laced with orange and neroli".  I really like this fragrance and will definitely be putting this on my wish list.  The fragrance is not overpowering and brings to mind a bright spring day with big fluffy clouds.  Best of all, 10% of the sales go to Global Green.

The nail polish that I was so excited to receive turned out to be Zoya,  Dove.  Dove is one of the colors in Zoya's spring collection, perhaps my least favorite. Birchbox describes it as a "chic gray hue".  Obviously there are people who love this color as it is very popular, I'm just not one of them.  I also already have the color;  I received it as part of their International Women's Day promotion.

The skincare portion of the box contained the cleanser I referred to earlier and Weleda, Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion.  The facial lotion contains organic rosehip oil, which is full of antioxidants and vitamins.  I love the light rose fragrance and have enjoyed using it the last few nights.  Would I buy it?  I'm not sure.  It is lovely on the skin, but I don't notice anything spectacular about it.

The cleanser was the biggest disappointment.  It was the Suki, Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, something I had been wanting to try.  Obviously the cracked lid and spilled product played a part in my disappointment, but it was the way my skin reacted that sealed the deal .  Birchbox describes this cleanser as a "magical two-in-one" cleanser that foams when you add water "and remedies dull skin and clogged pores with raw sugar, rice flour, and organic lemongrass".  I loved the strong smell of lemongrass, the feel of the cleanser foaming up and the gentleness of the exfoliant, but it left my skin stinging and red.  A full size of the Suki, Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser is $29.95.  Thanks to Birchbox, that's money I have saved.

The bonus sample in this months Birchbox was a tin of Zhena's Gypsy Tea, Italian Chamomile.  I'm not a lover of chamomile tea in general, but this one is pretty good.  After making a cup of tea, I throw the used tea bag in a bowl of hot water for an hour.  I then use this water to rinse my face at night after cleansing. 

I contacted Birchbox by phone and by email 4 days ago regarding my cracked cleanser.  I have not heard back from them.  I'm not overly upset about the cleanser being cracked, but I am upset about their lack of response.  A simple return call or email apologizing for any inconveinance would of gone a long way.  Today (4/25) I received a very nice email from the Birchbox team apologizing for the cracked cleanser.  That's all it took, and now I'm very happy.

Overall I'm very pleased with this months Birchbox.  Not all the items in my box were a hit, but that's kind of the point.  I got to try products I've been wanting and was introduced to products I was not familiar with.  For $10/month I still feel my Birchbox subscription is a good investment.  Let's not forget how fun it is to open it every month.


April's Birchbox
Sorry for the picture quality, my camera took a siesta.


For more information about Birchbox click here.

Have a Beautiful Earth Day!

Earth Day is almost here and I'm hoping you all are thinking of at least one way you can be kind to Mother Earth.  For those of you looking for idea's, I have a great one for you.  An idea that will not only benefit Mother Earth, but be good for your health.  Wait for it...nail polish!  Yup, that's right, nail polish.

Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and toluene are 3 toxins common in nail polishes today.  Not only are they bad for the environment, they are harmful to your health.  When looking for nail polish you should look for products that are free of these toxic ingredients.  Lately more and more companies are reformulating their polishes and introducing 3-free lacquers.  One company that has been on the leading edge of this movement is Zoya. 

Zoya make a great polish and unlike most 3-free companies they have a huge range of fashionable colors (over 300!) that will appeal to everyone.  The colors are intensely pigmented and very easy to use.  One word of caution though, don't mix them with a topcoat containing those nasty toxins.  Not only will you defeat the purpose of using an earth friendly product, but Zoya doesn't last as long when combined with DBP, formaldehyde and toluene.

 

To help you celebrate Earth Day, Zoya is introducing a polish exchange program.  You send them your old toxin filled polishes and they will responsibly dispose of them.  In exchange for sending your old, nasty polishes you can pick out the Zoya colors of you choice for only $4 a bottle.  That's 50% off the retail price.  If you prefer not to ship your old polish, you can donate it to a women's shelter or some other shelter that would benefit, just don't toss it into a landfill.

This is your chance to clean your cupboards out, get rid of those old polishes you never use, get some great new colors that are good for you and be kind to mother earth all at the same time. Click below for more information. Happy Earth Day!

ANNOUNCING THE 2011 ZOYA NAIL POLISH EXCHANGE

Out with the old - in with the new! In honor of Earth Day from April 20, 2011 - April 27, 2011(11:59PM EST) Zoya Nail Polish will exchange* your old, out-of-style, unwanted nail color and replenish your nail polish supply with fresh Zoya fashion colors. All you pay is $4.00 per bottle for shipping and processing. Choose from over 300 formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) free, long-lasting, award winning, healthy colors to replace your old color! Zoya will properly dispose of your old polish.

Here's all you need to do!

1. Go to Zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles  and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salons accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles.)
2. Apply the code:  EARTHZOYA
3. Your order value will be adjusted to reflect the promotion
4. SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! YEA!

Once you get your order (Here is where the exchanging* happens)

Ship back the equivalent number of bottles to the ones you received to the return address below. (ie. If  you got 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes)
Include a copy of your order receipt and ship to the following address(please check with you carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish)

Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA

Once we receive your polish we do the rest! It’s that simple!

IMPORTANT!

The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand). We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!