Poncho: Target / Jeans: Forever 21 / Shirt: Express / Necklace: Forever 21 / Sandals: Target / Watch: FabFitFun / Bracelets: H&M, Forever 21
One styling technique I've only really started using over the past year is more layering! I tend to wear tank tops under everything and just throw a nicer looking shirt over that before running out the door, but recently, I've been trying to think more creatively when it comes to layering different pieces in my wardrobe. Normally, I'd wear this poncho on its own (because it already makes such a statement) but who knew that combining it with a dressy blouse and statement necklace could breathe so much more life into the outfit! Plus, the crazy bright accessories don't hurt either ;)
I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your spring season! Thanks for reading ♥
Travel Beauty Essentials!
This is my first year out of school and the first year I'm missing out on Spring Break! It's kind of bittersweet - I miss looking forward to breaks and having an entire week where I didn't have to worry about anything! In reality, though, I'm not a huge fan of crowds so I never traveled to the beach locations that are popular with college students nowadays, but I still love the idea of hopping on a plane and spending just a short couple of days in a new place!
I recently traveled to San Francisco for work and got to thinking about some of my favorite travel beauty products. One of my biggest pet peeves about traveling is packing too heavily. I don't like having to check bags (too many lost luggage stories to count!) so I do my best to limit myself to a carry-on. Since there are liquid limits for carry-on bags, I have to get creative when it comes to packing my beauty products - which are mostly liquid based! In the spirit of Spring Break, I thought I'd share some of my favorite travel beauty essentials with you today :)
Up & Up: Exfoliating Wet Cleansing Towelettes
I use these Up & Up towelettes for removing my make-up every night and I love that I can easily grab a pack on the go for when I'm traveling! They do such a great job of getting all of the make-up off of my face, I typically don't even need to wash my face a second time (particularly useful for busy travel days!). Personal experience tip: Target sells two types of these towelettes, one named "exfoliating" and one "refreshing". I've enjoyed the exfoliating ones because they haven't been too rough on my skin, but for some reason the refreshing ones make the delicate area around my eyes sting!
I have slightly curly hair that needs a little bit of a pick me up in order for it to stay curly. At home, I have about a million products that I use interchangeably but my favorite product to bring on the go is Ogx's Moroccan Surf Paste. It holds curls exceptionally well and my favorite part - since it's a paste, it doesn't need to go in my liquids bag!
Daisy by Marc Jacobs (Eau So Fresh)
This is my favorite perfume because it's super light and is the best blend of fruity and floral!). It also conveniently comes in a little rollerball or spray pen that I can take with me on trips. This is a must-have for me because I always feel a little blah after spending hours on a plane. A little whiff of this pretty smell is all it takes to bring my energy levels back up.
Power of Love Natural Lipstick by Pacifica in Tender Heart
This lipstick is one of the best (full-size!) samples I've received from ipsy. The shade of this lipstick is a slight nudey brown which makes it very easy to swipe on without having to watch too carefully for color bleeding out of place. When I'm traveling, just a touch of nude lipstick can keep my face looking alive without requiring any extra care or time!
This is a relatively new addition to my collection but I already love its versatility! I have 4 elf face palettes (contour, cream contour, blush, and bronzer) and when it comes to traveling, there's nothing that beats these palettes. All of the individual pans in these palettes easily pop out and can be mixed and matched with other palettes. This is awesome for travel because I can put my concealer, bronzer, and blush all in the same palette and just bring a single palette that covers almost all of the face products I need!
NYX Jumbo Eyeliner in Milk
I'm not the greatest traveler in the world because I tend to get cranky when I don't get enough sleep - and this lack of sleep definitely shows on my face! A little bit of white eyeliner does a ton for brightening up the eye area so I make sure to carry this jumbo eyeliner with me :)
Last but definitely not least, I've loved this elf powder brush so much that I actually bought a second one specifically for traveling! I think it's originally intended for applying powder to the face, but I've found that it can actually do much more than that. It's also fantastic for blending both cream and powder blushes or bronzers on the cheeks thanks to the flat top design of the brush. I love bringing this brush with me on trips because it does the double duty job of both applying and blending make-up products!
Featured Travel Beauty Essentials:
Final Tip: Don't forget your toothbrush! Like I did. Last time I traveled. Gah! I don't travel too much now because I'm such a homebody, but it's one of my goals to take more short trips so that I can visit new places without stressing out about leaving my cat alone at home! Got any short trip travel ideas for me? I'm always looking for more must-see locations to add to my list!
Thanks for reading ♥
Birchbox: March 2016
As you may already know, I’m absolutely addicted to subscription boxes, and one of the biggest internal subscription box debates I’ve been caught up in is whether I like Birchbox or Ipsy better! I vacillate between the two every month and I'm never sure which one to commit to since there are always on and off months with both subscriptions. Since I was a little fed-up with my Ipsy bags over the last couple of months, I decided to swap back to Birchbox for a couple of months. Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription ($10/month) that sends full-size and sample-size beauty, hair, make-up and skincare products.
Pinrose: Moonlight Gypsy & Pillowtalk Poet
While I'm not the biggest fan of the smell on these samples, I do love that these samples are presented in a creative way. These Pinrose samples are fragrance towelettes that you can easily carry around and brush across your skin when you need to freshen up. Since carry-on liquids have to meet a certain ounce criteria and have to be separated into another plastic bag, it can be quite the hassle to bring regular perfume while traveling. I’m excited to bring these little towelettes on-the-go with me without having to stuff them into a separate bag!
Cargo Land Down Under: Eye Shadow Palette
As I've mentioned before in posts about other beauty boxes, I try my hardest to indicate in my preferences that I do not want to receive eye shadows. I don't use them very often and already have way too many from beauty subscriptions! I decided to try out these eye shadows anyway and found that they were a little too shimmery for my taste. While I love that the lighter shade is shimmery - I expected the darker shade to have stronger dark pigmentation to it.
Parlor by Jeff Chastain: Volumizing and Texturizing Conditioner & Shampoo
Shampoo and Conditioner is something that I typically don’t love receiving in subscription boxes because I honestly don’t care that much about the shampoo/conditioner I use. As long as it smells good and isn’t absurdly expensive, I’m happy. Both of these products smell fantastic so I’m excited to use them the next time I travel (they’re the perfect size!), however, I didn’t love the packaging of the conditioner. Instead of coming in a nice twist-close container like the shampoo, it came in a flimsy plastic sleeve that will be difficult to seal up for re-use.
Ner:D Skincare: Miraculous Brightening Clarifying Face Cleaner
I’m all about trying out new face products, but this sample was a little disappointing! The instructions say to work the cleanser into a rich lather but I could hardly get even a couple of bubbles out of the stuff! On top of that, the cleanser has a very classic soapy smell which makes it seem like you’re basically just throwing a bar of hand soap onto your face. I’m going to give this cleanser a couple more uses before I make a final judgment but so far, I’m meh on this product.
Dr. Lipp: Miracle Balm
Aaaaand here is the star of this month's Birchbox! At first I thought this was just your average lip balm but after following some of the suggested uses on the back - I've actually started using them on my brows to keep stray hairs in place! I love that this product is multi-functional - it makes me feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck! The only downside? This sample is so small - it's hardly an inch tall! Usually I expect to get a liiiiittle bit more out of a sample so I was disappointed by how small this sample was.
Final Verdict:
I really wasn't too happy with this month's Birchbox - I received a lot of samples for product categories that really didn't interest me at all! So what's the status of my internal Birchbox vs ipsy feud? I think ipsy might still have a slight edge! While I originally started with Birchbox, I'm now remembering why I switched to ipsy. Though Birchbox has an awesome points system for its shop, the samples I receive are much smaller than the ones I receive from ipsy and usually involve more shampoo/face cleaner type products - which is great if you love these - but if you're like me and you don't really pay that much attention to what shampoo you're buying, it may not be worth the $10 a month.
Soooooo it's official, after a small spurt with Birchbox again, I guess I'm back to ipsy! I think in the end, Birchbox's samples are just too small for me. I'm happiest when I'm getting a bargain and with ipsy, I feel like I'm (for the most part) getting my money's worth. Next month's review will officially be an ipsy review again! (And maybe I'll be more loyal to ipsy from here on out!)
What are your thoughts on the ipsy vs. Birchbox debate?
I'd love to hear about your experience!
Featured March Products:
