May Birchbox: CWs Gossip Girl

I know - I know we're only hours away from the month of June and here I am just getting around to sharing my May Birchbox. By the way have you visited their

website yet or become a member?

At any rate lets move right along with the contents of this here little box-o-surprises.

I must say I love the box cover. Do you watch Gossip Girl? I'm totally guilty of not watching it. I've heard of the show via commercials and such but haven't seen an episode.

Here we have the lovely tissue paper wrapping our goodies.

 

I must say this is by far the best box I've gotten!

 

Alright so here are my two cents on each item:

Bvlgari - Omnia Cystalline de Toilette Spray- YUM! This is by far my favorite ever!

I LOVE IT! Its soft, clean, crisp, sexy, seductive and flat out delightful.

I must add this to my collection.

Color Club - Clambake Coral- I am loving these Color Club polishes. They last an

insanely long time. This color is perfect to use at this exact time of the season.

This polish doesn't need a top coat because it has the perfect shine. Love it.

Kiehl's- Abyssine Cream- I don't like the smell but I do like how it works. This tiny

jar has a good amount of product to test for a good two and half weeks. By the way

I used it only around my eye area and I like it. No wonder its a longtime bestseller.

Ojon- Damage Reverse Restorative Conditioner- as with all the Birchbox items this one

was also a like! It left my hair soft and smelling fresh. I may just buy it.

Bonus item is a notecard - its cute and simple nothing fancy. I don't know that I'll

ever use it but hey I may just use it as a book marker.

And here is the description card of all the samples included and the prices just incase you

want to buy them.

That's all folks ... until the next post!

Belated April Birchbox Post

Hello my darlings! I'm a day late and a dollar short with this post. Nonetheless I will share my April Birchbox items. Check them out.

As with my first Birchbox the inside was nicely decorated with tissue paper and

all items were nicely wrapped.

Here is a close up of all the items.

 

And here is a list of all the items with a description and price just incase

you want to try them out for yourself.

My thougths on each items go a little something like this...

Benta Berry G-1 Exfoliating Facial Cleanser - indeed this cleanser is creamy and softly exfoliates. My skin was left soft and I must admit it was quite "bright".

Pangea Organic Lip Balm - I love everything about this lip balm with the exception of the smell. WOW it sure is a strong "in your face" smell. It does wear off after a while but for the time you can smell it - I really don't like it. Otherwise it does leave my lips soft, soft and soft.

Weleda- Pomegranate Firming Day Cream - this felt no different than my day time Olay face cream/lotion. In my opinion for something to make a noticeable difference a tiny sample doesn't do it. This one was enough for a two day use and this one here made my skin feel soft all day long.

Wonderstruck Taylor Swift - I love some Taylor Swift songs but not so much this perfume. I'm not much for strong smelling perfumes. Perhaps after the day progresses the smell will not be so strong and I'll end up liking it - perhaps I shall try all the sample again? I'll toss it in my purse just incase I walk out of the house without perfume.

Beauty Extras - both items were good for the one time use. My opinion again for me to see/feel a difference I'd have to use it more than once. For this one use facial scrub and eye cream - its was nice.

That's my two cents on this here belated Birchbox treat. By the way I got my sister, Pattie, into Birchbox and she says its a montly treat and nice way to sample items you wouldn't otherwise sample. I couldn't agree more.

Until the next post,

*This is not a sponsor blog post. I paid for the monthly membership with my own money. These are my opinions and thoughts of items received.

No Chip Nails

Hello there glad you can join me. Shall I get to the nitty gritty of this post? Is that a yes? Well then lets carry on shall we? I've heard so much about the no chip nails when I get my nails done that I figured why not do some research first.

I found several reviews on this product and thought "hhhmm why not try it for myself?" So, off I go and purchased Nailene SensatioNail starter kit. I saw something similar at Ulta and figured this was pretty much the same concept.

Before I show you the end results just look at my horrible nails. The things that happen when I don't put enough time into my nails.

Ok, moving right along. I unpolished my nails and lightly buffed the nail bed.

[Let me say I was so mad when I broke my nail. ugh]

This is all included in the box o' goodies.

Here is a close up of the little bottles.

This is how my nails turned out.

 

Not to shabby. However, after a week and a half this is what happened to my nails.

Sad. So sad. The nail color looked dull. And my index finger nail broke [my car door came right at me and by impulse I put my hand out to catch the door. aahh, finger nail bent all the way back -insert scream here- OUCH!]

My over all opinion of this products is ...

Although it seems pretty simple when you read the instructions it really is a time consuming process. Shall I say "for me" it was a time consuming process? The removal process was an even bigger pain in the neck. Soaking with 100% acetone for 45 plus minutes and using my nail drill didn't make me a happy camper.

Would I use this product again?

Possibly. But only because I didn't save my receipt and I can't return the darn thing. I must add that I used another similar product and that one took even longer. eekk.

Conclusion, I will use this product again with the hope that practice makes perfect. I'm a believer.

Now for the questions of the day. Have you used this product? What was your experience?

Until the next post,

 

Please note: The items mentioned in this post were purchased by me. In no way, shape or form have I been compensated for this review. Nailene doesn't even know who I am... yet.

Living Room Lighting

BAM!!! "Then there was light." Yeah that would pretty much sum it up for me, seriously. When I rented my apartment a few years ago I failed to notice there weren't any light fixtures in the living room {enter long sigh}. I blame it all on the two windows that let in a tremendous amount of sunlight. Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

This is what I got to fix that little issue.

Needless to say this wouldn't last long. So, after a long search for a drum lamp shade I found this one...

It is so 70's isn't it? As a matter of fact while watching "Just Wright" I spotted this very lamp shade in the background. Ok, maybe it wasn't my drum lamp shade but it sure was its twin. Anyway I took a field trip to the local hardware store and purchased lighting items and came home to piece these items together.

After a few hours of piecing this ...

I came up with this...

I have to get one of those circular panel things that block the visibility of the lightbulbs. But for now I'm really loving this.

Until the next post,

How To: Creating Eyebrows Using Powder

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing how I create my eyebrows using eyebrow powder. Yes, I said create. I do not have naturally glamorous eyebrows so in order to achieve

a semi-presentable pair of eyebrows I create them.

This is how my undone eyebrow looks --eekk-- no shape and its not full.

Let's get started...

Comb your brows in the direction in which they grow.

Next using an eyebrow powder line the bottom part of your brow.

By the way I am using NYX eyebrow powder in Taupe/Ash.

I am using the darker shade of the two shown.

Do the same for the top part of your brow. If you are creating an arch make sure you don't make it to sharp as it may not look natural.

Using a feather like motion add powder between the lines you've created.

The results should look a little like this...

Keep in mind that there are many tips and tricks for eyebrow application, this is just one of them.

Basic How To's of Eyebrows:

1) When possible use two colors.

2) Light color is applied to the inner quarter of the brow through about the mid point.

3) Darker color is applied from point where light color ends (right before arch) through the tail of the brow  (be sure to blend both colors). 

    4) Follow above steps (1 & 2) for pencil application. For the light part use a light handed application and for the darker part simply build on the color.

Hope that helps and let me know if you try this.

Stay tuned for part two of this post

"Define Your Brows"

Until the next post,

*This is not a sponsored post. All items used or shown have been purchased with my own money.

For business inquiries please email lealumiere@yahoo.com subject line Sponsor Blog Post*

Birchbox

Have you heard of Birchbox? I read about it through blogs that I follow. Basically it is a company that offers a variety of product samples for $10.00 a month.  Here are the items that I received in my first Birchbox. 

Packaging is quite simple.

These are some of the product samples received.

Thus far I have tried the nail lacquer, day moisturizer, luminizer tint and the toilette. The picture doesn't do the nail laquer Peace out Purple by Color Club any justice. It is a bright purple that reminds me of an Easter kind of purple. Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer by Ahava is wonderful. I applied a dime size amount on my hands last night and its been well over 24 hours since applied and many hand washes later my hands feel amazing. Illuminating Moisture Tint in Golden by Jouer nice. I applied some as a finishing touch to my cheek bones and the pay off was brilliant. It gave a good amount of illumination without over powering the rest of my makeup and its oil free a major plus for my combination skin. And last but not least is Eau d' Hadrien by Annick Goutal Paris. It is a toilette that is quite the citrus lovers dream. It is not one of those "in your face" citrus smells at all. This would be something I'd wear after a shower on a summer night right before going to bed.

I still have to try out the Orofluido which is a beauty elixir for your hair. I'm looking forward to trying this product out. The last item would be Tea Forte. It states being a skin-smart antioxidant amplifier tea. All are infused with green tea and either honey yuzu, cherry marzipan or cucumber mint.

This is a description of what I received. It shows the price in the event I want to order full size items on the Birchbox website.

I've been reading and watching reviews on Birchbox and found that feelings are pretty mixed. I'll keep ordering and we'll see how things go in the months to come.

Have you tried Birchbox? What are your thoughts?

Until the next post,




*This is not a sponsor blog post. I paid for the monthly membership with my own money. These are my opinions and thoughts of items received.

Merry Christmas

From my home to yours I wish you and family a Merry Christmas. Let us not forget but remember why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Happy Birthday Jesus! 

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