Birchbox September 2012: Underwhelmed.

This is the second Birchbox that left me going, "...eh."

This looks like SO MUCH STUFF, right?  It's an illusion!

This is what's really in this box.  I'm excited about two things in this box, indifferent about two, and disappointed in two.  Can you guess which are which?!

1.  Nexxus Pro-Mend Hair Care Samples - $0.25 + $0.37 + $0.21 = $0.83
2.  Benefit Skin Care Samples - $0.47 + $0.49 = $0.96
3.  Color Club Nail Polish in Status Uptade (Update?) 0.25fl oz- $4.00
4.  Twistband - $1.83
5.  Mighty Leaf Tea in Vanilla Bean, Chamomile Citrus and Green Tea Tropical - $1.99
6.  Youngblood Mineral Primer 5ml/0.17floz- $6.97

Total Value: $16.58

There is also a coupon for Madewell ($25.00 off of a $75.00 purchase).  The Lookbook in the box is a collaboration with Madewell.  It's cute, but parts of it kind of miss the fall trends.  This fall is calling for an interesting blend of shades, sages, crimsons, plums; and beige is a timeless color for balancing out so many deep, smoky possibilities.

I'm really, really excited to try the primer from Youngblood.  I've heard the name Youngblood here and there, and my interest has grown in them the more I hear.  The fact that they're so passionate about cruelty free makes me very happy (and curious).  I'm always excited about tea, so these Mighty Leaf samples are no exception.  I've been curious about the whole Twistband craze, so I'm excited to get one to try out.  I'm always happy to receive nail polish, and whereas I hate tiny bottles, I do like the color I received.  The samples leave me underwhelmed and I'm sure I'll pass them on.

I think this is the end of the line for Birchbox and I.  It's been fun, and I've had some good boxes, but overall I'm unimpressed.

Day four: your favorite eyeshadow color

Hands down? Green. These are my greens just from msc, haha.  & I'm missing a few.

posted from Bloggeroid

Madd Style Cosmetix: Queen of Hearts Collection!

I still remember being terrified of the ill-tempered Queen of Hearts when I watched Alice in Wonderland as a child.  When Mo announced she'd be doing a collection based off of the character, I was so excited.  When I saw the colors, I was even more excited.  The collection is a beautiful range of pinks and reds, and as a vegan, I'm always super excited to find pinks and reds that I can use, haha.  Even better, because they're loose pigments, they're super easy to mix into gloss, nail polish, eye seal, etc to use them as more than just eyeshadows.

The Queen of Heats Collection is $21.00 for five pigments and a glitter bag.

Here are a description of the colors taken directly from the MSC page:

♥ QUEEN OF HEARTS- a metallic red with pink and silver sparkle
♥ SEEING RED- red with subtle shimmer.
♥ PAINTED ROSES - a coral pink with rose glitter.
♥ OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! - a blood red burgundy with color shifting glitz.
♥ FLAMINGO CROQUET - a flamingo pink :)
♥ [BROKEN HEARTS - dusty pink glitter]

So let's dive into some swatches.. even though I'm terrible at them.

From L to R: Off With Their Heads, Queen of Hearts, Seeing Red, Painted Roses, Flamingo Croquet, and Broken Hearts glitter

 Make sure you get this collection, because like most collections, once it's gone; it's gone.

FTC:  I was provided this collection as a gift.  I will also be using it as a model of the company.  I was not paid for this article or my recommendation.  These are my honest opinions, and I reserve the right to them.

Fellow Madd Cat Tiffany's blog

So many of you are already fans of Madd Style Cosmetix, and as such, probably fans of Tiffany.  And if you're not, you need to go add her blog RIGHT NOW.  As if the fact that she's pretty amazing isn't enough inspiration, she's holding a giveaway that includes, among others, a whole lot of Madd Style piggiez!

Check it out:
http://mrsaull923.blogspot.com/2011/06/giveaway.html

Madd Style Cosmetix = Love

Like you guys didn't see this one coming from a mile away.  =]

So a few months back I started modeling for the fantastic & fabulous Madd Style Cosmetix (then Madd Style Cosmetics, hah).  My sick love affair with this company has grown exponentially since to what I'm calling Pokemon-status (GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL).  It's hilarious.  I have 13 purples & I need at least 5 more.  Yes, need.  Because not having every single color leaves a sad void in my life.

But to be fair, I'm currently panicking because I don't have Phantasm & I specifically need that color.  It comes with the territory of modeling & representing a brand; you need the resources to showcase the colors.  And I mean it when I say I need them all.  Because no two piggies are the same (which is both a blessing and a terrible, terrible curse, haha).

I realize that this is a terrible piece of writing and possibly a little too stream of conscious (and with my ADD, it's certainly all over the place), so now that it's 6am, I'm going to call it a night.

Go check it out for yourself:  http://www.artfire.com/users/MaddStyle

No, really.  Click on that link.  =]