June Birchbox - "Jet Set" Style

I'm not gonna lie, the days that follow, right after I get my "Your Birchbox has shipped" email, are like torture! If I haven't tracked the shipment, I go to my mailbox every day hoping to see that hot pink box just ready to be opened and explored. 

Plus, for the most part, I never really know what kind of box is coming so it tends to be a suprise, although July's Box - a partnership with Glamour magazine, has been announced & it sounds pretty cool:

details here

I was extremely excited when I opened up this month's Birchbox and saw the insert:

It's a box devoted to "products that will indulge your inner jet setter" I travel a lot for work, so Birchbox alone is perfect for me...I get to sample TONS of new products and take them with me, since they're travel-size. But a box specifically devoted to travelers or traveling, I'm absolutely loving it!

So here's what came in my box:

{1} Stainiac in Beauty Queen - two-in-one lip and cheek stain (a sheer, gel formula) 

{2} winks by Georgie - easy-to-apply faux lashes

{3} Hair Rules: Volumizing Shampoo - sulfate-free

{4} La Fresh Eco-Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser (similar) - biodegradable wipes

{5} tili Bag - printed plastic bag

Also check out the...

...for tips, tutorials, videos and and the latest news on deluxe beauty samples!

Do you get a monthly Birchbox? If so, what did you get this month (since everyone's Birchbox is typically a little different, based on their beauty profile)?
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Check out my other Birchbox posts:

Have You Heard About...Birchbox?!

May Birchbox - "XOXO, Gossip Girl" Style

Beauty Box Giveaway Winner!!!!

Well, it's Thursday (almost Friday, right?!) and I'm posting today to announce the winner of the...

I posted this giveaway announcement last Thursday and gave everyone LOTS of chances to enter. It cutoff last night at 11:59pm and I had so many entries...I was so excited! A total of 35 people entered, but some entered up to 7 times.

The giveaway prize includes:

 (1) Travel-size Aveda Hand Relief, (2) Travel-size Aveda Foot Relief, (3) YesTo Blueberry Facial Towelettes, (4) Target-brand nail polish remover pads, (4) essie nail polish - A Cut Above, (5) sample size of Splendid Dirt Pumpkin Puree mask, (6) Sephora eucalyptus cuticle oil, (7) Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Creamsicle, (8) Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm, YesTo Lip Butter - Sweet Fig...

AND

*a couple of bonus items that I'm throwing in*
A pair of my handmade bobby pins from my Etsy shop: Plenty of Pins is one extra item!!

I loved hearing about which product(s) you were most looking forward to using, if you won the 'box of beauty goodies'! Thank you for all of your lovely comments & tweets and for ALL of the follows via the blog, Facebook, Twitter, my YouTube channel, & Pinterest

I am thrilled to have over 50 blog followers now, almost 50 Facebook followers & I just hit 100 followers on Twitter last night! :D

Alright, so first off, let me explain...I know that there are 'random number generators' out there and that some online tool could have easily taken all of the entries and popped out a name in a few seconds (I'm sure I may even end up using one of them at some point down the road). And you can call me strange or crazy, but sometimes I just have to break away from technology and do things my own way. ENTER, the old-fashioned 'name (or entrie(s) in this case) in a bowl' method. No, I'm not kidding...after 11:59pm hit last night, I wrote out each name/entrie(s) on slips of paper, put them all in a bowl/vase and picked one. Time consuming...yes (well, not really...probably took me about 15 minutes). Kinda fun...yes. :) So if a person had 5 entries, his/her name was written on 5 different slips of paper to be entered into the giveaway.

  AND...THE WINNER IS:

Cynthia W. had 5 entries & was most excited to try the Aveda Hand Relief (girl, it's the BEST)

Congratulations Cynthia!!! 

Cynthia ~ Please email me at changeisnecessaryforgrowth@gmail.com with your mailing address, and I will get your beauty box, full of goodies, out to you ASAP! :)

Again, THANK YOU to all that entered, consider trying any or all of the products I offered in the giveaway - they are some of my favorites & be on the lookout for another giveaway sometime soon.

Giveaway Time - Some of My Favorite Beauty Products!!

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY ON THE BLOG!!

If you have been following my blog for awhile now, you know that I am an avid Birchbox member. If you don't know what that is, read more here. Anyway, I am always looking for the best products out there...for hair, nails, skin...you name it! And over time, I've come to really use a handful of favorite products that I stand behind. SO, that being said, I am giving away my own version of a "birchbox" full of some of my favorite products for you to try...and I'm throwing in some fun stuff too! :)



Now, I realize that not all of these products will be appropriate for all skin types, etc...and I apologize for that. I hope that the winner can utilize most, if not all, of the products that I send to them. But bottom line, I just wanted to give one lucky person the chance to test out some products that maybe they hadn't tried before, or even heard of! :)


All items are beauty products in the arenas of face, skin, lips, nails and more:

Top left: Splendid Dirt Pumpkin Puree mud mask (you will get the small sample-sized jar shown in the bottom of the 2 photos - the top photo is part of the label  just for reference) & 8 yesto blueberries Age Refresh Cleansing Facial Towelettes

Top Right: Aveda's Foot Relief & Hand Relief (both 1.4 fl oz)

Bottom Right: Target brand Nail Polish Remover Pads (4), essie luxeffects nailpolish in A Cut Above, & Sephora Healing Eucalyptus Cuticle Oil

Bottom Left: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Creamsicle, yesto carrots Lip Butter in Sweet Fig (*SPF 15), & Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm

PLUS, I'm going to throw in a few surprise *bonus* items!!

Now, the MOST important part...

Ways to enter (each one earns 1 submission):

• Follow Blog
• Follow on Facebook
• Follow on Twitter
• Follow on Pinterest
• Subscribe to YouTube channel
• Blog about this giveaway
• Tweet about this giveaway

 *Leave me a comment below telling me how many of the above submissions you completed & (for fun) which product/item you are most excited about trying*

(Feel free to leave me the links to your blog post or tweet in your comment)

And if you're the winner, hopefully you'll get a chance to blog about your win, as well as give a review on some of the products!!

THE GIVEAWAY WILL RUN UNTIL NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 at 11:59am

I will announce the winner on the blog via Thursday's post. 

Note: These are all products that I chose to include in my giveaway (because they are some of my favorite products). They were not provided to me, in any way, by the companies that produce or make them.

What's In My Purse?

One of my favorite blogs is The Small Things Blog, featuring Kate and her fabulous hair tutorials. If you haven't checked out her blog, I highly suggest heading on over there...you will get hooked watching her YouTube videos for HOURS! Believe me, I've done it! :) Anyway, just recently she did a fun "What's In My Purse" series, which featured some of her (and my) favorite blogs - their purse posts are listed toward the bottom. But so, I just thought it would be fun to do my own (assuming you all care what is in my purse :P )...

Currently, the purse I'm carrying:

Bueno from Marshalls
It's big, has lots of pockets, and is neutral (so it goes with pretty much anything)

(1) iPhone & iPod (don't ask me why I carry both, I have no clue) (2) Sugar in the Raw packets - this is the only sugar that I use, so I carry a few packets with me at all times (3) MAC pressed powder, Carmex (can't live without this stuff), travel-size Very Sexy perfume from VS, Revlon Lip Butter in Creamsicle (my new favorite), & Listerine breathe spray (4) Tissues, Shout wipes (um, I spill on myself very regularly) & hand sanitizer (5) Coach wallet (matches my winter purse...probably need a new one, maybe one that's a little more springy/summery) & a small, black business card wallet (6) Gussy Sews checkbook cover & checkbook (7) Backcomb or teasing brush (to give the hair a little volume from time to time) (8) Current recipe/grocery list I'm carrying around - this week it was a list for grain-free chocolate chip cookies (they were DELICIOUS) & a few pens (9) Miscellaneous lip gloss pouch (see contents below) (10) Collapsible umbrella, in leopard print :) Everyone always laughs at me when I tell them I have an umbrella in my purse...but then I whip out that little thing (from Target, I think) and save the day!!

 

 Inside my pouch: B&BW Aromatherapy Energy - Orange Ginger lotion (smells so good), Aveda Hand Relief (works so well), & 3 different lip glosses

 

 VS Beauty Rush Lip Gloss (Sugar High), Rock & Republic Luxe Lip Gloss (Trust Fund), VS Lip Plumper

And I just wanted to give you a close-up of my lovely...

...Gussy Sews checkbook cover...isn't the black/white contrast so pretty with the pale yellow?! I've had it for about 3 years now, so it's quite worn. You hear that Maggie, you need to post some new checkbook covers...I'll be your 1st customer, I promise!! :P

Wanna see what the other gals had in their purses?? 

Check them out over at Kate's "What's In My Purse Series":

Kate @ The Small Things Blog

Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy

Allyson @ Allyson, Recipe Ranger

Jessica @ allora handmade

Carrie @ Chasing Big Dreams

Lauren @ From My Grey Desk

Haley @ The Tiny Twig

Maggie @ Gussy Sews

Katy @ Katy Loves

And another blogger friend of mine also just did her own "In the Bag" post:

Bhrett @ lost in relocation

What are some 'must haves' that you carry around in your purse??

May Birchbox - "XOXO, Gossip Girl" Style

When I found out that the Birchbox was teaming up with Gossip Girl for the May Birchboxes, I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't extremely excited. I've been watching GG from the beginning and was hooked from the very 1st episode. The season 5 finale is tonight, and I can't wait to see what cliffhangers or jaw-dropping scenes they give us!! If only we didn't have to wait all summer to find out what's next in the lives of those Upper Eastsiders...

Without further adieu...the May Birchbox:

Classic Gossip Girl NYC skyline cover (have I mentioned that I love Birchbox packaging?!)

A fun insert describing their love of the show and why they've teamed up with Gossip Girl - to bring us samples inspired by the series and Manhattan's chicest events.

And the goods...

•  Caudile - Hand and nail cream
• BVLGARI - Eau de toilette spray
• Kerastase - Luminous perfecting essence (treats dry ends and lengths weightlessly)
• Kiehl's - Abyssine cream (anti-aging moisturizer)
• stile - sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner

AND my personal favorite, although it has nothing to do with beauty...

 A GG-inspired notecard! It makes me laugh, because every time I text my husband "xoxo" he responds with "Gossipgirl" or "GG". Hehe, he knows my obsession with the show and mocks me for it! That's okay, it makes me LOL every time! :P

That's it for May! I can't wait to start using my samples and send my fun notecard! Who to send it to, now that is the question...

Have you checked out Birchbox yet? Join here! And see what else I've gotten in my Birchboxes here!

mark's NEW Rio Collection for Summer

Rio Bikini (Top: $22; Bottoms: $22)

Take Me To Rio bag: $40

Glowdacious bronzing powder in 3 shades: $12

Getaway Beach hat (reversible blue/black sides): $16

Golden Sandals (sizes 6-10): $26

Limited Edition Summer fragrance #1: Rio Bikini (kiwi, coconut milk, sandalwood): $18


Limited Edition Summer fragrance #2: Rio Rhythms (vanilla, jasmine petals, coconut water): $18

I love the summer fragrances and the bikini is so unique (each bikini is cut from handpainted fabric so no two bikinis are alike...and it fits great!)! It's a great collection just in time for summer! Shop here

mark Offer for Today Only!

One Day Only...for 4/26/10:

FREE Big Silver Quilted Train Case & FREE Shipping with ANY $25 Order!
Enter PROMO CODE: SILVER at time of checkout

GREAT Deal! Shop here

mark Madness!

So, I just had to post all of the great things mark has going on sale starting today and all the promotions that they are offering! Everything is fabulous...first off

Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner & Shadow
two waterproof gel-based shades that be applied as eyeliner or eyeshadow
*Check out all of the shades*

You're a Natural Bag!
This bag is great...yellow lining, lots of pockets and hangs over your body

*NEW* Calm & Composed Moisturizer
Oil-free, reduces skin redness as it moisturizes

AND you get all 3 Calm Down Skincare Trio for just $24 (a $32 value)!!

All mark's fragrances are now available as hook-ups...even the newest Citrus Bloom!

Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint
NEW shades: Spicy & Peachy

**PLUS**

If you purchase 2 Keep It Goings or Just Pinches...you get a FREE flat eyeliner brush!

Have you met mark?? GET TO SHOPPING!!!
Click here