Birchbox!

A friend of mine told me about something called Birchbox today. I can honestly say I had never heard of it, but I'm really glad I know about it now! Every month you are sent 4-5 samples of high-end beauty products in a very cute and very nicely packaged box. The website says you'll "receive anything from skincare to makeup to cult beauty tools, from well-known brands as well as emerging gems." You pay a monthly subscription fee of $10 (or pay a one time fee of $110 for 12 months, whichever you prefer to do), and you get pretty nice sized samples. And if you get a sample product in the box that you absolutely love, you can buy the full-sized product from the website as well. I'm SO stoked about this! My first Birchbox will ship to me on August 10th, and I'm definitely going to make my monthly Birchbox (and reviews of the sample products) a recurring post on my blog (thanks for the idea, Kristen!).

Interested in Birchbox? Sign up here!

Sephora Haul!

I decided to join my mom and one of her very good friends for brunch at Mon Ami Gabi in Reston Town Center today. Delicious! After brunch, we made our way to Sephora. I hardly ever go to Sephora, and if I do go there it's very rare that I buy anything. Everything is just so expensive! I guess I felt like spending some money today, so I bought myself a few things :)

• Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray - I saw this product being used by one of my favorite makeup gurus on YouTube in a recent video of her foundation routine, and I decided to buy it and give it a try. My skin is oily, and, as anyone with oily skin will tell you, it's super frustrating! I can't constantly touch up my makeup all day while I'm at work, it's just not feasible. The box says "De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray uses an innovative oil control system that both absorbs excess sebum and controls surface shine." I'll report back and let you know how it works for me!
• Sephora Hydrating & Smoothing Foundation - This foundation was on sale for $5, so I couldn't pass it up! I've been trying to find a new foundation for myself that I love. I've been using Cover Girl's Tru Blend foundation for a long time, but I'm kind of tired of it. I need something new! I watched a few reviews on YouTube of this foundation and they were pretty much all good ones, so we'll see how it works out.
• Sephora by OPI "Blasted Silver" - So excited to try this! It's one of those crackle nail polishes that seem to be very popular lately. I had a choice between silver or black, but I figured silver would be way more fun.
• Sephora by OPI Nail Stencils - Just a fun little product I thought I would try. Looking forward to some cute nail designs!
• Sephora Marbling and Dotting Nail Tool - I've had the urge to try doing designs on my nails, so I couldn't pass this up when I saw it. Can't wait to try it out :)

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Water Marble Nail Art

I was bored and doing some browsing on YouTube today for tutorials on different kinds of nail art. I came across a woman named Colette who does tutorials on water marble nail art. I can honestly say I've never seen this before! I was really excited to watch the videos and see how it's done. I will definitely be trying this sometime in the bear future :)

You can see more from Colette on her blog, My Simple Little Pleasures, or on her YouTube Channel!

China Glaze - "Shocking Pink"

I decided to go and get a manicure the other day instead of doing my nails myself like I usually do. There's nothing like the feeling of freshly manicured nails! I decided to go with a very bright and fun color for summer. I decided on "Shocking Pink" by China Glaze. I can tell you right now, the picture does this color NO justice. It's so damn bright! I love it so much I might just have to go and buy myself a bottle :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and happy July!