Birchbox's New Site

Got several emails saying to check out the new BB site, and just really felt the need to do a quick post and put my 2 cents out there (not that they're needed).

1. Not a fan of the new color scheme- It must've been strange to have a girl and guy site with separate colors, but black/gray?? seriously?? What part of that says "FUN"? Sophisticated maybe, but mostly boring.

2. The new layout is interesting- it seems overly complicated in some places (*cough* front page *cough), but only time and user usage will tell how the split women men dropdowns function irl.

3. The new logo is hideous- I'm with all those who were fond of the trademark birch stripes. This new B with a diamond in the middle looks so much LESS sophisticated than the previous logo. The logo before looks like it actually took more time and effort compared to this new one. And for some reason the recurring thought in my head is "it's fat". The ratio of positive to negative space is off. It actually doesn't look too bad on the boxes and in the green, but the black "B" that's used as an avatar and on top of browser tabs is terrible.

4. We miss the pink!- that was what said "fun" before. A search around the new site reveals that the only pink left is on images of the products themselves. I should say that I am not a pink lover, but it was what really gave BB the "light", "carefree", and "young" feel. It makes you feel like you can still experiment with different things and be quirky about it- that there's no harm in trying out different things. A look at the new site makes me feel constricted, and, yes it must be said- OLD. It now feels like a conservative society where all deviations are shunned.

One thing that I DO really like is the more detailed profile questions. Hopefully they will lead to some good changes.

I'm pretty sure when I first looked at the site, it was different from what it looks like now (it looks better now). I seem to recall that hideous B logo there previously.

Well, we shall see.

Review: Lip Pencils

     After trying out mirenesse's lip color pencil, I finally gave those previously ignored lip pencils another look.

Overall impressions:

mireness- absolutely smooth, and highly pigmented. Slight vanilla scent.
BITE- slighty drying, which is expected of matte pencils
NARS- the satin formula is not drying

One odd thing to note is the lid for BITE's Madeira. It tapers at the top, causing the lid to slip off the pencil easily.

Madeira is basically what I would use for a nude color. It tones down my heavily pigmented lips.

NARS's Biscayne Park is also a nude-ish color. It is, however a bit on the warm side. I don't think this is a color that I will be wearing a lot. It would work excellent for one of those photoshoots where you are looking for a more natural look (but not completely nude)

BITE Cava- a lipstick that has a hint of lilac in it. It makes me look like a zombie (grayed out) or someone who just rose from the dead. On someone else with the right skin tone, it could look stunning.

mirenesse's Glossy Kiss in Quick kiss is definitely a head turning color. It's so bright someone would spot you from across the room. Love the formula, will be looking for another color.

BITE Pomegranate- another one of those colors that would let someone spot you from across the room. This almost seemed too bright, so I hesitated and bought Tannin as well. Tannin is cooler and slightly darker. I wore Pomegranate to go out with friends- the other bloggers were right, you will HAVE to get this shade. Be careful though. Since this is an intense red, it can get pretty messy. Pull out all the tricks in your bag to keep this one on. It wore off as I was eating, and made me look like a crazy clown. After a couple hours, it also becomes a bit drying. 

Try them out and tell me how you like them!

P.S. Have you looked and just stared at yourself in the mirror lately? I did that, and was surprised with how different I look. Almost don't recognize myself anymore.

Birchbox/ Sample Society All Stars!

Still alive! Typed in the wrong web address and thought they deleted the blog X_X.

     Instead of going through each box that I've missed reviewing and monotonously typing out thoughts on each product, I'm going to just briefly go over products that I really liked (enough to purchase).

     Unfortunately, a rummage through my box of samples only turned up three items.

Supergoop Eye Cream- not fond of the brand name. Somehow the idea of slathering "goop" on my body is not appealing. This eye cream is not sticky and doesn't make you feel like you're putting suncreen on around your eyes. It has spf37 which should give you enough coverage for a gently sunny stroll outside. And who doesn't like things that say "anti-aging"? This is a Birchbox find.

Butter London Nail Polish: Blagger- A lovely full sized product from Sample Society. It dries to a slightly darker, more toned down blue. Personally, the bright eye catching blue is more appealing, but this would be good for those who still want to seem semi-professional.

mirenesse Glossy Kiss: #7 Quick Kiss- An extremely pigmented lip color pencil. I'm in love with the formula and the pigmentation. The color is a bit on the orange side, but this is something I'm looking to pick up in a different shade. It has a slight vanilla scent. Also a Birchbox find.

A review of various lip color pencils is soon to follow- yes, for real. They've been swatched, photographed, labeled, and are ready to go. Since I have something to do now, I will post them sometime tonight!

See you then!

P.S. This was one other sample I got. Like the size of it, not so much the color. Looks like a self tanner experiment gone wrong. Guess the color can't adjust that much.

Birchbox: January 2013

I apologize for taking so long to post again- things have been quite busy.

This is my January Birchbox! Not all items are pictured because I used them o_o.

The amika Color Shampoo was ok. It didn't really strip my hair color much, and the hair was still left silky. Also smells nice- just grown up for those in their mid 20s.

Embrolisse Concentrate- Apparently it's multi-functional, but I've just used it as a moisturizer. So far so good.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy- Nothing too new. It's an ok scent. For storage, I put these mini perfume spray samples into a little glass votive holder. It works well and looks nice!

the Balm Cosmetics Put a Lid on It Eye Primer- a fairly light primer. Haven't tested its duration yet.

Lifestyle Extra: Juice Beauty Daily Essentials- This was a foil packet with three things attached (cleanser, serum, and moisturizer). The cleanser/ makeup remover worked ok, didn't dry my skin out. The serum nearly burned my face off. It says don't used on irritated skin. Mine's not irritated, just a little dry. The moisturizer would not rub in nicely. Very white, thick, and felt like something was caked on my face. Needless to say, will not be purchasing this one!

I've also received my Sample Society box, but haven't had time to test those out yet.

Modcloth Hauls!

Hello lovely readers. It's been a while, but I've been thinking of you all the entire time. As things happened, a little blog post would be forming in my head. Alas, they never made it.

Today I have for you my Modcloth haul (technically it's plural). What is Modcloth? It's a terribly addictive site of things cute and retro inspired. Similar to Urban Outfitters in a sense, but there's something about shopping online that encourages me to spend more money -___-. It's not cheap. (Pssst, use my referral link for a $15 discount, I get one too!).

Not all the pictures are up, hopefully by next week if not tomorrow.

For my first lot, I picked up a coat. cardigan, and dress.

Prim the Know Coat- It's a lot heavier than it looks and the material is coarse. Perhaps it's the sizing, but this doesn't fit me as proportionally as the stock image. I'm thinking of resewing the buttons so that the coat closes more snugly. Unfortunately there's a balance to be reached because too far over and it can end up looking asymmetrical. I'm a 2 usually (sometimes a 3-4 for bottoms). The site says that a 2-4 is a small so I picked up the S (don't think they make this coat in XS either, as the option was not shown). My shoulders are slightly broad and the coat fits fine in that area, it's the waist that is noticeably loose.

Return of the Macchiato Cardigan- A light cardigan. I like it, not too much more to be said on the subject.

Say Hi-Low to your Little Dress- This one is a small as well. I do wonder how an XS would fit, but for all intensive purposes it looks ok. Unfortunately it's too cold to wear it out now.

And then they spammed my email box about 50% off new arrivals... My order with the dresses was supposed to have shipped first, but it arrived at the post office 6 hours later than the other on a Saturday and missed being delivered.

Catalogue Your Dots Dress- Wow, they tell you to size up so I stuck with an S (2-4 is an S, I'm normally a 2). The waist is fine, but the chest area is sooo tight. It's really cute and figure flattering. I need to lose 5-10 lbs to really be comfortable in this though. The material wrinkles easily, so I'm not sure it's worth its price tag. This is, however, a very nice dress and I'm not too keen on parting with it...must stop eating so much.

Precious Petals Dress- Gorgeous silhouette and the pattern is lovely. My only issue with the dress make is that the gold part (shinier than in photos) is extremely rough and scratchy. Not very comfortable to wear. I also got this in an S (smallest size there) so it's a bit loose. You won't be able to wear a bra with this one, unless you get a low back bra.

Opus and Dreams Dress- LOVE! The asymmetrical part is my favorite. It has boning on the sides and padding in the cup area. Again, the smallest size was an S, so it's large on me. I'll need to alter it to get it to fit securely (don't want wardrobe malfunctions >.<). And now to find an event to wear it to.

 Isn't Sheath Lovely- extremely comfortable! This was an S too, but I can't keep it because the back wrinkles up =/

Cool with Me Top in Cola- At first it looked nowhere near its supposed $32 value. Then I put it on and it is perfect. Well, in concept. Loved the design, but again I was having issues with fit. Ordered a small because usually that's what I have to get for anything involving sleeves. The cap sleeves extended a bit further than needed, but the sad part is that there was all this extra fabric in the chest and back areas. It must be because of the sizing. Otherwise, I love the top, especially the slit and bead buttons in the back. Such a cute detail! Now it seems to be sold out = (. I have to wrestle some more about whether to return, or try altering it.

Pearl After My Own Heart Earrings in Berry- These are so cute! Don't regret ordering them at all

To Goldly Bow Heel- These look a bit iffy in the photo already, but I ignored my senses and ordered them anyways. Total fail. Love the gold piece on the heel. The heel is too high for me, and the front pinches in a lot.  My toes don't bend that way. Back you go!

Interview with a Glam-Pire Shoes- ooooo..... Got these as part of the 50% off new arrivals thing. They're so beautiful *-*. Retro inspired, made of suede. The front is a little tight, but over time it should loosen up. The shoe sole has significant ridges for traction.

They sent me some hair clips for free- cute!

A good thing about ModCloth is that returns are free as well, so you don't have to worry about spending so much and not liking the item.

ModCloth keeps adding new things. I can't constantly stalk their site or I'll become poor.