Beauty Unboxed

I have been in desperate need of a new shampoo for the past month. No matter what shampoo I used, I would get a good lather for about 10 seconds but then it would completely thin out and the suds would pretty much evaporate. It’s been incredibly frustrating because my hair hasn’t felt as clean as it should. I saw this MALIN + GOETZ hydrating peppermint shampoo in the Birchbox store and was intrigued by the peppermint and decided to give it a try. It contains natural peppermint extract which cleans, balances, and clarifies your hair without harsh detergents.

I really love the subtle peppermint scent. I’m kind of bored with fruity and floral shampoo fragrances. You would think that a peppermint scent would be really overpowering but it’s not; it adds a nice aromatherapy effect while you wash your hair. A small amount lathers really well and the gentle tingling sensation gives it an extra clean feeling. I love invigorating shampoos that make your scalp tingle, not burn, but tingle just enough to feel squeaky clean!

I rinsed and conditioned as I usually do and then proceeded to dry my hair. My hair finally felt cleaner, softer and more manageable than usual. I would also like to add that there is a faint peppermint scent that lingers throughout the day, which has been very refreshing!

MALIN + GOETZ has a whole line of products that follow the same philosophy or natural fragrances and no harsh detergents so you should definitely check it out if that’s something that interests you!

Have you tried any products by MALIN + GOETZ? What do you like about their products? Leave a comment!

I had some Birchbox points lying around so I decided to put them to good use and treat myself to some beauty goodies:

Gloss Moderne high gloss hair masque
Malin + Goetz peppermint shampoo
Blinc Amplified tubing mascara
Amika mini ceramic hair iron
Kiehl’s rare earth deep pore cleanser

I’m so excited to try everything - reviews to come soon!

The other day I was browsing SkincareAddiction on reddit and I came across this post by a girl who seriously has naturally flawless skin and virtually invisible pores. Several commenters curiously asked what her secret was and she said Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. What! Clay?! It sounded too good to be true so I headed straight to Amazon to check it out and sure enough, hundreds of reviews confirmed my hopes. You know what’s even better? It’s less than $10! I whipped out my wallet and ordered a 1 lb tub of it! It arrived on my doorstep the very next day!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but when a potentially awesome product (such as the “world’s most powerful facial”) lands on my doorstep, I have to stop everything I’m doing and try it out - and so I did!

As per the directions, you’ll need the following:
Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)
Non-metal mixing bowl
Non-metal spoon

I used 3 or 4 spoonfuls of powder and an equal amount of water. I also ordered the optional Apple Cider Vinegar but unfortunately it was shipped separately so I went ahead and tried it with just water! Next, stir until you have a nice smooth texture and all lumps and chunks are gone. I stirred and stirred for 5 minutes and added more water and powder but the mixture would not thin out. Maybe it works better with the Apple Cider Vinegar!

Close enough! I dipped my fingers in and generously (and sloppily) applied it all over my face and neck. I know, it looks like a 3 year old gave me a facial but it works all the same. As it dries, the clay hardens and tightens your skin which provides a tingling (“pulsating” as they call it) sensation. Once it completely hardens (10-15 minutes), the clay starts to crack and your face feels so stiff that you can’t really move any muscles or speak!

And the result…

Amazing!! No more large pores! It’s also really great for acne and it doesn’t dry your skin out. I can’t reccommend this stuff enough! Spread the word because this “secret” should no longer be a secret! Amazon sells 1 or 2 lb tubs of it for under $10. It’s really a no-brainer!

If you have leftover mix, be careful when rinsing it down the drain because it is fairly thick and it did temporarily clog the sink. Make sure you thin the mixture as much as possible and rinse it down a little bit at a time to avoid any potential plumbing problems.

What’s your favorite facial/mask? Are you going to try Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay? Leave a comment!

I just wanted to pass on the good news in case you haven’t heard yet! Zoya is holding an awesome New Years promo so that you can get 3 polishes of your choice for free with code ZOYA202013, just pay $10 shipping & handling!

So it’s not *totally* free, but since the regular price of 3 polishes is $24 plus shipping, I’d say this is an awesome deal! The promotion begins January 7th, so hurry and start picking out your fave colors! Decisions, decisions… I can barely narrow it down to 10!

What’s on your Zoya wishlist? Leave a comment!

Everyone is busy planning New Years parties so that doesn’t leave much time for brainstorming about what you’re going to do with your nails! Obviously you want to ring in the new year with an awesome mani, so I did all the hard work for you! I gathered some of the best holiday-themed manicures and New Years nail art I could find for some serious inspiration!

Candycanes

Presents

Snowflakes

Christmas (trees, lights, etc.)

Hannukah

New years

If you have an awesome mani you would like to share, please post it in the comments! I would love to see your designs as well!

Got my December Birchbox yesterday! How adorable is the holiday box design?!

I was really excited about the Rent the Runway giftcard but upon peeling it off the paper, it says you have to spend $125 in order to apply it. I don’t really think I will be paying $125 to rent a dress for 8 days, but if anyone would like the coupon code, leave a comment!

The rest of my box had pretty decent sample sizes. After all of the heat they’ve been getting lately, it looks like Birchbox has stepped it up a little bit. I understand that they can’t control the sizes of samples that companies provide so unfortunately sometimes foil packets will sneak through, but at least they provided 2 full foil packets in my box! Go Birchbox!

Here are the full contents of my box!

theBalm cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush all-in-one

Miss Jessie’s Original Pillow Soft curls lotion

per-fekt Beauty Lash Perfection gel

John Varvatos Artisan cologne

NUXE Melting Cleansing gel

Hi everyone!

Sorry it’s been such a long time since I’ve posted, I’ve had a nasty case of bronchitis for the past 3 weeks and it’s still kicking my butt! I’m on my third round of antibiotics but my immune system isn’t ready to cooperate yet. On top of bronchitis, I’ve been swamped with massive amounts of work after Hurricane Sandy. After the hurricane, my university was closed for over a week and the students lost a lot of class time. My university has decided to have students make up all missed classes, so they have been trying to do double classes as well as scheduling classes on the weekends. It’s been very busy but luckily, finals are next week so after that I will definitely be posting more regularly! Thanks for your patience! :)

Keep an eye out for my upcoming Holiday Gift Guide!

If you’re familiar with Jouer’s Luminizing Moisture Tint, then you may fall in love with their new Luminizing Body Glow. The concept is the same as LMT, but the body glow is intended for use on your body! Although it’s not tinted like the moisture tint, it has a subtle hint of color that gives you a healthy, radiant glow which compliments every skin tone.

The Luminizing Body Glow feels very lightweight once it soaks into your skin. Packed with several moisturizing properties such as Vitamin E, Shea Butter, and Chamomile Extract, it nourishes and leaves skin super smooth to touch. It is also blended with natural scents including Gardenia, Jasmine, and Honeysuckle for a soft fragrance. The texture is nice and smooth and doesn’t feel cakey or greasy like other “body glow” creams and lotions. As you can see from the picture below it’s fairly sheer so it’s not like wearing bronzer or an obviously fake tan. One thing I really like is the satin finish - the subtle golden shimmer doesn’t look like you bathed in glitter.

The body glow can be applied with fingers and used all over your body for a rich glow that evens skin tone. It blends well, but work quickly because it seems to dry pretty fast and once it is set then it’s difficult to blend. (Tip: I would recommend waiting a few minutes for it to dry before getting dressed to avoid transfer onto clothing.)

I’m not sure I would use it every day - I don’t think it’s appropriate for sitting in a lecture or meeting with a client, but it’s perfect for going out at night or a dinner date when you want to show a little skin. More importantly - it’s oil free and paraben free (which I always love)!

Luminizing Body Glow Price: $36

Disclosure: Thanks to the awesome people over at Jouer for providing this product to me for review. I was not compensated for this post in any way. All opinions expressed are truthful and are my own.

Bare Beauty Collection
The Bare Beauty Collection is the newest collection from Jouer. It’s a 4 piece makeup palette consisting of a mattifying balm, lip/cheek tint, eyeshadow, and moisturing lip gloss. It features natural tones which is perfect for creating an everyday natural look. As you can see above, the pieces can be easily linked together, making it ultra-compact so you don’t have to dig around the bottom of your purse to find the individual pieces. It’s also easy to take apart for those nights when you want to travel light and bring only essentials. Another nice detail is that each piece is labeled “face,” “eyes,” or “tint” for easy identification!

Essential Matte Touch Mattifying Balm
This botanical matte balm (pictured above: left) can be worn under or over makeup and is designed to absorb excess oil and control shine. Willow Bark Extract purifies skin and has many skin benefits including anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Essential Matte Touch Balm can be applied with fingers, which I don’t typically reccommend because I believe touching your face transfers dirt and oil from your fingertips to your skin, but it seemed to be effective. It applies really smoothly and has a powdery feel as you rub it in. It has a translucent finish. Scroll down to check out the before and after! Both pictures were taken without any makeup on. I applied it to my shiny forehead and it quickly absorbed the oil and shine, and remained that way all afternoon. Another thing I noticed is that it seemed to make my pores appear less pronounced, which is always awesome. I also tried the balm over Jouer’s Matte Moisture Tint and it lasted all day without needing any touchups. I was really impressed with it so I think this balm might be replacing those oil absorbing sheets in my bag!

Bare Lip & Cheek Tint
I love it when you can use one product two ways - I’m all for a lighter bag with fewer products! This compact lip & cheek tint can be used on your lips or your cheeks (obviously). It has a smooth creme texture which makes it super easy to apply with fingers or a brush. I love the warm pink tone and that it is fairly pigmented so you don’t need to layer it on for the color to show. It glides on your skin very smoothly and blends easily without feeling greasy or goopy. It’s a lovely color that gives you a very natural looking flush. In terms of staying power, it held up pretty well throughout the day and it was not necessary to reapply.

The Naturals Powder Eyeshadow Trio
I really love neutral/earthy tones so this trio is perfect for me. The packaging just says “the naturals” so I’m not entirely sure what the specific shades are called, so I will refer to them as 1, 2, or 3 which I also labeled below: #1 is a dark chocolate color that is somewhat buildable so you can blend until you have the desired shade. Use light sweeps for a lighter brown shade. It applies nicely and stays for a really long time without creasing. Of the three colors, this shade remained slightly visible despite washing with eye makeup remover, soap and water, and even scrubbing in the shower! After all of that, it looked like a really faint bruise, but I decided to give up before I actually bruised my skin from all of the scrubbing. #2 is a medium brown shade that has a very subtle gold shimmer. #3, my favorite, is a really pretty champagne color. All three shades have a subtle shimmer to them, but it’s not in-your-face sparkley. I think you could do a really pretty and natural smokey eye with this trio. (Note: Eyeshadow primer is necessary otherwise it is difficult to apply and there is too much fallout).

Nude Lip Gloss
I love Jouer’s moisturizing lip glosses and this sheer nude is no exception. It’s packed with vitamins A, C & E, shea butter, jojoba, and seed oil to moisturize and nourish lips. It has a very creamy texture and is applied with a wand like most lip glosses. This shade is really nice and natural, which looks great on every skin tone. I was really impressed with how long it lasted. Personally, most lip glosses/moisturizers/etc don’t typically last very long on me since my lips can be fairly dry, but it definitely outlasted anything I’ve used. It lasted about 2-3 hours on me, but I’m sure it varies from person to person.

Creme Eyeshadow
The creme eyeshadow below is not officially part of the Bare Beauty Collection, but I decided to include it in this post anyway since it can be easily connected to the rest of the palette. The texture is nice and soft, not really “creamy” but easy to apply and blend nonetheless. Very lightweight, shimmery, and has excellent staying power. Like the dark chocolate powder eyeshadow, this shade was still faintly visible even after washing, but that wouldn’t stop me from wearing it regularly.

Overall I really love this collection because it makes a perfect natural look, and it’s very compact and practical!

Bare Beauty Collection Price: $58. If you don’t want to buy the whole set, each item can be purchased separately at JouerCosmetics.com

Disclosure: Thanks to the awesome people over at Jouer for providing these products to me for review. I was not compensated for this post in any way. All opinions expressed are truthful and are my own.