First Look: Birchbox February 2013

First Look: Birchbox February 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Overall, I’d say my February Birchbox is a pretty good box, based on getting 3 samples I’ll actually use and 1 I can definitely trade. I got 4 samples and a Ghirardelli Chocolate Square. I don’t like it that a tiny piece of chocolate is taking the place of 1 of the samples.

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle.
Apparently there is a company called Beauty Protector. They sell hair products. This sample looks like about 1 oz of detangling spray. The description on the card says, “Great for all hair types, this nourishing elixir performs seven hair-healing functions. Among them: locking in color, adding shine, and instantly detangling.” It’s in a bright red bottle with black writing. It reminds me of the packaging on the Juliette Has a Gun website for their new Mad Madame perfume. Black on a red background is something I associate with Valentine’s Day. The detangling spray smells good. It’s thicker than most other sprays of this sort. I am looking forward to seeing how it compares to the Organix Argan Oil detangling spray I use.

Color Club Nail Polish in Wild Cactus
Green nail polish. It’s a nice color. I don’t have any nail polish like it. The Birchbox card says, “Shoo away Winter blues with this on-trend emerald polish.” Okay, but it’s not emerald green. It’s just green. Emerald green is darker. I have 2 emerald green nail polishes and countless emerald green beads. It’s closer to grass green. It looks like Wild Cactus will have a shiny cream finish. I swatched it and it is not opaque with 1 coat. I really like the color. Some people complain that Birchbox and Color Club only send mini nail polishes, but I like it because I will probably never finish a full-size nail polish, except Wet n Wild 9.0.2.1.0range.

Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm
According to the card, “From the brand that brought BB creams to the U.S., this formulation has mineral SPF 25 and a satiny, matte finish.” Trade forum, here I come. I hope there’s product in this one, unlike the BB cream they sent last May. I think it’s a light shade, which would be appropriate based on my Birchbox profile, which I should edit. I can’t say much about this sample, except I look forward to these so I can list them on the trade forum on MakeUpTalk.com.

Juicy Couture Couture La La
Another Juicy Couture sample. Viva La Juicy is nasty. It smells like an old lady drenched in baby powder. Viva La Juicy La Fleur is a very strong and lasting scent that is a very close copy of Avon’s Sweet Honesty. Couture La La says, “I’m perfume.” That’s it. Nothing special about it. It’s wearable, but that’s all I can say about it. I don’t love it. I really don’t care one way or another about this scent, and that says something by itself because for me perfumes are something I either like or I don’t. The card says, “Roll out the red carpet for this new scent, a stunning mix of mandarin, red currant, lily, and orange blossom.” I don’t smell any of that stuff when I sniff Couture La La.

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate and Caramel Square
Really? It’s called a Treat this time instead of an Extra. Milk Chocolate and Caramel: an awesome combination. I really hope we can review this sucker. By now I’ve been typing for 15 minutes and I’m pissed that 1 piece of chocolate is taking the place of an actual Birchbox sample.

So, that’s my February 2013 Birchbox. I’ll post reviews once I use my samples or trade them. What do you think of Birchbox this month?

Thank You For Reading, Everyone. Have Fun and Blessed Be.

On the Ground: Blue Moon

I've got a fascination with beer caps, soda caps, logos, old signs, new signs, and graffiti.  I take pictures and post them on my Instagram - @cricketsbay - when I find something interesting.  I like photographing ephemeral things, things that change or disappear quickly. I have many a regret where I was planning to go back and photograph something and it was gone when I did get back to it. Now I try to get pictures of things I find interesting as soon as I see them. My android phone has helped tremendously with that.

I've decided to post my #ontheground photographs here, too, to diversify the content of my blog, and because I want to post about something I like doing.  I walk a lot and I take the bus.  I like to photograph things on the way.  Most of them I'll be posting here are pictures I've taken with my android phone.  Some are downloads from my Picasa gallery, which is sync'd with my phone.  I'm working uploading to Picasa in a more timely manner, but most of the non-phone photos I'll be posting are a couple years old All of them will have been posted on Instagram first. 

All photographs have been taken by me, edited by me, and are copyrighted.

So, here's the first one. Blue Moon Beer Cap from February 5th, 2013.  Android Phone.

First Impression: New (For Me) MacBook

Tuesday, February 19, 2013. 12:01 a.m.

I bought a used MacBook tonight. So far it works great. The Apple iOS looks easy to use. I’ve only had it for about 10 minutes and the first thing I cared about finding was how to use Microsoft Word so I could type. My last laptop didn’t have a typing program installed when I got it, so being able to type is really important for me. It looks like all the programs I’ll need are installed, which I’m very excited about because it means I won’t have to fiddle around online trying to buy them from Apple.

Today was an adventure in anger management. I was planning to get up at 2:30 p.m. and catch the next bus to Omaha. Everything went smoothly until I got to the Taco Bell where I had arranged to meet the MacBook seller. I woke up at 12:06 p.m. and I didn’t feel tired enough to go back to sleep so I got up, had some food, and watched some YouTube videos until 2 p.m. I thought the bank would be closed, so I headed for the ATM to withdraw $400.00 to pay for the MacBook. When I got to the bank, there was an SUV in the drivethru. The bank was open on Presidents’ Day. Not cool, but I went in, withdrew the money, got a little slip with my remaining bank balance, and got $5.00 in quarters to make sure I had enough for bus fare.

On the way out to 84th & Center, I got some great pictures to post on Instagram @cricketsbay. The bus ride was interesting because the driver is probably the only one in Omaha who does the old-time trolley driver routine where he announces every stop like Bob Barker on The Price Is Right. I think there are 150 stops on that route. I posted the “Beazles. Contagious Like Measles” tweet that I do almost every time I’m at the Bergen Transfer Center. It was a little cold waiting for the bus, but not too bad. It was after the bus ride that the problems started.

When I got to the place I was supposed to meet the guy to buy the MacBook. He called and asked for directions. I’m glad he wasn’t going South when I told him to keep going on 84th Street. He got to the Taco Bell, opened the laptop, turned it on, and explained that he had just erased the hard drive and re-installed the iOS. And then we sat there for about 5 minutes waiting for the MacBook to go through its startup routine. He turned it off before it was done. It had nothing but a grey screen when he turned it back on. He called some guy who is more familiar than he is with Apple computers. The guy said he would have to re-install the iOS again. So, the MacBook seller and I parted ways with plans to meet up later after he fixed the hard drive. It sounded like the guy on the phone was in charge and the guy in front of me was just the errand boy because he asked the seller if my MacBook was the last one and then told him to give me his girlfriend’s MacBook, which the seller refused because her homework for college is all stored on the hard drive of her MacBook. Then the seller asked if he could give me the disk or disks to re-install the iOS myself and the guy on the phone was was kinda loud in his refusal on that. Apparently they re-sell a lot of MacBooks. Hmmm … It was kinda weird.

I got a call two hours later saying the hard drive was shot. He had to buy a new one. Oh, boy. So I said right out that I was not paying more than the advertised price. The ruined hard drive was 80GB. The new one is 250GB, so I’m happy with that. The MacBook seller was very understanding. When he delivered it, I said I appreciate that he replaced the hard drive and didn’t try to charge me extra. He said he thinks he had accidentally smacked this MacBook into a wall when he was carrying it and that’s what killed the hard drive, so he blames himself--as he should.

So far, this MacBook works great, but I’ve only booted it up, scrolled along the icons at the bottom to see what programs are installed, and opened Microsoft Windows. The seller did show me how to access the programs using the menu and how to safely shut down the computer. If I have questions, I’ll probably find a tutorial on YouTube.

My MackBook is white. It has the Snow Leopard iOS, which I think is 10.7. I looked it up on Google today. I think it has all the programs I’m going to need for my business, YouTube, and any job I might get in the near future. I’m excited to try out the webcam tomorrow. I’m used to using and IBM Thinkpad, so the way the mouse works on the MacBook is new for me and I’m trying to get the hang of it. I think I got it for a great price. I have been scammed by a laptop seller before, but this time I don’t think there will be a probem. I’m so glad to have a new laptop that actually looks like it’s going to do everything I need it to do. I was not able to play DVD’s or CD’s on either of my 2 most recent laptops because they didn’t have the necessary software installed and I could not get it to install. I still don’t know if this MacBook is going to be okay, but it does look good so far, but having been scammed before I’m still worried. I will test it out tomorrow, though, and if anything is wrong, there’s always the Apple store, although I don’t know how much help they’ll be to someone who bought a MacBook on the secondary market.

I’m looking forward to editing my photographs and having plenty of space to store them all on the hard drive. The hard drive died on my first laptop with about 5, 000 photos on it, so I know the importance of backing up the hard drive online. I was using Picasa at the time, so all my photos were online already and I didn’t lose them when the hard drive crashed. Picasa and LunaPic are the only programs I’m familiar with for editing photos, so I hope they work well with this MacBook. I can’t wait to find out. My next step is to get signed up for wireless Internet service through Cox. I am so happy right now. The job I’m trying to get requires a laptop and wireless Internet, so I’m prepared if I do get hired. Tonight I’m going to try out the DVD player. I’m so nervous it’s not going to work.

12:43 p.m.

Tammy
Thanks for Reading, Everyone. Have Fun and Blessed Be.

NOTD: Color Club 954 Blue-Ming

Nails Of The Day: Color Club 954 Blue-Ming.

I painted my nails on February 13th with Color Club 954 Blue-Ming. I got this nail polish through Birchbox.com about a week ago along with the Zoya Blogger Collection. It was originally $8.00.

Blue-Ming has lasted 3 days so far with chipping only on 1 nail and edge wear on another nail on my right hand. All the other nails still look perfect. I am aware that my cuticles are not pushed back. I like this color because it's bright and it stands out. It's a true robin's egg blue. Three days for nail polish to still be perfect on 8 out of 10 nails is a long time for me. It looks like Color Club Blue-Ming gets good wear. I'm using Orly Bonder Base Coat and Orly In-A-Snap Top Coat.

The 1st coat of Blue-Ming went on very streaky and not opaque. The 2nd coat covered most of the streaks. It took a 3rd coat to make it completely opaque, smooth, and no streaks showing. It has a great cream finish and it's very bright. The color in the picture is as close to the actual color as I could get it. My camera leans blue, so it killed some of the green tone in the nail polish color in the image below. Overall, after 1 use, I like Blue-Ming a lot. It's very bright.

What do you think of this polish? Do you have experience with Color Club Polishes? How do you like them?

Thanks for Reading, Everyone.  Have Fun and Blessed Be.
Tammy

NOTD: Zoya Coraline with Orly Winter Wonderland

Orange. So Happy.

Thursday, February 7, 2013.

Zoya Coraline with Orly Winter Wonderland over it. ZP9003 and Orly 40308. You probably can’t see it, but there’s a coat of Finger Paints 806000 Paper Mache under the 3 coats of Zoya Coraline. The 3 polishes in the Zoya Blogger Collection, exclusive to Birchbox, are extremely translucent jelly polishes. Coraline is opaque in 3 coats over a coat of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I have not tried it yet on nails with just a base coat. I will do that in the next couple of weeks.

I used the Orly Bonder Base Coat and the Orly In-A-Snap Top Coat. I thought Zoya Coraline was dry when I put on the top coat, but it was still getting dents the next day, so clearly I was wrong. It still looked pretty good when I took this picture. I think the wear time was 4 days, which is the longest I ever seem to be able to wear nail polish, but there was chipping on my right hand pretty bad by that point.

I like the Orly Winter Wonderland. It looks like white glitter in the bottle, but it shows up pretty silver on the nails. Turn my hand one way and it looks like white glitter, turn it the other way and it looks like silver glitter, so it has some kind of duochrome thing going on, but mainly silver, I would say, once it’s on the nails, or gray.

I have Orly 40269 Twilight, which looks silver in the bottle. It’s silver microglitter in a clear suspension base from what I can tell. It doesn’t show up on my nails. I tried it over Zoya Coraline before I tried Orly Winter Wonderland and all it did was make make my nails look a little bit shinier. The microglitter was not visible unless I was really close. It just looked like I had applied a clear top coat, so I put Orly Winter Wonderland over it.

Thanks for Reading, Everyone. Have Fun and Blessed Be.

Nail Polish Haul: Zoya and Color Club

My Birchbox Points Haul. $22 for the Zoya Blogger Collection + $8.00 for Blue-Ming by Color Club. It would have come to $30.00, but I used 200 Birchbox Points, so I got 4 polishes for $10 with free shipping. The Zoya Blogger Collection is exclusive to Birchbox. They are 3 jelly polishes. Right: ZP9001 Belle. Middle: ZP9002 Kate. Left: ZP9003 Coraline. I love bright orange and coral colors. Last night I applied 3 coats of Zoya Coraline over 1 coat of Finger Paints Paper Mache, which is an opaque cream white color. I applied a coat of Orly 40308 Winter Wonderland over the Coraline. I used Orly Bonder Basecoat and Orly In-A-Snap Topcoat. It looks awesome. The polish on my right index finger chipped about an hour ago. I've been wearing it for about 18 hours. I'm left-handed, but the polish on my right hand always seems to chip first and chip more than the polish on the nails on my left hand. I'm going to try to post a picture of my nails tomorrow.

Thanks for Reading, Everyone, and Blessed Be.
Tammy

Review: Palmolive Fresh Infusions Lime Basil

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap - Lime Basil - Review

Last Tuesday was errands day, so I bought dish soap. I've seen a lot of reviews on YouTube lately from ladies on Youttube who have received the Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soaps from Influenster for review purposes. I first heard of Palmolive Fresh Sponge dish soap on YouTube and I've been using that for the past 6 months or so.

While I was at Wal-Mart, I had a look at the new dish soaps and smelled them all. I really don't care for the pink one, Ginger White Tea. Lemon smells always remind me of Pledge furniture polish, which I do not find appealling, so I didn't get the Lemon Thyme scent. The smell of the Lime Basil Fresh Infusions dish soap is light and very fruity. I've been using it for a week and it's very nice. A little of this dish soap goes a long way. It makes a lot of bubbles and it leaves the dishes nicde and clean. It has more lather than the Palmolive Clean Sponge dish soap--a lot more--and it's hard to rinse off if I use too much. I don't know what to call the scent of the Palmolive Fresh Sponge, but it's not entirely pleasant. I was not using it for the smell, but because it cleans really well and leaves the dish sponge not stinky. I've wanted to switch for a while, but I was waiting for it to run out. Between it running out on Saturday and being able to get to Wal-Mart on Tuesday, I had bought some $1.00 dish soap at No Frills, which doesn't lather very well and smells kind of like new shoes.

I've done dishes at least 7 times since I bought the Palmolive Fresh Infusions Lime Basil and it has gotten the grease off, left the dishes sparkling clean, and made the kitchen smell nice every time. Fragrance is important to me, and I will never buy the $1.00 dish soap from No Frills again because it doesn't smell good. I like fresh, fruity scents, especially for wathing the dishes, because it's not something I look forward to. If the dish soap smells nice, it makes it a better experience. I would buy candles or air freshener in the Lime Basil scent if I could find them. I don't think I could ever say that about another dish soap.

Thanks for Reading, Everyone, and Blessed Be.

Rue21 Sparkle Perfume Display

I was at Metro Crossing today and I walked by Rue21 on the way from Ulta to Target. I saw the Sparkle fragrance sign outside the store again, then I wanted to see what the display looked like in the store. It's nice, so I took a picture. I doctored it with 2 bokeh from the PicsArt app. and added my watermark. Breland from GlitterForever17 on YouTube is their model. I was really surprised she's not pictured on the advertising material. As you can probably see, I could not find the tester for Sparkle. Bummer.