My First Birchbox

I received my first Birchbox in the mail!  

What is Birchbox? Their website says: “Join Birchbox and receive monthly deliveries of high-end beauty and lifestyle samples from top brands. It's the best way to discover new products and buy with confidence.”  All for just $10 a month!  Plus, if you fall in love with a sample, then you can go to birchbox.com to purchase the full size product with free shipping. 

I joined to learn about these new products and to share them here with you. 

September’s box included:

• Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Fox Hunt, exclusive to Birchbox 
• Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm
• Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips
• Beauty Protector Protect & Shampoo
• Beauty Protector Protect & Condition

All of these products have four out of five star ratings and hundreds of reviews.

I was so excited to share my first Birchbox with you that I haven’t even tried all of the samples yet!  I did try the Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips and the Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm.  The lip balm has a thicker consistency that seemed to last longer and moisturize better than others.  I’m looking forward to trying it as the weather grows colder and my lips grow more chapped. 

I really like the beauty balm!  It’s a moisturizer, sunscreen with SPF 45, anti-aging cream and light coverage makeup all in one!  This could save me five minutes every morning, which means five more minutes of sleep!  Happy girl.  The coverage was ideal for a daily foundation and a little goes a long way.  I added some concealer to my nose and under my eyes, topped that with pressed powder, bronzer and mascara and headed out the door.  I may have to buy the full size, even at $39.  Four products and five minutes of beauty sleep?  Totally worth it.

Stay tuned for more beauty product reviews from my Birchbox!  For more information about Birchbox or to subscribe, click here.

Polished, Perfect and Pretty, Grâce à Dior and BAZAAR

Polished, perfect and pretty.  That's the idea behind Dior's new "Dressy Nudes" look.  As a newly minted Style Ambassador for Harper's Bazaar I was invited to try the look at Macy's Dior counter.  The results?  Flawless and flirty without appearing too made up.  I especially liked the light feeling, yet full coverage of the Airfinish foundation and the flirty eye makeup.  I would love to own Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in Dune and Charnelle and Rouge Dior Nude in Trompe loeil.

While I enjoyed the friendly company of the Dior makeup artist and fellow animal lover, I wish I learned more about the "Dressy Nudes" look.  I brought home the useful pamphlet and took the fun quiz to see if my personality should try the Feminine, Sensuous, Elegant or Divine look.  I was a little of all...

As a BAZAAR Style Ambassador, I have joined "a niche nationwide network of the most influential, well-connected and chic readers chosen to represent the BAZAAR brand." Simply put, this means I get the opportunity to try new products, attend exclusive events and win fabulous prizes! All in the name of fashion.

Follow the category BAZAAR Style Ambassador to stay up to date on my stylish adventures!

So this morning I had a shoot with Vanity Fair...

and now I'm off to the Soham Dave fashion show.  Here's a sneak peek from the shoot in the Gallery Met at the Metropolitan Opera House:

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Getting all dolled up by Blair Patterson"][/caption]

I am indebted to the people I met today from Vanity Fair, Estée Lauder and The Met.  They were so kind and I could've listened to them talk of their lives in New York all day.  I will never forget it.  Stay tuned for more details!