Fall Break

So this weekend was our "fall break" which actually just means there were no classes Friday so I came home for the weekend :) I took my sister and her friend downtown and we ate at a little cafe and shopped in this super old, stuffy bookstore. I remembered the bookstore from when we were kids; our mom used to always drag us in there. All these years later, the same guy works there and it seems even more full of books. There are tons and tons of shelves stuffed with old books, and even a few new ones. I bought 3 books for about $2, something that is impossible at Books-A-Million. Also discovered a store that sells sort of a mix of everything--candles, jewelry, a few tops. I bought a large crew neck top even though it's sorta big. I'll make it work ;) anyway, here's some pics (I took my fisheye to waste some film).

October 2012 Birchbox Review

For this month's Birchbox the theme was "transformation." I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed with this box. There wasn't anything I fell in love with in this box, and to me it seems like they just threw something together so they could work on the goop boxes. I thought we might get something fun and crazy or colorful, but nope. And why did we get a Tilli bag? It's basically a designer sandwich bag, which is cool I guess if you've got money to spend on completely pointless items. I'll definitely find a use for it, but I feel like it was kind of a filler to make the box seem more full.

I wasn't a fan of the sample size of the Nexxus products. You can only use it once, and for shampoo or conditioner, I don't think once is enough to decide what you think of it. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm pretty sure I've used Nexxus shampoo before so I'm not super excited about it.

I haven't tried the BB cream yet. I know lots of people got these a couple months ago, which makes me kinda feel like Birchbox just have some left over and sent them out. But then again, I do kind of see how BB creams could be "transforming." I looked at it though and I think it might be too light for my skin tone :/

I did sorta like the highlighter, but I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. The little card they gave with suggested areas to highlight was definitely helpful. I just put on a bit with my finger since I don't have any brushes or anything in my dorm (oops). I'm going to do a little youtube research and figure out how to use this best and then get back to you. I've never really used anything like it before, so I'm glad Birchbox sent me this!

This lip gloss was probably my favorite item this month. It's Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss to be exact. It went on nice and smooth, it's not sticky, and it smells great. I'm a bit surprised Birchbox didn't choose a more colorful gloss, but then again, it's fall and neutrals are IN. I wish I didn't have such thin lips so I could rock this gloss!

All in all, I wasn't really thrilled with this box. But I did end up looking at what I got online before it came in (it came pretty late this month) and so I'd already known what I'd got for a while and it just wasn't as exciting. Never doing that again. So now all I'm gonna do is wait for next month to come around. I'm honestly glad I didn't go for the goop box this month, nothing in there looks any better than what I got. What about you guys? What did you get this month?

Hair Trend: The Sock Bun

The hardest part of fall/winter for me is figuring out what to do with my hair every day. My hair is long, and I hate the feeling of dry, damaged hair that has been curled and straightened much too often. I am a typical lazy college student, so it's not like I have lots of time to do elaborate hairstyles. I have recently discovered the sock bun, and it is a solution to all of those hair problems.

I always wondered how ballerinas got those perfect looking buns. Then I came across a "hair donut" in Claire's, and it hit me. I looked up some youtube videos and discovered that all you had to do was roll your hair using a "donut" or a sock (that's why they're called "sock buns") and you could have a sleek, cute ballerina bun. I love it! It's a very quick and easy, yet professional look. It can look pretty with a comfy, sporty outfit, or chic with office wear. Days when I wake up late but still want to look good, I will be putting my hair in a sock bun. What do you think?

Homecoming

So, I've got a big week ahead of me, since it's the last week of tennis (we leave for conference finals Thursday), plus I have two important tests, and Ben's birthday is this weekend. I feel awful that the gifts I ordered him haven't even come in yet, and I won't get to spend time with him on his birthday because I'll be at conference finals. If I can make it through this week then I am capable of ANYTHING.

I should have a real post coming again soon once my October Birchbox comes in. Before I even signed up for Birchbox I used to look up reviews and see what everyone else got. That was the first time I discovered how popular beauty blogs were. Actually, the main thing I had in mind when I decided to create this blog was using it for BB reviews.

If you don't know what Birchbox is, basically it is a monthly subscription service that sends you 4-5 deluxe beauty samples for $10 a month. Sometimes you even get full sized products, which is cool. I signed up for Birchbox because I don't really wear makeup and I wasn't sure where to start. I hate spending money, so it's not like I was going to go buy a bunch of products and try them out, so Birchbox was the perfect thing. Also I like the idea of a little monthly gift in the mail :) The reason I chose Birchbox over all the others was because of their points system. You can review the items from your box on their website, and for every review you do, you get 10 points. 100 points is worth $10 in their store. Actually, since my October box is late, they emailed me a couple days ago saying they're giving me 100 points!

So until my October box comes in, you'll just have to deal with boring personal posts :( I went to homecoming last night. It was honestly probably the worst homecoming of my life. I was the DD and had to haul all my drunk friends to the drunk bus (it takes you to the dance if you don't have  a car, don't wanna drive, etc.) Then, when I went to the actual dance, the music was awful. Ben and I didn't even dance. My drunk friends managed to have fun even with crappy music, but I wasn't feelin' it. We left early and took a couple friends with us because they were sick, so we stopped in Sheetz to grab some nice, greasy food. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea, and there were a bunch of drunks chanting order numbers at a very frustrated/annoyed cashier. One guy even had his shirt off, and two others almost got in a fight. We ended up leaving before our food was even ready. The whole night was a real disappointment.

The one good part of the night was getting all dressed up. I painted my nails with the new red Essie fall polish (Headmistress?) and got to wear my new black dress. I also used The Balm Staniac lip stain in Beauty Queen, which is arguably one of the best things I ever got in my birchbox. Hopefully this time next week I'll be typing up a review on all my lovely October BB items and not feeling the slightest bit stressed!

My Favorite Photos

So, its been a crazy busy weekend (actually I just spent it at my boyfriend's house) and I don't have much to write about, so I figured I would share with you guys a few of my favorite pictures. Some were taken using my Lomography Fisheye 2 camera, and the others were taken on my iPhone. I don't have a dSLR, but I've been wanting one for a while. I don't have the money for one, though. I was lucky enough to get my iPhone, honestly. Anyway, here's a few of my favorite pics :)

Product Review: Twistband Hair Ties

     Okay, I dunno about you guys, but I have been seeing these things everywhere. Basically, it's a hair tie that is made of soft, stretchy material that is wider than normal hair ties, so it won't leave a dent in your hair. I got one in my Birchbox this month, and I was so excited to try it! I have to put my hair up a lot for tennis, and it would definitely be nice if my hair still looked good when I took it out of the ponytail after a match.
    I took it with me when we went to a tournament for the weekend, and overall, I have to say I was not super impressed. No, it does not dent your hair, which is lovely, but I still don't think it's worth over a dollar a hair tie when you can pick up a large pack at Walmart super cheap. I wore mine for a couple matches and what I found was they tend to slide so your ponytail falls down. I have slick hair as it is, and I have trouble with that when I use regular hair ties. The twistband ones were pretty bad about it, though. Also, the hair ties are pretty big, at least compared to the regular ones that cut off your circulation. I have very small wrists, though, and I ended up losing the darn thing before the weekend was over.
     Overall, I wasn't a fan of Twistband hair ties. I don't hate them, but I'll be sticking to my cheap Walmart ones. They look pretty cute, though, and if you have extra money lying around to spend on hair ties, go for it. What do you think of them?

Product Review: Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

In my September birchbox I got this Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel, and I am in love with it! It's all natural and preservative free, and feels great on my face. Most face washes make my face itch, but not this one. It smells natural, too. My face felt softer even after the first time I used it. Love it!