Not Your Mother's Beach Babe.... #NYMBeachBabe

I was lucky enough to get the SurfsUpVoxBox from Influenster.  It was pretty awesome and had some pretty fun things in it.  One of the things I got was a sample of the Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Shampoo and Conditioner to test.  While they gave it to me for free my opinion is my own.  I loved it!! The first thing I noticed was the smell.  It smells amazing, kind of like coconuts and summer all in one.  I would probably want to use it for that reason alone.  Then you wonder how it's going to do with your hair.  I have shorter hair, sort of normal thickness, but a lot of hair.  I like to use my flat iron to actually curl my hair.  I used the shampoo and conditioner and it seriously gave my hair so much volume.  It was great.  My only complaint has been that I have not been able to find it anywhere to buy.  I've found a beach spray, but no shampoo or conditioner.  I've checked here in my home town and even when I was on vacation in Las Vegas.  I'm guessing amazon will have it.  Doesn't seem to be too expensive either...try it out!!

Stitch Fix June Review

Want to update your closet but don’t know how?  Enter Stitch Fix.  What, you may ask, is Stich Fix?  Stitch Fix is your own personal styling service.  You create an account with them, fill out a detailed style profile of what kind of clothes you love and what you hate, tell them about how much you would want to spend, and set up a fix. Fixes can come as often or as little as you want.  You can even have it set up to come monthly if you don’t want to think about it.  I have mine set up monthly and have even shared my Pinterest clothing board with them so they can see the types of items I love.  Once it’s time for your Fix a stylist will pick out 5 items that they think will be a good fit for you based on your style profile.  Once you get them you have 3 days to try items on in your own home, decide what you want to keep, and send the rest back in a pre-paid bag they include.  To tell Stitch Fix what you want to keep you just log onto your account at Stitch Fix and they will list out your items and give you an option to include feedback as well.  Each time you leave feedback they are getting more information about how to style you better.  If you decide to keep all 5 of your items you get a 25% discount on your whole fix...awesome!  You can see my previous posts about my experiences with Stitch Fix here and here.

Now onto the clothes…

Oxmo Jayla Front Twist Sweater in Pink $78.00

This one would have been awesome to get in September when I’m getting excited about fall.  I live in Idaho so as soon as it gets warm enough I like to NOT see my winter clothes for as long as possible.  I wasn’t really a fan of the color of this one, but I still feel like I would have been more in the mood for it when I’m also getting in the mood for pumpkins, hot chocolate, bright colored leaves, and all the goodness of fall.  Unfortunately this one was not a keeper.

Pixley Bettina Enamel Crescent Bib in Fuchsia $34.00

I love big jewelry.  Like statement pieces.  I think this one semi falls into that category.  I think the pink color threw me off on this one.  I don’t mind color in my jewelry, but I’d rather see it in gem form.  I have loved the last two jewelry pieces I got from Stitch Fix so I was a bit bummed when I didn’t fall in love with this one.  I ended up sending it back.

Pomelo Klara Embroidered & Striped French Terry Top $34.00

This one was the first item I’ve gotten from Stitch Fix where I had to say, “What were they thinking”.  So far I have liked every item I’ve gotten.  I haven’t kept everything just because some things don’t always fit how you want or I didn’t think the cost matched the item, but this shirt was way off.  For one I thought it looked boxy in shape.  I really like more shape to my clothes.  I don’t mind the stripes, but the yellow stitch detailing was a bit weird with it.  Like I think I would like them on two separate pieces…not together.  The final kicker with this one was the fabric.  It was a type of terry cloth material.  It had no stretch at all and couldn’t fully get it on my arms (thanks swimming for giving me more muscular arms).  Of course this one did not find its home in my closet.

Kensie Jeans Kaleigh Ankle Biter Skinny Jean in Navy $88.00

I was pleasantly surprised by the pants I got.  I’m not a big pants person I guess you could say.  I love tops, jewelry, jackets, purses, and shoes, but pants just always seem to be pants.  I’m happy to have them, but I don’t fall in love with them.  When I saw these pants I was extremely happy to see that they were navy blue (weird I know).  I don’t own navy blue pants.  I felt like I could wear these at work or out with my friends.  They are a stretchy material which I appreciate.  The only thing that could have made these better would have been a higher waist.  I’m a fan of the higher waist pants, I feel like they stay on better, I’m not pulling them up all night, and I don’t have to wear a belt if I don’t want to.  I ended up keeping these!

Daniel Rainn Drake Snake Print Cross-Front Blouse $68.00

Immediately when I saw this shirt I had mixed feelings.  I usually love prints; however, I’m pretty sure my grandma had a shirt that kind of looked similar to this one.  Not snake print, but the same color scheme.  I did like the fit of the top, it was something I would for sure wear usually.  I really would have loved this in a different color.  Maybe blacks, whites, and greys with bits of red.  I really almost kept this one, but I texted a picture of me in it to a friend and her first reaction (without any prompt from me) was that it kind of looked like a grandma top…so two votes for a grandma top and I just couldn’t keep it.  Back it went.

I left feedback to Stitch Fix about all my items and that next time I would love to see summer clothes and maybe even a maxi skirt if they found one that was fun.  Even though I ended up with only 1/5 items I still am totally on board for this service.  You can’t win them all right?  It’s really fun and addicting to get clothes picked out specifically for you.  I love the surprise element of it.  It’s so much more fun to get it and try things on at home, then going to a store and just seeing it on the rack.  Plus you get a fun personal note with it.  I can’t wait to get my next fix.  I’m excited to see what they have in store.

Want to get your own Fix?  Check it out here.  When you get your first Fix I’ll get a $25 credit and when you get your Fix you get your own personal link to share with all your friends so you can get credits too!  It’s a great way to get all your friends involved.  And maybe even sharing closets??

MKGlam VoxBox Review

I was super excited when I found out I would be receiving my very first VoxBox from Influenster to try out and review the product.  I love make up so I definitely got the right box for me.  I waited and waited (ok it wasn't that long I'm just impatient) and finally it arrived!!  I was expecting to just get small samples of the products, but I opened my box and to my surprise these were full size products!  Woo hoo!  Here's what I got:

MKGlam VoxBox

Mary Kay® Bronzing Powder

I don't usually use bronzing powder, but in Idaho it certainly doesn't hurt to use it considering you don't get a lot of sun in the winter. I thought it was a nice color and added some "sun" to my face. My only complaint is that when I used the powder brush it scratched so much off that I ended up with a lot of powder other places.

Mary Kay® Translucent Loose Powder

The translucent powder went on nice on my skin and seemed to add a pretty glow. I loved that the inside has a turn dial so the powder doesn't get everywhere when it's thrown in a make up drawer or in a bag while traveling. I also got this powder brush. Great brush and a new one...who doesn't need another brush?

Mary Kay® Mineral Cheek Color

This color has a gold base to it...so I loved it. This color is a pretty cheek pink. It didn't break apart and make quite a mess like the bronzer did. I could really wear this color every day.

Mary Kay® Cream Eye Color in Apricot Twist

I'll be honest, the last time I wore a cream eye shadow was in 8th grade when it came in a little candy shaped container and it was a bright sparkly blue. So this one made me nervous. I love love love the color. Again it has those gold undertones. I probably wouldn't buy a cream eye shadow on my own, but this one worked out fine. Also I got this great concealer brush.

Mary Kay® Lash Love® Mascara

I'm pretty picky about my mascara. I have what I use and really don't stray from that too much. This was not bad though. I liked that a huge clump did not come out with the wand (mine does that) and it seemed to hold up on my eyes fairly well throughout the day, even though my eyes water a ton (dang Idaho wind).

Mary Kay® Gel Eyeliner with Expandable Brush Applicator in Jet Black

Once again I had something to try since I had never used a gel liner before. It really stayed on well and wasn't hard to use like I thought it would be. The little brush is small enough that it worked fine.

Mary Kay® NouriShine Plus® Lip Gloss in Mango Tango

I love the bright color of this. It's so fun for spring and summer. I thought at first it would look way to orange/ridiculous on me, but since it was a gloss and not a full matte lip color it looked just fine. I really ended up liking this the most.

The Final Look

I was really glad I got a chance to try these products out. It really made for a fun time testing make up I had never worn before.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. However these views are completely my own.

Stitch Fix May Review

Woo Hoo! I got my second Stitch Fix this month.  I was so excited for it.  Stitch Fix is a clothing styling service where you tell them the kind of clothes that you like, your sizes, and about how much you want to pay and they send you a box of 5 items that you get to try on at home and send back what you don't like or want.  They do all of this for a $20 styling fee and if you keep at least one item the $20 goes towards that item.  If you end up keeping all 5 items you get a 25% discount on the whole box.  It's pretty much amazing...and addicting.  I just couldn't wait to see what they picked out for me this month.  My friends, after seeing what I got sent, figured the people styling me knew me personally.  They don't, but because they see my pinterest board they probably have seen enough of what I like and don't like.  Anyway...onto the clothes this month!!

Pixley Page Chain Collar Necklace $36

The first thing I got was this beautiful statement necklace.  I love jewelry like this.  It's bold and not a tiny chain that I feel like I might break if I catch it on one thing.  It looked like so much fun so I kept it.

Liverpool Vinny Ankle Length Colored Skinny Jean $78

This color caught my eye, it's definitely springy and fun and I had asked for more color, but they just didn't seem to fit me how I wanted.  I also thought they were a little pricy for a pair of colored skinny jeans so these got sent back...

41Hawthorn Toshi Contrast Detail Longsleeve Blazer $88

So I had seen this blazer in someone else's Stitch Fix box and I was super excited that I got it.  I asked for work appropriate clothes and this for sure fits the bill.  It was little more than I would want to pay, but I ended up keeping it.  It's a classic piece that I'll be able to use for work and it's hard to see, but at the sleeve there's a little edge of polka dot detail that I love.  It was a keeper.

Leota Melony 3/4 Sleeve Chebron Print Wrap Dress $138

I wanted to like this one.  I've been looking for a spring dress and I do think it's cute, but honestly I didn't feel the cost of it fit what it was.  I specifically asked for dresses that were knee length and they really got this right spot on.  Stitch Fix really listened to what I needed...it was just too much.  I think for this dress I probably would have wanted to pay more around $50...so back it went.

41Hawthorn Ivy Abstract Triangle Print Tab-Sleeve Blouse $68

And last, but certainly not least I got this top.  I LOVE it.  I love fun prints like this and thought it would go perfect with the gold collar necklace.  I feel like this is dressy enough for work, but also really fun for a night out with my friends.  It's something I see myself wearing often (probably too much).  Needless to say I kept this one.

So overall I kept 3/5 pieces.  Not bad!!  I think the stylists do an excellent job of really listening to what I want and picking things that I might not pick up in the store, but end up falling in love with.  This time I changed my style profile a bit so I'm excited to see if my next one is a bit different.

Want to learn more about Stitch Fix??  Check it out here.

April BirchBox Review

Do you love make up?  Do you love trying new beauty products?  I do, I do, I do-ooo.  (please say someone gets the reference) Last month through Stitch Fix I heard about a program called Birchbox where for just $10 a month you get to try out samples of beauty (and sometimes snack) products.  I had to try it out.  I was lucky enough to get off the waiting list right away and I couldn't wait to get my first box.

Here's what I got this April:

1.  Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner (Purple):  This was my favorite item in the box.  I was nervous and excited to try purple eyeliner.  It wasn't too crazy and looked great with my eyes.  It went on smooth and lasted all day.  I want to try it in blue.
2.  Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream (Light to Medium):  I was impressed that this blended with my skin color so well.  It has something in it that is supposed to match to your skin color...and it did.
3.  Color Clubs Gala's Gem's Collection (Aquamarine Azulino):  I love nail polish.  I grew up around one brand and haven't tried too many others just because I tend to find something I like and stick with it, but I'm trying new things and this is such a fun spring color.
4.  Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle:  This smells A-Maz-ING.  Seriously can not get enough of the smell of it.  Didn't really feel any difference with my hair.  I don't have long hair and my conditioner detangles it anyway.  I guess it's protecting my hair from the heat so I wouldn't see/feel that overnight.
5.  Kind Healthy Grain Bars (Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt):  I was expecting this to be more chewy, but it was pretty crunchy.  I did enjoy the flavor though.  Really salty so if you don't like salt this isn't for you.  I would buy more though.

What I really like about this service is that I get to try and learn about new brands and I love that it is only $10 a month...seriously it's extremely affordable.  When you sign up you fill out a style profile so they can pick out items they think will work best for you.

Want to learn more?  Check it out here!