Sister's Bridal Shower

Here are those promised pictures from my sister's Bridal Shower. She's getting married in August! 

It was ridiculously hot, but thankfully we were able to get a tent setup and that majorly helped! As you can tell, her choice of color was pink and white. She's a huge girly-girl. 

There was a lot of DIY at this bridal shower! My sister made her own beautiful card box using a birdcage and made her own almond tin party favors, as well. A few of the elements were handmade by me, specifically the streamers and the mason jar candle lanterns. Unfortunately, I don't have the best pictures of these. I'm waiting on others to put their personal pictures on facebook so I can show you better shots, haha. I also made some party favors using clothespins, which I'll show pictures of later. 

Side/Back? view of the tent. It looks a bit bare, but there was a tree in the way which we couldn't decorate around!

The birdcage card box. I promise I'll get a better shot of this!

My sister ordered a custom flowery banner. Also, here's the food! :)

A shot of my friend, Bree, and I. You can tell I'm a bit spent at this point. It was incredibly hot out and I'd been rushing all morning to get this done. 

The cake! The cake and desserts were made by my sister's co-worker, a former well-renowned pastry chef.

Desserts/drink table. I love these pictures. The desserts truly look as amazing as they tasted.

The drinks for the margarita machine were kept in this nice inflatable cooler.


Those are all the pictures for now. Congrats again to Diana and Juan! 

Birchbox - June 2012

{What was in this month's box}:
Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner
theBalm cosmetics Stainiac
BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages by Cynthia Rowley
Melvita Floral Water
John Varvatos Star USA

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

Upon first opening my box, my husband laughed at the size of this tiny sample. My justification for the size of this item is that the theme for this month is jetsetting. Even so, I wish this had been a bigger size. At least when it comes to skincare, I don't feel that a sample of this size can show me how my skin will react to it.

I find the smell pleasant. It's almost reminiscent of vaporub, but in a good way! It's not overpowering in a way a lot of skincare can be, so I feel this is something I can use on a daily basis and not just for when my skin needs serious moisturizing. After using this moisturizer, my skin does feel softer. This may be a product to look into later.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

I've been using exclusively pencil/gel liners lately, so it was refreshing to receive Eyeko's liquid liner. It is incredibly pigmented! I had never used a pencil liner before and I find it easier to use than the regular liquid liner wands. Wands? I'm not sure if there's a technical term for those. Point is, I like this liner!

theBalm cosmetics Stainiac

I was SUPER excited and crossing my fingers to get this in my box. Finally, my good luck kicks in! This was the first stain I'd ever tried and I absolutely loved it. It's a great color that I think will flatter across all skin tones, as well as long lasting and versatile. 

BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages by Cynthia Rowley

These are beautiful, but I can't bring myself to use any of them!

Melvita Floral Water

This smells like...floral water! I'm not a big fan of strong scents, but I've read a lot about floral water being used for a variety of things (from freshening up to toner). 

John Varvatos Star USA

I believe this was a Birchbox extra. This is actually a men's cologne, which I passed on to my husband and...he lost. Haha, but he did enjoy the scent!

This was a really great box this month! There were a few great finds that I'll be looking into for possible  replacements later on. This box also reminded me of what these services are all about: trying new things. 

You can purchase a Birchbox subscription through my referral link {here} or Birchbox.com

What did you think about this month's Birchbox? What was in your box?

-Claudia

Up and Coming

Hello, Blogworld! 

I hope you are enjoying the new site design as much as I am. It's still not fully finished, but it's getting there! I'm also working on getting a few new 'Looks' on here. I haven't been too happy with the way the pictures have come out so far, but I've been working on getting better. I'll be going on summer break soon and, while I had hoped to spend that time at Imats, I'm looking forward to planning a different kind of adventure--perhaps roadtripping?--with my husband. :) My sister's bridal shower is also coming up and I'll be sharing those gory details on here, as well. Until then!

Sephora's 2012 Sun Safety Kit

Sephora's 2012 Sun Safety Kit!!

I was super excited to pick this up at Sephora yesterday. Out of all the products included, I've previously only tried about 2-3. Although they are sample size items, this box should get me through the summer and will introduce me to a good amount of new products. :)

{Items included}:

Bare Escentuals SPF 25 Mineral Veil + brush
Boscia Oil-free Daily Hydration SPF 15
Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
Kate Somerville Skin Care - Face Tanning Pad
Murad Oil-control Mattifier SPF 15
Ole Henriksen Protect the Truth SPF 50 Sunscreen
Origins VitaZing SPF 15
Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30
Philosophy Hope Oil-free SPF 30
Sephora Collection Age Defy Moisture Cream SPF 15
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60
Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-free UV Protector SPF 42
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 w/Dermaxyl Complex
St. Tropez Gradual Tan - Medium Dark
Supergoop SPF 30 Everyday UV Lotion for Face and Body Cream Oil-free
Tantowel for Face and Body

Have you picked up the kit? Do you have any favorites?

-Claudia

ipsy (formerly Myglam) - June 2012!

{What was in this month's bag}:

Philosophy's Take a Deep Breath Oil-free Moisturizing Oyxgen Gel Cream Moisturizer
NYX Round Lipstick in Saturn
Living Proof frizz Nourishing Styling Cream
Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen

Subscription purchased by me, affiliate links within post

Philosophy's Take a Deep Breath Oil-free Moisturizing Oyxgen Gel Cream Moisturizer

I've never been a huge fan of Philosophy's moisturizers, because of the rusted smell they left on my skin. I believe this is something that only happens to select people, so I think it has something to do with different skin chemistry. This moisturizer, however, doesn't smell so strongly. In fact, it's hard for me to pinpoint a smell, which is good! I've only used it a few times, so I can't say with certainty that there has been a significant change. The cream doesn't feel too heavy, which is nice. Finally, a Philosophy product I can use without crinkling my nose.

NYX Round Lipstick in Saturn

I was excited to receive a lipstick in this month's bag (hey, two months in a row!), but I'm not too fond of the shade. Saturn is nearly my lipcolor, if a bit more red, but has an extremely glossy look to it. I don't think it is a good stand-alone shade, but could be a nice alternative to gloss. I might end up giving this shade away.

Living Proof Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream 

I was a bit skeptical about this product, because of the history I have with this brand. I had previously purchased the heat styling cream and disliked it. After using this product a few times, I have to say I didn't give this brand a chance. Not that I would repurchase the heat styling cream, but that I should have been using this!

It's been incredibly hot out here and pretty much the perfect time to test this styling cream. I've used it a few times since it arrived and have loved the way my curls remained intact throughout the day. I am definitely considering trying a different product from their line and may just do that with the coupon that was included in this month's bag.

Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen

I haven't used liquid eyeliner in quite some time, after having purchased MAC's fluidline in Blacktrack. I was never a pro (and still don't consider myself that) when it comes to applying liquid liner, though I have improved since using the gel liner. I had never used a liner pen, so I was pretty stoked to receive this. I've always been skeptical on the use of liner pens; wouldn't it be harder to use?

It was definitely a different experience. I wouldn't say that it was easier, just different. The pen is not as pigmented as I would have liked, so it does make it a bit more difficult to apply because you do have to press down slightly more. I did really like the brush on the pen, which made it easier to draw my winged-out liner.

I absolutely LOVED this month's bag! So many goodies and so many new things to try. I was hoping to cancel a subscription service this month, but now I'm not sure which it will be. With the addition of Glossybox, I now have three monthly subscription services, which I think is one too many. Gah! Why couldn't you make this easy for me, ipsy?? I'm super excited to see what ipsy does for July!

You can purchase an ipsy subscription {here}.

What did you think of this month's bag?

-Claudia