August Birchbox & Etc.

Hey there! I know I've been a bit MIA but I'm going to try to update as much as I can. So here are the contents of this month's Birchbox minus a couple of items...Stila Tinted Moisturizer and Twistband.

After reading the card listing all the box contents, it dawned on me that I am missing an item...the twistband! and trust me it can easily be overlooked and chucked in the garbage.

This is a wonderful elastic band that is simple and sturdy to tie your hair with yet fashionable enough to wear on your wrist! What a versatile item!

Now here is a brand that I have never tried before. I'm all into natural, organic products these days so I will most likely give these items a go and let you guys know how I like it.

I recently went on a family weekend trip to Kings Dominion water park and although I missed out on using these towelettes, these would be perfect as a skin refresher after being in a public pool or beach. No more worrying about sunscreen coming off when you use these babies to take off impurities and put on a fresh application of SPF 30+ sunscreen!

I used the small tube of Stila tinted moisturizer right away and it was a typical tinted moisturizer, nothing extraordinary
. 

I rarely rave about a product as it is rare for my hubby to notice a new product that I am using but these...well these he loved! After one of my workouts, I took a shower and used both the shampoo and the treatment and not only did my hair look it's best and healthiest, but my hubby couldn't stop smelling my hair! 

The treatment is like butter on my hands but once I applied it to my wet hair, it started to change in texture and consistency. It was as if my hair was drinking it up or something! I'm usually not into floral scents as much as I like clean, fresh scents but this treatment is like a merger of both in my opinion. You can get about 3 applications out of this small container too.

(I apologize for the upside down pic >_< )

So this one is the shampoo. It has a stronger floral scent but the scent is not as long lasting as the treatment. It's really just like any other shampoo I have tried before, goes on smoothly and lathers nicely.

Aside from getting my birchbox, I went to my fave nail polish store at the mall and purchased some nude, basic colors for my growing nail polish collection.

Alpine Snow, Sweetheart, Sparrow Me The Drama, and Dulce De Leche

 **Swatches**

On another note, I have lost 14 lbs and month one of my Insanity workout regimen is ending this Saturday. I have come such a long way and I've noticed a lot of difference. Yesterday, I went shopping for basic clothes to wear for school, which will begin on Monday. I'm excited but at the same time nervous about leaving my baby daughter for the first time, but I have to finish my studies. 

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. TGIFFFFFFF!!!

Oh and by the way...I have a review coming up on my new Lancome cleanser...and no it's not the Clarifiance Gel cleanser that broke me out like crazy.

Can you guess which Lancome cleanser has stolen my heart?

Insanity Progress 15 Days

So as promised, I am letting you guys in on my progress (so far) with the Insanity Workout. Above is a picture of my Fit test results from Day 1 (first day) and Day 15 (yesterday). As you can see, there is much improvement.

Above is a picture of the more challenging exercise moves. In day 1, I couldn't even do a single push up jack! It may not seem like a lot but doing at least a couple more than before is great! It's really all about the form when doing these exercises. If you don't do it the right way, it won't matter how many times or how fast you do it.

The following are pictures of my progress so far, from Day 1 to Day 15....this is a 60 Day program.

You will notice that I have a lot of stretch marks due to the pregnancy. I tried to be as diligent as I can when it came to slathering stretch marks prevention creams and oils but it wasn't as effective, but I did carry an 8 lb 6 oz baby in my tummy so yeah...you can imagine. Besides they are normal during pregnancy and symbolize motherhood. =)
Right now, I am using Bio Oil which has plenty of Vitamin E and it's helping fade out the stretch marks. Drinking plenty of water and toning up through exercise helps get rid of them as well.

I have lost 11 lbs in 15 days

This is a lifestyle change and no, I am not doing this for vanity's sake. I am doing this to get healthy and most importantly for my daughter, Mia. She motives me to better myself and try my best everyday.

Feel free to ask me any questions that you may have. Take care and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Quick Shoe Haul at Nordstrom Rack

Look what I purchased yesterday at Nordstrom Rack! I've always heard and seen Nordstrom Rack but I've never actually set foot inside this alien of a store, so yesterday was the first of many trips to come! I dropped off hubby for his soccer game and began my drive by shopping journey. Initially, intending to head to the mall...I noticed a plaza on my right and decided to go ahead and make a not so legal, abrupt turn. There I found curiosity beckoning my name at the sight of the huge lit up words...Nordstrom Rack.

After literally 5 minutes of just stepping inside, store closing was announced. Having had a chance to work in retail, I knew that once that announcement is made it is almost always customary to kindly leave the store as a gesture of consideration for the store employees aching to go home.
As I made my way out of the store, nonchalantly glancing about the shoe racks and particularly paying attention to the flats...I saw these gunmetal colored shoes that I knew I just had to try.

Ooooo Anne Klein....Size 8...nice...$49.90 even nicer! It was such a great deal in my opinion because these are probably the most comfortable, fashionable flats I have ever seen and tried out.
I didn't even notice the style name right away but it is AK7 JULIE <<<< My name! Clearly a sign that I was meant to have it.

It fits me like no other shoe and I love the rubberized outer sole that was also intricately designed with what looks like sunflowers. I also love that it has a little heel unlike most flat shoes out there.

I really appreciate all the detail that went into making and designing this shoe. The inner sole has small glitters, the outside glistened in that wonderful gunmetal color and the chain style on front gives it a more modern, edgy look.

I love my new shoes!

My feet are happy ^_^

You know what else makes me happy. . . .

Lychee flavored Pocky! Delicious as they were, I had to eat this stuff with restraint because it had 760 calories in one box! In fact, they are currently sitting in my fridge. (^_^)

How about you...what's your favorite snack?

Here's some pics of my Mia as we wait for our bubble tea...

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far.

B&BW Haul & FOTD

Hey there peeps! So here I am again with a haul. I went to to B&BW (Bath and Body Works) the other day, on a mission to find some nice smelling, moisturizing body butters that I can actually stand. I am very finicky when it comes to scented products that I put on my skin because I have sensitive skin. That and the fact that it certain scents just irk me period!

I love going there for the liquid soaps that come in an array of scents that each come in 3 forms; moisturizing, foaming, and deep cleansing. I got 5 for $15 but you can buy 7 for $20 as well. I was ecstatic when I saw that they had a new Mint Chocolate one. I smelled it and it was spot on the scent of real mint chocolate.

I purchased some body products as well, 3 tubs of my new fave body cream. I also got this Peach Citrus Body was for free after getting a coupon for it from the salesperson.

At first, I was ready to just go ahead and settle with the warm vanilla, sweet pea, and twilight woods body butters but lo' and behold I found my perfect scent! It's from the True Blue Spa collection and it is called Shea Cashmere Body Cream.

According the the website, the scent is a creamy vanilla and it contains African shea butter with luxurious cashmere extract.

It's thicker than a regular lotion, as you can see from the peaks, but it's not too thick that it would be hard to blend or be absorbed by the skin. It goes on smoothly and feels like heavenly goodness! The scent is described as a creamy vanilla, but to me it smells like yummy cake batter.

I had a doctor's appointment today so I wanted to look fresh but not overly done up. I used a lot of my lancome products to achieve this look.
For my eyes, I used my Lancome Le Crayon Khol pencil in Black Coffee on the outer half, top lash lines. I then curled my lashes and applied Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara, my ultimate fave mascara!

It is a very minimal look, but I love it! It looks and feels like I have no makeup on. Since my skin is continuously improving with each day of using Lancome Genifique, I was able to apply a small amount of Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. I used a damp sponge to stipple and blend the foundation for a more natural look. 

I then applied a little bit of salmon colored concealer under my eyes (Makeupforever/MUFE 5 Camouflage Cream Palette). 

My t-zone tends to get oily during the summer so I used my MAC 189 brush to lightly sweep and press my MSF Natural powder.

For my cheeks I used MAC Mineralized Blush in Love Rock. I usually use my 129 or 187 brush for blush application but this time I decided to use my big, fluffy face brush-- MAC 150. I think by using a fuller brush like this, I was able to disburse the blush pigment nicely, giving me a more natural looking flush.

To add some ethereal glow on my tired looking face, I dabbed a little bit of Lancome's Eclat Miracle --- Serum of Light Complexion Illuminator on top of my cheek bones (orbital bone area), my brow bone, inner corner of my eyes, bridge of my nose, and cupids bow.

For my brows, I lined the top and bottom with my MAC eye brow crayon in Spiked and then filled the sparse areas with two shades of MAC brow powder....Cork on the inner brows and Espresso on the midway to outer part of the brows. I then applied Ardel brow sculpting gel.
For my lips, I moisturized first with my EOS lip balm and then topped it with my Lancome Juicy tube in Berry Bold.

Well that's it for now! Take care and have a wonderful rest of the week. If it's Friday for you, then Happy Friday!!! TGIFFFFF ^_^

Love Me Some Lancome & Feeding My Nail Polish Addiction

Hey there! Happy Monday everyone. I know that usually we say TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) but I think if you start the week with optimism then you might just end up having a great week that will go by faster than if you were dreading.

So I went and had a great shopping day at Nordstrom yesterday. I was determined to get my Genifique and good thing I did because it was the last day for the GWP (Gift with purchase) if you spend at least $39.50 on Lancome products.

 Ah my 1.7 oz beauty in a bottle...aka Genifique! After trying a sample of this stuff, I was hooked! Although, I've managed to clear up my acne and diminish my acne scars, I still had underlying bumps, large pores on certain areas, and uneven skin tone and texture. Then after almost a week of using the sample (I even cut it open so I can really get the rest of the product) I noticed a huge difference in my overall skin appearance and texture. My skin was smooth as a baby's bottom and my pores had visibly diminished!

The only downer on this product is that it's uber expensive! I shelled out $98 and this is the biggest bottle. Oh and by the way, I went to Macy's before going to Nordstrom (since it is conveniently a few blocks across from where I live) but they didn't have a GWP at the time. They did, however have a new product called Vissionaire and it is supposedly even better than the Lancome spot corrector. Sadly, Nordstrom is yet to carry this product so I might just purchase this from Macy's soon.

Okay, so this one was an unexpected purchase for the day. I was using my Clinique Wash-away Gel cleanser for the longest and although I really like it, I'm not in love it so I decided to try this one out. Lancome's Clarifiance oil-free foaming gel cleanser is ideal for Normal/Combination skin types.

This is $30 at Nordstrom but it can be purchased at a CCO depending on availability. It's a very basic gel cleanser, nothing fancy. It removes makeup and impurities. I was able to try this last night prior to applying Genifique and it didn't dry my skin at all. I used it with my Clarisonic Mia.

I love shopping at department stores especially whenever I can score GWP.

I got two GWP bags and sets of goodies...yay! The bags come in purple and black with a metallic sheen to it, but feel rubbery to the touch! Good quality considering they are free.

This was my first Lancome purchase so it's nice to get new stuff to try out.

Lancome High Resolution Refill-3x 0.5 oz

$75 for a 1.7 oz and $90 of 2.6 oz

This is a Day/Night Anti-aging moisturizer

Lancome Eclat Miracle 

This is an illuminating serum that is used as a makeup base but can also be used as a highlighter. 

Lancome La Base Pro

Oil-free makeup primer

Le Crayon Kohl Eye Liner in Black Coffee, Hypnose Drama Excessive Black Mascara, Maquiacomplet Complete Coverage Concealer, Juicy tube in Berry Bold (taste and smells like berries!), and Color Design Cream lipstick in Love It

Also got a 1.7 fl oz. Bi-Facil makeup remover (pic got cut off)

Lancome Color Design Lipstick in Love It

Cream dusty pink color

Lancome Color Design 

Sensational Effects Eye Shadow quad

                                                                 Style Section | Drape

                                                                  Ciel Du Soir | The New Black

I can't wait to use this quad. It looks like the eye shadows would work for a great smokey eye effect!

I also bought a couple of OPI Nail Lacquers. I really like their creme finish nail colors.

  I Lily Love You (Gorgeous pink sparkly nail color that I had ordered and finally got a chance to pick up) and In The Spot-Light Pink (a creme finish light pink that will probably be my go to color for the year!)

The winner of my OPI Katy Perry Mini Nail Polish set giveaway is Jenny<3

Please send me your shipping info via b3bkoolit@gmail.com

Thank you!