Category: Wearable

Treat Yo Self

September is here, and that means it’s my birthday month! I couldn’t come up with much for my birthday list because I’ve been getting in the habit of getting myself small treats here and there.

Mast Bros Chocolate

First up, I have to sing the praises of Mast Brothers chocolate. This chocolate is so dark and potent that a small piece, smaller than a square inch, satisfies my chocolate craving (okay, maybe two pieces). I keep a bar of this in my drawer at work and it helps me get through the afternoon stretch! After becoming so accustomed to Mast Brothers, eating Hershey’s milk chocolate seems like a waste. As a result, I eat less sweets of a better quality. A win-win in my book! You’ve got to get a bar and you’ll see what I mean.

Julep Maven

Second, after I got my new job back in March, I signed up for Julep Maven, a monthly nail polish (and other beauty items) subscription box. I thought getting nail polish month after month would get boring, but each month has new and exciting colors, and I can also swap items out for other things like lotion, lipstick, or restock on base coat (their base coat is seriously amazing) or topcoat. I’ve been pleased with the durability of the polish too, since I was disappointed with the other trendy brand, Essie.

Julep Maven

My first box, last April

My July box got lost in the mail, so customer service credited my account. To make up for the lost box I added on three colors of nail polish. Since I selected three add-ons, they gifted me with two more! So, I got eight colors this month–definitely an early “me-gift” for my birthday! Usually subscribers receive two colors plus another beauty item, or three colors. I look forward to selecting my box each month and have been having so much fun doing my nails before work each week. Something I never dreamed would become part of my routine but I really enjoy it!

If you want to subscribe, click my referral link & use code FREEBOX for your first month free.

Dollar Shave Club

Lastly, I didn’t want Doug to feel left out, and we are constantly out of razors around here (therefore either not shaving or using seriously unhygienic borderline rusty old blades, don’t tell anyone). So I signed him us up for Dollar Shave Club. Each month for $6 they will send us four fresh 4-blade razors. Win! We can select more or less as needed.

I forgot to add on an extra handle so this month Doug gets to be the first to try out the system, but next month I’ll get another handle. Ever since Julep Maven I have been getting on the subscription box train. So convenient and DSC is super affordable, too. Much cheaper than the Schick Quattro’s Doug had been picking up–super expensive even at Costco! If you want to give it a try (you can cancel anytime), use my referral link, and thank me later ;)

Note: The Julep and Dollar Shave Club links earn me a credit to apply to my own subscription. However, I’m only sharing because I’m a true convert, not because I was asked or paid to. 

My Makeup Routine

My Makeup Bag

Since I’m scurrying around like a crazy person today trying to tie up loose ends for Stephanie’s bachelorette party tonight, I thought I’d write a post ahead of time that also seemed wedding-relevant.

Here’s a DIY detail I did for my own wedding… my own makeup. And I didn’t buy anything special, or anything expensive. I literally did the same makeup I do day in and day out, except perhaps a little embellished, and I added lipstick. Especially for an informal outdoor wedding, why try to do something out of the ordinary?

I’ll do my own makeup for Stephanie’s wedding this Friday, and there is no shame in my game! Nobody knows my skin like I do.

[wedding photo]

As a blogger and therefore a member of the community who chooses to share the most minute details of our lives, I present to you the contents of my makeup bag:

Inside my makeup bag

And my routine:

  • I start my routine by applying the (very expensive and prestigious) Clean and Clear morning burst moisturizer. I give it a minute or so to soak in… once my face feels a little dryer I apply my Bobbi Brown bb cream. The whole point of bb cream is that you’re supposedly able to skip moisturizer, but my experience didn’t work out that way. If I skipped moisturizer the bb cream seemed to cling to my pores and result in a weird texture.
  • After my bb cream sets (it goes on like a mix between foundation and sunscreen, which it is) and feels powdery, I add blush (MAC, pinch of peach) and bronzer. The bronzer helps me not look like the walking dead.
  • I always fill in my eyebrows with that little maybelline powder up there, using the white brush. You wouldn’t think it, but it makes a huge difference in looking polished. As for my eyes, I normally use the powder above (Mica Bella, kind of like Bare Minerals) which is a light yellow-silver that instantly brightens without looking overdone. Sometimes for the evening I use brown (MAC’s corduroy) or purple (Kohl’s Glamourazzi).
  • I don’t usually use lipstick but when I do, the above Rimmel products make it happen. I create an outline on the edge of my lips, then fill it in with the pencil. After that I apply the lipstick lightly.
  • The nail polish is just included for good measure. Essie’s braziliant is my all-time favorite for its punchy coral-orange with a pearlized sheen.

What about you? Did you do your own makeup or hire a pro? Do you buy new makeup products all the time or stick to tried-and-true favorites? 

Katie

Please check out my friend Katie’s etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/biggerfishy for knitted goodness (and a stunning hat model named Adele).