No I'm not dead!

Hooray!  I'm alive!  Although you wouldn't know it if you only went by my blog posts.  Which I realize the last one was in August but hey, I am not a full time blogger nor do I get paid to do this.  It's all just for fun!

Honestly though, I started this blog as a place to put all my inspiration and crafts and reviews and with Pinterest and all those other websites, I felt like I didn't need to blog as much.  Make sense?  I know sometimes it's annoying when you read a blog and you go back and there's no new content, but I believe in quality, not quantity, so please forgive the sparse posts.

However, there are a few things I felt like I needed to share with you guys, so there will be more than 1 post a year month from me.  I don't want to fall into total oblivion!

And on that note, I am coming up on this blog's one year anniversary!  I cannot believe it's been a full year since I started writing and sharing my life online.  When I look back at some of my posts (and pictures) I cringe at how cheesy they are, but hey, blogging has a definite learning curve and I can only hope that mine continues to go up.  I also wanted to thank my readers for continuing to follow me on this blog.  At first I think it was just my sister and law and my mom, but I am always so amazed when I see have traffic from all over the world.  That is so, so amazing to me!  So thank you so much for reading.  It means so much to me that I still have pageviews after a whole year.

Happy Birthday Small Fry, Tall Dreams, and let's keep it up for another year!

Love it a little less.

Oh Birchbox.  You can't just lure me in with a fab box in July and then give me a not-so-fab box in August.  It's not really fair and it makes me question our relationship.

But not so much that I'm super excited for the next box to come.

So as you've probably guessed, I got my August Birchbox and I was a little less than thrilled.  Not that it didn't have good products in it, because it did, but because they are products I will probably hardly ever use.

The theme this month was "Beauty School" and was meant to "refill your beauty supply kit with must-try essentials and new products that will take you through the fall" (from Birchbox's website).  Cute idea but not really well executed in my opinion.

The only thing really "school like" about this box was the fold out (shown above) with some beauty tips and tricks, and a card encouraging me to shop in their online store so some of the profits could go to Pencils for Promise (an organization that builds schools for underprivileged children in other countries).  

Other than that, it was five products total which was two less than last month's box. Not that I'm greedy.  I just appreciate consistency.

So I had:

1. Shick Hydro Silk Razor

Probably the second best thing in the box.  I hate buying razor blades, (I'm known to buy a new razor because they're cheaper than the blades) so I was super happy when I saw this.  It has five blades with skin guards and moisture bars, so I'm thinking it will give a pretty close shave.  Once again, the Birchbox finds came through.  (Last month it was the earbuds.)

2. Miss Jessie's Original Quick Curls

Friggin' gold in a bottle.  This stuff was by far the best product in the box and I died of happiness when I used it.  I know in this review I said the Bumble and Bumble cream was liquid gold, but Miss Jessie snuffed that candle out.  Although the B&B keeps away the frizz really well, I have never seen my hair as curly as it looked with this stuff in it.  It your curls in place with just enough hold so that they're still soft, but they won't frizz up.  I hate crunchy curls, so I was super happy with this product.  So happy, that I think I'm going to use my 220 Birchbox points to buy a full size bottle.  Well played Birchbox.  Well played.

3. Beauty Fixation Makeup Remover Q-tips

These are the q-tips that have the little snap off top so the makeup remover can flow down into the other side and are ready to use.  I've seen/used this type of product before but honestly, I don't ever use makeup remover.  I'm a face wash and water type of gal, so I don't really have a need for these.  However, they would be great for travel or to keep in your purse for emergencies so I'll definitely hang onto them.

4. Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy- La Fleur perfume sample

This perfume was soooo not for me.  I have two different perfumes I switch between and that is it.  They are simple, light fragrances and I have been wearing them for years.  This stuff was too strong for my tastes and I will probably be giving it to my sister who wears Ed Hardy perfume.  Kind of a bummer.

5. Pixi Beauty Lid Last Shadow Pen- Bronze Brillance

I wanted to like this product so much since the idea behind it is so great, but the color is just so wrong for my skin tone.  The pencil goes on like a liner but then dries into a powder and is smudge proof.  Really good idea because my eye shadow tends to fade off after a full day of work.  However, I was super upset about the color they sent me.  It's hard to tell from this picture but it's a dark bronze, which makes me look like a lady of the evening.  I went online to look at the other colors and literally every other color would have been more flattering, but hey, I can't blame them for a bad color choice since they don't know how pale I am.  I'm just sad they sent me this one.  Good thing I have an awesome Birch-buddy, (She coined the phrase.  I know.  Brilliant.) and she's going to trade with me from her box.

All in all, I still like getting new products every month and I know not every box will be a complete success.  I just hope next month's box has more stuff I can use and enjoy in the future.

At least this month my hair will be super curly and my legs will be hair free.



*All product pictures from www.birchbox.com

Nails, nails, nails.

Time for another beauty product review!  Today it's going to be an oldie but a goodie.  Fake press on nails.  Because you know what?  Sometimes you have to bring back a middle school favorite every once in a while.  

But make no mistake, these are wayyyy better than the crappy plastic and cheap this-won't-keep-fake-nails-on-but-glues-my-fingers-together glue.  

And that is why I had to share.

On my lunch break a few weeks back I went into a drugstore to feed my Diet Coke addiction look around to kill time, and I came across these bad boys. 

(source)

Impress press-on nails by Broadway nails.  Of course, I'm a sucker for adorable packaging and they were only about $7, so I was sold.  I bought them in the hot pink color shown above because hey, if you're gonna bring back your teenage years, go all out.  

So I got home and I set up to put them on right away.  There's no messy glue to deal with, which was amazing, just an adhesive on the back of each nail.  Really goof proof.  I think they turned out pretty good and they stayed on for over a week which is longer than a regular manicure would.

(Sorry for my cracked out cuticles and isn't my ring so beautiful?!  I know you're not supposed to brag about it, but I still think that even after being engaged for almost a year.  So sue me.)

Ok, back to the nails. Let's break it down shall we?

Pros

-The color is super fun and didn't chip at all

-The nails are flexible so they fit to your nail comfortably and easily

-They are impossible to screw up during application.  Just peel, stick, and go.

-Pretty cheap (cheaper with the coupon on their website!) for fake nails

-They lasted longer than a regular polish manicure would

-24 in a pack means better chances of finding a more natural fit

-The adhesive holds really well and didn't dissolve after showering, washing my hands, etc.

Cons

-The original length was a little longer than I'm comfortable with, so I had to cut and file each nail 

-Because they were flexible, the corners bent back a little on my thumbs after a few days

-The color isn't all that shiny by itself so I had to add a topcoat which then chipped since it was on top of plastic 

-They are thicker than most fake nails (which you think would be a pro, but it made them look more fake than I would have liked)

Overall, if you don't want to spend the money at a nail salon but want the look, you should try these.  They're cheap enough that you won't feel bad if you don't like them and they're a fun alternative to nail polish.  I liked them so much that I bought the french manicure style to try next.

My thirteen year old self would be so proud.

*I am in no way sponsored by Broadway nails, I just like to share a product I think is good.  But hey, if you gals at Broadway want to sponsor me, that would be way cool.

Love it.

First of all guys, where the heck have I been right?  Well to answer that rhetorical question, I was on vacation (which was amazing and much needed) and then we had no internet.  Super fun to come home to right?

But I am back and oh am I ready to share some product reviews with you.  Lately it seems like I'm on a beauty kick, so I'm just going to run with it.  So not only was I planning on reviewing some nail products, but my Birchbox came today!

And can I just say as a side note, how awesome it is to get packages in the mail?  I mean with all our texts and emails and techno crap, it's nice to sometimes just receive an actual piece of mail in the box.

Plus I get like eleven more of these babies.  Hoohah!

So if you've been reading along with my blog or are familiar with Birchbox, you know that each month's box is themed as well as tailored to your beauty personality.  July's box was co-created by Glamour Magazine and Birchbox, and the theme was "The Five Senses of Summer".

I know the suspense of what's inside is killing you right?  Don't worry I was too because I was stopping after every step to take pictures.  The things I do for blogging.

The first thing that caught my eye were those pretty little earbuds.  Mainly because I lost mine over a year ago,  (along with the iPod...) and secondly because they match my iPhone case perfectly!  I am such a girl.

When I opened them I didn't even realize they were Birchbox brand, but they are pretty adorable and I can't wait to use them.

Then there were some tasty lime mojito mints by Minteas that supposedly help boost your immune system.  I don't know about that but if it tastes like a cocktail I'm pretty much in.

Next was a small sample of perfume made by Juliette Has a Gun called Lady Vengeance which made the whole box smell fantastic and I can't wait to use it this weekend.  It's a little heavier than the perfumes I normally wear but it smells pretty good so I'm willing to give it a try.  And there was a Stila "in the garden" eye shadow palette sample.  Some of the shades are pretty dark for my taste but I still love trying new makeup for free.  Especially the expensive stuff I wouldn't normally buy.

(Sorry that's nice and blurry.)

And finally, that little green package.  I was super excited to open that one because it was a package inside the package.  And that meant it was good.

And oh boy was it.

It was the beauty stuff!  There was Color Club nail polish in Mint, Jouer conditioning lip treatment/enhancer, and Klorane chamomile shampoo.  As I opened it I said, "I will use every single one of these products".  

And you know what guys, I definitely will.  I was most worried that I would get a bunch of crap I wouldn't use or like in the box, but I was really surprised that everything seemed to be truly tailored to my beauty tastes.It was money well spent, and I am definitely excited for next month's box!

Stay tuned for my nail product reviews on Monday when I get back from my sister's graduation.

Yay Kelsey!  UCF Knights!!