My Favorite Christmas Gift

When asking my boyfriend for a holiday gift this year I really tried to think outside of the box. I have always had a love of beautiful globes and maps. I took to etsy to search for something one of a kind and I stumbled upon shopEverthinedesigns's etsy. She hand paints custom messages onto beautiful world globes in gold paint. I immediately knew I wanted my boyfriend to choose what to put on the globe and surprise me! It reads "The world can be a dark and scary place, love is the torch that guides us through" I think it turned out beautifully!

Birchbox January 2016

Birchbox arrival day is so fun!  I try my best not to sneak a peak at what i'm being sent so when it arrives i'm surprised by what I received. If i'm being totally honest I haven't been too impressed with the last few boxes. Quite a few products from the same brand, one box even included two of the same item. I haven't found something i'd actually buy since I received the Milk blush stick in Sepetember.  This months box included five items and i'm breaking them down for you.

Real Chemistry 3 Minute Body Peel - At first glance I thought the packaging looked similar to those squeezy baby food packages. I kind of rolled my eyes at this sample to be honest. I've never used a body peel and I hate when you get any kind of sample that's a use once and throw away. I can never make my mind up in just one go. I will be trying this but I doubt I'll purchase.

Obliphica Hair Serum - Smells lovely and cute packaging. I love that they gave a substantial amount of product in this bottle. You really can't lose with hair serums.

Arrow Endure Mascara - I have received about 5 mascaras between Birchbox and FitFabFun in the last few months and i'm starting to get irritated. I guess you can never have enough mascara?

Eyeko skinny liquid eyeliner - I don't use eyeliner much but when I do I use liquid markers. I have the eyeko fat marker from birchbox as well. I'll definitely keep this one though I wasn't really thrilled to receive it.

Evologie Blemish Serum - This one caught my eye. I'm currently dealing with acne and discoloration from acne so every little thing helps. This has an off putting smell but it's not unwearable. However it exploded a little when I was squeezing it out so I don't know how much i'll have left.  

Overall kind of another so so month from Birchbox.  I am considering unsubscribing.  I absolutely love my fit fab fun which is 50 dollars every 3 months and between that and Birchbox I just feel like I'm spending too much money. At 10 dollars a month that's 120 dollars a year that I could be spending to buy a few full sized products that I will actually use.  Next month may be my last.  You subscribe to Birchbox here.

Weekly Find

I always look forward to the VS semi annual sale. Victorias secret is my absolute favorite for sleepwear and sweatpants! I've been looking for a cute pair of satin pajamas at a reasonable price for a while now. I happened to score these beauties for 30 dollars (retail is 70) and they were the last pair in my size! I just love the pattern and the color can easily transition these to summer PJs. Not only are these cute but they are very soft and comfortable and come in several designs.  Get them here!

Snow Day

I'll admit I have a bit of a love hate relationship with snow. I used to wait for it every year and check the weather four times a day to see if that first snow was in the forecast. Even on the worst weather days I found it beautiful. But about two years ago we got the worst snow storm ever.  3 days of being trapped under about 5 feet of snow.  You literally opened the door and all your saw was the impression of your door.  Those kind of storms aren't new to the area I live but for whatever reason  this particular experience was terrified me, not to mention I threw my back out shoveling. Though I don't love snow quite as much as I used to it still inspires me creatively.  I love looking out of the window and seeing it fall, that indescribable sound of quiet. It's as though you are inside a snow globe. And I love photographing it. I could stay out for hours on a snowy day taking pictures. We got really lucky this year and had about 15 days of snow before Christmas, so I was able to plan some of my shoots around it. This particular day I was just out snapping for fun.

I hope that everyone who stops by had a great weekend. We curled up and watched Parks and Rec and The Golden Globes! Stay warm!

Beauty - Too Faced Unicorn Tear Review

Ever buy stuff on a whim? I do that all the time.  Some people night eat. I night shop (and day shop and morning shop and early afternoon too but let's not get into that)

About a month back I saw an article about Too Faced Unicorn Tears Lip Creme being the ZOMG sold out everywhere color of the year. I knew I had to have it even though I had no justifiable reason. I got 20% off and free shipping so hey, why not?

Unicorn Tears is outwardly light blue, but when applied it's a transluscent purple with specs of blue glitter.  It reminds me of a blue raspberry slushy that you get at the movies, only magical like a lisa frank unicorn. The kind of girl who wears this sort of color should be 17. She wears CK bralettes as tops and black stretchy chokers with buns in her hair.  She's youthful and she DGAF what you think of her sporty spice outfit or crazy taste in lip color.

I knew instantly that I wasn't going to wear this color on it's own. I'm 28 and my sense of style is a little more simple and sophisticated than it was at 17. To me it seems like the sort of color you should wear on top of another, like deeps reds and pretty pinks. I had it for a few weeks when I decided to bust it out on NYE because everyones going to be on the glitter train on that day.

I wound up blending it with an unlikely partner, MAC's "Brave" I was going for a rose gold look on NYE and thought a shimmery little pop of color would blend perfectly. I loved it! It was a bit of a project dabbing it on top of the lipstick and keeping it clean looking.  I probably won't wear it every day but it will definitely makes its way into my special occasions look.  I also want to note the packaging for this product rocks.  Very luxurious and it also included a mini lip creme which I will be trying!

I still don't think that I will wear it on it's own but I also don't think you need to be a teen to rock this color, you just need to have confidence.  It's the kind of color that would look boho chic at a summer concert or party.  I've included a snap of myself on NYE.  My apologies that the lipstick isn't in focus, didn't think I would be posting it!

My 6 Summer Beauty Essentials

We've had record heat here this summer.  There have been days where walking out of the house felt like you were actually entering the sun. For days like that a full face of makeup melts as fast as a popsicle,  and there really is no point attempting to do anything involving my hair.  Buns, braids and beachy waves have been it for me. These are a few of the beauty products that have been getting me through the hottest of summer days.

MAC Creamsheen Lipstick in Sweet Sakura

1. Mac Lipstick in Sweet Sakura - This is the perfect summer red.  I bought this in may and next to La Vie En Rouge it's my favorite MAC orangey red.  It's a creamsheen color so it's very moisturizing.

2.  Glossier Bomb Dot Com Lip Balm - This lip balm kicks ass! I had the original and decided to go for the coconut scent for the summer and I don't regret it one bit.

3.  Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study -  I've been a fan of MAC paint pots for years.  You can use them as a base, eyeshadow, blush or lip color. I originally bought this for my eyes but I now use it as a highlighter and it is the BEST.  My skin gets the perfect summer glow!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

4.  Mario Badescu Facial Spray -  I've loved the smell of roses since I was a young child and my grandmother grew them in her garden. It's almost impossible to find a beauty product that captures that fresh picked flower smell perfectly, but Mario Badescu did it.  One spritz of this is like walking into a summer garden just after it's rained. It's a part of my nighttime, morning and makeup routine.

6.  Beauty Protector Leave in Conditioner - This is a late summer find that came in my august birchbox and it's amazing!  A few spritzes of this and my hair is soft and shiny.  I've seen a huge change since using this product and will be purchasing the full sized version soon.

4.  Mizzi Lip Scrub - I first bought this lip scrub by recommendation of Kylie Jenner and it's been a game changer for me. Thanks Kylizzle! This scrub is so nice and gentle. It really cleans your lips and it tastes like a cupcake. From Sugar to coconut there is nothing but homemade goodness in this product. I put it on before my lipstick, especially anything matte.

What are some of your summer favs?  Tell me in the comments!

Charlotte Tillbury Hot Lips Collection / Bosworths Beauty

I'm sure plenty of us have coveted the lives of the rich and famous.  I'd love to wake up one day in a house as big as an amusement park, get free clothes and be impossibly flaw free.  That's probably not going to happen anytime soon, or at all, so until that day comes Charlotte Tilbury has us covered with her new line of celebrity inspired lipsticks.

Hot Lips is a collaboration Between Mrs Tilbury and 12 different celebrity muses.  The line wants to transform your lips into the likes of women such as Penelope Cruise, Kim Kardashian, Emily Ratakjowski and Victoria Beckham. The colors are fun, fresh and there is a shade in there for just about every girl. The real fun began when I went through each lipstick and thought about which of these women I would like to look like for a day. They should make a quiz to match you to the lipstick you are most compatible with!

In the end I decided on Bosworth's Beauty.  Named after The lovely Kate Bosworth, I've always loved her natural and classic look and I (secretly) still watch Blue Crush anytime it's on! Bosworth's Beauty is a retro pink that is perfect for when you want a pop of color to brighten your day. This is one of those shades that looks gorgeous on all kinds of women, but I have to say I think it's well suited for us paler skinned girls and it makes my eyes look especially bright.  I couldn't help but take a few photos of the gorgeous packaging and the details of the tube and lipstick. How cute is that little kiss? Check out the rest of the hot lips collection over here!