Ipsy vs Birchbox: January Sub Box Review

 Hello Again!

It's time for another sub box review! I mean to post these monthly, but generally forget until the month has passed me by.

Ipsy and Birchbox  give you the chance to try out some rad new beauty products for a fee of $10 a month. I've subscribed to both for several months now, and am generally pretty excited about the goodies I receive.

Here are the contents of this months' Ipsy bag:

1)Nailtini Nail Lacquer-This is a gorgeous, rich red nail color. I will be doing a retro manicure with this color in the near future!

2)Josie Maran Pure Argan Oil-I am an Argan oil junkie. My dyed and fried hair needs it so! I've used several different formulas, and this is definitely one of the best. It can also be used as a skin moisturizer!

3)Big Sexy Hair Play and Spray Volumizing Hairspray-I haven't played around with this yet, but it sounds promising.

4)Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter-The best body butter, ever. It smells divine, and is rich enough to soothe my Winter chapped hands.

5)Soho Concealer Brush-The perfect brush for concealer, or filling in eyebrows.

I was thrilled with this months' Ipsy box. The body butter and Argan oil alone were worth the $10 monthly fee! I like the variety of products, and Ipsy's tendency to give full size products in their bag.

In my previous Ipsy vs. Birchbox post, I stated I would be cancelling my Birchbox in the near future. Not because Birchbox isn't fabulous in it's own right, but because it wasn't the right fit for me. Well, I am a bit of a procrastinator, so the cancellation hasn't happened as of yet. Here are the contents of my Birchbox:

1)Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum-I haven't gotten around to trying this serum, but it sounds amazing!l

2)Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè-A rich cream that doubles as a makeup remover.

3)Aerie Shimmer Fragrance-A light, lovely scent.

4)Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner-A fab, felt tip, liquid eyeliner. I might purchase a full size one in the future, since it has great staying power.

5) LÄRABAR® über-A yummy, salty-sweet energy bar.

I do like Birchbox's selection of high end beauty products. These are items I have heard of, but generally wouldn't try because of the cost. It feels good to give them a whirl!

Overall, I am more of an Ipsy girl, but am still hesitant to cancel Birchbox. Decisions, decisions....

Have a good one!

Adrienne

Uber Femme

Hello Again!
 
I haven't been blogging much as of late. One of my New Years resolutions is to relax, and if keeping up with a blogging schedule is stressing me out, then what is the point of blogging at all? I have decided to blog roughly once or twice a week, but if it doesn't happen, it's no biggie.

Moving on....I wore this City Chic dress out one Saturday to run errands. I've been feeling "bleh" lately. I believe it has something to do with the gray winter weather. It was sunny the day I wore this outfit, and it perked me up considerably. I love the ulIta feminine bird print and tiered ruffles of this dress. It also comes with a pink bow belt, but I felt that was pushing it. 

It was warm enough to go sans coat when these photos were taken, but it has cooled down considerably since then. I am already daydreaming of Spring....

Dress: City Chic

Shrug: Ebay

Leggings: Forever 21 +

Bow Flats: Target

Necklace: Gift from Misti

I hope Winter is treating you right!
Adrienne

Fashion Inspiration: Jessa

Hello Again!

How many of y'all are fans of the HBO series Girls? I'd heard great things about the show, but put off actually watching it. I wasn't up for devoting all my time to yet another rad television experience (thanks Downton Abbey!) But, my husband caught a glimpse of the preview and said I needed to give Girls look. I sat down one afternoon last Fall with every intention of watching just one episode. Five hours later, and I'd completed all of Season 1.

Girls is smart, funny, and painfully real. It takes me right back to my awkward, yet (somewhat) wild, youth. The show follows a group of friends- Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna, and Jessa-living out their 20s in Brooklyn. Hannah is played by Lena Dunham, who is also one of the brilliant writer/director/producers of the show. Though I personally relate more to the offbeat Hannah, the character I wish I was in my 20s is Jessa.

Jessa is the bohemian, free spirit, femme fatale character, and is played by the gorgeous actress Jemima Kirke. She is more than just a tad flaky.....and fabulous. With Season 2 of Girls premiering this Sunday (YAY!!!), I thought I'd put together a sort of Jessa inspired lookbook.

Jessa by lolarocksclothing featuring wedge heels

My fave look of the the three is the center. This feathery style is insanely over the top, but Jessa owns it. In this episode, the ladies attend a warehouse party, where Shoshanna proceeds to accidentally smoke crack. (How does one do that?) Shoshanna begins to panic and Jessa calms her down, stating she will be her "crack spirit guide". Being Jessa, she doesn't keep that promise!


I leave you with the Season 2 Trailer. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Have a good one!
Adrienne

Christmas Day

Hello Again!

Happy New Year's Eve to you all! I hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing holiday season.

Below are a few fuzzy iPhone snapshots from our Christmas Day. Aron and I woke up around 7 or so, and began to open our Christmas loot. Santa was very good to us this year :)  Here are a few rad things we received.

Mom sent me a ton of awesome makeup! I love Benefit and Sephora cosmetics.

Aron with some of his Christmas loot, and radical squid socks.

Aron gave me this gorgeous, vintage topaz ring, and the most dope adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, ever.

I love this bow purse from Aron's parents.

We gave our kitties catnip mice for Christmas. Sebastian (on the left) turned into the paranoid stoner, while Z (on the right) was quite mellow. Z also decided to hoard both mice.

We were lucky enough to spend Christmas with our awesome friends, The Ellers. Tracy made me this amazing quilt! Can you believe how gorgeous it is? Ben made Aron some badass tshirts. The Ellers always give the best gifts!

We ventured out into the miserable, rainy weather to see Django Unchained. We all enjoyed the film, and if you are a Tarantino fan, I bet you will too.

 

I made traditional Christmas fare for dinner: stuffed shells. Haaaaa! But they were pretty yummy!

 

We are having friends over for New Years Eve, and I am making a big crock pot full of chili and perhaps some sort of champagne punch. I am too old to fight the New Years Eve bar scene! I'd rather just relax with the people I love.

 

Have a great New Year's Eve!

Adrienne

 

 

 

 

 

 

eShakti

Hello Again!

I was thrilled when eShakti contacted me to review one of their fabulous garments! eShakti offers beautiful clothing in sizes 0-36, and allows for custom measurements and style choices on all of their clothing. 

I chose this lovely Peter Pan collar dress to review. For a small fee, eShakti allows you to choose different sleeve options, necklines, and hemlines. This dress was initially sleeveless, but I chose the short sleeve option instead. What woman doesn't love options!

 

eShakti will custom make your garment according to your specific measurements. When ordering, I compared my measurements to their standard size 2X, and they matched exactly, no custom measurements needed. The dress fits like a dream!

 

I dig the style and quality of this dress. The fabric is soft, yet sturdy, and the dress is fully lined and machine washable. I generally stay away from Peter Pan collars because I feel they make my bust look even fuller. But, because of the placement and width of the collar, I feel like there were no bust issues. I'm also loving the bronze sequins on the collar.

Dress: c/o eShakti

Tights: Torrid

Shoes: Guess

Bracelet: Forever 21

 

I sported this lovely dress for for a Nashville date night. We visited Amerigos, where these amazing cheese fritters happened.

 

I am truly happy with my dress from eShakti. I recommend you check out their fab website, and receive $25 off your first purchase!

Have a good one!

Adrienne