Errrr...Sorry About That!

Apparently I haven't posted since April, so I guess I need to get on that!

Just a quick summary of how things are going:

I've solved my eyeliner woes.  I was recommended Stila's waterproof eyeliner marker pen thingie, and holy moly it has changed my life!  It is so easy to use and goes on so perfectly and doesn't smudge or smear.  I can literally sleep on it and wake up and wear it again the next day!

Birchbox is still going strong.  I'm especially excited that I got to pick my own nail polish for the July box!

May 2014 Birchbox.  Traded that lipgloss with my BFF for a bright pink instead of coral!

June 2014 box.  Pretty decent stuff!

I tried Ipsy...and after receiving my third bag and the eyeliner explosion that ruined one of my shirts, I promptly cancelled my subscription.  They did send me a new eyeliner and a bonus item, but it was too little too late, and the eyeliner was a cheap imitation of the the Stila featured above anyway.

In OTHER NEWS!  I've decided to give StitchFix a go!  I love shopping, but hate styling myself and I've never felt that I'm good at coordinating accessories/outfits, so I'm super stoked to have someone do that for me!  If you don't know what the service is, you pay $20 and fill out a style profile and someone picks five items of clothes for you, and you keep what you like.  The $20 styling fee can be used towards the purchase of an item from your fix.  If you keep all five items, you get them at a discount.  I'm a little nervous, as I'm scared my clothes will be pricey, but I'm excited at the same time.

If any of you are interested, please feel free to use my referral code!  And of course I'll blog my fix when I receive it!

Also...I HAVE PINK HAIR!!! YAY SUMMER BREAK!!!

And I got my septum pierced.

Eyeliner on point!  Thanks Stila!

Until next time! :)

April Birchbox: Rainy Days

Sorry it seems it has been a while since my last update.  I will definitely post why towards the end of this entry.  I just wanted to say that I received my April Birchbox, themed Rainy Days, this week and I was very pleased! :)

This time around I received an eyebrow gel, a tinted CC cream with SPF, a gel exfoliator, a very pretty minty-green nail polish from Color Club, and a Kind bar.  I'm excited about the Kind bar (I'm totally hoarding it for when I get super hungry and can REALLY enjoy it).

Here is the enclosed card with the full products list:

I especially loved the color scheme of this particular box with the aqua colored tissue paper instead of the usual dark pink.  It was a nice change that really complimented the theme.

As for the products, the only thing I'm not too crazy about is the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow gel.  I don't really do much to my brows except pluck them on occasion.  I did try the gel, but didn't notice anything different except that my eyebrows felt kind of stiff and I couldn't stop touching them.  I have a friend that was crazy excited about the sample, however, so I have a home for it.  Glad I could help someone out. :)

And I'll definitely review each item as I use it.  I have found that I am still REALLY stoked about the Coola tinted matte moisturizer I received last month.  It doesn't really do much for me on the moisturizing front, but I love how it evens out my tone and provides SPF.  I wore it to the beach this week and was pretty pleased.  I'm definitely considering using my points to purchase the full-size.


***

As for why I haven't been posting much - I have been dealing with some stressful news.  Both of my older dogs have been diagnosed with heartworms and have started their four-month treatment.  The procedure is very costly and so I have set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who is interested in making a contribution, however tiny.  Every little bit helps.  If you are interested in giving, or can share the page, please do.  Thanks. <3

Eyeliner Overkill

I swear...it's always something.  The struggle goes on...

Today I actually had time to do my makeup at home, so I decided to go for some eyeliner.  It started off okay, but then after I messed up my left eye, then I tried to wipe some off and smudged it, then I started trying to make it even...and I just ended up with way too much.  And then it's not even really nice looking and THEN on top of that I have the messiest hair going on today...and it's raining.  And it's only Tuesday.  And and and...

Le sigh.

What color are my eyes, even?  They aren't blue, they aren't green, they aren't grey...and what is that little brown spot that has recently appeared there?  Am I dying?  Eyeliner poisoning?!

So I think I'm ready to try something different.  I have an eyeliner pencil that I am going to try next time, and then I'm also looking into getting the Mary Kay gel eyeliner, so there's that.  Anywho, I can relate so much to this graphic right now:

Messy hair, messy eyeliner don't care.  Happy Tuesday.

Also, just in case anyone was wondering, the eyeliner I've been using since I started this adventure is Hard Candy's Walk the Line.  The brush isn't very fine, so maybe that is part of the reason for my struggle?

Image from KraseyBeauty.com.

EDIT: Okay, in hindsight, and not looking so CLOSE UP AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR, I don't think my eyeliner looks all THAT bad.  Right...?  I think maybe it is too much without enough of anything else.  I really need to start experimenting with my eyeshadow palette!

Told you my hair was messy - I'm in disguise as a student today.

The Oops Birchbox Arrived!

I got my second Birchbox in the mail yesterday.  Only one overlap in products between the two boxes, and that is the Air Repair lip balm stuff (that I really didn't even like, so meh).

Here's a picture:

A lotion, a hair serum (LOVE hair care product samples so MUCH), a cleanser and lotion set (excited the lotion is oil-free!), and an eyeliner pencil.  I am a little iffy about this eyeliner pencil...it is metallic pea green, called "Lagoon green."  I'm just barely getting the hang of wearing black eyeliner, so green seems a little more adventurous than I am ready for.  Not to mention that I just don't think that pea green is my color and I can't imagine matching it to a single thing in my wardrobe.  Why not send the purple or blue, which are for sell on the website?  Those are fun colors that I could match to lots of things!  Ah well, it'll be interesting.  I'll definitely post pictures and a review when I get around to trying it!

Secretly just let me say that I'm happy this was NOT the first box I received this month...I would have been just slightly disappointed.  My first box was pretty amazing.  I'm still getting around to sampling some of the stuff, though.  I'm going to try the Curl Keeper this weekend.  I'm always scared to try new stuff on days before I head to work; you never know how it might turn out!

Um...What's Up, Birchbox?

So I love my Birchbox coming in monthly.  I especially loved it when I figured out that I could review my products on their website during the month and earn points for those reviews.  But all of a sudden the website isn't cooperating with me?!

So on my account page, it shows my FEBRUARY shipping information, although at one point it did show March.  Then my March box disappeared from my "Boxes" page.  When I emailed about this, they assumed that I didn't get my box and shipped me another one.  Okay?  I'm really excited about getting a second box this month, but really I just wanted the website to work?!  So I emailed again and tried to clarify my problem, this time including screencaps.  Now my March box preview works (at one point I was seeing the March 2012 box preview and wow, what I tease/let down that was; it was amazing!), but it is for the new box and not the products I received in the original box.

Also it seems that I got my March box almost a week earlier than my other friends, so I'm not sure if there is some sort of glitch on their end or what?  So yeah, expect another unboxing for March's Spring Forward box...the preview is showing only one sample overlap.  I feel a little guilty, but I think my original email was straightforward and they misinterpreted it.  I suppose it is pretty amazing customer service!

My Hair Matches Again!

My sister did my hair yesterday morning! :)  Although our agreed upon time was 10am, I still had to ring the doorbell and knock and call continuously for over five minutes before she finally came to the door (yes, she was sleeping and yes, she sleeps HARD)!  I am a good sister, though, so I brought her some yummy coffee and doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts.

So when it comes to my hair, I use Kaleiodocolors in purple, and I decided to go ahead and get the bucket this go around.  After a bit of experimentation, it turns out that my hair needs 30 volume developer (we started with 20 back about two years ago when my sister started to do my hair, but it would never lighten enough).  Then we tone it with Wella's T28 toner, which used to be called Princess Blonde.  I like feeling like a princess.  Rapunzel is my favorite. :)

All mixed up and ready to go! Also, those paper towels things are called Wubbies.  Wubbies?!  Who named them Wubbies and why?  This is something I'm dying to know.  Anywho...

 And the magic is done!  This is an above shot of my hair. I love how it always turns out.  Franki, my sister, does the best job.  She is pregnant right now (it's a GIRL! :D) so she isn't working, but she says she misses doing hair.  I'm glad to have her around to do mine because she keeps me beautiful! :)

I also have some brown underneath and we tried to lighten some of it to eventually blend back into the blonde.  Unfortunately it was a very stubborn brown, so it lightened, but is still dark.  I think it looks really cool, though!  Baby steps on the hair.  Just happy my roots are all matchy-matchy again! :)  Thanks again, sis! <3

Ultimate Bum

I never said this journey was going to be easy...

And I definitely never said I wasn't a bum.

Today's teacher workday meant I DIDN'T BRUSH MY HAIR (yay sleeping in! and yay messy wad of hair!) and I wore YESTERDAY'S MAKEUP.

You know, I just wiped the little raccoon rings out my under my eyes and called it a day.  It still looked good, right?

I girly-fied this picture to make up for how much I was bumming it. ;)

 Messy hair don't care!

Super happy with my new Gap jeans! :D

I DID come home and pluck my eyebrows, so that is something, right?

Also, *FINGERS CROSSED* I can manage to get my roots done this weekend around my busy schedule.  They are looking TOO RIDICULOUS!!!

TORI OUT!

March Birchbox Reviews: Skin Care

Hello Again!

[hi! <--Corbin typed that!]

So far I've tried two of the products in my March Birchbox: the Vasanti BrightenUp! enzymatic face rejuvenator and the Coola tinted mineral sunscreen.

Last night I used the rejuvenator.  Basically it is papaya enzymes and microcrystals that you apply to your damp face in small circular motions.  It works as an exfoliator, and it smells pretty decent.  It did make my face feel a little tingly, but after I rinsed it away, my face felt sooo smooth and wonderful.  It says I can use it 3-5 times a week, and I might just take them up on that offer.  I'd like to try it in the mornings in lieu of my usual salicylic acid facewash just to see if it makes a difference in how dry my skin ends up.  As it is, my face gets super dried out after using my facewash and I have to drench it in moisturizer.

Speaking of moisturizer...usually I use Clinique's gel moisturizer for oily combination skin.  I love that it isn't a lotion because it soaks right into my skin and doesn't leave an oily residue.  This morning after washing my face, I used the Coola tinted moisturizer with SPF 30 sunscreen.  I LOVE the matte finish and I love that is seemed to even out my tone (I get red areas around my mouth), but I still don't know if it was ENOUGH moisture.  I want to try it again on a day that I didn't use my face wash and my face isn't already feeling super dried out.  I liked it enough that I am definitely excited about trying it again and possibly purchasing the full size.  With the way it evened out my tone, it is like a moisturizer (which I already use) and a concealer in one, and that would save me time and make my skin look nice!

My face after 9 hours at work!

Ignore the sling...I have a Grade I AC joint sprain.  Yay roller derby!

I think my skin looks fantastic here!  So I'm pretty pleased with the products.  I will definitely edit this post if I find that anything changes.  Now on to that Curl Keeper...

Ridiculous Roots

I've always been a blonde...but more of the dirty blonde variety.  I like my hair at its current shade: Wella's T28 toner, which used to be called "Princess Blonde."  Unfortunately for me, my hair grows crazy fast and my roots get to looking like this quicker than I'd like!

That means it's time to harrass my lovely sister!  Lucky for me, I have a sister that is REALLY good at doing hair, so she keeps me looking gorgeous for next to nothing!  Be expecting my call VERY soon...these roots are looking ridiculous!!

PS.  Does anyone else have the most wrinkliest of foreheads like I do?  Why is my forehead so wrinkly?  Why is this a thing?  Why does it bother me?

March Birchbox - Spring Forward

Yay, it is here!  My Birchbox for March, themed Spring Forward, arrived in the mail today!

This was a pretty good haul, although I kind of freak out at how many skin products I was sent.  There is a "rescue balm," a tinted sunscreen (interested in this product for sure, but what if the tint doesn't match m skin?!), an enzymatic face rejuvenator (sounds like it'll be good for exfoliation), a styling lotion for curly/frizzy hair, and tea and chocolates.



Here is the front and the back of the card that came in the box:

And of course a close-up of the box contents:

So I'll be trying out these products over the next few days and I'll let you know what the final verdict is.  I had an AMAZING detangling/conditioning spray in a past Birchbox called Beauty Protector that I absolutely fell in love with and bought the full-size, so I've been using that for my after-washing hair styling.  I'm interested to see how the Curl Keeper compares.  And with it getting warm and sunny outside and the beach being in my near future, I'm definitely interested in anything with SPF in it!

Alert! Serious Beauty Purchase Made!

Oooooh my goodness.  I am GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT!  Today I purchased my first extra fancy eyeshadow palette!  Do I have any idea what I'm doing or how exactly to use it?  No!  Do I have the first idea about blending or primers? No!  Do I have a single clue when it comes to wet-dry shadows? No!  But eeeee, I'm so excited!

I was shopping at Sephora today, and my BFF has been considering the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette for a while.  We were checking it out, and I was pretty interested in purchasing, but realized that I wasn't really into a fully-neutral palette, especially one that was so pricey.  I really like eyeshadows that are brown and purple, so I was hoping to find a palette that had both of those shades and a little bit of shimmer.

And THEN!  I stumbled upon Too Faced Return of Sexy...and oh me oh my I fell in love.  It was so pricey, but the colors were so beautiful.  I stroked the shadow with my finger tips and almost fainted with happiness at the sparkly softness, and it came with a black eyeliner and sample primer (NEVER used that before).  So I bought it.  It will definitely be a learning experience, but I'm excited!  If anyone has any tips or tricks for BEGINNERS, I welcome them!

Here is my picture of the palette; I tried to get the colors as true to life as possible.

I randomly searched instagram's #toofaced tag...and I stumbled upon this:

I cannot even count how many different steps were used to create her makeup look, and while I think it looks good, that is just WAY over the top for me.  My goal is to stay low maintenance, but feel pretty.  I feel like I can accomplish that without 700 steps and 9852 different products.  Right?!

I also got a lipstick today!  I have never been big on lip color (I have a hot Barbie pink I wear when I play roller derby...post about bout day makeup another time!), but my BFF gave me her MAC Angel today and it looks so pretty on me!  She didn't like it, so I was lucky to inherit it!  Hooray me! (WHHHHHY does MAC lipstick smell so good?!)

Look, I'm a grown up!  I left a lipstick smudge on my coffee cup. ;)

Eyeliner Part 2

I just wanted to report that today's eyeliner came out MUCH BETTER!

So happy!  This time I did it before leaving the house, but then I was almost late to work.  Sigh.  The life of a girly girl.

My Crush With Eyeliner

I've got 99 problems...and messing up my eyeliner seems to be 85% of them...

I LOVE liquid eyeliner.  I love the look of a good cat-eye.  I don't know if any makeup trend is prettier to me than a girl who wears eyeliner.  My BFF is always rocking the most gorgeous eyeliner and I have envied her.  It just seemed like a skill that was beyond me and the limits of my patience.

I realize, though, after buying some and trying it out (once), that I was kind of okay with drawing a line across the top of my lashes.  I'm decent at drawing and I've always been good at making lines, but translating that to your face can be somewhat difficult.  The first day I wore my liquid eyeliner (on a weekend while on a playdate/movie outing with a friend), I noticed that it transferred to my upper lid.  I supposed that was because I didn't let it completely dry before looking up/forward.  I also noticed that it was extremely difficult to remove (I guess it is waterproof?!), so I had to scrub it off the best I could throughout my outing before using makeup remover to take it off when I got home.

SO THIS YEAR, I made the weirdest New Year's Resolution ever. I wanted to wear MOAR EYELINER!  After the clock struck twelve, I grabbed my liquid eyeliner, and I made the most BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT application of eyeliner ever.  It was marvelous.

And then...it seems to have all gone downhill from there.  Some days, I pull it off and it looks perfect.  Other days, I mess up and end up rushing out the door sans makeup because I couldn't fix it before I had to leave for work.  Recently I realized I could draw a thin line and make it look okay and I had a series of good eyeliner days.

AND THEN....Today happened.

What HAPPENED, Today?

I mean, I know I shouldn't have done my eyeliner in the car*.
In the dark.
In the rain.
But...I thought we had figured this out. I thought we had worked past all this.  I thought we were GOOD!

...Fingers crossed things go better tomorrow.  I don't think I'm going to do my eyeliner in the car anymore.

*I was parked at work when I started doing my eye makeup.  I would NEVER try to apply makeup while driving.  Just sayin'.

Fixing My Fringe

I am obsessed with bangs. I have been wearing my hair in bangs for as long as I can remember. I have an insane love/hate relationship with this hairstyle. I tend to keep my bangs in the sideswept style, but even that presents problems for me. Sometimes it feels like most days all I do is just roll them under and pin them back, but I HATE my forehead (it is so wrinkly...like an old man).





My love affair with bangs has included many variations of lengths and even the occasional blunt fringe:

Until I watched this YouTube video, I had no idea that ALL THESE YEARS I had been doing it ALL WRONG. I turns out I had NO IDEA how to style my own sideswept bangs. This woman here changed my life:

My favorite bit of her video is at the end where she takes the hairspray on her fingertips and touches that to the edges of her bangs. I've always had problems with my bangs frizzing and this completely eliminates that! Amazing!

I also have had issues with trimming my bangs. It is really frustrating to trust my bangs to someone else - I have problems of returning home with them still too long, with them cut at odd angles that I don't usually wear them, with them being cut too short and having to be hidden away for weeks until they grow out - I just get so exasperated. I finally, with some inspiration from a handful of video tutorials, began attempting to trim them myself, using red-handled teacher school scissors (WARNING - this is highly looked down upon, but I just don't feel like buying the fancy scissors when these have actually served me pretty well!). I have been taking off a teensy bit at a time by cutting vertically upwards in tiny chunks and finally this morning I got them to exactly where I want them!

Ta da!

Styled using the tutorial from the video above, except I skip the step with the flat iron. That is a little more effort than I'm willing to put in when they look so great at this step! :)

Be sure to check me out on Instagram! #becomingthegirlygirl

Hello Friends!

It has been a long time since I've actively blogged, so I decided to start a blog about my adventures in becoming the girly girl that I've always aspired to be. I've never been one for hair and makeup, although I envy the looks that other girls are so good at creating. I'm very low maintenance - my hair routine consists of washing, conditioning, brushing, and running. I've recently figured out how to style and trim my own bangs (after a good decade of trying) and I've subscribed to two subscription boxes: Birchbox and Ipsy.

I've been receiving Birchbox since November and I absolutely LOVE IT. I have been doing mini-reviews of my box on my Instagram, but I would love to include things in more detail. And since I'm also now going to be receiving Ipsy glam bag, I'm keen on doing a comparison of the two.

Wish me luck, friends! Perhaps after a little while I can truly consider myself to be the girly girl I've always aspired to be!