My 2nd Birchbox Review & Randomness.

Overview of the Birchbox I got: 

• Nail lacquer in Fox Hunt by Ruffian.
• Bon Genre Eau de Parfum by BCBGMAXAZRIA.
• Ultimate Youth Power Eye Serum by Racinne.
• Intense Repair Complex by Airelle BERRIMATRIX.
• This is a Sea Salt Spray by Davines.
• Savings coupons for Birchbox purchases.

I'm going to start off by just saying that I really dislike the ruffian manicure.  I think no matter which way you do it it's weird looking & there's no way you can make it look good.  Perfect example?  Look at the first picture here.  It looks like her cuticles are bleeding orange.  It looks like you screwed up painting your nails, the coat of polish shrunk, you have some weird complex & color showing underneath around your cuticles, or your nails are growing out diseased or with some off color after you painted them (depending which colors you are using).  I am hoping this trend doesn't last long.  I'm also not too keen on the half moon manicures but they don't look as weird to me. *end rant*
 

• Nail lacquer in Fox Hunt by Ruffian.  Orange is the new black this season or so they say (whoever they are).  It's not my favorite color, especially on me, but this shimmery, bright, orange-ish red has me changing my mind.  ONE coat of this is all you really need & is pictured below.  The picture I took makes it a little bit brighter than it actually is but the links to the product show the actual color much better.  After about a week I had some normal chipping (being the crafty lady I am) around the tips of the nails and it was very minimal.  This was without using a topcoat also because I was just lazy the last time I painted my nails.  I have to say I am very impressed with this polish.  I'm open to buying it in the future.

• Bon Genre Eau de Parfum by BCBGMAXAZRIA.  My boyfriend liked the way this smelled on me but there are days I like this and days I dislike it.  Birchbox described it to have top notes of lychee and red berries, middle notes of tiger lily and jasmine noir, and also notes of sandalwood with golden amber.  Other sites I have found also describe the fragrance as having bergamot, tuberose, cardamom, black pepper, patchouli, and black vanilla.  It reminds me of a much more floral version of Yves Saint Laurent's Baby Doll though the notes are completely different.  I feel like I am picking up more on the amber and tuberose though I do get a bit of the berries when I wear it.  It's very strong so a tiny spritz will last you the entire day.  Don't go heavy on it!  This just reminds me of too many other perfumes on the market & it's not my style.  I'll keep the sample & use it, but I wouldn't buy it in the future.
•  Ultimate Youth Power Eye Serum by Racinne.  I have awful dark circles under my eyes & I've had them for years so I was a bit excited to get this.  Just a bit because I've tried almost everything to get rid of them & nothing has ever worked.  It claims to have plant stem cells, amino acids and all sorts of things to cure your dark circles, enhance production of collagen, moisturize, brighten, firm skin, and stimulate blood flow around the eye.  There isn't really any scent to it & it goes on wet but within a few minutes it seeps in and is unnoticeable on the skin.  I've been using it for a few weeks now and the skin around my eyes feels fresh and moisturized.  I think the collagen production worked a bit too well as my eyes seem more puffy than normal especially around the eyelid.  Nothing too drastic though.  I really don't see any difference at all with my dark circles.  I can't find the insert that came with the bottle to see if they listed a time frame for maximum results, considering I've seen some products say 2+ months.  There might be a slight difference but I really can't tell & I'm not going to fork out $32 for minimal, unnoticeable difference in my dark circles, puffiness I don't really want, and a good moisturizer for the eyes that I can find for less in other products.  I wouldn't buy this. 

• Intense Repair Complex by Airelle BERRIMATRIX.  I got a teeny tiny sample of this that lasted me about 2 weeks & boy was I upset when this was gone!  I used this as a moisturizer after washing my face in the morning & night every day & it was FANTASTIC!  So this is said to be packed with antioxidants, be based on a phytonutrient found in blueberries, improve circulation, and help reduce lines & restore rough or dry skin.  It was very watery for its consistency and absorbed extremely quickly.  After just a few days of use my skin felt fantastic & very balanced!  My combination skin felt normal and even for once, and I had NO breakouts!  It also had a nice, light scent that didn't linger long after application.  The instructions advised to use a dime sized amount, so I did, & a little does goes a long way.  The only real downside to this product was the price.  $116 for 1.7 fl oz.  I would definitely buy this (if I could afford it)! 

• This is a Sea Salt Spray by Davines.  Sea salt sprays were the new "in" thing this summer for hair giving nice, beachy waves.  I was a bit surprised to receive this considering I put in my profile that I had hair that was dry/damaged and too short for a ponytail.  I even had to question Birchbox on Facebook their decision to send it to people who listed what I did in their profile, & also questioned if anyone else with short hair liked it & how they used it.  I got mixed responses & Birchbox's response was that it was moisturizing so it should help.  My hair is still extremely short but there's enough length where I felt I might be able to enhance my natural waves that I do have & get a good use out of the product.  And I REALLY tried to get it to work with my hair but it just wasn't happening.  I tried using it with hair oils, with hair cream moisturizers, with no additional hair products, on dry hair, on damp hair.  My hair always frizzed up & felt terribly dry & even more damaged when using this product.  Even with the moisturizers that I tried applying at different times before and after applying this product.  Every time after use, I couldn't wait to wash it out of my hair.  I doubt it was the length of my hair but I'm almost positive it was the fact that my hair is bleached blond.  It's smelled great, but that was about it for me.  I'll be giving the rest of the sample away to a friend.  This product may work well for others, but I wouldn't buy it.

Now for some random chatter.

Today is my last day on the prednisone!  I'm still not feeling any better, though I'm not feeling worse which I guess is a good thing.  Within a day or 2 I'll most likely have the awful withdrawal symptoms I usually get with stopping the medication.  Hoping that lasts only a week.  I'm still not getting much sleep at night & I'm insanely exhausted & symptomatic throughout the day.  Can't wait for this to end.

I did get my new prescription glasses though.  I'm supposed to wear them all the time & I was told that it might take a few days to get used to them but I think the script may be a little off.  It's amazing how well I can see with my left eye through them but now the right eye seems blurred a bit through the glasses, which makes the overall vision seem a bit off.  *sigh*  Not really sure if I need this adjusted or if it's something that I'll just get used to.  I have the feeling I need an adjustment.

My birthday is coming up shortly.  I'm not going to say how old I am turning but I can say I am not upset about it.  Though some of my friends were upset turning this old.  Which I found funny.  People keep asking me what I want.  I don't really want, nor need anything.  I jokingly told my friend on the phone yesterday I wanted the $116 bottle of Airelle.  If anything I need either money to pay bills right now, or I need things done around my home like having the doors replaced, having my entire kitchen and bathroom redone, replacing my carpets & window blinds.  Stuff like that.  To me though it's just another day.  Nothing special.  I'm most likely going to spend the day on my couch in pain, writing letters, reading a book, ignoring phone calls, & staying away from the internet.  Just like most days lately.  And that's how I want it to be.

Found out our little mew was peeing outside the litter box again.  It only happened a few times and so we were able to clean it up right away.  It's been over a year since we got her & since we had the initial problem of her doing this so I knew something was up.  I got a vet appointment right away & found out she had a UTI and blood in her urine.  Poor girl.  She got an antibiotic shot & I have to take her back in soon for another checkup.  We had one more incident the night after the vet visit but she's been back to using the box regularly again.  I am still keeping an eye on her though I think she's doing much better now.

'Alohi tuckered out after the vet visit.

I was getting an insane amount of spam comments on this blog for a while.  They were mostly on my post about the Kashi Hummus Crisps so I'm kind of curious as to what was leading them there.  Really weird comments having nothing to do with the post or this blog & then links to God knows what.  I got 7 or more in one day & so I decided to turn off the comments to that post.  Every now & then I get another on some other post of mine & I just delete them.  Am I the only one getting these?  I can't be.

If you haven't noticed yet, The Body Shop is selling their Honeymania online already!  I've been trying to save money until I can get back to work again though I'm kind of kicking myself for not buying some when they had a 50% off promotion going on.  So I've been on a honey kick!  Last night's bath consisted of:

• Flying Saucers bath foam by Lush Cosmetics (no longer available)
• Killer Beez soap by Villainess
• Honey moisturizing shampoo by The Body Shop (no longer available)
• Honey & Orange body wash by The Body Shop (no longer available)
• Honey & Almond lotion by The Body Shop (no longer available)

Target currently has a sample up on their samples page for Simple Skincare.  You have to fill out a short survey & then provide your address & you should have it in a few weeks.  These go quickly so act fact!

Well, I feel like a before noon nap now.  Take care everyone!

Review of Simple Skin Care Cleansing Wipes.

I actually got what I could consider to be a good night's sleep last night.  I woke up only a few times, or so I think.  I didn't fully wake up until the alarm went off.  Heart rate racing for a few minutes.  Now I'm feeling cold again & starting to sweat.  Comes & goes throughout the day & it seems nothing is changing.  I should probably stop writing about that until I start noticing it changing for the better. 

I have to go see my allergist today.  I have asthma & can get an asthma attack from cleaning up something dusty, to being out in harsh cold weather, to getting really upset about something.  So they are going to test my breathing but I don't know how much of a good the test will be due to the fact I'm on prednisone.

The reason why I posted before that I was so happy to have been off the drug for 2 years was the fact that every time I had a bad asthma attack from anything the doctors always wanted to put me on it & the stuff suppresses your immune system.  So it was a vicious cycle.  I would get some type of virus or cold & get an upper respiratory infection & with all the coughing I might get asthma attacks so they would throw me on it.  Then someone at work might come in with a different cold or I would just randomly catch a virus or cold that NOBODY else around me would have had or would catch from me then they would throw me on it again.  I'd be put on it sometimes 2-3x per year.

The receptionist for my eye specialist finally got back to me yesterday (I did call in the morning again) & apologized.  She took all my information, concerns & said she'd have a doctor get back to me, though it could be a few more days.  Well, I got a call back this morning & I need to stay to course on the prednisone.  I really want to get off it sooner so that I can finally tell how the thyroidectomy is really affecting my body.  Usually about a week after I stop the dosing is when I feel the worst.  This would be my projected week back to work.  I can handle the usual side effects that I get from the prednisone though, I've done it before.  I'm concerned about what it may be masking as far as the hypothyroidism.  I've never been on such a high dose of this this medication for this length of time, nor tapered off it it for so long.  I've also never experienced hypothyroidism this severe before.  So it's like a game, what's causing which side effect and am I figuring it out correctly or not?  Now I have to wait until almost mid September, when my next appointment is, so I can 1st be checked out & then maybe get more answers.

Now, onto products I've been using.  The last week I was going through my sample box of things I had & have been meaning to try and I pulled out these:

The Simple Skincare Cleansing Facial Wipes I used for about a week.  They list their product is hypoallergenic, containing a natural antibacterial ingredient, containing pro vitamin B5, determatologist AND ophthalmologist tested and it's vegan. (Just to name a few thing.)

I'm not really a wipes person for cleansing my face.  I have combination skin, dry here, oily there, breakouts in another spot, hormonal issues contributing to all of this, annoyance.  If I'm wearing makeup I'll use products to remove them 1st.  Then I like to use a lukewarm water splash on my face and apply the cleanser next.  Gently wash the cleanser off with the water a bit on the cooler side, pat dry, apply medicine in needed spots, wait a few minutes, then apply moisturizer, serum or oil.  That's my normal routine & it has been working pretty well except for certain monthly hormonal imbalances that I think will never be end.

Now for these cleansing cloths I didn't wet my face 1st.  They promote them as both a cleanser and also a makeup remover, including eye makeup and waterproof mascara.  I haven't really been using makeup after my surgery since I haven't been going out much but had a little on at one time using them & it did what it stated.  I used the wipe across my face, eyelids, & neck.  The wipes were very soft and directly after use my face felt damp.  I almost wanted to pat dry my face or wipe it but I gave it a about a minute & it ended up feeling nice & refreshed.  I still finished up my routine with my medication and then moisturizer & I was pleasantly surprised how soft & nice my skin felt after.

I find it kind of odd they promote it as alcohol free when it DOES include an alcohol ingredient.  This can be confusing to some as it has Cetearyl Alcohol.  Here's the thing, it's an alcohol but what's considered a "fatty" alcohol that is used for softening & soothing skin.  So it's a good alcohol, believe it or not!

There wasn't really anything that advised how many times to use them through the day so I would base it off your normal routine at 1st, then go from there.  So, for my packet I had I used 1 wipe in the morning & 1 at night.  Because it is so moisturizing, if I decided to make these normal routine for me, I would probably use them once a day and only at night as a makeup remover & cleanser, to remove that daily build-up, then using a different, gentle cleanser in the morning.

My thing is I like as little waste as possible.  This would cut down on water waste when cleansing my face, but it would add to landfill waste, but on their site it advises their products are biodegradable.  So pros instead of cons all the way on this.  It also took a lot less time for my cleansing routine.  I felt like I was missing something!

I have other products I want to try out so maybe once I am done with those I will switch to these for good.  Something good to try if you are looking for a new facial cleanser or makeup remover.  They also make them in exfoliating, oil balancing, radiance and just for eye makeup removal.  They do have other products as well.

Target sells a 25 pack for $4.99 and is also currently running a promotion where if you buy 3 packs (or any 3 products by Simple Skin Care) you get a $5 Target gift card!