Birchbox: Beauty Samples at Your Door

Sure, we may live in a digital world, but I still love receiving good, old-fashioned snail mail. Peeking into the mailbox and seeing a People mag or wedding invitation inside is a lovely little pick-me-up at the end of the day. But the most exciting day of the month is when my monthly Birchbox arrives!

Makeup in my mailbox!! Yeehaw!

Have you ladies heard of this fantastic company? For $10 a month, Birchbox sends it’s members 4-5 beauty samples from luxury brands. Mascara, shampoo, perfume, nail polish, lip balm, the list goes on. Every month it’s a different mix of samples. And every month, I squeal like a little girl when I open the package.

You can fill out a beauty profile online to specify what products you like and work well for your skin/hair. Birchbox assembles your samples and ships them out in a cute, hot pink box. It’s an easy way to try new and different brands (you can buy full-size products on their web site). And if you’re cheap like me, it’s easy to stretch out the lifespan of a sample. I’m still using my Blinc tube mascara from October’s box!

Two huge thumbs up to Birchbox. Hint: this would make an awesome present for a friend! Subscriptions are available in 3, 6 and 12-month plans. Click to sign up!

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You might also like:
The Buzz on Burt’s Tinted Lip Balm
The Best Drug Store Beauty Products

Maybelline Giveaway

Note: The giveaway is now closed. Reader Ari is the winner! Stay tuned for more giveaways…

Tis the season… for a makeup giveaway!

Last week, my blogger buddy, Belle Belle Beauty, shared her current Maybelline obsessions with Style Me Thrifty readers (check it out if you missed it!).

After reading her picks, I immediately hit up Target and am now rocking Maybelline Baby Lips. Yum. And since I’m in the Christmas spirit, one lucky reader will be adding this lip balm to her makeup bag, along with Maybelline’s Eye Studio Master Drama and Colorsensational LipColor.

Feeling lucky?

Here’s how to enter:

• Step 1: Follow Style Me Thrifty on Facebook OR Twitter.
  
• Step 2: Leave a comment confirming you’ve done step 1.

That’s it! Just 2 easy steps (and yes, even if you already follow Style Me Thrifty, you must still leave a comment). The contest ends Friday, December 2 at 5:00 pm EST so get your comments in before then. Good luck!

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Maybelline Mania

Maybelline Mania

Style Me Thrifty has been busy dishing out a lot of fashion advice lately. It’s time for a makeup-inspired post! I wanted to shake things up a bit and turn to my blogger friend, Lindsay, to write a guest post for us.

Lindsay is the beauty and brains behind Belle Belle Beauty — a blog focused on cosmetic reviews, from drugstore to luxury. Check out her fab blog, you won’t be disappointed! Since we’re more drugstore gals here at Style Me Thrifty, Lindsay reviewed some of her current fav Maybelline products for us.

Take it away, Lindsay…

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Hey there! Some of the best drugstore finds these days are by Maybelline. Not only are they a great bargain, but are serious performance powerhouses. These four favorites have earned a permanent place on my vanity:

1. Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealers for $9.99 (nothing refreshes my face like covering those dark circles and this is SO easy to use)
2. BabyLips SPF 20 Moisturizing Balm for $3.99 – such adorable packaging and it really heals dry winter, lips
3. Eye Studio Master drama for $7.99 – creamy, high intensity liner perfect for the evening cat eye (and comes in fun colors like Sapphire)
4. Colorsensational LipColor for $7.49 (incredibly rich colors that don’t dry out
   

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I’m loving Lindsay’s picks so much that I’m planning a Maybelline giveaway in the next week. Stay tuned!!

(Thanks, Lindsay!)

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You might also like:
The Buzz on Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm
The Best Drug Store Beauty Products

Surviving Sweaty Summer Weather

I don’t sweat, I glisten. That has always been my girly philosophy…

And then July happened.

Washington, DC has been a blazing hot oven this summer and on top of the heat, I can’t seem to escape the humidity that has come with it. I feel like I’m living in someone’s sweaty armpit!

So how is a girl supposed to beat the heat and look good while doing it? Here are Style Me Thrifty’s secrets for surviving this super sweaty summer.

Pack Your Purse with Oil Blotters
My good friend, Susanna, got married last month on hottest day of the year — it was an insane 104 degrees, gah! I kept a packet of oil blotting papers in my purse (reviewed here) and they were a life saver for soaking up the shine – which is a must if you’re taking photos. My boyfriend’s clever trick for survival was to put a handkerchief in every single pocket (no joke, he bought 13), so consider getting your man a few.

Embrace your Natural Hair
Summer is the perfect time to embrace what your momma gave you and go au natural. Humidity is your hair do’s worst enemy, so save yourself the headache of trying to tame your mane and wear your hair natural. Don’t fight humidity. Let your curls go wild or pin back limp bangs so they’re off your sweaty face.

And Keep a Ponytail Holder Handy
If you wear your hair down on a hot and humid day, it’s a nice sense of security to have a ponytail holder “on call” in case things start to fro, frizz, or otherwise rebel.

Wear a Color and Fabric that Will Conceal Sweat
This one may seem counter intuitive — black in the summer time? — but a dark color will hide any back or armpit sweat. And go with a cotton fabric so it has a better chance to breathe. Silk is the worst choice you could make! I’m mortified by the photo below, but I’m sharing it because it proves my point exactly. Black would never have shown that sweat ring after a long night of dancing! Ick.

Switch to a Non-Leather Purse
This is an odd little pet peeve of mine but I have to share: I hate standing in a crowded bar or overheated Metro with a leather purse making my side all sweaty. Stay cool and choose a fabric wrislet or straw clutch instead.

Keep Your Makeup Light
If you start to glisten, or sweat, you may feel like compensating by putting more makeup on to hide everything. Don’t do it! Keep your foundation and eye make up light so that it won’t run.

The Buzz on Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm

Is it a lipstick? Lip gloss? Chapstick? Lip chap? Lip balm?

Who knows and who cares! Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm is $6.99 and a lovely little treat for your lips.

Packaging
I must admit, the cute packaging of this product is what first caught my eye. I know I’m not supposed to be “judging a book by its cover” on most things in life but that rule never seems to apply to makeup! The prettier the packaging, the more likely I am to buy it. I just can’t help myself! Burt’s Tinted Lip Balm comes in a cardboard recyclable package and a chapstick tube is hidden inside. It’s cute, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s now in my shopping cart.

Color
This lip balm comes in 6 different perfectly girly shades. I picked up the Hibiscus color because it seemed to be the most middle-of-the-road: not too red, not too pink. I’m pleased to report that the color displayed on the package is actually a pretty spot-on representation of the actual color once it’s on your lips (I feel like that rarely happens!) so that’s a nice little tidbit to keep in mind if you decide to try one.

Coverage
Since this is a tinted lip balm — not say, a liptstick — the coverage is sheer. There is just enough color to enhance your features but in a very subtle, natural way (think of it like blush!). My lips were a little rosier and I can put this on without a mirror. This is a low maintenance lip product. Perfect for a thrifty girl on the go.

Feel
The feel is smooth, moisturizing, and light. If you are a daily chapstick wearer, then you’ll love this. Feels like any old chapstick, but the added color makes a whole different ballgame. Mmmm and the taste is nice, too.  Slightly fruity but nothing near the overpowering taste of say, Lip Smackers.

Overall Verdict?
Believe the buzz, this lip balm is worth trying!