Blog Post + Photo Everyday in May!

So I know I can be quite the sporadic poster - one week I'll be posting every single day, the next I'll post maybe once and it'll just be for a link up. Fail. I'm really trying to curb this habit, believe me, but when you're a twenty-something who's just moved to New York City, it can be a little difficult. Enough with the excuses though, it's a new month and a new start.

May always seems to be a big exciting month of endings and new beginnings. What does that mean exactly? It means that May is (usually) filled with the end of classes, graduations, the start of summer, etc. In my case, it consists of me flying back to Florida to graduate, then going right back up to New York where I'm going to be moving (again) into a new apartment, and starting at least one new part-time job while still job hunting for the right day job. Basically, real life is going to be craaaazy BUT it's also going to provide plenty for me to blog about! I've always prided myself on my time management skills, and this month I'm going to put those skills to the test!

I am challenging myself for the entirety of May to write one blog post AND post one photo on Instagram EACH day (I'm also going to try to churn out at least two Youtube videos a week, but that's another post haha). I am going to using the following prompts each day from Story of My Life and Fat Mum Slim. And don't worry, I'll still have other regular posts and photos as well!

Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)Day 2, Thursday:Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortableDay 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love itDay 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family memberDay 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid ofDay 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or lessDay 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happyDay 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome itDay 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and whyDay 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about themDay 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archivesDay 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach youDay 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traitsDay 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readersDay 28, Tuesday: Only picturesDay 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the postDay 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting GoDay 31, Friday: A vivid memory

Are you doing either of these challenges?

May 2012 Eco Emi Box

I have been anxiously awaiting my first Eco Emi box since I signed up for the waiting list back in March. It took nearly three months but I finally got it at the very end of May. Three months is a long time to wait, but it's certainly worth it, especially if you're looking for natural, organic, green, eco-friendly, cruelty free, vegan, vegetarian or Fair Trade products. I am very happy with my box and it was certainly worth the $15 - it was literally packed to the point of bursting.

Inside the Box

• Beeluxe Mangosteen & Pineapple Candle Tin (3.5 oz, $10) - LOVE!! This full-sized candle smells amazing and is the perfect summer scent!
• The All Natural Face Mint Infused Vegan Lip Gloss in Peppermint Icing (.43 oz, $4.60) - I love this pretty pink lip gloss and how minty it is!
• The All Natural Face Tangerine Vegan Lip Exfoliant (1 oz, $8.05) - It doesn't look the prettiest but it smells great! Can't wait to see how it works as an exfoliant.
• Glee Gum Spearmint and Cinnamon Gum (case of 12 packs, $10) - Looking forward to trying out this natural chewing gum! Also, what a cute little box!
• The Seaweed Bath Company Wildly Natural Seaweed Argan Shampoos and Conditioners (12 fl. oz, $16.89) - These combine seaweed extract, Moroccan argan oil, and vitamin E to cleanse and moisturize your hair and scalp. Sounds amazing!
• Ellbees Original Garlic Seasoning and Rub (8 oz, $8) - I don't do much grilling, but I'll be sure to use this stuff next time I do!
• Beanitos Pinto Beans and Flax Chips (6 oz, $3.05) - I'm always looking for new healthy snacking options and these are perfect (even if they were a little smushed in the box).
• Barleans Omega Swirl Vegan Oil in Blackberry and Fish Oil in Mango Peach (8 oz, $13.99) - I originally thought these little smoothie supplements were tea packets lol.
• Beeluxe Chocolate Lip Balm (.15 oz tube, $3) - A chocolate lip balm? Yum!

Are you subscribed to Eco Emi?

May MyGlam Bag

As noted in my May Birchbox post, at the end of my April MyGlam Bag post I was debating whether or not to stay subscribed or to cancel MyGlam. I finally made my decision...and canceled. Unfortunately, I did it a little too late and got charged for one last bag - which makes this my last MyGlam post (which includes my first/last MyGlam video at the bottom of the post). I'll continue to check out what others are getting each month and, if it improves, I may come back. However, as of now, it just doesn't compare to Birchbox which costs the same $10 which I'd much rather invest somewhere else.

The theme for this bag was "Love Is In the Air" which I found peculiar because we've already had a Valentine's Day themed bag only a couple months ago. The bag is a turquoise color covered in pink lips. It still feels cheap, but I think it's one of their better bags. Now onto what's inside the bag:

• Philosophy Love Sweet Love Spray Fragrance - Perfume samples are one of the biggest complaints when it comes to beauty boxes. I don't think it's a good idea for MyGlam to start doing this... I do like the philosophy brand though and this was a really nice, fruity fragrance.
• Studio Gear Complete Lipstick in Redwood - I've read quite a few MyGlam blog posts and have yet to see anyone with this color. I'm actually quite happy with it and like it more than any other color I've seen others receive. It's a decent lipstick with a nice burgundy red color - although I wouldn't say that it plumped or moisturized my lips all that much (my lips are just huge to begin with). Still, it's probably my favorite item I've received from MyGlam and retailing at $15, it more than covers the cost of the bag which is always a win.
• Miss Beauty Nail Bling - Haven't tried these out yet. They're a bit too "blingy" for my tastes but perhaps could look cute as accent nails. The pack comes with 20 pieces so you can do a full manicure set twice which is nice. The package also claims no drying time and that it can last up to 10 days.
• MyGlam Exclusive Concealer Brush and Defining Eyeliner Brush - The MyGlam brushes always seemed like a cop out to me instead of including another actual product so I'm glad these are the last in the set. The brushes themselves I have no problem with. They are quite soft and I've actually used them a couple times while doing my makeup. I have a feeling they're going to start up some other "exclusive" myglam collection of something else now though...

Overall, this wash't a horrible bag. Like the April bag, it shows improvement and is actually pretty well-rounded. However, it doesn't make me regret my decision to cancel. Sure, it's always exciting to get something in the mail (especially beauty products), but MyGlam just doesn't excite me to try their products the same way Birchbox does which was what led me to finally cancel.

Are you subscribed to MyGlam? What did you think of this bag? Did you get a different color lipstick?

May "Gossip Girl" Special Edition Birchbox

Gasp! Am I really posting a beauty box review the next day after receiving it instead of the next month?? Yes, it's true! It's amazing what you can accomplish when your schedule opens up during the summer and you get 3 consecutive days off from work ^^ Oh, and I have a little surprise at the end of this post...

But before we get to that, let's talk about this month's Birchbox. I was especially excited this month because Birchbox teamed up with Gossip Girl for a special edition GG-themed boxed. Although I would consider myself a casual GG viewer (Hart of Dixie rules my Monday nights), I was still super excited to see what items lay in store for me since I still consider the show one of the most fashionable on television.

The packaging and presentation for this month's box was a little different from the norm with a few little GG touches. Instead of pink, the outer packaging box was a cool black with pink text. Around the actual Birchbox was a little slip cover that features the New York at night and both the Birchbox and Gossip Girl logos.

 

Inside, my note from the Birchbox team described my box collection theme as "Downtown Book Party." Interesting. My box consisted of:

• Twistband Hair Tie - I LOVE these! My big gave me one in a gift bundle and it's my go-to hair tie. They're really soft and stretchy and keep your hair secure without snagging or leaving a crease in your hair. Plus, when you're not wearing them, they look cute on your wrist and you don't have to worry about them digging into your skin and leaving a mark. 
• Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF25+ - Yes! I have been looking to invest in a BB cream for quite a while now so I was really happy to see this in my box. I wasn't so thrilled with the tiny size and the fact that it's only half full, however.
• BLVGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Toilette Spray - I think I've gotten a perfume sample in every one of my Birchboxes. I know a lot of people don't like this and it does seem a little repetitive, but I don't mind too much because I don't have any fancy expensive perfume so I pretty much live off these samples. This is a nice scent (the card describes it as "lotus flowers, bamboo, and Nashi pears") but nothing really that special.
• stila sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner - Ahhh, probably my favorite of the bunch!! And it's a full-sized product too! Awesome! This is a great liquid liner with a really nice precise tip. The color is really unique too - I would describe it as an olive-gold.
• Ojon volume advance Volumizing Conditioner - Ehh, I have pretty thick hair so I tend to stay away from volumizing hair products. It does have a lovely scent though that reminds me of Aveda products.
• Extra: XOXO Notecard and Envelope - Cute, but a little lacking, especially after some of the great extras I've had in previous boxes.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this month's Birchbox. It's not my favorite, but there are certainly some stand out products. I think I just expected a little more because of the Gossip Girl theme.

 

 

And a little update on MyGlam, I finally unsubscribed and I feel totally fine with that decision! Especially because Glossy Box just arrived to the US! :D

Now, for my little surprise I mentioned at the beginning of the post...I FINALLY posted my first video on YouTube!! Yay!! Starting a YouTube channel is something I'be been wanting to do for a LONG time so I'm so excited to start posting videos! I already have some tutorials and recent hauls recorded that just need to be edited and uploaded (which takes forever) and TONS of ideas (I've really been planning this a long time) so hopefully I can churn out consistent videos - if my job allows. I'm more used to being behind a camera so it took a little adjusting to and I realize I still need a lot of improvement speaking to a camera - I can't believe how many times I said 'um' lol but I hope in time I'll improve. Anyway, I hope you'll give my channel a look - even if there's only one video uploaded right now - and maybe even subscribe ^^

My YouTube Channel - GeekyFashionista