January Birchbox

I have been fascinated for some time by beauty's latest hot trend: beauty boxes. I first learned about Birchbox in a bridal magazine, as a gift for bridesmaids. For those who don't know, beauty boxes are generally all based on the same concept: you pay $10 (give or take) a month to be sent (free shipping) a box filled with all different brands of beauty goodies for your hair, skin, nails, etc. Most of the boxes available today are only sold in the UK, but Birchbox is one of the few available in the US. What makes these boxes so exciting, is that you don't know what your going to get until it arrives in the mail monthly, like a magazine subscription. You will find (as pictured above) 4-6 samples from different brands, based around a common theme (Januarys theme was "clarity"). The surprise ball of the beauty world. This was my first box, so I thought I would do a post on its contents for those who had never heard of beauty boxes, or were hesitant to try.

Overall I would say I was pretty impressed with what I received from Birchbox. The soap smells wonderful, as well as the small Juicy perfume sample. The nail polish by Zoya was a very pretty color (although more of a spring shade in my opinion), but best of all was the Stila eyeliner. The color was a beautiful dark purple, which appears almost black in low light but in the sunlight shines sparkly maroon. This is what truly makes the box worth it for me, because, as you can see on the second card included, the full size eyeliner alone goes for $20.

Hope this helps inspire others to try Birchbox out!
xx j

Model Diaries: Fei Fei Sun

I have long been a follower of many different models; Jessica Stam, Karlie Kloss, Lindsey Wixson, Sasha Pivovarova, Coco Rocha, Natalia Vodianova, and Constance Jablonski are just some of the models that I openly obsess over.  I don’t know if it’s their ability to look flawless in nearly every outfit, or their glamorous lifestyle jet setting across the world, but whatever it is, since I was a little girl, I have always aspired to one day become a model.   Yes, I am 5’2, and can barely walk across my room in heels without stumbling, but a girl can dream.  My personal unattainable life goals aside, I wanted to make this post in tribute to one particular model that has truly changed the way I view beauty and the fashion industry.  Fei Fei Sun.  Fei Fei has always been a model with whom I look up to, but just recently I have begun seeing her in nearly every Vogue or Bazaar I open.  She is unique, effortlessly chic, and will always hold a place in my list of top 10 favorite models.  

xx i

All dressed up...

(Urban Outfitters jacket, H&M dress, Banana Republic belt, Steve Madden shoes)

I decided to do a quick shoot of this outfit I wore out to dinner the other night...can't get enough of this furry jacket, it seems to go with everything in my closet, but I especially love it paired with anything black. A heavy winged eye and tumbling black curls dress up the look, finished off with a glittery belt to cinch the waist and towering Steve Madden wedges.  This outfit is a result of one of my New Years resolutions...to get dressed up more often.  I hope everybody is having a good January!

xx i

Precious Metals

(Sally Hansen nail polish, Free People bracelet, rings from Urban Outfitters, H&M, Claires, and vintage) 

The color and pigmentation of this polish is amazing! (the product is featured in an earlier post) It shines brighest with a handful of silver rings to add sparkle. I wore this color for New Years and loved it so much I think it will be my new winter color.

xx j  

Holiday Sparkle by Lorac

As I wound my way through the isles at Sephora, a few weeks ago, looking for some type of makeup that would look as good on my eyes as it would displayed on my makeup table, what looked like a large, silver-white jewelry box caught my eye.  When I lifted it off the shelf typically reserved for the pricier items in the store, I was struck by the shiny metallic detailing of the box, and delighted by the contents of its three, convenient shelves.  Appropriately titled Bejewled Day & Night Jewlery Box, it contains the perfect products to transform your face from daytime sweet to nighttime sultry - two detachable eyeshadow palettes each with a built in mirror, two eyeliners, two lip glosses, and a large bronzing powder.  While the box is a pricy $56, I had recently acquired a Sephora gift card for the holidays, and felt a splurge was justified. I was also comforted after reading that what I had bought for $56 was actually $415 worth of makeup, (not to mention that the highly-pigmented combination of both matte and glittered colors were just too pretty to pass up.)  If you are willing to spend a little more than you usually would for a day to night makeup set, I recommend this holiday box by Lorac.  Plus, when you use up all the makeup, it can be turned into a glamourous place to store your makeup, haha ;)

xx i

New Years Backup

At the last minute I made an quick run to CVS for some New Years emergency necessities including my favorite drugstore makeup remover, eye drops for my sensitive eyes (which get super dry after hours of heavy makeup) and a polish color. I was going to stick with my classic black, but this shiny silver caught my eye and after trying it out at the store I was addicted to the metallic results (plus it dried perfectly in seconds and only required one coat). I tried a few other brand's silver colors just to price check but this one by Sally Hansen was by far the best!
Hope everyone had a fun new years!

xx j  

New Years Inspiration

We know there a little late, but here are some of the images that inspired us this New Years Eve. We hope everyone had a great night and we can't wait for the year to come!

xx i&j