October 2011 Birchbox

For October's box, Birchbox has designed products to help you prep and polish your skin, body and hair. They say, "Get your pout ready for fall's statement lip colors with an all-natural lip serum. Perfect your complexion with a smoothing makeup primer. There's also a skin-clearing face wash, a gorgeous hair serum, and a chi-chi fabric wash that will ensure that your tees are in perfect shape." These products will help you become beautiful from start to finish.

My Birchbox seemed to come a few days earlier this month, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it sitting in my mailbox yesterday. So, let's get into it!

Fall Style Haul: Shoes

I've decided to start a new series of posts called Fall Style Haul, where I will feature favorite pieces from my collection. I've been on a shoe kick recently, so I thought I'd start off with featuring some of my favorite shoes to wear during the autumn season! Many of these shoes are more than a year old and may not be available to purchase anymore. However, I will list each store that I purchased the shoes from, so if you're interested in finding something similar, make sure to check those places out!

Fall is probably my favorite season for shoes - the weather is cool enough to wear boots but still nice to continue wearing flats and caged-style wedges. Take a look at some of my favorite shoes to wear during autumn and don't forget to share your thoughts and favorites in the comments below!

Monday Q&A: October 3

I am a dedicated reader of Makeup and Beauty Blog, where the author Karen posts a set of fun questions to answer every week and also asks readers to publish their own answers in a comment! I thought this would be a neat idea to start here on LIVandLETDIEx as well!

I'm going to continue posting a Q&A every Monday consisting of ten questions to answer, and would love for all of you to answer the same questions in a comment - it's always fun to see what other people are into and up to these days! I'll be keeping a list of questions to use for future Q&A's as well, so if you have any questions of your own you would like to see me include, leave it in the comments below!

Monday Q&A: May 23

Happy Monday everyone! Today I've decided to use Makeup and Beauty Blog author Karen's Monday Poll questions as my Monday Q&A. 

I post a Q&A every Monday consisting of ten questions to answer, and would love for all of you to answer the same questions in a comment - it's always fun to see what other people are into and up to these days! I'll be keeping a list of questions to use for future Q&A's as well, so if you have any questions of your own you would like to see me include, leave it in the comments below!

Top Ten Thursdays: Lipstick

I have decided to start a fun series of ongoing blog posts, called "Top Ten Thursdays". Every so often on Thursdays, I will post a new category of my top ten favorites. I'll post different kinds of makeup, articles of clothing, books, workout exercises, you name it! I'm also encouraging you to post your top ten favorites in the comments below along with giving me new categories to post my top ten favorites for so I can keep this series going!

Today, I have my Top Ten Favorite Lipsticks. I have been obsessed with lipsticks for a long time and am always looking for new and interesting shades to add to my collection. When it comes to color, I am not afraid! I love to wear hot pinks and bright corals during the day to spice up my look, and have been on the search for a lilac-y sort of purple as well.

I have photos and swatches of my top ten (in no particular order), and am going to list them and give a short description of each, but will not be doing in depth reviews of the products. If you're interested in a review, let me know! I'd be more than happy to do features later on of popular lipsticks. So, without further ado, let's get on with it!

May 2011 Birchbox

It's that time again! My May Birchbox arrived over the weekend and I happily scooped it up out of my mailbox as soon as I got home. I have never been a patient person, so after sneaking a peek at other members' Birchboxes through their own blog posts while I waited for mine, I had an idea of what would be coming my way.

If you're unfamiliar with the Birchbox program, I have described what Birchbox is all about and how it works more in depth in my previous monthly post, here.

This month, Birchbox is celebrating our mother's, and everything they have taught us over the years. The samples included are classy, elegant, and will never go out of style. Along with these hand-picked samples Birchbox has also included extra content on their website, such as an interview with YouTube Beauty Guru MissGlamorazzi, a feature on blogger Judy Aldrige, and a list of beauty techniques that will never fail. So, without further ado, let's check out my May Birchbox!

Monday Q&A: May 16

Another Monday means another Q&A! I've even taken some important time away from studying for my midterms to put together and answer this week's questions. I also received my May Birchbox  over the weekend, so expect a post on that soon as well!

I post a Q&A every Monday consisting of ten questions to answer, and would love for all of you to answer the same questions in a comment - it's always fun to see what other people are into and up to these days! I'll be keeping a list of questions to use for future Q&A's as well, so if you have any questions of your own you would like to see me include, leave it in the comments below!

Monday Q&A: May 9

Today for my Monday Q&A I have decided to copy and paste Allison's (Amarixe) questionnaire and list my own answers in this week's post. Allison is a beautiful and respectable person whom I feel I can relate to, and I'm often checking her blog daily to read her latest posts!

I'm going to start posting a Q&A every Monday consisting of ten questions to answer, and would love for all of you to answer the same questions in a comment - it's always fun to see what other people are into and up to these days! I'll be keeping a list of questions to use for future Q&A's as well, so if you have any questions of your own you would like to see me include, leave it in the comments below!

Nail of The Day

Yes! I was finally able to get my hands on Essie's Topless & Barefoot from their Spring 2011 collection. I have been searching for a couple months for this color, and after checking all the CVS and Target's nearby I almost gave up hope. It wasn't until last Thursday I found the last bottle at a Target a little outside of my 'search area' and I wasted no time adding it to my basket.

Essie describes Topless & Barefoot as a 'barely there soft beige pink.' After painting it onto my nails, I now know why there is such a hype about this color. It is the prettiest nude I have found to date that compliments my skin tone. The color is soft enough that with a soft glance makes it look like my nail are not painted, but upon closer inspection gives my nails and whole outfit a more polished feel.

Monday Q&A: May 2

I am a dedicated reader of Makeup and Beauty Blog, where the author Karen posts a set of fun questions to answer every week and also asks readers to publish their own answers in a comment! I thought this would be a neat idea to start here on LIVanLETDIEx as well!

I'm going to start posting a Q&A every Monday consisting of ten questions to answer, and would love for all of you to answer the same questions in a comment - it's always fun to see what other people are into and up to these days! I'll be keeping a list of questions to use for future Q&A's as well, so if you have any questions of your own you would like to see me include, leave it in the comments below!

Nail of The Day

I'm constantly changing the color of my nails - I have so many colors that I love (or I discover a new must-have at the store!) - so I can't keep a favorite for more than a couple days! I recently picked up two Essie nail polishes and had to paint my nails with them as soon as I got home.

Essie is rapidly becoming my new favorite brand of nail polish. From their simple yet classy packaging, beautiful colors and formulation, to their wide range of pastels and perfect spring colors, it's no wonder why I seem to be picking up a new shade every time I'm at the store.

I'm usually a bright colors, the-more-glitter-the-better type of girl, but while browsing Essie's display at CVS, two colors caught my eye that I had to grab: Big Spender (below, right) and Blanc (below, left). I'm not one for white nail polish because I've had poor experiences with them in the past. White nail polish can be very streaky and very sheer, so naturally I was hesitant when picking up Essie's white shade. However, having great luck in the past with Essie, I decided to put my trust in them and try this baby out.

What's In My Purse?

I got home from school today and was taking out all of my notebooks when I realized, 'I have a lot of things stuffed into this purse!' I've always enjoying watching 'What's In My Purse?' videos on YouTube (Is that weird?) and thought I would change up the idea and do a 'What's In My Purse?' blog post. Hey, maybe some of you of have the same weird fascination that I do when it comes to other girls' purses?..

I'll start off by mentioning that yes, I did take these pictures outside. My room's fluorescent lights were just not doing my bag justice, so I quickly scooted outside and snagged the last bit of natural light before the sun set. Alright! So first, my purse. I found it at Ross maybe.. two years ago? It's a Kathy Van Zeeland hobo-style bag (above) in an amazing metallic purple color. I have a not-so-secret obsession with Betsey Johnson handbags, but no matter what time of the year I always find myself coming back to this purse. It's nice and big to hold all of my loot, and has a zippered divider in the middle to create two sections for me to organize my stuff. I can also stick all four of my school notebooks inside nicely along with an extra calculator and some scantrons if I'm running off to take a test.

April 2011 Birchbox

After months of watching people rave about their Birchboxes (and finally learning what all the fuss was about!) I finally decided to take the plunge and sign up for my first Birchbox. After anxiously waiting for what seemed like years, I found my Birchbox happily sitting in my mailbox yesterday. I tore it open and was pleasantly surprised to see all the wonderful items I would be able to try out throughout the rest of the month.

Before getting into my 'haul' of samples I received in this month's box, let me explain the concept of 'Birchbox' (I'm sure many of you are in the dark as I used to be!).