We’ve been back from vacation for several days now and I’m finally beginning to feel like I’m back in the swing of things (“things” meaning “real life”). So I thought it’d be fun to write a blog post recapping our trip! Usually when my husband and I go on vacation we do a good job of not overscheduling ourselves, but we sort of failed at that this time around. It wasn’t the most relaxing vacation ever…but that’s not to say we didn’t have a good time!
When I read about Birchbox‘s new Limited Edition Box I simply had to have it. This box is right up my alley—beginning with the name, “Why Not…Stay In”. As an introvert, I love me some “staying in” time and if I can pamper myself while not being around people, so much for the better!
Before I get into unpacking my new Limited Edition box, I want to talk about a couple other items I got from Birchbox as well. Beware: this post is long and full of #treatyoself goodies!
This’ll be a quick Friday Five because I’m posting while on vacation in Palm Desert, California!
1. The obligatory travel magazine: my choice for this trip was the March 2016 InStyle. This was a hefty issue that took me several different sessions to get through!
The other day I was thinking about being lazy and ordering pizza in for dinner, but then I saw a tweet about avocado toast and was inspired to make my own version for dinner. It turned out really well—restaurant quality, my husband said!—so I wanted to share how I made this ridiculously easy weeknight dinner.
1. Soo AE Pure Brightening Sheet Mask: I bought this Korean sheet mask from Club Clio awhile back and finally slapped it on my face earlier this week. Twenty minutes later, after having scared my husband by texting him the below photo (as you do), I removed the mask and patted the remaining serum into my skin. The result felt a little sticky for a bit, but like a dry sticky feel, if that makes any sense. It’s hard to say if this vitamin-infused mask had any legit brightening effect after one use, but I it’s so fun treating myself to sheet masks, and when they’re so cheap it’s hard not to try them!
In honor of the 2016 Orchid Show opening up at the New York Botanical Garden this weekend, I’m posting a Throwback Thursday pic from my first visit to the Orchid Show in 2009. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I attended that show’s final weekend on a whim, and I completely fell in love with these plants. This photo is from the main showcase room—the centerpiece, if you will—inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The orchid display was literally breathtaking.
I’ve attended at least once every year since and have a ton of photos to prove it!
Are you going to the Orchid Show at NYBG this year? If so, check out my planning tips on my orchid blog before you go!
Now that I’ve been a Birchbox subscriber for more than a year, I’ve tried my fair share of beauty, skin care, and hair care samples, and I thought it was time to try out a makeup look using only products I’ve received Birchbox samples of. I could have done any number of different looks because at this point I’ve received 65 Birchbox samples (!!), but I decided to do a quick and easy no-makeup makeup look. Below are the products I used to achieve the look:
1. Deadpool: the ultraviolent, foul-mouthed trailer for this flick was a huge hit at Comic-Con last year, and when the major nerds serious enthusiasts at Comic-Con approve of something, you know it’s gonna be good. My husband and I saw the movie last weekend, and it was so much fun that I want to see it again. Ryan Reynolds was the perfect casting choice for the role. The movie was just so fucking funny! Go see it. Now. (Warning: you will have Salt-N-Pepa’s “Shoop” stuck in your head for about a week afterward.)
I follow a few celebrities on Instagram (who doesn’t?). Some time ago I saw Ian Somerhalder post about a website called Thrive Market, but it didn’t fully register with me because it appeared to be a brick and mortar location in Los Angeles, and I live in Brooklyn. Then Olivia Wilde posted about Thrive Market more recently, and my ears perked up. I started doing some research on Thrive Market, and my conclusion was that it’s brilliant.
This post will be a quick one: today marks one year since my first post on this little ol’ blog! I kicked off my personal blog with a post about an organic beauty bag that I won in a raffle, and this post is my 130th! That means I’ve averaged 2.8 posts per week over the last year—not too shabby.
I’d like to mention that I did a bit of blog reorganization last week. You can now browse through my post categories in the main menu up top. If you’re interested in reading my posts about subscription boxes you can also do so via the main menu. My subscription box posts are interspersed throughout the Categories drop down as well (e.g., Stitch Fix is in “Style”), but I figured I’d put up a second way to find them. I hope these changes help you navigate my blog a bit better!
Thank you so much for reading, and here’s to many more years of blog posts to come!
