four favorites

Going along with the beach theme for favorites this week, I've picked some of my favorite items that I own, and you'll definitely see me with at the beach come July! 

Aldo Wayfairs: I'm definitely an aviators girl, but I decided to try out wayfairs and I'm in love with these from Aldo. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray: I think sea salt sprays are great for the summer time, especially at the beach. I shared how I use this surf spray to get "beachy waves"  in a post from last summer, which you can see here. 

Smashbox BB Cream: I don't know how many times I can feature this stuff or how many different ways I can say that I love it. Basically, it's my face sunscreen (SPF 35),  provides a little bit of coverage, and is very lightweight. Click here for a more in-depth review. 

C. Wonder Neon Stripe Tote: Any kind of tote is necessary for packing all of your necessities for the beach. I love that this one is neutral, but still summer-y with the neon stripes. 

What are some of your essentials for the beach or a summer getaway? 

Hangout Fest 2013

Remember the girl who used to blog on the reg more than twice a week about beauty-related things? Yeah, me too. But sometimes life gets in the way. I'm learning not to put a post just for the sake of having one up. I'm just writing as I find the time and inspiration. I'm trying! Hope that's okay with you guys. Anyway, today I'm sharing some photos from my recent trip to Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama! 

It's been a few years since I've attended a full-blown music festival, I really don't enjoy music festivals just because the large crowds in the hot sun can bother me. But this one's a little different. It's right on the beach. So I had high hopes for the weekend and it exceeded all expectations. I was in heaven. For three days, I just laid on the beach, brought out my inner hippie, listened to music, drank a few beers, and soaked up the sun. It was absolutely amazing! I definitely want to go back next year. So depending on the line-up, it's on the wish list! 

The highlights of the artists I was able to see were Macklemore, Imagine Dragons, Bassnectar, Afrojack, Ellie Goulding, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Not going to lie, I was so excited for Kings of Leon, and they just weren't all that great after seeing so many artists after them who connected with the audience and played their hearts out. Their music was good, I just didn't feel a huge connection with them like all the other artists.  

Seeing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform "thrift shop" and "can't hold us" was awesome. It's funny how you get sick of a song that's way overplayed on the radio, but when you hear it live, everyone just goes crazy excited. I have so many videos that I just keep re-watching, pretending I'm still there! 

And Imagine Dragons. Holy moly. Their music is crazy good and Dan Reynolds (the lead singer) was incredibly humble. I like seeing artists like that. Makes me want to support them even more.  

I also highly enjoyed being "au naturale" for the weekend. Just some BB cream (which served as my sunscreen) and waterproof mascara, and natural hair. Very low maintenance for me.

My dream line-up for next year would include Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay.  And more time for Imagine Dragons. That's not too much to ask! 

See you next year, Hangout! (I hope...)

xo, Mallory

March Birchbox

I really liked this month's box. Was not disappointed in one thing! Here's a glimpse at what was inside my "March Madness" Birchbox... 

Marcelle BB Cream

I've just added this to my "try it" list of BB creams, along with Dr. Jart, Boscia, and Revlon (which I've already tried and will post about soon). I'll let you know how this one turns out! 

LA Fresh Nail Polish Remover Pads

Going to be traveling these next two weekends so these will go straight into my luggage. Now I don't have to worry about packing my usual polish remover. I've only ever heard good things about these so I'm excited to give these a try. 

Vasanti Brighten Up Face Rejuvenator

Never heard of this brand, but it contains Papaya and Aloe with micro-crystals, and I like all of those things. Sounds like a great exfoliator. So we'll give it a shot and see how I like it. 

Whish Shave Cream

Never heard of this brand either, and was a little hesitant, but I did try it and this made my legs SO smooth. 

Nail File (by Madewell)

I only own one nail file, and it's seen better days. So I think this came at a perfect time. Plus, it was created by Madewell, so that's nice. 

If you're interested in trying Birchbox for yourself, click here!

What did you get this month? 

xo, Mal

makeup in minutes

Anybody else feeling the effects of Daylight Saving Time? Now that it's completely dark outside when I wake up, my body's instant reaction is snooze... snooze.. snooze. Maybe I'll become a morning person one of these days. But that day is not today. Because of my limited time, I'm depending a lot on fast makeup application. If I'm running crazy late, I reach for products I can apply very quickly or take with me if absolutely necessary. I'd say I don't spend more than 5 minutes when I use just these products...

Smashbox BB Cream
This is a matte finish BB cream that I can trust to keep my skin oil-free all day. More on it here. I apply this with a disposable makeup sponge for quick application. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Concealer
Since BB cream doesn't completely cover the issues my skin is having as of this week, this concealer does the trick to conceal any blemishes. I love that all I have to do is twist the cap, dab a little on each spot, and blend it in with my sponge. I am blessed to not have dark circles, but if I did, I would easily double up and use this as my under eye concealer as well. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
This takes me just a few seconds to set my BB cream and concealer to lock it in place all day long. 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Dark
I'm quite pale right now and this gives my face some color. If I was a little more tan, I would most likely skip this step. 

ELF Blush in Pink Passion
The bright pink blush looks intimidating in the package, but a light application of this is a perfect flush of pink to perk up my face. 

Maybelline MasterDrama Eyeliner
I usually only apply eyeliner if I skip eye shadow. Lasts all day and it's a retractable eyeliner that doesn't require sharpening. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
I've raved about this product before. Just swipe a little of this using my ring finger on to my eye lids and it looks likes I actually spent time to do my makeup. 

Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara
I like using this mascara on days when I'm in a rush because it dries so fast. It's also the one that I can use on both my top and bottom lashes without the fear of it ever smudging throughout the day. 

If I had to shorten it down even more, I would just use BB Cream, concealer, blush, and mascara. Sometimes I like the challenge of seeing how fast I can apply my makeup. If only I was more into challenging myself to see how fast I could run... 

What makeup products do you depend on for quick makeup? 

xo, Mal

July 2012 Birchbox

So, I'm a little late writing this post. My Birchbox came the day after I left for vacation, so I actually just opened it. This month's box is a collaboration with Glamour Magazine, which I was really excited about. And I must say, this might be the best box I've received so far. I had high expectations since Glamour is my favorite magazine, and I'm really really pleased with this month's products. 

Here's a quick rundown...

1. Boscia BB Cream: I have tried a couple BB creams recently, and this one seems really interesting. It's a self-adjusting shade and has SPF 27 and PA ++. This is the product I'm most excited to try, and when I do I'll let you know how I like it. Click here to see my review of the Smashbox BB cream. 

2. Color Club polish in Blue-Ming: You can never go wrong with nail polish for me. And... I.LOVE.THIS.COLOR! What's crazy is that I saw this one recently in the store and debated getting it, but ultimately decided against it because I do own similar colors. But hey, I'm not complaining! 

3. Stila lip glaze in Camera: This is a pretty fall color lip gloss. I'm going to hold on to this and use up some other glosses first and try this one out in the fall. I think this is a full size product, so I'm loving that. 

4. Annick Goutal perfume: I've received this same perfume brand before, and I don't really like it. It's just eh, for me. An alright smell, but not going to be reaching for this anytime soon.

5. Tea Forte minteas (lifestyle extra): I love keeping mints in my purse or desk. Can never really go wrong with that. These are the flavor "lime mojito"... yum!

6. Birchbox exclusive earbuds (lifestyle extra): Neon headphones, yes please! These are the exact style of headphones I use and love. I can't use the ones that come with ipods and iphones. These are SO comfortable, and I'll definitely be using them. 

Some months are misses and some months are hits. This box was definitely a "hit" for me! If you're interested in signing up for Birchbox, click here! 

xoxo, 

review: smashbox camera ready bb cream

What is BB cream? The “BB” stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. And if skincare and makeup had a baby, it would be BB cream. This do-it-all cream combines functions of a primer, anti-aging serum, moisturizer, light coverage, tinted color, and contains SPF.

BB cream was originally created in the 1950’s by a German dermatologist to help post-chemical peel patients cover their redness. These creams are very popular in the Asian beauty supply market, and are quickly spreading into the US. Once one company came out with one, the rest quickly followed. Drugstore brands such as Garnier, Maybelline, L’oreal and Covergirl all make a form of BB cream. High-end brand BB creams include Dr. Jart, Stila, Dior and Smashbox.

I’m going on vacation next week and have been on the hunt for the perfect BB cream to replace my foundation for days when I’ll just be laying out on the beach. I once tried the Garnier BB cream, but found it to be way too greasy on my face and didn’t seem to do much else to outweigh that disadvantage. I have oily skin, so an added greasy finish is a no-go.

What I’m specifically looking for in a BB cream is light coverage, oil control (non-greasy), and SPF. I decided to spend more and hopefully get better results, so I picked up the Smashbox Camera Ready BB cream in the shade light/medium with SPF 35. After reading reviews on Sephora, I found that this one claims to do all of the things on my list.

The packaging is nice and sleek. It’s a small squeeze tube, which makes it easy to throw in a bag and apply anywhere. 

The product itself feels just like sunscreen. I apply it in small sections on my face at a time so I can focus on blending before it dries. The results have been 10x better than I expected. I’ve worn this a couple times while laying out at the pool, and it truly does control oil in my t-zone, gives light coverage and also a little bit of a bronzing effect. 

This blended so well into my skin, and the color matches pretty perfectly. 

You might be thinking, “what’s the difference between this and a tinted moisturizer?” Well, to me this one offers more coverage, color, oil control, and contains higher SPF.

I recommend this to anyone with oily skin and/or just wants to replace their foundation on the hot summer days for lighter coverage. If you have dry skin, I would definitely make sure you still apply a moisturizer before, just to be sure this doesn't leave your skin looking too flat or dry. 

Let me know if you try or have tried this product. Have you tried any other brands of BB cream? I’m looking forward to getting my money’s worth out of this next week!