Get Your First Birchbox Free (and 10$ to spend in the store!)

I have an AMAZING deal to share with you. Follow the directions below to get your Birchbox free AND 10$ in points to spend at the Birchbox store.

First you need to make an account at ibotta. It is an app on both the App store and Google Play. ibotta helps you earn rebates to products at grocery stores and some online retailers!!

Once you have an account on ibotta, click "rebates" on the bottom left corner. Then select "Health & Beauty" and then "Birchbox.com". Select the picture that says Birchbox Monthly Subscription (the $10.00 one). Then you need to select "take a poll" and "learn a fact".

Then click the little pink shopping cart on the bottom row and then select send link. Check your email for your redemption link and purchase your Birchbox. Don't forget to use code BBJETBLUE to get an extra 100 points ($10) to spend at the Birchbox store.

This whole process took me less then ten minutes. Leave a comment if you try it, or if you need any help!

June 2014 Birchbox Review

I just got my birchbox in the mail today and I'm so excited to share it with you. Birchbox is a monthly subscription box company. They curate beauty and lifestyle items and ship them to your door for only $10 a box. (You can sign up for a yearly subscription and you get one box free!) 

The best part about Birchbox is their points program. You can review each product in your box for 10 points. 100 points = $10 to shop at there website. For example right now I have 331 points, after I try all the products in my box if I want to purchase the full size version I have a 30$ discount. You can combine points and discount codes to create a really awesome deal! 

Now let's start talking about what I got in my June Birchbox. Here is the card that came with the box describing the contents and prices.

The first thing I noticed was the Antica Farmista Bergamot & Ocean Aria body wash. This is a light scent that smells like a sweet seaside.

Next is this gorgeous lip stain from Cynthia Rowley in the hot pink shade Valentine. It's a creamy lip stain that is soft with one soft but can be layered for more opaque color. This is a perfect shade for summer!

Next up is Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner, and OI All in One Milk treatment. I'm excited that they sent coordinating samples so I can see how they work together on my hair.

Perfume samples aren't my favorite but so far Birchbox has sent me two perfumes I like. However I'm not a fan of this one. The English Laundry smells nice initially...it's a little too "woodsy" for my taste. 

The last product is The Aloe Source Vitamin C Antioxidant Creme. The smell is light and refreshing for summer. And I've recently read that Vitamin C is a good ingredient for face creams. 

This box was a huge hit for me and I cant wait to use all of my items. You can still sign up for this months birchbox using this link. 

And don't forget to review your products for points!

May 2014 Birchbox Review

I just got my May Birchbox in the mail today and I'm so excited to share it with you. Birchbox is a monthly subscription box company. They curate beauty and lifestyle items and ship them to your door for only $10 a box. (You can sign up for a yearly subscription and you get one box free!) 

The best part about Birchbox is their points program. You can review each product in your box for 10 points. 100 points = $10 to shop at there website. For example right now I have 310 points, after I try all the products in my box if I want to purchase the full size version I have a 10$ discount. You can combine points and discount codes to create a really awesome deal! 

I'm going away this weekend so this shampoo and conditioner set from Nexxus will be packed in my travel bag. The body lotion by Gilchrest & Soames is light and doesn't have a strong scent so it won't interfere with my perfume.

The little packets are minty pop rocks that help freshen your breath! It tired the honey mint one and it was surprisingly tasty! 

Pixie Shea Butter Lip Balm is a fun makeup treat to try for summer. I swatches it below so you can see how pigmented it is.

Ever since I've been subscribed to Birchbox I've wanted to try the Whish brand shave cream. The scent Acai Grapefruit is perfect for summer. Fresh and Fruity.

This Pixi balm is surprisingly pigmented!! On my lips it's a coral red, but since it's still like a balm it's not intimidating to wear. I plan on wearing this all summer!

Overall, I really enjoyed my box this month. It was full of both practical and fun products. If you're interested in trying Birchbox it's normally $10 a month but use code SUMMERSUB to get your first box for $5. Once you factor in there points system to use on products in there store the box is practically free!! Gotta love "shopping math"!!

Birchbox Limited Edition: In Full Bloom

I ordered the Birchbox Limited Edition: In Full Bloom set as a treat for myself. After using points and a discount code I paid 6.40 instead of 58.00! 

I've used the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish before and love it. It gently removes all makeup but doesn't leave my skin dry. 

I'm excited to try the Cecilia Wong Anti-Aging Rose Serum Spray. 

I've heard of the brand Tokyo Milk before but have never had a chance to try anything from them. This Rosewater Lip Balm is nice and makes my lips feel hydrated. The smell is a soft rose that doesn't bother my sensitive nose. 

I'm excited to try the tenoverten nail polish in the color Spring. As soon as I take off my current nail polish I'll update this post with a swatch of this pretty pink nail polish.

I love the packaging on the Soap & Paper Factory hand cream. The scent I received is in Bella (grapefruit, bergamont, and black pepper). It's not my favorite scent but it feels wonderful on my hands. The smell irritates me a little bit so I will probably end up using this as a foot cream to get my feet in summer shape.

This travel sized Juara Tiare Jasmine Tea Bath & Shower Gel smells so beautiful. I don't even know how to describe it, but it's now on my shopping list to buy it in the full size.

Last, were the products I was most excited for, the blush and the candle.

This Make blush in the color Geisha is the perfect soft pink shade for spring. It just looks like my cheeks are glowing. It's not completely matte, there is an almost sheen to it.

The Votivo candle in Blush of Rose is perfect. It's a light floral scent that is not a cloying "gramma" type of rose. It makes my bedroom smell like a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Overall, I am very happy with this Limited Edition box. It has a great value and I will use all the products.

If your interested in trying the monthly subscription here is the link. Every month for $10 they will send you curated beauty and lifestyle products. Then you can review the products for points. Once you get 100 points that is $10 to spend in the Birchbox Shop. That is how I was able to get this box for 6 dollars instead of $58.

Sephora Favorites - Meet Your Match swatches and review

I recently picked up the Meet Your Match set from Sephora. It contains six corresponding lip and nail colors. I picked this up mostly because I've only tried two of the six brands (Formula X and Tarte). 

The picture below shows (messy) swatches of all three nail colors. 

I was pleasantly surprised with Nails. Inc (the purple color). It applied with ease and that is one coat!

I was really excited to try the Deborah Lippmann nail polish (coral) since it's raved about and way out of my price range in full size. This polish was gloopy and awful! This picture makes it look better than it did in real life. Now this is my only experience with this brand of nail polish so maybe other colors are better but I am less then impressed.

The Formula X (nude) was also disappointing. It just would not apply evenly, but I think this might be this specific color since I've used (and loved) other colors from this brand with no problem.

Last are the lip swatches.

The purple is from bite beauty. There lip products are FDA approved. In other words if you accidentally lick all this off...you will be just fine. However, the smell is pretty awful that I haven't caught myself licking it off;) But the color is beautiful on the lips. It's a bright punchy purple that is going to be fun to wear this spring.

The coral color in the middle is from Tarte. I was a little nervous since it seemed so bright but its kind of a "my lips but better" coral shade when applied. This stains the lips and lasts the longest out of all three lip products.

The nude color on the left is from Hourglass. I was excited to try an Hourglass product since the brand is quite pricey. It smells like vanilla cupcakes and is the perfect nude shade without making me look like death. This is a product that I would consider buying the full size version if I finish the mini. 

Overall, I'm happy with this kit even though two of the nail products were fails. I bought this kit to try mini sizes of brands so I didn't buy a full size product that I might not like. These favorite sets Sephora offers are a great way to try brands and also who doesn't love a cute miniature product!

If you're interested in getting this set make sure you go through Ebates first. Right now Sephora is at 4% cash back!

Saving Money Online - Ebates

Ebates is an online rebate program, that is WAY easier then snail mail rebates.

Ebates is a FREE cash back site that offers cash back when shopping at popular stores such as Sephora, Victoria's Secret, JCPenney, Home Depot, and many more!

Ebates is a FREE cash back site that offers cash back when shopping at popular stores such as Sephora, Victoria's Secret, JCPenney, Home Depot, and many more!

First create an account on there website. Basically before you shop online, check Ebates for the store you're shopping at (Sephora, Lands End, Nordstrom, etc!). There are hundred's of stores so make sure you always go through Ebates first. Then click through to there site. Ebates gives you a cash back percentage of the total you spend. 

Here is what my personal account looks like. You can tell I have recently shopped at Sephora, Victoria's Secret, and Groupon to get cash back. 

Ebates pays quarterly and once you get 5 dollars in your account (which is easy to do!) you can choose for them to send you a check or deposit it into your Paypal account. 

Paula's Choice

I have been hearing more and more about the brand Paula's Choice and finally had to try it for myself.

I've only made two small purchases so far, but I'm planning on ordering more. 

One of the cool things about this company is you can order samples of the products to try before you buy. They have a pretty awesome guarantee. Along with frequent sales and free shipping offers.

Paula's Choice has tons of face and body products, even some makeup. But I want to share this little gem I found with you.

Brighten Up - 2 minute teeth whitener

It's the size of a slim lipstick. And you apply it just as you would a lipstick but on your clean, dry teeth. There's a slight foaming action and after two minutes you can wipe it off. The formula is even safe to swallow. I accidentally did and nothing terrible happened. Promise.

Best part is, it doesn't irritate my sensitive teeth! Crest white strips I'm looking at you...Ouch!!!

This freshens my breath, whitens my teeth and fits in my purse for those awkward moments you forgot to brush and need to run to the ladies room.

This link will save you 10$ off a 15$ purchase which is a crazy good deal. I'm planning on purchasing full sizes of products in the Resist line. It contains retinal for both wrinkles and acne which sadly I am fighting both. Those samples won me over.