February Sephora Play! Box #591

In case you don't know, Sephora has a monthly subscription box for $10 per month. There is a waitlist, but it seems to open up near the end of every month. February's Sephora Play! box had three variations - mine included the Tarte lip balm, while the other two included either a Nars or Bite Beauty lipstick.

Saturday Reading List

I've been slowly reading through The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but most recently I'm drooling over this space-saving style of folding clothes. The only issue is that I think I'd have to set aside an entire day to get it done!

The fact that I'm in my mid-20's is started to make me aware of the passing of time in a way I hadn't noticed before. I enjoy making lists and goals (big & small) and I think this list of 25 Things Before I Turn 30 (& Why It's Okay That I Didn't) is great.

I'm starting to plan international travel for the first time since 2009, and in the midst of our current political climate, this post from Adventurous Kate, "For the Love of God, Don't Sew A Canadian Flag on Your Backpack", couldn't have come at a better time.

Jess & I went to a networking event called Girl Geek Dinner this week and left feeling empowered and inspired and ready to ..... kick some metaphorical career butt, or whatever. While the topics are familiar, this list of 3 Things Women Can Make for Career Success is a good reminder.

This article on habit building is a few years old, but it has really inspired me to start deliberately crafting healthy habits. One of my February small goals was to finish a book, which I've done!, so the habit of reading before bed vs. playing on my phone before bed is well underway. I've also picked Duolingo back up to practice my French before my trip to Montreal this summer. Now if only I can force myself into a fitness habit .....

February Ipsy Bag

February's Ipsy bag was a little lackluster compared to other months. The bag was u-g-l-y, in my opinion, but better-constructed than others I've received. I see how most of the items in my bag match my profile & preferences - aside from the bronzer - but there was nothing that I was just super excited to try out. Everything is similar to products I already own - is this a sign that I should cut back on beauty boxes? Probably. Definitely not. 

Lip Hoarder

I recently went through my makeup collection and was simultaneously horrified/impressed to discover that I have about 70 lip products. Do you know how many lipsticks I've used up since I started using makeup in high school? Zero. Now, none of these are that old by any stretch of the imagination. I've been pretty good about doing a seasonal (ok, yearly) sweep of my cosmetics and tossing whatever is expired or that I don't like anymore, but if I'm never using up all my lip colors, why the heck do I keep buying more? New formulas, new colors, new trends? Sure, but how many my-lips-but-better nude shades can a girl have? Or more appropriately, how many should a girl have? 

One of my 2017 goals is to wear every one of my lip products without repeating until I've used them all up. The lip colors pictured above are the ones I've worked through so far! Click through the break for swatches and reviews.

February Allure Beauty Box

This is my third Allure Beauty Box and I think it may be my favorite. I paid $10 with a promo they ran over the holidays, but the products they include are, in my opinion, well-worth the usual $15 per month. Allure includes a good combination of full-size & deluxe sample sizes and the retail value is really satisfying. 

The February 2017 Allure Beauty Box included...

No-Buy Failure

I'm sure this comes as a surprise to no one but my no-buy lasted all of .... oh, ten days? Then suddenly NastyGal is being acquired and marking all of their inventory down, and my poor hair desperately needs a new heat protectant, and I find the perfect striped tee AND I find the dream Madewell sweater dress for <$60 ..... you get the picture. Here are the items I broke my (very brief, very futile) fast on...

February Birchbox

Good morning and happy Sunday! Sunday is my favorite day of the week these days; it's also the only day where I don't have to go to work or school. I usually spend Sunday catching up on housework or working on job projects or doing homework, but for the first few hours, while I'm having my morning coffee, I can just relax. Sitting in my smooshy bed with my smooshy dog, drinking coffee and listening to the Gentle Classical playlist while working on this silly blog is one of my favorite ways to decompress. 

The first two weeks of the month are always full to the brim with subscription boxes - especially when you have a weak month, like my January, and sign up for way too many while good promos are running. The first and most obvious example of this is that I ordered a February Birchbox. I don't even like Birchbox! Though one of the first beauty subscription boxes, BB has really taken a turn for the worst over the past year. I think they're affordable and fun for a few months, but they repeat brands and products regularly so the novelty wears off quickly. With $10/month competitors like Ipsy & Sephora Play!, I just don't think Birchbox measures up. However, if you do want to test it out, you can get your first box for only $5 with this link, and there's no commitment.