Birchbox Unboxing | Feb 2014

E.L.F. Beauty Bundle, January 2014 - New Year, New You REVIEW

Hey, friends! 

So, as promised, I'm going to review the products from my January elf Beauty Bundle. Here's a refresher of what was in my bundle: 

 

Pretty sweet collection, right? That's $40 worth of FULL-SIZED products that you get every other month...can't beat that! So, on to the products!

Eye Brightener: $3. "Perk up those tired eyes and diminish the appearance of dark shadows."  I was a little up in the air about this product, I mean, eye brightener...I don't need that! But let me just go ahead and stick my foot in my mouth now. This stuff is AMAZING! I put it on after the concealer around my nose, under and on my eye, and a little on my cheeks (a little goes a long way) and it made me look more awake and really made my eyes pop. I will definitely be re-purchasing this! 

Eye Refresh: $3. "The cooling sensation of the rollerball brightens and refreshes the eye area to help alleviate under eye puffiness and dark circles." I used this every day, multiple times a day, but I didn't really see a difference in brightening my eyes. I was cold, so it would make the skin feel tight for a couple of minutes, but that was about the only thing that happened. This was a pass for me :(

Prism Eyeshadow (in Naked): $10. "These ultra-silky and lustrous eyeshadows look like a powder but feel like a cream, allowing for a smooth and flawless application." I honestly really love this palette! I haven't used it wet yet, but even just dry the colors are amazing and bright and stay on all day! I just ordered more of this in the pink/purple colors as well. This is my go-to pallet from now on :)

Lip Exfoliator: $3. "Gently exfoliate lips to remove dry, chapped skin." You might recognize this from my empties video...I was not a huge fan. It was hard to put on and hurt after the first two applications. It was all the little beads and no formula to help it slide on. I also didn't notice a different in my lips (and I have pretty dry lips in the winter. I'll stick to chap stick and eos.

Daily Moisture Stick: $6. "An easy to use clear gel formulation that nourishes and hydrates the skin." I would have never thought to buy this product on it's own, but it's a staple in my morning and night routine now. This little stick is so hydrating and smooth, it makes my skin feel really great. I use this, along with the elf Lotion Wipes, in my problem areas (eyebrows, around the nose, forehead) and I haven't had dry skin in a month. Seriously, in love and can't wait to continue to use this! 

HD Lifting Concealer (in Brightening): $3. "A skin firming concealer that hides imperfections and regenerates the skin for added radiance." This was the product was I was most iffy about and wasn't sure how to use. I start my routine with a little Maybelline Baby Skin and then touch this around my nose and under my eyes. It works well with the eye brightener to make me look more awake and really make my eyes pop, but I didn't notice a ton of "lifting" in it. Still, a solid product, though I doubt I will order it again.

Mineral Face Cleanser: $8. "Indulge your skin in rich cleansing moisture for a noticeably brighter and smooth complexion." I've been using this face wash every morning and night and I have been noticing that my face is staying more fresh through the day and is softer to the touch. This cleanser feels like it really works to get the dirt and grime away and tightens my skin in the right areas. Overall, it's a win, though I don't know if I would continue to buy this for $8 (I'll have to pick it up during their 50% off sales!).

Makeup Remover Exfoliating Cleansing Cloths: $3. "Gently and easily exfoliates skin to remove all traces of makeup and dirt, even waterproof mascara." I love that these makeup remover cloths have two sides...a smooth side and an exfoliating side! I have already ordered more because I love the way they take off makeup!

Slant Tweezer: $1. "A unique slanted tweezer ergonomically designed for easy and accurate tweezing." Blah. Tweezers....what can I say. I haven't used these at all, and the only time I do use tweezers is for nail art (picking up rhinestones is hard). But, not complaining...you can never have too many nail art tools around!

Overall, for $20 (+shipping) I think this was a great deal. I have placed a couple of large orders with elf so I'm not sure how much longer I'll need to get the beauty bundle but for now it's fun. Overlapping stuff just means for fun give-aways to viewers and readers! For more information on the elf beauty bundle, visit: http://beautybundle.eyeslipsface.com/

Stay Beautiful! Danielle

January Ipsy Bag Review - 19 Reasons

So I made a decision at the beginning of the month to not do unboxing of my Ipsy bags for a couple of reason:

1. There are already a ton of lovely ladies doing amazing unboxing videos for Ipsy...I feel like I wouldn't have anything new to add
2. I don't get my bag early enough in the month
3. I do unboxing for other subscriptions that I don't see much of (the "off" months of the ELF beauty bundle (I ordered my ELF bundle on the 10th so I get the new months box before a lot of other people), the fantasy box passed the first two months)

...But I will be reviewing the products that I got and letting you know what I though about all of them! Also, I have made a decision to only get a couple of subscriptions a month so I can use the month I saved to buy any full-sized products of things I really liked, which happened this month (more to follow). Like all of my other subscription boxes, I try to use everything they send me...unless I'm really uncomfortable with the product and don't normally use that type of item.

1. Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion - I LOVE this product, by far my favorite thing in my bag, but now it's gone :( I debated about getting a full-sized one, but the company doesn't offer free shipping, so the discount from Ipsy didn't really matter and I find it really hard to pay $28 for face lotion. I did like the way it smelled and how lightweight it was.

2. MicaBeauty Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm - This is an okay lip balm...I was supposed to get the "natural" color but I think the bottle was mislabeled and got the "fiesta." I love a good, bold lip color, but this was way too purple for my lips (I layered it was my NYX from last month) and it also made my lips super dry (which is NOT something I look for in a lip balm).

3. Absolute Makeup Cleansing Tissues - These smelled horrible! It was like washing my face in old, stale wine. Also, didn't think they were wet enough...had to really work to get off my eye makeup. I liked getting makeup wipes in my bag though, but I'll stick to Pond's in between.

Now for my trades...

 

4. I sent: Yaby Foundation. I recieved: BrioGeo Don't Despire, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask - I'm really happy about this trade! You might know from my earlier posts that I don't use concealer, foundation, blush, bronzer...basically anything that covers up my face. I have freckles and naturally blushed cheeks, which I love and would never want to cover up! So I traded for the BrioGeo because I love hair products and fell so in love that I ended up ordering a shampoo and conditioner from BrioGeo as well (reviews for these later).

5. I sent: Coast Scents Small Foundation Brush. I received: NYX single eyeshadow. Again, along with the foundation, this is a product that I would never use. I love a good eyeshadow and the color I received is a nice chestnut brown that I use for accents now. Very pleased with this trade.

Overall, I feel like this was a great month, though how can you really complain for $10/month. Oh, and the bag? After I aired out the smell, I filled it with markers for work. It's the perfect size and looks cuter then plastic bags!

If you're interested in signing up for ipsy, here's my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/1tx3. Expect some more posts throughout the next couple of weeks because I have off from work :)

Stay beautiful, Danielle

(All opinions are my own, I am not compensated by any of these companies)

Behind the Name

Hey Everyone! 

I'm a recent switch from WordPress to BlogSpot, so I'm bringing some older posts with me as well. The switch is due to the easier-to-navigate BlogSpot site and I can have more control over formatting my posts. 

But welcome to DC Blogs Beauty! Washington D.C. happens to be where I live, D.C. happens to also be my initials. I'm going to go ahead and still this from my other blog, so here it goes: 

But why should you pay attention to me? As much as I love shopping, looking pretty, and doing my nails, it's not my whole life. I want to blog about other things too, such as cooking and new recipes, crafts and DIY (especially with our upcoming move), book and movie reviews, and beauty reviews. I want this to be a one-stop shop for lots of different topics.

A plus-sized girl in the real world. I love shopping, but I don't have endless supplies of money, and I can't shop where ever I want. I get a lot of compliments on my style and knowing how to dress myself to look slimmer and professional. Part of my blog will be sharing the gems that I find for a reasonable price and availability.

I'll be linking a lot of my videos to my blog, so check out for those, too! I'm not the kind of blogger that can post everyday (I have a more then full time job where I work sometimes 14 or 15 hours a day...so keep that in mind.) But that just means that I'll be posting a lot of stuff only a couple of days a week. 

Stay Beautiful! Danielle