It's a new year and a new month which only means one thing...Birchbox review! I was so excited to see my box in the mail yesterday. There's just something about a small hot pink box that is so enticing.

This month's theme was Clarity -- "...we've included products that will help you start 2012 with a fresh face and optimistic mood." As usual, the box comes with a card that tells you about each product.


Side note: They have changed the cards now though so they don't include the sample size. It makes it difficult to figure out how much your sample is worth if the size isn't printed on the product itself.

Full Price: $19.50 for 150mL


As you all know by now, I'm not a big fan of trying new cleansers so I won't be using this. However, I was really excited to see Origins as a brand that Birchbox affiliates with now. I'd like to see their GinZing eye cream or VitaZing moisturizer in a future box.


Full Price: $20 for 150mL


I was over the moon when I saw this product in my box. First off, the color is gorgeous and something I normally wouldn't use. Second, I wear eyeliner every day - it's definitely one of my staples. And last but not least...this is a FULL SIZE product!! This stila eye liner is worth $20 so that's double what I paid for the box. Score.


Full Price: $45 for 185mL
  


This is a brand I haven't heard of before, but it could be promising. Their products are 100% allergen free which I love since I have sensitive skin. However, I prefer a slight scent in my lotions and this one doesn't have one since it's free of fragrances and allergens. But I'll probably throw this in my purse to use.



Full Price: $69 for 1.7 fl oz.


I absolutely love how this smells. I just bought a full size of Gucci Flora last week so I've been using that a lot lately. However, I do like to mix up my fragrances every once in awhile. I'll definitely keep this one in mind next time I purchase perfume.

Full Price: $14.95 for 12 mini bars




LÄRABARS are awesome for those of you who haven't tried them yet. I'm familiar with the cashew cookie and banana bread, but have never tried this flavor before. With that being said, Coconut Cream Pie is my favorite dessert so I'm sure I'll love this. I'm also looking forward to trying the chocolate cookie dough in the future.

This month's Birchbox also came with something that I thought was interesting - a card about Mini Detoxes. I love the food one (who doesn't love dark chocolate?) and will hopefully be cutting down on my processed foods this year. I also love that it came with a little magnet to attach it to your fridge. 


Overall, this was a great month for Birchbox. I still can't believe I got the stila smudge stick in my box. I was a little worried when the December box absolutely sucked but I think this month made up for it. Thank goodness. I really didn't want to cancel my favorite subscription. Keep it up Birchbox!

My last post was about how I ordered my first Julep Maven box for only $5! Well I was so excited to see it in the mail today that I couldn't wait to tell you all about it! Talk about fast shipping. I ordered this on Monday and it was delivered today via USPS. I'm so happy it arrived before I go back to school.

Inside the bright orange box you'll find a letter from the founder, Jane Park, a sheet about the perks of being a Maven, and a card telling you what your box contains. (FYI: I received the Bombshell box.)



Then you'll find this cute little gift bag with all your goodies.



The two polishes I received were the Megan - a shimmery aquamarine and Carrie - a gorgeous light pink. I have only tried one Julep polish in the past and I was really pleased with it so I can't wait to try out my new colors! These colors are absolutely gorgeous!


Also in my box was the Age Defying Hand Brightening cream which is fabulous! It smells great and is such a great moisturizer. I'll be throwing this in my purse to use from now on! 
Julep also threw some samples into my box that I was not expecting! Talk about great service! I got a sample of the glycolic hand scrub and the SPF 30 hand cream. I can't wait to try them both! I've never really thought about SPF in your hand scream but it makes sense while driving or laying out in the sun. Your hands can show your age just as easily as the rest of your skin - so take care of them!


Thanks so much Julep for a fabulous box. I already can't wait to get my next one. I really wasn't sure that I could justify spending $19.99 a month on nail polish, but it's so worth it! Also, I love that you can skip a month or send it to a friend instead. You also have the choice to do a shelf pull which means that they'll create a different box just for you if you didn't like the one they had set for you.

Another perk of becoming a Maven is that you get 20% off any purchase and free shipping ALL the time. That's a huge bonus considering the polishes are $14 each. I would definitely recommend this as a gift for any girlfriends with birthdays coming up. I wish I would have ordered a couple as Christmas gifts now that I think about it. Well I guess there's always next year!

Yesterday, I made one last purchase with my Christmas money that I am so excited about. The best part is that this online order only cost $5! Awesome and totally crazy, right?

Let me start off by telling you that I love watching YouTube videos for make-up hauls, monthly favorites and empties, etc. Well yesterday I logged into my account and found that Lindsay (LaFemme5278 on YouTube) had uploaded a giveaway video for Julep. I entered the giveaway right away since I absolutely love their nail polishes!

As I read the 'more info' section she mentioned a coupon code that would allow you to get your own Julep Maven box for just $5 so I jumped right on that. I've been wanting to order a box since October but $20 seemed pretty pricey for two bottles of nail polish. But for $5, I thought I would try it out!

What is Julep?
- A monthly subscription service similar to Birchbox that's $19.99 a month. You take a style quiz and they send you a box of nail polishes and manicure/pedicure products based on your profile. The best part is that if you don't like the profile you got, then you can choose to order another box without taking the quiz again.

What does a box look like?
- Based on your profile, you're given a style and the colors of the nail polishes reflect that style. I received "American Beauty" but I wasn't a fan of the colors so I chose to order the "Bombshell" box instead. It features Carrie (a beautiful light pink) and Megan (a wonderful aquamarine sparkle) polishes. The January box also comes with a hand brightening cream.

How do I get my first box for just $5?
- Your first box will be called an introductory box. To get it for only $5 be sure to enter Lindsay's personal code "LAFEMME5278" at checkout. Also be sure to give Lindsay some love and watch her YouTube videos and enter the Julep 3 month giveaway HERE!

This $5 intro box is a great deal! The polishes alone are $14 each so the box is totally worth the $5. So go get your own box and let me know which style you're receiving. I hope you're as excited as I am!

I'm not sure about you guys but I'm kicking off the new year by shopping way more than I should be. But hey, it's with all my Christmas money so there's nothing wrong with that...right? Anyways, I've been watching some videos on Youtube of what girls got for Christmas and I thought it would be fun to share mine with you guys. Side note: I am in no way bragging about what I got. I just like to see what other people got and sometimes it gives me more ideas for my wishlist or what to buy friends of mine for their birthdays! So go on and share in the comments below on what you got too!

First off, there are a few items I'm recently in love with that were Christmas gifts from my boyfriend. I wasn't able to celebrate Christmas with him until I returned home from Canada so we opted to celebrate it on New Years Eve. Two holidays rolled into one...score! It was so much fun.

He did such an amazing job with presents this year! He got me my first Coach purse which I was super excited about! We would go to the mall and walk by the store as I 'oohhed and awwwed' at the purses in the window but I could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on one purse.


I was overly excited when my first gift was this gorgeous purse filled with a bottle of lotion and a set of PJs. The patchwork is something I never though I'd like before, but it's perfect! It goes with any outfit.

He also ordered this gorgeous amethyst ring from Etsy. My birthday is in February so amethyst is my birthstone. I had this ring on my Pinterest wish list for quite awhile so I'm excited to finally own it!


Then with my Christmas money, I decided to finally buy a Fossil watch. I've been wanting one for quite awhile now and finally decided to go to the store and pick one out. I was pretty sure I wanted this one but when I tried it on in the store, it wasn't for me. Instead, I ended up walking out with this beauty! I decided to go with silver instead since it seemed more practical than rose gold. And it is.


With the rest of my money, I purchased some beauty goodies from Sephora (of course) and then a few days later made another order for Gucci perfume I mentioned in my Besties: Part Three post!

Well I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Please feel free to share in the comments below what you got for Christmas or a video of your Christmas Haul. I'd love to hear from you!