november birchbox review: spotlight on color club

Oh man, this post is so overdue.  I swear I can maintain a work-life-blog balance!  You may have noticed that I didn’t post a gameday recipe this last weekend – I took a bye week and went up to Portland for some shopping, eating, drinking, and not a lot of rest or relaxation.  It was exactly what I needed, and especially delicious thanks to Tonie over at Toniegirl.com, who recommended some great spots to me after we connected on twitter! You can check out my Instagram for photos of some of my indulgences – I don’t want to take any more words away from this month’s amazing Birchbox.

I did receive my November Birchbox well before leaving for my weekend getaway – and I even had a chance to test all but one product before I boarded my flight (coincidentally, I didn’t try the one from the Portland-based company).  I had a tremendously difficult time deciding on which product to feature as my “spotlight on” product because this particular box was just too darn good – totally in line with the month’s theme of “more good.” Birchbox, you nailed it yet again.

I chose to feature Color Club this month, and to be honest, it was 100% a result of my mani.  Every time I looked down at my nails, I couldn’t help but smile.  On the plane, I noticed the sparkles reflecting light on various surfaces, and like a 5-year-old, I thoroughly enjoyed wiggling my fingers around to make my tray table look like it was lit up by a disco ball.

I love Color Club lacquers (I’ve been lucky enough to sample 3-4 shades) for many reasons.

1) The colors are rich, or in beauty terms, highly pigmented.
2) The formula is thick and creamy, which leads to consistent coverage and very smooth application.
3) They set quickly – any mani maven knows how crucial this is.
4) They really don’t chip! When I’m easy on my hands (i.e. not cooking 4 dishes and 3 desserts every day), my Color Club mani will last 5-7 days with no chips.  Occasionally, the lacquer will wear down around the very tip of my nail – but this is standard for all manis when you type on a keyboard all day.

How to Do It
In the image above, I layered a sparkly topcoat over 2 coats of Baldwin Blues (which sadly appears to be sold out right now!).  I achieved this look by applying a fairly thin coat of sparkle in a U-shape, then dolloped a drop of sparkle in the center of the U and used the brush to push the bigger flecks of glitter toward the tip of my nail.  I finished with a final coat of high-shine topcoat and sat still for 5 minutes while it set.  This was the hardest part.

Shortly after posting my mani pic, Birchbox commented letting me know that they were running a #regram contest and that the winning prize was the entire Harlem Nights collection – I think they chose winners already, and I’m kind of crushed that I was not one of them!  That aside, I’ll definitely be investing in more colors from this collection.  I can’t argue with the value and quality – and I think the Savoy Nights would look pretty killer layered over my Baldwin Blues!

Other Products

DDF – Amplifying ElixerAbsorbed really quickly and didn’t leave my face feeling sticky.  Didn’t notice a major difference vs. using my moisturizer alone.

Folle de Joie – eau de Parfum: Just buy it already.  It’s the perfect scent.

the balm Costmetics – Staniac: I was bummed about this one – it just wouldn’t tint my top lip and left a weird film.  I seem to be an outlier based on the reviews.

Mox Botanicals – Bath Milk (Rose)If you’re a bath person, you will love this.  Sweet, rosey deliciousness.

Mighty Leaf Tea – Vanilla Bean, Green Tea Tropical, Chamomile Citrus: As a baker, I have a serious thing for vanilla bean anything.  This one did not disappoint.  Also, who doesn’t love tea?  My tea intake skyrockets as soon as the temperature drops below 50, so this sample was pretty perfectly timed.

Questions?  Comments?  Complaints?  Leave em all below ;)

so, what did you think?