January Birchbox!

I was so happy to receive my January Birchbox and as an added bonus, the Birchbox book club book, Love, Lashes and Lipstick. This is the first time I have won a book and it came as a surprise!

Very excited to read it and I will blog about it when I'm done!

But first here are my product reviews for the Relax & Recharge box!

Balance Me, Wonder Eye Cream:

I'm always down to try a new eye cream as I have dark circles and a lack of sleep. I like the smell of this product and I also like that it is a multi-tasking product that can prevent fine lines and conquer dark circles. 

Manna Kadar, Lip Locked - All of Me:

I love this lip gloss. It is an all in one lip primer, stain and gloss and the color is perfection. I like this product so much more than the Stainiac lip stain, which I received in last month's box. The only problem I had was that it rubbed off on my teeth but once I blotted it, I was good to go. 

Briogeo, Don't Despair! Repair! Deep Hair Conditioning Mask:

I have not yet tried this product. Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of hair conditioning masks. I also hate the smell of this one. I will be open minded and give it a try but if my hair smells like this product, it's going in the garbage. Anyone else tried this yet?

Perlier, Nurturing Body Balm - Shea Lavender:

This is an Italian skincare product that I thought was a hand lotion. It turns out it is actually for dry skin. Perfect timing for winter. I like the smell and the packaging. It will be perfect for on the go use. 

When, Travelmate Sheet Mask:

I was excited to try out this face mask. I travel a lot and being on planes can sometimes cause break outs. The mask is literally a white sheet mask. I was expecting a cream. Be warned when applying, you are supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes according to the package. Birchbox's card said 20 minutes. You may want to plan some alone time to apply. It's a little scary looking. The mask itself was extremely lotiony. I left it on for 30 full minutes and when I took it off, there was still excess lotion to rub in. The directions said no need to wipe off so I let it sit. The next morning my face still felt a little sticky and not the normal smooth I get from washing off a typical face mask. I probably would not purchase this. Also, 4 of these cost $28. I would rather purchase a face mask lotion you apply by hand. I would get more use out of it and better results. 

Teapigs Tea Temples: * Bonus

These two tea temples were a bonus. I got two flavors, chamomile flowers and licorice and peppermint. I didn't love either of them. It was a cute package but I probably would not buy based off of these two flavors I received. Did anyone else get a flavor they liked?

Benefit They're Real Mascara

I used some Birchbox points to redeem a sample of Benefit's They're Real mascara. I have been wanting to try this mascara for some time and I'm happy to report that I really liked it. The brush helps to define and elongate lashes and prevent clumping. The mascara sample is a mini but the brush is great. I think I would continue to use the brush in other mascaras after it runs out.

Favorite Products Discovered in 2014

I love EOS lip balms. I love the convenient circle shape of the package and the texture of the product. It always leaves my lips feeling smooth and not balmy. This is why I had to purchase the limited edition Rachel Roy collection. These are new flavors and colors that no one else has. Flavors in this set include St. Barth's Sunrise - Pink Grapefruit, Aloha Hawaii - Strawberry Kiwi, and Indian Summer - Orange Blossom. I keep one of these in every purse I own and in all my makeup bags. It's my favorite lip balm and I think I have almost every color/flavor!

The NYX Wonder Stick is a great tool for highlighting and contouring. I had always tried to do this technique but the Wonder Stick makes it easy. It's a 2-in-1 product that keeps your face looking fantastic.

Frederic Fekkai Hair Fragrance has been a life changer. I straighten my hair constantly and sometimes it smells like it. I used to sometimes spritz my favorite perfume on my hair but I read that was very bad for your hair and that it damages it. I used to use shine spray for the scent but then Frederic Fekkai came out with these great hair fragrance mists. This one is rose scented and it works like a charm. 

What are you favorite product discoveries of 2014? 

Tocca Hand Cream

I had the option of selecting the Tocca hand cream as one of my picks for my January Birchbox. I ended up picking the R&R box instead because of the unique products but when I came across this Tocca hand cream in store, I had to try it out. I selected the Florence scent which smells like bergamot and gardenia. I believe there were 6 options to chose from and I spent a good amount of time testing them all out before I decided on this one. I feel like this lotion is extremely fragrant in a good way. My hands smell freshly scented and soft. I really liked all of the scents, which normally never happens. Tocca also makes incredible scented candles. Same scents as their lotions. I will probably have to purchase one of those in the near future! 

I really like this product! It happens to be from London and it just looks and feels like a high end luxury product. I could easily carry this in a handbag or leave it out on my vanity for display. I love the scent of it and it leaves my hands feeling smooth and moisturized but not greasy. It is also paraben free and enriched with natural extracts. I would definitely recommend! I'm a Tocca fan! Are you?

Chocolate Peanut Butter S'more Dip!

This is a delicious treat and it's so easy to make. It was a huge hit on New Year's Eve! 

You preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Add chocolate chips and crushed Reese's peanut butter cups to an oven safe pan and then cover in marshmallows. 

Bake for 5 minutes and enjoy with graham crackers! 

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve! May 2015 be a fabulous year for us all! Cheers!