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My December Birchbox has arrived!

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What is Birchbox?

Birchbox delivers the best products and the best insider secrets, without any fuss. Every month Birchbox members will receive a curated box of luxe beauty samples. Each box will span beauty categories and deliver exciting products that fit into both your day-to-day routine, and into those days when you want to turn up the drama a notch. The Birchbox subscription is $10 a month.

My December Birchbox Goodies:

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I LOVE this month’s box. Some of the highlights for me would be:

1. RentTheRunway.com $50 credit – I love the concept of Rent The Runway and have often browsed their site in hopes to rent something fabulous for an event but never have so this credit gives me more motivation to do so.

2. Emily’s Chocolate Peppermint Holiday Fortunes… no explanation needed, I’m a female & it’s chocolate.

3. ModelCo’s Shine Ultra Lip Gloss – This was my full size product and it is valued at $16.00 which makes my $10 Birchbox subscription total worth it! The color is called Striptease and it is sheer. The application is so smooth and as a lip gloss freak that is something I really appreciate and look for in an everyday lip product. There’s a built-in mirror for very easy on-the-go application.

I also received deluxe sample sizes of Amika’s Nourishing Mask, Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream and Juicy Couture perfume.

I suggest everyone who loves monthly surprises and Beauty products to try it out for at least one month & I’m sure you will fall in love! If not – you can cancel at anytime.

Click HERE for more information on the $10 monthly Birchbox subscription.

Are you already subscribed to Birchbox?? If so, what was in your December box?

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Two words come to mind when I see Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine’s December cover – BOOBS & STUNNING.

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Theres no question about it – Interview Russia has some of the most beautiful people on their covers throughout the year but they really ended 2012 with a Bang! Supermodels Kate Moss & Naomi Campbell go topless posing for Mert & Marcus while styled by Patti Wilson in various designers that include YSL and  Gucci.

Campbell, 42 and Moss, 38 are no strangers to posing topless – with bodies like that who can blame them?! These photos are shot so tastefully and both Supermodels look absolutely beautiful.

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This week I decide to go with a simple pink manicure with accents on the ring finger. I love accent nails because they can really make a simple manicure POP and stand out. I started out chosing my colors and ended up picking 2 different pinks from the brand: Sinful Colors Pro. Sinful can be purchased at most drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens as well your local Target. I love this brand for various reasons – for starters, each bottle is $1.99 and the quality is up there with some of your other drugstore favorites that start at $7.99. This brand also offers a wide variety of colors and finishes. I also included a glitter polish by Sally Hansen.

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Cream Pink: Main Color

Pink Forever: Accent Color

Strobe Light: Accent Color

For this look I also used Perfect Tip strips by Nailene.

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I started off with my basic Sally Hansen top coat and then I placed one of the Perfect Tip strips across both my ring fingers. I then painted all my nails with Cream Pink and the ring finger half Cream Pink and half Pink Forever. After 2 coats I removed the Perfect Tip tape. The Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear has a thinner brush so it was perfect to brush a few coats of the glitter in between the two polishes on the ring finger. I completed the look by adding one coat of Sally Hansen ‘s Insta-Dri Anti-Chip top coat and cleaning up around my cuticles with nail polish remover.

Here was the finished look:

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Simple yet Chic!

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Pantone has just announced their pick for Color of the Year -2013-

EMERALD!

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I couldn’t agree more with their choice – I am loving the Emerald trend especially in Fashion. It is such a rich and bold color that really leaves a statement! The color Emerald has also been known to stand for life, love, youth and timelessness.

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How do you feel about their pick? Do you like it better than the Pantone Color of the Year for 2012 – Tangerine Tango?

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As a self-proclaimed specialist when it comes to the at home manicure, I was intrigued when I came across the Ciaté  products at my local Sephora. They offered a few different options but I went with a smaller set since I was not  too familiar with the brand.

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Ciaté CAVIAR Mini Bar $29.00

includes: – 4 x 1.7 oz Paint Pot Nail Polish
– 4 x Caviar Pearls
– Funnel

I started off with a Sally Hansen basecoat.

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After the basecoat, I decided to try out a nail polish that I’ve had for a while but never got around to using. Sephora by OPI Nail Polish in Mermaid to Order.

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I did double coats on all my nails except the ring finger since you need to pour the Caviar Pearls on right after the last coat is applied. I decided to use the Caviar Pearls in CandyShop – I felt like all the colors blended so well with Mermaid to Order.

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The Ciaté set comes with a plastic tray so you can place it under your hand while pouring the Pearls on to your nail(s) to catch all the excess. It also comes with a funnel for easy clean up. You just place the funnel into the bottle and pour the unused pearls back in from the tray. After I poured the pearls on both desired nails, I pressed down on them to set them into place. I also used the same basecoat and went around the edges of the nail to try to hold them in place more. I do not recommend using a top coat over these pearls. It makes the pearls look super sloppy and basically ruins the look.

My Results:
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Overall I love the concept. The Caviar Pearls give a very unique “rich” look and makes the nails stand out. Do not purchase this product thinking your manicure will last a week or honestly, even 48 hours as the box states. Within an hour I had pearls coming off but it is not very noticeable. This is great for a special occasion or a night out but definitely not your everyday longwear manicure. I was a little worried that the removal of the pearls might be difficult but with a swipe of nail polish remover, they were gone with no mess or fuss. I also want to note that I am not a big fan of the actual nail polish the set came with. I felt for the price point that it lacked quality. I tested them out and they peeled pretty easily and needed about 3 coats for the color to pop and that is why I decided to use a different brand of nail polish for this look.  For $29.00 though I got my moneys worth and I do not regret the purchase. I am excited to try different styles of manicures with the Caviar Pearls.

Here are a few other kits Ciaté offers:

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Ciaté Sequined Manicure Kit, available in 3 colors – $19.00

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Ciaté Velvet Manicure, available in 3 colors – $19.00

You can view all the Ciaté sets Sephora offers here.

Have you tried any of these products? If so – let me know what you think!

xo