Fave Five: January 2014

So, I have this friend named Brad. Brad likes to make lists of his Fave Five. They can be for anything. They sometimes include chocolate milk, and they always include Kayo Dot (sometimes more than once). Today I'd like to share with you my Fave Five of January, because things are always more fun in fives (right, Brad?).

IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe 7 Piece Brush Set with Stand ($60 + S&H)

This. THIS. Oh my goodness. I received this for Christmas from my brother and bless his soul if these aren't the softest makeup brushes I've ever come across. I want a pillow made out of whatever cruelty-free hairs that are on these brushes because I would probably have the best sleep I've ever had. Seriously. It's times like these I wish I could crawl through my computer screen to yours and (weakly, as it takes a lot of energy to travel through these things) show you these brushes so you could feel them. It's like a party every time I apply my makeup. And, in terms of price, these brushes are extremely economical. It comes out to less than $10 a brush, which is such a good deal, compared to Real Techniques (their Expert Face Brush is $9), EcoTools (their Bronzer Brush is $10), and Sigma (their E40 Blending Brush is up to $14 now). This is an amazing deal and I wish everyone and their cat could have this brush set. I do believe this is a complete set and I don't think there's a dud brush in here. Plus, it comes with a super-classy stand. How cool is that? My brother got this from QVC (because my mother is addicted to tv-shopping) but you also find it on IT Cosmetic's website  (which is a "$254 value" going for only "$262"! Hahaha)

January 2014 Empties + Award Nomination!

Hey, friends! Can you believe it's 2014 already? That was fast! Today I'd like to not only share my monthly empties post with you, but also to let you know that College Beauty Buff was nominated for the Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is an award for bloggers whose blogs have less than 200 followers. Thanks so much for the nomination, Kriselle! You should check out her blog, Livin' and Lovin'. She recently did a review of the Gillette Venus Embrace Sensitive razor, which was both entertaining and informative.

The rules are:

1. List 11 random facts about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions that the blogger who nominated you has asked
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers
4. Let those bloggers know you nominated them
5. No tag backs

11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I think President Nixon's "Checkers" speech is hilarious.
2. When I was a kid, I begged my mom to buy the squeezeable Heinz purple ketchup, and she never would. (and now it's gone--thanks Mom).
3. If I were a cat, the first thing I would do is take a nap in the sunshine.
4. I'm a Hufflepuff. We're not that exciting, but we're a happy bunch.
5. George is my favorite Beatle because he wrote "Something," which is the most beautiful song.
6. I think euros look like money from Life (the board game).
7. I preferred last year's Color of the Year (emerald green) to this year's (radiant orchid), which is strange because my favorite color is purple and I'm not super fond of green.
8. I can't touch my toes. Never have been able to, either; I'm just not very flexible.
9. I love cheese but I'm lactose-sensitive (the struggle is real).
10. I sometimes will wear a cute shirt and then throw a baggy hoodie over it because I like to feel pretty, but I crave comfort more.
11. Fuzzy pajama pants are quite possibly my favorite thing in the world.

Birchbox: January 2014 Review

Hi, friends! I've been feeling kind of "blah" all day (must be the sudden snow storm, or maybe the "just got back to school" blues). Either way, I received my first Birchbox of the year recently, so that means it's time for my January Birchbox review!

Birchbox? What's that? - Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products in the Birchbox Shop! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link. If you do, we each get 50 free points ($5) to use in the Birchbox shop! Everybody wins!

Mail Time! January 2014

I have a problem: I am addicted to freebies.

You may think this is a healthy addiction, like being addicted to food, but no it is not. I have an obsession with getting free things, usually in the mail. More specifically, free samples. Everything is just so much better when you don't have to pay for it.

I apply for freebies online usually, for things I don't even need. Usually it's cosmetics and beauty-related items, but sometimes it's just random stuff. Refrigerator magnets? Done. Cleaning supplies? Bring. It. On. I don't know what's wrong with me. This can't be healthy. But, instead of trying to get rid of it, I'm just going to accept it and share it with all of you!

Let's move on to the fun stuff~

Free Sample: Fekkai Technician ColorCare Shampoo & 3 Minute Masque

I love haircare samples for when I travel, because they take up little to no space in my suitecase. I used these particular ones when I went to my aunt's house for Christmas. I don't understand how these can be color safe, because the first ingredient in the shampoo after water is a sulfate. The hair mask has dimenthicone in it, which I'm also pretty "meh" about. If you are interested in reading one of my many rants on silicones, please click here. If you would like to see a rant on sulfates, please see my blog post here. One day, I will do a post on both of these, but today is not that day. The hair masque did make my hair feel more smooth, but I owe that to the silicones. Once in awhile, silicones are okay (if you're washing them out with a sulfate-y shampoo), but if I were to buy a full-sized bottle of these, there would be no "once in awhile." and my hair would be very sad. 

My Beauty Resolutions for 2014

Hey, friends! I hope you're having a wonderful year so far. Today I'd like to talk to you about new year resolutions. Typically, I'm pretty straight-forward when it comes to resolutions (if I really wanted to do something, I wouldn't wait until the new year to do it), but beauty is an exception. Below are a few things that I'm going to try and work towards in the new year, because after all, we should always be learning something new!

1. Master my five-minute face
I typically either do a full face of makeup or nothing at all--go big or go home, right?--so this year I'd like to find and perfect my personal five minute makeup routine.  I have so much makeup, so I should really try to wear it more often, but I just don't have time to put on a full face of makeup every morning. Everyone has different things that they consider to be essential in their makeup routine, so in 2014 I'm going to find mine. I'm thinking I'll start off with concealer, mascara, and lip gloss, and then work up from there. We'll see!