My Favorite Things: May 2014

Hi, friends! Today I have some very exciting news to share with you: College Beauty Buff now has a registered domain! That's right, from now on you can just go to www.collegebeautybuff.com and it will send you here! How exciting is that? But enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff--my favorite beauty products for the month of May!

WEN Cleansing Conditioner in Pomegranate ($29 for 16oz)

I have mentioned Wen in countless posts, such as my 2013 Favorites, but I fell in love with it all over again this month. I've been testing out some new shampoos and conditioners recently, and after I went back to using this, I wondered why I'd ever stopped. I don't use it as intended (my hair doesn't feel or look clean when I use it as a shampoo), but I adore it as a conditioner! I use about 8 pumps, and my hair is down to the lower-middle of my back. I'm thinking of chopping my hair off and going for something shoulder-length or shorter, and of course as soon as I announced that out loud, I started getting a bunch of compliments on my hair! Either way, this is a winner in my book. There are a bunch of variations in terms of scent/hair type of this, but in my opinion, they all work the same and the Pomegranate smells the best.

Products I've Used Up: May 2014

Hi, friends! It's getting near the end of the month, which means it's time to share with you the products I've used up this month (aka my trash). I'll tell you what I thought of them, if I would repurchase them, and it'll be oh-so fun. I didn't do one of these Empties posts for April, so we have quite a bit to get through. Let's get started! 

FEKKAI Brilliant Glossing Shampoo ($20 for 8oz)

I received this in my January Birchbox, and since subscription boxes are the reason I never have to purchase shampoo, I got around to trying this out. To me, it's no better than any other drugstore shampoo, though the price would say otherwise. I would use it again, but it didn't wow me, and for the price I would like to be at least a little enthusiastic about it. This is a sulfate-shampoo, just like all the others, so I'd rather save some money and purchase a bigger bottle of shampoo for a quarter of the price.

Mail Time! May 2014

Hi, friends (and mothers)! Happy Mother's Day to all! Be sure to tell your mom you love her today, if you haven't already. :) If you already have, you should probably go tell her again.

Now that school is out, I'm trying to change the posting schedule so I can blog more than once a week. However, since I still have the flu, that's been a little tricky. In due time, I'll hopefully be on a semi-weekly (2x a week) schedule! Two times the fun for everyone!

Today is going to be another Mail Time! post. If you aren't familiar with these, please click here to see previous posts.  Basically, it's like I'm showing you a haul, only for things I've gotten in my mailbox. The mail piles up at my house while I'm at school, and it's always fun to go through the box of goodies I've accumulated when I get home.

Here's what I gathered up this time:

SUAVE Moroccan Infusion Coupon

I believe Suave had a promotion up on their Facebook page a few weeks back about these. This is a manufacturer's coupon for a free Body Lotion or Dry Body Oil Spray from their Moroccan Infusions line for up to a $6.99 value. So cool! I got my full-sized bottle of body lotion for free and only had to pay $0.39 for tax! I would have preferred to get the Dry Body Oil Spray, but Walmart only had the lotion, so I took what I could get. It was basically free, so I'm super excited. I already have not one, but two big bottles of lotion open right now, so this will stay closed and go in the stash until needed. From what I hear, it might be too heavy for summer, anyway. 

Birchbox: May 2014 Review

Hi, friends! I am reporting to you from my couch, because after two and a half weeks, I am still sick with the flu. And I can't even say this with a PSA to get your flu shots, because I did that! Ugh. Anyway. today is Birchbox unboxing day, and nothing can stop me from that! I love goodies, especially in adorable mini sizes, and I want to share what I got with all of you!

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. Thank you!

Beauty Box 5: May 2014 Review

Hey, friends! Today I'd like to share with you my very first Beauty Box 5 (BB5)! There was a promotion going around so that you could get your first box free, so I figured I would give it a try. Sorry for not sharing! As an apology, I scoured the internet to find their free box promo for June (you're welcome). Click here if you've never tried BB5 and want some free goodies! You're not held down, so you can cancel after getting your first box with no repercussions. Hooray for cheating the system!

Beauty Box 5? What's that? Beauty Box 5 is a beauty subscription service that delivers a box of five samples to your door each month (Do you see where they got the "beauty" and "box" and the "five" from? Shit, they really thought this through!) Like Birchbox, however, sometimes you'll end up with four items instead of five (which is lame). You take the beauty quiz, as is typical with these kinds of subscription services, to alert of them of your hair/skin/makeup needs and wants. They ship to Canada and all U.S. states but Hawaii and Alaska (sorry, international readers!) It costs $12/month, but you get discounts with 3-month ($10/mo) and annual ($8.25/mo) subscriptions. If you would like to sign up, please click here to use my referral link! (Note: this link doesn't combine with the free box offer, so if you haven't subscribed before, I recommend snagging your free box first. Note #2: I have no idea if this referral even benefits either of us since I'm no longer a subscriber and I don't think you get anything out of it either, but I had to put it out there anyway. Live yo life.) 

Sammi's Mani: Nicole by OPI Blue Lace + Jamberry Flirty Flair

Hi, friends! Today is a "Sammi's Mani" kind of day, which is basically a NotD (or "Nail of the Day" for those of you unfamiliar with the term) but it rhymes. You may have seen a sneak peek of this on my Instagram, but here is the real deal! This is going to be all about the manicure I'm rocking right now, as well as a mini review of all the products I used.

Let's get started!

My Favorite Things: April 2014

Hi, friends. I'm pretty sick today, but I promised you a monthly favorites post today and that is what you shall get. I will try my best to put forth an adequate amount of enthusiasm, though my head is aching and it feels like something small and furry died in my mouth.

On to the good stuff!

The Wet Brush Paddle Brush in Purple ($12)

I know my hair is in it I know it's tacky I KNOW

I LOVE MY WET BRUSH. I wish I could shout it from the rooftops! Instead, here is a poem

Behold, a haiku:

Before The Wet Brush

I'd always tear my hair out

With a wide toothed comb

I know, I know, please save your applause. 

There are those who say to only use a comb when your hair is wet, and others who say not to comb through it at all because your hair is the weakest when it's wet. However, my hair is very long and tangly, so not combing or brushing is not an option. You have to be gentle with your hair when it's wet, but sometimes the knots just don't come out without a little help from a comb. I had been eyeing this product for awhile, and finally I just threw my hands up in the air and decided to go for it. I was a little skeptical, because it is a brush, this this is so much gentler on my hair than a comb! The bristles are extremely flexible and it glides through my hair with ease. Never again will I have to do that stupid "hold your hair in place and try to ease the knots out" thing (you know what I'm talking about). If you have knots and are tired of ripping the hair out of your scalp, get this brush.