The Best TV Show You Haven't Seen: Broadchurch

If you're British then I don't have to tell you how awesome British television and films can be. You know. But it seems like Americans and the rest of the world are just realizing this fact. When British movies like The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game picked up Oscar nominations left and right, everyone took notice. And with great recent shows like Sherlock and Luther it seems like the UK has taken over television as well.

I stumbled across Broadchurch on Netflix a few months ago. I was familiar with the two lead actors, David Tennant of Doctor Who fame and the always likable Olivia Colman. The premise seemed interesting enough: two detectives investigate the mysterious murder of a child in a secluded town. But I didn't anticipate how good the show would be. My mom, sister and I binge-watched the first season (the only one available on Netflix at the moment) in two days. It's got mystery, suspense, superb acting, and the small town atmosphere makes the drama that much more intense because everyone is forced to take responsibility for the events that lead to the boy's death. 

From the first episode of the second season, you can feel how the tone of the show has shifted. Everything is still gloomy, everyone is still frowning, but people are angrier. The town thought that because the mystery was solved the criminal would be prosecuted. Wrong. And now the accused is saying that he/she is not the only person guilty. Hmmmm...

The second season has already aired in Britain but only the first two episodes have been shown on BBC America, so we poor Americans are forced to await the outcome of season 2. But the show was picked up for a third season, so it looks like everyone has something to look forward to from Broadchurch.

What shows have you been binge-watching lately? Let me know with your comments below. :)

-Greer

70s Style

70s Style by grecbarn featuring real leather handbags

MiH Jeans long shirt dress / Delicious tan wedge shoes / Cut N Paste real leather handbag / MARC BY MARC JACOBS curb chain bracelet / Tortoise shell sunglasses, $130

How I Feel About My February Birchbox...3 Weeks Later

I think February's Birchbox has been my favorite of the three I've received so far. This month's box is especially cute with its friendship theme and neon orange and purple colors. Along with the normal five samples, Birchbox users received codes for $30 off an order of $75 or more from Rent the Runway and a free Benefit Porefessional Primer Deluxe Mini with any full-size Benefit Purchase. 

Now for the rundown on the samples I received...

Excuse the bad lighting in this picture, but these are the samples I received in my February Birchbox. Why I didn't take a picture of the adorable orange box they came in, I have no idea.

• DAVINES MINU SHAMPOO - Full-Size, $25. This light blue shampoo, made specifically for color treated hair, came in a pretty big sample size. I've used the shampoo once and probably have enough for about seven or eight washes left in the bottle (And I have lots of hair.) The smell is not very distinctive, but that's kind of refreshing when it seems like every other shampoo has some kind of overly fruity smell. My scalp tends to get really dry in the winter, but when I used this shampoo I didn't have issues. It's also eco-friendly like lots of other Birchbox products. A foil packet of the DAVINES MINU HAIR SERUM came with the shampoo, but I used it as a regular hair conditioner instead of as leave-in product. I guess I just completely misread the directions, but for what's it worth, it worked pretty well in that capacity. 
• EYEKO SKINNY LIQUID EYELINER - Full-size, $16. I may be mistaken but I think this product came full-sized which was a nice surprise. Applying eyeliner has never been my strong suit. I've tried every liquid and gel eyeliner out there, but never have I found the perfect one. This one may be the best yet. The felt tip on this pen-style applicator is much easier to use than the usual brush applicator. I finally mastered a good cat eye (with a little help from my ELF makeup remover pen) with this eyeliner. I usually only wear black, graphic eyeliner on special occasions, but I'm looking forward to trying some Twiggy-inspired looks with this eyeliner in the future.
• JUICY COUTURE HOLLYWOOD ROYAL - Full-size, $72. I usually really like Juicy fragrances, but this scent is too overpowering. There's a lot going on; notes of apples, pears, flowers, and wood are all fighting, making it hard to distinguish what the perfume is supposed to smell like. Also, I'm not really into super fruity smells, and that's what I smell the most. But fragrances are really subjective. Everyone likes something different and perfumes smell different on different people. Let me know in the comments if you've tried this fragrance yet and what you thought.
• SUPERGOOP! DAILY CORRECT SPF CC CREAM IN LIGHT/MEDIUM - Full-size, $32. I like stuff so much I've already ordered a full-size version. I had never tried a CC cream before this one. I always thought that a CC cream would never be enough to cover my breakouts, but this product completely blew my mind, and I have been wearing it everyday since I tried it. The formula stays on my face all day while covering most of my trouble areas, plus it has SPF 35. I've read other reviews of this product and when it comes to the medium/dark and dark shades, people have had issues with the color being too orange on their skin tone. That wasn't an issue for me (though the cream did give my usually sallow skin a little boost), but be wary of that if you want to try it and you have medium or dark skin. I tried to order the full-size version from the Birchbox website, but it was only available in medium/dark. Luckily Supergoop! also sells on Amazon and I bought it for $25.60 plus free shipping 
• JUICE BEAUTY GREEN APPLE CLEANSING GEL - Full-size, $26. If you can't stand scented facial cleansers this is definitely not your product. This cleansing gel, as the name suggests, has a very fruity smell. It is supposed to brighten and smooth skin, but using it once was not enough to see any real results. My skin felt a little dry after cleansing, and the next day I noticed small bumps forming around my chin, so I'm not sure if the gel dried out my skin too much and that's what caused my skin issues or if it was just a coincidence. I have been slacking a little on my skin regimen lately. Perhaps this cleanser would work better for women who specifically want a brightening face wash. 

Sooooo did you like your February Birchbox? Did you get any of the same products in yours? Let me know. Also, I'm receiving my first Ipsy bag this month. What do you think of Ipsy? Let me know with your comments! :)

February Favorites

It's hard to believe February has come and gone. It seems like we celebrated Valentine's Day only yesterday and Christmas last week. But before we get too far into March I wanted to share some of my favorite beauty products/clothing items/random things from February.

• Batiste Dry Shampoo in Floral and Flirty Blush. I had been looking for a new dry shampoo to try and Marshall's had this baby on clearance for $5.99 . I haven't tried a lot of dry shampoos, but I think this one works pretty well. Sometimes I'll spray some of this into my clean hair for extra body and texture. Plus, the scent is so so good; it's floral without being too flowery (if that makes sense).
• The next two products are moisturizers. The first is one that came as a sample in my January Birchbox, the Perlier Intensive Nurturing Body Balm in the scent Shea Lavender. I get more and more obsessed with this stuff every time I use it. I take a daily antibiotic to control acne and it leaves my skin, especially my hands, really dry. This is the only cream I've tried that has come close to keeping my cuticles decent looking and hydrated. The lavender scent is light, clean, almost powdery. When I run out, I will definitely buy the full size version from the Birchbox website.
• My other favorite moisturizer is Ye Olde Vaseline Deep Moisture Creamy Formula Petroleum Jelly Cream. I have been using this stuff for almost six years. It's the only lotion my dermatologist lets me use on my face. It's heavy duty stuff but it doesn't clog pores, and the creamy formula is much easier and less messy to apply than regular Vaseline. I always appreciate this stuff more in the winter time, and lately I've been applying it every night before bed. It's also really reasonably priced. I get my 4.5 ounce bottle at Walmart for about four dollars. 
• Apparently I've really been on a lavender kick lately because this favorite, like the Perlier Body Balm, is also lavender scented--Calgon Lavender Vanilla Fragrance Body Mist. I bought my mom a Calgon gift set for Christmas and the same body mist was in the set. I liked it so much I bought myself a full size version for about five bucks. Body mists always get the short end of the stick when compared to perfumes probably because bad ones smell too much like alcohol or the overall scent is too much. But the lavender vanilla mix of this spray is really nice, not too little and not too much.
• I had been looking for a kimono to wear around my house for about two years when I finally spotted this Gilligan and O'malley floral one at Target. You would think kimonos would be a lot easier to find than they are considering every woman in every chick flick ever has a scene where they're trying to decide what to wear and they hold up different outfits while wearing their chic, silk kimonos. Well, my Target kimono is definitely not silk, but it's pretty, soft and makes me feel a little more dressed up when I'm lounging at home.
• My grandmother has been wearing Clinique for years and she gets tons of samples, most of which she gives to my sister and me. One of the samples was two products in one--the Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara and the Different Lipstick in Glazed Berry. I HIGHLY recommend both of these products. The lipstick is the perfect balance of color and sheerness. It's hydrating and I can wear it with or without a face full of makeup and it looks good. The mascara really does make your lashes look longer and you can layer it without getting the dreaded spidery look. (I had that problem when I tried out the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara in my latest Beauty Review.) I tried to find a version of this two-in-one on the Clinique website but I guess it only came in sample form...

So, what are your February favorites? Let me know know in the comments section if you've tried any of these products. :)

Beauty Review: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Yesterday beauty brand Benefit launched their newest mascara, Roller Lash. I work at a beauty supply store and when I worked my last shift I sold probably ten tubes of the brand's They're Real! mascara in the short four hours I was there so obviously Benefit is doing something right.

I'm a little late to the party however because the Roller Lash mascara was the first Benefit product I've ever tried, which is surprising even to me because I thought their adorable packaging (and cheeky product naming) would've tempted me long ago. But, though I love all things beauty, I have a hard time trying out more expensive products; most of the time I find myself regretting the splurge. But since so many people rave about Benefit mascara I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and try out the Roller Lash mascara. Here's my first impression...

What differentiates the Roller Lash mascara from other Benefit mascaras is the "patent-pending hook design" that "catches, lifts & curls." Basically you're supposed to not need an eyelash curler. While the brush does definitely does "hook" the lash well for length I don't think it curls as well as an eyelash curler. I tried to rotate the wand as I applied the product but that didn't seem to help too much. Also, when I tried to add more product to my lashes a second time, they started to stick together and look spidery. The formula itself began to clump as well. I found myself wiping the wand on the tube multiple times to get rid of excess product.

All of this being said, the mascara is by no means bad. In fact it's probably one of the more natural looking mascaras I've tried in years. It also stays pretty well. Though I have dark eyelashes myself I can see how the almost satin black finish would work well for women who want to give their lighter lashes natural length. But I've never been one for the natural look when it comes to mascara. I usually choose the darkest black available and don't shy away from curling the mess out of my lashes to get them really, really long.

Like other Benefit mascaras, the Roller Lash mascara is about $24. If you are already a fan of Benefit mascaras, go for it. Other reviews I have read suggest that this mascara will become a favorite like the others. If you're like me, however, and you would rather spend your money on other products (like an amazing foundation or the perfect lipstick), skip it.

So, are you a Benefit fan? What is your favorite mascara? Let me know in the comments section below! :)

Look of the Day: Dark Red Lips

I have been ready for spring since the first day of winter, but I heard the groundhog saw its shadow so six more weeks of winter. The one good thing about the cold? Sweaters. Sweaters, scarfs, and lots and lots of layers. Today I'm wearing my favorite oversized cream sweater. It's so comfy I could sleep in it. In fact I'm pretty sure I've napped in this sweater before. I bought this Wet 'N Wild matte lipstick in Cherry Bomb along with a bazillion other colors for $1.99 each at Walgreens. I try not to buy a lot of makeup on impulse but I thought I could spoil myself a little since they were so cheap. And plus, the reviews on Pinterest were pretty great. And for good reason. The formula is creamy but dries matte (Though it doesn't look that way in the bottom picture because of the flash of the camera.) And they're $1.99 at Walgreens. Did I say they're only $1.99? :)