Today I want you to hear from Jess…no I’m not speaking in the third person…my friend Jess Burden is an amazing makeup artist with over 10 years of experience under her belt! She is a member of Laura Mercier’s Northern California Artistry Team, with additional experience in film, theater, and commercial work.

I think a peek into her makeup bag and her beauty routine might do us some good…

You can only pick one beauty product to use for the rest of your life…what is it?: “One beauty product for the rest of my life? I think I’m cheating with this answer…but…bath products. My current obsessions are:
Lush Bath Bombs, fizzy and delicious. For Strange Women Bath Salts, in Lichen. They smell amazing, and are great for soothing sensitive skin. And Laura Mercier Honey Bath, in a Almond Coconut. Very hydrating, and smells like a beach vacation!” (This is one my [Polish and Pout’s] FAVORITE scents of all time! It really is like vacation!)

Jess says, “It takes me 30 minutes to get ready, but I prefer to take at least an hour. Making time, to take time for yourself, is essential to feeling beautiful.“

Her beauty mantra: ” Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it” ~Confucius~

Five Things in her makeup bag:

• Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer “I love the light weight feel, and the finish is beautiful.”
• Laura Mercier’s Primer “I wear this even when I don’t wear makeup.”
  
• Wet ‘n’ Wild lipliner in Chestnut “It’s only .99 cents….best contouring pencil ever for nude/ peach/ or deep red lips!”
• For Strange Women Lip embellishments “100% natural, from the ingredients, to the packaging. Great texture, with unique flavors, and completely biodegradable packaging!”
• Shiseido Eyelash Curler “Perfect for all eye shapes, and they sell replacement pads.”

Jess’ thoughts on makeup routines and how to get your best look possible: “Having a beauty routine, is the quickest way to end up bored, and in a rut. Beauty habits, typically end up bad ones. If you are going to do any kind of grooming, makeup application, or just generally put your best face forward, consider calling it a beauty ritual. A ceremonious occasion, that you perform for yourself, to honor your beauty. Look at it as time you take for yourself. Spend time on your skin, and treat it gently. Get up a little earlier. sit down, somewhere with good lighting, to do your makeup. In the bathroom,rushed, standing under florescent lighting, does not feel pretty.“

Final thoughts from Jess, “ A woman’s confidence in her natural beauty, and how she relates that to her makeup application, will ultimately help, or hinder her. As women, we can become so caught up, in what we see, as flawed aspects of ourselves, physically. Unfortunately, this cause us to use cosmetics as a “mask”, which we hide ourselves behind. Looking into a mirror, and seeing what is truly beautiful about one’s self, is key to utilizing cosmetics to flawlessly enhance, not hide, ourselves. “

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Cheers to Confidence, Confucius, and Cosmetics,

Don’t you just love it when a package arrives in the mail? Especially when you’re not sure what’s inside, like a gift for your birthday perhaps!

I read about Birchbox last year and was so intrigued by the concept but wavered back and forth for months on whether I should sign up. Well, for Christmas my mind was made up for me…my husband surprised me with a subscription to Birchbox!

What is Birchbox you ask? Well it’s a monthly subscription ($10 a month) and every month you receive a beautifully wrapped box in the mail with 4-5 deluxe samples/travel size items of various beauty oriented products to try! They send everything from big name luxury brands to smaller organic companies…and every month is different!  Saturday my first box arrived…let’s take a peek inside!

I love how everything is wrapped up do nicely! Opening it is quite the experience!

The VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything Eye Serum alone made this months box worth the $10! This puppy is about half the size of other standard eye treatments on the market! I couldn’t believe how generous this “sample” was! It’ll definitely be enough for me to see how I like the product!

I love Zoya and this mini nail polish is too cute! And the Jouer mini lipgloss looks like it’s in a fun color!
My box also had a Birchbox magnet, a Larabar in cherry pie, and a sample of the original Juicy Couture fragrance.

So if you’re a beauty product junkie like me, don’t have the time to go to a makeup counter all the time to see what’s new, or you just prefer to try things at home first before you purchase them…then Birchbox is for you! I love too how they have brands I might not naturally seek out and send me things I might have passed over when browsing. And let’s be real, the samples aren’t always this large or fabulous at the makeup counter and sometimes it’s too embarrassing or annoying to ask for them anyways…but these definitely aren’t your average “samples” AND they show up on your door! Beauty ruts are a thing of the past now!

Cheers to Beauty Products, Samples, and to Birchbox,