July 2011
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Exclusive: First Look at Scotch Naturals's Fall...
It is hard to love Scotch Naturals nail polish even more that we already do: Each season, the niche polish company comes out with a well-edited selection of on-trend shades that you want to get your hands on immediately (or perhaps it’s more appropriate to say, get on your hands).
Case in point, the Fall 2011 collection, with five delightful colors, already has us yearning for cooler...
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Reading List: Just Another Balmy Summer Weekend
Photo of Rachel Zoe from BellaSugar.com
Phew, it’s been another long week! Get excited though because August is just a few short days away, and it’s still summertime. In between the beach trips and rooftop parties this weekend, take a minute to read up on the latest news:
First, stop everything: Benefit, the ultimate cool girl beauty company, is opening their first NYC location this September....
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Packing List: India!
We’ve got another packing list for your voyeuristic pleasure. (What can we say — it’s the height of summer travel season!) This is a very special list: our dear HBS intern Freya is leaving us and the country. She’s off to India for her brother’s three-day wedding extravaganza. Here’s what she’s packing:
Bare Escentuals True Gold Eye Shadow: The perfect...
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Dear Birchbox: Aiming for a Glowy, Bronzy Wedding...
Birchbox recently got an adorable email from one of our subscribers (see below). It warmed our hearts — really! Anika is wise beyond her years, and we know exactly which products she needs to get the “dewy golden look.”
I want to start by saying that I love Birchbox, it has taught me that beauty products should be not be used to hide or change, but to enhance. Your company has truly...
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Packing List: Mont Tremblant
In a few hours, I’m off to Quebec — Mont Tremblant to be exact — for a short weekend getaway, and I couldn’t be more excited. I typically drive up during the wintertime for the phenomenal skiing, but since it’s summer, I’ll be hiking, biking, kayaking, taking the cable car up to the mountain casino, eating lots and lots of delicious fondue, and hopefully learning a bit of French along the way....
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Quite Possibly The Most Perfect Summer Style: The...
Even though long locks can be fun, they can be quite a burden on scorching hot days. That’s why we’re loving this look from the August issue of Vogue Turkey: not only does it get the hair off your neck, but it also looks chic and polished. Our brand marketing & merchandising manager, Rachel, is a pro at creating this style, and loves it for summer.
“The top knot is...
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What's on the Birchbox Staffers' Desks: PR &...
This week’s featured desk is our lovely new director of PR & strategic partnerships, Amanda. In terms of desk style, she’s the polar opposite of last week’s desk belonging to our creative director, Jess. Amanda is all about the organization, which makes sense since she’s a master of pulling off the impossible and choreographing seamless events at the drop of a hat....
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College Girl: Gym-ing Between Classes
This summer, Birchbox’s content team is extremely lucky to have awesome intern Shana in the office. She’s a student at Syracuse University (the smarty pants is a dual major in magazine journalism and psychology) and she’ll be helping with researching, writing, product testing and, of course, blogging. In addition to daily beauty news posts, she’ll be writing a weekly column called College Girl.
...
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Nailing It: Matte Matters (Part 1)
Operations associate, Loren, has a thing for nails—and we can’t blame her. We love reading about new finishes and fun techniques, so we thought we’d give her a weekly slot on our blog to wax poetic about all things manicure (and pedicure!) related. Check back every Thursday for Nailing It, Birchbox’s dedicated polish series.
I recently became bored of my normal top coat’s shiny finish...
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Enter Our philosophy Sweeps and Win $150 of...
One thing we’ve noticed since we started working with philosophy: People don’t just like their products, they love, love, LOVE their products. Being fanatics ourselves, we’re not surprised by the consistent outpour of warm, fuzzy sentiments. Given that our favorite thing is to get people excited about awesome, life-changing beauty products, we’re particularly excited...
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Currently Crushing On: Orange
Street Style: Elle.com; Deborah Lippmann Lara’s Theme Nail Lacquer, $16; lippmanncollection.com, Stilla Custom Color Blush in Mimosa, $20; birchbox.com, Orange Jersey Bow Headband, $20; us.topshop.com, Moto Melon Denim Hotpants, $55; us.topshop.com, YSL Orange Sari Pure Lipstick, $30; yslbeauty.us.com, Cara Accessories Bead & Metal Bangles, $28; nordstrom.com
As a recent grad from...
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Startup 101: Birchbox + Evisors Webinar this...
It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been in business for almost a year — eep! We don’t feel like we have all the answers but we have learned a lot over the past months. And we’re willing to share! We’re teaming up with Evisors, an online marketplace for advisors and advice-seekers (very cool - check it out!) for a special online chat. Tomorrow, July 29th, Birchbox...
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Guest Blogger: Hobo International Angela
A self-proclaimed beauty addict and over-the-top girly girl, Lara Ramos has been dedicated to living a pretty lifestyle since birth. Her blog, The Glossarie, highlights ground-breaking beauty products and little laid-back luxuries. While it started as a straightforward beauty blog two years ago, The Glossarie has become a full-on outlet for chicness of all kinds. This week, Lara shares five pretty...
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John Varvatos to Launch Star USA Fragrance: You’ve...
Once a week, Birchbox’s resident Yoga and men’s product expert, Eric, will gives us girls some insight into his world in You’ve Got Male. Whether he’s giving his expertise on skincare (boys need advice, too!) or highlighting his new favorite grooming trend, this guy has got taste—so we’re lucky he’s on staff and willing to share.
I’ve long been a fan of the John Varvatos brand. His clothing...
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Birchbox + Warby Parker = A Startup Love Affair
Myself and some of the Warby Parker crew in their showroom
We didn’t have to go far to chat up the staff of Warby Parker because, as it just so happens, this savvy eyewear startup’s ops team is sharing our new office space. If you haven’t heard of the company before, you’re seriously missing out. In addition to carrying ultra-chic and reasonably priced glasses ($95 a pop), they give a...
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Guest Blogger: My Starting Lineup For Lip Products
A self-proclaimed beauty addict and over-the-top girly girl, Lara Ramos has been dedicated to living a pretty lifestyle since birth. Her blog, The Glossarie, highlights ground-breaking beauty products and little laid-back luxuries. While it started as a straightforward beauty blog two years ago, The Glossarie has become a full-on outlet for chicness of all kinds. This week, Lara shares five pretty...
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L’OCCITANE en Provence — en Manhattan
We love when beauty brands open boutiques, especially when the brand is as chic as L’OCCITANE en Provence. The French company has moved into New York’s Meatpacking District, which has getting better and better ever since the Highline and Standard Hotel moved in. The new location is opening its doors at 48 9th Avenue (near 14th St) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow evening.
The...
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Operation India Wedding: Countdown!
Our dear HBS intern, Freya, is leaving us soon (sniff!). Next week she is headed to India for her brother’s wedding, which is going to be a three-day, multi-event affair. Think Monsoon Wedding. We’ve even heard that there are going to be horses. Now Freya is already gorgeous but we want her to look as amazing as possible at the wedding.
Read our pre-wedding checklist here. Since she only has a...
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Kiehl’s Spa 1851 Twitter Chat – Thursday 7/28,...
Hey all you Tweeters! There’s a very special event that you won’t want to miss. Tomorrow (7/28), from 12-1 pm, Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo (@ChrisAtKiehls) will be live-chatting about Kiehl’s brand-new Spa 1851. He and the spa’s manager, Geraldine, will be taking questions about skincare, grooming, and creating a spa experience at home. Follow Chris and read our coverage...
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Would You Wear These Lashes?
I have to be honest, when I first saw these faux lashes from UK-based company Paperself, I thought they were way over the top. After further investigation, I still wouldn’t wear them out and about, but I think they are just so darn pretty (and absolutely perfect for Lady Gaga). Created by designer Ting Yu Wang, these paper lashes come in multiple designs ranging from peacocks to peach...
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We're Attracted to Magnetic Nail Polish
Images from All Lacquered Up
Even though we have nail art out the wazoo lately, we’re still loving this new discovery: magnetic nail polish. Apparently it’s possible to include iron powder in polish and when you hold a magnet over freshly painted nails, create a ripple line or pattern effect. Fashionista alerted us to this trend yesterday but it’s actually not a new idea. Several years ago...
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Emma Stone Proves Pink and Red Belong Together
Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencil in Crime, $20, birchbox.com; Miu Miu Patent Leather Pumps, $650, netaporter.com; Stila Custom Color Blush, $20, birchbox.com; Deborah Lippmann My Old Flame Nail Lacquer, $16, birchbox.com; Naven Hearththrob dress in hot pink, $285, singer22.com
I have never been one to abide by color rules (I love wearing black with navy, green with yellow, and so on), but...
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Team Intros: Meet Alexis and Alexzndra!
We told you we were doing our best to fill up our new office space and we weren’t joking! Just before we moved we added two new members of the Brand Team, Alexis and Alexzndra! Alexis is originally from Vancouver (woot, Team Canada!) but most recently worked at Abrams Media here in NYC. Alexzndra just graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising and is...
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Guest Blogger: The Nude Mani Goes Disco
A self-proclaimed beauty addict and over-the-top girly girl, Lara Ramos has been dedicated to living a pretty lifestyle since birth. Her blog, The Glossarie, highlights ground-breaking beauty products and little laid-back luxuries. While it started as a straightforward beauty blog two years ago, The Glossarie has become a full-on outlet for chicness of all kinds. This week, Lara shares five pretty...
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Would You Wear Scented Nail Polish?
Strangebeautiful Perfume Polish, $28, anthropologie.com
We love perfume and we love nail polish. So when we learned about Strangebeautiful’s Perfume Polish, we knew that it would be right up our alley. The new offering is a collaboration between the creator of niche polish company Strangebeautiful, Jane Schub, and independent perfumer, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.
The earthy fragrance is called...
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Team Intros: Meet Amanda!
Happy Monday! It’s finally sub-100 degrees so we’re feeling pretty darn chipper. Time for another batch of team intros, starting with the lovely Amanda. This sassy Brit comes to us from Gilt, where she was the PR Senior Manager. She’s joined just in the nick of time — poor Matt F. was bearing the brunt of British jokes. We’re thrilled to have her - she’s already...
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Guest Blogger: Stila's One-Shade-Fits-All Blush...
A self-proclaimed beauty addict and over-the-top girly girl, Lara Ramos has been dedicated to living a pretty lifestyle since birth. Her blog, The Glossarie, highlights ground-breaking beauty products and little laid-back luxuries. While it started as a straightforward beauty blog two years ago, The Glossarie has become a full-on outlet for chicness of all kinds. This week, Lara shares five pretty...
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Reading List: Phew It's Hot!
It’s a scorcher in New York right now and there are no signs of it letting up until Monday! While some of us will be hanging out at the beach all weekend, others will be holed up inside with the air conditioning on full blast. For those readers, we present this week’s must-know list:
Fans of Bethenny Frankel and Skinnygirl Margarita have another reason to grab a drink this weekend. WWD...
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Captain America's Next Mission: Smelly Dudes
If you’re heading to see Captain America: The First Avenger this weekend, you might be thinking about, say, how much popcorn you should order, or when you should get in line for tickets. Or you (or your man) might be pondering which fragrance is most appropriate. (What, you don’t match your scent to your flick?) Diesel has anticipated this problem and come up with the ultimate...
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Guest Vlogger: Nikki Phillippi's Style Guidelines
For our very first guest vlogger, we wanted someone special. We didn’t have to think too long or too hard — Nikki Phillippi is the perfect person to kick things off. The beauty/fashion/wellness guru’s channel is one of our favorite destinations—and not just for the great Birchbox unboxing videos that she does each month! She’s all about good food, good beauty, and good style — our favorite...
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Heat Wave Special! Spend $100, Get Tatcha Blotting...
There’s a heat wave affecting most of the country, with temps breaking 100 degrees. We’re doing everything we can to stay fresh, and we know you are too. Which is why we’ve got a very special Heat Wave promo going all day today:
Spend $100 or more on products in the Birchbox Shop and we’ll send you our favorite Tatcha Blotting Papers with your order (the full-size!)....
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Maybelline's Great Lash Gets A Designer Makeover...
Some of us are guilty of evading our birthdays in every way possible as the years go on, but Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara is ringing in its 40th in style—with an extreme makeover. Leaving the classic watermelon shades intact, three designers—Max Azria, Tracy Reese, and Vivienne Tam—will create their own interpretations of the tube. Even better, starting in August, these limited edition hot...
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Guest Blogger: All Natural Body
A little while ago while doing research for a story about easy ways to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly, we came across a site we love: Practically Green (@practicallygrn). Dedicated to helping people take smart healthy actions in their daily lives, the site is a plethora of information—including lots about skin-care and cosmetics (follow them on Facebook, too). We asked the...
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What's on the Birchbox Editors' Desks: Get...
Welcome to Birchbox’s brand-new office! We’ve been here about a week now, so it’s still in the process of being “birchboxified.” But many team members have settled right in. Case in point: Jess, our Creative Director, has set up camp and created the perfect environment for a little inspiration.
Coffee: I always have coffee on my desk. The only good thing about the...
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College Girl: Don't Be Bad To Your Brows
This summer, Birchbox’s content team is extremely lucky to have awesome intern Shana in the office. She’s a student at Syracuse University (the smarty pants is a dual major in magazine journalism and psychology) and she’ll be helping with researching, writing, product testing and, of course, blogging. In addition to daily beauty news posts, she’ll be writing a weekly column called College Girl.
...
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Guest Vlogger: Nikki Phillippi on Favorite...
For our very first guest vlogger, we wanted someone special. We didn’t have to think too long or too hard — Nikki Phillippi is the perfect person to kick things off. The beauty/fashion/wellness guru’s channel is one of our favorite destinations—and not just for the great Birchbox unboxing videos that she does each month! She’s all about good food, good beauty, and good style — our favorite...
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Nailing It: Care For Your Cuticles
Operations associate, Loren, has a thing for nails—and we can’t blame her. We love reading about new finishes and fun techniques, so we thought we’d give her a weekly slot on our blog to wax poetic about all things manicure (and pedicure!) related. Check back every Thursday for Nailing It, Birchbox’s dedicated polish series.
We all do it: we bite, pull, and scratch at our cuticles. But what we...
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Shocking New Look: Vanessa Hudgens Chops Off All...
When I see a pixie cut, I automatically think of timeless beauty Audrey Hepburn. Emma Watson absolutely makes short hair work too, but now another young starlet has taken her shot at it—Vanessa Hudgens.
True, she did originally chop off her long locks for her homeless girl role in Gimme Shelter, but at the time she admitted to Access Hollywood that it made her feel like a soccer mom. However...
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Get more Birchbox on Pulse!
We know you check the Birchbox Blog several times a day to make sure you’re not missing any product reviews, behind the scenes pics, or major celeb gossip. Now you have another way to keep up to date with Birchbox happenings: subscribe to Birchbox on Pulse! For non-techies, Pulse is an easy-to-use app for iPhones, iPads, and Androids that aggregates all of your favorite news sources, from...
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Guest Blogger: Eco-Chic Eyes
A little while ago while doing research for a story about easy ways to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly, we came across a site we love: Practically Green (@practicallygrn). Dedicated to helping people take smart healthy actions in their daily lives, the site is a plethora of information—including lots about skin-care and cosmetics (follow them on Facebook, too). We asked the...
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Back to the Beach Part 2: You’ve Got Male
This past weekend, I returned to the beach for more fun in the surf an sun. On my last trip, I noticed that my post-beach routine was missing something to eliminate the salty residue and and dry skin I had as a result of spending a full day seaside. So, this time I packed my LATHER Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Scrub and boy were my problems solved! At first, I was concerned that using a...
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Guest Blogger: Fresh Face
A little while ago while doing research for a story about easy ways to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly, we came across a site we love: Practically Green (@practicallygrn). Dedicated to helping people take smart healthy actions in their daily lives, the site is a plethora of information—including lots about skincare and cosmetics (follow them on Facebook, too). We asked the...
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Guest Vlogger: Nikki Phillippi's Fave Beauty Foods
For our very first guest vlogger, we wanted someone special. We didn’t have to think too long or too hard — Nikki Phillippi is the perfect person to kick things off. The beauty/fashion/wellness guru’s channel is one of our favorite destinations—and not just for the great Birchbox unboxing videos that she does each month! She’s all about good food, good beauty, and good style — our favorite...
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Visit Kiehl's New Spa 1851 for An Experience...
Last night, Kiehl’s debuted a new venture that was two years in the making: their very first spa, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Officially open to the public for business today, Spa 1851 takes the brand’s apothecary cool vibe to the next level. Perched on the second floor of their new boutique store, the spa has three treatment rooms —Apothecary, Rainforest, and Adventure — plus a...
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Win Cynthia Rowley's Limited Edition Tip to Toe...
We loved being able to send all of our subscribers a special box this month chock-full of beauty goodies all handpicked by in-demand designer Cynthia Rowley. But why let the fashion fun stop there? To keep the momentum going, we’re offering a sweepstakes where three lucky winners will receive her limited edition Tip to Toe Treats Box, as well as $75 worth of Birchbox Points. To enter,...
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Would You Wear Denim On Your Nails?
As the end of summer nears, I’m trying my best to forget that soon it will be time to retire the bright yellow polish I’ve been using (ahem, overusing) all season. Luckily, Dior is bringing us a trio of new nail color options for fall. There’s Tuxedo, a shimmery dark navy; Blue Denim, a creamier blue; and of course, Beige Safari, a creamy nude that adds simple elegance. They’re $21...
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Of a Kind Designer Gigi Burris Will Take Bees Over...
This week, our friends at Of a Kind are introducing us to another phenom designer: Gigi Burris specializes in stunning accessories like this edgy cool headband (on sale now!).
Hat Designer Gigi Burris Understands the Importance of Flawless Skin
As a maker of things that frame your face, Gigi Burris totally gets the whole porcelain complexion thing. (She also nails the perfect red lip-and-nails...
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Calling All Beauty Bloggers: Tumblr Wants to Send...
Hey all you beauty gurus! Don’t get too excited, but New York Fashion Week is quickly approaching and Tumblr is once again sending some of their best fashion bloggers to cover the shows. Only this time around, they’re saving four spots specifically for beauty, hair, shoes, and accessory bloggers. To be considered, or to nominate someone else, send an email to Tumblr’s Fashion...
