Birchbox

Based in Washington D.C., Ayren Jackson-Cannady is so savvy that we wished she lived closer to NYC so that we could swap products with her. This beauty writer knows what’s up (she’s written for Fitness, Glamour, and Gloss Daily) and we’re excited to have her sharing her know-how and multi-culti beauty expertise as a contributing editor.

Ayren and her guy, back in the day, before being bald was cool.

Pop Quiz: You’re single and you have three guys to pick from for a date. All of the fellas are physically equal (let’s just say that they’re all in Usain Bolt shape), and the only difference is their hair. Who do you choose?

A. The guy with a full head of thick, curly strands.
B. The looker with visibly thinning fringe.
C. The man with a completely shaved head.

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Raw and honest, Rachel Wilkerson’s blog, The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson, is captivating and heartfelt. Covering the trials and tribulations of her personal life, her blog gives advice on everything from the serious (like moving house, which is so stressful) to the mundane (fun nail art!) and everything in between. We appreciate anyone that keeps it real the way she does, so we’re excited to have her as this week’s guest blogger. 

If there is a gene that makes someone love beauty products, I’m convinced it skips a generation. So many beauty junkies I know have mothers who could care less about lipstick or powder, but their grandmothers adore the stuff. That’s exactly the dynamic of my family. My mom is a tomboy and my grandma is totally glamorous, which means I relied on my grandma to teach me about makeup when I was growing up. Here are some of her best beauty lessons.

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Better known for their skin-brightening teas, Tea Forte’s yummy mints Minteas are quickly ascending to the top of our can’t-leave-the-house-without-these list. All-natural and sugar-free, these mints are infused with organic green tea, herbs, and fruit extracts for an instant antioxidant rush. Better yet, the ingredients in each flavor are designed to tackle specific wellness goals. So if you’re looking for an AM pick-me-up or a late-night-sober-me up there’s a mint that’s just right for you.

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14-year-old Nadia Ilse before her surgery and after. (Photo: cnn.com)

We just found out about Nadia Ilse, a Georgia teen who received $40,000 worth of free plastic surgery to help her avoid being bullied at school. It’s a common story of a kid being harassed at school (or perhaps experienced), but this instance has an unusual ending.

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Birchboxers are generally an extroverted bunch. But when we asked them to tweet pictures of their everyday hairstyles, our team suddenly developed a bizarre aversion to social media. That is, until we mentioned that they’d have a chance to win amika’s entire Obliphica haircare line. Needless to say, a chorus of iPhone camera shutters erupted.

Apparently, our love for this brand’s ceramic tools and sweet-smelling haircare products is powerful enough to conquer Monday morning bedhead.

Now it’s your turn to enter! All you need to do is tweet a picture of your hair with the hashtag #MyHairToday and be sure to include @Love_Amika in your tweets (click here for full details). Need a little hair inspiration? Check out our staffer pics:

—Ally

Learn more about amika and browse their entire collection of hair products.

Notable Quotables is a weekly series featuring a great quote. Whether it’s the founder of a beloved beauty brand, an eccentric makeup artist making headlines, or even a super-stylish celebrity, our favorite tastemakers always have something worth sharing.

We might not have predicted it during his *NSYNC days, but Justin Timberlake has become one of the most versatile entertainers in the business. From regular SNL host to movie star to designer, he’s now adding the title of face of Givenchy’s Play Sport cologne to his ever-growing resume. In a recent interview with GQ UK, JT talked to the glossy about his latest collab:

“I know nothing about what it’s like to put a fragrance together. I sat with them first, and we talked more about my lifestyle, so the fragrance is an extension of that conversation more than anything.” 

Sadly, however, the rest of the interview revealed that we shouldn’t hold our breath for the musician to enter the fragrance game himself. (Which is too bad because “Sexy Back” really is the perfect name for a cologne.)

“I don’t think I would ever make my own—this is more comfortable for me. I don’t aspire to have my name on a fragrance.”

Should we start a letter writing campaign to change his mind?

—Lorelei

We might be waiting a while for a Timberlake fragrance to launch but there are still excellent cologne options for any man in the Birchbox Shop.

A brilliant rendition of red, white, and blue on Missy Franklin. (Photo: twitter.com)

• Swap out olive oil, factor in a cheat day, and other ways to eat like an Olympian swimmer. [Q Blog]

• Superwoman Missy Franklin blows our minds with a stunning gold medal-winning 100-meter backstroke (nice patriotic mani/pedi, too!). [NYTimes]

• Fashion wunderkid Tavi Gevinson takes her Rookie tour to Los Angeles to eat In-N-Out and talk cartoon palm trees. [LA Magazine]

Bring your A-game with medal-worthy beauty picks from the Birchbox Shop.

We’ve avoided houseplants in the past because we’ve always been of the opinion that A) unless you know what you’re doing, lots of indoor greenery can easily look kitschy and B) our tiny NYC apartments don’t have a ton-o-extra-space for anything potted. But genius start-up The Sill is changing the way that Manhattanites buy and display plants—in appropriately city-size (read: small) servings. We sat down with the company’s founders, Gwen Blevens and Eliza Blank, to learn more about our new favorite interior decor trick: 

Where did the idea for The Sill come from? 

We started The Sill because we wanted to incorporate greenery into our living spaces, but realized that potted plants with the same variety by which we express ourselves with other home furnishings—color, texture, shape, story—simply didn’t exist. We believe that city dwellers want and deserve an easier, more fashionable way to live with plants.

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As much as we love nail art, we’re better at admiring designs than coming up with them ourselves. That’s why we’ve enlisted Anna Norman, the smarty pants behind Glitter, She Wrote, to be a regular contributor. Every Monday, she’ll be sharing her latest lacquer inspiration—you won’t be satisfied with plain ol’ polish again.

French manicures have been a nail salon staple for ages. The traditional pink and white look isn’t quite a fashion faux-pas, but it can still feel pretty dated, especially for the style-minded gal. Here are a few ways to pay homage to the classic design while adding a fun, modern twist.

Saturated Statement Colors: There’s nothing stuffy about a French mani in edgy, on-trend shades. You can use a circular reinforcement sticker to create a perfect line, but I like to go freehand. For better control, try creating several short vertical lines across the tip of the nail rather than one long horizontal stroke. I turned to the Fall 2012 Pantone Color Report for seasonal inspiration, settling on two coats of Kure Bazaar Afrika with a cobalt blue tip in Nails Inc. Baker Street.

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Recently, I found myself caught in the ultimate hair Catch-22. While, I love the silky clean feeling of freshly washed hair, all those shampoo sessions have a dulling effect on my color-treated locks. For years, I accepted this sad, costly conundrum and would take my faded strands back to the salon every month or so. That is, until I got smart about protecting my pricey color job. 

A bottle of Alterna’s BAMBOO® UV+ Color Protection Fade-Proof Fluide landed on my desk and I began using it religiously. After showering, I would work a generous amount (about two pumps) through my towel-dried hair. Loaded with amino acids and antioxidants, the lightweight leave-in gloss has been lab-proven to help retain color and brightness for 60 washes. Yes. You read that little number correctly: 60 washes. 

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Raw and honest, Rachel Wilkerson’s blog, The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson, is captivating and heartfelt. Covering the trials and tribulations of her personal life, her blog gives advice on everything from the serious (like moving house, which is so stressful) to the mundane (fun nail art!) and everything in between. We appreciate anyone that keeps it real the way she does, so we’re excited to have her as this week’s guest blogger. 

How many of us were told when we first started wearing makeup that the secret is to make it look like you aren’t wearing any makeup at all? Trouble is, that’s much harder to do than it sounds. But after years of trying (and not always being so subtle), I’ve learned how to pull off the natural look in a way that appears healthy, bright-eyed, and pulled-together. Here are some of my tips:

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Liquid liner is classic and chic—but only if you know how to apply it. Our latest favorite from British brand Eyeko is so easy to use you’ll be sporting a daring cat eye pronto. And don’t worry if you’re a little out of practice. Watch our video for troubleshooting tips and quick shortcuts that will help you get the perfect line.

—Lorelei

Eyeko’s Skinny Liquid Liner comes in punchy Olive and Turquoise—perfect for adding a flash of color.

Gymnast Daniele Hypolito’s brilliantly-hued eye look had us at hello. (Photo: binary.api.org)

We’re loving the Olympics so far—so many exciting events and tons of American pride. (Ryan Lochte, even though the 400-meter relay didn’t go so well, we still think you’re the bees knees.) But as serious makeup enthusiasts, our attention was totally diverted when we saw this amazing eye look from Brazilian gymnast Daniele Hypolito.

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As beauty obsessives, there are few products that get us as excited as lipstick does. Pink, red, purple—we love every color of the rainbow. In honor of National Lipstick Day today (yes, it’s for real and yes, we think our fave product does deserve a full 24 hours worth of recognition), we wanted to share our favorite shades of all time. Here are our top picks: 

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It’s hard to believe that August is less than a week away, but it’s true. The summer is nearly half over, which means you’d better be doing something fun this weekend! We know we’ll be watching the Olympics (our whole office is obsessed with BTW) and avoiding thunderstorms. Kick things off with a few required reading pieces.

(Photo: Refinery29.com)

• This week’s biggest celebrity news story was Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson. We’re simultaneously ashamed and drawn to this juicy tidbit. If you just can’t get enough, Perez Hilton has up to the moment news on the entire story. [Perez Hilton]

• You already know we’re crazy for the Olympics—but everyone else is too! Check out these amazing Olympic-inspired nails and get your own DIY patriotic nails with NCLA nail wraps. [Styleite]

• Lush has a new line of makeup that’s meant to be chosen based on your mood. It involves spinning a product wheel and going with your gut. Hey, we’ve chosen our makeup in stranger ways before. [Refinery29]

• The best model show of the 90’s/ever is about to make a comeback. MTV’s “House of Style” will return as a web series in October. The only question is, who will be named host? [Racked]

• In case you’re stuck inside for part of the weekend, you might want to click through this epic slideshow of the top 100 hairstyles of all time. Hm, new haircut anyone? [Glamour] 

—Lorelei

Brush up on your British know-how with the help of our England guide.

We have waited four years for this moment: the Summer Olympics kicks off tonight! The next 16 days will be filled with excitement, incredible accomplishments, and plenty of emotion as the most talented athletes from across the globe compete for gold. Now that the anticipation is finally over, we wanted to get a temperature read on exactly what a few of our office’s biggest sports fans are most excited to watch. Here’s what the die-hards had to say. 

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BB creams are all the rage right now and it seems like every major beauty brand is coming out with their own version. But so far, the trend has really centered around women with Caucasian and Asian skin tones and there hasn’t been a ton of options out there for those of us with darker skin. I, for one, had never tried a BB cream before because I had always assumed there wasn’t a shade that would blend well with my skin. After doing a little research, however, I decided to test drive a few. 

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Our creative team is pretty, well, creative and they come across beautiful imagery all the time. Why not share the inspiration? Keep an eye out each Friday for their Mood Board, a collection of images they’re loving.

1. RogierHouwen.com 2. AgentPekka.com 3. WitandDelight.tumblr.com 4. Onecharmingparty.com 5. prettystuff.tumblr.com

With just a month left of summer, time is running out for weekend getaways, road trips, and warm-weather adventures. Today, our mood board is inspired by the trips we’re desperate to take—and it’s motivating us to make plans before another weekend slips by. 

We like to think of Birchbox as an adventure in beauty—surprises and delights every month! Visit birchbox.com to learn more.

It’s that time of year again: moving season! Everyone that we know seems to be packing up house and moseying over to swanky, if slightly bare, new digs. Which is why we asked home and design blogger Monique Valeris of Decor Musings to give us her best tips for sprucing up our homes. Here are her tricks for adding some personality and pop to your space.

Easy ways to add some great design to your decor. (Photo: marthastewart.com)

You know what it feels like to walk into a home that’s well decorated. Regardless of the design style the homeowner may have chosen to follow, one thing’s for sure—the space is filled with elements of his or her personality. To ensure that every inch of your home is infused with pieces of you, follow these tips:

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Nelly Furtado, our favorite Maneater, singing at the SELF Magazine party earlier this week.

On Tuesday night, I was lucky enough to stop by SELF Magazine’s Rock the Summer party. The shindig at Kiss and Fly in Manhattan’s ever-posh Meatpacking District, thrown in collaboration with standout polish brand Essie, was an hommage to the season and celebrated the release of the glossy’s August issue (with a gorgeous Demi Lovato on the cover). Major bonus: the event featured a performance by singer-songerwriter Nelly Furtado, whose new album, Spirit Indestructible, will be released on September 14th.

From getting down on the packed dance floor, to the delicious libations inspired by Essie’s newest polish colors, to Nelly’s awesome mini-concert, I had a fantastic time. Click through to see some snaps from the party!

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