Google alum Brit Morin is the founder of Brit & Co., an online lifestyle brand that covers tech, DIY, beauty, food…basically all our favorite things. Now she’s launched Weduary, a super-cool app that makes getting married as easy as ordering from Seamless Web. It lets couples construct a custom site in just four steps and even leverages Facebook’s social graph to help with photos, invite guests, and manage other logistical details. All week, the wedding-savvy entrepreneur will be sharing her best big day tips with us. Even if you aren’t a bride-to-be, there’s plenty to learn.
Sure, as a bride, you get the spotlight. But don’t forget about your girls! If you’ve ever been a bridesmaid, you know how much work the job can entail: dress shopping, nerve-calming, party-throwing…the list goes on and on.
So brides, please remember to thank your bridesmaids kindly. Here are a few great creative gifts to buy or make your besties:
1) Custom Make-Up Palette: Create a wedding day palette for your girls by mixing and matching different eyeshadows, blushes, and glosses that your bridesmaids can wear on the big day. Click here for the tutorial.
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We gave Glitter, She Wrote blogger Anna Norman one of our new Zoya Blogger Collections and told her to let her nail art imagination go wild. We love what she came up with—stripey happiness! 
Zoya Kate, Coraline, and Belle are such fun, on-trend colors for the season. Jelly nail polish like these shades are somewhat sheer, but build to bright, saturated colors in a few coats. Click through to see how I got this look.
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We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Photos via Stop It Right Now, Eva Chen, Nasty Gal
As we’ve said before, Instagram is a beautiful thing. There’s something about those fantastic filters that just make everything look so magical—it really is like looking at life through rose-colored glasses! When I’m not stalking Birchbox’s amazing Instagram (are you following yet?), here are the accounts I turn to for mega beauty inspiration.
1. Stop It Right Now: This girl is so darn cool. Jayne Min’s Instagram is a condensed version of her cult-favorite blog and features a mix of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle moments from her charmed life. I’m particularly fond of her crazy-amazing manicures (exhibit A, above).
2. Eva Chen: Teen Vogue’s beauty director (and friend of Birchbox) is somewhat of a digital darling for her fantastic participation in various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Tumblr and, of course, Instagram. In addition to providing major beauty product envy, I love seeing what she does next to her super cute, short hair.
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Google alum Brit Morin is the founder of Brit & Co., an online lifestyle brand that covers tech, DIY, beauty, food…basically all our favorite things. Now she’s launched Weduary, a super-cool app that makes getting married as easy as ordering from Seamless Web. It lets couples construct a custom site in just four steps and even leverages Facebook’s social graph to help with photos, invite guests, and manage other logistical details. All week, the wedding-savvy entrepreneur will be sharing her best big day tips with us. Even if you aren’t a bride-to-be, there’s plenty to learn.
Photo: JuneBug Weddings
As you may have read yesterday, this week we are kicking off wedding season on Birchbox! What better time to celebrate than the first wedding anniversary of Will and Kate? In honor of all things weddings and beauty, today we bring to you some of our favorite recent style statistics for those gearing up for the big day:
- Jackie O’s classic style is still standing the test of time. Around 37% of brides chose Jackie O as their favorite fashion icon, beating out Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelina Jolie (who both received 29% of the vote). Madonna may call herself the Material Girl, but she came in last place with brides, receiving only 5% of votes.
- The average cost of a wedding gown is $1,289. Today’s bride is also spending another $581 on wedding day accessories, jewelry, headpieces, and veils.
Click through for more stats!
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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’s left and right side respectively.
Ever since my little brother accidentally threw his football into my right cheek when I was in the sixth grade, I’ve preferred having my photo taken on my left side. I guess I subconsciously always envision a swollen, black-and-blue right cheekbone and eye socket. But, it seems there’s more to my predisposition than meets the eye (er, football). A Wake Forest University study recently published in the journal Experimental Brain Research found that people view the left side of a face to be more pleasant. I decided to test out the study’s findings on some of my family and friends. First up my husband…
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Google alum Brit Morin is the founder of Brit & Co., an online lifestyle brand that covers tech, DIY, beauty, food…basically all our favorite things. Now she’s launched Weduary, a super-cool app that makes getting married as easy as ordering from Seamless Web. It lets couples construct a custom site in just four steps and even leverages Facebook’s social graph to help with photos, invite guests, and manage other logistical details. All week, the wedding-savvy entrepreneur will be sharing her best big day tips with us. Even if you aren’t a bride-to-be, there’s plenty to learn.
Wedding season is officially upon us! This summer marks my first wedding anniversary, and as an ex-bride, I’m here to give all of you girls the dirty little secrets about how to make it through the craziness of a wedding. Stay tuned all week long as I spout tips to brides and bridesmaids alike!
Up first: what to do if you JUST got engaged. Obviously, you’ll need to update your Facebook status, upload pics of your rock, and do all of the other standard communications…but, then what? Here are a few places to start:
First thing’s first: read up on Birchbox’s very own Bridal Beauty Game Plan. It’s a lifesaver! In fact, I would even recommend printing it out and taping it on your bathroom mirror so you never forget a thing.
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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.
This weekend marked my sixth move in eight years. You’d think I’d be a pro by now. But alas, the whole process still kicks my booty, especially now with a baby in the mix (breaking down and putting-back-together a crib is no joke!). My arms feel like jelly; my back feels like it’s carrying a Toyota; and my face…oh, let’s just say that my skin has seen better days. What I need now is a vacation. And a 15-hour massage. And a super-moisturizing facial. Since the trip and marathon massage are out of the question—there’s hours upon hours of unpacking to do, people—this at-home facial inspired by The Spa at Nayara Hotel, Spa and Gardens in Alajuela Province, Costa Rica will have to do. When you can’t go to Costa Rica, bring Costa Rica to you.
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We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been collecting images of nebulas. There’s something about these colorful interstellar clouds that fascinate me. My favorite has always been the Eagle Nebula, which is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens. I have an image of it on both my business card and website. (Nerd much?)
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Affordable fashion and beauty blog EleventhGorgeous is always a source of inspiration for us (living in NYC, we’re on a serious budget!). But we especially like that the site is run by a dynamic sister duo, Tracy and Stefanie Barton. The stylish siblings created a custom color for our Birchbox Blogger set—check out how they plan to wear the shade all season long below.
Right now, we are loving color and lots of it! Just recently, we started color blocking our nail polish and the combinations are endless. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to pairing shades. That’s why we’re especially excited about the Birchbox Blogger nail polish set that we helped to create. The colors all look great together as well as on their own. Our favorite way to wear this trend using these bright shades is to apply Coraline to three nails, apply Kate to two nails, and then a sheer layer of Belle as a topcoat.
Have you ever tried the color blocking trend on your nails?
Buy the limited edition polish set here!
Quincy is a new fashion site aiming to up the style ante in workplaces around the country. With its unique approach to sizing, Quincy is re-imagining business casual, and giving women better fitting, beautifully tailored options (at affordable prices). We chatted with co-founder Christina Wallace to learn more about how they distinguish themselves from other e-commerce brands and their favorite color trend for spring.
Quincy’s pick for this season’s “it” color: Tangerine! Experiement with this hue by picking up Quincy’s Chelsea jacket ($228) as well as RMS Beauty’s Lip2Cheek in Smile and Exude Lipstick in Coral.
1. Why did you decide to launch Quincy?
My co-founder Alex Nelson and I were both working in consulting after business school. We found ourselves wearing some truly boxy, boring, and downright unattractive clothes in order to look polished and professional. We were frustrated that there weren’t more affordable and stylish options for women the way there were for men. So we started with the idea that the silhouettes and styles could be vastly improved.
2. What makes it different from other apparel brands?
We quickly realized that standard dress sizes assume that women have a B-cup bra size and a perfect hourglass figure. There is a lot more variability in women’s shapes than the dress size accounts for, so we decided to throw it out and start over.
Quincy sizes are based on actual measurements. Our jackets, blouses, and dresses are sized by bra size (the cup and the band) plus torso length (petite, regular, or tall). Our pants and skirts are sized by waist (in inches, just like jeans), shape (straight, classic, or curvy), and inseam (we offer four lengths, plus unhemmed if you’d rather take them to your own tailor).
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