I have to stay up to date on new products and industry buzz; one of the easiest (and most fun!) ways to do this is with a monthly Birchbox subscription. Somewhere in the second week of the month a box of deluxe (and sometimes full size) samples are delivered to my door. There are always products from major brands, but many are smaller companies that are just entering into the market so it's a great way to be "in the know" before the rest of the world is. There’s everything from make up to skin care to hair care and a few extra bonuses like tea, chocolate, nail polish and hair accessories. Each box has a theme and the products are selected to complement it (ie back to school, spring break, the holidays, etc.). I’ve discovered there are times I try a product, love it and use the sample so quickly I have to order the full size product (like the SuperGoop City Sunscreen Serum – a skin care treatment, plus sunscreen. Amazingly perfect for the summer! Works great alone or under make up!).

If you want to know what’s new on the market or you just love beauty products, treat yourself to this monthly subscription ($10 a month and that includes the cost of shipping). It's such a treat when you open your mailbox and the hot pink box is just waiting to be opened!!!

Have you tried Birchbox or any other monthly make up subscriptions? If not, try this one and get ready to discover some great new products!

Jamie

Have you ever been in a beauty rut, like the kind that even on your best day you just know something’s off? I have been there and let me tell you it’s no fun. A few years ago I thought I should let my hair grow long. I had long hair until after college so long hair was not out of the ordinary for me, plus I figured “I’m living in LA where long hair with soft curls are tres en vogue so lets just fit in with the rest”. (Now I like the soft curls, long hair look, but it’s not my style and you NEED to know your own style … but that’s another post for another day).

The longer my hair grew the more un-me it felt. Even on my best day (which I didn’t think I looked bad) I just always felt off.

I eventually realized that the hair had to go; I had lost my confidence and I was literally hiding behind it. So in October of 2011 I chopped it off…12” to be exact…shorter than it had ever been. I figured go big or go home, right?

Wow, I was back!!! In the length of time it took to for a haircut, I felt I had found me and my style again. Nothing miraculous happened during the 2 hours in the salon, but my confidence and self-assurance was back.

No looking back now. It was gone.

I swear when I left the salon it felt like I could take over the world. This change brought back a self-assurance I had lost; it then gave me the momentum to conquer and try some things that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do before I cut my hair.

So what’s the importance of a story about a haircut? It’s to get you to think about what rut you might be in. What change do you need to make that could be the catalyst for monumental growth?

Is there something out there (a bold lipstick, a leopard print shirt, starting a dream job, a cross country move) that you want to do or try but you think you lack the confidence to do so? Let me tell you – you are braver and bolder than you think. Let me repeat that again – YOU ARE BRAVER AND BOLDER THAN YOU THINK!

You don’t have to do something as drastic as cutting off your hair… or then again you might need to do more.

Trust me on this one; we all have reservoirs of untapped strength and confidence.

For me it took cutting off my hair to find one of those untapped reservoirs.

It’s a new year; maybe a chance to be a new you. Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone, be brave and bold, to attempt that thing that will bring you a more strength and confidence?

I’ve moved! See this page, the new blog and tons of new content here.

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