Beautiful Birchbox, Curated Goodies, & Bling!

Sure, I usually blog about technology, geeky stuff, and libraries... but beneath it all the Daring Librarian is a girlie girl who likes bling & beauty products!  So, in the spirit of this holiday season, if you don't know what to get your gal or if you love getting pretty stuffs in the mail each month, let me introduce you to Birchbox!
Basically, for only $10 a month, you receive a collection of beauty products (some sample size & some full size) and it's always a surprise. The fun in this? You never know what you're getting AND it allows you to try a product before you invest a ton of money in something without knowing if you'll like it or not.  Genius, I know. There's also a subscription for the guys in your life! So get that metro-sexual dude of yours great grooming products!

From the site: "Birchbox delivers the best products and the best insider secrets, without any fuss. Every month Birchbox members will receive a curated box of luxe beauty samples. Each box will span beauty categories and deliver exciting products that fit into both your day-to-day routine, and into those days when you want to turn up the drama a notch."
Here's a special VIP invite link for Birchbox -  you may still have to wait a few weeks for confirmation but once you do, you or your gal will get a special box of beauty products & goodies every month!

I've also binged & subscribed to the The New Beauty Test Tube (More cha-ching but also more products!) offered through QVC.  -- Here's what that looks like delivered! From the site: the Test Tube includes a "collection of some of the hottest and most in-demand products in beauty. In this tube, you'll receive the current issue of NewBeauty magazine, along with a mix of full-sized, travel-sized, and deluxe-sized samples from philosophy, Mally, bliss, Laura Geller, smashbox, Josie Maran, Ojon, and Algenist."

There's an Auto-Delivery plan available (I also bought a subscription for my favourite Auntie Lynn last year!) that averages $37.00 a delivery 3-4 times a year. It's sadly not available now (though I got in on it earlier this year and joined a second year!) but it's a whole lotta fun to get these deliveries. You can also cancel at any time.
I am not a fan of lip gloss - too sticky for me! So I always give my GF Debbie the lip glosses - I also have teacher friends who like certain things so if I get a duplicate (rare) or something that's not my colour or style I can pass it along & make a friend smile! YAY!

Now let's talk bling! Of course I love Tiffany, pearls, diamonds, and funky custom jewelry -- (in fact, I have a few artists on Etsy.com who design drusy & other delights for me!) The antique bisque china doll head necklace pictured is a favourite of mine - designed by Louise Black of Project Runway fame.
I also adore fine fashion jewelry (one step up from costume - using precious metals) and for there I go to Ross Simons - they have amazing selections, estate jewelry, great customer service and prices WAY BETTER than brick & mortar mall jewelers. NEVER GO TO JARED!  Jared is a joke and way overpriced!

Ross Simons has great deals, clearance prices,  & I love getting their gorgous catalogs for my water closet reading.

Here's an example: a Set of Seven Multicolored Pearl Bracelets for $29.00! That's much a better deal than you can get at the mall!

To vicariously see a small sampling of my Self-Indulgent Fripperies check out my Flickr gallery. Created for both insurance purposes & to share pics with my afore mentioned Auntie Lynn who is MY diamond guru, mentor, & expert!

Cheers dears & enjoy the season - may it be filled with family & friends, light & love, sparkly ideas, fun & joy! 

What are your favourite beauty tips, daring deals, shiny baubles, & pretty pieces? Love your comments!

The Small Print:
Full disclosure about the VIP bonus link for Birchbox - when I joined I had to wait a month to get accepted - using this link gets you ahead of the rabble - so you get a VIP invite & I get bonus points. Win/Win!