mountain view

“The secret is, find something you love to do, and then … do it for the rest of your life.” - Rushmore

skirt, jumper, boots · Topshop | Richard's boots · Zara Man

This post is a little different than my usual posts, but it's the first of many like this to come. I've gotten slightly bored of my living room as a backdrop and I feel like other than the expression on my face, the photos lack character, charisma, and fun. This blog is a huge part of expressing who I am so I figure it's time for a change. (I'm also working on a new layout yay!)

Richard and I spent the day in Mountain View dodging people walking through the little area we were taking photos in, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and of course enjoying a coconut bubble tea. Although this wasn't the best location for photos, we've already scouted out our next one which I'm super excited for! We also saw Skyfall which I totally recommend if you're into Bond movies — it was soooo good.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend! All photos of me are by Richard (and the others are by me). I'll be posting some on my Flickr, if you'd like to check them out! p.s. let me know if you like posts like this; I love hearing what you all think. ♥

Birchbox Man: October 2012

Birchbox Man · $20/mo

This months BB Man is pretty badass if I do say so myself (Richard thinks so too ;). When I took the package out of the mailbox I was like "why the hell is this so heavy?!". I now know why.

First up are the Teroforma Whisky Stones — how awesome are these? They're one of those things that I've looked at/considered buying for Richard but never did. Luckily we're now the proud owners of six which means no more watered-down bourbon! They come with a cute little pouch to keep them in and a set of instructions so we can be sure we're using them correctly (can you really go wrong?).

Going along with the theme of alcoholic beverages, he also received a BB Man jigger — another thing we've thought about buying but never have. Precisely poured cocktails here we come! They also included a $10 gift card (not pictured) to Caskers, a craft spirits website, which I thought was a nice touch.

As with every other box, there are some everyday skincare/lifestyle products thrown in as well. This month is:

• Samples of Nickel Super Clean Scrubbing Gel, Super Speed Moisturizer, and Morning After Rescue Gel — all products are spa quality and should be interesting to try.
• Cartier Déclaration Eau De Toilette — A citrusy but musky scent which I've fallen in love with and seems perfect for the fall season. 
• Borghese Fango Delicato — A mud face mask rich in minerals for delicate dry skin. We all know how much Richard loves face-masks so this is a pretty foolproof item!
• The Art of Shaving Unscented Pre-Shave Oil (not pictured) — This kind of got lost under the other stuff so I forgot to take a photo (and to be fair I'm really not bothered). We have a few samples of this in the house and Richard is a bit meh on the whole Art of Shaving brand, so it's whatever!

What do you guys think of this months box from Birchbox Man? Totally loving all the drink making goodies!

Men's Shaving: Merkur Safety Razor & Kiehl's Shave Cream

Merkur Solingen Double Edge Razor · $43

Merkur Super Razors (10) · $6

Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream - White Eagle · $16

After receiving a mini of the Kiehl's shaving cream in the his August Birchbox,  Richard knew he wanted to buy the full size which ultimately sent him on a journey to (also) find a better razor. 

The Brushless Shave Cream is pretty awesome — it's packed full of menthol leaving your freshly shaved face nice and cool. Before applying, Richard usually puts a warm cloth over his face to make the hair softer and easier to shave off. Afterwards he applies a small amount of the cream to his face — it's quite thick and there is no lather so it's pretty different if you're used to shaving foams. The thing he likes most about this is that the menthol "makes the hair stand up on end" which obviously is going to make it easier to get a closer shave.

The next step was upgrading from a Gillette razor to a Merkur Double Edge safety razor. He grabbed one at the Art of Shaving store for more $$ than he could have spent on Amazon, but oh well. Razor wise, it's heavy, really well made and not to mention elegant. It takes him longer to shave because unlike the Gillette which follows the shape of your face, you actually have to work and turn to get a proper shave with the Merkur. That said, as you get more used to using this kind of razor you do get faster/better over time. The razors themselves cost basically nothing which is a total plus; $6 for 10 vs $22 for 8 Gillette refills. They also last longer because you can easily dry them after each use — something you can't really use with a disposable razor. Most of all, he says shaving now is "fun".

All in all, switching to a great product and using better tools leads to a better experience. It also leads to a cleaner and smoother face *swoon*.

Weekend Recap: Motivation

This weekend was one of those weekends where you just want to laze around, eat, and browse your favorite blogs; my Saturday was basically that. Around midnight though, I had a hankering to go for a run. We did a little over a mile and it felt amazing.

Saturday gave me cabin-fever, so we went downtown to walk and browse and enjoy the 80º weather. To my surprise a new macaron shop had just opened and I couldn't not go in. It smelled sweet and sent me back to the short time we spent in Paris in 2010 and I just had to buy a box. They're delicious and I definitely see myself frequenting Chantal Guillon in the future.

That night we went for another run and had a super healthy dinner which motivated us to make sure we run daily and always eat well. Yay for good eating habits and fun workouts we can do together (now lets see if we can keep up this 1+m/night run schedule)!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Birchbox Man: August 2012

I've got to give it to Birchbox — they're killing it when it comes to the mens boxes! This month Richard got some pretty good stuff. 

The t-shirt is from Barking Irons; it's amazingly soft and is this really awesome grey color. They say it's "vintage fit with short, angled sleeves" but other than the sleeves it seems like a pretty normal tee to me!  It's $46 for a two-pack of these shirts so getting one in a $20 Birchbox? Worth it. Next up is the Oribe Ultra Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner which Richard has yet to try but from the looks of it they seem pretty good, especially because they're gentle and hopefully gentle enough for sensitive skin.

As per each Birchbox he's recieved so far, there were some things wrapped in some green paper with a Birchbox sticker-type thing holding it together. Inside we found three pretty awesome little products. 

Richard's not much of a lip balm person but he has enjoyed using the C.O. BIGELOW's My Favorite Lip Balm. It's got shea butter and almond oil and isn't too thick or greasy on the lips aka perfect for men. The Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste is bomb. Seriously. I tried this and love it and am honestly considering purchasing it. Not only is the package all vintage and badass, but the toothpaste is so good that the sample is already gone. The last thing in the box this month was Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream. Kiehl's is a pretty great brand when it comes to skincare so this seems like a pretty great product. It's a menthol-infused cream which means you'll get a nice cool shave (literally).

What do you guys think about these products? Have you signed up for Birchbox Men yet? 

Birchbox Man: July 2012

Birchbox Man · $20/mo

Stuff for guys on a women's beauty/style blog. Really? I mean, really? YES REALLY.

We can't forget the fact that I'm married to a man that does like to indulge in skincare and haircare products quite often, so I kind of feel the need to write about it (and why not!?).

I have to admit straight away that I am 10000% more impressed with this box than I was with mine (/sob). Anywho, this pretty little box was filled with some awesome stuff. As you can see we've got some Benta Berry G-1 Super Moisturizing Face Cream, John Allen's Shave Slickwater — two pretty badass products from what I can tell. In the neatly wrapped package, there was a Supersmile Whitening System, and not pictured were the Cordies and the Wrapster from Quirky.

I've got to give it to Birchbox, they definitely packed this full of stuff Richard would be (and is) interested in trying and using. I'm really excited that there is now a beauty box for men that actually caters to the guys likes and needs. The questionnaire he had to fill out while signing up was fun and they really hit the nail on the head with picking things he'd like. Bravo, Birchbox. Now if you could only get mine sorted out :)

What do you guys think of this box? Are you interested in seeing more stuff for men? Would the guys in your lives enjoy something like this?