Blog Posts by Birchbox

by Ally Marie Corliss, Birchbox

The perfect smoky eye starts with the perfect kit.

We love the look of the ombré sultry eye featured in this month's stila in the light eye shadow palette sample, but our fear of the ending up with a sloppy version has kept us away. Thankfully, the always adventurous Ops Associate Noha jumped at the chance to put the palette to the test. She showed us that creating the perfect ombré eye is actually incredibly easy, and only took four simple steps. Here's our guide to recreating the look at home:

Start with a clean lids and for fuss-free application have all your tools laid out in front of you. We used three brushes: for layering color on the lid we used stila's #9 all over blend brush, and for adding hues along the lash line and brow bone we used two detail brushes from Japonesque's incredible brush set.

STEP 1. First, apply neutral shades Bare from your lash line to the brow bone-it's a gorgeous matte ivory that brightens dull lids.
Step one.

STEP 2. Next, apply Sandstone, a matte light coco, to your lids and

by Natalie Higdon, Birchbox

We tapped two of our favorite pros, Nam Vo and Neil Scibelli, to find out how to get a red carpet glow.

Celebrities would have us think that their luminous complexions and supple gams are the result of a strict vegan diet and daily meditation sessions. But we know the truth: it's products. Makeup artists have all sorts of tricks for making stars look radiant, even when they've been filming 24/7 (or partying). We tapped two of our favorite pros, Nam Vo and Neil Scibelli, to find out how to get the glow.

BRONZER
A great bronzer is your ticket to healthy, fresh skin. Not sure which shade is right for you? Makeup artist Nam Vo says, "Look for a bronzer that's about two shades darker than your powder." Liquid and cream formulas add dewiness to dry complexions, while powder bronzers like Ada Cosmetics Bronzer are great for setting makeup and for oily skin types.

Expert application tip: For a natural look, apply bronzer where the sun naturally hits your face. Check out Nam's video tutorial to see how it's done.

Related: Stila One-Step Bronze

HIGHLIGHTER
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by Candice Chan, Birchbox

We enlisted master sommelier Laura Maniec, from Corkbuzz wine bar and studio in New York, to tell us how to use our oenophile skills can help us find the perfect fragrance.

We're no wine experts, but we've sipped enough varieties to know that the aroma is a key part of the tasting experience. Is it any surprise, then, that the same tricks you use to choose a wine are the same ones you should be using to select a scent? We enlisted master sommelier Laura Maniec, owner of New York's Corkbuzz Wine Bar, to tell us how to use our oenophile skills to sniff out the perfect fragrance.

GIVE YOUR PERFUME SOME AIR
Every wine lover knows you need to give a good vintage some time to breathe before taking the first sip. "Just like you'd swirl wine in a glass several times before tasting it to let it aerate, you'll want to do the same with a scent," says Maniec. Wave your wrist in the air a few times before sniffing to let any strong alcohol tendencies dissipate.

Related: How to Travel with Perfume

CHOOSE FRAGRANCE NOTES BASED ON YOUR FAVORITE WINE
Try to identify the favorite part of your go-to vintage. Whether it's the musk of a sweet

by Deepica Mutyala, Birchbox

Photo: Birchbox

Having a round face myself, I learned these tricks to help certain features stand out. Using these simple techniques, you'll be able to emphasize your angles using bronzer, blush, and highlighter:

BRUSH: Before you can think of contouring, you need the right tools. In my opinion, an angled brush is your best bet. I recommend MAC's 168 Large Angled Contour Brush. It works great for both blush and bronzer, so you're really getting your money's worth.

BRONZER: Bronzer is amazing for contouring because it is usually a shade or two darker than your actual skin tone. Currently, my favorite bronzer is bare minerals warmth because I think it works the best with my complexion. Once you've picked one out, here are the places to apply:
- Diagonally under your cheekbones or parallel to your jaw line. This will really make your cheekbones pop.
- On the sides of your nose from the bridge straight down. This will make your nose appear longer and

by Anna Norman, Birchbox

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 week, she'll be sharing her latest lacquer inspiration-you won't be satisfied with plain ol' polish again.

Anna Norman's Mani this week: this unbeatable polka dot half-moon look.

You don't need to buy a fancy tool to add polka dots to your nail art repertoire. Take a look around your room-if you have a paper clip, Q-tip, push-pin, or even the tip of a pencil, you're in business. Today I'm sporting a half-moon manicure, but rather than filling in the half-moon with a solid wash of polish, I'm kicking it up a notch with spots. What you'll need: -Two contrasting polishes. I'm using Essie Boxer Shorts and RGB Dew, a pale green I've been loving all summer. -Paper clip or other dotting tool -A good top coat. My nails take so long to dry during the hot and humid NYC summer, so I'm using Seche Vite, a powerful quick-dry top

by Mai Wang, Birchbox
From the super-fine to the ultra-gritty, there's a perfect exfoliator for everyone.
Choosing the right exfoliator comes down to finding the best texture for your skin type. Too fine and you might not get the result you're looking for; too rough and you may end up with red, irritated skin (the horror!). Happily, there are plenty of non-abrasive natural scrubs out there for face and body. And it's not just about lifting away expired skin cells. According to Kimberly Sampson, facialist and Training Director for emerginC, they "help address a host of issues, including dehydration, fine lines, breakouts, uneven skin tone, and redness." Scope out the full spectrum of scrubs-there's one for every skin concern!

RiceRICE
If your skin is extra-sensitive or you're concerned about premature aging, opt for a rice bran scrub. Rice bran, the outer layer that surrounds each individual kernel, is a quadruple threat. First, the fine powder sweeps away debris. Next, it helps soothe chronic inflammation. It's also rich in collagen-boosting phytic acid has UV-absorbing

By Anna Norman, Birchbox

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.

Nail tattoos are all the rage. Find out how these work and why we love them, here.

There have been a lot of new additions to the nail world recently-crackle polish, magnetic lacquer, and nail strips, to name a few. But temporary tattoos for nails? Now this I'm excited about.

I used to go crazy over temporary tats as a kid, so these are right up my alley. I got my hands on a set of bigRuby Nail Tattoos, which include hip designs like skulls and mustaches. For my first inked mani, I chose a deer head to adorn a "status nail" on each hand.

Related: Fuss-Free Vacation Nails

Nail tattoos need to be applied to completely dry polish. I painted my nails with one of my favorites for the summer, neon pink Color Club Jackie Oh!,

By Anna Norman, Birchbox

After progressing from hair to fashion, the ombré trend has made its way to your manicure. The secret: you only need one color.

After progressing from hair to fashion, the ombré trend has made its way to your manicure. The look is simple to recreate at home, and you don't even have to track down five sequential shades. The secret: you only need color. To get a gorgeous gradient, just pick a single pretty hue and then create your own lighter and darker shades using white or black polishes. Here's how to get the effect:

STEP 1
Select your base polish. For this technique, a standard crème finish works best, so stay away from sheers, metallics, or jelly finishes. Bright polishes like these neons and pastels from Color Club are perfect for an eye-catching summer ombré.

STEP 2
Grab a paper plate, a piece of foil, or an empty egg carton to use as your palette. You'll also need a small paintbrush or makeup brush.

Steps two and three in action.

STEP 3
Dab four drops of colored polish onto your work surface. Add drops of white polish to each pile on your palette, increasing the white as you go.