In case you haven't already figured it out, my name is Rebecca B. Bird and this is my blog. I'm fascinated by makeup, skincare and all the other little things that make life more interesting and fun. So fascinated by those things that I decided to start a blog about them—crazy, right?

About this site...

HelloPrettyBird! is a beauty and lifestyle blog documenting the opinions and experiences of a 31-year-old lady living in New York City (that's me!) You'll find a lot of reviews here, and my beauty interests are pretty varied: I love everything from mainstream drugstore brands to hand-crafted indies to unusual facial contraptions. I tend to approach my beauty posts with a frugal focus: My mission is to help folks figure out which budget products actually are useful, and which mid-priced (and up) products are worth the splurge. You'll see occasional tutorials and DIY how-tos here too!

As for the lifestyle side of things: I enjoy sharing experiences and things that make my life more delightful and fun (like cute home decor, recipes, or recaps of my mini-adventures in New York City), but also my thoughts on ways to make the less delightful aspects of adult life more tolerable (think topics like health and finances. Woo!) I make no claims of being enviable or glamorous, but I hope my (mis)adventures will at least entertain you.

New here and not sure where to start reading? Here are a few of my most-blogged about topics:

Asian cosmetics: I'm always on the lookout for cool beauty trends emerging in other countries, and there are a ton of innvovative (and affordable) products coming out of Asia right now. Especially from Korea. 대박!
Under $10: On a budget? Check out my many, many reviews of beauty products and subscription boxes that cost $10 or less!
Unboxings: Mystery boxes, subscription boxes, snack boxes, beauty boxes, and so on. It's fun getting boxes filled with various goodies every month—kind of like a year-round Christmas stocking! Hopefully my unboxing posts will help you determine whether or not they're worth the money.
Indie cosmetics: There are a lot of lesser-known companies out there producing handmade and/or niche goods (makeup, fragrance, body care etc.) that are all sorts of excellent! I like to share when I find one that's particularly awesome or special.
Lifestyle: You know, everyday life and stuff. Popular sub-categories include food, health, finances, technology, and unique clothing/accessory finds. I've also been posting casual discussion topics for my readers every Wednesday since late 2013. These weekly polls have covered a wide variety of topics, and the answers folks share are often quite interesting.

Speaking of answers to questions, here are mine to some that I get asked periodically:

Do you work in the makeup/skincare industry?
Nope! I'm just a regular lady who likes putting stuff on her face and body, and has tried enough stuff to know what she likes and doesn't like. The only quasi-professional beauty experience I've had was doing makeup for some theatrical productions in the distant past, but that doesn't help me much with my daily looks now. Unless mime-inspired makeup suddenly becomes stylish, that is....

What's your skin tone/type?
I'm roughly around NW15 (AKA rather pale) with cool/pink undertones. My skin type is combination: Normal to dry in most places, slightly oily in the T-zone. Right now my main skin concerns are preventing acne, dealing with dryness, and diminishing the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles. I've started reviewing a lot of hair products too, so I suppose you should also know that my hair is fine in texture but prone to falling out, damage, and extreme tangling. Fun!

What's your basic skincare routine like?
I'm working on a couple of posts that will address that question. Stay tuned!

You keep mentioning someone named Stan. Who's Stan?
Stan is my boyfriend of ~5 years. We live together, and as such he occasionally pops up in my blog posts and helps me review products (see the Stan Says series). He enjoys sheet masks and lavender-scented products the most, for the record.

Do you get the products you review for free?
I feature a mixture of products I've purchased and products provided to me by brands or PR agencies. Accepting some press samples allows me to test more items than I would be able to using my personal budget alone. Rest assured that I review all products honestly, even those that were sent to me gratis. I also believe that transparency is a very important part of writing honest reviews, so I ALWAYS disclose in-post if a product was provided to me for review or sponsored in some way. Check out my disclosure policy if you'd like more information on that.

What sort of camera do you use?
I'm not exactly an ace photographer, but right now I'm using a Canon T3i/600D with the kit lens, and occasionally the camera on my Blackberry Z10. I don't do a ton of editing on my photos, but will use Photoshop to color-correct them if they come out murky or gross. I sound like a total pro, right?

Can I repost one of your photos on my blog or website?
Not without permission. Please contact me if you wish to use my content. I evaluate all requests of this type on a case-by-case basis, so be sure to tell me which image(s) you're interested in and what you want to do with them. The same goes for text, videos, graphics and what have you! But of course you're welcome to share content with a link back to the site on Pinterest, Facebook etc.

Where can I find you on social media?
I'm on most of the major social media networks, but my most active channels right now are Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. I do check all of them regularly though, so feel free to interact with me on any of these accounts:
Twitter: @RebeccaBBird
Instagram: @RebeccaBBird
Facebook: FB.com/HelloPrettyBird
Snapchat: helloprettybird
Pinterest: RebeccaBBird
Google+: +RebeccaBBird
YouTube: RebeccaBBird
Vine: HelloPrettyBird

I represent a brand or PR agency and want to get in touch. Who do I contact?
I recommend checking out this page. Or you can e-mail me right now at rebecca@helloprettybird.com.

I have another question or comment! How do I contact you?
The best way to get in touch is e-mail: rebecca@helloprettybird.com. If you prefer to leave an anonymous comment, feel free to use my Suggestion Box form instead.