July 2015 Glambag

Hey everyone! This month is FLYING by. Seriously, I can't believe there's less than a week left. I've realized I've been slacking a bit with my subscription box reviews this month, so I wanted to make sure I got them in before August is here and well under way. My Birchbox shipped out SUPER late this month because of a hold up with the Plus item that I added on, which means my Glambag has had my full attention in the past few weeks. Product wise July's selection was sort of middle of the road for me, but I'm totally digging the vibrant sort of tribal print of the bag. Let's take a look.

Summer Fashion Haul

So, I thought I'd bring you guys a little something different today. While I wouldn't ever consider myself to be a high fashion fanatic, I definitely enjoy adding new clothes to my wardrobe. Lately I feel like I've been trying to refine my style and incorporate pieces that mix, match and layer well so that I can create an endless number of killer outfits. Yesterday my mom and I went to the new Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods and I picked up a few really great things that I thought might be fun to share with you all. I love bargain shopping, and I got some pretty crazy deals while I was there. Let me show you what I got!

Bright & Bold: How to Rock a Statement Lip

As much as I appreciate neutral, classic, work-appropriate makeup, nothing gives me as big a confidence boost as a bold statement lip. In the cooler and darker months I'm all about rich berry tones and velvety reds, but when the temperatures are rising and the sun is shining I find myself reaching for fierce fuchsias and vibrant corals. If you're worried that a hot pink lipstick will take you into clown territory, relax. I promise it's much easier to rock than you might think! For me, wearing a statement lip is all about balance - keeping your other features looking flawless and polished, but not competing for attention. Today I'm going to introduce you to a few of my favorite lipsticks for summer, as well as the makeup look I like to sport whenever I wear them!

The Z Palette: An Adventure in De-Potting

Show of hands, who else out there has drawers full of eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, and highlights that are basically collecting dust?

It's so easy for a shade to become neglected as it gets buried in a heap of beauty products. As someone who subscribes to a few beauty subscription boxes this is especially true, as I receive a lot of eyeshadow singles or mini sizes of products to try that don't always make it into the daily rotation. A lot of times its easier to reach for one of my palettes, where several shades are displayed easily at once, rather that dig through my stash to find a set of coordinating colors. It pains me, though, because I know I'm not utilizing my entire collection and I've definitely got some gorgeous products going un-noticed. So what's a girl to do?

Enter, the Z Palette.

As a de-clutter-er, DIY enthusiast, and makeup lover the Z Palette is basically a dream come true. With a multitude of sizes and colors available, these empty magnetic palettes are the perfect storage devices for your color makeup products. After hearing so many professional Makeup Artists and Beauty Bloggers rave about them, I don't know why I waited so long to pull the trigger and finally buy my own!

A Little Birdie Told Me...Vol. 4 - Creative & Blogging Inspiration

It's been WAY too long since I've written A Little Birdie Told Me post. There are so many wonderful bloggers and websites that I frequent on a regular basis, and I think it's important to spread the love and support other people who help and inspire you along the way. This time around I'm featuring seven of my absolute favorite sources of creative inspiration and blogging know-how. One of the things I've come to appreciate in the past two years is that growing a successful beauty blog involves so much more than just being knowledgable about skincare and having some makeup application techniques up my sleeve. Creating a space for your content that genuinely reflects who you are and what you have to offer, then building an audience of dedicated, engaged readers to actually visit it takes a lot of time, energy, and know-how. So much of what I've learned in these past two years can be credited back to these awesome blogs, and I could not thank them enough for being such a valuable resource to me. For all of my non-blogger readers, don't worry, there's plenty in here for you too! Many of these sites are chock full of craft projects, DIY ideas, beauty and fashion tips and more.

Birthday Haulin'

When it comes to birthday presents, I'm one of the easiest people on the planet to please. If it smells nice, tastes good, or looks pretty I'm probably going to love it. And when in doubt, the gift of shopping never fails to put a smile on my face. It also so happens that by being born on a holiday weekend, there are almost always amazing sales that I can take advantage of during my self-gifting birthday binge. While I did do some serious damage at the mall earlier this month, this haul is truly a collection of all the beauty shopping I've done both since and before my birthday. After all, if I'm going to write up a haul post, I might as well show you everything new I've been trying and loving as per late. If you caught my wish list post from a few weeks back you'll probably recognize quite a few familiar things in the picture above. I really don't waste any time when it comes to making good on said types of lists, apparently. So, without more rambling from my end, let's dive right in.

Walmart Beauty Box Summer 2015

I'm writing this to you with a half numb face and a blurry eye. I had to get a filling put in one of my lower molars, and the novocaine apparently went a little overboard. I'd never had the inside of my ear go numb before, but let me tell you...it's a strange feeling. And then of course, I get home and try to make myself feel better by going through my evening skincare routine and end up with something in my eye that I STILL can't manage to get out. So yeah, that's about where I'm at right now.

Anyway, I'm going to distract myself with something happy and chat beauty with all of you. A new season is well underway, and another Walmart Beauty Box is here for me to review. Drugstore beauty has really grown on me in the last year and a half or so, and discovery boxes like this one definitely are a great resource. Let's take a peek inside, shall we?

Essie Gel Setter Review

Let's talk nails.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with essie polishes. I know they have quite a hardcore following, but I personally have never been thrilled with their polish formulation or their brush design. However they do have the most amazing range of colors, and I always manage to fall in love with their seasonal collections. Trying to maintain some self control, I usually just admire the bottles from afar, but every once in a while I'll decide to give essie another go and see maybe if I can understand what the fuss is all about.

This time around it was the launch of the new Gel Setter topcoat that reeled me in. These duo packs have been popping up at drugstores everywhere, and with my trusty set of CVS coupons in hand I caved and picked one up in the shade Bikini So Teeny. I wasted no time trying this out and slapped it on my nails pretty much as soon as I got home from the store. How did it fair? Let's take a look.

Birdie Bites - Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Any of my friends and family will tell you that I have a serious sweet tooth. And a non discriminating one at that. From berry cobbler, to chocolate cake, to creme brulee, I basically want to eat it all. But, since it is summer after all, I've had a particular craving for something fresh and zesty as per late. Looking to the fruit in my fridge for a bit of inspiration, I came up with this recipe for creamy, delicious blueberry lemon cheesecake bars. It involves a little bit of work to whip up, but the end result is totally worth it!

L'Oreal Ultimate Straight Haircare Review*

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having lovely holiday weekends. I had some pretty spectacular birthday celebrations myself, so perhaps I'll have to tweet or instagram some pictures from the festivities. Anyway, on to today's post! Thanks to my friends over at Influenster I've gotten to try the entire Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight line from L'Oreal. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit puzzled when I found out I qualified for this campaign, because my hair is kind of naturally straight as a stick. Still, with my beauty blogging duties in mind, I gave all four of these products a try so that I could report back to you on how they worked and what they did for my hair.

Birthday Beauty Wishlist

When I was a kid I used to hate that my birthday fell on a holiday weekend, and in the summer at that. It was impossible to have a well attended party with all of my friends traveling or with busy with family plans, and I never got to have cupcakes to celebrate at school (such a travesty, I know). Now that I'm a bit more grown up, though, I couldn't imagine a better birthday. I always get a day off, either on my actual birthday, or the day after, and I get some pretty sweet fireworks to celebrate! So far I'm not entirely sure what my actual plans are for today aside from dinner with my bestie, but I'm sure that as a whole I'll have a lovely long weekend.

I'm also a big advocate of self gifting for birthdays. At this point in my life I'm mostly past parties and presents and other celebratory activities, so I usually take it upon myself to make sure I feel a little extra special. And of course, my favorite way to treat myself is almost always with a little bit of retail therapy. I've always got a pretty lengthy beauty wish list, but here are the items I'm currently coveting the most!

June 2015 Flashback

Happy 1st of July, all! I've always had a particular fondness for this month. The summer is in full swing, 4th of July celebrations will soon be under way, and it's my birthday on Friday, so that's always something to look forward to. It looks like my friend is taking me out to dinner to celebrate, which should be lovely, AND I don't have work because of the holiday. Basically, I'm in good spirits and I'm really looking forward to the rest of this month.

Before I get too carried away, though, I should give June a proper goodbye and take a quick look back at all of the happenings on Little Blushing Birdie last month.

June 2015 Glambag

As June has come and gone it's time to finally round up the last of my monthly posts with my Glambag review. Things have been solidly better in the Ipsy world over the last couple of months, and I'm generally feeling pretty pleased with my decision to stick with my subscription (things were getting a bit dicey towards the end of last year). The theme this month is "Swim into Beauty", and while nothing I got was really waterproof or pool friendly, there was definitely some good stuff packed inside that little cosmetics bag. Let's take a peek inside, shall we?