Getting Organized | Travel Bag Hack

Spontaneity certainly adds some spice to life. If I get a last minute invitation to go away for the weekend, I am almost always up for the adventure. On the other hand,  I am also a planner. My personality type is INFJ...with a strong emphasis on the J. So for me there's always a sweet spot to be found between having everything in my life mapped out to the hour, and being open and flexible to whatever opportunities arise. Which is exactly why this travel hack has been one of the best ideas I've ever had. Stress from packing (or not having enough time to pack) should never be the reason to turn down a fun night. For me, running around trying to find all my toiletries was always the part of the process that took the longest, and always the step where I was most likely to forget something.

My solution? Always keep a pre-packed bag with everything I need for an overnight stay. That way, whenever I need to pack I can focus on picking out some cute outfits to bring and what makeup I might want to wear, and the rest is a complete no-brainer. It's saved me so much time, and also forever solved the problem of getting ready away from home and realizing I don't have deodorant. So let's chat a little bit about what I pack in my bag and how you can recreate this hack for yourself!

Everyday Makeup | Wearable Red Lips

Hello there, friends! I'm sorry I've been missing for most of the week. I've been completely absorbed in an epic coding project I started last weekend. I'd noticed some weird things happening on my mobile site (mainly my images being blurry and low quality) and was all around feeling sort of tired with my current color scheme and design. Alas, I am not a designer, and my knowledge of coding is pretty limited. I knew that I could probably hire someone to spruce things up for me, but I'm a serious do-it-yourself-er and wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. It took a lot of googling and tinkering, but I did it! I solved the mystery of the blurry pictures, made a few changes to my layout that I think you all will appreciate, and rolled out a fresh, new color scheme while I was at it. I really love the look and feel of my new site, and hope you all are enjoying it too!

As much as I could keep on nerding out to you guys about my adventures behind-the-scenes, I'm really here to share an updated everyday makeup look with you all. I've been totally obsessed with this sheer red lipstick that I discovered, and have been pairing it with a soft, neutral-toned eye look pretty much on the daily.

Spring 2016 Walmart Beauty Box Unboxing

Happy Friday, friends! I am SO ready for the weekend. Just need to get myself though one more work day (lots of coffee may be required) and I'm home free. Today I've got a quick and fun little video for you all. My Walmart Beauty Box arrived a week or so ago, and I wanted to unbox it and show you what I got! If you aren't familiar with Walmart Beauty Box, it's a seasonal subscription that only costs $5 and contains a variety of new finds and old classics from the beauty and personal care aisles of Walmart. Most of what you get a nice travel-sized samples, but sometimes you'll get a full sized product thrown in there, too. If you'd like to check out some of my previous boxes, you can view all of my older posts here.

Get Your Sparkle On | A Too Faced Glitter Glue Review

Call me a girly girl, but I love me some glitter. I don't care if you're three or thirty, you have to admit that there's something appealing about a little bit of sparkle. Okay, so maybe Lady Gaga at the Superbowl takes things to an extreme, but not all glittery looks need to be that intense. A little glimmer on your eyelids can be flirty, feminine, and glamorous without needing to go over the top.

The biggest issue I have with glitter isn't that I'm afraid of looking ridiculous. It's that glitter. gets. EVERYWHERE. It's truly incredible. It'll spread to every surface, end up in the most improbable of places, and then becomes impossible to get off. It's so pretty, and yet SO FRUSTRATING.

When it comes to makeup especially, glittery shadows and pigments can be some of the worst culprits when it comes to fallout. You know how it goes. You're out at a party, enjoying yourself. Living it up. Then you go to use the bathroom, catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, and lo and behold your entire face looks like a disco ball! It's in your eyebrows. It's on your cheeks. Heck it's even on your shirt. It looks like a glitter bomb exploded and you were in its unfortunate wake.

So what's a girl to do? Just give up on glitter forever? Accept your fate as a sparkly hot mess? Heck no! Just grab yourself a tube of Too Faced Glitter Glue ($20), and get your sparkle situation in check.

The Beauty Lover Tag

It's been such a long time since I've done a tag post! This particular tag is 10 questions for the beauty lover, aka right up my alley. These are always such fun posts to write, and a nice way to take a break from all the makeup reviews and get to know each other better. I was tagged by the lovely Steffanie over at Brighter, Darling (you can check out her answers here), who apparently is totally on the same beauty brain wave as I am. So without me rambling on any further, let's get into the questions!

Skincare Trends: Facial Mists & Setting Sprays

*This post contains affiliate links.

Is it just me, or are facial mists the next big thing? Whether you want to spend almost $20 on glorified water to hydrate your skin, or seek a magical potion to set down your makeup, there seem to be a countless number of pretty bottles with equally pretty promises appearing in beauty aisles everywhere. Many of us in the beauty community know and will easily admit that facial sprays are the epitome of the princess product - totally unnecessary, and yet 100% enjoyable to use. There's just something so strangely luxurious and spa-like about misting one of them over your face that it's hard to not get sucked into the trend.

Now, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been incredibly curious about a lot of these products and have (as you can obviously see) picked up quite a few to try out. They range from incredibly expensive, to incredibly affordable, and all tout some seriously impressive claims. From brightening skin and tightening pores, to giving you a flawless base for your makeup, these lovely skincare concoctions seem almost too good to be true. Which, I suppose, leads us to the big question hanging in the air. Do they actually work? Is the hype actually merited? Or are facial sprays just a bit of high maintenance fluff that we are wasting our money on?

Spring Ulta Haul | 21 Days of Beauty and More

I don't know about you, but it's basically impossible for me to resist a good sale. Whether it's on eggs at the grocery store, or makeup at Ulta, I'm usually all about getting the best price I can. Ulta recently just wrapped up their 21 Days of Beauty promotion, which I ended up taking way more advantage of than I anticipated. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, 21 Days of Beauty is a thing Ulta does a few times a year. Every day for 21 Days they have different beauty steals that are each available for 24 hours only. These products are usually up to 50% off their usual price, making them incredibly enticing to snag. On top of that, anyone with Platinum status had access to additional steals and free shipping on most orders during that three week period. I personally also ended up getting multiple 5x points opportunities throughout the promotion, sweetening the deal even futher.

TLDR: I bought a whole bunch of new stuff and it cost me a lot less money than it should have (yay!).

Spring 2016 Stitch Fix | Try on & Review

Can anyone tell me why it looks like a winter wonderland outside? It's April, Mother Nature. Let's get with the program. Regardless of the state of the outdoors, I am insisting on channeling all things Spring. My Stitch Fix has arrived and I am ready to share my pretty new clothes even if it's too cold for me to actually leave the house wearing them.

For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Stitch Fix, it's a fashion-forward personal styling service. After you fill out a detailed profile outlining your sizes and style preferences, your Stitch Fix Stylist will pick out 5 clothing and accessory items to suit your tastes. When your box arrives you have three days to try everything on, see how things work with your existing wardrobe, and decide what you'd like to keep. Then you return whatever isn't your jam, and buy whatever you love. Want to keep it all? You'll get a 25% discount on your entire Fix if you decide to purchase all 5 items. Having your own personal shopper only costs $20, and this styling fee gets credited back to you as long as you keep at least one piece from your fix.

It's a pretty excellent concept, especially if you're one of those people who hates wandering aimlessly through the mall, or barely has time to eat breakfast in the morning, let alone go shopping for new clothes. I personally have been enjoying Stitch Fix as a way of introducing new and unique pieces to my wardrobe that I might not have thought to buy for myself otherwise. Which brings us back to today's post! I wanted to show you all what I got in my Spring Fix, and share my thoughts on the process and what I decided to keep.

Love Lingerie? Here's Your Chance to Win Some!

I'm not gonna lie, I love me some pretty under-roos. They're like a secret weapon. An instant confidence boost. Even if no one else is going to see them, you know that you look killer under your clothes and it puts that extra little pep in your step. Lately I've been completely obsessed with the whole bralette trend. With lacey detailing and flattering feminine shapes they basically want to make me find an excuse to wear one with every outfit.

If you're equally enamored with lingerie, you're in luck! Adore Me is hosting a fun Instagram contest to win two sets from their beautiful lingerie collection. If you've never perused their website, be prepared to spend the next 20 minutes of your life lusting after their seriously gorgeous bras and panties (and let's not even get into swimwear...holy sexy bikini times, Batman!). They carry a huge range of sizes and styles, so there's something to flatter whatever body type you have.

Interested in entering? All you need to do is share a flat lay like this one to your Instagram page with the hashtag #everydaylingerie. If you don't own anything from Adore Me, that's totally cool. They just ask that you not show any labels of whatever brand your favorite piece of lingerie is from. And make sure you tag @AdoreMe so they can see your post! Contest entries will be accepted through 04/15. I'd love to see what you guys come up with, too. Tag me in a comment (@littleblushingbirdie) so I can check them out.

Tarte Double-Duty Beauty 101 Discovery Kit

All right, friends. I've got a major value alert coming your way. About a month ago I decided to pick up the new Tarte Double Duty Beauty 101 Discovery Kit ($36) and put it to the test. The Double Duty Beauty Collection just launched for Spring and is exclusive to Ulta stores. Designed with the busy girl-on-the-go in mind, every product is aimed towards slimming down your beauty routine and making some space in that cosmetics bag. You can shop the entire collection here, which contains some super cute palettes and innovative new foundation formulas in addition to the products in this set. With four full-sized products valued at almost $100, the Beauty 101 Discovery Kit is a steal for only $36. I also thought it'd be a great way to get a feel for the new collection and see if it was worth checking out.