Shop the Stash | My Bronzer Collection

When I think about quintessential summer makeup, bronzer is definitely at the top of my list. If you're a pale gal like me, there's no shame in faking that sunkissed glow (especially when an actual tan comes at the expense of things like wrinkles and skin cancer...amirite??). Whether you want to chisel out your features with full-on contouring, or warm up your complexion with a gentle dusting across your face, bronzer is a beautiful and versatile product that no makeup collection is complete without.

Speaking of makeup collections, I am fully aware that I have way more makeup than is necessary for the average person. As much as I want to try every new product I lay my eyes on (and rush over here to tell you all about it), I've only got one face, and a finite number of days to put makeup on it. So, as a fun way to encourage myself to revisit products I haven't given love to in a while, I thought I'd start a "Shop the Stash" series here on the blog. In other words, instead of running out and spending all my money at Sephora, I'm going to "shop" through my existing stash, swatching and reviewing along the way.

Seeing as summer is officially right around the corner, I thought that bronzers would be a fun place to start. As a sidenote, today I'm sharing my individual, standalone bronzer only. I've got plenty of face and eye palettes that contain some bronzer or bronzer-esque shades, but I figured palettes are an entirely separate beast we can cover another day.

Are you ready to go not-shopping? Of course you are!

Milk Makeup Have a Good Trip Set

Is it just me, or does it feel like there are constantly new makeup brands popping up at Sephora and Ulta? I love to peruse both sites on the regular to see what has recently been added, and I feel like my to-try list just keeps growing longer and longer. In particular, I've heard a lot of hype around Milk Makeup, a youthful new line that's available at Sephora and in the Birchbox shop. One of my favorite ways to explore a new brand is to pick up one of their travel sets. For the cost of usually only one or two full-sized items you get to try a variety of products and develop a better sense for what the brand is about. So of course, when I was considering what I wanted to spend my hoarded Birchbox Points on, the Milk Makeup Have a Good Trip Set was at the top of the list.

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.

Too Faced Totally Obsessed Sampler Set Review

If you love to try new makeup, but aren't so into the idea of dropping a ton of cash on products you've never tried before, sampler kits are the way to go. When my makeup collection was a less embarrassing epic size, I wanted to get my hands on just about every one I came across. They're usually a great value, and let you test out new and well loved products from a brand without making a huge investment. Of course, as someone who blogs about makeup on the regular, I feel like it's gotten harder for me to find sampler sets that pique my interest. Cause let's be serious, no matter how great a primer is, by the fifth sample it's basically old news.

But then there was the Too Faced Totally Obsessed Set ($25)*. This adorable little box contains five deluxe sized samples of best-selling Too Faced products and somehow I had only tried one of them. One! To make things even better, these are all products I've been seriously lusting after thanks to a million rave reviews from the blogosphere. Did everything live up to the hype? Come find out!