Date Night Inspo: A Valentine's Day Makeup Tutorial & Collab!

Whether you're celebrating with your gal pals, or having a romantic evening with your significant other, if you're looking for some inspiration for your next night out, you've come to the right place! I've teamed up with some fabulous other bloggers to each bring you our take on a Valentine's Day makeup look. This year I'm pretty sure my husband and I will celebrate as per the usual by getting some kind of fancy dinner followed by binge watching Madmen at home in our sweats. Our romance has always been of the low-key, laid back variety, and I think that's what I wanted to pay homage to in this look. I reached for some of my favorite, long-wearing and effortless products to create a look that strikes the perfect balance between everyday casual and special occasion glam.

Galentine's Day Gifts to Give

Oh Valentine's Day. As someone that is currently happily married but that has also gone through more than one January breakup, I understand the love-hate relationship people have with you. Romance is great, but when you're recently heartbroken or hanging out with your substitute boyfriends Ben & Jerry for the umpteenth time, its probably the last thing you want to have on your mind. And this is why I'm all for celebrating Galentine's Day - because there is so much more love to celebrate in life than just the romantic kind. Of course I believe Valentine's Day can also be a representation of that. But why not take the opportunity, regardless of whether or not we're in a relationship, to celebrate our best gal pals?

If you're in need of some inspiration on how to spoil the special ladies in your life, look no further. I've curated a list of some of my favorite extra-girly gift ideas for showing appreciation to all kinds of wonderful women - from your kid's teacher, to your mom, to your hairdresser, your bestie, or your coworker. (There is also no shame in passing this post on to a S.O. should he or she need some pointers and/or not-so-subtle hints of things you might appreciate yourself. Just sayin'.)

The Ultimate Girly Gift Guide: Pink & Pretty Things for Your Holiday Wishlist

*This post contains affiliate links

Friends, there is absolutely no denying that I am the walking definition of a girly girl. I pretty much always prefer to wear dresses, I have more makeup than I can use in a lifetime, and anything that's pink, polka dotted, or covered in flowers will basically steal my heart. It may be crazy to think that there was once a time in my life that I felt ashamed to be ultra feminine, but some people (some guys, especially) like to associate being a girly girl with being weak, overly dramatic, or vain.

The truth is, I am anything but weak, nor does my liking to wear makeup make me self centered or insecure. I'm proud of my femininity, of my love of all things pretty, and I will never let anyone make me feel ashamed or lesser than because of it. And with that being said, I am incredibly excited to share with you my Ultimate Girly Gift Guide for the holiday season. I've compiled a list of some of my most favorite accessories, beauty products, and home decor to inspire your holiday gifting, or even to add to your own wish list!

Ten Lip Products to Try for Fall

*Affiliate links used

As much as it pains me to say goodbye to the long, sunny days of summer, I think I'm finally ready to embrace all things fall. Yes, bring on the blanket scarves, the plaid shirts, and everything pumpkin spice. I'm a New Englander, and when the leaves start to turn its hard to not find yourself getting swept up in that autumnal spirit.

One of the first places I turn to welcome each new season is my everyday lip collection. While it's true that there are no rules in makeup, I personally find it fun to change up shades and textures at different times of the year. Which, for right now, means trading in my peaches, corals, and vibrant pinks for rich reds, warm nudes, bold berries, and rusty hues. After spending a good amount of time swatching and playing with a somewhat ridiculous number of lipsticks, I've got ten gorgeous shades to share with you. From your classic mattes to sheer glosses, I think there's a little something here for everyone!

Spring Fling: Glossy Lip Colors to Love

*This post contains affiliate links

I am SO READY to embrace all things spring. Give me sunshine. Give me flowers. And please for the love of all things good take my winter coat and bury it in the back of the closet. For me, this time of year is all about lightening up. Lightening up my clothes, lightening up my mood, and in the case of today's post, lightening up my lipstick. While I don't think the matte liquid lip trend is going anywhere anytime soon, I personally am in desperate need of a change. From sheer glosses, to creamy lipsticks I've been embracing a more cheerful, comfortable kind of lip product as per late. So if you're also craving a little springtime inspiration, here are a few of favorite lip products for channeling those vibes!

March 2017 Favorites

Hello there my beautiful friends! I feel like it's been a million years since I've sat down and written a blog post, which just goes to show how much technology skews our perception of time. March was a bit of a crazy and stressful month for me out in the "real world", and to be honest, I just needed some time away from my computer to recharge my batteries. It's crazy the amount of guilt I feel for essentially giving myself a month off from my blog. There is so much pressure to post to social media every day, to write blog posts multiple times a week, to promote them, to read other people's content, to pin, to share, and to basically absorb every second of your free time in blog-related business. And quite frankly, home girl just wanted to read a book. To cuddle. To veg out on the couch and watch The Office entirely guilt-free.

The truth of the blogging world is that there is immense pressure to be on your A-game every moment of every day if you want even the smallest chance of making it big. Unlike a 9 to 5, the internet never sleeps and knows no difference between a Monday and a Saturday. The lines between "work time" and "me time" become so blurred that all time that isn't "work time" feels like wasted time. But, here in America anyway, burnout is a mark of dedication. If you aren't exhausting every fiber of your being you aren't deserving of success. Even though I know that sounds crazy, I'm also aware of how much I've been buying into that philosophy. Of course I'm willing to work hard, but at what cost? Where's the admiration for balance? For time spent connecting with others in the flesh?

Before I overstay my place here on this soapbox, let me just say that I love you guys, and I love chatting beauty with you. I love the brands that I've worked with, and so many of the awesome products that they've made. I love this space that I've created for myself and for you guys to learn and share and have some fun. My absence is definitely not for lack of desire to be a beauty blogger. Just a desire to rediscover the parts of me that have felt lost along the way.

SO, now that we've had our little heart-to-heart, let's lighten things up a little bit. Even though I've been a little less beauty-focused as per late, I've still discovered a few awesome products that I wanted to share with you all. Let me give you the scoop!

February 2017 Flashback

Hello there, friends! For the shortest month of the year, I feel like so much happened beauty and blogging wise in February. I tested and reviewed A TON of amazing new products, filmed the most popular series on my YouTube channel to date, AND I hit a thousand followers on Instagram (speaking of which, you still have until the end of the day today to enter my giveaway!). Even though I'm still in a bit of denial that two months of 2017 are already behind us, I'm totally pumped for what's yet to come. So before we say hello to March, let's take a look back at all the fun happenings over at Little Blushing Birdie from February!

February 2017 Favorites

*Affiliate links/PR samples used.

Guys, I'm so excited to share this month's favorites with you I'm practically dancing out of my chair. 2017 has been off to the most amazing start beauty-wise, and it's got me more pumped to blog than ever. It's not like my passion for playing with product has ever really wavered, it's just that lately I've come across things that I'm genuinely loving so much that I find myself looking forward to doing my nightly skincare or putting on my makeup each morning. And of course, being the true enabler that I am, I can't wait to tell you about it all so you can fall in love right along with me!

January 2017 Favorites

Hello lovelies! It may be hard to believe, but it's already time to wrap up the first month of 2017! As far as beauty goes this year has been off to quite a start. Between an onslaught of new drugstore makeup launches, all the swag I took home from Gen Beauty, and whatever holiday deals I managed to scoop up at the end of December, I've got an almost overwhelming amount of new stuff to review. That being said, my January favorites are comparatively pretty modest. TBH, I'm pretty picky about what I choose to include in my monthly favorites round-ups. I only like to mention products that I've been using and loving consistently so I can be confident in my recommendations, and sometimes that means it can be a few months between when something hits my hands, and when I make a final verdict. Still, I think I've got some pretty exciting finds to share! If you're curious to learn more about what they are, keep on reading.

January 2017 Flashback

I swear, the older I get, the faster time passes. How is the first month of 2017 already behind us? I guess it's true that a lot has happened over the last 31 days, but it still baffles me that it's already February 1st. While I take a minute to wrap my brain around how all of this is possible, let me give you a quick look back at all of the happenings over here in Little Blushing Birdie world.

Best of Beauty 2016: Must-Have Makeup

I don't know about you, but I am SO ready to wrap up 2016. It's not that this was a bad year (although there were definitely some less than spectacular moments), it's just that I'm excited to wipe the slate clean and make 2017 my best blogging year to date. Looking back at where things were at this time in 2015 I honestly had no idea how much I would grow in 365 days, how many new friends I would make, or how many opportunities would come knocking on my door. This year I took my first swing at fashion blogging and got featured on the Stitch Fix website. I was accepted into Ipsy Open Studios and got to network with some fantastic ladies. I experienced my first Generation Beauty and was able to connect with so many amazing brands. I honestly feel so humbled by all of the love I received in 2016 and am so proud of myself for all the work I've put in to make my content better than ever. So with the prospect of a new year ahead I find myself totally geared up and ready to take on even more new adventures.

Of course, I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. 2016 deserves a proper send off with a final look back at all of my favorite beauty launches and discoveries of the past year. Since there were so many great products to talk about, I've decided to break things down into two posts. Today we're chatting all things makeup related - from beautifully blinding highlights, to the dreamiest of lipsticks. I've got my top picks for every category ready to go, and I can't wait to show you which ones came out on top!

Golden Glam Holiday Makeup Tutorial

It may be hard to believe, but New Year's Eve is almost upon us! It's time to find a LBD, stock up on champagne, and prepare a killer makeup look to rock for the evening. Seriously, though. If there is one day in the year that full-on glam is entirely appropriate, it's NYE. As your makeup BFF, I of course had to come up with something to help you get inspired. This tutorial is actually in collaboration with the lovely Anisa from Whisk & Heels, who I've actually been following for years and is now a fellow Ipsy OS member! We each have put a unique twist on a classic silver or gold holiday makeup look that should help you feel super fierce at your next party. Once you've had a chance to check out my tutorial make sure you also head on over to Anisa's channel to see hers. She seriously did an amazing job (#blendinggoals) and I think you're going to love it!

Winter 2016 Empties

*Affiliate links/PR Samples used

Hello beauties! It's time yet again to take out the trash. I've got a boat load of empty products that I need to say goodbye to, and we're going to chat a little bit about each one. Perhaps its just the die hard beauty enthusiast in me, but I love watching and filming empties videos. Sure it's a lot of fun to hear about what's new and trendy, but sometimes I wonder how much of a person's enthusiasm for a product is based on the hype. And that's why empties are awesome. By the time you're ready to throw something away, your opinion is much less likely to be biased by newness. If someone finishes an entire bottle of something and loved it so much that they already have a backup on standby, I'm going to take that recommendation pretty seriously.

In the end, we all work hard for our money, and if we're going to invest some of it into beauty products, we don't want them to suck. And that's why I'm here doing what I'm doing. I'm willing to take one for the team, to risk the occasional fail so that you don't have to. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't? So if you want to find out my most honest, tried-and-true opinions on some beauty goodness, keep on reading!

November 2016 Favorites

Every time I sit down to write a monthly favorites post, I feel like a broken record. "This month went by so fast!", "Where did the year go?", "What am I doing with my life?!"

Okay, so maybe not so much the last one, but it's certainly also been on the brain.

Time does have a sneaky way of disappearing. I'm sitting here looking over all of the beauty I've been using in the last couple of months, and realize that I'm still backlogged on a ton of reviews that I want to write for you guys. AND there's still new stuff coming in. Basically, if you want to be a beauty blogger, you have to be willing to hustle hard. Getting to play with makeup and skincare and whatnot is awesome, but I can totally appreciate how some people do this as a full time job. It takes work, man, and most days 24 hours do not seem like enough.

ANYWAY, I'm distracting myself. Let's get back to the matter at hand - all of the beauty I was loving on last month. As the winter starts to creep ever closer I've been all about products that will keep me soft and smooth from head to toe. Curious to find out more? Keep on reading!

Holiday 2016: Cyber Monday Beauty Deals

Does anyone else remember when Cyber Monday was just about tech deals? Like, unless you needed a laptop or the newest gaming console, Black Friday was really where the sales were at. And if you wanted to shop Black Friday, you had best be prepared to stand in line for hours in the middle of the night, whilst freezing your butt off in the cold. Fast forward to 2016, where internet shopping reigns supreme, and Cyber Monday deals put Black Friday to shame. Granted, now people sit perched in front of their computers, impatiently refreshing websites so they can click "checkout" the moment a sale goes live.

But they can at least avoid the cold.

Now, we all know Mondays are enough of a struggle without trying to make sure you don't miss out an epic deal. So I've got your back! I'm compiling a list of the best beauty and fashion Cyber Monday deals I can find so they'll all be accessible in one easy place. I'm going to try and update this list as much as possible over the next 24 hours as I'm able to discover new offerings, so make sure you bookmark this page and check back later for new info!

What I'm Thankful For: Beauty Edition

So, this post comes along with a bit of a funny story. Maybe funny not funny in the "ha ha" sense, but funny in the "I see what you're doing there, universe" kind of way. I woke up yesterday morning feeling energized and productive, which was fortunate because my to-do list for the day was pretty ambitious. I had hoped to get my Thursday video done earlier this week, but between life and sheer exhaustion, it just never happened. That left me Thanksgiving morning to shop a few sales, beautify myself, film, edit, and make Deviled eggs all in time to meet my parents at 1:00. I was a little nervous that I would end up scrambling around at the last second, but I actually was making great time all day. There I am, feeling like a boss, putting on my eyeshadow with hours to spare and BAM.

The power goes out.

Holiday 2016: Black Friday Beauty Deals at Ulta & Sephora

Friends, prepare your wallets. Black Friday is almost upon us.

As someone who can never pass up a good bargain, its hard to not go a little crazy with the beauty shopping at this time of year. There are just so many amazing little sets and great deals to be had, and it's tempting to buy...just about everything.

For the sake of my bank account, I'm trying to be extra choosy about what I put in my shopping cart this year. Black Friday is one of the worst times for impulse purchases, what with the pressure of the time crunch and fear of things selling out, so I'm making an effort to try and plan as much of my shopping ahead of time as possible. Fortunately I've got my hands on some sneak peeks of beauty deals that are going live this Thursday at Sephora and Ulta, which gives me a few days of deliberation before I have to hit that checkout button. Curious to see what this year's offerings look like? I'm more than happy to share!

Fall Haul First Impressions

If you guys saw my recent fall beauty haul, then you're already well aware that I've acquired a boat load of new makeup to review. Between a trip to the new NYX store in Union Square, goodies sent from a friend in the UK, and my own inability to restrain myself, I've ended up with a whole lotta loot. Life has been a little crazy lately, which ultimately translated to the majority of my new beauty ending up in a pile waiting to be loved. This weekend finally afforded me the opportunity to get some blogging hours in, and I stared at said pile feeling a little overwhelmed with my options. Where the heck should I even begin? And then I had a brilliant idea. Why not try it all and let you in on the process? I'm all about being real with you guys and sharing my honest thoughts on beauty. So why not capture my completely unscripted, entirely unpredictable first impressions on camera? Not gonna lie, filming this video was a whole lot of fun, and I don't think the look I created in the end was too shabby. So if you're curious to see how these new goodies worked out for me, keep on reading!

Fall Beauty Haul

I'm not going to lie. I'm ever so slightly embarrassed to have a haul to share before the holiday shopping season has even ramped up.

Back in September I acquired a massive amount of new beauty to play with from my trip to Generation Beauty. That haul alone had more than enough newness to keep me occupied for the rest of the year. But as any beauty blogger will tell you, between PR samples, promotions, and an unwavering curiosity about all things new in beauty, it always seems like its only a matter of time before you've ended up with another pile of product to test out.

So, as unnecessary as it all may be, I've got a ton of fun new stuff to show you guys that I'll be testing and reviewing in the next couple of weeks. Curious to find out what? Keep on reading!

Holiday 2016: Wish-List Worthy Eyeshadow Palettes

Now that Halloween has officially past, I think it's safe to admit that the holiday shopping season is in full swing! If the rest of the year is any indication, the weeks between now and Christmas are going to absolutely fly by, which means you have way less time to get everything on your shopping list checked off than you think. If you're feeling a little lost and uninspired, don't you worry. I'm going to be posting tons of awesome beauty-related (and maybe some non-beauty related) gift ideas over the coming weeks to help get you started.

In true Lauren fashion, I'm kicking things off with perhaps my greatest weakness among makeup products - the eyeshadow palette. There have been SO many incredible launches this year it was hard to narrow down my list of recommendations. But after having spent a slightly embarrassing amount of time researching what's new, what's hyped, and what might be a hidden gem I think I've got a pretty solid list for you to check out!