September 2013 Birchbox

So, I know it's a bit overdue, but I finally had a chance to review my September Birchbox! As September marks Birchbox's 3rd anniversary, this month's theme was appropriately Heritage. Birchbox paid homage to it's loyal subscribers and brand partners in a variety of fun ways - from a special "Golden Ticket" esque giveaway, to this awesome tribute video. Here are my thoughts on the treats I got from Birchbox this month.

Pre-Wedding Beauty Boot Camp

Wedding season.

There was a time when I was oblivious to such a thing. Actually, for most of my life I could say that I had never even been to a wedding, let alone be involved in one. 

Then I turned about 23 and came to realize the alleged phase of life where everyone you know will start getting married and having babies is really, truly a thing.

I do love weddings, especially those of close friends. I mean, what is better than being served delicious food and drinks, dancing all night, and being surrounded by people you love? (Having an excuse to buy a new dress and get a mani/pedi?...okay, so maybe not better, but definitely an added bonus).

September 2013 Ipsy Glambag

This month's Ipsy Glambag is all about classic beauty. I've always been a huge fan of timeless style, so this bag definitely struck a chord with me. I got five makeup items (4 of which were full sized!!) that are versatile enough to go from retro to rocker.

Sephora Summer Sale Haul

Even though the weather has decided to get a head start on things over the past few weeks, it is finally officially the first day of fall! As much as I love the summertime, my inner New Englander does appreciate fall just about as much. From the changing leaves, to pumpkin everything, to apple picking, to breaking out the boots and sweaters and scarves there is a lot to look forward to over the coming months.

I have SO many things I have to share with you all. Right now I literally have about 5 different posts in progress - my September favorites, my Birchbox and Glambag reviews, a quick overview of the awesome haul I got at the Grand Opening of the new ULTA a few towns over, and my thoughts on the timeless red lip. I have had such a crazy week though, and this is the first day that I'm actually able to sit down and write. So...expect a lot of updates over the next couple of days as I'm finally able to wrap things up!

In the meantime, I have a long overdue review of my haul from the Sephora Summer Sale. A lot of these products are still available at the discounted price, so you may able to snag them if you are interested.

ULTA 21 Days of Beauty September 2013

Good morning my fellow beauty enthusiasts! Just a quick one today.

If you aren't receiving ULTA's mailers or e-mails, I wanted to make sure you all were aware that they are doing their 21 Day of Beauty this month! They offer this promotion maybe once per season, and there are always some really awesome steals. Each day for three weeks ULTA has a different product offered at a crazy discount. You can check out the calendar of events here. 

It's kind of tempting to go bananas and buy everything while the prices are so awesome, but as an exercise in self control, here are the few that I am most excited about:

Special Birchbox Offer for My Readers!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm a huge Birchbox advocate. I've been a subscriber since May, and I honestly can't believe that I didn't find out about them sooner.

NYC Adventures and Birchbox Local

It's a perfectly cozy, uneventful Tuesday night (with the exception of the So You Think You Can Dance Season 10 Finale...kinda pumped about that), but after the day I had yesterday, staying in and snuggling up in my pjs is exactly what I need. I had the most AMAZING time in New York yesterday, but all that walking definitely wore me out!

Sick Day Saving Graces

So, I definitely did not get my labor day weekend off to a good start by getting myself sick. These past few days have been a bit rough. My job has a very strict attendance policy, so I've had to go in the past few days despite my general grossness. Fortunately I'm home for the night and finally have a chance to relax.

Every time I get sick and I'm lying around feeling stuffy and achy and generally miserable there are a few things that I've come to realize are absolute life savers. And as the cooler weather and subsequent flu season approach, I thought it'd be a good idea to share with you all what some of them are. Hopefully you won't be needing them anytime soon, but they're great to have on hand just in case you do!

Updates, Sales and Other Exciting News!

So, let me get the bad news out of the way first.

I may or may not be sick...And by may or may not be, I mean most likely am. Last night I was driving home from a friend's house and noticed my throat was kind of sore. I figured I was just a little dehydrated, so I drank a big glass of water and went to bed. Unfortunately for me, I don't think it was a little dehydration, as the angry scratchy pain only got worse to the point that it woke me up around 3:00 this morning.

Unable to actually fall back asleep I decided to grab a cough drop and peruse the internet for a while until I got sleepy again. I started working on the blog post that I put up earlier this morning, and then I surfed Facebook for a while.

And lo and behold, I stumbled upon something AWESOME!

Summer 2013 Favorites

I can't believe the summer is finally coming to a close. When you aren't someone with kids or who is going back to school themselves, it's easy to be in denial about the whole thing. The weather has still been warm and beautiful as ever, and there's a little part of me that wants to believe that it'll just keep going on forever....and then I'll walk into just about any store and see that everyone is already in full-out Halloween mode, and realize it's only a matter of time before I have to begrudgingly pack away my flip flops and sundresses.

But, instead of mourning over the passing of my favorite season, I figured it would be much nicer to celebrate the warmer months by recapping some of my favorite products from this summer.