August 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! Somehow it's already the end of August, and I'm struggling to figure out how exactly that happened. Fortunately there are a few weeks of summer left, because I'm so not ready to say goodbye to the warm weather. In the meantime, let's take a look back at some of the products I finally finished up in the last month. As much as its sad to reach the bottom of the jar when a product is awesome, there's also a definite sense of accomplishment around it. This time around I feel like I made some headway in the bath and body department, which is good considering how much of a stockpile I feel like I've amassed at home.

Tousled Hair Extraordinaire: Texturizing Sprays to Try

Confession time. When it comes to hair, I am super, uber lazy. Whether or not the hair Gods blessed me with easy hair because I'm lazy, or I'm able to get away with being lazy because I have easy hair may never be determined. The simple truth is that for all of my love of primping and dolling myself up, it's hair is the one place where I'm pretty low maintenance. My typical routine is shampoo, condition, comb with wet brush, spritz in sea salt spray or other volumizing agent, air dry. Occassionally I'll bust out the hair dryer and do the whole upside down blowout thing, and once in a blue moon I'll court my curling iron (usually with futile results), but for the most part I just let mother nature take over. The reason I can get away with doing the bare minimum is that my hair is straight. Like...straight as a dang stick straight. It's relatively fine in texture, but I've got a lot of it, and it basically laughs in the face of curls.

While having fine, silky straight hair definitely has its perks (especially for the time crunched) it also has one notable downfall - it usually lacks in volume and movement. Which brings us to today's topic of conversation. The glorious, immediate revive-r of hair - texturizing spray. These lightweight aerosol sprays have quickly become an absolute godsend in my day to day life. By adding instant lift and texture they can take your do from flat to fabulous in literally less than 30 seconds.

August 2015 Birchbox

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you all are having fabulous weekends. Mine has actually been quite lovely so far (as any weekend involving lots of delicious wine and food should be), and I'm hoping today will follow suit. I thought I'd kick things off by giving you all a little peek inside my August Birchbox. Once again Birchbox really nailed it with the products they sent me this month. I couldn't say that I really disliked a single thing, and a few products may have made their way into my monthly favorites. Let me show you a little more!

Super Summer Sale at Sephora!

Exciting news, everyone! If you haven't recently checked the sale section of the Sephora website, it appears to have exploded with a ton of amazing new things. It looks like there's a giant selection of Tarte products at reduced prices, as well as some other incredible finds. Fragrances, nail polish, skincare sets, brushes, makeup...there's basically a little something for everyone! But remember, these products are probably in limited quantities, so you'll want to act fast if there's something in particular that's calling to you because I'm sure they'll sell out quick! Here's a quick look at just a few of the awesome things you'll find on-the-cheap!

A Little Bit of Luxury: Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Petal Peel

*This post contains affiliate links.

We all know taking good care of our skin is important. Too many days of damaging sun and nights where we fail to take off our makeup from exhaustion can lead to breakouts, congestion, or signs of aging and stress. To keep your skin looking and feeling its best, it's important to invest in a skincare routine. Not just money wise, but time and consistency wise. Making it a habit to cleanse your skin morning and night, using SPF, and moisturizing are the absolute basics, but incorporating a mask or peel can also make a world of difference. When I saw the recently launched Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Petal Peel ($64) on the Sephora website I was immediately intrigued. This at-home chemical peel uses Alpha Hydroxy Acids to help dissolve away dead skin, dirt, and excess sebum, leaving your skin feeling fresh and refined. With a price tag over $60 its definitely a splurgey product, however if you consider the cost of a single facial you might get at a spa it actually seems quite reasonable. Plus, doing this kind of treatment at home means that you know exactly what is going on your skin!

August 2015 Julep Maven Box & Long Weekend Eyeshadow Palette Review

There were a lot of really gorgeous options for this month's Muse Montreal Julep Collection. With the launch of the Skip the Brush Crème-to-Powder Cheek Sticks as well as the release of some new shades to the Feels Like Velvet and Eye Glider ranges it was really hard to choose what I wanted for my box. And then my eyes came across the Long Weekend Eyeshadow Palette as being one of the possible options and knew what my decision was going to be. Because that palette is relatively pricey it counted for two of the three items in my box (which was a bummer but understandable), and I decided that a matching eyeliner would make for a nice second item, rather than adding another polish. And now that they're here and I've had plenty of time to play with the both, let's chat a little bit about what I thought!

Get Your Glow On: Highlighters to Love

If you've been paying any attention to the buzz in the beauty world as per late, you may have heard that "strobing" is the new contouring and seen everyone going bonkers over getting super glowy, radiant skin. Being real, strobing is just a fancy word for highlighting, which is an age old beauty technique for drawing light to the high points of your face. While I may be giving the ol' side eyes at everyone who's pretending that strobing is some kind of beauty breakthrough, I do still love a good highlighter and the way they can illuminate your complexion. Here are some of my favorite formulations, as well as a few tips for how you can get your glow on!

Gold & Glitz: Flash Tattoos & a Matching Mani

As I slowly approach the ripe ol' age of 30, it's a bit amusing to look back at how my tastes in fashion and beauty have changed throughout the years (I don't know about you, but I'm having flashbacks to pink frosted lipgloss and stackable eyeshadow from The Icing). Fads come and go, we grow as people and constantly discover and rediscover ourselves over time. Looking back at my glitter-laden teenage days, I know that my preferences as an adult have become a lot more refined. Still, I don't think you're ever too old to embrace a little bit of sparkle here and there. Hence my recent love affair with the Flash Tattoo.

For those of you who haven't caught on to this summertime/music festival fashion essential, Flash Tattoos are simply the most blinged-out, grown-up temporary tattoos you'll ever come across. With a variety of colors, intricate designs, and metallic finishes, they are a far departure from something you might have acquired out of a machine at the bowling alley when you were 13 (why is it that you always ended up with a picture of a snake or lizard while your friends got a flippin' butterfly? The injustice!). A little bit whimsical and a little bit glamorous, Flash Tattoos are as quintessential to summer as beachy waves, bronzed skin, and bikinis. Having only ever admired pictures of them from afar, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to snag two sets from Birchbox last month when they were offered as a Plus item. As I clicked the "reserve" button I had momentary anxiety over possibly being too old to sticker myself with faux jewelry, but quickly decided to say screw it and embrace my youth while I still can. Pretty is pretty, and if something makes you feel good about yourself, you might as well go with it!

August 2015 Wantable Accessories Collection

After taking last month off from Wantable, this little package was a welcome sight on my doorstep. Even though being in scrubs 9 hours a day, 5 days a week means that I don't get to rock my jewelry collection as often as I'd like, I do still absolutely love to accessorize an outfit and can never have too many pieces at my disposal to choose from. Partly due to laziness and partly due to intrigue I did not leave any special requests for my stylist this month. So, leaving everything up to chance and the (hopefully) capable hands of my stylist, here's what I got in my August Wantable Accessories Collection.

Target is My Weakness (A Non-Beauty Haul)

So, I don't know about you guys, but I swear it is impossible to buy just one thing from Target. On Friday I needed to pick up a few groceries, and since I'd been in the house working on blog stuff all day, I felt the need to stretch my legs and wander a bit. Naturally, one of my favorite places in the world to peruse is Target. They seriously don't do a single department poorly, and I can honestly spend hours just browsing from one aisle to the next. Feeling a little spendy (cause it was pay day after all) I picked up a few odds and ends that made me smile. And of course, in the excitement of bringing home some new loot I had to film a little video to share it all with you.

Birdie Bites - Blackberry Lime Spritzer

With August in full swing it's by far the hottest part of the year here in Connecticut. Even though I can retreat into the AC if the temperatures swell above 90 degrees, I also love to cool off with a refreshing drink. While I love myself a good cocktail, alcohol can be really dehydrating, which is not exactly helpful in super sweaty weather. That's why I chose to leave it out of this particular recipe (although it would be very easy to turn this into a true cocktail if that suited your fancy). With fresh, summery ingredients and a little bit of bubbly goodness, this Blackberry Lime Spritzer is both refined and delicious.

Limited Edition Birchbox For CEW Prestige Headliners Collection

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! I've already started my weekend early (which, not gonna lie, feels pretty darn fabulous) and am taking the extra time away from work to blog like a boss. For those of you who are Birchbox subscribers, you may have noticed that two new Limited Edition boxes have just become available. Every summer Birchbox collabs with the Cosmetic Executive Women to bring you two boxes of award-winning beauty products to try - one containing the best of the best from the drugstore, and the other offering high-end goodies. Anyone can make a purchase from the Birchbox shop, so even if a monthly sub isn't your jam, you can totally still snag one of these LE boxes while they last! You can purchase both boxes together at a discounted rate of $28 AND you can even layer on a coupon code to snag a freebie from the bonus shop. This time around I decided just to purchase the Prestige Headliner's box, as many of the products in the Mass Appeal box are things I already own or have tried. This box on it's own retails for $18 and contains over $50 worth of product. Shall we take a look inside?

Coola SPF 30 Makeup Setting Spray Review

It's no surprise that I seriously enjoy testing out beauty products. But when you get to the point where you feel like you've seen it all and tried it all, it gets harder and harder to get excited about new launches. There are only so many neutral eyeshadow palettes, felt-tipped black eyeliner pens, and matte lipsticks you can try before everything starts to look and feel the same. After a while you start wondering if you're mumbling "long-wearing...buttery...opaque finish..." in your sleep. Once in a while, though, a brand will come out with something innovative, something mind-blowing and revolutionary. Something that has people saying "I MUST TRY THIS" and impulsively pressing the "add to cart" button on the Sephora website. Hence where I'm going with this super rambley rant of mine. The COOLA SPF30 Makeup Setting Spray ($36) is one of those could-be-genius beauty products that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. A lightweight spray that locks down makeup AND provides you with SPF? You've got to admit, it sounds pretty brilliant. And after a few weeks worth of use, it's finally time to let you know whether or not I got myself excited for good reason.

Everyday Makeup Summer 2015

Hey everyone! You know what I haven't written in an eon? An everyday makeup post. For someone who is constantly wearing makeup, testing makeup, and talking about makeup, I probably should make more of an effort to show you what I've got on my face most days, and the types of looks I'm currently digging. This summer I've been all about bold lips, a flawless complexion, and neutrals on the eyes. There are quite a few products in my stash that I rotate through to get this kind of look, but here are a few of the ones I'm hooked on right now!

July 2015 Julep Maven Box

I'm FINALLY catching up on the last of my July subscription boxes (right as my August ones start to roll in). I picked out a few goodies from Julep last month that I ended up being really happy with. I found myself what I think may be the Holy Grail of base coats, a pretty apricot colored polish, and a cleansing oil to use in the shower. Come take a closer look!

YSL Touche Éclat Blur Primer & Blur Perfector Reviews*

First off, let me say that I cannot BELIEVE that it's taken me this long to write this post. I have been so so excited about this VoxBox, so please don't let my delay lead you to believe that these products are anything less than superb. As you can see, Influenster sent me two new products from Yves Saint Laurent to test and review, and I've basically been overjoyed from the moment I got the notification e-mail. YSL is one of those brands I've admired from afar for years now, but have considered a little bit out of my price range and therefore have never purchased. I'm so happy to finally be able to add some YSL products to my collection, and to be able to give you guys a first look at these brand new launches! The Touche Éclat Blur Perfector and Touche Éclat Blur Primer are aimed at blurring the look of pores and imperfections on the skin, giving you a flawless, glowing complexion. Let me show you a closer look!

July 2015 Flashback

Oh July, where did you disappear to?? Last month was a pretty great one. I did some serious birthday shopping, chopped off my hair, and generally enjoyed myself quite a bit. Work was nuts (as per the usual) so I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted toward the end of the month, but I'm hoping that August will be a little bit better. As we say goodbye to another month of summer, here's a quick look back at some of my favorite posts from July.

July 2015 Favorites

With July being my birthday month I did some serious beauty shopping and discovered so many amazing new products that I completely fell in love with. I also chopped about six inches off of my hair, and have had a whole new appreciation for all of the styling products in my arsenal. Truly, my hair feels so much lighter now and I think I get way more out of my volumizing products than I was before. Basically, July was a good month, and I'm still in awe about the fact that August is essentially a third of the way over already. So before I waste any more time, let's jump right in and chat about the best of the best products from last month.

July 2015 Birchbox

So, it may be super late this time around, but I can FINALLY review my July Birchbox. Apparently the flash tattoos that I ordered as my plus item this month were delayed at the warehouse, so my box was held up until the end of the month. Even though it kind of sucked that I had to wait so long to get my box, it was awesome enough that I'm not really that miffed about it. When my box was still MIA on the 17th Customer Service was really friendly and helpful and even credited my account 50 points for the inconvenience. Moral of the story, Birchbox isn't perfect, but they always handle their mistakes pretty gracefully.

Anyway, on to the box! This month's theme was Go Bold, which is pretty perfect for the summer when vibrant prints and colors are abundant in both the beauty and fashion world. I got five really excellent samples this month, and can't wait to tell you all about them!

July 2015 Empties

Hello there everyone! I know I've been MIA for the past week, and it's been killing me because I have SO many awesome posts queued up that I seriously can't wait to finish writing. I honestly can't believe a week of August has already gone by, and I haven't even had a chance to finish up things from July! As anyone else who appreciates Ebaum's World flash cartoons would say, WTF, mate? Anyway, it's time for another round of digging through my trash-to-be. I skipped out on the empties last month because I was close to finishing a bunch of things, and now I've got a huge stockpile of plastic tubes and bottles to sift through. Here are some final thoughts on the most noteworthy products I've finished up in the past two months!