December 2015 Favorites

It's hard to believe the final month of 2015 is already almost over! With all of the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas the weeks have seriously flown by, although I have definitely managed to still have my fair share of experimenting with fun new beauty products. Today I've got a round up of 10 goodies that I have been absolutely loving as per late and would highly, highly recommend you check out.

December 2015 Birchbox

It's hard to believe that December only has a few days left. All the anticipation and festivities leading up to Christmas make this month fly by, although I can't really complain with all the good times that've been had. Today's post is all about my favorite gift that keeps on giving year round - my monthly Birchbox! This month's theme is All Wrapped Up, and the box is beautiful as any present you might have had under your tree. So, without any further rambling from me, let's see what's hiding under that tissue paper!

Sephora Sale on Sale

The hustle and bustle of Christmas may be over, but the season of sales has only just begun. If you were lucky enough to score a Sephora gift card, or maybe just want to treat yourself to a little beauty goodie regardless, now is the time to consider cashing in. For a limited time you can get an additional 20% off everything on the Sephora sale page using the code EXTRA20. There are tons of great things to be found, from palettes, to holiday kits, to little essentials. Some of these goodies are sure to get snagged up quickly, so I would jump on purchasing whatever calls to you. To get your started, here are some of my top picks!

Holiday Makeup Tutorial

Is anyone else as jazzed about Christmas as I am? Aside from the cookies, presents, and general feelings of warmth and goodness, the holidays are also a time for super festive makeup looks. Today I've rummaged through my collection to put together a classic combination for your next holiday party - gold eyes, winged liner, and sassy red lip. This look is surprisingly easy to re-create, so come see how to do it yourself!

December 2015 Empties

Hello there everyone and happy Monday! It's time yet again to rummage through my beauty trash before it leaves my hands forever. I haven't filmed one of these videos in a few months so there was A LOT to talk about. There's some good stuff in here though (and a few duds you want to avoid), so grab yourself a cup of tea or hot cocoa, get comfy, and be prepared to here all the deets!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Self Made Palette Review

Dear Sephora, I love you, but you are such an enabler to my beauty addiction. Hearts, Lauren.

I had been eyeing this palette for weeks. Months, probably. Longing from afar to play with its rich, buttery shadows. All the while I resisted, knowing that I have more eyeshadow palettes than a girl needs in her lifetime. Alas, when my $20 VIB reward card showed up in my mailbox, all of my willpower magically vanished. And now that I have it in my hands, I'm even more in love than I could have expected. This eyeshadow palette is so. good.

SO GOOD.

If you're the kind of person who wants easy, neutral, no fuss makeup, this is probably an entirely unnecessary addition to your collection. However, if you enjoy playing with colors and textures, and appreciate the process of experimenting with different eye looks, this palette is basically a dream.

Nudestix #TooCute Mini Lip/Cheek Pencil Set

Is anyone else as baffled as me that Christmas is right around the corner? I'm still trying to brainstorm gift ideas for my dad (the most difficult man to shop for in the world) and have a pile of things to wrap, and just realized that I've got ONE WEEKEND left before the holidays are here. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? I swear, when you are a kid the month of December lasts for an eon, but as an adult you blink and two weeks have evaporated. Fortunately, even though I personally may be riding the Holiday Strugglebus, my favorite beauty brands are seriously bringing their festive A-game this season. Which brings us to this lovely little gift set!

This year I got an early present from my new beauty bestie, Nudestix. As a little thank you for sharing the love this year (and because they are oh-so-sweet) they sent me this SUPER ADORABLE set of mini lip and cheek pencils. Earlier this year I totally fell in love with the Lip +  Cheek Pencil in Ripe that came in the Limited Edition Prestige Headliners Birchbox, and couldn't help but exclaim my feelings from my theoretical internet rooftop. Somehow, miraculously, Nudestix heard said profession and reached out to me. Honestly, that is perhaps one of the coolest things about blogging. Obviously I have a bit of a passion for beauty products, and I get really excited to share my thoughts (good, bad, or otherwise), and I think it's so amazing that through a blog you can reach people all over the globe and form friendships that would otherwise never have come into existence. To know that beauty brands out there can read my reviews and say, "Hey, thank you for sharing your thoughts!" still blows my mind sometimes.

Speaking of which, let's get back to these #TooCute lippies. I was kind of devastated to see that this Limited Edition holiday gift set is sold out online already (although your local Sephora may have some still in stock), however, you can still snag a full-sized pencil at any time. All Nudestix products come in a handy little tin, making them perfect stocking stuffers for any fellow beauty lover. So, rather than shed a tear over missed opportunities, let's swatch and play a little bit instead.

November 2015 Birchbox

So, I sat down at my computer last night and thought to myself, "What do I feel like blogging about?" I've got a ton of ideas for content, many of which involve filming videos and creating fun new makeup looks. But I was tired, after having kind of a miserable day, and realized that what I really felt like writing about was my super amazing Birchbox from last month. As you may know, these past few months have been a little rough for me, and it's kind of thrown me off my blogging game. I decided that the best way to preserve my sanity was to give myself permission to break some of my self-imposed rules, even if that meant blogging less, or not creating the same content that I was used to making every month. That being said, Birchbox has always had a special place in my heart, and I do genuinely enjoy sharing my thoughts on my monthly box. As much as I would like for my reviews to go up in the appropriate month, I realized that I'm way happier to actually write these posts when I've had ample time to test and try everything. So as much as there is a part of me that feels bad putting this post up over a week later than I ideally "should", there is a much larger part of me that realizes it's okay to let it go.

So, with all the good vibes being channeled, let's get to the fun stuff!

Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette Review

When it comes to being a beauty blogger, perhaps the most difficult type of product to hold yourself back from splurging on is a gorgeous looking makeup palette. I mean, let's be real. Makeup palettes are flippin' pretty. Whether it be eyeshadows, face powders, or some combination of the two, there's nothing that makes a makeup junkie's heart sing like a sleek compact full of different colors and textures to play with. Realistically though, if you aren't a professional MUA, you've only got one face to work with on a day to day basis, and probably can't justify buying every pretty palette that you encounter. Do I own more than the average person would consider necessary? Yes. But as someone who makes it a hobby to test and review beauty products, I try to be pretty selective about the palettes I invest in.

Enter, the Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette. As crazy impossible as it may seem, I realized that my collection was completely lacking a full-face palette for travel. Sure, its a lot of fun to experiment and create new looks with that gorgeous 20 pan shadow palette, but it's not always the most practical when you're trying to pack a suitcase. On the other hand, this sleek little number has everything you need to create a beautiful everyday look, including 6 coordinated eyeshadow shades to play with. It strikes the perfect balance between variety and practicality, and would be a great little addition to any makeup collection (even one as ridiculous as mine).