March 2016 Favorites

Here we meet again for another monthly favorites post. As I've gotten older I think time seems to pass faster than ever. How has the first quarter of 2016 already gotten past us? Anyway, I've got a nice little collection of products to share with you all this month. For the most part my beauty routine hasn't changed a ton. Most of the products I shared in January and February are still part of my daily rotation. I've done some serious beauty shopping in the last month (Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty may be partially responsible), so I expect that April will bring lots of new and exciting things to share. Anywho, let's move on to this month's faves!

March 2016 Birchbox

It's hard to believe another month is winding down, although I have to admit I'm pretty excited for April to get here. The plants in front of my condo are starting to sprout little leaves and buds and I seriously can't wait for everything to be lush and green and colorful again.

While this month's Birchbox didn't have anything particularly spring-y in it, it definitely came with a few solid beauty staples that I'm happy to add to my collection. Come check it out!

New In: Drugstore Lip Loves & Loathes

In true Lauren fashion, I've added way more lip products to my collection recently than is probably necessary for anyone ever. In my defense, the drugstore basically exploded with new products in the past three months, and as your resident beauty expert I feel compelled to stay on the up-and-up for you guys. Fortunately I'm all about that coupon life and was able to snag all of these products at a crazy discount as a result. Seriously. If there is one thing I want you to take away from reading my blog, it's that you don't need to spend a small fortune on beauty products. Part of the reason I love writing reviews is because it affords me the opportunity to take some of the guess work out of the shopping process for others. I want you all to shop smart. To have your cake and eat it too (or in this case, have your lipstick, plus another lipstick, and still have money for your morning coffee run).

So let's chat a little bit about what's new and good in the world of drugstore lip products. L'Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Burt's Bees all had some promising launches that I've put to the test for you. Spoiler alert, some are pretty great, some are all right, and at least one is kind of awful. Have some guesses as to what's what? Let's see if you've got some beauty mind reading powers.

Affordable Spring Makeup Tutorial

Even though it's only officially been spring for about three days now, I've been in full-on spring mode for weeks. I can't help my myself. When it comes to beauty trends, I love everything about this time of year. I want everything pastel and glowy and fresh right on my face.

For this month's makeup tutorial I decided to channel my springtime obsession into this bright, girly look. It uses all affordable products, so make sure you keep an eye out for sales before you pick any of them up (#couponingforthewin)! So if you want to join me in rocking some glitter and soft watercolor shades, come check it out.

Spring 2016 Wish List

Friends, its time to celebrate. Winter is finally, officially OVER! Apparently the changing seasons find me infected with Spring Cleaning fever. I've been organizing and decluttering like a madwoman, culminating this weekend with a ruthless clean out of my closet. Seriously. Every shoe, purse, and article of clothing came out, and only the most worthy pieces went back in. While I haven't gone to the extreme of creating a Capsule Wardrobe, I've definitely downsized significantly. Anything old, battered, or unworn is being consigned, donated, or trashed. Period. I was actually surprised at how easy it was for me to say goodbye to things I've had for ages. Perhaps its just that as we grow and our styles change and become more refined, we become less attached to the things that are no longer relevant to our tastes.

Makeup, on the other hand, is always more difficult to part ways with. I know anything old or unloved needs to go, but the process is sometimes a painful one. I may have been a bit less ruthless with decluttering my beauty stash, but I've definitely cleaned it up and made some room for new and fun things. Speaking of which, spring has got me lusting after all kinds of lovely products that are hitting the shelves. So to ring in this fresh, new season, let's swoon at these beautiful sights together.

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!

Nails with Nude-itude: Neutral Polishes to Love

From nude, to blush, to off-white - if you want a timeless mani, a neutral polish will never do you wrong. Not only are they incredibly chic, but they are also way more forgiving when a chip appears. They'll go with just about any outfit, are appropriate for just about any occasion, and can be rocked the whole year round.

As much as I absolutely adore all of the candy colored pastel shades of spring time, sometimes a girl just wants to keep it classy. Trust, I have no qualms about wearing a robin's egg blue mani to work, but if I'm feeling like I want to seriously channel my inner #girlboss I'll reach for a posh neutral shade instead. Which brings us to today's post! I've rummaged through my collection to bring you my all-time favorite polishes with nude-itude. Not only are the colors lovely, but the formulas of all of these polishes are seriously spot-on.

March Unboxing: Birchbox & Wantable Accessories

Happy Sunday, everyone! I'm feeling mighty groggy this morning thanks to the fact that my body and the clock are in disagreement over what time it should be. I know I shouldn't hate on Daylight Savings too much, seeing as that means it'll still be sunny outside well past dinner time. I just don't like the feeling of already being late because an hour of my schedule has just completely evaporated.

So much to do. SO LITTLE TIME.

Anyway, before I get into the hustle and bustle of another weekend day, I've got an unboxing video to share with you all! My Birchbox and my Wantable Accessories Collection both showed up in my mailbox yesterday, which naturally meant I needed to show you guys what was inside. It was a bit of a mixed bag this month, but I'll let yesterday-me do the rest of the explaining.

New in From Nudestix: Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencils & Blur Pencil*

Is anyone else totally loving this sudden streak of spring weather we're having? Being able to walk outside without a coat is literally the most glorious feeling after months and months of freezing in the frigid New England air. Of course, the shining sun isn't the only thing that's got me in a good mood lately. I've recently acquired a few new beauty products that have me feeling equally giddy. Call me a makeup addict, but I just never tired of the thrill of swatching a new lipstick or testing out a new foundation.

In particular I've been having quite a bit of fun playing with a few goodies from Nudestix that I was sent to try. I am in no way sponsored by the brand, or even asked to write a review. I just honestly appreciate the concept behind their products and enjoy showing you guys what's new and interesting. Speaking of which, let me introduce to you the latest products to help you #gonudebutbetter - the Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil, and the Blur Pencil.

March 2016 Empties

Holy empties Batman! I don't think I realized I had accumulated so much beauty trash until I did a thorough clean out of my room today and added a few more things to the bin. Needless to say, it became very apparent that today's video was going to be an empties one. Speaking of which, I think I'm going to try and get into a regular routine of filming and uploading a video every Sunday. I'd love to make it more frequent, but I think that'll be an ambitious enough goal for right now. If you've got any specific requests for videos you'd like to see, definitely post a comment or tweet me and let me know what they are!

But anyway, let's not get derailed here people. We've got a lot of beauty products to chat about!

Why Not...Stay In? LE Birchbox Review

Ladies, it's time to get excited, because another Limited Edition Birchbox is here! These beautiful little collections are an absolutely fantastic value, so whether you want to #treatyoself to some new beauty products, or are in need of an easy gift idea, I'd highly recommend checking them out. This newest box is appropriately titled "Why Not...Stay In?" and is packed full of super luxurious, pampering products for the ultimate me-time experience. Want to see everything inside? Let's take a look together!