Skincare Trends: Sheet Masks

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Show of hands, who else has fallen in love with sheet masks?

Not gonna lie, it's gotten to a point where I now I keep tiny stockpile on hand at all times. And I've got no shame about it. It's not that I use them every day, I just like to have options when the mood to pamper strikes. To me, sheet masks are like the bath bombs of the skincare world. Yes, it's a single use product, but you're paying as much for the experience as you are for the end results. And as the crazy beauty junkie that I am, I can't help but to hoard them both.

Sephora End of Summer Sale 2016

It's that time of year again, people! Sephora is cleaning house for the summer and there are TONS of amazing deals to be had. A lot of these products are being discontinued or repackaged, meaning that you can score some amazing products from brands you love at a huge discount. Much like summer, the opportunity to snag these products is sure to be short lived, so make sure that you don't miss out while you have the chance!

The Ride or Die Makeup Tag: Holy Grail Favorite Products

So today's post is a bit of an impromptu one. I'm not normally one to get sucked into the hype of YouTube challenges and tags, but considering how much I a. love Jaclyn Hill, and b. love talking about makeup, I really couldn't resist. Her energy is so infectious, and pretty much immediately after watching her video I found myself planning to film my own take on the tag.

If you're feeling a little lost, Jaclyn posted a video last week creating a "Ride-or-Die" makeup tag, encouraging everyone out there to share their holy grail, tried-and-true, all-time favorite makeup products of life. A ton of other beauty gurus have joined in on the fun (you can see Tati's video here) and it's been really interesting to see how different (or in some cases similar) everyone's responses have been.

As a word of warning, today's video is a particularly chatty one. With so many products to talk about, and so much love to be shared, I think I got a little carried away. But, if you're still curious to find out what my ride-or-die favorites are, and don't mind hanging out with me for a little bit, keep on reading!

NYX Avant Pop Eyeshadow Palette | Surreal My Heart

Confession. I'm a total eyeshadow palette junkie. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you're probably already well aware of my obsession with sparkly metallics, matte neutrals, and everything in between. Even if most days I keep things fairly simple, I love having the option to go colorful or full-on glam at a moments notice. And like any true beauty enthusiast, even though I've already got a pretty bangin' collection of palettes at home, that doesn't stop me from wanting to try and discover new ones to recommend to you guys.

Enter, my latest find: the NYX Cosmetics Avant Pop Shadow Palette in Surreal My Heart. Inspired by the bold, colorful feel of Pop Art paintings, the Avant Pop Palettes are designed to help you unleash that inner Makeup Artist! Each palette contains a selection of vibrant, unique shades while also providing you a few softer, more subtle options if you'd prefer to tone things down. Ever since these palettes launched last summer I've heard nothing but good things, and I've been dying to give one of them a try. My general pragmatism has held me back so far ("Lauren...do you REALLY need more eyeshadow?") but a 5X points offer for NYX from Ulta gave me that final push to say "No...BUT I'M GONNA DO IT ANYWAY!"

Product Fails | More Things That Disappointed Me

Anyone who's been around these parts for a while knows I enjoy spreading the love and positivity. I get somewhat irrationally excited about new beauty products I've discovered and can't wait to share them with you guys. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of trying a whole lotta makeup is that you're bound to encounter a few duds. And, as your resident beauty enthusiast, I feel that its my civic duty to give you guys a heads up to the things that I wasn't a huge fan of. I want you to be better informed before you head to the store, and avoid the tragedy that is buyers remorse. And while I understand that throwing some shade at much loved products may offend a few, hopefully you can still at least appreciate my honest feedback.

So, if you're not already cozy, I recommend getting yourself a snack, maybe a cup of tea, and snuggling up for another epic beauty rant session with yours truly.

Shop the Stash | Eye Primers

Hey guys! It's time for another round of Shop the Stash. If you're new to this series here on my blog, it's all about taking stock of my current makeup collection and rediscovering old flames as an alternative to going out and hauling new products. I'm going to pull out everything I own of a particular category, show you guys a side-by-side comparison, and see if I've been neglecting any hidden gems. So far we've already sorted through my bronzer collection and my concealers, both of which ended up being incredibly helpful for me. I've been loving my Cargo Water Resistant Bronzer this summer, which had previously been buried in the back of a drawer somewhere, and I was able to say goodbye to a few tubes of concealer that were either old or mostly used up.

This time around I've gathered together all of my eye primers to see how they stack up against one another. Primer is a must-have for me if I'm going to create any kind of intensive eyeshadow look. However, I've definitely realized that not all formulas are created equal. Let's see how these ones compare!

A Little Birdie Told Me...Vol. 5 | Insta-Obsessed

Every time I run into someone who says they aren't a fan of Instagram, I can't help but wonder "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!". Twitter can be a little OTT for sure, and I get that Snapchat is silly, but to not like Instagram?! My brain has trouble wrapping itself around the concept.

As a blogger I feel like I'm constantly trying to boost all of my social media efforts, but hands down my favorite platform to invest time and energy into is Instagram. It's one of the easiest places to discover other people who share your hobbies and to support their efforts, it isn't overly spammy (my biggest gripe with Twitter), and most of all, it's a place filled with oh-so-much pretty. As someone who follows almost exclusively MUAs, fashionistas, and my fellow beauty bloggers there are a lot of gorgeous pictures to be had. After a few minutes I'm almost always feeling inspired - be it to experiment with a new look, write a new blog post, or add a new product to my wish list.

I've been thinking a lot recently about how I kind of let my A Little Birdie Told Me... feature fall through the cracks, and that it's totally a shame. There are so many other amazing people out there in the blogging and YouTube world, and for all of the support and positivity I've gotten, I think I'm long overdue to give some back. And so, what a more perfect way to bring back this series than by cluing you in to nine amazing ladies you seriously need to start following on Instagram. And if you're one of those aforementioned people who don't see what the insta-fuss is about, perhaps they'll be able to sway you better than I can!