Overcoming the Fear of Falsies: A Battington Lash Starter Kit Review

*This post contains affiliate links

Fun little fact about me: back in my college days I used to be a competitive ballroom dancer. No, I don't watch Dancing With the Stars (don't even get me started), but yes, the sport will always have a special place in my heart. While of course improving your dance technique and learning routines is a large part of what it means to be a ballroom dancer, there is also needing to wear elaborate costumes, donning your face in 10 pounds of makeup, and slathering yourself from head to toe in self tanner. Cultivating that perfect appearance of a professional dancer takes a whole lot of trial and error, and unfortunately for my much younger self, there was a lot of error.

If there was one thing I could go back in time and teach a college aged Lauren, having now had years of blogging and developing my beauty expertise, it would be how the heck to properly pick out and apply false eyelashes. Lord knows I had no idea what I was doing, and as a result I was completely turned off to the entire concept up until this last year. Honestly, I think falsies get that bad rep of being uncomfortable, difficult to use, or unnatural looking because a lot of other people are in the same boat as I was ten years ago.

But the truth is, false lashes don't really have to be any of those things. Take, for example, these Battington 3D Silk Lashes. Not only are they super lightweight and comfortable on the eyes, but I also know when I wear them it doesn't look like I'm wearing falsies. Yes my lashes look more full and beautiful, but they aren't obviously fake to the person I might be sitting across the table from. And, if the lashes themselves weren't awesome enough, this Birchbox exclusive starter kit that has everything you need to adventure into the world of falsies in one convenient package. Curious to know more? I thought you might be.

Ten Lip Products to Try for Fall

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As much as it pains me to say goodbye to the long, sunny days of summer, I think I'm finally ready to embrace all things fall. Yes, bring on the blanket scarves, the plaid shirts, and everything pumpkin spice. I'm a New Englander, and when the leaves start to turn its hard to not find yourself getting swept up in that autumnal spirit.

One of the first places I turn to welcome each new season is my everyday lip collection. While it's true that there are no rules in makeup, I personally find it fun to change up shades and textures at different times of the year. Which, for right now, means trading in my peaches, corals, and vibrant pinks for rich reds, warm nudes, bold berries, and rusty hues. After spending a good amount of time swatching and playing with a somewhat ridiculous number of lipsticks, I've got ten gorgeous shades to share with you. From your classic mattes to sheer glosses, I think there's a little something here for everyone!

Juvia's Place The Saharan Eyeshadow Palette Review

Friends, if you haven't yet heard about Juvia's Place, and you consider yourself to be a lover of eyeshadow, I am about to blow your mind.

There have been few makeup brands that have impressed me as much as Juvia's Place has. If you want unique, high quality, cruelty-free eye shadows for an insanely reasonable price tag, and to support a female-owned brand designed with Women of Color in mind, you need, yes NEED to check out their products.

While they have certainly garnered popularity after NikkieTutorials started singing their praises last year, Juvia's Place is still relatively unknown by the average person. As a smaller indie brand you won't find their products on the shelves of Ulta, Sephora, or your local drugstore. Instead you'll have to head on over to their website, or get lucky like I did and manage to snag their products from Hautelook when a sale comes around. Yes, there is something to be said for putting your faith in an online purchase without having the opportunity to swatch and play with it in person. But I promise, this eyeshadow palette does not disappoint.

Bloomingdale's Exclusive: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips

*PR Samples/Affiliate links used

Guys, I am SO excited to finally have my hands on my very first Charlotte Tilbury products! As a makeup addict/lover of all things rose gold, Charlotte's line seriously speaks to my heart. Truly the only reason I haven't added her products to my collection is that they come with a luxury price tag, and given my current state of budgeting I've had to make some tough calls about what can and cannot be purchased off my wish list. However, the stars apparently aligned, and I was gifted two of her latest lip launches at a recent beauty event. I was over-the-moon thrilled to finally get to experience her makeup first hand, and to let you all know whether or not they are actually worth the splurge!

SimplyScrub Body Scrub Review

*PR Samples

In today's day and age of beauty, it seems that more and more brands are constantly trying to do it all. Companies are launching entire new collections left and right, to the point where it's almost overwhelming. Not only can I not keep up, but I also start to seriously question whether or not everything we're seeing is up to the same standards of previous launches.

That being said, to be introduced to a brand that does one thing, but that does it so well, is an entirely refreshing change of pace. That brand, my lovely readers, is called SimplyScrub. As their name so clearly suggests, SimplyScrub is all about delivering you quality, 100% organic body scrubs that won't cost you an arm and a leg. They have four delicious formulas to choose from, each with a slightly different flair, but all providing the same intensely hydrating, skin smoothing benefits. They ever so graciously sent me all four scents to try and review for you all (two in full sized jars, and two in samples) and I'm finally ready to report back on how they turned out!