What I'm Thankful For: Beauty Edition

So, this post comes along with a bit of a funny story. Maybe funny not funny in the "ha ha" sense, but funny in the "I see what you're doing there, universe" kind of way. I woke up yesterday morning feeling energized and productive, which was fortunate because my to-do list for the day was pretty ambitious. I had hoped to get my Thursday video done earlier this week, but between life and sheer exhaustion, it just never happened. That left me Thanksgiving morning to shop a few sales, beautify myself, film, edit, and make Deviled eggs all in time to meet my parents at 1:00. I was a little nervous that I would end up scrambling around at the last second, but I actually was making great time all day. There I am, feeling like a boss, putting on my eyeshadow with hours to spare and BAM.

The power goes out.

500 Subscriber Giveaway!

Are you guys ready to do a happy dance? 'Cause I'm ready to do a happy dance.

I finally hit the 500 subscriber mark over on my YouTube channel! My YouTube journey thus far has been quite the learning process. Even though I've been blogging here for years, I only started posting videos to my channel at the end of last summer. I had no lighting, no backdrop, no editing software, and pretty much no idea of what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to be able to bring some of my content to life, and to give you guys a chance to get to know the face behind the makeup.

Over the course of the last year I feel like my videos have come a long way (those first ones...those first ones are pretty rough). I've worked my butt off trying to learn from my mistakes, and am always pushing myself to make every video just a teeny bit better than the last.

So yes, 500 may seem like a comparatively tiny number, but to me that's 500 more people that are supporting me doing something I love than I had a year ago. And I think that's flippin amazing. I really can't thank you guys enough for all the love that you've given me here and on my channel, but as a small gesture of appreciation, I want to give you all a chance to win some sweet beauty loot!

Surprise Giveaway: Win an Awesome Beauty Goodie Bag!

Happy Friday, friends! I can't believe it's the last day of September. I know, I know. I say this every month. But September was especially short for me. Between traveling to Iceland and hitting up Gen Beauty my entire perception of time has been thrown out of whack. I've started to notice the leaves around these parts are starting to turn and it's just like...what the heck? When did this happen? As fast as it was, September has been a pretty great month, and I wanted to send some of the good vibes your way!

I've put together two little goodie bags filled with products I took home from Generation Beauty (as well as a few other fun things I've picked up along the way) for you to win. Want to know how to enter? Just keep on reading!

Summer Collab Giveaway Featuring the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Face Palette

You know what your hump day needs? Coffee? (Almost certainly) Chocolate? (Always) A nap? (Not entirely out of the question) How about a chance to win a stunningly gorgeous limited edition face palette, plus a whole bunch of other amazing prizes? The first three are entirely on you, but that last one I can deliver! I was invited by my beautiful blogger friend Steffanie over at Brighter, Darling to join a bunch of other ridiculously talented ladies in hosting a giant collaborative giveaway for our audiences. A huge kudos goes out to Hey There, Chelsie for curating such a fabulous prize, and for doing a fantastic job at organizing everything! Curious as to what you'll win? Let me give you a moment to let the excitement build...

Love Lingerie? Here's Your Chance to Win Some!

I'm not gonna lie, I love me some pretty under-roos. They're like a secret weapon. An instant confidence boost. Even if no one else is going to see them, you know that you look killer under your clothes and it puts that extra little pep in your step. Lately I've been completely obsessed with the whole bralette trend. With lacey detailing and flattering feminine shapes they basically want to make me find an excuse to wear one with every outfit.

If you're equally enamored with lingerie, you're in luck! Adore Me is hosting a fun Instagram contest to win two sets from their beautiful lingerie collection. If you've never perused their website, be prepared to spend the next 20 minutes of your life lusting after their seriously gorgeous bras and panties (and let's not even get into swimwear...holy sexy bikini times, Batman!). They carry a huge range of sizes and styles, so there's something to flatter whatever body type you have.

Interested in entering? All you need to do is share a flat lay like this one to your Instagram page with the hashtag #everydaylingerie. If you don't own anything from Adore Me, that's totally cool. They just ask that you not show any labels of whatever brand your favorite piece of lingerie is from. And make sure you tag @AdoreMe so they can see your post! Contest entries will be accepted through 04/15. I'd love to see what you guys come up with, too. Tag me in a comment (@littleblushingbirdie) so I can check them out.

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.

Maple Holistics Lavender Hybrid Bath Soak and Vitamin C Serum Reviews*

It's amazing how much junk we're tempted to put into our bodies on a day to day basis. Processed foods, sugary drinks, artificial dyes and flavorings - they're everywhere you turn (and sometimes in incredibly sneaky places). Take your beauty products, for example. If you were to reach into your bathroom cabinet and grab out of bottle, how likely would it be that the ingredients list on the back would be full of fillers and chemicals that you can't pronounce? Now, I'm not one to judge, as I too have tried my fair share of non-natural beauty products. However I find myself getting the most excited about the ones that are full of essential oils, plant butters, and other vitamin and nutrient rich ingredients that I know I can feel good about using.

Which of course is why I enthusiastically accepted Maple Holistics offer to let me try out a few of their products. Using the finest natural ingredients possible, their products are formulated to provide a number of therapeutic benefits for your body from head to toe. As an avid bath lover, I had to give their Lavender Hybrid Salts a try, and their Vitamin C Serum sounded delightful. I've been using them both for a few weeks now and have totally fallen in love!

200th Post Giveaway - Little Blushing Birdie Favorites

I’m still a little in awe about the fact that this is my 200^th post on Little Blushing Birdie. That’s a whole lot of reviews, tutorials, and general rambling! It’s been a pretty excellent journey thus far, and I decided that I wanted to do a little something special to celebrate. I've rounded up a collection of some of my all-time favorite beauty products to give away to one lucky reader!

Benefit Gimme Brow Review & Giveaway!

There are some people out there in the world who have been blessed with beautifully full, perfectly arched eyebrows.

I am not one of those people.

Fortunately for me, I can fake amazing brows with the right product. There are a lot of options out there - from pencils, to powders, to gels - and each has their own unique pros and cons. Ultimately my ideal brow product will do three things: define the shape, hold them in place, and still manage look natural. Pencils and powders can be great for adding definition, but they aren't always so great for keeping unruly hairs in place. A clear brow gel will keep everything looking neat, but won't do much to fill in sparse areas. Usually this means I have to resort to using at least two different products to take my brows from lackluster to luscious.

And then I discovered Benefit's Gimme Brow.

Birchbox has a special list serve for it's blogger community (lovingly referred to as their Birchbloggers) and will frequently notify us special contests and giveaways we can enter. A few weeks back there was a giveaway where 10 Birchbloggers were chosen to receive Benefit's new Gimme Brow to try out and review. Somehow I miraculously made the list, and last week this beautiful little package arrived in my mailbox!