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.