August 2016 Faves & Updates

Hello lovelies! I woke up this morning with the sudden realization that it's significantly darker out when my alarm goes off at 6 am. The long, sunny days of summer are mostly behind us, and while I'm all about fall, I'm also pretty unhappy about feeling like a zombie before work every day. Maybe I need one of those alarm clock lights that mimic the rising sun...

Anyway...you're here to chat beauty (not just to hear me lament the end of my favorite season)! I tried to reel in my shopping in August, knowing that I'm going to Generation Beauty in New York later this month. Words cannot express how excited I am to spend an entire weekend reveling in all things beauty (really though, I feel like a kid waiting for Christimas). So, in the spirit of trying to keep things under control and to make room for lots of epic GenBeauty swag, I've kept things pretty minimal in the last month. Curious to see what made the cut? Keep reading to find out!

Skincare Trends: Sheet Masks

*Affiliate links used

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!"