My makeup routine lately has been pretty simple and straightforward. Base, brows, lashes, lips and I’m out the door. I’ll do a bit more bronzing, concealing, or contouring here and there, but overall it’s a streamlined process. Since I’m using fewer products however, I am a bit more focused on getting the most out of them. When it comes to lip color, I like to put it on in the morning and forget about it until maybe after lunch, so a long-wearing lip is a must and these three formulas have been my go-to.

There’s no denying that it’s starting to feel like spring in the northeast. Especially with the time change, everyone is starting to feel that springtime bug. I downsized my wardrobe back in the winter and have mostly stuck to a smaller collection of things that I love since then (with the exception of buying all of the activewear to avoid all of the laundry!) Lately, I’ve been starting to add in a few key pieces to update my wardrobe for spring.

It’s that time again! My Sephora Play! November box has arrived! The Sephora Play! boxes have been steadily improving, at least in my opinion. Here’s a look at November’s box. This month’s theme is “The Exclusives”, meaning products that are exclusive to Sephora. At first glance, some really great things in here! Bite Beauty products are some of my favorites. This is their High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb, which is an intense dark pink, described as “plum rose”.

For today’s Friday Five: Five products I keep in my purse (well, today). I’m known for hoarding makeup in my purse and carrying it around with me everywhere. Which is crazy because 1. I never really use it, and 2. it makes my bag super heavy. The other day I had a handbag clear out and stripped down to just the on-the-go essentials. Here’s what I kept: First: a rollerball of Balenciaga’s Rosabotanica.

Bite Beauty has been doing something really fun this year. Each month they have been releasing a new shade of Lip Lab Limited Release Crème Deluxe Lipstick. The shade is usually very on-trend and appropriate for the month or season and usually very high impact; they haven’t yet released anything remotely nude or neutral. I love the Bite Beauty lipstick formula, and I love the idea of a seasonal collection, but none of the shades really spoke to me until November’s.

The NARS x Steven Klein collection launched with a bang. The suggestive images on the packaging along with the value and novelty of new holiday sets put the beauty world into a bit of a frenzy. The collection is massive and not all of it appealed to me, but when I saw this adorable lipstick set in Sephora I knew I had to have it. The Killer Heels Lipstick Coffret shades are mostly classics from the NARS lipstick range, but in mini sizes.

How-two: 2 easy steps to doing something just a little bit better… A lot of people struggle with how to wear makeup with glasses. There are plenty of videos on youtube that will break down exactly what (and what not) to do, but as a long time glasses and contact lens wearer, this is what has worked for me. Really go for it with your lipstick. You’ve got frames adding weight and drawing attention to the top of your face, so a bright lipstick can balance that out and make your face look more like a face and less like just a pair of lenses.

Ok yes, it’s insane that “holiday” sets are being announced (and even released!) in September. But that doesn’t mean we can’t wishlist the crap of them. Holiday Beauty sets have some of the coolest limited edition shades and products, usually at an incredible value. Here are my picks (so far) for this year! First, these Guerlain Snowflake Meteorites: Guerlain Meteorites Perles des Neiges – $80 OMG if that’s not the most perfect winter makeup ever.

As you’d expect from a beauty sample hoarder and Sephora fangirl, I signed up for the Play! box as soon as it was available. Let’s take a look at what’s inside: My overall impression: This is a bigger box than you’d expect from Birchbox or Ipsy, with deluxe samples, good variety of color, skin, and hair care, and well-known brands. It’s also a great value for $10. So the first impact is a good one, but looking closer….