My Favorite Youtube Vloggers

It comes as no surprise that I have a slight youtube obsession. I can sit on youtube for hours on end just getting lost in beauty videos and vlogs. I use to never watch vlogs but I'm starting to realize that its one of my favorite things to watch. I currently only have a few favorite vloggers but I figured I would share them! Now this list obviously couldn't be more opposite if you can't tell... but lets get into it!

itsjudyslife- this is one of the first vlogs I ever watched. I have watched judy since I first started watching youtube videos. When she first started vlogging it was a new things for me, but I loved it! I have gotten to watch her get engaged, married, and then have kids! The family is the most beautiful family, they have so much love for everything they do and even their viewers. I love being able to watch their girls grow up and just get a little look into their life. They have a daughter named Juliana and twin girls, Mia and Kira. They girls are such characters, Benji is a health nut and Judy is the sweetest mom of all time. You can't help but smile when you see the new video in your subscription box.

sacconejolys- I learned about the sacconejolys through itsjudyslife when they visited Ireland. The SacconeJolys are an Irish family living in London. They have a daughter Emilia and a son Eduardo and six, yes i said six, dogs. Emilia and Eduardo are probably the cutest kids I have ever seen! I love watching them because they are in London so I love being able to see a life in a different country. The kids are some of the smartest kids I have ever seen, Jonathan is such a goof (you see where the kids get it from) and Anna is such a hard working mom. I hope to one day have a family and kids as adorable and kind as them.

marissa kathryn- Okay I'm going to be honest, I just started watching marissa about a week ago... but she has shot straight to the top of my imaginary favorite youtubers list. she is such a real and likable person, she reminds me a lot of myself and my friends. She's always so bubbly and happy and such an inspiration. She talks a lot about fitness which helps me get motivated to begin my fitness journey. And did I mention she is a total babe? I really enjoy watching her because she lives the life I hope to have one day, living on my own this amazing friends and grandparents supporting her... and she's pretty. She is someone I can see myself watching for a long time. And I know its totally weird but if I could be friends with any youtube it would probably be her, she seems like she is a great friend to have! I highly suggest watching her!

meghan rienks- Meghan is another girl who I think is absolutely stunning and such a hard worker! Her vlogs are a little more sporadic but always entertaining to watch. From what I see in the vlogs she's an incredibly busy and hardworking girl! She also reminds me a lot of me and my friends (Meghan and Marissa are friends) she's goofy and hilarious! She also lives a life that I wish to have, she lives in LA (she just moved into the most magical looking house ever), she's stunning, and she doing something that she loves! She's so hardworking its an inspiration.

If you couldn't tell I watch these people everyday so I feel like I know them, I bet to them its pretty weird so I don't even know why I'm admitting all of this. I would love to know some of you're favorite vloggers!

Mood Board Monday | 01

One thing that I learned at school was that mood boards are important. It really helps with research and helps you draw inspiration and ideas from the images. Also when using a mood board for a project it really helps me stay on track, it assures that your final product will give the look and feel that you initially wanted to convey. At some points you may be in the middle of a project and the project is taking a different turn for the better, you may need another mood board. I believe you can never have to many mood boards!

I have decided to start a little series on the blog - Mood Board Monday. I'm going to be posting mood boards every monday on the blog (hopefully). These boards will most likely have no relations to any projects I am currently working on, I'm doing this just for fun. Maybe in the future I'll share some project mood boards but for now its just going be a fun thing for me to day and help me keep my tools fresh!

For all of you that don't know during the summer I live at my families beach house and its been pretty rainy so for this weeks mood board I was feeling really inspired by the original beverly hills martinique wallpaper. The palm print feels so tropical without all the traditional tropical colors. I went with a green, pink, and gold color scheme. For this mood board I wanted to use the graphic palm pattern and add the organic feel of nature.

image source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Time for A Lifestyle Change

I have been a bit MIA recently because I got really sick with for about 2 and a half weeks. While sick I really started to think about the way I eat and the way I live my life. I am always getting down on myself which doesn't make me feel that great. I have decided that its time for a lifestyle change! I have come up with a few things that can help me live a happy and healthy lifestyle and I figured I could share a few incase anybody else is looking for a lifestyle pick me up!

Before embarking on a lifestyle change you need to choose to make the change. You can't just wake up and say you're going to live this new lifestyle, you may actually need to choose to change some things in your life to achieve the lifestyle you want.

Know your self worth
Focus on the positive things you like about yourself. Maybe make a list that will help boost your confidence. We all have flaws and things we don't like about ourself but focusing on the things we like will help boost your confidence and help you celebrate yourself for being unique

Look good, feel good
I have had days where I don't feel like myself or I'm not feeling that great about myself so I'll decide to throw one some of my favorite makeup and clothes and when I look in the mirror and like what I'm seeing it makes me feel happy. Everyone should take pride in their personal appearance. I'm not saying makeup and fancy clothes are what you need to feel happy, but when you feel confident in something you're wearing it makes you feel good, wether thats a nice dress or a pair on yoga pants! When you look good you feel good.

Exercise
This is something I really want to focus on. I used to work out almost every day but recently for the past couple months that has slipped and I have noticed I have gotten out of shape. Now I hate exercising but know that after I exercise I always feel great about myself. I recently picked up the Tone It Up 28 days to Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous book at target because I have always been really inspired by the tone it up girls! I started reading the book and plan on following the plan but I know its summer time and I'm at the beach so I won't exactly be following the plan but having the book helps me make better choices and continue to push my self to work out when I have spare time.

Stay well nourished
The Tone It Up book has a full meal plan to follow but I know its pretty much impossible to follow that plan right now with all the barbecues and fun activities going on here. But that doesn't mean I don't need to keep a balanced diet. Eating a balanced diet and drinking loads of water will help you have more energy throughout the day. I'm trying to completely cut out soda and stick with water for the rest of the summer!

Surround yourself with good people
I recently said the same thing in my How To Detox Your Life post, but this is really important to help change your lifestyle. If you're constantly around people that are negative you will eventually begin to vibe off their negative vibes and you always want to stay positive. You need people in your life that will be uplifting and help you stay positive.

Try new things
Sometimes changing your environment is what you need to get away from things that get stuck in your way. One thing I decided to do this past year is say yes to most things (there were something I just had to say no to) I don't often get out and try new things but I began to realize that when I'm on and laying on my death bed will I be sitting there thinking "wow I'm so glad I saved those few bucks and didn't go to ____" doubt it. Go out and make new memories!

Have me time
Its always nice to regularly have me time. It gives you a moment to regroup, recuperate, and reenergize. Sit down read a book, drink some tea, watch a movie, go one a walk or go to a museum. If you're looking for some ideas I recently saw a buzzfeed video of "things you should do at least once" which I thought had some great ideas

Don't compare yourself to others
This is probably the most difficult tip, its incredibly easy to compare yourself to others. Comparing yourself to someone is probably the fastest way to get yourself down. I have a terrible issue with comparing myself to others. In school I was constantly comparing my work to others in the class. I have beautiful friends I'm always comparing myself to. You don't always know what other peoples stories are so comparing yourself to someone else isn't fair to you. Always try to catch yourself if you're going to compare yourself to someone else. Everyone is running a different race in life, you just may not be at that point in your life yet.

Be thankful 
Its so easy to dwell on things you don't have, try to take time to look at your situation and be thankful for what you do have. appreciate the now.

These are just some tips I have thought of for myself to keep in mind while I try to make a lifestyle change. If you're thinking about making a lifestyle change try to keep these tips in mind and good luck!

ColourPop Lippie Stix, Highlighter, and Bronzer

I have known about the brand ColourPop for awhile but never bought anything because I knew their most popular products were the lippie stix and I'm not much of a lipstick wearer so I held off. Recently all I have been hearing about is ColourPop and I figured I would give them a second look. They had recently just added highlighters and bronzers and thats exactly what I have been looking into! After much research on some highlighters and bronzers I decided to take a look at their eyeshadows (because my obsession with eyeshadows is real) to be honest nothing really stuck out at me like something I needed... I have so many that I only buy unless I really need it. But I did have to get at least one just to try it out. And of course seeing as I'm going to have to be a big kid soon I figured I would try out a couple infamous lippie stix! Lucky for me when I ordered it was around their 1 year anniversary I was able to get their birthday eyeshadow! 

(Top to Bottom: Cake, Brunch, Button)

First up the lippie stix. ColourPop has pretty must every possible color you could ever possibly want. Since I'm not a big lipstick wearer I really have no clue what colors look good on me so I just picked a few colors and hope they work! I chose the colors Cake, Brunch, and Button. As you can tell I'm a fan of peachy/coral shades... do they actually look good on me... who knows! The Lippie Stix are $5 each... can you believe it?? These beautiful things are only $5!!! The lippie stix come in 5 different finishes; glossy, satin, matte, hyper gloss, and pearlized. This round I only got the Satin finish which is full coverage, hydrating with a modern satin finish. They contain vitamin E, mango, avocado and shea butter for comfort and moisture. You can also buy a matching Lippie Pencil for each shade.

(L to R: Cake, Brunch, Button)

Cake is a bright pastel peachy pink. I have a tan right now and I think this color is a bit to pale for my skin tone. Brunch is a bright mid tone coral. Brunch works really well in the summer with the pastel neon trend. Button is a pale creamy peach nude. I like this color for a more everyday color because its not too in your face. All Lippie Stix applied smoothly and felt very moisturizing. 

(L to R: Avalon highlighter, Wisp highlighter, Carry On bronzer, LaLa eyeshadow, Birthday Girl eyeshadow)

ColourPop recently released highlighters & bronzers and I was really interested in the highlighters once I saw Jaclyn Hill talk about the color Wisp on youtube. She always looks so beautifully glowy that it was about time I got my hands on some highlighters. I chose 2 highlighters ($8 each); Avalon and Wisp and one bronzer ($8 each); Carry On. I can't get over the texture of these highlighters. I actually gasped when I touched them. The highlighters as well as the eyeshadows have this moussey bouncy texture to them that is to die for. Its so smooth, like touching butter! The bronzer also has that moussey texture but is a bit firmer than the highlighter and eyeshadows.

(L to R: Avalon, Wisp, Carry On)

ColourPop has 2 different finishes for the highlighters, Pearlized and Pearlized Blush. Avalon is a true golden bronze with golden pink duo chrome finish. This color looks like a warm copper with strong pink undertones. This color can also be worn as an eyeshadow and will also look stunning on darker skin tones. Wisp is a golden champagne with highly reflective hues of gold duo chrome finishes. I was originally not going to buy this shade but Jaclyn Hill uses this one and raved about this shade so I couldn't resist. Both highlighters are a pearlized finished. Finally I was looking for a new bronzer because the one I have comes off a bit red and doesn't look that great on me, but it was a cheap drugstore one so I can't complain. ColourPop has 2 different finishes for their bronzers, Matte and Satin. Carry On is a soft bronze in a Matte finish. Recommended for Medium- Medium Dark skin tones. This bronzer didn't look too muddy and wore for about 9 hours on me before starting to fade on me. All of these products are best applied with fingers or a duo fiber brush.

(L to R: La La, Birthday Girl)

La La is a a true rose gold in an ultra metallic finish. It has rich pigmentation that went on smoothly and evenly. The second shadow was a gift purchase for ColourPops 1 year anniversary. Birthday Girl is a muted medium brown with lighter gold and bronze shimmer and bronze glitter. It reminds me a lot of urban decays eyeshadow in chopper which is in the naked 2 palette. All eyeshadows apply best with your finger but I didn't have any issues applying with a brush. Each eyeshadow is $5, which is a total steal because they are to die for! 

So if you couldn't tell my obsession is real. And can we talk about each shipment comes with a hand written note!! Also as a designer their packaging of the product and even the boxes they come in are to die for, I'm even saving the box they were shipped in! This is a company I would totally want to work for, everything they do speaks to me! The company has been doing some collaborations with some youtubers and growing their company each and every day. They most definitely found a customer for life. If you haven't checked them out you need to get on that ASAP! 

Triangl Poppy Blue Crush

I have fallen into the craze of the Triangl Swimwear. I'm a large chested girl so I did some research before buying the expensive suit. My bra size is 32G, so its incredibly difficult to find bathing suits. For some reason people think just because you're busty means you can't have cute suits. Usually buy Victorias Secret suits in size 34DD, I then change the band size to a 32 because 34 doesn't fit me. I do this because for some reason their 32DD cup is smaller than a 34DD and I like having a bigger cup (obviously since I'm not even a DD). I'm live at the beach during the summer so I didn't mind spending a bit more on a bathing suit seeing as I'm always in one during the summer.

The Poppy suit come in a sleek matte black box with the Triangl logo in the center. One of my box corners came dented and broken but thats expected to happen during shipping.

Now lets get into how the suit fits on a busty chest. In the Poppy I ordered a Small++ top and a Medium bottom (I'm a size 6 in bottoms). The Poppy top does fit my chest but I look quite boobalicious, it shows quite a bit of skin so if you're not into that I don't suggest to buy this style. It took me some time but I didn't mind how it fit, I think it took me some time because I'm not used to a properly fitted top. I definitely don't suggest going on a run in this top if you're big chested. I really like the back clasp of these tops because they are really heavy duty, which means it will help support the girls. One thing I have noticed is that if I lay on my back long enough it kinda digs into my back and hurts.

For me I was really only buying the suit for the top. I knew the bottoms had a larger bum area and I normally like the cheeky bottoms. Nonetheless the bottoms were a bit snug, It makes me looks like I have some crazy love handles. I would wear it if I wanted to but I'm sticking with the cheeky black bottoms from Victorias Secret I have.

Overall I had a great customer service experience from Triangl and shipping was pretty fast. I strongly suggest using the 24/7 chat if you're unsure what size to order. I do wish I had the option of ordering separates and or mixing and matching bottoms and tops. I also wish shipping wasn't so expensive to the US ($20). For a girl who just graduated college and has yet to find a job the suit was a bit pricey for me, but I do love the product I got.

Hopes this helps the busty girls of the world who still wants to rock a cute suit! If you have any more questions feel free to ask in the comments!

Influenster SoapBox VoxBox

Im not one for switching up my hair products because I know what works for me so why change it? But I figured that its time to try something out since I haven't tried any different hair products since maybe freshman year of high school.

The first thing I did when I received this shampoo and conditioner combo was look up the company seeing as I have never heard of them before. I found out that SoapBox is an amazing company. SoapBox donates one bar of soap, fresh water, or vitamin supplements to a child in need for every product sold. So to start off I'm already a huge fan of this company.

Now onto the product. I believe that the shampoo and conditioner line is new for this company and that they originally started off with bar and liquid soap. I received the bataua fruit shampoo and conditioner. They explain that the bataua fruit is native to the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and long regarded for its root-to-tip hair repairing talent. Packed with essential fatty acids and amino acids, Bataua fruit oil works by nourishing both your scalp and hair. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the shampoo and conditioner smelled like but its definitely not a bad scent. The scent doesn't linger in the hair for long though. The shampoo lather nicely and the conditioner is nice as well and left my hair soft and smooth. I did have a bit of issue getting the tangles out of my hair at the beginning of the conditioner process. One thing I do love about these products is that it is sulfate and paraben-free! 

Not only are these products affordable but they are now being sold at my favorite store... Target! You can also purchase their other products on the SoapBox website. I most definitely would suggest these products to friends because they don't only have an awesome product they have an amazing mission!

I received these products complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes 

The Victory Lap Has Come To An End

I made it!! I'm officially a college graduate and JMU alumni! The victory lap has finally come to an end.

Last Friday was the university commencement in the stadium where Lindsay Czarniak spoke. Funny thing is she actually spoke at my high school as well because she graduated from both my high school and now college! She told some amazing stories and said some very sweet words. I think I had a smile from ear to ear because I just couldn't believe it. The energy in the stadium was electric... everyone getting ready to throw our purple and gold streamers once President Alger conferred our degrees.

The next day, Saturday May 9th I put on my cap and gown and took that walk across the stage that made me an alumni (without all by chords and fancy things because I forgot those at my apartment!).  It still hasn't hit me yet. I have no more homework, no more quizzes or tests, and no more art critiques. I was able to sit with my friend and celebrate together. Its a moment I will never forget. Luckily our ceremony was at 9 am so it wasn't as hot as the day before. After the ceremony I went home to wait for my family to pick me up because we were going to Bold Rock cidery to celebrate. I got to my hotel to see that my best friend from freshman year of college had showed up to surprise me! That wasn't the only surprise of the day, when my parents arrived to pick me up it was in a giant white stretched hummer limo! Out pops out my mom and dad and my uncle and his wife showed up to surprise me! Overall it was an amazing day, the cidery was beautiful and I got to spend it with my amazing friends and family.

It took me 5 years and 3 different colleges, but I definitely found my home at JMU. I always new I wanted to be a duke and I did anything and everything it took for me to get into JMU. Once I accepted for my junior year I thought I was going to have a hard time making new friends, I thought everyone had their "friend groups" set and as a newbie it was going to be hard to have those same bonds. It was completely the opposite. I made some amazing friends thanks to kappa pi. I had friends from classes who had joined so I figured why not join. It was the best decision I had ever made. I met some amazing artists and best friends I will never get rid of. I'm so proud of everything I have accomplished and I'm ready for the next chapter in my life... whatever that may be.

Influenster Reese's Spreads VoxBox

I'm not much of a chocolate lover, the only time I eat chocolate is usually when I get chocolate covered strawberries... which isn't often. So when I got the Reese's peanut butter chocolate spread I was hesitant.

Lets start with what this stuff is! Reese's state that this spread is "the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter flavors in spreadable form. Based on the iconic Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Reese's Spread delivers the unique, one-of-a-kind combination of chocolate and peanut butter taste to any food, anytime, anywhere.

When I first saw this spread I thought that it was going to be similar to nutella, which I love on toast. So I figured when I would first try this spread on toast. It was the perfect night time snack! When I was younger and ate candy on the reg I loved Reese's. Also this spread is completely different the nutella! This is more thick and has small chunks of peanuts, which is one of my favorite parts about this spread, it gives it a really nice texture.

Reese's Spread can be paired with so many different foods. Personally I love it on toast and apples (and also on a spoon right out of the jar but we can keep that on the DL). Reese's gives the suggestion of trying Reese's Spread on pita chips, vanilla wafers (my next try), banana chips, pretzels, fruit, and bacon!

Reese's Spreads are now available nationwide at grocery, drug, and convenience stores in 13 oz. jars that retail for $3.89.

I personally really like this stuff. For someone who randomly gets sweet cravings at night this is a great way to cure those cravings! Let me know if any of you guys try it!

I received these products complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes

L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation

Recently I was watching Tati's review on the new l'oreal infallible line that consists of foundation, pressed powder, lip gloss/stain, and make-up setting spray. She raved about the foundation being one of her new favorites so I knew I had to try it, especially since I am currently running out of my cover girl 3 in 1 outlast stay foundation.

This foundation promises a lasting, air-light, oil-free, demi-matte finish that never looks flat or dull. Lets take a look to see if it holds up to its promise.

Online it says that the foundation comes in 12 colors but in the store I went to it only had 8 shades. This foundation is a bit more pricey then regular drugstore foundations, I got mine for about $13 at my local CVS. It comes in a squeeze tube that is semi-seethrough that carries 1.0 fl oz. The semi-seethrough tube is somewhat helpful when coming to selecting a color... the see-through part has somewhat of a frost finish to it so its hard to see the true color of the product. As you'll see later the colors don't vary much.

Now, onto how it wears. It claims to be a demi-matte finish which I agree with. Next it says that it wears up to 24 hours, now this is what I disagree with. When I first tried this foundation I applied it around 12pm by 9pm it was beginning to look really patchy on my face and could tell it was fading. Next it says that the foundation is a medium coverage, I also disagree with this. I believe it is more of a light-medium coverage... if you apply it twice it becomes more of a medium coverage. Finally it states that it is air-light, I agree with this. When wearing the foundation it felt like I wasn't wearing any makeup, but that was with the first application and when it looked patchy.

 (swatch L to R: 107 Fresh Beige, 108 Caramel Beige)

As you can tell from the swatches above the colors don't look much different. One seems to be more yellow based whereas the other one of more warm based. Also from the swatch you can tell that the foundation dries incredibly fast... almost too fast. I would suggest applying this in small sections around your face. The directions say the best way to apply this is in a "rolling motion"... whatever that means. When I first applied it I used a sigma F82 round kabuki brush, which is when it looked patchy on the skin. The next day I applied it using a damp beauty blender which seemed to apply more evenly but still wasn't enough coverage for me. I could also tell that it was clinging to patches of dry skin so I wouldn't really suggest this for people with really dry skin. 

Overall this foundation isn't for me. I keep seeing people really enjoying this foundation but I wasn't much of a fan. Maybe this could be my summer foundation when I don't really wear makeup but for now... I'm going to return it. I have a bit of redness to my skin and it didn't seem to cover it well enough more me. Maybe I really just didn't apply enough but it seemed to be my normal amount. I definitely think if you are someone who doesn't really need foundation, doesn't mind a light coverage and doesn't have uber dry skin I could see you really enjoying it. I don't believe this is a great winter foundation.

Have you tried this foundation? Do you agree or disagree? Have you found a better way to apply this? Let me know in the comments!