Brand Spotlight: It Cosmetics

I have been meaning to make a post about this brand for quite some time now. I have seen a few bloggers and youtubers talk about It Cosmetics but not many, but enough to spark my interest in this brand. I went to ULTA to buy a few christmas gifts for my sister, while I was there I found a couple sample sizes of It Cosmetics products that I figured I could stick in my sisters stocking. As you may have guessed it... they didn't make it to her stocking. I decided to keep them all, and boy and I glad I did! I told my best friends that if I lost all my makeup in a fire and had to start my collection over I would only buy It Cosmetics products. Yup, thats how much I love these products.

I wasn't planning on doing a review of these products. I really just wanted to rave about this company. But why not... I'll give you a little mini review

The first product I was drawn to from this company was the Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream. I have really bad rosacea that is very noticeable. I have never really been insecure about it until recently, my foundation just didn't seem to be doing the trick this winter. Once I received this product as a christmas gift it changed my life. Since using this product I have felt so comfortable with my skin. There were even times where I could just throw this cream over my rosacea and I'm good to go, I didn't even need foundation over the cream! I'm on my second pot and soon to be third! I will never stop buying this product. This product shown in the picture is the only fully size product I own.

After trying that product I couldn't wait to dive into the rest of the products! I was pretty excited to try the Your Skin But Better CC Cream mainly because I have seen Marissa Lace rave about this product. Its completely worth the hype. I have never gotten so much compliments on my skin before. I would do a light layer of this over the Bye Bye Redness Correcting Cream. The name completely does it justice, its literally your skin but better! My skin always looked fresh with a healthy glow. This CC Cream is said to be infused with cutting-edge anti-aging technology and is clinically shown to improve skin texture, brightness and increase skin hydration by 79%. I completely stand by this claim! 

The Hello Lashes 5-in-1 Mascara is said to be a best seller for It Cosmetics and I believe it. This mascara made it into my "mascara routine" (yes, I have a mascara routine) I'm someone that has naturally long lashes and I take pride in my lashes. If you got it flaunt it! This mascara helped hold the curl in my lashes, never flaked and gave amazing volume to my lashes. I'm someone who really doesn't like the clumpy lashes look so for a mascara to separate, give my lashes volume and length is a great mascara in my book!

Finally we have the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer. This concealer is definitely a full coverage concealer, but it is blendable enough to make it a more medium coverage if you prefer. Its thick and creamy and really covers my dark circles. I haven't used this a ton because it is so full coverage now that its summer I go for a more natural look so the crazy covered under eye concealer isn't my look right now. But when I do go for more of a glam summer look this is what I reach for!

So as you can see I have a little crush on this company. It Cosmetics products are just filled with ingredients that is supposed to help your skin, how could you not love that?! I had emailed their customer service with some questions too and they were fast to respond and super nice! They were probably one of the best customer service responses I have ever had. Like I said earlier if I wasn't a broke, post-grad student with no job I would restart my collection with this brand. I have nothing but good things to say and once I finally find a job that first paycheck will be going to them! If you haven't tried any of the It Cosmetic products I suggest you get your butt to ULTA today (or order online) and try out some of their products!

Influenster L'Oreal Ever Cleansing Balms VoxBox

I'm not one to change up my hair products but recently I have been in a little funk with my hair. I have curly-wavey hair (depending on the day/weather/if my hair wants to cooperate). Recently my hair hasn't really been curling like normal and has lost some of it volume. My hairstylist says that as we get older our hair can change, so I could just be losing my curls. I refuse to believe this because as of now I shower, throw some mousse in it and my hairs done. I don't want to loose this routine because its fast and easy and my hair looks presentable in the end. I was lucky enough to be chosen to try out L'Oreals Ever Cleansing Balm.

This is L'Oreals EverCurl 6-in-1 Cleansing Balm for curly hair, this is apart of L'Oreals New #CleansingBalms line. This is my first sulfate-free product I have tried. I have only heard good things about sulfate free products and how good they are supposed to be for your hair. This product is a 6-in-1 cleaning balm, it is said to cleanse, treat, soften, condition, detangle and sine. The instructions say to use this in place of your conditioner and to leave in for 3 to 5 minutes before rinsing it out. Unlike other products it says to use 6 to 8 pumps and more for longer hair. This is a non-lather product so your need quite a bit to wash your hair, I have long and thick hair so I used about 10 pumps. It retails from anywhere between $9.99 at Target to $11.99 at Ulta.

I expected this product to be somewhat thick like the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, but it really was kinda in the middle between thick and thin. Overall I wasn't a huge fan of the product, my final reaction was pretty "meh". After my hair finally dried it looked a bit stringy, my curls weren't really any different than before, my hair felt dry and I think it kinda looked like horse hair. I don't think it really gave me any more volume than normal. I'm not sure if it didn't work because my hair has just been in a funk or this is how the product worked. Let me know if you have tried it and how it has been working for you. Or even better, let me know if you have curly hair and if you have any holy grail product for it! I would love to get my curls back.

I received these products complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes.

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!