Motivational Monday! ~ 10/28/13

Hey guys!

So long story short, I officially changed my major from nursing to early childhood education yesterday. It's bittersweet, because while I'm grieving the loss of my 2 1/2 year journey towards nursing, I'm also excited for what's ahead with early childhood education.

Therefore, I thought the quote below was very fitting for my situation. Enjoy, loves! xoxo

It's been a long journey, yet it's still just beginning. Life's journey is about being genuinely happy and that's where I'm headed, I can just feel it!!

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

Motivational Monday! ~ 10/21/13

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the two new beauty reviews I posted last week. I'll link them below:

Product Review: Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub

Did Bath & Body Works Make An EOS-esque Lip Balm?!

I could use some motivation myself today as I've been having a rough couple of days with school and such. So I thought the quote below was a good fit!

Enjoy! xoxo

"Whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." - I really need to convince myself of that.

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

Did Bath & Body Works Make An EOS-esque Lip Balm?!

Hey guys! I recently went shopping at Bath & Body Works. I originally went in with my free mini candle coupon in hand, ready to walk in and walk right back out with just one item.

Yeah, right.

I got sucked into a couple things, including this adorable looking lip balm. To be honest, I bought it for two reasons: it was so cute and it smelled delicious!

Now let's get down to business. This lip balm retails for $8.00 at Bath & Body Works in the section with other cosmetics, such as the yummy, sparkly lip glosses. I've seen two; the one I purchased looks like a strawberry and is strawberry scented. The other one I saw looked like a green apple and would, I assume, smell as such.

Bath & Body Works Lip Balm: looks like a strawberry; EOS lip balm: looks like a sphere

1st view: appears to be significantly less product in the B&BW lip balm vs. EOS

2nd view: appears to be significantly less product in the B&BW lip balm vs. EOS

As seen in the pictures above, the EOS lip balm appears to have significantly more product than the Bath & Body Works lip balm. However, after doing some research, I found out that the EOS lip balm has 0.25 oz of product inside, while the Bath & Body Works lip balm has 0.2 oz of product. This means the difference is only 0.05 oz, which isn't a huge amount. This leads me to believe that the Bath & Body Works lip balm is packed more and more dense. I just hope it lasts as long as my EOS lip balms have.

The price is the big factor here. The Bath & Body Works lip balms retail for $8.00 and EOS lip balms range from $3-4, depending where you purchase them. I found them for $3.29 on the EOS website, $2.99 on target.com, and $3.99 on CVS.com. So the price is a huge jump for a similar product that you can get at a cheaper price. The real question is: is it really worth it?!

I've loved my EOS lip balms for years now. The Strawberry Sorbet one just happens to be my favorite, too. I will mention that the scents are a little different. The Bath & Body Works lip balm has a distinct strawberry jello smell (which I LOVE) while the EOS lip balm has a softer general strawberry scent. The Bath & Body Works lip balm seems to pull at the lips more when you apply it, while the EOS lip balm has a smoother application. So definitely keep that in mind. However, they're both about the same size as far as the outer casing goes.

All in all, I would say I enjoy my purchase. Maybe I can justify it more because I used a 20% off coupon and a gift card to purchase it, but I do really love the scent. And the casing is definitely a conversation starter. However, because of the price, I have to defend EOS. They have a wide variety of scents/flavors to choose from, along with awesome lotions and shaving creams. They all retail for no more than roughly $4. 

In the end, it's all up to how much money you want to spend and which kind of strawberry smell you'd prefer. It's a tough choice if you have to choose one, but at the moment, I'd honestly have to say I choose the Bath & Body Works lip balm just because that strawberry jello smell is to die for.

I hope this review was helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section! xoxo 

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

*Note: Both the EOS lip balm & Bath & Body Works lip balm are new in the pictures above.*

Product Review: Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub

Hey everyone!

I haven't been able to post on here much lately, so I knew I definitely wanted to review this product on my blog instead of my YouTube channel. I enjoy sitting down and doing written reviews every now and then. I also prefer reviewing the things I receive in things like Birchbox or Ipsy Glam Bag here. :)

So today I decided to review the Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub that I received in my Ipsy Glam Bag a couple months ago.

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

 Here's a quick run down of the pros & cons:

PROS

• Leaves skin feeling smooth
• Removes toxins
• Gentle exfoliation, but effective
• 70% organic
• Helps with mild acne

CONS

• Leaves dark residue on skin
• Slightly funny smell

I overall really enjoy this product. I like to gently exfoliate my skin for about 1-2 minutes. Then I rinse off my face so most of the product is washed off and I pat my face dry with a towel. I really do think this exfoliant is very good at removing toxins because charcoal is known to do just that. I've even taken charcoal capsules before to help clean out toxins in my digestive tract - easy, affordable natural remedy!

This is one of those exfoliaters where you can feel some abrasiveness, but not too much. It doesn't feel uncomfortable while working it's magic, but you can feel the work being done. It's just the right amount, in my opinion. I also noticed when I'm breaking out, it helps get rid of the acne a bit quicker than if I hadn't used it. I have mild acne, though, so keep that in mind. Too much exfoliating can be irritating, especially to acne prone skin. It's also a plus that this product is 70% organic! I always enjoy using more natural alternatives when I can.

The only have two little qualms. I've noticed that it's difficult to rinse off every speck of the black residue this leaves. Therefore, some product ends up getting patted onto my towel. It washes out just fine, but can be a temporary bother to some. My other issue is the smell. It's not a heavy scent and I actually like that it isn't "scented". However, it almost smells like, to me, a funky mint scent. It's the most bizarre thing and is more noticeable while exfoliating rather than smelling from the tube. But it's definitely not strong enough to deter me from using and enjoying the product.

I received a sample size of 1 fl oz and this product sells at a size of 3.4 fl oz for $18.00. So this is a more high-end skincare product in my opinion, but if you don't use it too often, it will last you. I like to exfoliate no more than twice a week. (Remember your skin naturally has a sloughing off process, so don't overdo it!)

Overall, I really enjoy this product. It does the job I'm expecting from it and I get good results. So if you are in the market for a new exfoliater, who knows, maybe you found the one! Either way, I hope you enjoyed this review!

Thanks for stopping by. xoxo

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

Motivational Monday! ~ 10/14/13

Hey guys! Happy Monday!

I hope everyone's day went well. I sold my iPhone 4S to Verizon for $210, which was amazing. since I was ready to sell it to Gazelle for only $165! So definitely check out Verizon if you're looking to sell your iPhone 4S by the end of October!

Then I went to the doctor. Turns out I developed some bronchitis after a terrible cold I've been fighting since last Tuesday. But I'm finally starting to feel better, which is a plus! But the downside is I haven't been able to film videos so instead I plan to post on here today, Wednesday, and Friday as well to make up for it! I hope you guys look forward to it. :)

Be your own best friend and advocate!

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

*Image credit to google.com*

Motivational Monday! ~ 10/7/13

Hey guys!

I feel like I'm moving a mile a minute today! I've been up since 6:45am and haven't stopped moving since! It's currently 2:21pm and I'll be going non-stop until about 9pm tonight! Between school (my first A&P 2 test - yikes!), filming videos, editing videos, uploading one of those videos (see a pattern?), going to a doctor's appointment, working on homework, and going to help someone organize their house - it's hard to believe I even have two minutes to write this blog post!!

Anyways, that's my little update on my hectic day. I hope you guys are off to a good start of the week! :)

If I had to choose one quote to sum up my outlook on life...this would be it!

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,
Lauren

*Image credit to google.com*

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Good luck! xoxo

Remember to have a positive day! :)

Hugs,

Lauren