The worst feeling is when you notice the signs that your friendship is over - gone - ended.
Maybe the sign you’re seeing is not being invited to the parties or the wedding. Maybe the sign is when you send text messages, emails, voice messages and they get ‘read’ but no reply - or even worse, you no longer see any of their social media posts and you’re completely in the dark... on the blocked list.
SO what went wrong? When you know you’ve done nothing wrong.
You always sent positive words of encouragement when there’s problems in her life. In fact, you’ve always been THE listening ear and never said anything hurtful, even on days you needed to vent - you took the latter. You remembered special dates and occasions (even took time to post a special ‘in feed’ post to celebrate). And always done your best at being ‘there’ for your best friend even with the 700 mile distance and the busy lifestyle of being a parent.
That is why I know I was not the problem. I was doing the best I possibly could in the busy life of a 30 something year old. My Ex Best Friend was the problem.
My Ex best friend is the one reading the messages of concern but refusing to reply. My Ex best friend is the one who unfollowed my social pages. My ex best friend is the one who’s NOT explaining what is wrong. Even after sending messages saying “I’m sorry if I did something wrong. Let me know what has happened and if I can make it right” "I'm sorry if there's been times I haven't texted you back immediately... Life with Holly right now has been complicated, just let me know what I can do to be better?" - when that goes read with no reply…. That shows me that SHE’S the one who has decided to not want the friendship anymore AKA: It's not me, its her.
I reached out to a friend who has no connection with her and in fact, him and I recently became friends and are still getting to know each other via WhatApp as penpals. He's thousands of miles away and I felt his input and thoughts about the situation might help open my eyes to something I'm missing.When I told him about the sadness, confusion, and hurt I was feeling - he said:
“Sometimes friends change. And seeing it like this, the distance happens.”.
I also told him I had reached out on multiple outlets (social media & outside of social media) cause I’m not sure if I did anything wrong. I personally felt I did everything to the best of my abilities. And still, no reply - which he then stated:
“Life is made of cycles one closes and another opens! Some for the better and some worse - the important thing is not to harm anyone and always be honest. If people disappear its because there’s some internal reason and we can’t be sad and move forward in life”.
After doing some deep reflection I believe I did all I could in the friendship/relationship. At the end of the day I know my life and where I’m at (from work, relationships, dreams and goals) doesn’t align 100% with hers; and maybe these differences became too much? I know at times she felt she was on a different level than me and probably at times felt un-relatable to me. I tried my best and that’s all I can say. I know I did good and I know I will continue to do good. I have no hate, no negative feelings, no negative opinions about her. All I want is for her to grow into the person she dreams of becoming and always do good to others. I hope the next best friend that replaces me sees how amazing of a person she is, treats her well, and sees the beautiful person I saw in her.
I wish I didn't lose my friend of 14 years. But the chapter is over.
Anyways, I wanted to make this post to let anyone know who is going through a loss of a friendship that you’re not alone. If you done all you could do and still the friendship ended - its okay. It’s a chapter that is being closed and it’s now you're time to open a new chapter.
Hello Darlings! Lets talk about an Influencer + Blogger tip that I have discovered and has helped me so so much - The Influenster App and the benefits it brings to my social pages. Todays post will cover what the app is, why I love it so much, and how you can get involved and receive FREE Beauty, Skincare, Haircare, and more to test out in exchange for a simple social media review.
I really want to be firm, this isn’t a mlm or any scam. Its a real app that is a shopping app you can use to shop and read reviews on anything BUT if you want to test products out, there is an option to do so!
What is this Influenster App?
The juicy details is Influenster is a shopping product review app. Its such a great tool to find honest reviews on just about anything (and I mean anything!). From fashion, beauty, skincare, food, supplements, hotels and more. The community has over 6.5 million reviewers so there’s always a review for any item you need. There’s also a great section in the app where you can ask the community questions about certain products too. Best of all is testing out free products with the VoxBox. This is where you the reviewer will have the chance to try out products from retailers/brands in exchange for reviews.
The steps are simple. Download the Influenster App, sign up, fill out the ‘snaps’ (snaps are quick questions where the app gets to know you better, your experience with products, and help design what pre-screening survey’s to send to your email), and connect ALL your socials channels (this is so they can match you with brands that want reviews on social platforms based on your general profile niche and following).
From time to time, you’ll get an email for a limited time pre-screening survey to fill out. This pre-screen survey has an expiration date and I highly recommend filling it out as quick as you see the email hit because its how you get Voxboxes. The pre-screen survey simply screens you to see if you benefit testing a product out form what the brands are searching for. The questions are simple like “we’re testing a foundation! Select which shade you’ll like” or “Would you like to try a product with Green Tea extract ingredients?”
If you forget to fill one of these pre-screen emails its okay, it doesn’t count against you.
If you qualify for a Voxbox you’ll get an email stating what product you’ll be sent and to log onto the app to see what challenges you must complete. You MUST complete the challenges within the time frame window to be able to get more Voxboxes. If you DON’T you will be removed from the list of future VoxBoxes. You typically get 1 month to complete everything and its VERY simple.
Examples:
Post a review on Sephora's website.
Post a IG pic of your product.
Post a TikTok video under 15 seconds.
Why I love this app is because it gives me the chance to create new and fun content over on my social pages which involves some of my favorite beauty brands. It feels like I’m ‘official’ because I get a PR style box sent to me and I get to tag the brands in my posts. I also love it because it gives me the chance to introduce new products to my vanity and my followers.
For me personally, I stick to doing the survey’s for makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrances - but there’s an unlimited amount of options! I even seen the app ask if you would like to try a coffee maker!
If you’re wanting to download and try out the app use this link here! It’s my personal referral link. Let me stress, It doesn’t cost you anything to download and this link IS NOT a commission link. It’s just a link that shows I love the app and guided new members to try it out. There is NO form of payment involved. I’m just making this blog post to help guide anyone who’s wanting to try new products or enjoy reviewing items a fun and free app that is designed for shopping reviews!
And of course, thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Influenster - send me a DM over on one of my socials! And please don’t forget to follow along! Below is direct links to my Instagram, Pinterest, LTK and Facebook!
I recently went to visit my local Walmart and Target to grab up some more affordable makeup to test out. Side note - did you know Target has teamed up with Ulta Beauty?! How neat is that?!
My local Target has done some updates to their beauty area but I will say with the new updated makeup area at Target, I found it harder to find makeup and beauty products and living in a tourist area, my Target was low in stock on a lot of items - therefore I purchased most of the makeup at Walmart for the ease of shopping; BUT most of these makeup items can be purchased at both store locations and online!
My goal was to create a full face of drugstore makeup to test out and review - so below you’ll see everything from eyes, lips, and face!
I’ve also been considering making a Youtube video trying out each item, please let me know if you’d be interested in that as well!
At the bottom of this post will be a shopping widget where you can scroll and see all the items and within the shopping widget you can shop the items too!
Loreal Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation
Up to 24 hour natural finish foundation that is buildable. Claims to resist transfer, sweat and stay breathable all day while its color stays true all day. Has SPF 25 as well with 40 shade options plus a pressed powder to compliment it too. To me this is a drugstore dupe to the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation. It does has a natural finish and the color holds well but I would not say its truly resistant to transfer (living in Florida the humidity and heat can make anything move, including this). I will 100% be repurchasing this because its a great everyday at home or errand run foundation. I love having an affordable option to use daily and then glam it up for date night or photos with my luxury foundation of choice.
Milani Conceal & Perfect Concealer
full coverage that has 12 hours of crease free and water resistant wear that blends seamlessly.
I grabbed this up because I wanted to try the foundation version of this but my shade was sold out, so I thought the concealer would be worth a shot at trying. There’s lots of shade options and it does blend out well. I personally don’t wear concealer often because I just build up the foundation coverage when needed but I did enjoy this. If I had major tired eyes I would consider grabbing this. I haven’t tried this on acne spots but it seems to blend well and have a full coverage where I believe it would cover up dark spots and acne areas.
Covergirl Clean Fresh Pressed Powder
100% vegan, makes pores less visible, skin feel and look smooth.
This is a simple pressed powder. Its easy to apply and its personally a good option for daily wear when you don’t want to use your expensive luxury powders. I prefer to use this type of powder on top of my liquid foundation to set it and this does the job. Is it perfect? No. The packaging is very very cheap and its a cheap pressed powder, so its not going to do the blurring effects or have a lot of skincare benefits compared to some of the high end makeup - but I do like the color of the packaging and I think for what I plan to use this for; it serves its purpose.
Elf Eyeshadow Bite Size Palette Ultra pigmented quad with stay put power and a mix of matte and shimmer shades. Smooth and creamy application.
First of all, this is $3.00… I’m blown away at the price and the mini palette literally reminds me of a Natasha Denona but $22 cheaper. The eyeshadow isn’t luxury quality but does a great job at what its made to do. The images you’ll see the pigment quality and I feel the shimmer/sparkly colors are REALLY nice; like Stila quality. I’ve been trying to figure out why and how this can be so cheap and I realized its made in china but designed in the US (thats the only way I can see it being so affordable). I like it. I plan to wear these colors for more natural neutral eye looks.
Lash Paradise Mascara
Voluptuous volume and intense length. Allergy tested. Suitable for sensitive eyes.
I grabbed this up because I remember the internet going crazy at one point about it, every mega influencer claimed it was the best thing ever BUT I never grabbed onto it. I recently grabbed this up because I wanted to try a brown-black mascara instead of a jet black. I am super impressed with how many shade options this comes in. Also major win is it doesn’t smell inky - my LEAST favorite mascaras are the ones that smell bad but this one doesn’t! This has a bristle brush which I prefer for a more volumized look.
NYX Skinny Liner in Noir
Smudge proof long wearing hydrating formula in large shade range.
Once again, a super affordable item that does the job on days I dont want to grab up my luxury items. This truly has a super thin pencil (thinner than my Charlotte Tilbury liners) so you can really make sharp thin liner lines with this one. There is over 14 shades to pick from from bright greens/blues to the neutral and natural browns and blacks.
Milani Color Statement Lip Liner
This lipliner is 100% a dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk. It’s an all around flattering liner color that can be used all over the lip or to just line. Its super affordable and easy to apply. Does wear off overtime when its used as a full lip color but it does the job of lining your lips and overall staying in place for your other lip products to stay put. 100% would grab a dozen of these to keep on stockpile.
Somewhat Luxury items that I’m calling Drugstore because A) Super Cheap/on clearance and B) sold at Ulta; which has a mix of drugstore and luxury - I personally feel these items are drugstore due to their prices.
KKW Contour Sticks
Creamy buildable contour and highlight sticks thats easy to blend. Dual ended with two shades perfect for highlighting, sculpting and bronzing the face.
These are marked down to $8.00 and used to be $32 - for that price I would grab some if you want a cream contour set that is an all-in-one from bronzing colors and highlight. It has an easy step by step instructions and does contour. I personally don’t understand contouring so these sticks made it easy for me. Are these perfect? No, one of the sticks wiggled like it wanted to break so I just make sure I’m not pressing too firmly on my face.
Kylie Cosmetics Blush
Pressed powder blush that is mistake proof and smooth with vibrant color.
The blush I had of Kylies is "We’re Going Shopping" which is no longer sold but I had this in my vanity forever because I just always grabbed up my $53 Charlotte Blush. This is only $18 which is why I’m okay with adding this to my ‘drugstore makeup’ post. Packaging is cute. Color is alright. I wouldn’t say its “mistake-proof” cause its easy to over apply blush. So I lightly applied it to make sure I didn’t overdo it.
Kylie Cosmetics High Gloss Lip Gloss
Gently softens your lips while leaving a mirror shine finish and no stickiness. Ultra shiny, non sticky and lip loving care formula with over 18 shade options
WOW - I DO NOT like this stuff. I grabbed up the clear one for a good clear gloss to wear on top of matte lip products or just alone. But its super sticky and once you get the applicator out of the tube it’s over halfway empty. I feel it’s a waste of money. No one wants to apply lip gloss and have their hair stuck to their lips cause its literally glue on your face. Please don’t waste a penny on this. Its 100% NOT worth it. If you want a good clear lip gloss ELF has one for a fraction of the price of this gloss and your hair wont be stuck to your face from it.
The question is: Which would I buy again? I would buy again the infallible foundation because I love the natural finish and its a great everyday foundation, the pressed powder because its cheap and like the foundation - its a good everyday product, and I would grab up the lip liner because its the BEST dupe for a Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liner.
* The links are affiliate links - when clicking an affiliate link and making a purchase I’ll make a small commission at NO additional charge to you. This is how I upkeep my blog financially.
Shop The Post!
Thanks again for reading the blog post and please remember to follow me on all my social channels! Also if you’d be interested in seeing a Youtube review and full face of these products please let me know! I’m considering creating a YouTube and branching out that way in the near future if people would enjoy that!
Hello Darlings! If you haven’t seen my recent post about the fashion trends for Autumn Winter 2021 please go check out that post! Today’s post is all about the Accessories, Shoes, and Handbag trends for Autumn Winter 2021.
I want this to be super quick, simple and easy so you’ll see a bullet list of the trends and a small description - at the bottom of the post will be a shopping widget with some of the trends that are currently in store that you can shop today!
Handbags
- The carryall bag; stylish tote bags that hold all the things you need for the day.
- Puffy bags are super great trend to match the puffer fashion trend. These come in lots of different materials and price points from luxury to super H&M affordable! My personal favorite luxury Inso of the puffy bag is the YSL puffer bag.
- Hobo style handbags with a soft curve is super on trend. Also in the more vintage style logos and prints.
- Neutral designer bags that are timeless are perfect for this season and will last a lifetime.
Shoes
- Boots and shoes with a strong platform.
- Sesame seed color, taupe color, and winter white in boots, mules, and slides. Very popular and beautiful.
- Boots up to the knee are on trend in mixed textures from leather, suede, and faux leather.
- Outdoor snow boots are also being seen on the runway a lot this year.
- Mules and slides with chain detailing.
Jewelry and Sunnies
- Big Shades for a bold and also throwback look.
- chain detail jewelry in metal colors (gold, silver, bronze) are major on the runways and you can also find the chain detail in hats, handbags, and shoes too!
- Along with chain detail jewelry also designer necklaces layered with other materials like Chanels classic pearls with some edgy chain layers.
- Stack rings. More than one ring on your hand is a trend for this year. The materials can be from metals, stones and even colored plastic rings.
- Statement watch is a must for Autumn/Winter for a tailored look.
Hair Accessories
- Headscarfs in silk materials and can be also worn as a neck scarf or small twilly scarfs tied up in your ponytail is popular for A/W. Patterns from classic neutrals, bold colors, and elegant patterns.
- London Fashion week says straw Boat hats (short with round rim) will be on trend this Autumn.
- Statement bows in beautiful velvet and satin, hair ‘jewelry’ (studded clips, bobby-pins, and designer logo clips) will be on style this A/W, along with headbands.
- Hats like fedoras with chain detailing and leather ties will be on trend this Autumn.
- Leather baseball caps are popping up on the retailers websites in neutral leather colors for a fun texture to your outfit.
Shop The Trends Now! Here’s my Picks!
* The links are affiliate links - when clicking an affiliate link and making a purchase I’ll make a small commission at NO additional charge to you. This is how I upkeep my blog financially.
