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Friday, September 29, 2017

Why I've been MIA & A Life Update

Hi all! I know it's been a long time and I haven't been posting much on here. A few things have happened that are making time a hard-to-find commodity for me. 

So sit back, grab a coffee or some chow and let's chat! Oh and these pictures are my last attempt to hold onto summer, it's getting quite chilly here in Colorado. 



Why I've been MIA


This is mostly because I decided to go back to school for my Masters degree this fall. I've been needing to do this for a long time. My career in higher education  requires a grad degree for me to move up. And I love working in colleges and universities so I needed to get this done. After some research, advice from mentors, and some soul searching, I decided to go to an online school for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

I've been taking 2 classes for about a month and I'm not going to lie. It's been rough! Between reading and assignments I've had trouble finding time for blogging. I'm hoping to get back into it once I get myself on a better schedule but so far it's not been working.


Other Life Updates

Along with school there have been a few other things going on that I thought I'd tell you all about.

Therapy

I started seeing a therapist. I tell you this because I don't want to feel ashamed about it and want to help others feel comfortable talking about it. I'm going to work on how I am in relationships. After my divorce I've been really introspective and I think I've got some issues to work on before I go into another relationship. I may write more about this process I  the future. But it's been so helpful - though really challenging and emotionally draining.

My Dog

Sage has had some medical issues this summer. He's been getting stiff and sore after playing hard or hiking. I took him to the vet and were having to do x-rays and tests. It's hard on him which is hard on me. He's my baby and it makes me sad.

Writing Goals

I got an amazing writing opportunity here I  Denver. It's for print and something new and outside my comfort zone. I'm really excited, but it's also scary and more work! Haha!

Dating

I've stopped dating apps for the moment. As I'm working on myself in therapy I don't know if I'm ready to be "out there" right now. With the apps I was becoming really anxious; why wasn't I getting matches or why weren't people messaging? It messed with my confidence and I hate that! I want to be secure with myself before adding someone new into the mix. And I'm not 100% sure dating apps are the way I want to meet someone.

Money

And finally money has been a problem lately. I've had some big unexpected expenses and some changes in my monthly income. It sucks, flat out! I was doing so well and now it's one issue after another... So disheartening. I'm trying to be more frugal and stick to a strict budget. And that makes blogging about new and interesting products a challenge!


That's All

I hope you've enjoyed this update, I know I always love reading them. I don't mean to complain or bitch but this is my life and as I wrote about recently, life is hard (see that post here) and that's just a fact. These are the things going on in my world. They're good and bad and just complicating things.
I will try to continue blogging as I love doing it but it might be more sporadic than usual. Also I was thinking of doing more makeup tutorials with my current products. Let me know if you'd like something like that.

Well that's all for now thanks for listening!!

Thursday, September 7, 2017

August/September Love Goodly Box Review

I'll be honest, I'm loving the Love Goodly boxes! It's a great cruelty-free and toxin free subscription. The value for money is great, the products are from brands I've never heard of and seem to be high quality, and the variety is pretty awesome. See my last Love Goodly Review here.

And this month (2 months?) was no exception, there was some pretty cool stuff to test out.




Ok enough gushing, let's see what I got in the August/September Love Goodly Box.

Red & Howling

Custom Frenchie Print


Can I just say that when I pulled this print out of the box I literally LOL'd. I don't say that lightly, but it's true, the dog on the end with the rose... adorably hilarious! I will be looking for a frame for this for sure, I need this in my life. The funniest part is that I'm really not all that into french bulldogs. But hey if it's cute and funny who am I to argue?

Garden of Life

Organic Plant Based Protein Bar


Confession time: I ate this bar before I was able to take a picture :( What? I was hungry, you would have done the same. But I can tell you it wasn't bad, though it did have a Cliff Bar taste and texture. I think I'll stick to the RX Bars or Larabars - my faves!

KINDri Los Angeles

Organic Beauty Oil



I love a good oil. I use one religiously at night in place of a moisturizer (at least during the warmer months) my skin just drinks it up. I just bought an oil before I received this box (only if I had known!) so I've been switching back and forth between the two. 

I would say this is a nice oil that sinks into the skin well (not quickly, cause it's an oil) and leaves my skin nice in the morning. I wouldn't say it wows me but it's nice. And I'm not a huge fan of the very citrusy scent.

I do like this oil though for my hair as a mask (do not use on dry hair if you hate oily clumps!). I run it through the ends and put my hair in a bun for a few hours and then shampoo and condition as usual. It left my hair soft and with less frizz. So I think I may turn this into a mask only kind of product.


Johnny Concert Glamour

Eyeshadow - Radioactive



Oh man, I love the duochrome nature of this shadow, it's gorgeous! I just with the product peformed better. The shade is a bronze-green duochrome with a metallic finish. The shadow is very hardly packed though and is hard to get on your brush.

To get it on my lids I first started with a flat brush and swiping it all over my lids. This left a really light wash of color with more of a shine than the duochrome or metallic. Then I tried wetting a brush and using my fingers to pack on a more intense color. I have to say the find works the best, but you have to add a few layers. It is pretty on though still pretty subtle. 

Unfortunately, I have to say I want to love this more than I do.

Z Natural Life

Deodorant



Ah natural deodorants... out there is some mythical unicorn of the deodorants that works, smells nice, is easy to apply, and doesn't break me out. This, however, is not it. But I really want it to be! 

The packaging is genius, take notes every other natural deordorant. The cream product comes out a whole in the top of this oddly phallic packaging and you swipe it on your pits. It also smells pretty nice. But I did find after time out in a hot day I started to smell. I would recommend this for inside, easy-going days. My biggest trouble though, was after a few days of wear I started to break out. Grr... what is in these things?!

Overall, I'm still very happy with this subscription box, even if I wasn't into everything in it. I'm excited every other month to checkout the new products that are coming!

Be sure to watch my InstaStories (@amberbutbetter) for the next Love Goodly unboxing and first impressions!