Luvocracy: The New and Improved Pinterest?

For those of you that don’t know what Luvocracy is, it is the latest and greatest social media site, a lot like Pinterest, with one major difference.  You can now SHOP directly off of the site!  I think all of us (and ladies let me hear ya!), can relate to that moment when we see a great product (or adorable outfit) on Pinterest, yet then have no idea how to find said item.  Well, that changes on Luvocracy.

With this new tool, when you “Luv” an item, you are able to see the price and the Luvocracy team handles obtaining the item and shipping it to you, should you choose to purchase it.  I myself have purchased off of the site, this is how I acquired my much beloved Naked1 palette, and I can say the experience was completely safe, and hassle-free.  Luvocracy went to Sephora, got the item for me, and had it shipped to my house, for me.  AND I was able to use the $10 item credit you get just for joining the site.

Yes.  You can earn money by using Luvocracy.  When people purchase items directly off of items that you’ve “Luv’d,” you essentially earn a commission, in the form of Luvocracy store credit.  Don’t worry though, because there is no way you won’t find something to spend it on!

Want to follow me on Luvocracy?  Come check out the site, and see the magic for yourself!  I am constantly updating my profile with new items and collections, you will never know what you’ll find!

http://www.luvocracy.com/constantcomments

Until Next time, Happy SHOPPING!

Allison

Birchbox: Thoughts After a Subscription

For my past birthday, I was the lucky recipient of a 6 month subscription to the popular sample service, Birchbox.  I have long lusted after Birchbox and admired them as a company and service, and have debated on signing up for myself, but just never got around to doing it.  I was also torn between other popular services, such as Ipsy.  However, I couldn’t help but be over the moon at receiving the email informing me of my gift, and immediately went on the Birchbox website and filled out my profile, indicating my personal tastes.

Now that I have received all 6 boxes I thought I would share my experience with the company and its’ service with all of you.

First off, I just want to begin by saying that Birchbox has an incredible concept behind it.  For those of you that are not familiar with the company, Birchbox allows you to set up an online profile where you fill out ‘preferences,’ or ‘needs.’  These things can vary in skin type, hair type, to what type of products you are most interested in receiving and learning about (nails, hair, skin, body, health, etc.).  Then, each month, you receive a box in the mail filled with 4-6 sample-sized products of various items based on those preferences.  Then, once you’ve sampled the products, you may purchase the items of your choice through the company’s website.

Overall, the idea of getting samples of interesting products is fantastic.  It enables you to discover more ‘high-end’ products that you would not necessarily think to try otherwise.  (That’s another thing- almost all of the products you will receive are high-end items)  However, often times, the sample sizes are tiny when compared to sizes given in other sample services, and are not large enough to decide whether a product is truly right for you.  In addition, it’s been said that perhaps you should be able to go online and decide which samples you receive on your own.  While this may cost slightly more, would this be more worthwhile for the consumer?

Product-wise, I definitely got some duds over the six months I had the service.  But that’s to be expected.  I did get some products I loved, though.  I also haven’t tried all of the products yet.  I’ve accumulated so many samples now, that it’s quite difficult to try all of them, with my skin type, changing products and things – even slightly- doesn’t always work well, so I have to be careful.  Definitely something to think about when choosing preferences in your profile!

When broken down by price, a Birchbox subscription is $10 a month.  Ipsy, the most popular competitor, is also $10 a month.  I’ve linked both services’ websites below.

https://www.birchbox.com/

http://www.ipsy.com/

For more information on my own personal experience with Birchbox, or to see specifically what I’ve received in my boxes, check out my main channel on YouTube.  I’ve done unboxing videos for all of my boxes.  My most recent one can be found at the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm36lq53jOg

Do you have a subscription to a sample service?  Let me know which one and what your experiences have been in the comments below!  I’d love to hear what you guys think!

Tech Specs

Hey Everyone!  I hope you all are having a fantastic day!  For today’s post, I thought I’d answer some questions that I’ve gotten about what sort of camera, programs, etc. that I use to create the content that I post online.  Before I hop in, I just want to say that I am in no way an expert on any of this- I feel lucky to have the tools that I do have, but I also know that there is room for improvement in my ‘toolbox,’ and I do have some ideas on steps that I want to take as far as upcoming improvements.  That being said, please feel free to leave comments and suggestions on products that you recommend to me, and let me know what your experience have been (positive and negative) with any of the products that I mention!  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts, and they may even influence decisions I make in the future!

Computer

I currently am using a Macbook Pro that runs the latest version of OS X.  I switched to the MacBook Pro from a PC about a year ago, and have not regretted the decision to do so once.  I find the Mac so much higher in quality (I absolutely hated Windows 8, which I had for a brief time), and it is really not hard to make the adjustment to the different computing system.

Cameras

I have two cameras that I frequently use to film content for my videos.  The first one, is the most frequently used camera in general on my part, and it is my DSLR.  It is a Nikon D3100.  I love this camera.  However, I am still learning the ins and outs of it, and would really love to just take a photography class somewhere to get the in depth help that I probably really need.  In addition to this particular camera, you may also be questioning which lens I use.  I do not own any additional lenses for this camera- I simply use the starter lens that it came with, and for my ‘beginner’ status, it works well.   However I do have my next lens already picked out.

The second camera that I use is a simple point-and-shoot camera that I’ve had since high school.  This camera was actually passed on to me by my Dad, but he took great care of it and it still works incredibly well.  I’m not entirely sure of the official name of the camera, but it is a Sony Cyber-Shot with 10.1 mega pixels.  This camera mainly gets used for smaller vlogs as it’s perfect to have in my purse when I’m on the go, or I’ll bring it along for nights out with friends when bringing a DSLR isn’t the most practical choice.

Editing Software

To edit all of my YouTube videos, I simply run them through the most updated version of iMovie, which for those of you that don’t know, is a program that comes with the Mac computer systems.  I find that the program is fairly easy to use, and it gets the ‘basic’ editing done, however doing much more than basic editing can be more challenging and/or time consuming.  This is another area that I hope to make improvements in, and hope to update to Final Cut Pro, which most people on YouTube utilize.

The Sigma Resort Palette

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all are having a fantastic day!  For today’s post, it’s a long overdue one.  This is a brief review/thought session on a Christmas present that I received this past Christmas from one of my AWESOME Aunts (SHOUTOUT TO YOU!!!!).  I’ve been meaning to write this for the longest time, but just haven’t, and today, well, it’s finally happening.  So let’s hop right in!

First off, let me just say that when I saw the Sigma packaging I was ready to cry.  I had no idea what I was getting, and I just got so excited and emotional, and just yea…. I was so excited and grateful.  When I opened it up, I was pretty much terrified to even touch it, because I didn’t want to ruin it’s ‘perfection,’ and I started jumping up and down screaming (like a 3 year old) hugging my Aunt.  It was great.

For those of you that don’t know, the Resort Palette by Sigma is a Limited Edition palette.  It comes with 8 eyeshadows, 1 blush, 1 liquid highlight, and 1 double-ended eyeliner pencil.  It is all beautifully packaged (about the size of a Naked palette) and there is a large mirror inside).  The eye colors range from smokey to neutral to bright, and there are so many looks you can create.  The blush is a gorgeous soft to medium pink shade, and the eyeliners come in a bright blue shade, and a staple brown.

The eyeshadow colors (from left to right): Muse, Fawn, Luna, Topaz, Papaya, Moonbeam, Neela, and Midori.

Eye colors (left to right): Muse, Fawn, Luna, Topaz, Papaya.

Eye colors (left to right): Topaz, Papaya, Moonbeam, Neela, Midori.

Overall, I think this is definitely something that I will get more use out of during the summer months due to the amount of bright shades, and the temperature of the liners when swatched.  However, so far, my favorites of the shadows have been Fawn and Luna.  I just love the neutral look of Fawn as an all over the lid color, and Luna in the inner corners of the eye.  It’s a great basic look.  I can’t wait to mix and match some of the brighter colors with other bright outfits for some fun summer looks!

So you have this palette?  What do you think of it?  What are you favorite looks to create with it?

Introducing… The 1975

It’s definitely been quite a long time since I’ve done one of these posts.  Part of that is because I’ve been stuck in quite a rut when it comes to discovering new people and groups in any capacity, and another reason is I just haven’t thought to introduce you guys to the great and awesome new people that I have come across.  Nevertheless, today I want to talk to you all about the incredible band that I discovered thanks to MissGlamorazzi and Against the Current (on Youtube), The 1975.

Famous for the hit single, “Chocolate,” The 1975, comes from Manchester, United Kingdom.  The 4 members met in school in 2002, and consist of Matthew Healy (vocals, guitar), Adam Hann (guitar), George Daniel (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass).

Total, the group has released four EPs.  Their self-titled debut album was released on September 2, 2013 and debuted at #1 in the UK on September 8, 2013, ahead of the Nine Inch Nails comeback album.

Overall, The 1975 is unlike anything I’ve ever listened to and stuck with.  I’ve “dabbled” in this typed of music before, but have never planned to see the group in concert as I’ve done with this group.  I have had the same songs on a constant loop since September, and that really says something.  The 1975 has taken a front row in my “music agenda” and has pushed all other music to the back burner.  Be warned through- some songs are marked as “Explicit” on Spotify.  And just a word to the wise, this music isn’t truly appropriate for all ages, even the songs that aren’t marked.

Here are some links to some videos that I think you may enjoy as well as the band’s official website!

Until next time, Happy Reading (and listening!),

Allison

The 1975 official website:

http://the1975.com/

“Chocolate” – Music Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBKqaVk2Co

“Sex” – Music Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeDGfk0UJw8

“Chocolate” – Against the Current COVER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pIyg35wiB4

“Chocolate” – Landon Austin COVER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfcwHB5qRgA