Kaylee's Life

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Burger King Impossible Whopper Review

Hello, everyone! I have been away from this blog for a short while, but I’m back and plan on posting weekly on here! You can click the follow button to be notified when I post!

On to today’s topic, IMPOSSIBLE WHOPPERS! As a vegetarian/ sometimes vegan, it is a pain in the butt not to be able to just swing on in a drive thru and get myself some food. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about making food at home, but sometimes I just want a good burger that’s not made from animals. And then Burger King answered my prayers!

Burger King started making an alternative to their famous whoppers by making them with Impossible meat. For those who do not know, Impossible meat is a vegan fake meat that tastes as close to real meat as it gets.

I’ve had Impossible meat in tacos before, so I knew I’d like it. However, I brought my mom, a meat eater, along to this taste test adventure. So, a vegetarian and meat eater raced off to Burger King to get this magical Whopper.

My mom and I never really went to Burger King, and as far as I know, the Impossible Whopper isn’t making people choose it over the regular Whopper, but instead bringing in a whole new crowd of people.

Here are a few pictures of the Impossible Whopper, which really surprised my mom because it doesn’t really look like a “veggie burger.”

To me, the burger tastes exactly like a regular burger, but I haven’t eaten real meat in years, so I looked to my mom to see what she thought. She immediately put down her burger and very quietly said, “I think they gave us real meat.” Of course they didn’t give us real meat, I told her it was “impossible.” (See what I did there? I’m so punny!)

Not only had the Impossible Whopper pleased a vegetarian who was dying for some greasy fast food, but it tricked an actual meat eater into thinking it was meat!

I believe that the Impossible Whopper is only in a few states at the moment; I was lucky enough to be in the test city, however the actual Impossible meat should be in stores before the end of 2019. Until then, if you’re not in an area with the Impossible Whopper, go look on the Impossible meat website and you can see what restaurants near you serve their meat!

I highly recommend the Burger King Impossible Whopper. 10/10. So yummy for vegetarians and meat lovers!

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March Kinder Beauty Box

Hello, everyone! I ran to my mailbox this morning when I saw that my Kinder Beauty box had been delivered. No joke, this box is AMAZING. I think the first two boxes were great, but this box has such a relaxing vibe to it. So, without further ado, let’s see what’s in the March Kinder Beauty Box. And, keep in mind, if you sign up for your own Kinder Beauty box use code KAYLEEKINDER at checkout or click this link for a free bonus item in your first box!

The first thing in my box was a Botanical Steam from Franklin and Whitman. The mixture is chamomile flowers, peppermint leaf, hibiscus petals, calendula flowers, cornflowers, and lemon verbena leaf. You put 1-2 tbsp of the mixture into boiling water, let it cool, and lean over the bowl for about 10 minutes. It is supposed to deeply cleanse and dislodge dirt from pores. It retails for $22. I’m super excited to try this on a nice little spa night.

The next product in my March box is the Coconut Cream Shea Butter Hand Cream from Farmhouse Fresh. It contains jojoba and soybean oils. I used a little of this when I opened my box and it didn’t leave a greasy or oily feeling on my hands. It retails for $15.

I love taking baths, they are such a great time to destress and enjoy some alone time. And this next product is a Lavendar Bath Bomb from The Kind Poppy. It retails for $6.50. The smell of lavender is so relaxing on its own, so combined with a bath bomb is going to be the best relaxation tool.

I’m not going to lie, I opened my Kinder Beauty Box and had no clue what this was. It looked like a mini pile of firewood. Turns out, it is the Palo Santo Wood Stick Bundle from Soul Makes. The wood is considered “Holy wood” and is said to increase relaxation and bring joy and harmony into the home. You can light the sticks just as you would a smudge stick, or you can just place it around your home. I placed mine on my bookshelf near all of my crystals and I’m hoping it will provide a pleasant sugary scent, if nothing else. A package of 6 sticks retails for $4.50.

My favorite type of face mask is a sheet mask. I love to turn on Netflix, put on a sheet mask, and use my jade roller to roll out my face and help massage the sheet mask into my skin. I have been looking all over for a sheet mask that is cruelty-free, vegan, and won’t burn my sensitive skin. If you haven’t, read about my horrible sheet mask experience with Pacifica’s sheet masks here.

The mask I received is the Antioxidant Sheet Mask from Eve Hansen. The face mask claims to reduce redness, soothe sun damaged skin, and enhance overall skin nourishment. I haven’t tried out this face mask yet, but I will post an update at the end of this article once I do, to let you all know how it worked out for me. I only received a single face mask, but looking on the Eve Hansen website, a package of 5 face masks is about $21.

The final item in the box was the Maracuja Mascara from 100% Pure. It apparently gets its pigmentation from tea, cocoa, and coffee beans, which is pretty cool. Again, I haven’t tried this out, but once I do I will leave an update at the end of this article.

The thing I love most about beauty boxes is that I am able to learn about so many different brands that I might’ve missed before. I am signed up for the 3 month subscription, $66, meaning that each box costs me about $22. Everything in my March Kinder Beauty Box totaled up to be $74. I highly recommend the Kinder Beauty Box, I love the products they include, the fact that they include smaller businesses, what they stand for, and the fact that they also donate to animal charities with a portion of their proceeds. Check out their website and use KAYLEEKINDER at checkout!

UPDATE: I tried the mascara and it smelled like chocolate! It worked out for a nice, natural look on my lashes, but I am in love with the fact that it smells like chocolate!

The face mask was SUPER goopy, but it was pretty relaxing and had some sort of cooling effect. It didn’t upset my sensitive skin. After I took of the sheet mask, I had to wipe some of the residue off, just because it was SO MUCH. The next day my skin was visibly less red and the acne that I had seemed to be a little smaller. I would definitely use again.

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A to Z Candle Review

Hello, everyone! Today I have a candle review from the brand A to Z Candles. I found this brand after I was researching how awful regular candles are for you. (Seriously, research it, it’s scary.) An ad for them popped up on my Instagram and after seeing the positive comments on their page, I was ready to buy one of their candles! I was hesitant, in the beginning, of buying their candles only because they are an online company and it’s not like I can smell the candles beforehand. Also I’ve found that a lot of soy wax candles smell nice, but don’t make the room that scent. But, like I said, the positive comments sold me.

I went ahead and bought a 4oz candle in the scent Gingerbread for $12. While buying it, I did think it was a tad bit pricey for only 4 ounces, but I love supporting small businesses, and when I received my candle there was a piece of paper with this statement, “Don’t be fooled by the size of your candle! Soy wax burns slower than your big box paraffin candles.”

There was in issue in the delivery with my candle, not because of the company, but because there was a snowstorm and the post office couldn’t deliver it that day. I only mention this because I reached out to A to Z and within 15 minutes I had a reply. I love great customer service! I’m so serious, if a company has an amazing product and awful customer service, odds are I won’t repurchase from them.

My candle smells amazing!!!! It smells like cinnamon and ginger on a cold winter day. I don’t know how this happened, they must have magical candles, but it made me feel all warm and cozy inside.

I trimmed the wick, as instructed, and lit the candle in my bedroom. With 10 minutes my whole bedroom smelled like gingerbread, and within 30 minutes my whole apartment smelled that amazing.

I let it burn for about an hour and it didn’t look like I had burned a ton of my candle, which was my fear for a 4oz candle. I was afraid I would burn through it so quickly, which is not the case. This is a photo of my candle after the hour of burning:

When it cooled down there was barely a dent in the candle. Sometimes I will even just open the candle lid and not burn it, and the smell will lightly dust over my bedroom. Plus, the jar it comes in is so cute and you can 100% reuse it. In the end, I highly recommend A to Z candles, in fact I can’t wait to get my hands on their ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ candle because I heard it smells like Froot Loops. I love that they are vegan, cruelty-free, and a small business. Let me know in comments if you’ve tried these candles and what scent I should try next!

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February Kinder Beauty Box Review

Hello, everyone! Today I am super excited because I just got my second Kinder Beauty Box! For those who may not know, Kinder Beauty is a monthly beauty subscription box with $65+ worth of makeup, skincare, haircare, etc. It is 100% composed of cruelty-free and vegan items, and if it couldn’t get any better, a portion of sales go towards animal rights and environmental causes!

I first heard about this box through the Instagram of Daniella Monet, one of the founders. I used to have a previous subscription box, but was frustrated because I couldn’t choose to only receive cruelty free items. When Daniella announced this project with Evanna Lynch, the second found of Kinder Beauty, I immediately signed up.

Subscriptions come in packages: monthly for $24/month, 3 months for $66 ($22/month), or 12 months for $239.40 ($19.95/month). The first two boxes sold out, so if by the end of this review you want a box, I suggest moving fast! Now, let’s get on with the review!

As soon as I opened the box, there was a slip of paper that told me how much each item retails for and a description of the item. The first item in my box was a full size liquid lipstick from Ambreesh in the shade Hey, Doll. It is a waterproof, transfer proof, all day wear formula that still provides an extremely lightweight feel. When I swatched this on my hand it was completely opaque, and didn’t wash off of my hand until I scrubbed it with soap in the shower. It retails for $28.

Next in the box was a full size Kat Von D liquid eyeliner in the shade Trooper. THIS IS MY FAVORITE EYELINER. It is a highly pigmented, 24-hour-wear formula that’s also waterproof and transfer resistant. I truly swear by this eyeliner, it’s amazing. This eyeliner retails for $20.

Up next is the Skin Detox Rehab Mask from Delia Organics. Here’s my honest opinion, it didn’t work. This mask comes as a powder that you add water to and it becomes a paste. I started out with one, single drop of water and no matter how much powder I mixed in, I ended up using about half of the container, it was just absorbed into the drop and always remained a liquid. This face mask retails for $22.

The next product is a set of false eyelashes with a mini vegan adhesive by the brand Eldora. I haven’t tried these out yet, so I can’t say for sure how much I like them, I will keep you updated. The pair of eyelashes retail for $9.

The final product I received in my Kinder Beauty Box is a deluxe sample size of the Nourishing Rose Cleansing Oil by Derma-E. I have to admit I was pretty excited to see this brand because I do use a face wash by them. They’re on the higher end of drugstore, so I’m glad I get to try the cleansing oil before actually buying a full size. A full size version is 2 oz. and retails for $15.99.

Those were the products in my February Kinder Beauty Box! Would you like a review of my box in March?

If you are interested in signing up for Kinder Beauty, you can use my code: KAYLEEKINDER at checkout or click this link for a free item in your first box!

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My First Time At CycleBar

Hello, everyone! A few weeks ago I was browsing my Instagram and an add for CycleBar came up. For those who may not be aware, CycleBar is a spin class; it’s 45 minutes of high intensity cycling that you could burn around 500 calories doing.

So, I click the link and browse classes near me. The ONLY reason I took the 5:30am class for the following morning was because the class was playing T Swift music. I bought the $10 newbie pass, selected my bike spot, and tried to convince myself 5:30am was a great time to workout.

Next morning, it wasn’t too bad being up so early. There wasn’t anyone on the roads, so it felt like the world and I were sharing our own little private moment. I walked in about 15 minutes early and the front desk attendant showed me how to check in.

When choosing your class online, you choose if you need the special bike shoes that clip in, I, of course, did. So, the shoes were in a little cubby with my bike number waiting for me. I got a free water bottle and on one of the lockers it said, “Welcome to CycleBar, Kaylee!” How cute!

I changed into the special shoes, locked everything into the locker, and walked into a room with rows of bikes. The lady showing me around adjusted my bike for me and clipped me in. A few minutes later the teacher came over and talked to me about how this was my workout and I could go at my own pace.

I started pedaling because others in the class were doing this to warm up. I was at 36 rpm (speed). Perfect, this seems great, this will be fun. If only I had known… The warm up once class started was 100 rpm. ONE HUNDRED. Oh, lord take the wheel. My legs were going as fast as they could and I was trying so hard to just focus on the Taylor Swift music playing around me.

For the first 10ish minutes I REALLY tried to keep up. I would keep up in speed and resistance, but I knew if I kept this up I would not be able to finish the class. So I slowed it down a little, I tried to keep up with the speed and not resistance, as much.

Every time I thought about stopping it was as if the teacher knew and she would preach some inspirational words. One of my favorites was when she said that the only person I had to impress here was myself. I kept pedaling. I was so into my groove that I had no clue what happened when people started clapping, turns out class was over.

I unclipped my shoes, walked like a baby deer to my stuff, and chugged the rest of my water bottle. I was covered in sweat, but it was 6:15am and I was already wide awake and done with my workout. I walked to my car so impressed with myself, I really pushed myself and had a bit of fun. Afterwards, you get an email with your stats of your rank in the class, calories burned, etc.

Overall, I don’t think cycling classes are for me, but it was a good experience. I felt very supported and welcomed. My teacher made me feel so proud of myself because she told me her first cycle class she pretended like she was out of water after 20 minutes and left. But, I survived my first cycle class at CycleBar! Should I try more workout classes and share the results on here?

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The Reality of Dropping Out

Happy 2019! One of my New Year’s resolutions is to post once a week on this blog. Last year was really rough and I missed out on all of the fun I had while writing these posts. So, expect at least one post a week on here and also on my Youtube channel!

Now, on to the point of this post. Last year I was a Junior in college. I had spent my first two years at a community college near my home, so I was able to live with my mom. During those two years, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I was always switching ideas and majors, I just had no idea what to do for the rest of my life. Fast forward to last year, I got accepted into a University and decided to pack up my cat, move to a new state, and leave behind everyone and everything I knew.

Perhaps my first mistake was making a huge life change and not surrounding myself with a support system, but I believe everything happens for a reason, which I will explain a little later. I was excited to start this part of my life, I was excited to meet new people, learn new things, and finally figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

I majored in English for the sole reason that I didn’t know what else I could see myself majoring in. I took an Italian class and fell in love and added it as a minor. This is the part where, mostly, things where fine. I made two friends (hey, it’s a big deal for me), my mom would come visit me, I was enjoying most of my classes, and life was fine.

Eventually, my good pals Anxiety and Depression moved back in and things took a turn. I would go to my classes and then come right back home and go to sleep for 18 hours. I would have awful migraines that prevented me from keeping a job, I felt isolated and alone, and the worst part was that I felt like if I admitted it to anyone that I would be a failure.

This went on for the entire school year. Just before the summer semester started, I looked at my upcoming fall schedule and had a full blown anxiety attack. It wasn’t that I was taking too many courses, I only had about 13 credit hours, it was that I was so completely empty and lost that I didn’t even understand how taking pre 1690 literature would get me anywhere near where I wanted to be in life. Where did I want to be? I still had no idea.

Talking to my family about wanting to drop out of school was embarrassing and I felt so defeated. That summer I moved out of my apartment and back in with my mom. This is where “everything happens for a reason” comes into play. I went to University in a different state than I grew up in and during my first year there my mom moved into the same state, primarily because she had a great job offer, but also for my in-state tuition. It brings me some kind of comfort to think that my going away to college, though it didn’t work out for me, pushed my mom in the right direction for her life.

After dropping out, I felt an immediately relief of anxiety, however it was quickly replaced with more anxiety because I had no safety net, I was in the big girl world with zero idea of what to do. I had been told my whole life that you finish high school, go to college, get a job, and work. That’s all I’ve ever known and yet, there I was creating my own path. The only way I can relate this feeling is spending my whole life on a boat and suddenly I’m jumping off. The jump gives me freedom and relief briefly, but then I’m in the dark water and I can’t even figure out which way is up.

The reality of dropping out of college for me is that I’m forced to create my own path and not only do I have to face the criticism from myself because of my own choices, but I have to listen to everyone giving their opinion on what I should do. I know most people are trying to help me by telling me what I should do, and pushing me to go back to college. But, here’s the thing, I have to figure out my life on my own. If I feel like I should go back to college then I will, if I feel like a certain career is for me, then I’ll go for it. But, it’s something I have to figure out for myself.

One thing I’ve noticed since dropping out is that when I tell people around my age that I’ve dropped out, I’m hailed as some sort of hero. I get responses like, “Really? I wish I was brave enough to do that!” or, “That’s so cool! What do you think you’ll do next?” But, from older generations I get a lecture or a whole lesson on why my life isn’t going to turn out the way I’m hoping it will. And maybe they’re right, maybe it won’t turn out the way I want it to, maybe it will turn out to be awful, in which case I will strongly advocate for going back to college, or maybe my life will turn out to be one big, great adventure. But, I have to figure it out for myself.

I didn’t make this post to persuade anyone from dropping out of college or not going to college. In fact, if you know for a fact you want to be a doctor or lawyer or teacher, CHASE YOUR DREAMS. If you know that you don’t want to go to college and you want to do something else, CHASE YOUR DREAMS. We are only given one life, I don’t want to waste mine hating myself and where I am. I’m just one girl who is trying to figure out who she is and what she is meant to do.

Buyer Beware: Pacifica Sheet Masks

Hey, everyone! Unfortunately, today’s post isn’t going to be my favorite to write. I bought the Pacifica Stress Rehab Coconut and Caffeine Facial Mask the other day and was so excited to try it out because it is cruelty free AND VEGAN!

I excitedly tore off the paper and smoothed the sheet mask over my face. Within a matter of seconds I felt a burning sensation; I left it on for a few more seconds, hoping that it would pass. However, I had to take it off of my face, having it been on for a total of 1 minute.

This is not how I wanted the first picture of my face to appear on my blog, but the show must go on. LOOK HOW RED MY FACE IS!

The main ingredients of this face mask are: coconut, caffeine, green tea, and turmeric. I assumed it was the turmeric that has done this to my face, and before reading reviews, I would have also assumed it was because I have sensitive skin. However, the face mask claims it is for all skin types, and after reading reviews, even those without sensitive skin felt a burn and had to remove the face mask and reveal bright red skin.

My dad tried the Pacifica Super Green Detox Kale and Charcoal Facial Mask and his face was burning, as well. After looking at reviews of all of their sheet masks, there seems to be a trend of burning skin and red faces.

I had such high hopes for this face mask because Pacifica is one of my favorite skin care brands, but unfortunately I was let down by their sheet masks. On a positive note, Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile, and Lavender saved my skin. After a few sprays of that my skin calmed down.

Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender

I guess the moral of the story is that I should thoroughly read reviews before snatching up some products, even if they are cruelty free and vegan. I hope that all of you do, too!

21 Things I Have Learned in 21 Years

Hello, everyone! I celebrated my 21st birthday in the beginning of April and while it was really exciting, I felt old. When you’re 15 you can get your driver’s permit, at 16 you can get your license, at 18 you can buy lottery tickets, and 21 you can drink, but what happens after? Nothing. You just get old and wrinkly. Can’t wait. So while I was at home drinking some wine LEGALLY, I came up with 21 things I have learned in 21 years. Let me share my wisdom with you, since I now look in the mirror and my reflection is a grandmother. But, a really WISE grandmother.

You can’t control everything. This has been a tough one for me to get over since I am a control-freak. But, the universe has its way of working, and there are some things out of your control. So, take a deep breath and trust in the universe.
Trust your gut. Don’t listen to your head, don’t listen to your heart, listen to your gut. If you feel like something is off and your gut is telling you to run, RUN.
Everyone has a story. Be nice to everyone because you never know what is happening in their life.
Smile, you don’t own all of the problems in the world. It’s true.
All you can do is try your best.
When you get hurt, you have to let yourself love, don’t cut off feelings or pretend like you have none. You’re human, you’re allowed to hurt, and you’re allowed to love again.
Always remember self-love. You are just as important as all of the people you’re trying to save.
One day of eating bad, or a week of not working out won’t ruin everything you’ve worked towards.
Get out of your comfort zone. My comfort zone is my apartment with my cat, but this year I have already pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone and try things I normally wouldn’t and IT WAS ACTUALLY FUN.
What you think of yourself is more important than what anyone else thinks of you.
You don’t always have to defend yourself.
Some people will never change, no matter how hard you want them to.
If it won’t matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes thinking about it.
Replace your bad thought with good ones. It’s so good for self-love, I promise.
Some people are only meant to be in one chapter of your life, not the whole book.
Mistakes are okay, otherwise you would never know what it is like to fall.
Live passionately. If you don’t have a passion and a fire beneath you, what are you living for?
Work for your dreams, they won’t happen overnight.
“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.” This is from We Bought a Zoo, and I have never been able to get it out of my mind.
You are never too much, and you are always enough.
Take a deep breath and look at the world around you. There is so much that you’re missing by rushing through life.

I hope you guys have enjoyed my list of things I have learned in the past 21 years. Cheers to the next 21!

So, You Want To Travel The World?

Hello, everyone! It’s true, I have the travel bug. The insatiable desire to explore the world; some even call it wanderlust, which sounds glorious and I wear my wanderlust with pride. It all started when my dad took me to London in the sixth grade. Everything was so new and interesting, and, boy, was I hooked. I felt like I was in a fairytale or a movie; it was so surreal. I went on a student ambassador trip to five different countries when I was 16 and it was a completely different experience. I wasn’t with my family, I was with new people in a new environment and I learned SO MUCH ABOUT MYSELF.

That trip was honestly the best 20 days of my life. My body had no time to adjust to the time difference, so I woke up every morning EXHAUSTED. But, I didn’t care at all I was just so excited to take on the day and see what the world had to offer. If you haven’t traveled overseas I HIGHLY advise you to try and do so in the future because it really gives you a whole new outlook on life. Even if you can”t travel overseas, get out of your town, explore, say ‘yes’ to adventures, and LIVE YOUR LIFE.

One of the best pieces of advice I received about traveling was to keep a journal. At the end of a long day the last thing I wanted to do was journal about my day, but it is so worth it. Anyone who knows me knows that my memory is nonexistent. I recently just took a look through that journal I kept while I was in Europe and it brought back all of those memories, even ones I had forgotten about. Before long I was sitting on my bedroom floor sobbing because I missed it so much. Another piece of advice I have is to wear a new scent while you travel. For instance, I had some cheap body spray I had never worn before that I brought with me on my Europe trip and stopped wearing after my trip. I still have the bottle and anytime I sniff it it takes me back to walking on the streets of Europe with foreign languages surrounding me, the crisp air hitting my face, and the excitement bubbling up in me. The smell takes me right back to Europe and if I close my eyes I swear it feels as though I’m back.

I have the travel bug and I would like to gift it to you. Here are some of the photos I took from my trip to Europe, and a few from my trip to Disney that are too beautiful not to share. I hope they inspire you to explore the world around you! Embrace the wanderlust within yourself, you won’t regret it, I promise!

europ4 europe1 europe2 europe5 europe3 europe

disney disney1 disney2

The locations of the photos go in this order: Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, France. The last three photos are from DisneyWorld. All photos are taken by me on my Canon EOS Rebel T5i, and are unedited (because I don’t know how to edit).

Cruelty-Free Skincare

Hello, friends! Today I want to share with you my cruelty free skincare routine. Being cruelty free is such a huge part of helping to end animal testing. I went cruelty free about three years ago; I started by replacing my makeup with cruelty free brands, then went on to my skincare, and now that I am living on my own, I also only use cruelty free house products, as well. I hope to do a cruelty free makeup and household item blog posts in the future, so stay tuned!

My biggest fear while going cruelty free was that I was going to have to give up all of the products that I loved; I now realize how absolutely selfish that was of me. The point of going cruelty free is to show that you will not support companies who test on animals or allow their products to be tested on animals. It’s about being a voice for the animals in laboratories who cannot speak for themselves. And honestly, cruelty free products tend to be more natural and better for you in the long run.

So, how do you know what is cruelty free? There are so many ways to know what brand is cruelty free and what is not. First off, on the product itself there will be one of these symbols: I got this lovely picture from Cruelty-Free Kitty, who shows you how to spot a fake cruelty-free logo. crueltyfreekitty.com/…/cruelty-free-bunny-logo

The one thing that you should know is when brands try to be sneaky. For example, some companies might say that they do not test on animals UNLESS REQUIRED BY LAW. This means that they sell their products in China, where animal testing is required. I know, how absolutely horrible that they actually REQUIRE products to be tested on animals before they are sold there. Anyways, that is what happened with Nars a little while ago where they still said they were cruelty free, only they started selling in China and it really upset a lot of people. I mean, it is really upsetting to think about what those animals have to go through, all so that we could have products that we feel like we can’t live without. Just take a look at your face wash, is it worth the torture that poor animals have to go through? I hope your answer is no.

Stepping away from my lecture and into my skincare. These are the products that I use in the morning.

The Derma-E brand has so many great skincare products; they are so gentle and calming on my skin. Not only are they cruelty free, but they are vegan, GMO-free, and eco-ethical. After I wash my face, I go in with Lush Grease Lightning spot treatment. This has tea tree oil, aloe, and witch hazel in it, which works way better for me than salicylic acid ever did. Lush is one of my favorite places to go for vegan and cruelty free items because it says right on the packing what is vegan and what is not, the packing is recyclable, and they put a little sticker of who made that product. My Ultra Repair Cream from First Aid Beauty is SO FREAKIN’ AMAZING. It is my savior in the winter; not only do I use it on my face, but I use it all over my body because it is so hydrating and gentle on my skin.

My skincare best friend is Mario Badescu, he just understands my skin so well. I start off my night routine by washing my face with the Acne Facial Cleanser, which is a small size because it came in a sample pack with a few other items, which I will link below. Once my face is all clean I take a cotton round and dab a little of the Special Cucumber Lotion on it and rub that all over the trouble areas on my face. Then I go in with THE BEST under eye cream EVER, Tarte’s Maracuja C-Brightener Eye Treatment. Seriously, so amazing! I tend to get puffy under eyes and dark, purple circles, and this just hydrates my eyes and keeps them depuffed (that’s not a real word, but you get it) while I sleep. I follow up with my Ultra Repair Cream and once that has dried completely I take a Q-Tip, dip it into my Drying Lotion, and put that on my blemishes. This has helped dry out big zits on my face OVERNIGHT. It’s actually a miracle.

These are my favorite masks. I use the Mario Badescu Cucumber Tonic Mask about 2 times a week. It is really great for oily and acne prone skin. If you have dry skin, I would suggest their Collagen mask. When I’m near Lush, (my stupid college town DOESN’T have a Lush, ugh) I always pick up the Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask. Since it is a fresh face mask, it lasts for about two weeks and you have to keep it in the fridge, but this is the one item that if you bought anything I have suggested, this would be it. I’m so serious, if you want to suck up all the crap from your pores and have soft skin then THIS IS THE PRODUCT FOR YOU. I also threw in Tarte’s under eye masks because, unfortunately, Sephora products are not cruelty free, even though I loved their sheet masks and under eye masks. But, Tarte’s under eye masks work just as well and no animal had to be harmed for your spa night!

I didn’t have to give up any of my skincare in order to go cruelty free. In fact, it just led me to awesome brands who advocate for animals and our planet. Even if you just change a few products, it’s less money going into the pockets of those who test on animals.

I hope you have all enjoyed my cruelty free skincare post, stay tuned for another post next Sunday!

dermae.com/…/anti-wrinkle-vitamin-a-glycolic-cleanser ($13.75)

lushusa.com/…nsers/grease-lightning/02896 ($15.95)

sephora.com/…/ultra-repair-cream-intense-hydration-P248407 ($12+)

ulta.com/acne-starter-regimen-kit ($30) This kit includes the cleanser, cucumber lotion, and a great mask for drying out acne.

ulta.com/plastic-bottle-drying-lotion ($17)

sephora.com/…/maracuja-c-brighter-eye-treatment-P377545 ($38)

mariobadescu.com/…uct/cucumber-tonic-mask ($18)

lushusa.com/…s/catastrophe-cosmetic/06093 ($9.95)

tartecosmetics.com/…-undereye-patches/844 ($22)