Why I chose Beautycounter

Hey guys!

So today I wanted to talk about a big life move I made recently! I am always scouting out great new brands and makeup and skincare to try to be able to find the best of the best and my searches led me to a new brand I hadn't heard of before called Beautycounter.

Truth be told one of my close friends had been raving about it for the past few months to me about how amazing it was and how great it was for you but I hadn't paid it much attention until recently. She finally said hey just come over and lets have coffee and I'll tell you about it to see if you might be interested in any of the stuff. So long story short I fell in LOVE with the message of this brand and decided to take the leap and join myself!

Now, for those of you who may not be familiar with Beautycounter allow me to let you know a little bit about this amazing company! From an article on Huffingtonpost: "Gregg Renfrew launched Beautycounter in 2013, a B Corporation that’s single-mindedly focused on creating transparency and safety in the personal care industry, through truly innovative skincare and beauty products that set a new health and safety standard."

 Gregg was just like I was and just like many of you may be right now which is unaware and in the dark about what is going on in the beauty world and then she decided to start researching beauty companies in search of better products to use for her and her kids. When searching, like many, she didn't find exactly what she was looking for so she decided to start Beautycounter as a means of giving the beauty world an amazing new set of products that not only work well but are also not bogged down with the horrible chemicals that are in so many of the beauty products in America today.

This was one of the huge reasons I was hooked into learning more about Beautycounter. I normally always try and find better products with better ingredients and Beautycounter offers that in more than just one category. They have skin care, hair care, and makeup along with body washes and soaps AND their baby care line. They really do have everything!

I think this brand is a brand that needs so much attention because not only do they want to make their products better they want to make ALL products better. Their mission is "to get safer products into the hands of everyone" and they mean that!

From the Beautycounter website:

"The Food and Drug Administration (the agency that regulates cosmetics in the United States) allows companies to use chemicals known to be extremely harmful in the products we put on our bodies and on our kids’ bodies every single day, day after day, and to make their own judgments about safety. It's time for a change. The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938."

That fact came as a SHOCK to me! Who would ever think that an industry as huge as the beauty industry hasn't had regulation laws passed in almost 80 YEARS! There have been so many advancements within the technology and business worlds so why has there been no new legislation on something that we put on our bodies each and every day in almost 80 years?! I'm betting you are looking as astonished as I was when I first heard about this. So what can you do about it? Well Beautycounter is constantly spreading the word that this needs to change and big businesses need to be held responsible for what they put in their products and they even have a page where you can call your state representative and tell them the importance of passing new legislation on this topic.

There is so much I can say about Beautycounter and all of the amazing things the brand is doing but the most important thing is that they have quality products that WORK. Their products also are constantly screened for better ingredients and they are a forward thinking brand with an amazing mission and product base.

My decision to choose Beautycounter is something I want everyone to know about. I stand behind this brand and their products and I can tell you that not only do these products have better ingredients but they also have so much heart and soul put into each and every one of them to make sure that it is top quality and they are just darn good products! Everything that I have ever used from Beautycounter I have fallen in love with because not only do the products work exceptionally well but I also have the piece of mind that what I am putting on my body is the best thing I could possibly be using.

I could go on and on forever about this but I will leave it here for now. If you are interested in giving Beautycounter a try please feel free to visit the website through here: Beautycounter and look at all of the amazing products we have to offer. If you have any questions at all feel free to ask me!

xoxo Jess

Best of: Pajama sets for Christmas Eve/Day

Happy almost Christmas everyone!


So, continuing with the festive season posts I thought I would do a fun post on some Christmas PJ sets that I love that you could rock on Christmas Eve/Day that are not only cute but super festive and comfy!

first let's start off with something that is not only great for holiday sleep wear but something all year round! Victoria's Secret Sleep Shirts!
My all time ultimate favorite sleep wear is Victoria's Secret's Sleep Shirts!

They. are. HEAVEN! If you have never worn them before then you are missing out! Not only are they super comfy and soft but they are also the perfect amount of sexy and the perfect jammies to wear on Christmas. Victoria's Secret also makes some of the cutest holiday themed ones A N D they are on sale right now 2/$40! It is honestly a match made in heaven. I will normally grab tons of these during the semi-annual sales because they are usually marked down to $15/$20 a piece and they are such good quality they last forever! I had to buy some during their amazing Black Friday sale and they came in last week and definitely do not disappoint. I have been living in them!

(These are also a great gift idea if you are looking for something fun and cute to get for your significant other or even to buy matching ones for you and your bestie!)

Link to buy them is here: Victoria's Secret Sleep Shirts

If you aren't so much into wanting to be a little sexy minx for Christmas there are other options out there for you! Some of my other absolute favorite jammies come from Target!

They not only have a HUGE selection but they also have some of the CUTEST pjs in holiday themed and also my other favorite... Disney! I included a few of the different types they offer at Target above but honestly you could spend 30 to 45 minutes looking at everything they have right now because they have SO many cute ones! This would also be a great place to create a wish list to share for Christmas and even upcoming holidays for later! They have sleep shirts and cute holiday sets that are thinner and have jogger type bottoms but they also have the classic holiday sets with he button down top and draw string pants. They ALSO have cute sleep onezies and sleep shirts... I mean honestly you just have to go look because their selection is so amazing and they have some great deals right now!

Link to go check out all their cute jammies: Target Sleepwear

If you are looking for somewhere with a great deal to buy your Christmas jammies OLD NAVY is having an AMAZING sale right now!!!

 

So right now Old Navy has their sleep pants for SEVEN DOLLARS EACH! yes that's right you heard correctly... $7! they also have their cute sleep sets for only $12 and I think that is AMAZING! If you are wanting to grab matching sets for you and all your siblings or all of the women in your family to rock on Christmas Eve/Day this would be an amazing place to go right now to get a great deal! I have owned many a pair of Old Navy pjs in my lifetime and it was always something my mom would buy me to have as my Christmas Eve present when I was younger. I would always get a new PJ set to be able to sleep in for Christmas.  

Link to check out Old Navy's amazing deals: Old Navy Sleepwear

The amazing thing about both Target and Old Navy is that you can also grab some cute Men's PJs while you are there so that you and your significant other or even your siblings can enjoy the festive holiday wears as well! :)

Happy shopping! Tweet me if you buy any of these and let me know! (@thejesslauren)

xoxo Jess

Christmas is coming!!!

Hey guys!

I can't believe that November is almost over! Just a few short weeks and then Christmas day is here! Today I wanted to talk about a few things I love to do to get me in the Christmas mood just in time for December!

If you know me you will know that Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year and there is no better way to get into the spirit of the holiday than with some Christmas music!

I listen to Christmas music all year round but if you're not like me and you can only handle a few little doses of Christmas then now is the time to whip out those old favorites and also find some new ones to get you feeling holly and jolly! I have a few amazing albums I would recommend:

The first one is the brand new Pentatonix Christmas album A Pentatonix Christmas! Pentatonix have released Christmas albums for the last few years and they are always one of my favorites to listen to and this year's album does not disappoint! It has a favorite of mine from N*SYNC's Christmas album  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and I no lie have jammed to that EVERY time I've gotten into the car! There are also other amazing classic holiday songs they have covered such as I'll be home for Christmas, O Come all ye faithful, and White Christmas just to name a few! If you haven't ever listened to their other Christmas albums I highly suggest giving all of them a listen!  Here is the link to their newest album if you want to preview a few of the songs or buy it! (it's only $7 on iTunes!) A Pentatonix Christmas Album

The other album that is guaranteed to get me in the holiday spirit is Michael Bublés' Christmas album! I love listening to his music all year round but there is just something about listening to his smooth jazz influenced music during the holidays! It is always sure to get me in the mood for Christmas!

If you have burnt yourself out on Christmas music another way to get yourself feeling ready for the holidays is watching vloggers around the holidays. I like to do this  year round also but especially to get me in the mood for Christmas. If it is not quite December yet I like to watch Christmas vlogs/videos on YouTube from the previous year. Most of the vloggers I follow do what is called Vlogmas where they vlog every day in December leading up to Christmas and they all do such festive things like getting their Christmas trees and decorating them, going to look at Christmas lights, wrapping presents, talking about their favorite Christmas films and doing things with friends like making gingerbread cookies, ect ect. It is just something that REALLY gets me in the festive mood! Besides vloggers looking up videos on YouTube from people who travel to Disney World during the holidays is also one of my favorite things to do. I love watching videos of the Holiday Wishes fireworks show and the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party parades and just seeing the parks decked out in all of ther Christmas best really set the holiday mood for me. It makes me want to grab a hot chocolate, put on my most Christmassy pajamas, and snuggle on the couch while watching Christmas films!

A few of the people I love to watch around Christmas are Zoe aka Zoella (her main and vlogging channels), Tanya Burr, SacconeJolys, and Gabbie. These are a few of my favorite vloggers all year round but their Christmas/December vlogs are my favorite and I love re-watching their vlogmas ones whenever I want to feel Christmassy!

If Christmas music and watching vloggers aren't your cup of tea to get yourself ready for the holidays then there really is only one thing left to do. Full Immersion. One of the things I like to do to get me in the holiday mood  when it is nearing the end of November is to decorate! There is NOTHING more Christmassy than putting up your own tree and setting out all of your festive dish towels and candle stands and decorating the mantel. Along with decorating your house it is also important to don your most festive holiday wears. I like to start wearing my Christmas hair bows and Christmas themed sweaters/apparel as well as use all of my fun Christmas mugs and cups and just surround myself with 24/7 Christmas.

There is something about the holiday season that just puts me in a good mood pretty much all the time and whenever I feel a little down I love doing these things to put me right back in the best of moods. I hope you have enjoyed reading about what I like to do to get me in the holiday spirit and if you are trying to find your holiday cheer I hope one of these things can help you!

Happy Holidays!! :)

xoxo Jess

New seasons in life

Hey guys!


So today I want to talk about something exciting and also scary! Starting a new season in your life.

I am 26 going on 27 in January and as I have hit my mid to late 20's so many things have changed in this new season of my life. Friends have come and gone, I have figured out more of who I am and I have also recently switched from a part time retail management job into what some would label a "real world" job at a local hospital working as a manager for their IT support desk (I know it sounds super fancy right?). Through all of this transitional time I have learned so much about who I am as a person and who I want to be when I grow up (because let's face it I still don't consider myself to be an adult quite yet). So I wanted to share some of the things I have learned in the past few months to a year in the hopes of helping one of you who may also be going through a transition in your life.

I have learned transitions are NOT EASY! There are a lot of "growing pains" when you are moving from one season of your life to the next and through a lot of these growing pains you learn so much more about who you are.

The transition from going full force in graduate school to graduating and also no longer being labeled as a student was a huge growing moment for me. I had to learn who I was without that label. Our entire childhood and young adult lives we are in school and we are a part of that type of environment and it becomes a huge part of who we are and how we label ourselves. Being in an academic environment is like being in a different world (especially graduate school). When you're in graduate school you are around the same small group of people for two years and you grow accustomed to that environment so when you graduate and none of that is the same anymore it can be difficult. I know I really struggled with it post grad because most of my friends went back to their hometowns or moved away to new jobs and new cities and we all separated. Thankfully I had a community of friends through theater who were all still right here with me but that didn't make the separation from those other people any easier. I have learned through life that a big part of growing up is learning to move with the ever changing tide of friends who come and go from your life. In this time of my life I learned the hard way that even though we may want friends to be in our lives closely forever they aren't all going to be that way and it is just a part of life that helps us grow.

Through this transition more concentrated on myself. In my experience of my mid twenties so far I have learned that though you may have people around you who care and love you the most important person who should care and love you is yourself. In most of my adolescent and young adult life I struggled heavily with loving myself as I was. Being confident in myself is something I have really had to work on (especially over the past year) and I have learned so much about myself and I have put in so much more love and time for myself that it has really had an impact on my life. I had a very hard realization of my self worth and how others around me were treating me and I had to make some really tough choices and let some people who had been in my life for my entire adulthood go because I realized I deserved better than what I was getting. That was a hard realization to come to and it is still a sore spot for me even today but I know that in the long run it was the right decision to make. Through this realization I also had to slowwwww down. I realized that I was constantly going and doing things and not giving myself enough time to just sit and be alone with myself because I was scared of what I would find when left to my own devices. That was just a part of self discovery that I had to go through. I had to learn to be at peace with myself and learn to enjoy doing things alone. I always depended on other people to pull out my personality and to feed off of and when I actually sat down and thought about it I realized I needed to be building those things up within myself and not relying on others.

Starting a new season can be so difficult because as humans we don't really like change. I know I for one used to hate when anything changed because it meant I had to get out of my comfort zone. Learning to accept changes and start again are some of the biggest challenges in adulthood and I think it's something that never goes away and people who are good with change have learned from their previous seasons of life and friendships and have managed to learn how to accept the changes and keep living their best lives. If there was any advice I could give to you if you are going through the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another it would be to roll with the punches. Life will 100% never go to plan. There will always be curve balls thrown your way and learning how to deal with that is so important to ensuring you stay the happiest you can be.

I hope that this has helped some of you who may need a kick to end a certain chapter that you know needs to end or if you have already ended that and are trying to figure out how to move on to the next. Just remember without these moments in life there would never be growth. You can do anything you set your mind to.

xoxo Jess.