5 Tips on How to Build a Sustainable Wardrobe

Every season I go through my closet and declutter things that I haven't worn. I think most people do this on a somewhat regular basis. But, I am starting to think about being more eco-friendly with my choices, so here are my top five tips on how to declutter your wardrobe & make it sustainable!

1) The 30 wears test
When shopping, ask yourself "Will I where this piece at least 30 times?" If the answer is no, then put it back. Pick more versatile pieces that cane styled in different ways.

2) Stay informed
Stay informed Eco age is a great resources on some brands that building a sustainable legacy. Do your research and start with a few brands you love. For example, Pact has fresh-cut organic cotton clothing for men, women, and children.

3) Go Thrifting!
Thrifting is all the rage right now! Buying vintage reduces your carbon footprint because you aren't just purchasing another new piece of clothing, you are purchasing some well-loved. One of my favorite sites to buy gently loved pieces is Poshmark! P.S. don't forget to shop my closet :)

4) Invest in items you can wear all year long
Only buy items that will work for your all year long in the four seasons. Jeans, t-shirts, classic dresses, are all items that can be dressed up or down or styled differently for the four seasons.

5) Donate your unwanted clothes!
A great mantra to live by is every time you buy something new, you have donate a piece of clothing. I have donated clothing on several occasions and I always feel good because I know someone less fortunate to me will now have access to a basic necessity, clothing. A few charities include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, and your local youth, foster, or adoption organizations.

So, I hope you found this post interesting and don't forget to check out Pact on your adventure to building a sustainable wardrobe!

*This post was not sponsored. I am not affiliated with Pact. 

Home Gym Essentials | Elizabeth Kathrynx

Want to workout in your own home? I'm here to tell you that you don't need a fancy gym membership to lose weight and build muscle! Most gym memberships will run you $20-$50 dollars a month. That all adds up and could be put towards buying your own home gym equipment! These are my home gym essentials!

1) Yoga mat. This is a must have if you are working at home or outdoors. It will provide extra comfort for your bones and joints when you are doing yoga or pilates. 

2) Cardio stepper. These are great for doing cardio exercises and can typically be adjusted to add extra height.

3) I love doing weight training, so having multiple sets of dumbbells is a must have! These help sculpt and tone your arms, legs, back, and shoulders. I have sets of 2, 5, and 10 pound weights. They were all purchased at Target! 

4) Another unique piece of equipment is a resistance band. These are really great for toning arms and back. 

5) Resistance Loops.  These loops might look harmless to you but they are killer when working on your abs and glutes. 

6) Sliders.  These are a versatile piece of equipment that add an extra challenge to moves like mountain climbers and lunges. 

7) Sneakers.  You need a good pair of sneakers to support your body when you're exercising, especially if you have weak ankles, like me. 

Do you workout at home or at a gym? 

What is your favorite piece of equipment?

Let me know in the comments?

So, you want to start a youtube channel...

Before you even THINK about starting a Youtube channel, you need to ask yourself "What types of videos do I want to make?"

Are there certain Youtubers you enjoy watching? Do you have any hobbies?

If your goal is to become an overnight superstar, it's not going to happen. It takes years to grow your channel and be successful. 

But if you want to do it, then DO it! I have been making videos for many years now and still enjoy it.

Here is the link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/LizLovesMakeupx3/

My tops tips to getting started:

1) Good lighting: Don't film your videos at ten o'clock at night when it's dark outside. Natural light is your best friend but if you can't film during daylight hours, I recommend the following lighting kit. It costs around $50 dollars on Amazon. 

What about a ring light? I don't have one yet because I don't film a lot of in-person videos, mine are generally top-down facing but these again are a costly investment. 

2) Camera: You do not need the newest, most expensive camera on the market to make good quality videos. Shoot your videos with whatever camera you currently own, even if you are using your iPhone or a point-and-shoot camera to start.

My current camera is the Canon Rebel T3i. My sister upgraded her camera over the summer and I bought it off her for a relatively decent price. I also use the lens that cam with the camera. Another very expensive part of getting a DSLR camera is the camera lens. They can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. 

The DSLR camera is great if you know how to use it. My sister taught my some tips and tricks to get started. You also will need to invest in a memory card, I personally use a 64GB card.

Another tip of advice, get a camera with a FLIP-OUT screen. It is immensely helpful if you don't have somebody helping you film videos.

3) Tripod: If you have a big camera, like me, you will need a good tripod. A stack of boxes or piles of books will not be sufficient. I am using a cheap tripod I picked up on Amazon for under $50 dollars.

4) Editing Software: I recommend when starting a channel to use the editing software that comes on your computer. If you have Windows, it is Windows Movie Maker. If you have an Apple, it is iMovie. The professional softwares, Final Cut Pro and Sony Vega, costs hundreds of dollars and you might not have that type of money when starting out. Heck, I don't have that type of money :)

5) End-slates and thumbnails: These are very important because they will help bring the viewer back to your channel to watch the other content you have uploaded. It will also bring in new viewers. I make my thumbnails and end-slates using Picmonkey. It has a free option and a paid option, which gives access to additional fonts, graphics, extra. You don't need any Adobe products to make your graphics!

6) Tags and description box: Similar to above, these help surface your videos to other audience members. I haven't mastered this art but it's similar to when you post a picture on Instagram and you use hashtags. 

6) Having the right intentions: Make sure you are genuine in your videos.  Nobody likes watching a fake. You should be passionate about videos and it will show through when you are filming. Like I said, this is not a get rich fast business.

So, those are my tips to getting started with a youtube channel!

If there is anything else you are curious about, leave it in the comments sections!

Butter London Chat Up Nail Polish | A Review

Hi everybody! I made a video a few weeks ago about Butter London sending me a few nail polishes from their new Patent Shine 10X formula! This formula is supposed to give you brighter, shiner nails as well as have the following qualities:

1,Long-wear for up to 10 days

2. Shock absorbing & chip-resistant
3. Salon colour coverage
4. Gel-like cushion and superior shine
5. Fade-resistant colour
6. Formulated to smooth nails
7. Formulated to Strengthen nails
8. Prevents breakage and peeling
9. Visibly brighter, more radiant nails
10. No formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toluene, camphor, ethyl tosylamide, or xylene

Taken from Butter London's website

Que Bella Purifying Tee Tree and Witch Havel Mud Mask: A Review

My skin is currently super broken out and dry from this extremely cold weather, so I didn't try out one of these Que Bella masks that I picked up at Target a few months ago. The mask I tried out is the Que Bella Purifying Tea Tree and Witch Hazel mud mask. This mask is supposed to draw out impurities and make your skin feel revived, which is perfect for the current condition of my skin. This mask doesn't have a very strong smell when you apply to the face. It hardens in about 10-15 minutes. You can feel the tea tree and witch hazel working on your skin. Overall, I recommend this someone who has acne-prone skin. These are extremely affordable, but I have only been able to find these masks at Target. 

What is your favorite face mask?

End of Summer Empties

Interested in finding out more about some of the products I have used up over the past few weeks? Then check out my end of summer empties video. It features makeup, skincare, and more!

My least favorite product I used up was the Rite Aid Makeup Wipes

My favorite product I used up was the NYX Le Frou Frou mascara

Summer Bucket List Update

Back in the beginning on June I created a summer bucket list and I wanted to update you guys because it been basically a month since I first created that list.

My Summer 2014 Bucket List

- go to the beach

- read 5 books

- go to an outdoor concert

- get a pedicure

- have a picnic

- roadtrip. somewhere, anywhere.

- see fireworks

- go tubing

- try a new food

- see a movie at a drive-in movie theater 

- see a movie at a movie theater

- go to a zoo

- date night. lots of date nights.

- go to a waterfall

So far, I have completed two of the items on my list, go to an outdoor concert and go to a waterfall. My fiance and I went to SPAC and saw a concert on June 15th and we also went to see the Cohoes Falls. Next, we are going to be taking a weekend trip for my fiance's birthday to a resort in PA, which you saw my post on instagram.

How is your summer bucket list coming along?

Sigma Beauty 4th of July Sale!

*Affiliate links are used in this post. I am affiliate with Sigma Beauty. This post is not sponsored*

Hi everybody! Sigma Beauty is having  a HUGE 4th of July sale this weekend!

Here are all the sale details:

*The Sale runs from July 4th-July 6th

*Use code FIREWORKS on select items seen below!

Happy Shopping!

Wedding Update: We're Getting Married on 10/24/15 !

Hi everybody! I wanted to do a quick little wedding update! Grant and I got engaged on our anniversary 2/9/14 and we're going to be getting married on 10/24/2015! We booked our wedding venue for the ceremony and reception last weekend! We are having it at a local Hotel/Restaurant/Conference Center and we couldn't be happier! This weekend we are meeting with a photographer to discuss packages. It may seem a little soon but October weddings tend to book very quickly, even 500+ days in advance. As for wedding colors, I haven't decided yet. I am leaning towards either a dark purple or a turquoise right now.

Cobalt Turquoise

Royal Purple

What wedding color would you choose?

March Fitness Goals

Hi ladies! I have been neglecting my blog and youtube channel lately and that's because I have just been so busy and have had no time to work blog posts and videos! I know that's just an excuse but working full time(40+ hours) and spending weekends with my boyfriend, doesn't leave a whole lot of time to dedicate to my blog and youtube channel.

Anyways, some of you may have noticed in my latest videos that I have gained some weight, approx. 15 pounds or so. My goal is to try and start losing some of that weight and just be healthier. So for the month of March I want to challenge myself to workout and be healthier. This is want I want to try and achieve:

1 - Work out at least twice a week

2 - Eat breakfast everyday

3 - Drink at last one glass of water everyday

Since I'm not a member of a gym, most of the workouts I am going to do is going to be "at home" workouts. I have a few favorites on Youtube, such as Blogilates and POPSUGAR Fitness. I am also going to try and always take the stairs at work and attempt to take a quick walk on my lunch break - weather permitting. For eating breakfast, I am going to try and make an Isagenix meal replacement shake or eat something hearty and healthy. Drinking more water seems simple but it quite challenging.

Ultimately, I would like to try and lose 5 pounds this month.

What are your fitness goals for March?