You will NEVER guess what I did

So, you will never guess what I did...

I joined another network marketing company!

Here's my story...

I used to be with a health and wellness company. I joined because I was looking to lose weight and get fit, so I figured why not join? Well, I got little to no return selling these programs and shakes. I did ALL this work and as on my phone constantly, messaging random people,  and was not making any money. I even went into debt to stay "active" as a coach. I quit 9 months later.

So..here I am two years late joining another network marketing company, a HAIRCARE company!
I have struggled for YEARS with thick, coarse, frizzy hair and have tried EVERYTHING on the market and nothing works! When I found out they had products, that could address my issues, I was like heck yes! They eve have products that will help with hair loss or thinning.

Why did I decided to join?

• These hair care products are made from all natural ingredients, no parabens or other yucky chemicals
• This market isn't over saturated with thousands of other people selling hair care products. This company is the ONLY online online marketing company selling hair care products exclusively. They also have products for men AND kids!
• I don't have to SPAM you with product pictures!! No more cold messaging, posting product pictures, hosting challenge groups, etc. Non of that, we NEVER mention the company name on social media.
• My girlfriend said she made over $1,000 thousand dollars in her first month!! These products sell themselves! Unlike a health and well ness program, it's one and done. You don't go back and buy it again? These products are consumable!!
• This team has more training than I ever had with my previous health and wellness company! They could easily charge hundreds of dollars to access this training, but they don't and you need to "rank up" in order to have access to this exclusive training material!

For all those reasons, I decided to join with little to no hesitation! I knew now was the best time to get in and start working the business, without having to spam people all the time! I signed up as a Market Partner and am working with a team of amazing people!

Maybe you have oily hair? Or frizzy hair? Or thick hair? Or thin hair? Or curly hair? You have tried everything like me and nothing ever solves your problems!

Now that you have read this post, if you're interested in this opportunity, please reach out! You can always email me or send me a message!

Thank you for reading and giving me the chance to share this with you! I look forward to posting  about planning, fitness, home, and beauty soon!

2018 Goals and Resolutions

So, are a blogger, I am obligate to write a post all about my goals and resolutions for 2018. There are a number of things I want to achieve in 2018 that aren't just for my blog and youtube that I would like to share with you today!

My goals for my youtube and blog are:

• upload two videos a week
• publish a blog post once a week
• Trying new things such as doing live videos

My ultimate goals for 2018 are to be able to work with a brand on a sponsored post/video. I would also like to have 2000 subscribers by the end of 2018. I will try and achieve this by uploading consistently and creating unique content for the blog and channel.

My personal goals include:

• working out 3-times a week for at least 30-60 minutes
• paying down debt on student loans and car loans
• self-care
• travel

These are things everybody wants to achieve in a year but I am SO tired of paying our stupid student loans every month. I am going to consciously try to apply any extra money we have to our student loans and fingers crossed, pay off the remainder on my student loan which has approximately 8,000 dollars left. I will continue going to orangetheory fitness once a week and workout from home the other days of the week. I want to get outside more and go for more walks on my lunch breaks to help break up my day better. I also want to meal prep every week and eat healthier. I want to treat myself to manicures, pedicures, and massages more often as my self-care goal. I LOVE traveling, so I want to try and take 3-5 mini trips this year and one big trip this summer!

I hope you found this helpful in creating your goals for 2018!

Bathroom Remodel: Progress Update & Fixtures {Part 3}

This week marks the third week of our bathroom remodel. Things are starting to wrap up and my contractor said the project should be done *fingers crossed* by the end of this week! Today, I wanted to share a progress update and my fixture selections for the bathroom, including the vanity!

Here is a sneak peek at the new shower that it being tiled! I decided to have the tub removed and just have a standing shower. You can see in the picture the tile selections from my previous update post!

So, let's go over my picks for the vanity, sink faucets, toilet paper holder, towel bar, and more!

1) Bathroom Vanity

Buy Here

2) Sink Faucets

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3) Vanity Lights

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4) Toilet Paper Holder

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5) Towel Bar

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6) Mirrors

Buy Here

Based on these selection, you can see we spent a pretty penny on the items above. In addition to these fixtures, we still have to pay the final amount to our contract for time and materials! I will do a final before and after post once the project is complete!

*Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. I am not affiliated with Lowe's.

Going Back to School!?

Several years have passed since I graduated with my bachelors degree, so I decided it was time for me to pursue graduate education!

I applied to several colleges and universities of different size and location but I ultimately made my decision before the Thanksgiving holiday. I will be pursing my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) part-time at Clarkson University!!

So, you're probably wondering, why Clarkson University? Well, a few things:
1) Clarkson has a hybrid program where you can take classes online AND in-person
2) Clarkson's graduate classes are held on Union College's campus, which is only a twenty minute drive from my house and office!
3) They offered me a scholarship to help with financial aid
4) My employer has an extremely generous reimbursement program

I will be starting classes in the Spring Quarter semester, which starts in March 2018! I am doing the program part-time, so my expected graduation will be in year 2021. I will be taking classes at night and online because of working a full-time job.

So, why am I going back to school? An MBA will help my grow professionally as well as personally. It has been a dream of mine for many years and it is finally coming true!

I hope to be able to share more about my experience once I begin taking classes!

Are you going back to school? What are you studying?

Bathroom Remodel: Progress Update & Tile Selections {Part 2}

Finally, the time has come!! Our bathroom remodel started on Monday, December 11th! The room was completely gutted to the studs and the walls now have insulation! I am already noticing a difference on how much warmer it stays upstairs!

Today, I wanted to share with you the tile I picked out for the floor, shower walls, and shower floor!

1) Floor Tile - Fronda Marengo Wood Look Floor Tile

BUY HERE

While I was looking for inspiration, I came across the trendy wood look for flooring and I knew I HAD to have this once we redid our bathroom! 

2) Shower Floor/Trim - Penny Round Thunderstorm

BUY HERE

This mosaic tile will be used as the shower floor tile as well as trim that goes around the top of the shower walls. Again, saw this when searching for inspiration and fell in love.

3) Shower Walls - Imperial Gris Matte Ceramic Subway Tile

BUY HERE

I knew I really wanted subway tile in our bathroom, so I picked out this light grey tile. The bathroom is following a modern, contemporary style and I saw lots of pictures using subway tile in the shower.

Next time, I will share my selections for bathroom vanity, sink faucets, vanity lighting, shower rod, and more!

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!

Erin Condren 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Tuesday! Today I am excited to bring you a Holiday Gift Guide for one of my favorite companies, Erin Condren. I have purchased from Erin Condren many times, probably too many, and I love supporting a woman-owned business! Erin Condren is the perfect place to grab a gift for everyone on your shopping list!

This post contains affiliate links. All images are courtesy of Erin Condren. 

All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for further details.

Gift Guide

Erin Condren is know for its Life Planners but they have many more products and gift options now. I have combed through their website to bring you my top picks for the 2017 Holiday season!

1) Erin Condren Life Planner $55 [BUY] 

I cannot have an Erin Condren gift guide without mentioned the illustrious Life Planner. It has been a staple in my life for many years and now comes in multiple layouts and color schemes. You can choose from vertical, horizontal, or hourly layout, as well as neutral or colorful color scheme. You can also pick your coil color and your own personalized cover! I love mine and will continue to use for many years to come!

2) Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly Planner $30 [BUY]

There are so many uses for the monthly planner! If you like planning the big picture, then this is the planner for you! You get a 12 Month Calendar, 40 notes pages, and two size options! The paper in these planners is also amazing quality and pens don't bleed through! I use this planner for budgeting but it could be used for a family planner or event planner! 

3) Planny Pack $20 [BUY]

I think this is a great gift for the planner in your life! It can be used to carry for your pens, markers, stickers, and more! It could also be used as a wallet! It comes in four gorgeous colors! Slip the elastic band over your cover and you can carry it around with your planner!

4) Wine Tote $20 [BUY]

This is the PERFECT gift for a party hostess! These come in a variety of patterns and can be customized! It can hold your standard bottle of wine but can also stretch a bit as it is made from neoprene material. 

5) Sherpa Throw $55 [BUY]

This throws would make a great addition to anyone on your shopping list! You have many different patterns to choose from, as well as two size options. These are the best to curl up with on a cold, winter night drinking a cup of hot chocolate, watching a movie with your loved one!

6) Enamel Flair Pin $8+ [BUY]

These pins are are extremely trendy right now and on the top of many gift lists! They can be worn on a hat, jean jacket, backpack, or just displayed on a bulletin board. These would make an awesome stocking stuffer!

That wraps up my Erin Condren 2017 Holiday Gift Guide! I hope have enjoyed my top picks for the people on your shopping list and helped give you some holiday shopping inspiration! Erin Condren typically will have a sale for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, so make sure you follow their Instagram to stay up to date on any coupon codes or special deals! 

What is your favorite Erin Condren product? Let me know in the comments!