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My April Ipsy Bag | A Full Review

April 22, 2019 itsamandaburnett 5 Comments

It’s that time of the month again, ladies. By that I mean, I got my Ipsy bag in the mail a few days ago so it’s time for another review! I’ve had a chance to try everything out this week so I’m excited to share my thoughts on the 5 products that I’ve received.

The Bag:

The bag this month is very cute, bright, and has a cute lemon print all over it. It definitely reminds me that it’s springtime even though it’s currently cloudy and freezing outside where I am. I also love how the zipper is on the front instead of on the top. It’s unique!

The Products:

TONYMOLY Peach Punch Sweet Foam Cleanser 5/5

When I first saw this in my Ipsy bag, I was intrigued. A peach cleanser sounds lovely! This cleanser contains peach extract so no surprise that it smells like an actual ripe peach! My first impression was not only that it smelt good but it actually felt amazing on my skin. The cleanser itself is a silky foam consistency and doesn’t dry out your skin at all. It even contains olive oil to help keep your skin moisturized.

Seraphine Botanicals Berry + Juice – Lip Gel in Cherry Compote 5/5

I feel like I’ve been receiving lip products in every Ipsy bag for a few months and I’m not complaining. A girl can never have too much lip gloss! Well, I guess this is considered a lip gel, which I wasn’t too familiar with. When I tried it, I realized it’s considered a gel because it’s a bit of a thicker consistency than a regular gloss. The pigment is a beautiful and sheer cherry red which I love. It also has a subtle scent of cherries and berries! Also, this lip gloss is 100% vegan. We love that.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer in 13.0 Light Natural 5/5

I’ve received this concealer in a previous Ipsy bag and when I saw it again in this months bag, I actually did a little happy dance. I told myself once I ran out of my first tube, I’d actually purchase the full sized product because I honestly love it that much. This concealer has incredible coverage! I dab some under my eyes and on any red areas/acne before my foundation and it truly hides those imperfections for a flawless makeup look. The tiniest amount goes a long way too.

Tarte Double Duty Base Tape Hydrating Primer 4/5

This is a brand new primer from Tarte. I was excited when I saw that it was hydrating because I have very dry skin. It has jojoba and grapeseed extract to moisturize and coconut to smooth. I noticed the hydration right away when I applied it. It’s like a lightweight moisturizer. I can’t give it 5 stars though because when I applied my foundation, I still had creasing under my eyes. It’s not a big deal considering I rarely use primers anyway but if you’re big on having a primer that helps keep creasing away, this might not be your favorite. But I’m giving it 4 stars because it’s very hydrating!

Nomad Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Blue Lagoon 4/5

I’m starting to be more adventurous when it comes to eyeshadow colors so I was excited to play around with this! It’s no doubt such a pretty shade of blue. I’m not giving it 5 stars only because there was some fallout and it was really hard to get a bold look even when using a damp brush. It could also be I’m just not an expert at applying eyeshadow yet! This is best if you’re just wanting to have a light pop of blue. Although, this eyeshadow does contain hemp seed oil so it won’t be harsh or drying on your eyelids!

That is it for my Ipsy review this month! Overall, I would give the entire bag a 4/5 because I wasn’t completely in love with a couple of the products but that’s the beauty of trying something new every month. These are all my own opinions so even if I don’t love something, doesn’t mean you won’t.

If you receive Ipsy, let me know your favorite product that you got this month!

Interested in trying Ipsy? Click my referral link here.

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett

What It’s Like Being Deaf In One Ear

April 20, 2019 itsamandaburnett 21 Comments

What Its Like Being Deaf In One Ear

Being Diagnosed

One thing that not a lot of people know about me is that I’m actually deaf in my left ear. When I was younger, doctors noticed that my hearing was declining in my left ear and it wasn’t improving. I don’t really remember when it all started but I just remember having to go get hearing tests every couple of months. For a while, I had a big bulky hearing aid. I hated that thing but I knew it helped me hear better so I didn’t complain too much.

I remember the day when I was sitting in the same doctor’s room that I was always placed in to get my ears checked. It was right after getting my hearing test done. The doctor came in, sat down, and just sighed. Uh oh. Then he told me, “Amanda, you can take your hearing aid out. You don’t need it anymore.” I happily took it out not fully understanding what he meant. I was around eight years old. I was just happy not to have to wear that thing anymore. Then I heard him explain to my mom that he could see from my hearing tests that my left ear was completely deaf and the hearing aid wouldn’t help anymore.

Living Life With A Deaf Ear

Being deaf in one ear might sound quite scary but it’s not that bad. There are days when I don’t even notice. Most of the time, I literally forget that my left ear isn’t processing sound. Then there are times when it does cause problems and lots of anxiety. Let me explain.

I can’t really tell that I’m deaf in my left ear when I’m in a room with just a couple of people because sound travels. It’s not like I never hear anything on my left side. Somebody could sit to the left to me and as long as they’re not whispering, I can hear and understand them without a problem. The problem comes in when I’m in a loud and busy place. For example, stores. The reasoning is, if there’s chaos to the right side of me, that’s all I’m going to be able to hear.

Being In Public

There was a time that I was at the mall with my friend and she was to the left of me talking about something dramatic so I was making sure to pay close attention. When we were in the parking lot and when we first walked in, I could hear her just fine. Then all of a sudden, the only thing I could hear was all of the chattering and noises to the right of me. I looked to my friend, her lips were moving but I couldn’t clearly understand what she was saying anymore so I stopped. I kind of laughed and was like, “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this, but I’m deaf in my left ear and I can’t hear you because it’s so loud. Can you stand on my right side?” That was a great storytime. Even I forgot until that happened.

The Struggle Of Being Sick

The scariest part of being deaf in one ear is when I get sick. You know when your ears get plugged? Well, I only have one good ear so if that goes down, I’m pretty much deaf. I was a very sickly child and always had ear infections which now that I think about it, is most likely the culprit for going deaf in my left ear.

There was a day when I was sick and I wanted to go watch tv with my family. When I sat down, I couldn’t hear the movie. I asked my mom to turn it up and I noticed that I could barely even hear myself. My mom kept turning it up but it didn’t really help. I lost my mind. I started freaking out because I thought my hearing was gone for good. My mom assured me that it was just because I was sick and I would get my hearing back.

Dizzy Spells

I also get dizzy spells. It happened more often when I was younger but the doctors said its most likely just because of the imbalance in my ears. They can get quite severe and in the most random times. They don’t happen as often anymore, thank goodness.

I still have to get occasional hearing tests for my right ear to make sure that side doesn’t start to lose hearing as well but so far so good! I do want to start learning sign language though just to be safe. It’s one of those things that if the worst does happen, I want to be somewhat prepared even though I don’t think one could possibly be prepared for that.

That pretty much sums up my life with one deaf ear! If you have any questions, let me know! I also made a youtube video summarizing what it’s like. I’ll leave it below so you can check it out!

That’s all for today’s post! Thank you for reading. ♥

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett

7 Tools You Need For A Successful Blog Post

April 15, 2019 itsamandaburnett 21 Comments

Hey guys, thank you for stopping by my blog!

Today, I woke up and noticed that I now have 300 blog supporters and I’m so overwhelmed and thankful! In honor of my blog growing, I want to start sharing some tips and tricks that I’ve been learning when it comes to my own blog. When I first started my blog, I wasn’t sure if it would reach many people. Writing is my passion but it’s so much more fun when you have an audience that you’re reaching! I’ve been seeing a lot of “I want to start a blog, but I don’t know where to start” all over social media lately and I totally understand that! Starting a blog can be quite overwhelming when you don’t know where to begin.

In this post, I’m going to be sharing my top 7 tools that I personally use to create my blog posts. There’s a lot more that goes into creating blog posts than just typing something up then clicking “Publish.”

An Idea Journal

Before even writing my very first blog post, I bought an “idea journal” which is exactly what it sounds like. A journal for all of your ideas. One thing I learned is that if an idea pops up in your head, write it down immediately or you might forget about it later. My original goal was to add as many ideas in my journal as possible every day so I would always have something to write about. The truth is, that’s pretty unrealistic and really hard. Writing down one or two a day is more realistic. If I don’t have any ideas or I run out, I will look at other blogs that have a similar niche as me for inspiration.

A Planner

My planner is pretty much my lifeline and not only for blogging. It’s one of the most helpful tools, I think, you can have in your daily life in general. For blogging, I personally like to write down the days that I want to write a certain blog post and then the day I want to publish it. I will also write down the social media platforms I plan on sharing my published post to and what times. I’m a very visual person and like to see everything laid out before me, so a planner is a must have for me. You don’t have to get too crazy and plan out every little detail like I do sometimes, but I recommend at least writing down the days you plan on publishing.

Camera / Pictures

A couple of years ago, I saved up and bought the Canon G7X Mark ii as a birthday present for myself. It was the best decision that I’ve made. I originally bought it for my YouTube videos but the camera quality is amazing and is perfect for capturing the best blog pictures too! Now, you don’t need a fancy or expensive camera if you have a blog. You don’t even need to have an actual camera. I know what it’s like to have only your phone to work with and guess what? That’s perfectly okay! You can still capture great photos for your blog with your phone. Another option is using free stock photos. What’s that? Read about the next tool!

Canva

Canva is a tool that I use for all of my blog posts! The main thing that I use it for is to create visually appealing blog graphics. When you click on an article or blog post, usually the first thing your eye is drawn to is any pictures right? Canva has so many great templates you can use and modify for your own blog post!

Like I mentioned above, you can use free stock photos if you don’t feel like taking your own pictures for a blog post. Stock photos can help keep that visual appeal and keeps your readers interested. Luckily, Canva has a wide range of free stock photos you can use! Whatever the subject you’re writing about, chances are that you will find a perfect stock photo to use on Canva.

Pinterest is one of the best places to get some ideas rolling! There are so many “blog help” posts circulating around that have even helped me when I’ve hit writer’s block! Pinterest is also a great place to share your own blog posts. There are about 175 million people who use Pinterest a month! Whether you’re trying to figure out how to grow your blog, the best way to title your blog, or if you’re just trying to get your own blog post to be seen, Pinterest is the app I cannot recommend enough.

Grammerly

Somebody once told me, there’s no such thing as a perfect writer. Although I pride myself in my writing skills, I know that even I make mistakes. When you are writing your blog post, it’s easy to be so focused on what you’re trying to convey that you misspell a word or forget a comma. Let’s be honest, if somebody sees a ton of grammar errors throughout your blog post, it might be hard for them to take your blog seriously. No worries though! Grammarly is a writing assistant that automatically catches any and all errors that you make. It makes blogging so much easier knowing you’re publishing a post that’s error free. The best part is you can download the Grammarly extension on your computer and it’ll always pop up wherever you’re typing.

Google Trends

Google Trends is actually something new that I’ve using for my blog. You put in a keyword that you’re thinking about blogging about or adding it as a tag, and it will tell you how popular that word or phrase is being searched in other states! For example, the phrase “How To Blog” has a high search interest right now of 100 in District of Columbia and 83 in Washington! This is a great tool to have if you want to see how popular the topic you’re blogging about is and what states have a higher search rate!

Ready To Create An Awesome Blog Post?

Those are the 7 tools that I use and recommend to create a successful blog post! I still consider myself a new blogger since I’ve been blogging for less than a year so I’m definitely still learning. As I learn, I will share my new tips and tricks with you because I believe that we’re all in this together. If you have any tips for blog posts that I haven’t mentioned, leave them down below in the comments!

I want to say thank you again to everybody who keeps up and reads my blogs. You’re making this dream a reality and it’s the best feeling ever. I appreciate you all.

Xoxo,

Amanda Burnett

My Hair Journey: Damaged to Healthy

April 14, 2019 itsamandaburnett 12 Comments

hairtransformation

The Damage I Caused

Three years ago, my hair (left picture) was in the worst condition it has ever been in. It was beyond damaged, constantly falling out, and the color was awful from dying it so much. You can clearly see the damage in this picture. I was in a dark place around this time so whenever I was sad, I would cope by changing up my hair. It got to the point where I was box dying my hair at least once a month. Are you cringing? Ugh, I know I am. I would also take the scissors and chop away even though I didn’t know what the heck I was doing and I would straighten it almost every single day.

Finally, I decided I needed to stop doing all of this damage to my hair because now, I was regularly breaking down over the damage I’ve caused. That’s why I took the picture on the left. I told myself that from that day forward, I wouldn’t dye my hair anymore, I wouldn’t cut my own hair especially when I’m upset, and I’d try to go without any heat products. We were going back to our natural roots. Literally.

Did I go through with all of that? Yes, for the most part. I did end up going to the salon and getting some highlights after a few months because my hair was in this awkward color phase from fading and the grow out. I also let them fix my hair cut. It was kind of embarrassing but I guess taking your emotions out on your hair is more common than I thought. I just promised to let the professionals take care of it next time.

My Hair Today

Two years later, my hair is so much healthier! (Right picture) You can see the shine, the thickness, and the length improvement. Those are my natural waves too! My hair was so damaged three years ago that those waves barely even existed. I’ve learned to love my natural waves so I don’t even feel the need to use any heat products on it anymore. If you’d like to see current pictures of what my hair looks like, head on over to my Instagram! I get many compliments on my hair lately and it means so much to me because little do most people know, getting it to this point was a true struggle.

If you’re currently in the situation I was three years ago, here are a few tips:

Take a break from dying your hair if that’s what you do often.
Step away from curling irons and straighteners or at least minimize the usage.
Heat protectant is an absolute must when using heat tools.
Use a deep conditioning mask once or twice a week. I use coconut oil and that has helped greatly.
Do not pick up the scissors when you’re upset. Find something else to distract yourself with.
Don’t give up. Even if you don’t see your hair getting any healthier right away. It’s a process, you’ll see results soon!

Want some more secrets on how to grow your hair long and healthy? I recently created a post with in-depth tips and tricks! Check it out here.