Lifestyle

My First Boxycharm | June Review

July 15, 2019 itsamandaburnett 2 Comments

For years, I’ve been receiving Ipsy bags and writing my reviews for those. On the 25th of June, I made the decision to pause Ipsy and try something new. I was tired of only getting samples and my Ipsy bag stash has been piling up. I’ve been seeing people loving Boxycharm so I thought, why not? For $20/month you supposedly get 5 full-sized products worth over $100. That sounded too good to be true so I needed some proof, you know?

The Day It Arrived

I’ll be honest, I was so excited to get this package that I was clicking that tracking link every morning to see where my package was. The morning that I clicked it and it said my package was in transit to my house, I was doing a little dance around my living room. Yes, makeup makes me that happy. Don’t judge me. But that excitement only grew when I saw that black box sitting in my mailbox.

What’s In The Box

The Products

Tarte – Be You. Naturally. Eyeshadow Palette

When it comes to eye shadow, I like to keep it natural and smoke it out a bit. Seeing the colors, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite palettes! There are 4 shimmer shades and 4 matte shades. Every shade is packed with great pigment, blends well, and creates a beautiful look.

The listing price is $36. This one product covers what you pay for this whole box plus some!

Steve Laurant Jelly Highlighter in Cotton Candy

If you’ve seen any of my Ipsy bag reviews, you already know how excited I get about highlighters! Out of all the highlighters I’ve collected over the years, I don’t own a jelly highlighter so I was proud to say this one is different from the rest. When I swatched it on my hand, I gasped. The texture is SO silky. I barely waited a whole minute before I went to go tap a little bit on my cheekbones and I’m obsessed. I would choose this over any powder highlight I have. It blends in so well and looks stunning. Literally.

The listing price for this item is $26.

Dominique Cosmetics Lemonade Lip Gloss in Peach Tea

My lip gloss is cool, my lip gloss be poppin’! As I mentioned above, I often go for a natural makeup look. This light pink lipgloss is absolutely perfect for a natural look. It’s a lightweight formula that’s not sticky! It smells kind of like chocolate and is very hydrating.

The listing price for this lipstick is $17.

Touch In Sol – No Poreblem Prime Essence

Primers never used to be my thing but I love when I get a good one that really makes a difference. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I really love the applicator. The product itself is on the watery side and a little bit goes a long way. This claims to tighten pores and create a silky smooth canvas for your makeup. I’ve tried this a couple of times and this definitely makes my makeup look better!

The listing price for this item is $23.

Haruharu Wonder Maqui Berry Anti-oxidant Mask

I’m not usually a fan of sheet masks. The process of pulling them out of the package, them dripping everywhere when you’re trying to unfold it, then the task of correctly placing it on your face just isn’t very relaxing to me. The con of this product was all of that. Once I got it placed on my face, I let it sit for 20 minutes. It had a very light fruity scent. After the 20 minutes, I pulled the mask off and my skin definitely looked more radiant! I would do this mask again so I guess it’s a good thing it came in a pack of three!

The listing price for the three masks is $9

My Final Thoughts

For this being my very first Boxycharm ever, I’m very impressed! For a girl whos been receiving 5 samples every month for the past few years, I’m so excited about having the chance to get 5 full sized products for only $21 a month for a value of over $100! I’m obsessed with makeup and trying new products so I don’t think I could ever get tired of this subscription. Especially because I’m also obsessed with good deals.

So, let’s talk about the value of this box specifically. I added up all the prices of each product and it came out to $111!

Now let’s do some math. 111 – 21 = 90.

I got $90 worth of products for free. I don’t know about you but that just blows my mind!

Are you interested in trying Boxycharm? Check it out here!

Thank you so much for reading this review! I appreciate you lots. ♡

About My Disability | Sacral Agenesis

July 8, 2019 itsamandaburnett 4 Comments

I’ve mentioned my disability briefly on my blog and on my social media accounts. I’ve never really gone into full detail about what my disability is though! I thought I’d make a blog post talking about it more. So let me talk about why at 22 years old, I’m only 4 ft tall and use forearm crutches to walk!

Sacral Agenesis

I was born with Sacral Agenesis or other known as Caudal Regression Syndrome. I could try to explain what that means in all the fancy medical terms that doctors have given me over the years, but all of that even confuses me. To put it simply, the lower half of my spine failed to develop all the way when I was in the womb. My disability is pretty rare and only occurs about once every 25,000 births!

I was also born with permanently dislocated hips. That might sound pretty intense and painful, but it’s honestly not a big deal to me. Unless I stand or sit for too long in one spot then it can get pretty sore. Honestly, I didn’t even know my hips were permanently dislocated up until a few years ago. I was complaining about how sore my hips were from standing and my mom just said, “Well, it’s probably because of your dislocated hips.” Imagine my shock. I guess I’m still learning more about myself every day!

Surgery

When I was being delivered at birth, doctors noticed that my feet and legs were stuck in an outward position. To fix this, I had to have a correctional leg surgery to get them back to a normal position. The surgery happened right before my first birthday. I’m actually thankful for this because not only was it successful but I don’t remember a thing. Although, my mom does have a couple of photos of baby me in huge pink casts on both legs. The thing that I love most about those pictures is the huge smile I had on my face.

Today, my legs don’t bend all the way, less than 90 degrees, but I haven’t had many other complications. The worst part for me when I was younger was getting over the insecurity of the big scars on my legs. Now, I can wear shorts without even thinking twice. Scars tell a story and I’m happy to tell mine.

Fun Fact: Have you ever seen American Horror Story: Freak Show? If so, you may remember the woman with half of a body. Rose Siggens, who just died in 2015, was born with Sacral Agenesis. Unfortunately, many people born with Sacral Agenesis end up having to get amputations due to severe complications of the lower extremities. I am very blessed I was able to have that correctional surgery!

Learn More On My YouTube Channel

If you’d like to know even more about my disability, I have a “Living With A Disability” series on my YouTube Channel if you’d like to check it out. The videos explain how I deal with it and even how I get around the house on an everyday basis.

If you have any other questions that I didn’t cover in this post, please feel free to comment them down below.

Well, that’s pretty much the basics of my disability but there’s much more to my story. I’ll cover much more in future posts. For example, what it was like growing up, the challenges I face, and more. Thank you so much for reading and getting to know a little more about me.

25 Positive Affirmations | Daily Motivation

July 3, 2019 itsamandaburnett 34 Comments

What’s The Deal With Positive Affirmations?

These days can be demanding and hard on our mental health. I know what it’s like to have crippling anxiety and days where I don’t want to get out of bed. The thing about me though is that I’m always fighting to beat the negativity with positivity. In order to not let those feelings consume me, I do everything I can to live a positive lifestyle. If there’s one thing I recommend, it’s having a notebook full of positive quotes and affirmations that you add to every day. This idea is perfect for when you’re having a bad day and really beating yourself up. Open up that notebook and repeat the words you see on that page. Honestly, you should do this even when you’re having a good day. Keep that mindset. That way, you can reinforce some positivity into your day every day.

25 Positive Affirmations:

I am beautiful.
I am strong.
I am enough.
I am powerful.
I am successful.
I am lovable & loved.
I am valuable.
I am not a quitter.
I believe in myself.
I am always improving
I am mindful.
I am unique.
I am not my mistakes.
I will create the life that I want.
I am not alone.
I am grateful for my journey.
I am here for a reason.
I am doing my best & that’s enough.
I respect my body.
I deserve to be treated with respect.
I deserve to be happy.
I forgive those who have hurt me.
I accept changes in my life.
I am in control of my life.
I will achieve great things today.

I created a FREE printable of this list for anybody who needs it. Place this list anywhere you will see it often for a daily boost of positivity.

I hope these affirmations helped anybody who really needed them today.

I also have a blog post on some of my favorite motivational quotes if you’d like an extra boost of motivation!

You all are amazing and I’m so thankful for everybody reading this.

Thank you so much for reading!

My Goals For July

July 1, 2019 itsamandaburnett 2 Comments

How is it July already? Time really is flying by. I’m actually really excited for this month. It’s the Fourth of July in a few days which is always fun and I’m starting some pretty exciting plans starting…today! The past two months, I have been taking it easy but it’s time to get back to that hustle. Let’s talk about the goals I have for this month.

Personal Goals

Start my book. Yes, you read that right! Creating an ebook has been an idea for a while but I’m finally turning that idea into a reality. The book is going to be a guide to living a positive lifestyle. It’s a subject that’s very personal to me. I’m excited to start this process and share my story so that I can help others!
Chill on the spending. I’ve expressed that I’m a very frugal person in a past post about what makes me a Taurus, but I decided to spoil myself with new beauty goodies in June. Which isn’t bad because I don’t do that often. Although I got an apartment to save up for so this month, I’m going back to my frugal ways!
Start journaling. I’ll be honest, I’m one emotional girl. I realize though that whenever I’m feeling emotional, I always go to my friends or the internet to vent my feelings. I think a healthier way I need to start getting my emotions out, good or bad, is to journal at least once a week. This way I can get all my feelings out on paper and can reflect on them.

Social Media Goals

Instagram. I’ve had a goal to reach 1k followers and to increase engagement on my Instagram for months. The fact that I’m still not there is a little frustrating because I do feel like I’m putting out good content but I’m literally only 20 followers away! Go me! I’m closer than I was last month.
Twitter. My goal for my Twitter is to tweet more often and to increase my engagement.
Blog. My goal for my blog is to write future content in advance. I want to be able to have multiple posts done and waiting to be published instead of rushing to complete one before my weekly deadline. Also, I’m going to start creating free printables for certain posts. Hint: You don’t want to miss next weeks blog post!

Those are my goals for the month! I’m so excited to put these goals into action. There are many exciting things happening and these goals are only going to ensure that I get them off to a good start!

Tell me one goal you have for the month.

Thanks for reading!