Amaz(on)ing Brushes

Ever take the time to explore beauty sites just to find that the makeup brushes are just too expensive? THE STORY OF MY LIFE. I can not come to terms with spending $20 dollars on a SINGLE brush.  If you go to a general beauty site such as ULTA, most brushes are sold individually and sold for at least $3.00 a brush. For someone who applies makeup everyday, I need more than a few brushes. I simply cannot afford to pay $3.00 (most of the time way more) for each brush. That is why I ventured to Amazon, the world of the unknown as I like to think about it. Ever need anything? Amazon is the place for you. 

I find myself time and time again scrolling through the cosmetic pages of Amazon and hesitating to buy a product. I am so hesitant, because the products are so unbelievabnly cheap. When I found myself needing some new makeup brushes, I took to Amazon, and found a 15 piece eye shadow, foundation, eyebrow, and lip brush kit. You may be wondering, how much is a 15 piece kit like this? I purchased this kit for $3.50 plus $1.99 shipping. So in total I paid $6 for 15 good quality brushes. Above, you can find a picture of a few of my favorite brushes.

The brushes are extremely soft, and have not yet fallen apart. I did not have high expectations for such a cheap product, but the quality of the brushes surpassed my expectations. Each brush came individually wrapped and were sturdy. Applying eyeshadow with these brushes has been a walk in the park.

I also would especially recommend this product for someone who is a beginner at applying makeup. It is a perfect kit to get to know the different styles of brushes and the functions of each types of brushes. My personnel favorite in the kit is the small angled brush. I use this brush to fill in my eyebrows and apply under-eyeliner. Not only does the brush apply the makeup evenly, it also helps the makeup stay on all day. For the price of the product you are definitely getting more than what you paid for.

Live footage of me after I tried the brushes out:

I would give these products an 9/10 and highly recommend. Another plus is that the product says it takes a more than a few weeks to deliver, but I received my package within one week of purchasing.

Interested in this product? Check the link out at:
Amazon Brushes

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Spot the Spice?

Can you spot the spice? I know I sure can't. I personally do not understand the hype when it comes to Pumpkin Spice Latte's. I swear it is like the world comes to a complete stop the moment the drink is released every Fall. Starbucks lovers everywhere go C R A Z Y and for what reason? Isn't is just a drink? Not to them, to those lovers, the Pumpkin Spice Latte symbolizes Fall, the season of leggings and oversized hoodies, riding boots, apple picking, and bonfires. To them, it is not Fall without their "beloved" Pumpkin Spice Latte.

I personally do not understand, but I will say Starbucks did a great job with their hashtags. I explored both hashtags, #spotthespice and #PSL and found pretty similar content which was pretty much this:

Fall is the time for pumpkin EVERYTHING. That is why the Pumpkin Spice Latte is such a hit. I found it interesting that so many people took to the internet to post using those two hashtags. There is so much content, ranging from people complaining about the overrated Pumpkin Spice Latte to people who are so excited to have the drink back. In general, most users responded positively to the return which shows how loyal customers are to the Starbucks brand.

There can be many benefits to exploring these hashtags. If I were working for a similar company I would want to see what works and what doesn't work when it comes to social media campaigns like these. I would evaluate the campaign to see if I could construct something similar to get the same kind of reaction Starbucks got with the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. After exploring the hashtags, I would suggest that Starbucks respond to the users who make posts about how overrated the Pumpkin Spice Latte is. I know I personally would enjoy seeing what they had to say, when I talk about how I personally think the hype over the drink is overrated.

When it comes down to it, Starbucks has enough loyal customers, and loyal fans to the Pumpkin Spice Latte, that the marketing tactics will not fail.

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My ColourPop be Poppin

As a poor college student, it is a constant battle between whether or not you want to order that textbook for a class, or if you want to spend that money on something that seems more useful. Lets just say it is a rough life. I can honestly say, I may be the cheapest person I know, learn from the best - shoutout to my mom. Online shopping has become one of my greatest enemies, until I discovered the hidden gem, ColourPop. True life: ColourPop saved my life. The site has affordable, high-quality makeup products. 

As I am sure my parents can tell you, I would most definitely choose makeup instead of those textbooks. I have been obssessed with makeup since 8th grade (back when I didn't know the difference between $5 eyeliner and $30 eyeliner). My recent obsession over the past year has been lip products, I do not leave the house without it. I have acquired quite the collection of lip-gloss, chapstick, lip-stick, lip-liners. I too invite you to join in on the fun (You have been warned, it does become a little obsessive). 

Enough about me,  let me tell you more about ColourPop. Let me begin by sharing with you that new customers get $5 off their first purchase, which can pay for one lip product (GOD BLESS). They sell an array of makeup products, but their lip products include, Ultra Satin Lip, Ultra Matte Lip, Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencil, Ultra Metallic Lip, and Ultra Glossy Lip. As you can see they offer various different lip products, and they all range from $4 to $6. SAY WHAT? Yes they are that CHEAP! 

 You may be thinking if they are so cheap, what is the quality of this product?  I will say ColourPop can easily be compared to the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit. Obviously you aren't going to get the name that goes along with the product, but you will get amazing quality. I have 4 Ultra Matte lipsticks and 1 Lippie Stix. I often get asked if I am wearing a Kylie Jenner Lip Kit, which let me point out cost at least $40 a kit, compared to the $4-$6 lipsticks. Below are the 5 products that I have, as you can see they are extremely pigmented, look for the names listed under the picture, so you too, can have poppin lips.

Starting from right to left the color names are as followed:
Midi, Beeper, Tulle, HighBall, and Flawless

The only flaw in the product may be that it can be a struggle to get it off, which I think can also be a pro to the product. Going out for a night on the town? Well don't worry, put your ColourPop lipstick on and you are set for the entire evening. The product also does not crumble and get too dry, unlike other high quality products. I have tried high quality products, such as MAC, and enjoy using ColourPop more, as it stays on longer, it dries matte so it does not leave stains, and in general does not even feel like you are wearing anything. Altogether the product is a perfect fit for those of us on a tight budget. The site has so many different colors to explore. Check out their website at:

https://colourpop.com

Overall I give ColourPop a 10/10. I would highly recommend trying ColourPop out, use the free coupon and you can get your first product free! Lets save some MOOLA!!

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Exploring the Twitterverse

Blog Entry #1

Although Facebook is the most used social media network in today’s day and age, Twitter is just as prevalent in my eyes. I am an active Twitter user and have been on the social media network for 6 years now. To be completely honest, I could not imagine my life without it. I keep up with music, news, and lifestyle. Not only am I able to search Twitter for the latest trends, gossip and news, but also almost all of my friends are on Twitter and we are all able to share and keep up with each other’s life through a series of 140-character tweets.

I took to Twitter to explore the hash tag #semrushchat and found some interesting viewpoints. I think it is great that people all over the world can join in on the conversation and offer their input just by using a hash tag. I learned a lot about how influence marketing shapes your product or company. Not only that, but also creating valuable relationships with leaders in the industry could be a long-term benefit. The #semrushchat also gave many other business insiders that are valuable for not only us, but also other business professionals. Hash tags like these can benefit those trying to learn more about the industry.

Twitter is a great way for business’s to have a relationship with their customers. I see a lot of different social media posting from various businesses. My personal favorite is to see places like McDonald's, Subway, and Taco Bell interact with their customers. Twitter can be used professional, but I think it’s mainly a way for business’s to casually interact with the public. Below you will find one of the reasons, I follow a lot of various different businesses on Twitter:

Taco Bell's social media team knows what the public wants and is able to cater to that through interacting in a fun, engaging way.

The one concern I have about Twitter is that it is easy to get lost in the big scheme of things.  There are so many people that are actively tweeting at business’s, that it is almost impossible for business’s to monitor that. For example, this summer I had a very poor experience at Forever 21. I took that frustration to Twitter, to share with my 1,200 followers. I put that negative experience out for a lot of people to see, and Forever 21 did not tweet me back or apologize for the incident. On the other hand, I have had an experience with Dunkin Donuts, where I had poor service, tweeted about it, and got a message and Tweet back with an apology, as well as a free coffee. Dunkin Donuts does this for a lot of Twitter users. Therefore I see Twitter a problem, for companies like Forever 21 who do not bother to address negative experiences, but find it to be an advantage for business’s like Dunkin Donuts that do.

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