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Adopt Don’t Shop

It’s a safe thing to say that everyone loves cats and dogs. I, for one, have always been around some sort of domesticated animal. The only time I didn’t live with one is my sophomore year of college when I first moved in to my new transfer school and had to live in the dorms. However, after I got my own place off campus I immediately adopted a kitten named Timber. 

Although we all love animals, we may not all have the same growing experiences with them like I did. Some people don’t know the love of having their own animal until much later in life. Either way, I think there’s a huge debate on where you get this animal from. If your parents bought your childhood dog from a breeder and you have fond memories of them, chances are you’ll adopt from a breeder yourself. Or maybe you want a specific breed, something more showy and well known. In any case, by adopting from breeders you are allowing shelter animals to die. 

That’s a harsh statement. I don’t want this to be a harsh post. What I’m saying is that breeders who use female dogs over and over again to reproduce typically pocket the money you give them and give little of that back to the care of the animals. Yes, they’re cute. But as human beings we have the ability to use our morals and ethical way of thinking to consider the price that’s truly paid. If love from the animal is what you want, then why does it matter where they come from? 

Adopting from a shelter saves two lives: the life of the animal you adopt, and the life of the animal who takes their place in the shelter. Giving breeders your hard-earned money just puts more lives at stake. 

There are probably thousands of outside resources to back this post up, and I hope you’ll take the time to read into it. I’d suggest checking in with your local shelters if you’re in the market for a furever friend and giving one of those beautiful souls a chance. 

[brigidnoell-blog]

Trippin’ over Tarte

It would be the understatement of the century if I said I don’t follow a lot of beauty gurus, or “influencers”. Mind you, of the hundred (or so), I maybe keep up with 20 of them via YouTube or social medias. As it goes, I typically go through phases of appreciation for particular people I follow. That is to say, sometimes I’m loving one more than the other. The person who’s been mostly on my radar as of late has been RawBeautyKristi. Although she doesn’t have millions of subscribers like Jaclyn Hill or James Charles, she’s well enough known to have the privilege of going on a trip with the beauty brand Tarte.  

A little FYI for those who don’t know about PR and brands: if a company wants to work with you, they’ll typically send you “free” product (PR). I use “free” freely here (lol) because technically speaking it is not completely without cost. Some YouTubers have even opened up about getting PR from major brands and how they’re coerced into paid partnerships (ads). Basically, if I worked for a major brand’s PR, I’d reach out to you, a successful influencer, and say “Hey, we love you and we know you love us! We’ll send you all of our products if you post once every two weeks about us.” 

Free doesn’t always mean free. But this is besides the point.

The point of this post is to talk about RawBeautyKristi and Trippin’ with Tarte. What’s that, you say? Well, Tarte likes to be boujee. Really boujee. So boujee that they round up a dozen or so influencers and fly them off to somewhere tropical for a weekend. And if that isn’t wonderful enough, they also pay for everything and shower their guests with free products and merch.

This post isn’t going to go in any negative way. I’m simply very jealous as it’s been freezing in PA and I watched via my phone as Kristi walked into her luxurious hotel room and was surprised with hundreds of Tarte goodies. If I closed my eyes and pulled my covers a little tighter around me for warmth, I could almost imagine myself there. 

Typing all of this really makes me want to kickstart my YouTube channel, but with the industry so saturated right now I think it’s best that I keep envying from afar. 

[brigidnoell-blog]

Skincare

Although I’ve been involved with makeup since I was fifteen, I never really paid any mind to the first line of defense: skin care. It wasn’t until about last year, 2018, that I really sat down and took the time to learn. Of course, I was also starting a new sales job at a cosmetics company, which meant I had to become more fluent in this area of the beauty industry. 

I would be lying to say if skin care is still something I struggle with, though I think I have a better understanding. Customers of all demographics approach me at my job and I’m there to help them in their endeavors. What’s nice is that by teaching them I’m also teaching myself. 

I love makeup, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like my heart is drifting more towards getting to know skin more than what to use to cover up my skin. This may all sound like an upcoming bad breakup. “It’s not you, it’s me,” could definitely apply in this situation. 

I’ve become obsessed with watching people get ridiculously expensive facial treatments on YouTube, too. I recently watched one of a woman receiving the same treatments as Rihanna for the award shows she attends. I’m more envious of that than buying a new eyeshadow palette. 

I guess we all go in phases with the beauty industry. Crazy, colorful eye looks and heavy contour used to be my jam, but now I focus more on my six-step skin care routine, as if it’s still somehow lacking. 

Maybe it’s neither you nor me. Maybe it’s Maybelline. All I know is that I’m currently in the market for a really great SPF. Any suggestions?