Lyn Vicknair

May 10, 2019

Sponsor Love

Maple Holistics

Lyn Vicknair

May 10, 2019

Sponsor Love

I was provided a free product to review, but the opinions are all my own.

I was contacted by a representative of Maple Holistics to review this product, and after checking out the brand and the product I was 100% on-board.

First, let me gush about this brand, based on what I learned. I had never heard of Maple Holistics, and I definitely think more people should know about them!

Their goal is to provide a natural, cruelty-free, holistic and effective range of health and hygiene products to enhance one’s daily life. Their products are PETA-certified cruelty-free and use naturally sourced ingredients. Not to mention that they support humanitarian, environmental and animal-rights charities!

PLUS: They have a product-bottle recycling program! What?! Check it out! (LINK)

Ok, now about the product. The benefits of the Silk 18 shampoo from their product description is: “Achieve stronger, smoother, more luscious hair with silk18 shampoo. Infused with a rejuvenating blend of 18 silk amino acids which help fortify hair follicles and strengthen strands to protect hair from dryness, breakage, damage, split ends, and hair fall. The nourishing formula gently cleanses dandruff, excess sebum, and impurities to leave your hair and scalp feeling fresh but not stripped. Enriched with argan and jojoba oil to add supreme softness and a luminous shine. Our shampoo is sulfate and paraben-free making it great for all hair types, color treated hair, and sensitive skin.”

I have been using for this shampoo for two weeks now. I wanted to give it a good run before reviewing it. Mr. LL has been reviewing it as well, to me, when he uses MY products in the shower though I keep telling him to use his own. But that’s another story for another time.

I was excited to try this product out because I am a lifetime dandruff sufferer and it is starting to get hot. In case you weren’t aware, dandruff (as opposed to dry scalp) is caused by an excess of oil produced on the scalp. Heat=sweat; sweat=oil; oil=dandruff. Since they claim this product “gently cleanses dandruff” and “excess sebum” I was very happy to give it a try. I hate dandruff specific shampoos because of the menthol smell and the tar, so usually I just live life constantly brushing the hate (dandruff) away.

Another detail that really appealed to me was the inclusion of Argan and jojoba oil in their formula. You’d think that since I have excess oil on my scalp I wouldn’t want oils in my shampoo, but you are wrong! These help reset the pH of your scalp and keep your strands from feeling stripped like a lot of clarifying shampoos can do. Also, while I dont have damaged hair, I know that the struggle is real for those that do and they claim this is a good product for those of you living that life. Check out their blog post about damaged hair care.

My experience with this shampoo was overall positive. My scalp is definitely less itchy. there has been a noticeable decrease in oil and dandruff on my scalp as well. As an added bonus, my hair is softer. Also, the shampoo has a vanilla scent and that is my favorite scent. I dont find it strong at all but a nice gentle hint.

At almost $13 for a 10oz bottle of shampoo, is it worth it? I think so. In this world of chemicals we live in, we need to be more conscientious about the products we use on and in our bodies. Not to mention I am a sucker for woke-company that is looking out for the rest of us in their brand and their products.

This post was a review of a product that was provided to me for free, however the opinions expressed are all my own.

Lyn Vicknair

August 29, 2018

Sponsor Love

Paperless Post

Lyn Vicknair

August 29, 2018

Sponsor Love

This is a sponsored post, but all views and opinions are my own

For the longest time, I fought the digital train. eBooks? No thanks. Digital lists? I’m good. But then, inevitably, the convenience of modern technology would win me over. Why do I need a ton of physical books taking up space and gathering dust? Give me an ereader and let me check out books from the library in the middle of the night. Thanks! Give me a list that I can keep on my phone and also on my computer, so I can constantly be reminded how much I have to do (#momlife).

But one thing that I haven’t even thought about in terms of modern technology is the ecard. I mean, I played around with them in the early days, like AOL early days (ask your grandparents, kid) but those where, well, lame. Some silly poorly made GIF with some royalty free music over it and bad font choices displaying your message. Not something that destined to last.

Then, recently, Paperless Post reached out to me to try their service. Paperless Post is a digital card and invitation company that is stepping up the online card game. They have beautiful designs that are customizable and work for a wide variety of needs.

There are so many designs and fun additional things you can do with their customization tools. You can change backdrops, text, fonts, the envelope, the inside of the envelope, etc.! I mean really the list goes on and on.

One thing I do like is that you can schedule when your card or invitation will go out. Since I’m previewing this product with no real immediate need, I wanted to see about maybe doing something for Lazy Baby’s birthday next year. I wish I had known about Paperless Post when I was doing Lazy Baby’s birthday invites back in April, probably would have gone through less stress. Now, I can make it and have the invitations scheduled to go out on a later date! Or get those holiday cards done before the task gets away from me. I LOVE that.

I know that these days, I am more likely to have someone’s email address than their actual physical address and I am certain I’m not alone in this. However, if you still want to have your cards/invitations go out IRL, Paperless Post also has a print option.

Anyway, overall, I think this is the future of invitations and mail in general. I wanted to leave you all with some of my favorite designs for a few different occasions.

Thank you so much Paperless post for giving me the opportunity to try out something new and thank you guys for reading! Check them out if you're wanting an online service for your invitations! (This post was in collaboration with Paperless post, store credit was given in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and words are truthful and my own.)

Lyn Vicknair

May 8, 2018

Sponsor Love, Special Offer, Miscellaneous

Graduate With Class: Etiquette for Announcements + Invites

Lyn Vicknair

May 8, 2018

Sponsor Love, Special Offer, Miscellaneous

This is a sponsored post, but all views and opinions are my own.

I have a good long while before Lazy Baby is graduating from high school, but I definitely think about it from time to time. Also, as a graphic designer, I'm a sucker for a while designed piece of print and when I saw Basic Invite's products, I wish I would have discovered them before her first birthday! Two things I love about this company are: #1 you can get a printed sample – while this was once standard in the industry, you will be hard pressed to find another company that will do this for you these days and trust me, you want this to make sure that the paper you chose works with the design and images you want; and #2 you can get foil cards in ROSE GOLD – and gold and silver, but come on! Rose gold! I don't care that it's trendy right now, I want rose gold everything.

Moving on, it is graduation season and I thought I would take a moment to help all the soon-to-be grads out there with some basic etiquette when it comes to graduation invitations and announcements.

BONUS – Right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with coupon code: 15FF51

WHY SHOULD I SEND AN ANNOUNCEMENT?

I get it. You are busy with finals and preparing for college (or if you are graduating from college, you are probably freaking out about finding a job), but you probably did not get to where you are today alone. You need to think about the people in your life who have helped you along the way and share this proud moment with them! Your friends and family want to share this moment with you, even if they can't make it to your actual graduation. An announcement is also a keepsake of this big moment in your life and one that many people will want to have – plus you'll want to have one, too! Finally, think of it as a thank you to all those people who helped get you to this major achievement.

2-Basic_Invite_Graduation_announcements_and_invitations_11_preview.jpeg

EVERY LAST DETAIL:
Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the littlest detail. This is what we feel sets us apart from almost any other online stationery company and is what we feel is our biggest draw.

WHAT SHOULD IT SAY?

I'm going to break this down for you into two lists:

MUST HAVE:
• Full name
• Graduation year
• Name of the school you are graduating from
• Date of your graduation

EXTRA CREDIT:
• Inspirational quotes
• Where you are going next
• Achievements from your school days
• Graduation wishes

I love this one. photo courtesy basic invite.

HELPFUL TIP:
Basic Invite offers an address capturing service that allows customers to simply share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other form of social media to request their friends and family’s addresses which will be stored in the customer’s account and can then be selected during the design process.

WHO GETS ONE?

SHORT ANSWER: Everyone your family sends holiday cards to. More specifically:

• Your parents/guardians – let's be honest, they are probably paying for them anyway, so save them one. They really want it, I promise.
• Family + extended family – some of these folks are who you will be inviting to attend your ceremony and/or party, and others are a bit more scattered geographically. Even if you know they aren't going to make it for your graduation, you should still send them an announcement at the very least.
• Friends – sure, most of your friends are probably graduating with you, but I'm sure there are few that have moved away that you keep in touch with via some kind of social media platform and they want to see that you made it! Also, not just your friends, but family friends as well (like that neighbor who helped you with your school fundraiser or something).
• Teachers (and tutors) – let them know that all that hard work and time invested in your education did not go to waste! This one is definitely a "thank you" situation.
• Yourself – keep one for yourself! You can have it to look back on one day (and realize that you were actually not as fat/dorky/awkward/etc. as you thought were at the moment).

WHEN TO SEND IT

There are two different timelines to consider. If your announcement is also an invitation you need to consider that folks will need to set up arrangements for scheduling, travel, booking lodgings, etc., so you'll want to get these out 2 to 3 weeks before the graduation.

However, if you are just sending out announcements that aren't invites, you have a bit more wiggle room with you time frame. 2 weeks before graduation to 4 weeks after your graduation is acceptable.

Basic Invite is just as colorful with their envelopes as they are with their invitations. Customers can choose from over 40 different colors when it comes to their envelopes so that they can make their invitation stand out even before it is opened. All of their envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be quickly and securely closed.

DON'T FORGET TO SAY "THANKS!"

First, you need to remember this: NO ONE IS OBLIGED TO GIVE YOU A GIFT. So now that you no longer feel entitled to one, you should feel especially grateful when you do receive one (also, someone taking time out of their own hectic schedules and traveling to share this day with you is a gift, just remember that) and the best way to show some thoughtful gratitude is with the tried and true method of sending a thank you card. So, when you order invitations and announcements, you should order your thank you cards at the same time.

So, there's my tips on some basic etiquette when it comes to graduation announcements and such. I hope you find it helpful. What you will find helpful is Basic Invite's selection of high school graduation party invitations, graduation invitation cards and personalized graduation thank you cards. I could go on about their other offerings, but let's stay focused on graduation right now. And don't forget, right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with coupon code: 15FF51!