Life with Ariana

Everything you need to know about going Cruelty-free/// Why I went Cruelty-free.

January 23, 2019January 30, 2019Beauty, cruelty-free1 Comment

Hello all, I hope everyone is doing well. Today’s post is going to be on why I decided to go cruelty-free in my beauty routine. This has been a post I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time, in regards to explain why I am now cruelty-free and refuse to use beauty products tested on animals.

I started my cruelty-free journey back in late 2016, I started to become more aware of which brands were marked as cruelty-free, I began checking the ingredients of products, and researching into brands that did not have any sign of being cruelty-free. Thankfully, there are a good amount of beauty brands that are dedicated to being cruelty-free, however through my research I had also found that many brands I would have thought would be cruelty-free were not. Also I came to the realization that there are still many brands that test on animals.

Not going to lie, for some of my favorite products that were from brands that tested on animals, it was difficult finding a replacement, however I was dedicated to doing my research and finding a better product that was 100% cruelty-free even if it took some time.

I am strongly passionate and committed to being cruelty-free, making the switch is not very difficult, and I hope more people can come to the realization of the harm committed on these innocent animals when you support brands that test on animals. As a disclaimer, in no way am I trying to persuade people to stop buying from these brands, I just wanted to share my reasons as to why I choose to switch to only cruelty-free products.

Reasons why I decided to go Cruelty-free:

No animal should have cosmetics or any type of product tested on them.
It makes me suspicious as to what are companies hiding in their products, that they feel the need to test them on animals first, and then humans. (Are there chemicals in these products, that may react differently on an animal than human?)
Typically CF brands are more dedicated to more natural, eco-friendly, organic, or sometimes even vegan products.
CF brands often use cleaner ingredients, in regards to unknown chemicals.
Support ethical beauty brands.
These laboratory animals, are innocent creatures that deserve better.
Animal testing is cruel and inhumane.
There is no need to test products on animals, it’s unnecessary and there are alternative ways.
Going CF is better for the environment.
In the long run it is ethically, morally, and healthier to make the switch to a cruelty-free lifestyle.

How do you know is a product is cruelty-free?

Typically when a product is CF it will be certified through one of the organizations of PETA’s Beauty without Bunnies, Cruelty-free International’s Leaping Bunny, or Choose Cruelty Free (CCF). Each of these organizations has a CF bunny logo, however since not every company can afford this licensing fee, some brands may not have their products labeled. Even if brands, claim their products are cruelty-free, we cannot assume that they are unless they are certified by one of these organizations.

What are some cruelty-free brands?

Skincare brands:

Yes To
Burt’s Bees
Trader Joe’s
Lush
Pacifica
Glossier
Thayers
JASÖN

Makeup brands:

Tarte
Too Faced
Nyx cosmetics
Wet n Wild
The Balm cosmetics
Urban Decay
It cosmetics
Morphe
Colourpop
Anastasia Beverly Hills

Since starting this journey, I can now say that my beauty routine is fully cruelty-free, from my makeup, to my shower staples, and even toothpaste. I have incorporated this CF switch to other aspects of my life such as cleaning products. I hope that this year I can start to only use solely based CF products in all areas of my life from personal hygiene, to laundry detergent, and other household products.

Thank you for reading as to why I chose to make the switch to a cruelty-free beauty routine. I will be having more cruelty-free posts in the near future, from brand reviews, to routines, and my favorite cruelty-free picks. (As a side note, I will be posting on my blog every Wednesday, since that day will work best with my schedule once I start my spring semester.)

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talk to you all next Wednesday, ariana. ♡

Check out my last post: My First Semester in College

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My First Semester in College

January 15, 2019January 15, 2019college life, Lifestyle4 Comments

Hello everyone, I am back with a new blog post as promised. For today’s post, I will be talking about a general overview of my experience during my first semester in college. A huge part of why I was not blogging for months, was because I had started college and I was adjusting to the college life. However going forward when I start the spring semester, I am planning on continuing with my blog, by posting once weekly.

I will not be enclosing what school I go to as of now, for safety reasons, however I am from the Chicagoland area and I do attend school not very far from my house, at a Liberal Arts College. I did choose to dorm on campus, to really engage myself in the college experience and to practice independence.

The day I moved into my dorm was such a blur, I remember feeling heighten emotions of anxiousness, surprise, and excitement. From where I was the first half of 2018, going and starting college was a massive change from everything I had been used to. The main feeling I felt, was that this was unbelievable, I am no longer living at home, I’m away from my family, and I am starting this new chapter of my life alone at college. Orientation was great though, I participated in this pre-orientation program, before my school’s main orientation, and it helped me meet new people and feel more comfortable in the environment before transitioning to a larger group setting.

The biggest adjustment at college was definitely living in the dorms. I live in a quad, so I have three other roommates, and living with strangers is difficult, you have to open up, and thankfully we all did and become close later on. The cafeteria food is alright, although after two weeks, I got real sick of the food and just wanted a home cooked meal. The most difficult aspect of living in a dorm, was the whole bathroom situation, my dorm building has communal bathrooms and man was that an adjustment, for others it’s not too bad, but something I miss is the luxury of my bathroom at home and the privacy I had, although it is part of the college experience.

As far as classes go, they are way better than in high school without a doubt. I took an english composition course, my freshman year seminar which was about gender and college experience, and an intro to psychology course. I was also enrolled in a math class, however I ended up dropping that class (a story for another time). My classes were very good for the most part, I had the best professors and I was so thankful to have made friends in each of my classes. It’s very nice having a different schedule every day, having time in between classes to relax and go back to your dorm or to chill in the main lounge and get some work done.

Overall, college has opened me up to so much more, I have met many cool people, I have gotten out of my comfort zone, took risks, and have gotten involved in campus life. There has been some struggles throughout the semester, where I had wanted to move back home or felt alone, but I pushed through it, like most students. I appreciate the pretty great moments I had with friends, the laughs that I had not felt in years, and the one-time opportunities I partaken in.

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about how my first semester at college went. I am planning on starting a college series on my blog, where I write about a variety of aspects of college life, so if you have requests as to what you would like to see, then comment them down below!

talk to you soon, ariana. ♡

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A Reflection of the Past Few Years///What 2019 will be for me.

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018Lifestyle, Personal Talks ♡2 Comments

Hello everyone who is reading this, if you are a follower on my blog then you would know that I have not posted in nearly five months, and I very much apologize. I began college and had a lot of change in my life and sort of forgot to keep up with my blog. However, I most definitely will pick up blogging again for the new year, so I hope you can stay tuned for some exciting content to come.

Anyways, for this post I will be giving a run down on what the past few years each represented for me. It’s unbelievably crazy how quick time goes by, 2018 was a legit roller coaster. However, this gave me insight on a reflection over the past few years and what I am looking for in 2019.

2016 was a year of realization

By the end of this year, I had come to the realization that I was severely unhappy and suffering from a lot of internal pain that I kept from people for years. Also the election was something that made me realize this country’s climate, but it also helped me realized what I wanted to stand for and what I was passionate about.

2017 was a year of pain.

That year was probably the toughest year of my life, I was battling internal demons that no one had a clue about. Things were going on in my life that made it difficult to change. I was afraid of change so I lived through that pain. There were multiple points throughout 2017 where I could not see myself here anymore, life was tough and unbearable, but I received help at the end of the year that made my life much better than it was before.

2018 was a year of change and growth.

The person I was who started off this year, was very anxious, lonely, and timid. The year started out very rough, I cut contact with almost everyone. I isolated myself for months. However, I also endured a big change this year when I started college, created this blog, and opened myself up to more people. It sure was nerve-racking, but I made it through. I did not think I was going to be able to handle it, but I did. I stepped outside my comfort zone and made progress. I am so grateful for the change, and how different my life is compared to one year ago today. I have met so many amazing people along the way, I have partaken in many experiences, and most of all I started to appreciate the things in life that I used to take for granted. The person I am now is not the girl from the beginning of 2018, she’s different, and although I may still be anxious and reserved at times, I have shown a great amount of courage and I can now honestly say that I’m courageous.

2019 will be my year of strength.

I will show and prove to my self my resilience of the past few years. It is going to be the year in my life where I learn to self grow and accept myself. I will prove to myself how strong I really am. I will find myself in ways that evoke my strengths and bring out the best of me.

peace.2018. — “peace 2018, thanks for preparing me for 2019”.

I hope you all enjoyed this read, I wish you all a happy new year filled with love and joy! I look forward to posting more on my blog in the new year.

talk to you soon, ariana. ♡