The Clunkster

lime and lotus organics' purify activated charcoal masque

Cruelty-Free, Beauty, Beauty Review, SponsoredKristenComment

Hello hello! I’m so excited to share this cruelty-free product review with you all today. As soon as Dr. Stephanie Zgraggen emailed me about her all-natural skincare line, Lime and Lotus Organics, I knew I had to share this brand with you all. As a holistic doctor, she started her brand when she was tired of recommending harmful, chemical-filled products to her patients. Like a badass, she created her own skincare brand! She sent me a bottle of Lime and Lotus Organics’ Purify Activated Charcoal Masque to review, and I fell in love. Thanks Dr. Zgraggen!

First of all, I’m such a fan of the ingredients in this formula. This masque is paraben, phthalate, petrochemical, and gluten-free. I’m familiar with almost all of the ingredients on the bottle. The only one I had to look up was sulfone, which turned out to be a sulfate. The formula itself smelled so delicious, like a vanilla cupcake! You guys know I love a nice-smelling beauty product. It’s not thick or sticky, which pleasantly surprised me. I’m assuming it’s because this masque contains only the most essential ingredients.

I also love the bottle itself. I find it so much easier to apply this masque with a pump, and it’s fun to share with friends! I did this masque with three of my friends, and they all loved it as much as I did. I wanted to share it with my mom, but she’s allergic to sulfur, which was the only obstacle I came across with the ingredients.

This masque is made with white willow bark, aloe vera, pomegranate seed oil, and activated charcoal, all of which contain great anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. I use this masque once a week to give my skin a little tune-up since it addresses every concern I have with my skin. It makes me feel so relaxed, refreshed, and renewed. The front of the bottle says “Detox, Tone, Hydrate,” and this masque definitely checks all of those boxes. 

I really can’t speak highly enough about this masque and this company. I’m so excited to offer you guys 20% off your purchase from Lime and Lotus Organics with my code, CLNKSTER! Make sure you hurry, because this code only lasts for the next month. If you really can’t wait, I have a surprise coming with Lime and Lotus soon. Stay tuned!

For more information about going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database or Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands.

have a gay day!

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

jacket. tank (similar). shorts. sneakers. sunglasses (get 25% off your order with my code CLUNKSTER25!). perfume.

concealer. foundation. blush. eyeshadow (from a Sephora Collection palette). mascara. lipstick. setting spray.

Hello, cutie patooties of all genders and sexualities! Happy last week of Pride Month! This year was the first time I attended a Gay Pride Parade, and I had SO much fun.

For the most part, I kept my outfit pretty basic. I wore my jean shorts and denim jacket (love a good Canadian tuxedo) with a basic black tank and Converse. I really went ham with my makeup! I’m bisexual, so I decorated my face with the colors of our flag. I used pink eyeshadow on my lids, lined my eyes with purple eyeshadow, and wore bright blue lipstick. I wore my hair in two half-up-half-down pigtails, which looked hella cute, but gave me a nasty scalp sunburn!

I know Pride is a time for us to run through the streets and be proud of who we are, but let’s not forget the people who fought to get us to where we are today, like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, and the people whose lives have been taken because we haven’t come far enough yet. Go for it, hug your gay friends, but take some time to educate yourself on our history today. 

Did you do anything fun for Pride? Let me know in the comments!

"florals? for spring? groundbreaking."

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

shirt. pants (from kensie). sweater (from primark). shoes. perfume. sunglasses (use my code CLUNKSTER25 for 25% off your order!).

Hey cutie patooties! I hope you’re all enjoying your summers so far. Boston’s weather has been quite all over the place as usual, but it feels so great to have finally ditched my puffy jacket and clunky boots (not that clunky is ever a bad thing, obviously…).

Remember a little while ago when I was talking about how much I love patterned pants? Here’s a pair I’ve been obsessed with since my cousin gave them to me out of her closet. It’s finally the perfect weather to wear them! As much as I like wearing tighter clothes like leggings, I love a good flowy pant.

Usually, I wear these pants with one of my bodysuits, but if they’re in my hamper, I’ll tuck this black tee into my pants. I wore my grey sweater since it sometimes gets chilly at work, and my grey TOMS, which are almost as comfortable as these pants.

Now that it’s sunny out, I’ve been wearing my Sunice Sunglasses alllll the time. Be sure to use my code CLUNKSTER25 to get 25% off your order!

benefit's BADgal BANG! volumizing mascara

Cruelty-Free, Beauty, Beauty ReviewKristenComment

Hey beauties! If you’re new here, I love mascara. I have really small eyes and very long eyelashes, so I like to play them up when I do my makeup to make my eyes stand out. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect cruelty-free mascara for a while now, and I think I finally found it. I’m so excited to share it with you guys!

I had heard a ton of buzz when Benefit first released their BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara, and I knew that I needed to give it a try. This mascara is formulated with aero-particles similar to those used in space. Yeah, like outer space. They’re super light, so the formula boosts your lashes without weighing them down.

For the most part, when I apply mascara, I go for precision instead of length, quality over quantity, if you will, which is why I’m such a huge fan of this wand. The brush is longer, so it covers more surface area at one time. Its bristles are perfectly spread apart so it really grips your lashes and gets the formula on very precisely. Sometimes a little bit of excess comes out, but it’s easy to work with it to get the amount you need. I love how flexible the wand is.

Because of the lightness of the formula, I never look clumpy or cake-y. I get a really natural look from it, which I love. I never use mascara on my lower lashes because it looks too clown-y on me, but when I use this mascara they look very natural and defined. I love using the brush to shape my lashes in general. Now that I’m at the end of my little tube, I’m using it to top off my lashes when I use other mascaras.

I bought the smaller tube at first because it was cheaper and I wasn’t sure how I would like it, but now I’m definitely running back to Sephora to get the larger tube. This is definitely my new favorite mascara, hands-down. I’m so happy I gave it a try. I very highly recommend it! Have you use anything from Benefit Cosmetics? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll grab it on my next Sephora haul!

visitor

Style, Outfit of the DayKristenComment

sweater (no longer being sold at tilly’s). leggings. bralette. sneakers. perfume. sunglasses (use my code CLUNKSTER25 to get 25% off your order!)

Hey babes! I hope your weekend was fabulous. I got to spend mine with my mom! We went to the Institute of Contemporary Art, which I had surprisingly never been to in the four years that I’ve lived in Boston. It was so cool! They featured a piece by Ragnar Kjartansson called The Visitors, and it was hands down the most beautiful piece of art I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend checking it out if you can! I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Speaking of goosebumps, I wore this outfit back when it was still a little chilly. This sweater usually keeps me warm enough without a jacket, but it’s not super heavy, which is nice. I always wear it with my black bralette and leggings. Sometimes I’ll wear boots, but most of the time I’ll wear my sneakers or moccasins. I always feel so cute and cozy.

I threw it back to sophomore year Kristen and wore my hair half-up-half-down, but left the choker in 2017. I also sprayed on some Indi by Katy Perry because it makes me feel so warm inside.

Sometimes I miss dressing cozy like this, but then I see the sun shining and remember how much I love summer. Do you have any cool plans coming up? Let me know in the comments!