I do hope that all of you are doing well, staying safe and healthy inside as we continue to collectively fight the global pandemic that has hit the world. My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours during this challenging time.
With that said, I hope it’s not insensitive for me to proclaim what a great month March really was for me. Yes, March is my birthday month, so there was that (although my birthday festivities were canceled due to social distancing guidelines) but I also really stayed focus on executing my CEO strategic business plans to revive my business and things really paid off for me.
Never under estimate the affect that some solid planning and dedicated effort can make in your life. A month after writing that last installment of Entrepreneurial and I feel like my business is now in a completely different place.
Let’s quickly recap some of what I think went very well for me in March- hopefully you can learn from my experience and take away some great tips for yourself.
1. I created a ton of great content: From experience I know that creating great content isn’t just great for your business and community building, but on a personal level as a creative entrepreneur, creating is motivation for my spirit. There is no better feeling to me than having an idea and turning it into reality. For me, writing blog posts, creating videos and designing new fun things for you to enjoy is how I create best. It gives me purpose, confidence in my abilities and a bit of catharsis that can only come from bringing an idea to fruition.
2. I launched a bunch of new products: Last month I believe I had a total of three new items hit The Charmed Shop. The High Vibe Bible Digital Planner Inserts, the updated Master Meal Planner Insert Bundle and the CEO Strategy Planner. All three of these inserts are right now bound in my own personal planner and having them for myself has been such a great way for me to stay organized across all the areas of my life. Yes, of course, launching new things is great for my business and revenue, but really for me just having those new tools created for just myself to use is a game changer for my planning. If you haven’t noticed, ever since I went back to a discbound system with my new Chanel Agenda cover, my planning and productivity has hit a new peak and these inserts have everything to do with that!
3: I hosted a super successful business planning workshop: If you’re following along with my content, you know at the end of March I hosted a Live Planning Class where I taught my complete business planning process. A lot of preparation and work went into that live workshop, of course part of it was tied into my launch of the CEO Strategy Planner which was incredibly well received during the event, but part of the class was just an opportunity to bring my community together and I was so blown away that over 200 of you were present with me for the workshop. I know 200 might not seem like a big number in comparison to my overall following but I know for a while there attendance at my live classes and views on my video content had been shrinking. So to have an event go so well and be so well received was really a high point of my month. The success of that live class has really given me the motivation to continue with these live workshops and bring some awesome topics to you that I have been holding off on for some time.
So, what’s the plan for April?
Continue with the content creation.
Continue spreading the good news of all my latest products that have seriously helped me transform my productivity, life and business in March alone.
MORE LIVE WORKSHOPS! Specifically geared towards business topics as I think I have a lot to add to the conversation of online business, especially with all that is going on in the world I think online business owners are struggling in a way that I may actually be able to provide some little relief and strategy to help them through! Plus I just love interacting with you all live and seeing each of you interact together during a workshop as well. Presenting is my strong suit and if it’s what I can do to serve my community during this time, I’m committed to it!
So, with that being said, I’d like to make a few quick announcements while I have your attention!
→Saturday, April 4th, 2020 I am hosting another LIVE Workshop I’m calling KNOW THYSELF. This is a workshop I have been eager to create for you for some time now, because it is about a topic that is near and dear to my heart- learning and understanding more about yourself! In this workshop I am going to walk you through a few of my favorite personality typing systems like Enneagram, Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies. As a business owner and someone who is obsessed with personal development, I love using personality typing systems to get to know myself on a deeper level. Self-awareness is a crucial part of success in life, but according to psychological research, it’s a trait only about 5% of the population have. So, join me live on Saturday at 2pm EDT over on my YouTube channel to learn more about what makes you, you, and how we can use that knowledge to maximize our strengths and become more aware of opportunities for personal growth! If you would like email reminders and a direct link to the workshop emailed to you, make sure you are on my list by clicking here!
Okay, well with that here’s to another great month ahead! I hope this post has been insightful for you and I’d love to hear more about what you are working on this month in the comments below!
Are you a Creative Entrepreneur in need of a strategic business planner? The CEO Strategy Planner is an undated, print on demand business planner with 60+ elegant and functionally designed inserts to help you organize, plan and execute on your business vision! Get your ideas out of your head and onto paper, and get down to business with the CEO Strategy Planner!
The CEO Strategy Planner is the ultimate bundle of business planning inserts designed for the modern creative entrepreneur or business owner. The planner is divided into multiple sections that follow the essential parts of any good business plan. This strategic planner seamlessly integrates with the calendar or agenda system of your choice. Whether you use a physical planner, a digital calendar and planning tools, or, if like me, you use a mixture of both- the CEO Strategy Planner can be used in conjunction with any calendar and planning system to create your custom business, marketing and financial plans.
I designed this planner first and foremost, for myself, out of a need for structure to keep myself focused on my business goals and objectives. As a lover of paper planners, who works via the power of digital media, I needed dedicated inserts with enough structure to allow me to outline all my essential business objectives, marketing activities, and financial tracking into one streamlined business plan on paper before I then executed on the work on my computer.
As a paper planner lover and a creative, I know the power that taking pen to paper can be for your ideas, inspiration and clarity. There is nothing like getting ideas out of your head and onto paper and then getting down to business organizing and creating your vision.
The CEO Strategy Planner contains all of the essential planning tools you need to organize your business, tackle your to do list efficiently, manage your marketing efforts and keep track of all your key financial targets. With the help of this strategic business planner, you will create a vision for your business and have all the tools and strategies at hand to execute!
The CEO Strategy Planner Will Help You…
Create a vision for your business and break that vision down into manageable steps
Set clear objectives and outline plans that help you work more efficiently
Maximize your marketing efforts by organizing and outlining content, campaigns and messages
Keep a close eye on all your financial targets to grow your income, shrink expenses and get direct visibility to your profitability
This strategic business planner contains over 60 professionally designed undated printable inserts, covering all the essential areas of business planning without any fluff or filler. These designs were created using professional, industry standard design applications, and with elegance and simplicity in mind. You will notice that these inserts are easy to print at their original half letter dimensions, or can be easily adjusted to A5, US Letter or A4 as well.
With your purchase you will receive a set of easy to follow print instructions to help you achieve your desired print size.
And of course, because the CEO Strategy Planner is print on demand and undated, you can use and reuse these inserts year after year, as much as you need to get the job done!
WHAT OTHER CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS ARE SAYING
“When it comes to creative entrepreneurship and planning tools, Alexis is the real MVP and boy, the CEO Strategy Planner doesn’t disappoint! If you need a roadmap to stop dreaming and start doing when it comes to your creative strategy, this is the product for you. Each of the beautifully designed pages are packed with goodness that will give you the nudge you need to make that creative business of yours an empire.”
Kelsey Chapman | Author and Podcaster
“The CEO Strategy Planner gives me everything I need to map out my business objectives and marketing for the year, while integrating seamlessly with my paper planning system of the moment. I like to try new systems and I also require simplicity and flexibility in every area of my life. As much as I love my physical planner, as a business owner, I also need to be practical and use digital planning tools as well to manage my team. I love that the CEO Strategy Planner gives me the ability to take pen to paper, get creative with business (and launch) planning for myself with all the different business planning inserts included and then just transfer those final ideas and concepts to my digital editorial and marketing calendars. It’s the best of both worlds!”
Anne Samoilov | Launch Strategist and Author of “The White Space Solution”
WHO IS THIS PLANNER FOR?
The CEO Strategy Planner is ideal for any online or creative business owner. Whether you are a solopreneur like me, or you manage a small team, these strategic planning inserts will help you set your goals, manage your expectations, and distribute the workload efficiently.
But, the CEO Strategy Planner is not just for business owners and entrepreneurs. Bloggers, YouTubers, Podcasters, and other online or social media influencers will find the tools within this planner infinitely helpful in helping them create better content, grow their audience and organize more effective campaigns.
Perfect for experienced content creators and beginners alike, if you have been eager to start creating content and building community on digital or social media platforms, these inserts will give you the clarity and organization to finally get started! Then of course, you have everything you need at your fingertips as your endeavor begins to blossom into bigger and better opportunities!
VIDEO WALK THRU
LIST OF PAGES
(not the order of pages in the PDF file)
• Cover
• Business Plan Divider
{CREATIVE BUSINESS PLAN}
• Executive Summary
• Target Market
• Brand Vision
{YEARLY BUSINESS PLAN}
• Yearly Objectives
• Yearly Overview
{QUARTERLY BUSINESS PLAN}
• Q1 Income
• Q1 Overview
• Q2 Income
• Q2 Overview
• Q3 Income
• Q3 Overview
• Q4 Income
• Q4 Overview
{MONTHLY BUSINESS PLAN}
(inserts reflect months but not dates)
• Monthly Objectives Overview
• January Overview
• January Key Tasks
• February Overview
• February Key Tasks
• March Overview
• March Key Tasks
• April Overview
• April Key Tasks
• May Overview
• May Key Tasks
• June Overview
• June Key Tasks
• July Overview
• July Key Tasks
• August Overview
• August Key Tasks
• September Overview
• September Key Tasks
• October Overview
• October Key Tasks
• November Overview
• November Key Tasks
• December Overview
• December Key Tasks
{BUSINESS OBJECTIVES}
• Objectives Divider
• Workflow
• Project Plan
• Project Budget
• Project Tracker
{BUSINESS MARKETING PLAN}
• Marketing Plan Divider
• Content Brainstorm
• Content Planner
• Content Outline
• Content Tracker
• Campaign Builder
• Broadcast Tracker
{FINANCIAL PLANNING}
• Finances Divider
• Profit & Loss Overview
• Yearly Overview
• Monthly Bill Tracker
• Yearly Bill Tracker
• Income & Expense Tracker
• Savings Tracker
• Donation Tracker
BONUS DOWNLOADS
The CEO Strategy Planner comes with multiple exclusive free bonus downloads at no additional cost
• CEO Planner Cover/Dashboard
• Additional section and monthly dividers
• Printable Tab Set
• Smartphone Wallpaper
• Desktop Wallpaper
FILE LIST
Upon checkout you will receive the following 6 files associated with this product listing.
CEO Strategy Planner PDF
CEO Strategy Planner Print Instructions PDF
BONUS CEO Divider/Dashboard Set
BONUS CEO Printable Tabs
BONUS CEO Desktop Wallpaper
BONUS CEO Smartphone Wallpaper
Important Additional Information
Printing: Although this is a digital PDF file, sized to half letter dimensions 5.5″ x 8.5″ with your purchase you will receive a set of printing instructions for A5, US Letter and A4 printing as well.
Refund Policy: Due to the nature of this item as a digital PDF, no refunds will be accepted, so please make sure to read through all details of this listing and contact Alexis with any questions before making your purchase!
Copyright information: The copyright to all digital download pdf files remains with the designer, Alexis Giostra. Files are intended for personal use by the single purchaser, and may not be copied, shared, distributed or resold.
Customer satisfaction is of the utmost important to me, and although I do not issue refunds on digital downloads, if you are experiencing any unforeseen issues with your purchase, please notify me immediately via email and I will work with you directly to resolve your issue!
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Click the button below to purchase your copy of the CEO Strategy Planner and get your creative ideas out of your head and onto paper so you can get down to business!
Today I am bringing back a series that used to be part of my monthly editorial calendar: Entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurial is my monthly entrepreneurship journal entry that I make public to give insight to my community, and lead by example for fellow entrepreneurs to see the highs and lows of running an online business. Each month, I generally have a topic that I want to share on that relates to the state of my business or my current priorities. This month we are going to talk about how I plan to revive my stagnant business.
Over the last few years my business has felt like it hit a ceiling. Now I fully understand that this ceiling has been the manifestation of my own limiting beliefs around my business and truly has nothing to do with my business itself and it’s scalability. Although I make a great income from my business, and a mostly passive one at that, I’ve been wanting to take my business to the next level financially for some time, but I’ve made a bunch of mistakes along the way to find what my next level version of business success looks like. Hence, feeling like I’ve hit a ceiling.
I think its normal for people to hit a ceiling like this in their business and perhaps to, like me, feel trapped or boxed in to certain achievements and expectations. If you’re not careful though, hitting this imaginary ceiling can cause you to actually start declining if you aren’t careful, and I feel like my business has been declining in some sense but I know it doesn’t have to. I know that the decline I am feeling has come from a rut I allowed myself to get into.
I spent so much time thinking and researching on how to get myself past the ceiling I felt like I hit to make it to my next level that a few negative side affects started popping up. First, I was doing way too much researching and thinking and not enough executing on what I had learned. Ugh! I know some of you can relate to this. Not taking action because you feel like you don’t know enough to make the best choice yet, or starting down a new path based on information you learned but then finding conflicting information that leads you to continually change course. Double ugh! I definitely spent the last few years in this cycle. Knowing I needed to make a plan for the next level, doing the research, coming up with that plan, and then either chickening out or changing the plan so many times that I started things but left them incomplete. This was disastrous for me and it definitely lead me to make some poor decisions with my business that ended up hurting my revenue, not growing it like intended.
The second negative side affect I experienced was massive burnout. What is interesting about this side affect for me was that I had been working and creating content at a feverish pace for a long time before the burnout hit. And when I think about it, it wasn’t the pace or amount of work that ended up causing the burnout, but truly I think it was a symptom of the overall problem that I wasn’t growing. Anyone who creates any sort of content online can probably relate that when you are creating a lot but getting a lot of great feedback or activity on your content, it fuels you to want to create more. But when you are creating and not seeing the feedback you expect, it can be disheartening and draining. That’s where my burnout came from. For a while there I was creating content but not seeing the response I wanted over and over and over again. Because of that I burned out and became disillusioned by certain platforms.
Despite all this however, I have to remind myself how freaking grateful I am to even be in this position and that I still have a functioning business that earns me a full time income from home. The fact that despite these issues my business is still working and new customers and community members are still finding me is such a testament to the power that great passive income foundations can have in a business. My top performing content and existing funnels have been shouldering the marketing load for my sales and keeping my income consistent as I research, plan and experiment with ideas, even bad ones!
So, it’s with that gratitude and perspective in mind that I consciously decide to keep moving forward and turn to a fresh page with my business. Here are some things I’ve been doing recently to revive my stagnant business:
Back to Branding Basics: I’ve been asking myself a series of foundational brand questions to get super clear on my direction moving forward.
What do I want to be known for?
How can I be of service to others?
Who are my people?
Why do they come to me?
What do I do?
What do I NOT do?
That last one is very important because it’s easy for someone like me to feel like I need to be and do everything for my audience, but that will spread me thin and it already did!
Auditing my Business: I’ve been reviewing different aspects of my business processes over the past few years to understand my strengths and weaknesses, and where investing my effort has or hasn’t paid off. As you may know, I’m a solopreneur and although I’ve worked with a virtual assistant in the past, I’m now considering how or where I might actually need more support in different areas.
What worked for me in the past, what didn’t?
What was I doing very well?
What was I avoiding that I may need help with?
What was I doing poorly out of expectation that I may just need to let go of?
Reviewing my Funnels: Finally, I’ve been reviewing my funnels to see what content, calls to actions and products have been most successful.
What content was I producing at the height of my growth?
What content had the best reception, which did not?
Which products have been most successful?
Where are my sales coming from?
So, those are some steps I’ve been taking to revive my stagnant business and create some solid plans to help me push through that imaginary ceiling blocking me from my next level of success. Realistically, I know I also need to do some mindset work to bring down the blocks alongside doing the work of identifying and executing on my next set of business plans. For now, I would just like to cultivate the vision for where my business is going in 2020 as a first step and get those essential plans laid out. I’m also committing to thinking and researching less, and sticking to the plans I make moving forward. Hopefully, I have some positive updates for you in next months installment of this series!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first new installment of Entrepreneurial and that it gave you some food for thought if you too are a business woman like me! I’d love to hear more about the things you have been working on or struggling with in your business so that I can create some content geared towards providing you solutions based on my experience.
The Marketing Secrets Behind the SOLD OUT Shane Dawson x Jeffree Star Conspiracy Collection
This live class replay is a Business Case Study of one of the most successful beauty collaborations in the history of YouTube, the Shane Dawson x Jeffree Star Cosmetics Conspiracy Collection. In this class lecture and open Q&A I will share the seven marketing secrets behind the success of this iconic launch!
THE MARKETING SECRETS BEHIND THE SOLD OUT LAUNCH OF SHANE DAWSON X JEFFREE STAR COSMETICS!
I’m SUPER PUMPED about this class!
For those of you who follow YouTube news, you likely already know a thing or two about this most talked about launch and event in YouTube’s history. But, one thing I don’t see anyone else talking about in terms of the success of both the video series and the cosmetics collab is the marketing process that went into making the launch a complete success.
Since I am well versed in online marketing strategy, one of the things I love to do is dissect a marketing campaign or launch to understand what went right (so I can learn from the experience and apply to my own business) and what went wrong (so I too can avoid those mistakes). And since this was such a visible and highly anticipated launch, I thought it would make the perfect business case study to break down for those within my community who are also interested in learning and advancing for their own business.
So, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the upcoming live class and had it scheduled into your planner so you could join me and we could chat about the marketing secrets that made that launch a success!
The class will be streamed live on my youtube channel on Friday November 22nd @ 1pm EST (New York City, NY, USA Time Zone) and I will be sending out another email the morning of the event with the direct link, so if you want to join me and would like the reminder, as well as some additional information and Q&A, click here to make sure you are signed up for the interest list! If you’ve signed up already, no need to sign up again- this email is just a friendly reminder!
In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Shane Dawson x Jeffree Star Cosmetics collab and series, so send me your questions or feedback and I’ll consider including or integrating it into our discussion outline!
Earlier today on Instagram (make sure you are following me @MissTrenchcoat!) I shared that on Friday I dedicate the day to what I like to call my C.E.O. Strategy Day. It stands for Creative Entrepreneur Optimization- and it’s a day where I perform tasks that align me to my highest self.
Although I consider this specific concept of my own design, it was inspired by the concept of the Artist’s Date from Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. Essentially an Artist’s Date is when a creative takes themselves out for a date with their own creativity. They spend the day indulging their passions and refilling their creative energy and drive.
Now, although I absolutely consider myself a creative and something of an artist, I had a hard time executing the Artist’s Date the way Cameron described. I liked the idea of having a date with myself where I filled my own creative cup, but the activities she described just didn’t do it for me because they were very much focused on the outside world and I’m much more focused on cultivating my inner world. I’m definitely someone who believes that to expand, we must go inside ourselves and cultivate a specific mindset and energy for manifesting creativity and our dream life- so I adjusted her concept to align with my own priorities.
For me, a C.E.O Strategy Day can be spent on any activities I feel need dedicated time, but aren’t always prioritized during the week. I have three categories of activities I focus on- all of which are intended to help me manifest into the physical world my thoughts, desires and goals. The categories are physical, mental, and daily life, but because I have to give everything a really fun, high vibe name, we’re gonna call these categories Self Care, Gold Mind, and Life Style!
I think Self Care is probably the easiest category for everyone to understand. Tasks related to self care would literally be anything that helps me bring my physical body into alignment with my highest concept of myself. So tasks include essential hygiene, skincare, massage, exercise, and even daily fashion and beauty. Yes, even on my day off I wake up and do some level of hair, makeup and outfit because my highest self shows up for my life every single day!
Next, let’s talk about Gold Mind, I just love that phrase, don’t you? So this category is all about tasks that help me to expand my mind and consciousness so that I can increase my capacity and influence my neural net. If you want to change your life you literally need to change your mind through mental alchemy. I want my mind to transmute my thoughts and ideas into pure gold. So, I regularly attend to my mind by consistently feeding it new ideas and experiences. I may meditate, astral travel, practice remote viewing, read a book, chant a mantra, learn a skill, perform necessary research for my business, or even just listen to music to adjust my vibration. Anything that I know changes my mind will change what I manifest in my life.
Finally, we come to Life Style! Now, you might think that this category doesn’t seem to fit in the vibe of the C.E.O. Strategy Day but it is soo necessary. Life gets busy, little daily life tasks fall through the cracks all week long, and part of me embodying my best life is making sure all the details of my life are attended too. On top of that, I know there are little things we can do to organize our lives, homes, businesses, etc, to help things move smoothly in the future. So I make sure to constantly upgrade areas of my life that are falling behind and make sure every detail of my world is in line with my dream life. So, tasks that fall into this category might be shopping, returns, reviewing financials, sending cards or gifts, touching base with important contacts, cleaning and organizing. Whatever details of life that aren’t attended to during the course of a week, I take time to make sure nothing important in my life slips through the cracks.
Okay, so now that I’ve explained my C.E.O. Strategy Day concept, I have a little gift for you to use if you want to execute on this concept as well! Because the tasks of my C.E.O. Strategy Day always vary, I do like to make a plan of attack for what I’ll be tackling that day. I always list the tasks out in my planner, but to simplify this process for you, I’ve designed a little smartphone enabled graphic that you can keep and refer to when you are planning for your C.E.O Strategy Day! Each category of tasks are listed out and you have a space to write down up to 3 tasks to complete for each. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the list- make sure you are tackling things that you can complete and that you know will help you align to your best life and highest self. This concept is all about helping you raise your vibration by seeing and feeling the results in your physical life! This isn’t just another task list- for me, this is like the greatest thing I plan for all week because it’s focused on me becoming the best version of me and making my dreams a reality!
I hope this concept helps you to bring your goal and dreams to fruition as well! Make sure to let me know how it goes!
In today’s video I am going to teach you how to use instagram to promote your business in 2019! This class will teach you how the set up an instagram business account, how to use the key instagram posting options, and how to use your unique branded content to attract and grow a following on Instagram that converts to customers no matter what products or services you sell or promote online.
I hope this video and the FREE IG Content Planner help you to create and grow an amazing following for your business! Let me know how things are going for you and make sure to follow me on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat so we can talk more about it there!
I have a special little treat for you- a midweek video! I am trying to get back into the swing of posting my 2 weekly videos again and I recorded a work day in the life for you focused around my tasks as a Passive Income Entrepreneur. I hope you enjoy this video and learn a thing or two about the systems I build to support my business.
Follow me around as I show you my routine, walk you thru how I create passive income opt-ins and discuss some new products with you! If you are interested in build online passive income systems for your business, I welcome you to check out the blog post and download the FREE PDF Guide we created in this video to help you get started: http://bit.ly/freepassiveincomeguide
If you are curious about online passive income and want to get started executing on strategies to earn money without continual effort, I have put together a FREE PDF Guide to walk you through five methods to use to earn passive income. I’ll also provide suggestions for platforms to get started with each, and I’ll provide the essential strategy for maximizing earnings through each method.
If you are new to the concept of passive income, let me give you a brief explanation. Passive income is a type of income where you set up a system and it generates ongoing revenue. A basic example of this would be investing in financial markets. You take a certain amount of money you already have, invest it into stocks, bonds, a savings account, whatever you decide, and depending on how well managed the money is, you will earn a return on that money for as long as you keep it invested. In this model of income generation, you don’t necessarily need to do anything once the system or investment is in place. It’s not like working a job where you need to put in time and effort to earn your paycheck, the system does much of the work for you.
Although there are a number of ways to set up passive income in real life, you can also achieve this online. In fact, the vast majority of my business comes from passive income streams. Meaning, I create a product, I set up a system for marketing, sales and delivery, and if all goes according to plan, I earn income without having to directly sell myself or having to create or fill orders. Even though this method of income generation is called passive, it doesn’t mean you earn money for doing nothing. With successful passive income systems, a fair amount of work is required to get the system in place, and then some continual effort might also be required, but the system is automated, and the amount of continual effort you put into the system will also help determine how much you earn continually from it!
I hope that gives you some more clarity and insight into online passive income streams, and now I will introduce you to five online passive income methods that work and if you want to learn more about them, you can access my FREE Guide by clicking here!
5 Online Passive Income Strategies that Work!
1. Cash Back Online Shopping
2. Affiliate Marketing
3. Sell Your Original Artwork or Designs via Print On-Demand Marketplaces
4. Self Publish a Book
5. Create Digital Products to Sell on an E-Commerce Site
INSIDE THE FREE GUIDE YOU WILL LEARN
✔︎ Exactly how each of the 5 passive income methods work
✔︎ Suggestions for reputable platforms to use to get started with each
✔︎ Strategies for maximizing your earnings through each
The FREE Guide is 14 pages of additional information that you will not want to miss out on, but it is just too much to publish here, so CLICK HERE TO ACCESS IT NOW!
I hope this information helps you to start your own passive income stream whether you are someone looking for some extra cash on the side, or want to create your own passive income business online!
Just a heads up- this post is a significant departure from my usual content, but in an effort to create more content that truly brings me joy and also answers some frequently asked questions I thought I’d give it a go!
If you didn’t know, Sephora is currently holding one of their biggest sales of the year, which is a big deal because Sephora doesn’t usually have sales or offer discounts. If you are a makeup and skincare lover like me who drops a pretty penny every year on products from Sephora, you can appreciate how important it is to plan for and take advantage of a sale like this.
To be clear, the sale officially started on Friday April 26th and ends on May 6th, but was open first to Sephora VIB Rouge members, of which I am included. VIB Rouge (use code HEYROUGE) means that you spend something like $1000 or more a year in Sephora- which I absolutely do, mostly on high end skincare which can quickly add up. So, being VIB Rouge means you shop the sale first and you get the biggest discount- 20%… I’ll take it!
For those who are the standard VIB level, meaning you spend $350 a year in the store or online, the sale starts on May 2nd and ends on the 6th and this level gets 15% off with the code HEYVIB. Finally, the standard Beauty Insider level which is everyone who signs up gets 10% with the code HEYINSIDER and their sale dates are the same as VIB level.
Now, in case you have seen many, many blog, instagram and youtube posts about the Sephora sale with influencers sharing their picks and wishlist, let me explain to you why. This sale, along with the Nordstrom anniversary sale that happens during the summer are probably the biggest and most profitable periods for influencers that use affiliate marketing. Meaning, they share their picks with affiliate links and if you click on them and make a purchase, they get a cut of the sale. Now, I’m sure some people find this highly annoying, but it’s honestly a pretty fair system. When people shop online they don’t have the benefit of speaking to salespeople in store and so the influencer then becomes the salesperson, giving you recommendations and sharing their experiences with products. For their effort, they make a commission on the sale that might normally go to a sales person had you shopped in store. And, honestly, the commission isn’t as amazing as you might expect- depending on the affiliate marketing program an influencer belongs to, the commission could be something like 3%-15%. So, most influencers aren’t bringing home a full paycheck from an event like this, but would be luck to make enough commission to cover their own purchase.
Of course, I too belong to a few affiliate networks and although I don’t normally share these sorts of lifestyle picks, I do get a lot of questions about the makeup and skincare I use, so I thought I would let you all know what I purchased during the sale (I ordered on Friday morning and have already received my order) and also provide a few suggestions for products I didn’t need to purchase but would have if I was running low! Just fair warning, I am going to supply you with affiliate links and I do appreciate if you use them since it doesn’t cost you anything and it gives me credit for suggesting a product. Thanks in advance for helping me support my skincare habit!
So before I list out my purchases and suggestions, I want to let you know a little about my skin because I absolutely believe that all products do not work for all skin types and it’s important to use suggestions from people who have a similar skin type as you if you want to see similar results. I have very dry skin, it’s not super sensitive but it can be if I use too many harsh chemicals or exfoliants. I don’t get acne per se, but I do breakout hormonally around my chin mostly. I don’t have much in the way of blackheads or enlarged pores because I have dry skin, but I would categorize my breakouts as nodular (google it if you aren’t familiar) as opposed to white heads, papules or pustules (I felt gross typing that last one lol). My main skincare goals are to prevent and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, to lighten hyperpigmentation, and to brighten and even my skin complexion overall. And I certainly have found some great products that help me achieve those goals!
Facial essence waters are kind of a new thing in beauty and skincare that was introduced with the popularity of asian skincare products. You might think something like this is unnecessary or waste of money, but it’s soo good and absolutely necessary which is why I bought a new bottle during the sale even though I still have a bit of this left in my existing bottle. You use this essence water after you wash and tone by pouring a small amount in your hand and rubbing it into your skin. Since you don’t use a lot this actually last a very long time and the affects are significant. This essence softens your skin like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Literally, my skin feels as soft as a new born baby when I use this and it helps your serums you apply after it sink in and work even better. If you are familiar with the SKII facial essence water, this product is very similar, except its less expensive and I think it works better!
Since I am something of a higher end skincare lover, I tend to cycle through a number of different serums, but this serum is one I often come back to. I haven’t used this in maybe a year since my last bottle ran out, but I’ve gone through several bottles over the last few years and love it. Remember I said my skincare goals were to get rid of hyperpigmentation and brighten my complexion- this does it! It also helps me clear up breakouts as well and is not filled with harsh chemicals so I can use it night over night without having to take a break from it because it doesn’t irritate my skin. I tend to use this serum only at night, although, it can be used during the day as well. I just have other serums I prefer to use during the day!
So this happens to be one of the new items I picked up during the sale that I really wanted to try out. I’ve never used it before but I’ve tried other things from this line and it comes highly recommended. Again, this is a radiance serum, but Farsali serums double as makeup primers and that is how I intend to use this product, as a serum/primer before makeup because I have dry skin. Now, Farsali is a brand I don’t think gets enough hype overall- they have a product called Skintune Blur which I kid you not, makes your skin look like an instagram filter in real life. Now, although that is always a great look, I don’t feel like I need that product because I don’t have enlarged pores. But, if you do, you might want to try Skintune Blur instead of this Liquid Glass. For me, I am beginning to understand more and more than I actually have pretty good skin overall and that although the matte makeup look is very in right now, I actually prefer a dewier makeup look, especially for spring and summer- and that is the concept of the Liquid Glass look!
As part of my nightly skincare regime, I like to use a very moisturizing lip balm and after searching through reviews on Sephora I have decided to try this one. Again, never used it before, but the reviews are great and it’s pretty affordable. In the past I have used the Dior Creme de Rose balm which I believe is now discontinued, and I’ve also gone through a few tubes of the YSL Volupte Liquid Color Balm in the Night Rehab Mask which is okay but pricey. Now, it might seem like an extra step to put on lip balm before bed, but I assure you, if you are someone who enjoys a full lip look, this is important. I don’t have the biggest or fullest lips naturally, but I’m also not at all interested in lip fillers. Instead, I use a natural lip care process including regular exfoliation and lots of thick lip balm at night to keep my lips as plump as possible. I find that this process actually helps to make lips look bigger and more even, and in turn makes it easier for me to enhance my lips with lip liners and lipsticks. In fact, my own mother accused me of getting lip fillers recently while we were face timing, and I had to give her a side view of my mouth to show her that they weren’t filled (you can always tell from the side view), they just appeared fuller from the front because I keep them plump with moisturizers. So, I recommend a night balm and I look forward to using this new one as part of my lip routine.
As I mentioned earlier, I also want to include a few items I would have purchased if I was running low but didn’t need right now. These are more favorites that I highly recommend!
I am not the biggest collector of eyeshadow palettes, mostly because I have naturally gorgeous olive green eyes that I don’t want to overshadow (pun intended) with colorful eye makeup. So, I tend to keep my eye makeup simple and natural, and this little palette from Natasha Denona is absolutely one of the best things I have ever bought from Sephora. It is pricey for the amount of shadows you get, but the quality of the shadows and the pigmentation and blend-ability are so good, it’s worth it for me. I can do a stunning shadow look that compliments my eyes in what feels like seconds with this palette and I love that the colors are so straight forward that I don’t need to sit and think about what eye look I am going to do because the colors are just exactly what I need. The only eye shadow palettes I like even more than this are from Chanel and they are even more expensive, of course! Now that I think about it, this is the only eyeshadow palette from Sephora that I currently own. Everything else is Chanel or drugstore brands- I think that’s signifiant!
So this cream is very necessary if you are someone with very dry skin. It’s a complete skin rescue and protectant. Sometimes I use this as my daily moisturizer, especially during winter, but usually I use it as necessary to fight off dry patches on my skin or deal with a chemical burn or irritation that can occur when I use too many hard products.
This product is another of my favorite primers. I am really into primers if you couldn’t tell! I think some people overlook primers because they think they don’t do much for your skin but in my opinion, as someone with dry skin, they really go a long way to provide extra moisture and a layer of protection between your skin and the chemicals in makeup that I really would prefer not to absorb. And again, I like to try out a lot of primers, but there are only a few I come back to. For example, earlier this year I bought the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer because I love my Tatcha products, and although it is a great primer, I didn’t like how it mattified my skin. It’s a great option for those with oily skin who want that Facetune blur affect, but for someone like me with dry skin, this vitamin face base is much more moisturizing and keeps my skin dewey.
Like I mentioned, hyperpigmentation is one of my skin issues and so I have tried a number of didn’t chemical resurfacing serums and creams to even my skin tone, but this one is probably the best, especially for long term use. I firmly believe I see a difference using this serum overnight, that’s how good it is, and although I know I could use it every night, I don’t find that I truly need to. Usually, I will just use it for a few days if I have a break out and my skin tone evens out. Now, they don’t claim that this serum works for fine lines, but I think it does- I mean, it is a chemical resurfacing serum so it exfoliates the skin which means hyperpigmentation and fine lines should both be reduced and I think it does both for me. Again, this is another one of the more pricy skin care favorites of mine, but I will say a bottle lasts me at least a year so it is a good investment for my skin in my opinion.
Well, that is everything I wanted to share with you in case you are interested in shopping the Sephora sale. I realize this was mostly skincare, but that is usually what I buy from Sephora. Although I certainly love high end makeup, I actually find that when I have my skin in order, great products from the drugstore look just as good as the best makeup money can buy.
I hope you found this post helpful and again, if you are interested in shopping the sale online and learned about a new product you might want to try, I’d appreciate if you use my links to give me credit! Also- I’d love to hear about what products from Sephora you may be picking up during the sale or recommendations for other products you love that I might need to check out, so leave me a comment below!
