Summer is here...and I love my Younique makeup even more!

I have to say that I really put my Younique makeup to the test a few weeks ago.  My husband and I went camping with the dogs and had a great time - but I took my Younique makeup so I could really test it out against the elements (I got more than I bargained for there).  I took my Younique makeup bag and despite my husband's grumblings about "we are camping - you don't need makeup" - I still managed to put my make-up on in the tent and looked great while we were hiking, fishing and playing with the dogs.

My Younique Makeup Bag Went Camping!!!

Now the makeup lasted most of the day and let me explain.  It lasted through the heat of the day - sweat and all - no problem.  It made it through the hiking, the fishing and the playing.  But remember when I said I tested it against the elements and got more than I bargained for?  Well, I knew it was supposed to rain that weekend. 

Hiking on the river before the rain.

The dogs loved the hiking and playing - BEFORE the rain.

But I didn't know it was going to be the craziest, never-ending/non-stop, pouring down, torrential rain storm that it turned out to be.  My makeup made it through the light showers that started it all with no problem.  My makeup even made it through the heavy rain storm that we almost got caught up in while we were fishing but we made it just in time to go chill in the tent until it was over.  The sun came back out - and my makeup was still awesome. 

After the first rain shower, the river started to fill up quickly.

I had gotten wet but my makeup was holding up.

But then the big storm came and we got in the tent and the tent started leaking and leaking and leaking.  It rained and rained and rained.  It was like taking a shower with all your clothes on with your bed and your suitcase and your dogs and your food and everything else we had in the tent.  We were SOAKED. 

The tent started leaking so we all piled under the covers to stay "dry". 

Until the covers got soaked to and we couldn't stand it any more.

That is when my makeup lost the battle and couldn't hang.  But let me tell you, I really didn't give a dang about my makeup at that point.  We packed up our stuff in the rain and drove home with everything soaking wet in the middle of the night.  When I got home - I checked my makeup bag - the one that comes with the new Younique collections - and guess what?  EVERYTHING INSIDE WAS DRY!!!  I was so happy.  All my makeup was safe and dry.  Can't say the same about everything else but that is one good bag.  I would HIGHLY recommend getting a collection just to get that makeup bag.  It is a great bag to begin with but to handle all that - it was worth the money and paid for itself that day.

So I guess that point of my post is that Younique makeup holds up great in the summer heat while you are playing, camping, hiking, fishing and it can even handle some rain.  But if you are planning to look sexy with your Younique makeup while you are in the shower or are in the middle of the next great flood - well, you might have to reapply it a time or two. 

I still love it though.  Man this is good quality makeup and so far all their products have lived up to and far exceeded my expectations. 

How To Videos Are Harder To Make Than You Think

So I have been working on making a video to tell you all about the skin care line and show you how I do my contouring.  What I have found out is that I am a HORRIBLE speaker on the camera and it is really quite comical (and sometimes painful) to watch.  I have gone through and edited out all mess-ups where I got a little frustrated with background noise and such and said a few words that shouldn't be recorded on camera.  I am in the final editing stages where I will add some graphics, text and other video features to make it as fun and informative (and funny - not intentionally but just because I'm that bad at this!) as possible.

Thank you for your patience while I continue to work on the video - because I know I had planned on getting it posted to this blog a while back but my first attempt completely got scrapped because it was so bad and I had to start over.  It will be posted soon - so keep checking back and you will see my horrible 'on camera' skills.

In the meantime, we have had a couple of successful online parties that have been bringing in new customers and helping their hostesses to earn free and half-priced Younique products.  These parties are really easy to do and they are all online so there is no need to clean your house or buy snacks for guest...and your guest can 'attend' from their computer in their pajamas!  They will love how easy it is and they will love Younique if they decide to buy and try it.  If you are interested in hosting a Younique online party for yourself so that you can earn free and half-priced products, please let me know.

Younique's Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes

So I promised we would get up close and personal with the products of Younique.  Today is my first product focus on this blog and I wanted to start with our most popular product - the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes. 

We often get asked if this is false eye-lashes because it looks so great and the answer is NO - this is mascara that gives you up to 300% of your natural lash look and is truly waterproof. 

The catalog says, "Bring beauty to a whole new dimension!  Packaged in two separate bottles, the Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers are used together to enhance and magnify your natural lashes.  Watch your lashes transform into something you only dreamed of!  Adding a 300% increase in thickness and volume to your lashes while still looking completely real and natural, our mood-altering 3D Fiber Lashes will add new dimensions of beauty to your eyes and change the way you feel about your lashes forever!  Looking for your new favorite makeup accessory?  You've found it."

Now let me tell you about my personal experience with this product.  To explain the entire experience, I have to give you a little background about me - I have never really liked wearing mascara because I have had severe allergies since I can remember (from very young childhood) and my eyes are always watery and itchy because of it.  Typically, mascara tends to agitate my eyes even more and usually ends up smeared down my face or rubbed off after only an hour or so of wearing it - even waterproof mascaras.  I've tried expensive brands and cheap brands, waterproof and non-waterproof, hypoallergenic and the like.  I have never found a mascara that really made me feel the need to even bother with it until I found Younique's 3D Fiber Lashes.

The first time I tried it was right in the middle of cedar season and on one of my worst allergy days of the year.  I put it on that morning thinking this is going to be off by noon for sure.  I kept rubbing my eyes because they were itchy and watery but the mascara didn't bleed into my eyes, which was a plus in and of itself because it didn't add to the irritation.  I was so sure it was going to be smeared down my face and I kept checking it in the mirror at work to make sure I wasn't going to walk around looking like a raccoon.  It never smeared or rubbed off.  It stayed on my eye lashes all day and the crazy thing is that when I got home, my husband noticed for the first time in our marriage that I had eye lashes. 

My eye lashes are naturally blonde, thin and short - you can barely see them.  Regular mascara makes them more visible but doesn't really make them look great - they just get darker and maybe slightly longer but not much.  My eyes are too sensitive for false lashes and honestly, false lashes are too expensive to maintain in my opinion.  After using Younique's 3D Fiber Lashes, I have fallen in love with mascara and now know what all the fuss is about - my lashes look terrific and are really noticeable now.  They don't look clumpy or fake but are long, thick and gorgeous.  They last all day until I am ready to take it off with warm water and either soap or make-up remover.  They are waterproof, tear-proof and sweat-proof. 

This product is great for every day wear, for special events, for children in theater/dance/pageants/etc., and are awesome for allergy sufferers, people with sensitive skin and those that are really active.  I have truly fallen in love with this mascara and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone and everyone that wants great looking lashes.

Here is the best part - this product is only $29 and typically last about 2 months.  The formula has recently been reworked and it is even better than before.  Every customer that I have sold it too has given me great feedback and really like the product.  So if you are thinking about trying Younique, I would recommend the 3D Lashes.


 
 

We have a Younique Online Party Going On...Join The Fun

I just wanted to let everyone know that my sister-in-law, Kim, is hosting a Younique Party.  If you want to try Younique now is a great time to order because you can help Kim earn free and half-price products by ordering through her party link (below).  I really think you will like it so give it a try and let me know what you think.

I will tell you that my absolute favorite product is the primer - Glorious - because it softens my skin and last all day.  I can also use it on my curly/frizzy hair to tame it and smooth it out.  I really love all their products though.  I think you will too.

The party link will be active until midnight (Mountain Time) on March 29th.  Get your orders in by then to help support Kim's party.

https://www.youniqueproducts.com/crystalkoutz/party/103708/view

Sharing My Younique Look From Saturday

I just love face contouring.  When I posted the collage below, I was told this was not the same person in the first picture to through the series but I assure you - they are all me and all on Saturday when I was getting dressed for a wedding that we were attending.  Contouring just makes such a difference in the way you look overall.  It defines your features and for me, makes me look skinnier (I've been told that many times) because it creates an optical illusion of a thinner face.  It takes practice but once you get it down - it is fun and looks awesome. 

I hope to make a contouring instruction video for my blog soon but for now, I just want to share this collage with you so you can see how great Younique make-up really is.  I LOVE MY YOUNIQUE MAKE-UP - SERIOUSLY.

 

    

      

   

And here is a picture I took Monday night just to show you how I get my contoured look - it isn't perfect (because I did it really fast) but this is just to give you an idea.  You can get great ideas and instructions by searching Pinterest for Face Contouring.  That is what I did to learn how to do this.

 

What is Younique?

Welcome to Crystal's Younique Place.  This blog is all about Younique products and being part of the Younique business as an Independent Presenter.  I am going to share my Younique journey with you and share my honest opinion of the products and the business. 

The first thing to do is to introduce you all to Younique and to tell you why it is so wonderful...and I really do think it is wonderful - so much that I have become a raving fan about the products.

Younique is a fairly young direct marketing company that was founded in Utah in 2012 by a brother and sister team, Derek Maxfield and Melanie Huscroft.  Younique is the brand behind a fabulous line of all-natural and animal-cruelty free cosmetic and skin care products.  Younique's mission is to "uplift, empower, validate and ultimately help build the self-esteem of women around the world.  Through high-quality products that encourage these core values - along with spiritual enlightenment - Younique is enabling opportunities for personal growth and financial reward to women everywhere."

If this mission statement alone doesn't get your attention, then the products will absolutely spark your curiosity and make you want to at least give it a try.  As mentioned before, the products are all natural and animal-cruelty free - which are both very important to me as a consumer looking for the best cosmetics at an affordable price (compared to other high-end cosmetic lines with similar qualities).  In future blog posts, I will start sharing the products with you and tell you why I love them already.  I will share my story of how I found Younique and what made me decide to become an Independent Presenter for them.  I will tell you about my skeptical nature due to past experiences and all about the struggle to rebuild my life after an epic past business failure.  I will tell you all about my sensitive skin that gives me issues when it comes to cosmetics and skin care (like the fact that I can't wear a lot of brands like Mary Kay because I break out) and how Younique really opened up my options helping me find a brand that loves my skin.  For now, I just want to give you a little more information about the business and tell you how you can join my team if and when you decide that Younique is the business for you.

I really want to point out that Younique is growing exponentially.  In their first 10-months, they experienced such rapid growth that they caught the attention of the media and people really starting taking notice as the company gained more popularity and continued to grow.  Since Younique is such a new company, there is a lot of potential for Independent Presenters getting in at the early stages of the business - and right now, the sky is the limit for those joining the team of Independent Presenters.

Let's take a side-step really quick and think about Mary Kay.  Mary Kay started in 1963 and now have over 4.8 million Mary Kay Consultants.  Mary Kay is a house-hold name and no one thinks of Mary Kay as a scam or a flooded market because it has made many Consultants - even new Consultants - very successful.  People love the products and the brand continues to be popular.  Now, think of the first 15,000 Mary Kay Consultants - where they started out (were they skeptical, afraid of failure, not sure of their future, etc.) and how successful they are now.  Younique is in that stage of business where we have less than 20,000 Independent Presenters (as of March 2014) and the business is growing and strengthening daily.  Younique will be the next big name brand in cosmetics and skin care - there is no doubt in my mind.  Now, it is just a matter of who jumps on board and rides the waves of success and who shies away from it finding possible regret down the road. 

If you are looking for a business opportunity that doesn't take a lot of initial investment (only $99), has true potential for freeing you from the rat race - giving you an opportunity to become your own boss, work from home and still reach your financial goals - then you should take a serious look at becoming an Independent Presenter for Younique.  When you decide that you really want to be a part of this new company to grow with it as it becomes a common house-hold name - a staple item for women world-wide - then I would love to have you join my team by clicking the 'Join My Team' link on my site:  http://www.youniqueproducts.com/crystalkoutz

For now, I don't expect you to jump on board just yet (but please feel free if you already know this is for you) - but what I would like you to do is follow my blog and come back often to learn about the products and to share in my Younique journey.  It may not be the business for you but then again, if you just give it a try, it really might be that key you were looking for - the key to firing your boss, escaping the daily grind and truly living a life you love.  Either way, reading this blog will be fun and I will be sharing make-up and beauty tips along the way so join me as I share my journey and feel free to invite your friends to share in this journey with me as well.