Tomorrow is my birthday! This year I wanted to do something fun with this newsletter. I always like to reflect (as you might have heard in my Instagram stories) and so with this, I wanted to reflect on some of the key products or things that really have changed my life ever since I started working in social media for my businesses.
Back in the day, I was a mom whose husband worked many hours a day. Some days I would only see him for two hours, he would come home and nap and then get back to work. At that point in life, I was in the midst of having babies and trying to be the most perfect housewife, putting a lot of pressures on myself. I made sure that every child was taken care of perfectly, packing Brady’s suitcases for him and ironing all of his clothes, doing all his laundry, and making sure there was food on the table all the time. I made sure I was fulfilling my wifely duties, not because Brady asked for it, but because that’s what I thought I needed to do. While in this time of life, (you may have heard me speak of this if you’ve seen me talk on social media) I used to not take off my make up nor would I wash my face because I didn’t feel like I was pretty without it. There were a lot of internal struggles going on in my life at this time.
You might have heard me talk about the time when Brady told me one day that I was a negative person and how much that pivotal moment influenced me to change my life. It was then that I started trying a new routine of waking up in the mornings and making it a priority to take in the sunrise; and finally to tell myself three positive things I noticed/am grateful for in that moment.
That was the first step I took to change my life. The other huge step was making fitness a habit. I wanted to do more than just work out; I was looking for a specific vision I had, and a goal I was putting my mind to. It took a lot of time and research to find someone for me. I had way more to work on than just fitness. But I knew if I could start working out and taking care of me, it would be my first step. You may not know this, but my mom suffered her first heart attack in her early 50s; following her attack, she suffered broken bones from the smallest instances. One of them was just by taking a step – there it went, her foot broke. I knew I needed to make a different path since our we share genetics and many health issues can be hereditary.
Jessie Hilgenberg & Jessie's Girls
In comes Jessie Hilgenberg. This woman absolutely changed my life; not only was she a trainer not focused solely on weight loss like so many others, but she believed in overall health & not quick fad diets that jack up the body in other ways longterm. When I say she’s the real deal, massively down to earth and such an incredible human, I mean it. She’s one of the biggest pivotal people in my life to this day. When I say I’ve done all her plans, I promise I’ve done them ALL (I might have skipped prenatal). I mean, they are so so good, I’ve never wanted to venture to anyone else, even now YEARS down the road. So of course I had to share her with you.
Make sure to use code JOCE10 when purchasing one of her fitness programs for a discount!
Seint Beauty (fka Maskcara Beauty)
Can we take a second to recognize growth in the little things too? This photo is one of my very first I’d taken as I practiced taking flat lays back when I first joined Seint. It’s been a long time coming and when I look back, I can’t help but feel so proud of the growth there. Seint, known as “Maskcara” in 2017, catapulted my life!
I had no idea how to work a business, grow a business, I just knew I needed something for myself in life. Brady was at a point he wasn’t as busy with life since he had just sold his company him and his bro worked so hard for. And I knew I had something I wanted to do for women. I was in a place with my fitness Instagram page where I’d want to have women take care of themselves and one of those ways was getting ready for the day. It was a purpose I had before “Maskcara” came into my life and it’s something to this day my heart dives in probably even deeper. And as I write this I tear up.
I can’t even begin to tell you what it means to me to have Seint. I see so many people leave the companies they were with and truly “love” within Seint is so deep because of the problems it solves. And the problems are not skin deep. It’s deeper. Soulful deeper and it’s weird to find that within a makeup company, but when a makeup company SOLVES so many problems that isn’t just putting product on the face, you understand more why it’s a powerful product.
My first reason for wanting the product was, I could take it on quick trips without overfilling my carry-on suitcase. Cause man! My makeup bag was huge. All those individual MAC eyeshadows and bottles were filling things up. Enter a tiny palette, remove the bag and have a small pencil bag for brushes and mascara and bam.
That was my first problem solver and it grew from there. My heart is forever grateful for this makeup! It’s just makeup but yet it isn’t! It’s beauty that teaches beauty somehow from within.
Seint Creme
Formerly known as Milk moisturizer when Seint was Maskcara, this stuff was literally sent from the heavens for me when I needed it most and didn’t even realize it.
This picture includes my skin BEFORE the Seint creme, when I hadn’t done a single skin treatment, never had a facial, and for sure wasn’t taking care of my skin whatsoever. The transformation you see wasn’t just on the surface, although how insane is that glow up? Taking care of my skin was another big first step towards learning to take care of ME and while my skincare regimen has changed slightly over the years, the Seint creme is always near and dear to my heart and made a huge difference for my skin. I also love still that when I apply it to the troughs of my eyes in the morning, you can visibly see the magic within the cream and how hydrated and relaxed my skin becomes just by using a little bit.
CURE Gentle Exfoliator
The Seint Creme (Milk Moisturizer back in the day) was my first love. But this CURE was my next skin care love! I hadn’t exfoliated with anything like it before and still haven’t. This was that thing that I was mind blown over and it’s kind of fun to use. You don’t put it on your face with wet hands and wet face. After your face has been washed, and pretty much all dry, and your hands might be a tiny bit damp, you get a couple pumps and place it on your face and swirling around, moving it all over the face, and as you build up friction with movement from your hands, tiny pieces of skin will start to slough off. You’ll get more and more skin that beads up onto the face that is being softly exfoliated and separated from the skin. It’s gentle on the skin, not harsh at all and something that my sensitive skin loves. Love this stuff so much, I use it a couple times a week is all.
Mindset and What Changed For Me
This 5 minute journal was one of the first things I bought when I made the decision to start working on my mindset. I knew I needed to change the way I looked at things but I didn’t know how and at the time, I didn’t want to spend much time working on it (to be clear, how I see mindset now is NOT how I saw it then). One tip I now know is when starting over, turning a new leaf, beginning again – have at it, and make sure you’re not overworking yourself so you don’t lose interest in it.
One of the first books I read that focused on mindset was by Bobby Bones, “Fail Until You Don’t – Fight. Grind. Repeat.” Talk about coming from nothing and making life work out for him. The way he writes this book made me read it back to back, as in, I read it, and re-read it the day after I ended the book. I definitely was never a reader; I have now read more books in the last two years than I’ve read my entire life. So that’s saying something when I tell you I read it back to back.
Laneige Lip Mask
I still remember to this day being in my friends car and using this for the first time! I even tried other products but the way this stayed on my lips and made them feel protected I just loved it all so much! So here we are years later. A product I couldn’t stop using. My kids use it, gifting it has been a thing for me and stocking stuffers it’s always. It had to make the list of goodness that has a memory in my heart I don’t want to forget.
The Special Steamer
As I look back at the growth in my life, even though I closed down my shop, I grew. I grew so much because of this boutique. When it started it was because I wanted to work hand in hand with other small businesses. My favorite part of the boutique was the small finds I’d add into the business.
Back when I had my boutique active, Joce by Design, we were on the hunt for a solid steamer to make sure all the clothes used for modeling, photos, and more were always in tip top shape. (I was using a hand steamer one day and thought SURELY there has to be something better!) One of my assistants found this one and looking back, it was probably one of the best purchases I ever made for the boutique. GAME CHANGER! Even in my personal life. Many stories were shared around this steamer, not only between me and my assistants, but also with my own children. It proved to be more than just handy for work, but also for the whole family. It’s one part of the boutique that when I look at it, it floods back the memories. Now this pink little lady is kept in my closet and she’s still loved.
Simple Modern
Simple Modern and I go way back – and I mean waaaay back. Back to when I was still up and coming in my social media business knowledge. They gave me a chance and understood my heart! That’s not an easy thing in social media, especially at the time. Companies would just want big “influencers” to work with and I was just a little fish. They’ve been a company I’ve loved working with, time and time again, for giveaways, events, and more. Not only do I value my relationship with their company, but I can’t count how many times I’ve given a tumbler from Simple Modern as a gift. They’re such good quality, have tons of unique design/color options, and they have something for every single age. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for our future collaborations!
Racquel Frisella & RFA Skincare Products
Even though Seints skincare had helped me so much, and the Seint cream is a conquering favorite of all things for me – I needed more skincare and my skin took a super weird shift when my body went through some health issues. Enter Racquel. Where do I even begin with Racquel? I was recommended to her by a friend and now I recommend her to all my friends too – Racquel is truly the best of the best and the effort she puts in to make sure her skincare products are high quality doesn’t go unnoticed. From the Koji Pads to the face cleanser, my skin loves it all and the one on one client experience provided is priceless. She truly takes care of each of her clients and listens to their concern to thoroughly help them achieve the skin they deserve. She is one of the kindest humans I’ve ever met. She’s someone everyone needs to know and I love her soul! I love that she also works with people from all over as you can receive a free consultation with her online to discuss your skin concerns, needs, and what to expect.
Glazé Hair Lotion by L'ange
The Glaze is one of the very first products I ever used and noticed a huge change in my hair. It is by far one of my favorite products I’ve ever found for my hair and truly seen it work it’s magic. It’s also one of the first L’ange products I tried when I first became a L’ange affiliate and I’ve recommended it to hundreds if not thousands of women at this point for keeping their hair protected and soft. I’m currently unable to use it as it has sunflower oil and I’ve learned my body doesn’t quite tolerate sunflower oil but aside from that, it’s still one of my top favorite haircare products!
Tripole Mini Fan
This fan – it might seem like such a small and random item to share but it’s had significant meaning for me since I purchased it. When my anxiety really started to take a toll on my mental and physical health, and especially during Covid lockdowns, with all the change and chaos – keeping this on me at all times was a life saver. Having it close by to cool me down, help me breathe and just relax whether at home or even traveling (if you know me, you know the anxiety I struggle with when it comes to flying and traveling long distances) was truly a tiny blessing with big benefits. I like that this fan is rechargeable, fits easily in most purses/handbags, and it’s powerful!
I know a lot of these are products one might ask why I’d include them in this sort of blog, but I wanted to share the stories behind why these products have become favorites and not just because they “work well” but because they came into my life at pivotal moments. Thank you for being on this journey with me and if you read it all the way through to the end, you’re amazing because I know it was a bit of a read. Have you ever tried any of these products? If so, let me know in the comments what’s been a gamechanger for you – I want to hear about it!
As always, if you have any questions remember that I’m always here and just an email away. You can reach me at fitmissionmakeup@gmail.com and if you’re ever in need of any visual guidance, I have plenty of tutorials and videos on my YouTube Channel (click HERE to check it out), Facebook (click HERE to check it out) or Instagram (click HERE to check it out). I’d love to connect with you – thank you again for being here!
xoxo
