Seriously, Not Kidding, For Real These Four Apps Will Change Your Life. #Productivity

They always say that things don’t change your life. You change your life. But, as someone who prides herself on breaking the rules, I don’t think that is necessarily true. Anything that can make you more productive can be very life changing. Here’s an example of what I mean. Have you ever gone from not having your own washer/dryer to having one in your house or apartment? No more lugging half your wardrobe to a gross basement, a sketchy laundermat, or having to make actual plans to do your laundry. You can live a life free of freaking out if the ketchup on your French fry suddenly makes its way onto your favorite t-shirt. See what I mean? Total life changer.

So what does having an appliance have to with apps? Well, these apps can also change the way you do those absolutely unavoidable life tasks aka adulting. Here are four of my favorites and how they’ve been game changers for me.

Amazon Prime Now

Amazon Prime Now is NOT the same thing as Amazon Prime, but you do need to be a Prime member to use it. Amazon Prime Now is like a personal assistant who brings the annoying, not-fun and absolutely essential things I need for my life like soap, cleaning supplies, cases of water, toilet paper and dog food straight to my door when I tell them to. Now, if you are wondering why I just don’t buy this stuff at the grocery store, it’s because I rarely shop at traditional grocery stores. I’m a Trader Joe’s and Farmers Market kind of girl, so buying household items means an additional task, driving there, parking, waiting in line and wasting at least an hour of my life I’ll never get back. It also means carrying heavy stuff from my car, which I’m not a fan of. Pro tip: As I’m running low on things, I add them to my cart, so I don’t have to create a separate shopping list.

APN isn’t yet available everywhere. If they don’t deliver to your neighborhood, Google Express is a pretty good alternative.

My dogs poop a lot. 

I'm all about sorbet and green cleaning products.

Shyp

“I like going to the Post Office” – Said no one ever.

I’d rather be stuck in traffic when I have to pee than stand in line at the post office when I have to send a package. For $5 someone comes to your location, picks up your item(s) and then they leave.  It’s almost alarmingly simple. Seriously, the first time I used Shyp, I was confused and asked them if there was anything I had to sign or do and there wasn’t. The app lets you estimate the cost in advance and choose your shipping preferences (fastest, cheapest, etc). Shyp will even pack and box your items for you, as well as insure them.

Shyp is serious about packaging!

This lamp was sent from NYC to LA and arrived in one piece! Thank you Shyp. Also, thank you for the lamp, mom.

Giftgram

I love buying people gifts, but because I overthink everything, I can become overwhelmed. When it comes to buying someone something nice, I don’t want to see 10,000 options, I just want to see like 100 things I really like. GiftGram has an amazing selection of well-curated gifts to give everyone from your boss to yourself starting at around $20. It’s easy to use, fast and the person who receives your gift will be completely wowed.

If you want to try Giftgram, use my promo code, which is AK84700 and get $15 off your first purchase. You’re welcome. (And obviously, full disclosure, they give me $15 for sharing).

There isn’t one thing on GiftGram I don’t want, but here are a few of my favorites. It was really hard to choose.

If you don't love this, there is something seriously wrong with you.

I am totally obsessed with Kilian. This fragrance comes with it's own clutch. Two gifts in one. Yes!

Perfect gift for your favorite #GirlBoss.

Affordable, but cute baby gift. Done!

YouCam Makeup

YouCam Makeup is one of those apps that does so many things, I really feel I can only scratch the surface here. In many ways, it’s kind of like a Snap Chat filter on steroids, helping you take a selfie worthy of a thousand likes. With tools galore and one of the most user-friendly interfaces I’ve tried, it’s the only photo editor you need on your phone. You can fix blemishes, under eyes, and any other imperfections faster than it takes a doctor to load up a syringe with Botox and inject it into your face. You can also take a barefaced selfie and give yourself a complete makeover. Want to know what you would look like if you learned how to contour IRL? You can try several different looks just one tap. You can also customize like crazy, changing up your hair and eyes (not just eyeshadow, but the actual color of your eyes). You can also add headbands, sunglasses and other accessories.

One of my favorite features of YouCam is that you can apply actual products from several brands including Laura Geller, Ardell, Paul Mitchell and Elizabeth Arden. And yes, there are more coming soon. You can even purchase products without leaving the app. 

I was totally barefaced when I took this picture.

Pink hair is not my thing, but luckily I didn't have to actually make my hair pink to figure it out.