Motivational Monday #21

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This quote means so much to me right now. I am stuck in a massive rut, there are certain parts of my life that I am deeply unhappy with and desperately need to change. I am completely at a loss as to how to do this thought! However I know I am the one keeping me from making this happen, I think I am scared of the unknown and of changes in general. Saying this I know I need to make changes and need to work out how to do this, and I am the only who can do it!!

I need to give myself a kick up the butt this week, I need to start changing things up and I’m determined to also have a fun, happy positive week!

Happy Monday lovelies!

Makeup Revoloution Vivid Baked Bronzer in 'Ready To Go'

So when I purchased Makeup Revolutions Iconic 3 Palette, I may have slipped a few other items into my basket at the same time, oops!

One of these products was their Vivid Baked Bronzer in Ready To Go, as id been recommended it by a few fellow bloggers. I have to admit, I was a little startled when it arrived in the post as it was a lot darker than it looked on my computer screen. The downside of makeup shopping on the interweb!

However I was pleasantly surprised as once applied it went a gorgeous peach colour, it’s too heavy and has a gorgeous finish. Warning: you only need to apply a small amount of this bronzer unless you want to look like you have a streak of poop across your face!

 

I found this bronzer really long wearing, I only touched it up once during the day. The powder is quite loose but for £4.00 I am ridiculously chuffed with this product. It is definitely a new staple item in my makeup bag!




 

You can now sponsor 'Lipsticks and Lashes'!

I have some really exciting news to bring you all today!  Drum roll please... I would like to announce that you can now sponsor ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’!

Eeeeek! I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while and the time just feels so right at the moment. ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’ has been growing and evolving so this feels like the natural time to offer advertising packages. Its also a fab way to spread a bit of blog love, to other bloggers and small businesses.

I have decided to offer 3 packages ranging from £3.00 to £13.00, with a range of benefits that include all large and medium advertisers featuring in a monthly ‘Who’s in my side bar’ post. Each ad space will run for a whole month, and you can advertise for as many months as you like!

My blog is growing every day and I'm planning some exciting changes for the near future and I'd love you to join me! So if your a fellow blogger, small business or brand and are looking for a new way to advertise then check out my ‘Sponsor’ page for more information on the packages I am offering!

Can Bloggers do original?

A couple of weeks ago during a #Bloggersdoitbetter chat on twitter someone made a comment along the lines of ‘There is no such thing as an original blog post’. This comment has been really playing on my mind, I want to say it kind of offended me but at the same time by no means to I claim to be completely original. The comment really got me thinking.

So what is original? According to the Oxford dictionary it is defined as ‘Created personally by a particular artist, writer, musician, etc.; not a copy’.

So as bloggers we can’t deny that there are a lot of very similar posts floating about, I’ve seen sooo many ‘what’s in my handbag’, ‘makeup storage’ and similar posts in my blogging time. Also as a beauty blogger when an ‘it’ product is released we are bombarded with reviews on it. To the point I can’t be bothered to review it myself! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I fall into this category occasionally, how can we not when there is so many blogs around these days. However we all have our own personalities, views, likes, dislikes so each post is slightly different, so would that be classed as an original post? Or what about being inspired by a fab blog and wanting to explore a concept further? Original or not?

Or as I’m sure others have noticed, I’ve seen quite a few bloggers outing fellow bloggers for outright copying posts lately. Firstly, why would you do that? And secondly it has only has added to my quandary around original blog posts. I don’t condone copying at all and feel so disheartening, and it got me thinking about why I started blogging. I find it so sad and frustrating when I hear about these things and when I see bloggers who ‘follow for a follow’ or those who get upset on twitter about having little followers. I have been working hard on my blog for 2 years, I never started this looking for followers, and I genuinely never expected anyone to stop by, so am ridiculously humbled and flattered that people spare their time to do so.

 

I started blogging for a creative outlet, I wanted something to do for fun where I could practice my writing and play with my camera. Did I want to be original? Yes I guess I did. My blog is personal to me, I blog about things I do, things I love, my passions.

I hope this doesn’t come across as some sort of grumpy rant, I am genuinely just questioning the authenticity of blogging. I think the question of ‘Can bloggers do original?’ really interests me. Perhaps bloggers aren’t original in terms of brand new ideas but original in personifying a post to themselves and their blogs?

I would love to hear your views on this subject? Is there even such a thing as ‘original’ anymore?

Nails // OPI Nail Lacquer in ‘Kiss Me I’m Brazilian’

I am in LOVE this stunning pink shade! It’s OPI Nail Lacquer in ‘Kiss Me I’m Brazilian’ and arrived in my June Birchbox. It’s part of OPI’s Brazilian range and is a gorgeous shade of candy pink. I don’t have any OPI polishes as they seem a little expensive for my cheap skate budget so I was excited to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy to apply it was, it comes with a really good quality brush and after applying two coats I had a perfect consistency on my nails.

It also lasts a good few days, I am currently on day 5 of it on my nails and so far no chips! My polish normally only lasts this long if it’s a gel polish so I am really impressed. I will be definitely checking out more of OPI’s range of polishes in the future.

Do you love a girly pink on your nails as much as me?

Motivational Monday #20

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I love this quote so much! I think we can all be guilty at times of being a drain, a negative nora who sucks out the positivity and dwells on the negative. Then there are those who are bit like the death eaters in Harry Potter who suck the life out of you and manage to turn any situation into a negative light. Well my aim is to rid those people from my life, as I don’t need it staining my happiness! In general I don’t have much to complain about. My aim for this week, for life, is to be a fountain, to grow, to be positive, to flourish and spread that sort of vibe to others.

I really do believe positivity spreads positivity, and I am going to spend my week looking for the good in things rather than the bad.

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Empties #2

The first Empties post I wrote seems like so long ago now! I recently ran out of a few of my favourite beauty products so thought I would do another one for you all, as the last was quite popular! So here is what I’ve finished up lately...

 

 

1.    Britney Spears Circus Fantasy Eau De Partum – this is a gorgeous sweet smelling scent that I was wearing day to day. I have to admit I am a bit of a fan of all the Britney perfumes. They are pretty reasonable priced and I’m sure one may find its way into my shopping bag in the not so distant future.

2.    The Body Shop Aloe Calming - check out my Aloe Dream Team post where I rave about this cleanser. I have already bought another bottle of this when I knew this one was coming to an end, that’s how much I love it!

3.    Dermalogica Active Moist – Find my review on this moisturiser here. When I bought this my skin was pretty oily but due to my ever changing skin I think it would dry it out at the moment so I won’t be repurchasing it just yet.

 

4.    Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – I really rate this primer it’s a really great consistency and worked well on my skin. It’s definitely on my wish list but saying that I am having a bit of a love affair with Benefits Porefessional at the moment!

Have you tried any of these products? How did you rate them?