Hi Goddesses
I'm really missing you all so I thought I would check in with an update and some random thoughts. My enforced break is teaching me things which are quite interesting ...
So, first of all, how am I? Well, still pooped, but ok. Not having the pressure of squeezing a blog post in every night has definitely helped and allowed me to READ !!! Yes, read! (Divergent, if you're wondering). Beth used to love that we'd read together for 30 minutes each night, and blogging slowly ate into that, so she's happy to have her bookworm momma back!
Have I painted my nails? Only once. I feel a bit unfaithful painting them when I should be on a break, and I have too much choice. Whomp. I still have some beauties to review (Literary Lacquer so pretty, ditto Too Fancy Lacquer), but I have more than 1 of them to swatch (coming back to that later).
Then I have lots of awesomeness that has arrived recently - OPI tints, lots of neons and summer brights, Sation, Morgan Taylor, all of it SO sexy, but again, I feel like I'd be cheating if I painted my nails lol - what an idiot. And I've also still been buying stuff, so I'm clearly not planning to disappear forever.
So what is this hiatus teaching me? Well, a few things. Let's start with the irony. You start with a blog and a dream, and for me, one of the definitions of success was that others would ask me to review their polishes. I'm not going to lie, who doesn't love free product, but I'm very honoured every time a brand looks at my blog and decides I am worthy of representing them.
However, over the course of a year, that has grown into a monster. It's gone from a few polishes a month to entire collections, and then my recent meltdown, when I had over 40 review bottles in my basket. I'm in groups with some of the super swatchers - Cosmetic Sanctuary, Pointless Cafe - and I think I assumed I was a failure if I couldn't keep up. If they could, why couldn't I? I just needed to man up and power through. Yep, turns up I can't manage that, and instead you end up a victim of your own success.
So whilst you're slugging through these reviews (the painting is easy, it's the rest of it that's a slog), you realise the thought of putting together a post with 6 polishes in it is creating a feeling in your stomach akin to being asked to eat liver. It's the scale of it that weighs you down. Excluding the painting and editing, it takes me over an hour to write a post for 6 polishes, and upload all the photos I use (and I know I use a SHITLOAD).
And whilst this is going on, I decided to start Missy's Neverending Pile Challenge, a fab idea, focussed on using your untrieds. I had a Saturday where I ticked off 4 prompts and a GOT Polish prompt too. I edited the photos and wrote the posts, and do you know what I learnt? How quick that all seemed in comparison. Editing and writing 4 separate posts seemed far more fun than writing about 4 polishes in the same collection. Is it because I get bored, and so I liked having 4 different things to write about? I don't know. But it gave me thought.
So that's where I am right now. I have no doubt I will be back, but I do think the focus of the blog will be different. I think reviews will be shorter and snappier, and there will be more of those editorial pieces I love doing (like the ones I do in December), and I think I might use You Tube more too.
My dilemma is that I don't want to totally stop doing reviews. I review regularly for some brands who are very dear to my heart, and in fact, friends, and I would never want to stop supporting them. So that might mean that my reviews might have to break collections into smaller chunks, or do it a polish at a time featuring nail art.
My blog has always been wordy, and photo heavy - maybe the key to my sanity is finding a snappier, chattier way 80% of the time, whilst still allowing for some of those longer pieces at the weekend.
I know I'm not going to make it through 4 days without blogging, so I'm going to take it easy and post some bits and pieces.
Have a fantastic Easter - lots of love xx
