I am admitting to dragging my feet again about the business plan. It is something which I do need to work on, and therefore have to make time for. I am learning one thing this year, it is that things always take longer than I think they will.
I have made some decisions about the new direction for my business. It will happen. Next, I need to find time to work on the business plan. To make sure I get it accomplished, I have given myself a deadline.
What else have I been doing?
Cleaning. A lot of cleaning has been going on in my home. It was long overdue and very necessary. I am doing well. My parents were here for a visit. They like to stay busy and asked if they could help with anything. As they are on vacation, I hate to think that they are helping me with my mess. After all, it is my responsibility to clean it up. I let them choose what they wanted to tackle; the result is I am farther ahead in my cleaning than I would have been without their help.
In Roy’s shed, to start to organize Roy’s tools, Dad hung up a peg board to have a place to hang things up. When Dad is here, he also helps with the BBQ, except for Father’s Day. Roy cooked on the BBQ as a treat for Dad. I surprised him with a new ball cap. Dad also took down our front step and helped Roy get the area ready for the new step. A friend has been hired to build a new step, and it is coming together nicely.
Mom dusted in the bathroom and helped me to get started with the kitchen reorganization. It is easier to move things from one place to another if two people are working together. She also dusted the kitchen table and chairs. She also cleaned the cupboard doors. I didn’t expect so much help when they were here. It motivates me to keep going.
Deadlines help me to finish projects.
I set a deadline for the cleaning to be finished on Thursday. It needs a final push in the kitchen, master bedroom and living room to get it done. I am very close to finishing, and then I can work on more fun things while upkeeping the new cleaner home.
Making Time
It is easy to slip into what my friends refer to as ‘Tish Time.’ I try very hard to be punctual, and this year I am managing to do so more than ever. It isn’t that I don’t think things are important, rather that I find it difficult to manage my time. When I am working on a project, I rarely look at the clock and the time surprises when I do. As I am learning this year, things take longer than I think they will take to do. Planning ahead is something I am working on planning ahead when I have to be somewhere. It is working, but I can do better. I will keep at it, and soon it will be a non-issue.
My parents experienced ‘Tish Time’ while they were visiting. My mom was very surprised at how time just flies in my home. It is nice to see that it isn’t just me and that it doesn’t only relate to punctuality. I am an anomaly, I often say, meaning my health, but it also relates to time itself. Time really does fly around me!
We did take a day to do fun things also. We took a short drive outside of the city to the town of Oromocto, for lunch and to go to a store. The Oromocto Galleria is a place where local artists have their work for sale, like a gift shop. It is one of four in our area, and there was something I had wanted to check out. I picked up some paint samples on popsicle sticks of Fusion Mineral Paint. The plan is to paint the front door, and the window shutters with it, after the front step is rebuilt.
Mastering My To-Do Lists
I work well with lists. Of course, I need to take the time to write them. Normally just make them before packing suitcases, to make sure I don’t forget anything. Lately, I am making them for cleaning. I have 2 agendas, a small one and a large one. The small one helps me to keep track of all of my appointments, except for the one I was 24 hours early for. I chose not to wait for that one, I went back the next day.
The large one is to help me to keep track of my health. Medicine doses, water intake, food diary, sugar levels and activity. I did well with it for about a month and stopped. I will clear a space in my living room to have it readily accessible to use. It is on my list of things to do.
The important thing to note here is things take time, and when you find a method which works, use it. I am making time today to revise the current to-do list to add in the rewriting of the business plan. Cleaning and writing my next book will also be a priority. The second book is a part of my current business plan. It will be the foundation of what I am about to build.
I was waiting for an appointment a few weeks ago in a medical clinic. The appointment was with my occupational therapist, which I have been working with to overcome being overwhelmed so that I could tackle my to-do list. I have been doing very well, and I am finally able to say I am slowing down the frequency of the appointments so that I can apply what I have been learning.
While I was there, I saw a variety of people. A couple of parents, each with young children. An older lady who seemed to know her way around the place. The receptionists are familiar faces to me.
The older lady said in a very quiet voice, as she walked by a man and his young daughter, “Your dress is awfully pretty.”
I thought to myself, what a contradictory statement.
Why do we do that? The lady was obviously trying to pay the girl a compliment. How confusing it could be to someone who was not fluent in our language, though. Think about it. Awful is not a nice word, however, pretty is. I think it is time to drop the confusing adjectives. Really. Let’s get straight to the point, and skip the double-edged sword. The world is confusing enough as we all try to navigate through it, so let’s make it easier to pay a compliment.
Say What You Mean
Your dress is very pretty, says the same thing, with no double entendres. A double entendre is a phrase with two meanings, which is what I witnessed. Now a double entendre does have a time and place to be appropriate, usually when someone is delivering an insult in such a clever way that it leaves the recipient guessing. When done correctly, a double entendre certainly does have a place in the English language. If you want to shock someone or walk on the fine line between whether or not you are insulting someone, go ahead, be clever.
In conclusion, when you are complimenting someone, leave the negative words out of the sentence. It will feel more genuine, and likely reward you with a heartfelt smile. If you are trying to brighten someone’s day, please do. The world needs more positivity in every second of every minute of every day. Don’t throw clouds into an otherwise sunny moment in someone’s day. We can brighten their day with a simple compliment. This way, both people will benefit. Doesn’t it sound easy?
Nothing makes me want to clean on a daily basis. I am working on it. My new routine has left me with time to do what I should be doing all along. I know how to clean, it is just not something I enjoy because things just get messy again. For most of the year, I putter. Company is coming, Weekend Warriors, and it is crunch time!
When we adopted a kitten, and I can’t believe it has been three weeks ago already, I had started cleaning a bit. I decided that before we took our new fur baby home, that I would clean the main bathroom, in case we needed an isolation space. Am I ever glad I did that!
She came to us and it was a week before she was using the litter box properly. She is doing great since we got her to start using it, and we only had to isolate her overnight for a week. Isolation included a litter box, food, water and toys. We weren’t punishing her, we just needed her to learn to use the litter box.
Phew! I was tired of waiting for the next mess to clean up during that first week. Once she caught on, things became easier to handle. She is now running at full speed in most of our mini home; from one end to the other, with the exception of two rooms.
The Cleaning Bug Is In Full Swing!
The guest room will never be open to her. My mother is allergic to cats, and because of this, we want to keep that room as free of cat hair and dander for her visits. It is a small room, and once I finally get to cleaning it, there won’t be much Jazzy the kitten will be missing in there.
The master suite is where I have been focusing. I started moving my craft studio out of the guest room, into the master suite two years ago. It became overwhelming and I had left things where I piled them while in transition. I am sad to say that last year when I had company; I was embarrassed about the state of my home. To be fair, I wrote a book and held a full-time job in that year, so it wasn’t a complete waste my time or energy. It was being poured into the work of my heart, and the day job.
This year I am preparing to start my own business. I am working on a business plan. When I started, I had an idea in mind, but it has since changed. You can read more about it in the latest Tishspiration Tuesday blog post. All has not been revealed yet, but I am making changes to help me on the way.
Jazzy Will Have Access To The Master Suite
When it is ready. We have been working hard on cleaning, and the master suite has been my own project. Roy is working on replacing window screens, as some had tears in them, and we don’t need Jazzy finding any more hornets for Roy. He took care of them before she got near, but she was very curious when she found them. Roy had to keep that window shut until today when he fixed the screen. He plans to go into our shed and organize his tools. He inherited some from his father this year, and he has not had time to sort through them yet.
I try to clean when he is here so that Jazzy is not lonely while I am on the other side of a closed door. She will fuss a bit, but she is also very good at entertaining herself. I crinkle up a ball of paper for her to play soccer with to distract her from the door if I am the last one going to bed, to distract her. Soon, that won’t be a problem.
Today I go in to remove the half closet with shelves we added a while ago. It has 3 parts, 2 shelving units which have cube storage for 3 shelves, and a pole for hanging clothes. The pole will be removed. The 2 shelving units will be relocated by the bed, where my tall dresser is. They can attach to the wall, and the place I wanted to put them has a fuse panel door which would cause a problem. So I am moving the dresser back there. It used to be there before, and it will be able to move when we need access to the fuse panel.
As I Write This, Jazzy Has Come For Snuggles
Can we say spoiled rotten? Of course, she is! She has 2 boxes on my desk, but still wants to lay next to me, between me and the keyboard. Jazzy has a very loud purr and is demanding of attention at times. She is very much a part of our family already, and I want things to be the best we can for her and our visitors.
So this weekend, I am going to finish the master suite. I will have to run the dishwasher a few times, as I was ill earlier this week and things fell behind a bit. It does help to have it going while I am working on other things, so I don’t have to wash all the dishes by hand. It also helps me to feel productive when it is going, therefore it motivates me to do more!
I am not going to share any pics at this time. It is not done yet. I will say that I am known to be lazy when it comes to cleaning, and I am trying to fix that. In the last few weeks, I have sent bags of donations, paper to be recycled and garbage out of my home. I am just making time to finish some important projects.
#Tishspiration Tuesdays have been missing here lately. I find myself heading back to the beginning. I am creating a business, with what I thought was an incredible idea, to help artists and authors through a subscription box service. The plan was to collect art, write stories, create my own Bling, and find other inspirational items to go into a box. I thought about launching bi-monthly, or quarterly.
Instead of worrying about it being wildly successful, I tell myself that will be a good thing, as I will need to hire help. I was moving forward with as much as I could before making it all official.
The first problem I ran into was the cash flow. When I started to add my own salary into the budget, I started to lose money. This concerned me, and my business advisor. He has been working with me for months to help me apply for the self-employment program, which would allow me to draw on unemployment insurance for 12 more weeks while I grow my business, and most importantly, not have to claim my earnings against the unemployment insurance with this program.
Last week, I asked for a meeting to figure out what was going wrong with my cash flow, and what I should do to make it work.
I learned I had to re-evaluate everything. Budget. Cost of goods. Sale price. How much to ask for a startup loan. All of the elements I had worked so hard on to make a business plan to make my entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
I am in a networking group called 100 Coffees. The Coffee Community is women who want to learn networking techniques. It works on a basic principle of having virtual meetings, which we call coffees, with two members a week. I am more active in the community now and involved in a weekly Master Mind meeting. I have been working with my peers within the group to develop the ideas for my business.
Two weeks ago, our weekly meeting started having more participants. One was not convinced that the subscription box idea would be right for me.
This made me pause and doubt my plans.
We found time to have an online chat together, separate from the weekly meeting. We both shared where our thoughts were coming from, and at the end of our conversation, she was concerned that I was upset. I was quiet and explained that I was processing. Some of my fears were valid, and I was having a brain pretzel moment.
What were my fears? I worried that if the business was too successful, it would cause problems with finding enough artists to contribute to the boxes as I have only had one inquiry since I started my local networking with artists to exchange information. I have enough product for the first box, but no solid leads for the second.
This is when the questions became a little harder to answer. I was asked to choose between being an author or a jewellery designer. It made me pause to think again. I know I am a writer who loves crafts. I have narrowed the scope to jewellery designing for business purposes, with the Tish MacWebber Always Blinging business.
The jewellery business has never been my purpose.
It is really hard for me to admit this. I love being creative. For as long as I can remember, I have always made gifts for people. I had to search my heart to find my answer.
Writing is my purpose. Creativity is my passion. Jewellery Designing is my pleasure.
I wrote this when I relaunched my website in January 2019. My answer was right in front of me this whole time. People have asked me to narrow my scope since I started this journey to become an entrepreneur, and true to my stubborn, Scottish roots, I dug in my heels. I wanted to do it all.
For 17 years I have tried to get the jewellery business to be my thing. I will continue to work on it, but it is time to be realistic about it and see it for the hobby it really is. There are customers who I can rely on me when they need something special. The challenge of custom orders, especially when I can surprise my clients with the bling they didn’t know they needed, is something I enjoy. I will continue to make gifts for family and friends, however, I will not be continuing with it as a business. I’ll still sell pieces as a side hustle, but it will not be along for the ride in the passenger seat any more. It is time to pack it into the backseat, or maybe even in the trunk for a while. Not forever, but for now.
In three days, I will need to submit a new business plan
It is a little daunting to start it all over, after spending so much time on it already. I have to take what I have learned from meeting with professionals, and with my networking group to move forward. Yes, I have a plan.
My one on one meeting with my peer also made me come to this conclusion. She told me I would be lost in the subscription box business because it wasn’t about me. Her concern was that I will not reach the people I am meant to help with this business idea.
I have been reading two books. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff by Richard Carlson and You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. Yes, I do read in the washroom and the bedroom for a few minutes when I can. Real books; usually more than one at a time. I have 2 others in progress and am thinking about picking up a fifth as I have a stack of books from the library which I need to speed read to get through them all before the due date.
They are about changing the way you think, and I have been working on affirmation statements for a while. I realized today that I only need one. It is something I have been saying for a while now, and I shared it on my Facebook profile earlier this evening.
The world needs more Tish.
My next challenge is to rethink the whole business plan, based on this affirmation. In no way is it meant to be egotistical. I am not arrogant or conceited when I am saying this. What this affirmation means to me is that I can help people by being myself, and sharing the best parts of me with others.
My new business plan will reflect this. I can’t wait to share more details with you as they develop. Thank you for following my journey. Here comes another left turn. Hang on!
Two weeks ago, I promised that I would show you all what my Makeup Monday Spring 2019 Look 2 would be. I am getting ready for the glam shots, but not before I share a little story. You see, I am having fun, and I like to try new makeup from time to time. I am also aware of my age. I was born in 1974, you can do the math, my birthday is on July 2nd. The look of the sparkly eyes do reflect my soul, but it may not be what I would choose for a career look.
When I was introduced to this sparkly eye shadow, I was enamoured.
I wanted to get all of the colours and try them all out. I got 5 of the 8 shades available of the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Art eye shadow. For my new spring look. I tried them all out and decided to have fun with a vote I am by no means an expert when it comes to makeup but I do love to play and learn. With this spirit in mind, I was going to have fun with it.
I bought a few different makeup products to try at the same time, and I had the first reveal two weeks ago. Honestly, half of the fun for me is having a selfie photo shoot. I also am learning to use the camera I have to use, and it is amazing!
Here is a recap of the look from 2 weeks ago:
Makeup Monday Spring 2019 Look 1
I chose lip gloss, not lipstick. I used a new mascara and foundation. The product pic & description can be found in the previous Makeup Monday blog post. I love the look with the spring colours, however, I would probably only wear it to social events. It is fresh and fun!
Now we will get a little more of the story.
Someone who cares about me and has known me all of my life wanted to point out that this look may not be suitable for a woman of my age. I politely beg to differ.
While I am open to makeup tips and will keep watching videos about makeup application for new techniques, I am my own woman. I jokingly replied that I am ageless, but the truth is, I am young at heart. I will continue to try new things, and be open to suggestions and tips as always. It is how we learn and grow, after all.
There is something to be said for being conservative. I completely understand where this feedback comes from. It is meant to guide me, but I am carving my own path, and I am going to keep glowing my own way!
Bring on more sparkles!
I have planned this look in response to a tie vote on my survey. I used the same moisturizer, foundation, eye primer, and highlight/contour palette. As it is later in the evening here, I skipped the eye roller for puffiness. Then I layered the other winning look.
Here are the winners, and the new products used for this look:
1 Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Colour in 610 HD Addiction
2 Revlon Photoready Eye Art in 020 Lilac Luster WINNER
3 Maybelline Snapscara Mascara in RD02 Deja Blue
4 Wet ‘n’ Wild Nail Colour 407A Sparkle Coat WINNER
5 Joe Fresh Nail Polish in Quartz WINNER
6 Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 45 Orchid Hush
The blush is not new, but it was I chose it for the look. The lip colour and mascara are new, and I have to say I love them both! I love the colours, and how they look. I hated giving up my Electric Blue mascara a while back, and I am thrilled to find a new one to use. Snapscara also comes in Pitch Black and Black Cherry. It would be fun to try the Black Cherry, but I got the Deja Blue first!
Here is my new Makeup Monday Look 2 for Spring 2019
Instead of flipping the same image, I used two this time. I think they turned out better last time, but it is fun to play with the camera.
Now I will share a collage of pics:
The nail polish which tied in the vote was Quartz with the sparkle coat. Here is what it looks like:
We just got a new kitten a little over a week ago. Her name is Jazzy, and she is part tabby and part tortoiseshell, which is called a Torbie. She does not enjoy the nail polish. In honour of her arrival into our home, I am planning a new Makeup Monday in a few weeks to try out liquid eyeliner. I will try to create the cat eye look.
Here is a pic of Jazzy. We love her very much, and she is absolutely adorable!
Jazzy on May 17, 2019. Her gotcha day. We adopted her from a local SPCA, and her adoption fee also covers her appointment with the vet to be spayed.
Although Jazzy didn’t like the smell of the nail polish, she did seem to like the smell of my new lip colour. It does smell nice. That is a wrap for my new spring look, 2019. I look forward to sharing more adventures with both Jazzy and makeup in the future.
What makeup trends are you loving for spring 2019?
Two weeks ago, I wrote a Makeup Monday blog, to get your opinions on what I should assemble for My Spring 2019 Look. I sent out a request for people to vote on eye shadow and nail polish. Here are the choices.
First, I want to tell you about the other products I will be wearing. I bought a new foundation, a new mascara, and a new lipstick. They are going to complete the look.
Most of the products in the picture have been used before, however, I am sharing a comprehensive list for you. Since there were 2 ties, one for each survey, I got to choose between them. The next Makeup Monday is already being planned…and you can expect to see more new products with the other winning votes on May 20th, two weeks from now. (EDIT: It will be on May 27th, I was not able to get it completed by May 20th). I may be out of new makeup to try after the next Makeup Monday for a while, but I will write more in the future. Make sure you keep watching for new blogs like this in the future.
4 Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Colour 172 Rose Bold WINNER
5 Sally Hansen Hard As Nails with Nylon Top Coat 2700-95 Nude WINNER
6 Purple Blending Sponge
7 Blush Brush
8 Revlon PhotoReady Eye Art 090 Burnished Bling WINNER
9 Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner Expresso
10 Essence Get Big! Lashes Volume Curl Mascara
11 Bourjois Paris BB Gloss 02
12 Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation 110 Porcelain
13 Essence Eyeshadow Base Primer
14 Concealer Brush
15 NYX Colour Correcting Concealer Palette
I often wear lip stain, but for today’s spring look, a tinted gloss is just perfect. The only issue with gloss is reapplication, and it is not something I want to have to worry about all the time. For this look, it works. In these first two pics, I am reflecting on the new Spring Look for 2019.
I now have a dilemma.
With the new pics, I will have to choose which one to use as my new profile pic, and which one to use on my Instagram Account.
I am happy with the new foundation. It went on smooth with the blending sponge. The colour suits my skin tone. I am trying this mascara for the first time. I love the brush shape. The mascara is a little flaky, so it will not be my first choice.
Here is the winning manicure picture.
Makeup Monday Spring Look 2019 Nails
There it is! I have fun learning about makeup, and sharing my adventures here. Remember, there is a new one coming in 3 weeks, on May 27th, with my other new look for spring 2019. Got to love a double tie!
What do you think of this look? Please let me know in the comments below.
Issues with weight. It has its ups and downs. On the scale, in the grocery store, with activity…I could go on for days with how many things can affect my issues with weight. I am not alone. So many people have issues with their body image, and if it is something everyone experiences, then we need to take a step back.
Reflection on our body image can be a harsh experience, if we let it. I remember when I was writing about gremlins, a while back, who were whispering so softly I didn’t even realize they were inside my head. One thing we can do to help ourselves is to change the message we are hearing from within. I did not come up with this concept, but I am giving it a whirl.
I have been working so hard on myself and this includes my health. It is tedious to be focusing on it all the time. It could be something to obsess about if I let it. I am not the best at the daily record keeping for this. Why?
I struggle with prioritizing me on my list
What? I have been working on this issue for what seems like the whole time I have been writing in this category. If I was doing this on a regular basis, things would be better. I know it. You know it. Sometimes I have a hard time thinking that I deserve to be on my list. Oh, I have this, and that, and so many things to do that I should do which are more important than filling out the daily checklists which I have taken the time to write down. Am I filling out the paper for time management were given to me to track my time? NO! I am important enough to fit my health and my time into my list. Why can’t I just grasp this concept? It is a struggle, like the title says, with its ups and downs.
Yes. I am writing that I did take the time to make my checklist, and I do have paperwork for accountability to bring to all of my appointments. This is my attempt to get the ball rolling again. For the billionth time. Maybe this time it will work. It has to.
The pressure of letting down the professionals I am working with is not enough incentive. It used to be. When I decided to work on me while I have the time, I was doing the work. I stopped. As a result, I am trying to get back to creating healthy habits. Some days, it is so hard.
I was relying on others to make me do the work
Of course it was easier to get me to do things if other people were counting on me. If others need my help, I am the first one to volunteer. I need to focus on more than just time management. I need to get to the bottom of my issues. What does that mean, really?
It means I have to do the work.
As we all roll our eyes at this, me while I write it, and you when you read it, it is the truth. It isn’t rocket science. Hard work is not easy, and if you fall out of line, it isn’t so easy to get back on track. If doing the work was easy, it wouldn’t be something a lot of people struggle with.
Accountability Groups
I am in a lot of groups on social media. Most of them are not run by me, but one is. It is a support group, of 8 people with weight issues. I do find it is helpful for me to have a safe place to encourage others and myself. It helps me to try harder and to do better. The members help me to change it for the better, which is incredibly helpful. Their input is crucial in keeping it active. I am scheduling the posts a week at a time, so I don’t fall behind. I still interact with the group in the prompts, and for now, I am happy with it.
We do work on meal planning, tips, weigh ins once a week, non scale victories, feedback, spa day, and activity. One topic per day, although sometimes I miss a day here or there. I have added in recipe shares when I find new recipes, or some I have tried already and love.
I do think I can keep improving it, but for now, it works for our needs. Part of the work I need to do is to manage my time more effectively, to become more productive. This will allow me to do more of the things I need to do in more areas of my life.
Finally, I want to ask you about how you think of yourself.
Self-reflection is a difficult thing to do. Start with your positive features, and increase from there to how awesome you are. Especially if you read this blog! š I happen to think my best feature is my blue eyes. Instead of commenting with what you do not like, please leave a comment below about your best features. Let’s share our ups this week, and forget about the scale.
In the last couple of weeks, I have slipped a little on what I have been working on. As a result, I have had to do some serious thinking. I am not losing the battle. I am human, and I have slacked off a little in keeping up with the food journal. It does take effort, and commitment to keep up with it, among all of the other things I am currently struggling to accomplish. I am up to the task, but sometimes you have to find easier ways to attack the numerous responsibilities in your life. I am thinking about starting to use my fitness pal, an app on the tablet I was given by a friend.
Earlier in this series, I wrote about the little spark of light within myself. The part of me that needs to shine, so much brighter than the darkness it is enshrouded in. I have done some reflection on this, and I think it is time for a new perspective.
Stay with me here.
I still believe in me. I still believe in you. And most importantly, I still believe in letting my little light shine brighter than the sun.
What if the reason we struggle within ourselves is because we imagine there are opposing forces?
What if the answer is not to fight so hard? The light will shine from your heart if you let it. It will overcome the darkness. Why do we focus so hard on making things harder than they have to be?
It is in our nature. Everything we experience in life which is worth the outcome is derived from a struggle. For some, it is getting out of bed and dressed every day. Other people fight to get through the weekday hustle to find rest in the weekend. Addiction afflicts many people, more than the individuals who have this issue, it can reach further to attack families and friends. People like me struggle to become more active and lose weight, second-guessing every bite of food they put into their mouth. Others, at the opposite end of the scale, obsess about that bite of food so much that they may not even eat it. Or they appear to be eating regularly but they hide how they remove the food from their body when they are alone.
There has to be an easier way.
When it comes to my approach to everything in life, I am not a quitter. I push and fight. I dig in my heels, yell, and cry. Sometimes, all the effort pays off. I accomplish my goal. But at what cost?
This is what I am getting at. If it is so hard to get to the desired result, maybe I shouldn’t be pushing so hard. What if instead of trying to use my inner light to just be. Let it sparkle and twinkle until it is existing in harmony with the darkness. It is in there, it is inside all of us. We need to believe it can be seen and more importantly, that it should be seen.
When we focus on the struggle, we are expending time and valuable energy on the wrong thing. It is something else when you stop fighting. When you do, don’t let the darkness take over. Let the little light inside reach out to the world.
When you stop fighting so hard, you can believe in yourself fiercely.
It isn’t easy to just change your perspective. I am working on this constantly. There are good times and bad times, just the same as with other parts of life. You need to experience both to learn and grow. One cannot happen without the other. I am here to tell you that you can change the way you think about yourself, and find the confidence you need to make conscious choices every day to make this possible.
There is no war inside your heart. Not if you don’t create it. There is only you. And you, my friends, are meant to step aside with the darkness, so that the world can see the beautiful glow from within. It is there. I am learning to trust in it. You can too.
Let me know how this post or any in this category have helped you. I started writing to help people, and I am still writing with that purpose in mind. Is it working?
It is with great pleasure that I am sharing my newest Makeup Monday Spring 2019 Eyes and Nails blog post with you all. A while ago, I had this idea when a friend recommended a product. While I was planning this post, the idea grew with the addition of more products. As a result, before I knew it, I was going to need time to gather a large number of pics to share this idea here. Let’s get to it!
One reason I kept delaying this post was that I needed to take close-up pics of my eyes.
I love my blue eyes, however, I don’t love the lines and bags under them. So one of the first products I added to the list was the Garnier Skin Active Clearly Brighter Eyes Anti-Puff Eye Roller. It claims to reduce the look of puffiness and dark circles. Brightens and refreshes with Vitamin C, Caffeine and an Antioxidant Complex. Since I am already using the Garnier Skinactive Micellar Water makeup remover for my eyes, when I don’t use the Vichy eye makeup remover, I am trying this eye roller product also.
It is recommended to keep this product in the fridge, so into the drawer it went with my insulin. I keep it in the box, to keep it from rolling around in there too much. The product says when you use it on a regular basis, more benefits will be seen. At this time I have used it twice. Since using it, I am not sure if it is helping or not. Let me know in the comments what you think about it.
Products used. In this pic, note #7 product and the pic of me. I have applied it under my right eye, where the #7 is. #6 is the eye shadow base coat or primer by essence, applied before the eye shadows 1-5 above.
Revlon Photoready Eye Art
I had seen my friend apply this product while we were at work, and I tried to pay attention. She has had a lot more practice than I have had with it. The amount of products I am testing in this Makeup Monday Spring 2019 Eye and Nails post required quantity over quality. Don’t worry, in 2 weeks I am going to write another one based on the votes from this week’s post. It will be a quality based post, for a final look, voted on by you! I really do have a plan here, and it took a while to think it all up before I was able to take action.
I have the pic below ready with the colours numbered as above, 1-5. Here are the product colours and numbers.
1 Burnished Bling – 090
2 Green Glimmer – 010
3 Peach Prism – 060
4 Steel Spark – 110
5 Lilac Luster 020
My pyramid of eye shadow trials.
I love the way it makes my eyes sparkle!
These pics show the base coat and the sparkle paint on top. Using my ring fingers to smooth out the essence primer and the base colour eye shadows was recommended from the videos I watched. I used the brush to apply the sparkle. I watched some YouTube videos and gave it a go. The top pics were taken on a different day, and the bottom 8 pics were all taken today. My eyes are tired, but I learned a valuable tip while watching the videos. Sephora makeup videos have a lot of useful information in them, and they recommend to hold the cotton pad with the eye makeup remover on your lid for 30 seconds before wiping the eye makeup off. I have not tried this with full eye makeup on, no mascara or eyeliner, but it worked really well to remove this product.
Sorry 4 & 5 are out of order in the first pic, I hope it doesn’t confuse anyone!
My friend doesn’t use the base coat, just the sparkles. I like using both and learned to let it dry between applications. If it is on for more than a few hours, my eyelids feel heavy, and after a while, I need to take it off. I would totally wear it for a photo shoot or a night out on the town. I mean, it is sparkly eyes!
Time for a little polish
Since I had 5 different colours of eyeshadow to try, I thought it would be fun to do my nails to match…you guessed it…all 5 colours! I know there are trends in nail art, and I don’t necessarily follow or understand them all.
As an author, I find it adds something to my day spent typing away at the keyboard if my nails are sporting polish. It makes the typing seem more important, more professional, and makes me smile when I see the colours flashing on the keys.
Here is the description pic for the nailpolish. As I am displaying fingers from both hands in this set, my husband was recruited to take these pics. He did a great job, and we didn’t even need any retakes!
Makeup Monday Nail Polish Details
As you can see I had fun with this too. With the Wet ‘n’ Wild sparkles on my right hand, I am giving my own spin to a nail polish trend. Who knows, maybe it will catch on!
The last pic shows the nail polish bottles, and my hands all polished up. It was a lot of fun to work on this blog post, and I look forward to using these products over the spring and summer.
Makeup Monday Pretty Polish for Spring 2019!
Now I need your help, please!
I am planning another Makeup Monday blog in 2 weeks to try out some more ( I used points to get as much as I could!) makeup out. Since I now have so many choices, I would love to know what look you want to see me put together for this post. I am going to create a poll for people to vote on below. There will be one for eyes and a separate one for nails. What do you want to see for my new spring look?
Help me to choose by filling out the following 2 surveys.
I am asking for emails just for my own curiosity. I am not planning to send any emails out to the participants of this quiz. It is just for fun! Please help me choose the colours for my next Makeup Monday Blog post. Deadline is next Monday, May 29th at midnight in my time zone. 1 hour ahead of EST. The next Makeup Monday will be ready on Monday May 6th! I look forward to completing my spring look with your help!
Recently I started working on expanding my writing and blogging skills by asking fellow bloggers if they would be interested in hosting a guest post written by yours truly on their websites. Four bloggers have taken me up on this offer, and soon I will be able to say that I have completed them all. I have one left to write.
Today, I have a different blog to share. I am hosting a book tour for one of the authors I worked with earlier this year, Rita Kruger. This is my second time working on a book tour, so I am crossing my fingers in between typing that I get it done right!
Introducing Angela’s Epistles The Gap Year by Rita Kruger. I just love the cover art!
The Gap
Year
Angela’s
Epistles Book 1
by Rita
Kruger
Genre:
SciFi Action, LGBT Romance
Angela Wright might have everything her
father’s money can buy, but that meant nothing to her on the night of her
twenty-eight birthday. She is angry and a little bit drunk as she flees the
scene of a fight with her mother.
All her life she has done the right thing. But she
is tired of living under her motherās shadow. How can she ever compete with
Margaret Wright, the first Human judge on the Intergalactic High Court?
Within the space of a few days, Angela drops out in
the last semester at Intergalactic Bureau of Investigation Academy, signs a
bounty hunting contract to find the top ten criminals in the galaxy, and kisses
Brenda, her best friend since childhood.
She might be late, but at last she is blooming.
Rita Kruger
lives in Vereeniging, South Africa. She is wife, granddaughter, daughter,
mother, and grandmother. Most of childhood happened within the pages of books.
Stories conspired to carry her away from the world she knew. The places and
people books introduced her to were much more exciting
than her boring existence.
Currently married to her personal MacGyver, she surrounds herself with what enriches her body, mind and soul. Family. Friends. Nature. Great food. Good wine. Mountains of books. She writes novels challenging major themes of her life in the genres of fantasy and gothic horror, which she loves.
Actually,
I was reading a Noir style novel written by a friend. It had a
sarcastic tone, great characters that are flawed and fighting the
good fight. I loved it so much that I thought Iād do something like
it. Mine did not turn out to be a noir, but the badass alpha female
inspired Angelaās character.
Where
did you come up with the names in the story?
When
I write, I usually donāt name my characters. I make a list of male
and female names that would fit in with the type of story Iām
writing. Then I write and every time a characterās name appears,
Iāll insert MC1 (Main Character 1), or MC2, or V1 (Villain 1) and
so forth. It might continue up to chapter three or four.
Angela
told me her name in a dream one night. Bren jumped right in with her
name the first time she appeared in the story. So actually she was
named almost two weeks before I knew the main character would be
Angela..
What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I
am addicted to learning. I always do a lot of research for my novels.
There are books that I spend two months in research even before I sit
down to outline.
Tell
us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Angela
is a bit conflicted in the first two books. She wants to become a
person in her own right, but she has difficulty in walking away from
her mother, Margaret. She also trusts people to easily. She surrounds
herself with people she thinks off as family, but some of them are
not good for her at all.
She
doesnāt have the ability to stop and think. She is very impulsive.
Sometimes that is good, but more often it isnāt.
Bren,
Angelaās love interest, is to opposite. She is very laid back. She
is in a job that bores her, but has no aspirations to leave, because
there is no pressure on her at all. I have been pondering to
write her āside-story.ā
Who
knows, maybe one day?
Did
you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
Oh
yes! I did a lot of research about what life would be like in 2053.
And it was so wonderful to see the concepts that people are working
on for the future. In Canada, for instance, they are working on a
city where all deliveries would be made via tunnels underground.
Buildings would have all the latest tech already installed for us.
And there was this cool bed that I swear could be my future house. It
has aircon, a fridge, internet and stuff controlled by voice command.
The end of the bed will have the largest television screen youāve
ever seen, with surround sound. You can close the sides of the bed
with screens to make it soundproof.
Have
you written any other books that are not published?
This series has six books that are all completed. # 5 and #6 are at the editors as I type this. I also have a Paranormal Romance Trilogy that will be hitting the markets later the year. For 2020 Iām doing a seven book Epic Fantasy series (Voices of the Apocalypse) of which three books are completed, but still need to be professionally edited.
“To thank you all for reading this post, I want to let you know that there is a contest, also a part of the book tour”.
