Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Downsizing or Moving Into Minimalism

Hi Lovelies,


Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

So far I have been focusing on the green beauty reviews, but as much as I hope you find them helpful, that is not all I want to blog about, I want to expand my blog in many different directions, not losing my focus on all things green and clean beauty, I want to expand into outfits of the day posts, skincare routines, favourites of the month or season, DIY masks and so much more, go back to posting healthy and easy recipes  and maybe book reviews, what do you guys think? It's just exactly what I've been thinking about a lot lately, green and eco lifestyle is so much more than a (clean) foundation, and I want to blog about so much more too. As much as I love testing and reviewing green beauty products, I have only one face, and as I do take my testing seriously (what I review, I test the products for weeks and weeks before posting, no shallow "look what's new on the market and I had it for five minutes before blogging about it" stuff here. At the same time I noticed I only focused on the reviews lately, and I don't want to become this "this is amazing product, you all should go and buy it" girl, so I decided to stop all the PR samples and focus on finishing up what I have and going easy from here. I do own a ridiculous amount of stuff for one person, almost to the point of being overwhelming, so it is time to take it easy. I never had so much products as I do now, and it definitely feels overwhelming. I am someone who hates wasting products. I am not ok with using something for a little while and then tossing it because I got another product for a review, I am sharing with my friends, of course I am, but my point is I have to stop this constant stream of new products coming in, I don't know why I taken upon myself to test so many products this year, but it is definitely a time to downsize. Everything I own can be found on my Instagram page, and while it may seems small compared to other blogger's stashes, it is too much for me. I mean I never had multiple variations of the same products, and having six or seven facial oils  or five different shampoos is not ok with me! I mean I recently quit using facial oils all together since I noticed that my face protests in a form of recurring dermatitis patch, I guess I knew that dermatitis and facial oils don't go together, but I didn't want to face it, I mean, Pai and all these other oils I have are wonderful, how can I just not use them, right? They do so much good for the skin? And that was all I used for about six years previously, so it must be something right, right? Not so much! My face cleared up COMPLETELY since I quit oils, and before that I had this stubborn dermatitis patch that would not go away completely, it would go and come back, shrink and go bigger in size, and it would go ballistic if I tried new products. SO one day I thought why am I doing this to my skin if it protests in the open, why I keep torturing it? Because brands expect their reviews? Why did I take it upon myself to test everything if I know I have super sensitive and reactive skin? I am sure no one want me to have my dermatitis back, and brands will understand if I won't review their products, esp if I had a reaction to them? I take everything so seriously, as if it were my job to test every product under the market, and I put myself under so much pressure too when in reality there is no need for it. I am making myself miserable trying to queue up the reviews and then reaching for new products that just came in. It would all be sort of understandable if I were get paid for it, but the truth is that I don't make any money from my blog, everything I do is done for you guys! I have this inner desire and need to blog and continue to draw people into the natural side of life, away from those toxic chemicals in the conventional products. That is truly where my passion lies, In reality blogging is hard work, and it is very time consuming, which I don't mind, but add the constant testing and will-I-or-won't-I-get-a-reaction from a product state, and you've got a recipe for a stress, when in reality there is no need for that at all! I mean no one asked me to test all-the-things-under-the-sun and no one will appreciate it nor realise this is what I am going through behind the scenes. So it is up to me to stop all this madness and draw the line here and now. I will be ruthless with the offers coming my way from now on, and definitely no more greenwashing brands that are vague about ingredients they use! If I will accept something in the future, it has to be totally natural, and aligned with my aesthetics. And only then when I will be about to finish off the same category product. No more five foundations or six different bottles of face oils! What for? I am only one person who does not even wear make up every day.
So, now that it is all there in the open, what do you guys think? Let's stay friends, just expect me to branch out a bit more, does that sound good to you? I mean I can still bring you great content without chain testing products and putting myself under pressure when there's absolutely no need for it. And I am sure my skin will be too happy for it. I will continue blogging as it is truly my passion even though I don't make any money from it, it is what I enjoy to do and will continue to do so. I am not short of ideas, mind you, I have seventy drafts in my blogger's dashboard, yes, you read that right, seventy! And that's only when it comes to green beauty, so I am really enjoying this stream of creativity.  You guys have been amazing so far, and you mean the world to me, the minute someone thanks me for what I do, you make my day!

So there it is, my impromptu post straight off the cuff, I mean I won't even re-read it before publishing. It is definitely time for a change, hop on for  ride :)

Lots of love,
Renata.

.
.
P.s This is not to moan in any way shape of form, I hope that is not what you will get from this post! I am grateful for everything for all that I have, trust me, and just like any other women on a planet, I do have my desires and wishlists for hottest and most talked about green beauty products, it is just a reminder to myself to slow down and enjoy the ride. And not to stress, the most important thing of all.

3 comments: