Rant: Unoriginal Beauty Blogs

**Note** This is going to be long, and it’s probably going to piss off a lot of people. Get over it. This will also have bad language in it. I’m 23, and I am allowed to swear, if you don’t like it, don’t read it.

I used to be really into reading beauty blogs – seriously when I started this blog, I could sit and read blog after blog for hours on end without becoming bored. In my google reader right now, I have about 150 feeds from different beauty blogs. So I think I’m pretty well connected to what’s going on in the beauty world. I loved reading these blogs all day long.

Now – not so much.

It seems like now the vast majority of the blogs I read have posts on one of three things, content from Total Beauty, MAC Collections and celeb makeup and style. This is all well and good and pretty interesting the first and even second time it pops up into my google reader. However these posts get really old when I see them 50 or 60 times in the same day.

I mean, what the hell? What happened to writing your own damn content and posting it? I understand reviewing the same product a lot of other bloggers have reviewed, because it’s fascinating to read the different thoughts on the same product. These don’t annoy me because even though it’s the same product, the reviews are actual ORIGINAL CONTENT that someone had to sit down and write. This isn’t some copy and paste crap that comes in an email.

Before you chastise me for bashing something I’ve done as well, understand that everything I’ve copied and pasted from my emails onto this blog have had some importance to me. When I post about a sale, it’s for a brand that or site that I love, and I want to share that with you. I don’t do it just to up my blog post, which is something that I think a lot of bloggers are obsessed with. I know this, because I used to be one of those bloggers as well. I used to be all about posting about new MAC collections, because they were easy and it brought MAC searchers to my site. Which then upped my traffic count, watching your hits go from one number to another much higher number is quite addictive. I saw my numbers jump 50 or 60 people in one days time when I posted about MAC Collections. Especially the ones that are very highly anticipated.

Hello Kitty anyone?

I cannot begin to tell you how many damn posts I have seen about this stupid collection. Yes, I said stupid. I am officially sick of Hello Kitty now, and it hasn’t even come out yet. And the sad thing is, is that I was actually looking forward to seeing this collection in person and possibly getting a couple things from it. Now the collection can go to hell. Beauty bloggers and their excessive posting on it has completely ruined the excitement for me. It seems that everyone and their dead ancestors are going ape shit over this collection. I gaurentee that almost everyone who wants something from this collection already has a color in their collection that matches the one from MAC perfectly when on the skin. But they are still going to drop loads of cash on it because its MAC and it has different packaging.

That makes it all worth while doesn’t it?

While I am on the subject of over obsessive posting, why does everyone feel that it’s their duty to post what Angelina Jolie wore on her face during the SAG Awards? The first time I read it, it was interesting but then EVERYONE started posting the same damn article. Basically copy and pasted it from one source (probably another blog) and posted it onto their blog. Because I’ve read the same article with the same wording too many times to count now. Honestly, I couldn’t care less that Anne Hathaway wore a Lancome lipgloss to some awards show. I am never going to buy that gloss, so why do I need to see it 100 times in two days?

It becomes overkill very easily and very quickly. That’s why you will NEVER see me post anything about awards shows here.

Another thing that rubs me the wrong way is all the Total Beauty content that gets posted on every damn blog. I am guilty of posting Total Beauty content on occasion when something interests me to the point I want to share it with all of you. If you have been reading my blog for a long period of time, then you will know that I haven’t posted T.B content in a very long time, not including the Weekly Web Tour. I do believe that T.B. is very important and progressive for the Beauty Blogging Universe and that it has done a lot to bring together beauty bloggers from across the board and unite them under one network. This opens up small blogs like mine to a wider audience then ever before. And unlike other beauty blog networks, which is by invitation only, and is very exclusive, T.B. welcomes everyone who has been a beauty related blogger for 3 months or more. This is why I post the Weekly Web Tour almost every week, to show my support for the blogs that have submitted their work for the week.

Anyway, to get back on track of what I was saying, (you guys know I can go off on tangents. LOL!) many bloggers post the Total Beauty Content on their sites daily, just to show that they have posted SOMETHING. I know from experience that these little blurbs are just to boost Total Beauty’s overall visitor count, as well as other things that I am not going to mention here. I personally don’t care if someone posts one of these things a couple of times a week. I understand what it’s like to have a full time job and other responsibilities in the real world that are more important than a beauty blog. So to post a couple of these blurbs to help keep your blog active during this time is understandable. I’ve posted little things like this, just to keep this blog active. HOWEVER I do not agree with the bloggers who used to post original content that took some thought on a regular basis, who now just mainly post these little blurbs everyday with maybe one or two original pieces a week, if we’re lucky.

What’s the point of a blog if you are not going to post anything original in it? I know that once upon a time, most bloggers started their blogs with the same intentions. They wanted to share their unique love of cosmetics and all things beauty with other like minded people, and with people who are just discovering their passion for it. That’s why I started my blog, and that’s why I still have my blog. Not for the free stuff I sometimes get, even though that is a pleasant perk of the job. It’s NOT the reason why I began it, or why I continue to post in it. I do it for the love of talking about products and brands that I adore and sharing that adoration with others who share the same adoration or with people who have never used the product or brand before. I know that I don’t post daily in this, but I prefer it that way. I would rather only post 3 or 4 times a week with original content, then cram someone’s feed reader with mindless, copy and pasted shit that everyone else seems to post as well.

So for those of you who have read this and are angry with me for saying this, do both of us a favor. Leave my blog and don’t come back. There are PLENTY of blogs out there that will cater to your need for MAC Collections and celeb beauty. For those of you who agree with me, we need more people to breathe new life in the beauty blog universe. I cannot be the only person to see how repetitive and uncreative these blogs have become. Only a few stick out to me now a days with their originality and their effort, when in the past, everyone used to be like that. I hope one day more people will step out of the box and see that there is more to the beauty world other than MAC and celebrities. Until then I will continue to visit the few blogs that I truly enjoy.

For those of you looking for NYX Rep Info Please Read:

** THIS IS A RANT, PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED IF YOU ARE GUILTY OF DOING THIS**

I understand that many of you are very interested in becoming NYX Reps – which is great for you and for NYX Cosmetics. HOWEVER I am getting tired of being asked questions about the subject. I didn’t mind so much when I first posted about the program in MAY over 7 months ago, in the time since then, I have basically covered every topic and question that could ever be asked in the comments section of my NYX Rep posts, and I STILL asked the same damn questions. I am tired of getting these questions, I posted my information I had gathered originally for people who were curious and couldn’t find any basic information. So I typed out my info for other beauty junkies who shared my love for NYX.

UNDERSTAND THAT I DO NOT WORK FOR NYX COSMETICS. I started blogging about my experience becoming a NYX Re$p to show how I DID it, and I thought it would help someone else GET STARTED ON THEIR OWN JOURNEY TO BEING A NYX REP. I am NOT being paid by NYX to recruit future reps, infact, I get NOTHING for posting Rep information on the internet. I did it to help out others. At the time, I was the only place on the internet that wasn’t a message board that contained any information on being a NYX Rep, and apparently that helped out a lot people, since my statics say that several thousand people has looked the info since I’ve posted it.

Since the info has been up, many people have asked me real questions, which I have no problem answering, but I have started getting questions and comments from people who are getting aggravated  with NYX, and it’s beginning to feel like these people are blaming me for the fact that NYX hasn’t contacted them or what have you. I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER NYX AND HOW THEY RUN THEIR BUSINESS. I understand that it’s a pain to deal with them sometimes, but STOP complaining to me about it. There is nothing I can do, so you are wasting both of our times doing that. I have also gotten people asking  me to personally write them with step by step instructions to becoming a Rep, with one person actually giving me their HOME PHONE NUMBER for me to call them. This one person left their number in a comment for me, and it’s a good thing that I have my comments set to being approved before being posted, because this one person had their full name, email address and phone number in this one post.

I deleted the comment. It is not my job to walk people through becoming a NYX Rep, I have a full time job, along with a life that takes place outside this blog. As I stated before, I don’t get paid for this, so please stop acting like it’s my job to hold your hand through this. You read this blog at your own will, so don’t blame me, if something doesn’t go the way you want it too.

So for now on, if you come across this site and want to learn more information about NYX and their Rep program, check out these threads below, READ BOTH THE THREAD AND THE COMMENTS I PROMISE you, you will find all the answers you need in the extensive comments. They are not there just for kicks, I left them because they have valuable information. If you still are not satisfied with the info in the posts and comments, then go on the NYX website HERE and contact them directly.

I’m A NYX Cosmetics Rep!

Information on Being A NYX Rep

NYX Reps: Tester Bag

Thanks!

My little problem is all cleared up! Thanks for all the support

Word Press, You Suck!

For some stupid ass reason, Word Press is not allowing my blogroll to be seen anywhere on my site. I can’t figure out WHY the links can’t be seen. Everything is set up exactly right on my end of the website, but when I log out and look at the site as a typical user, there is no blogroll to be found.

I really can’t wait to move to a website and leave Word Press for good!

Rant: Why don’t makeup companies update their f*cking websites?

Okay, Wet N Wild just released their new collection of eyeshadow quads and eyeliners to the stores and I am across them this evening at a local Walgreens. However when I came home to get more information about these new goodies, and there wasn’t any mention of the new eyeshadows on the site. In fact, the Wet N Wild site is now just promoting their mineral foundation that came out last summer! WTF?!?

Wet N Wild isn’t the only company that has this problem. Prestige Cosmetics also does not update their website either. Prestige is still promoting their Lash Matrix mascara as their newest product. That particular product came out OVER A YEAR AGO! How wrong is that? Since then, Prestige has released many different items and collections ranging from new lipglosses to new eyeshadow collections and more mascaras. But you wouldn’t know that if you browsed their website.

Milani Cosmetics is also guilty of not updating their website. Their “What’s New” page is showing all the new products that are being released in February and March… 2007. The Runway Eyeshadow palettes STILL haven’t been put onto the website. And as every beauty buff knows, those came out over a year ago.

So can anyone explain to me why these companies, have not put in the time to update their sites? They pay for these sites, and the purpose of said sites is to promote their new products, and yet nothing. Fortunately not all brands take this attitude when it comes to the internet. NYC Color is actually quite good at keeping their site updated with their newest collections, which makes it easier to decide on what you want to look at before you head out to the store.

Does this practice of not updating websites annoy the piss out of anyone else? Hit me up in the Comments with your opinion.

RANT: My Hate-Hate Relationship with MAC Nailpolish

My Hate-Hate Relationship with MAC Nailpolish

I really want to like MAC nailpolish, I honestly do, but I simply can’t. I go online to Makeup Alley and other review sites and I read all these wonderful, gushy comments on how wonderful the polishes are. Well last summer when the Blue Storm / Smoke Signals collections came out, I went to my local counter and I happily purchased three of the nail polishes from the collections with the high hopes that they would be everything I had been lead to believe.

I mean, wouldn’t nail polish that costs $10 a pop be worth every penny, especially coming from MAC of all places? This my way of convincing myself that the polishes were worth the moolah I had forked over for them. Before this purchase I despised the idea of spending more than $5 on a polish.

The colors that I picked up from MAC were:

o Rainy Day – which is a gun metal gray with purple undertones,

o Wildfire – Described by MAC as being black with red pearl, which in real life is actually a dark purple color.

o Whirlwind – Teal with purple and blue pearl

My excitement for my new polishes was unfortunately short lived. When I first went to apply the polish, it came out uneven and it took a few coats to make it look decent on my hand. Now, before I began painting my nails I used my trusty bottom coat, Orly’s Bonder, which before had never let me down. I also used my favorite top coat which was also by Orly, called No Chip, (I bought both of these during a buy 2 get one free sale at Sally’s I can never resist a sale LOL) usually when I use both of these together I tend to get a decent amount of life out of my nail color before having to touch them back up them again.

But not even my Orly coats could help the MAC polishes. Only a couple of hours after finishing my nails with my new Whirlwind polish, it began to chip off, with most of the polish coming off in the shower. This had never happened before with my cheapo nail polishes from Sinful Colors or Wet N Wild.

So to sum up my long ass tale, I was extremely disappointed with the quality of MAC’s nailpolishes, but I refuse to throw out or give away $30 of new polish. So they will wait in my Caboodles Goddess traincase until I can find the perfect combo of bottom and top coats to go with my MAC polishes.

What can I say? I hate throwing things out, especially MAC things .