2014 in review

I think I am just in time to sneak in a new years post, so Happy New Year all! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season and the new year has started off well. 

2014 was a very exciting year for me, challenging at times and with its low points but on the whole a good year, and I'm hoping that 2015 will be even better. 

You may or may not know that if have a second blog documenting my life in Oman, if you would like to see a month by month overview of 2014, click here.

That said, my blog suffered. I didn't mean for it to, and I certainly didn't expect it when this time last year I had hoped to get to a post every week day. I didn't expect my life to change as it did, and I am still adjusting. 

Obviously I'm not a full time blogger, and although there are times when that idea sounds fantastic, I'm not confident I have what it takes to ever get to that level, especially if it means I have to post daily and keep up with the trends. I am not good at either of those things. I work full time and, being a wife now means that I have to come home and think about someone else, and as a result I don't have the time it takes to produce a quality blog post. I also realise that keeping up with the trends isn't really my thing, I like to take my time trying stuff, even making purchases in the first place, and somewhere along the way I strayed away from my blog being about me finding products I love and that work (hence my blog name), while sharing that with others. Maybe I can establish myself as the blogger that takes the longest to review, who knows, it might become a thing. 

So this year I'm going to take a more laid back approach, I want to post blogs I am proud of, of products that I have tested thoroughly, and that means it might get updated a few times a week, sometimes maybe once a week, or even longer. I know it's not ideal, but at least for now that's how it has to be. 

I also have a few other resolutions this year. 

1. Drink more water. I regularly tell myself I need to do this, especially since moving to the Middle East, it is very easy to become dehydrated and I don't need to tell anyone how important staying hydrated is for beauty and health in general. 

2. Read at least one book a month. Last year I resolved the read for at least an hour a day, and actually I managed to do this. I read the paper daily, and catch up on blogs I follow, and I also started reading books again. Before I started working I had a lot of time on my hands and books were a good escape, they were also something I could access easily since I download ebooks. At the end of last year I started a book club so I know that I'll need to read at least one book a month to have something to contribute!

3. Exercise. I took for granted my youth and good metabolism, it kept me slim and relatively healthy, but I need to help myself now and establish some sort of exercise routine. I already do pilates twice a week so I just need to add some cardio. I know the key is to find something I like doing and this year I plan to. 

4. Become better at my job. As an expat in Oman it's easy to end up in a job that is beyond your experience, which is exactly what has happened to me. I'm editor of a journal and acting manager while they find someone to fill the position, I have editing experience, but zero management experience. I know to become more confident in my role I need to take it on myself to learn as much as I can do about both roles. 

Thank you to all of you who occasionally or even regularly read my blog, and to those of you that might have stumbled across this and read to the end, thank you too. I am always so happy when someone comments on my blog and tells me they enjoy it.

On being vacuous

I've never been one to jump in and post my comment about the latest blogging controversy but I couldn't help but get sucked in on this occasion with the articles posted all over blogs and main stream media in particular about blogger Zoella. I actually don't want to talk about her book but about a word that gets thrown around a lot when referring to her and other beauty and fashion bloggers, vacuous.

I've been told that adding beauty blogger on my CV makes me come across as vacuous. I will put this into context, beauty blogging features near the bottom of my CV, my two degrees, diploma and work experience come first, followed by other achievements. I added beauty blogging in an attempt to show I am not one-dimensional (my CV is very science heavy) and to show that I know a little bit about the internet, social media, HTML, photography and have lots of other skills that I learnt because I am a blogger. I think the fact that someone has managed to read all that and then still decided I am vacuous says more about them than it does me, and so I still keep it on my CV. But I'm still sensitive about it.

 I like beauty, and yes I know skincare and my quest for perfection may not sit comfortably with some people that want to believe that this interest stems from a deep lying insecurity induced by the beauty industry. Non-beauty lovers never want to believe, or admit, that beauty makes me feel good about myself, I do it for me and no one else, that I enjoy that 10 minutes in the morning putting a face on and equally enjoy the time it takes me to remove it at night. I don't expect I am the only one that prefers getting ready for a night out more than the night itself. Beauty is my escape and perusing my stash or strolling round Boots can lift my mood on sadder days. My blog is an extension of that escape where I have been able to find other people that think about it the way I do.

 I thought that with the release of Sali Hughes book -- where she starts off by dismissing the criticism that makeup and beauty are for shallow airheads and that women who enjoy beauty aren't capable of caring about their appearance and anything else -- that I wouldn't have to hear that word association again. But here we are again and I'm not sure that there will ever be a time when I will not have to feel like I should be ashamed to say I am a beauty blogger.

Body Shop Wild Argan Collection

I remember argan oil really getting big in the beauty world after I came back from a trip to Morroco without some. At the time I remember thinking, "I dunno I've never heard of this stuff, it might not be any good".

I was wrong, and I have kicked myself ever since for not picking up a bottle.

Since then products containing argan oil have become very popular and the Body Shop have recently release their own range paying homage to the precious oil.

It is worth noting that the products are not 100% argan oil, if they were they wouldn't be so affordable.

There are eight products in the collection and I selected two to try, the Radiant Oil and the Miracle Solid Oil, which can both be used on the hair and body.

Of the two, The Radiant Oil is the one I have reached for the most. It is a light, dry oil that leaves the skin hydrated but without a greasy residue, and it also leaves a subtle sheen. At £14, it is incredibly good value as I expect it will last many months.

Used on wet hair, it dries leaving it feeling soft and smelling wonderful (it has a light coconut fragrance). I found that my hair looked and felt greasy the next day. I know that I can be a bit over zealous when it comes to applying any kind of hair product so I would suggest applying a minimal amount or only using it on dry hair to tame flyaways and add shine.

The Miracle Solid Oil, £8, is as the name suggests a solid form of the oil that you warm up with your fingers to melt before using. Like the Radiant Oil, I found this made my hair greasy the next day, but it felt lovely on the skin. It took a bit more work to have it absorb so this is my night/weekend bath treat when I have more time to work with it. I would also use this on my feet overnight and it would be ideal to take on weekends away or holidays as it is so nourishing and also compact for travel.

The Body Shop Wild Argan Collection can be purchased online or in stores.