Well hello fine people of the interwebs! 🙂

Today is a CRAZY day. I’m Not a Beauty Guru turns 2 years old! I just honestly can’t fathom it. Excuse me while I get super nostalgic. To celebrate the occasion, I also decided to host my first giveaway! Wahhh?!

Before getting into that though, I’d like to talk about how blogging has changed for me during these past few years.

When I first started blogging, it was the purest form of a hobby. When I had free time away from work or school, I would snap some pictures and write up some posts. No pressure and no commitment. I’m so happy to say that blogging is still this and so much more.

This year has been full of ‘firsts’ for me in terms of blogging. I signed up for Instagram and it’s been one of the funnest ways to engage with the beauty community. I also was able to receive PR samples and attend a beauty event for the first time. Like, what?! I’m by no means a professional blogger, so thinking back on these experiences boggle my mind. I feel like such a fraud amongst all of these legit bloggers.

I would say one of the BEST parts of blogging this year has been meeting more bloggers in real life. I’ve been apart of the Canadian Beauty Bloggers for quite some time, but it was only until this year that I was able to meet some members for the first time! It’s been so nice and I look forward to hanging out more often with these lovely ladies.

So now for the coming year ahead! Similar to my last blog birthday post, I just hope to continue LOVE blogging. This has been such a fun hobby for me! Here’s to the coming year!

And now for what I’m sure the majority of you might be here for. A GIVEAWAY! So to say thanks and to celebrate my 2nd blog birthday, I wanted to gift someone a BITE Beauty Mauvember lipstick! If you’re a long time reader, I talk about BITE to no end. It’s probably my favourite makeup company ever! I recently posted a haul where I picked up a Mauvember lipstick! I’ve seen many people lusting over this limited edition do-gooder product and thought I would pick up another one (thank goodness my local Sephora still had some left!).

Also, because I know that Mauvember was made limited edition to Canada, I will be opening up this giveaway internationally! That’s right, I’ll ship to anywhere! 🙂

Rules:

1. This contest will be from November 20th, 2015 12:00AM EST – December 11th, 2015 12:00AM EST and is INTERNATIONAL!
2. You must have reached the age of majority in your local region to be eligible.
3. Only entries through the Rafflecopter widget will be accepted. You may put in as many (or few) entries as you like through the different options.
4. A winner will be randomly chosen from all eligible entries. (I will be checking entries for fairness).
5. Once the winner is contacted, they have 48 hours from the time stamp of the email to get back to me with their shipping address. If the winner has not gotten back to me in that time frame, a new winner will be chosen and so on.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:
This contest is in no way affiliated with BITE Beauty, Twitter, Instagram, or Bloglovin’. I purchased this product with my own money and will be shipping the item through my own means. I will try my best to ship the product as quickly and safely as possible. As is the world, sometimes things happen and mail gets lost. I will not be held responsible for the product after it is sent in the mail. I will make every intention possible to ensure that it gets to it’s destination.

So thank you again to everyone and your support! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Hi there!

Hope you are having a good day today. I’ve been on a real blog kick lately! I have 2 posts that I’m planning to write and I FINALLY finished the redesign of my blog.

This has actually been a couple months in the making. It’s much different than my last one, but I thought I needed a change. This is by no means the final design. I will be playing around with sizes and layout still. It didn’t take me all that much coding to do or anything just because I used the drag-and-drop style of the blogger layouts. Some things that I might add are an instagram or a twitter feed to the sidebar. It’s looking quite cluttered right now though so I’ll have to see how it works out.

I made the header in photoshop, but I didn’t make the social buttons. Full credit goes to The Dutch Lady Designs. 

So what do you think? Any critiques? (I myself have a lot haha) Do you change your blog layout often?

Thanks for reading, hope you have a great day!

Hello there! 🙂

Some time ago, I posted about an unpleasant and embarrassing makeup experience I had. You can read about it here. I am no makeup artist, and the spirit behind this blog is the fact that I am really just bumbling my way through the makeup world. Today I have another story to tell that highlights this completely. I debated posting this, but I thought maybe people could get a good laugh/relate.

Earlier this month, I was able to hit the milestone of finally graduating from school. It’s been a long time coming (sort of) but I know I will miss it soon enough. Anyhoo, it was a traditional graduation with the gowns and hoods (no hats though). My program was decently small so I was able to interact and meet people in one capacity or another.

While getting my gown, I saw an acquaintance picking up his as well. I started out with the typical congrats, how are you, so happy we’re done chit chat. After we both had our gowns on and were parting ways, I went in a for a goodbye hug. He came at me with a bit more force than I expected and I nicked my chin on the shoulder of his gown. What was left was a sizeable (but not crazy) foundation stain on his gown. Of course it just happened to be the white part. I was mortified. I ended up not saying anything which I probably should have. I was just so shocked and so embarrassed at the time.

I am usually a very careful person with foundation staining. I think I’ve mastered the art of trying on clothes when shopping. I’m so conscious of it. Maybe this sounds a bit hypocritical now, but whenever I see foundations stains on the collars of shirts I just get totally grossed out. I guess it ruins the illusion of a shirt being ‘new’ from a store (even though after working retail, I should know better than to even think that).

I still feel so bad that I didn’t say anything. Hopefully no one noticed. I saw that he posted pictures on Facebook and I didn’t notice anything. In hindsight, that was pretty rude of me not to say anything, just to protect my own self-esteem.

So what can I say. I’m still learning and makeup is always a continual journey. I’m okay with that.  

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Is there even a way to prevent foundation transfer on clothes? Teach me. 😉

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever addressed this in a blog post. So I’m just going to say it. I HATE mascara.

Before you try and stop me, hear me out. From when I first started wearing makeup, I tried mascara. It was a Cover Girl waterproof one and it made me look like a crazy raccoon girl in a matter of hours. I’ve tried a few other ones and they ALL provided the same result. I’ve chalked it up to my actual lashes. They are very very thin and point straight down. I do have a lash curler and I’m able to get a decent curl when I first use it. In a few hours, they end up just flopping down like sad little strings.

Funny enough, all of the mascaras featured in my picture above I was given for free/ did not purchase. Some of them are actually kinda old, I should probably throw them out. Oops, haha. I almost feel bad because I always think a mascara will be different and try it and just end up really disliking the results. I’ve just come to the point where if I get a mascara I will not use it so I can hopefully give it away.

This has been a really short post but you know when inspiration just comes to you? Yeah I was feeling that.

Are there any makeup products that you just don’t use for whatever reason? Or am I just a complete crazy person?

Thanks for reading, hope you are having an awesome day!

So I’ve FINALLY gotten around to doing the tag questions that Ling from The Cosmetic Critic sent me. If you haven’t stumbled upon her blog yet I highly encourage you to check her out. Her posts are always super informative and straight to the point! Thanks again for thinking to tag me! 🙂 Super thoughtful!

Here are the questions that Ling asked:

I addressed this a bit in my 1 year blog birthday post which can be read here if you’re interested. I can see myself not blogging when it no longer becomes a joy and becomes a chore. Or if I feel there are unnecessary pressures from my blog that I just can’t seem to escape. At the moment though I am very happy with my blog and where I am at with blogging. 🙂 I hope that continues!

_______________________________________

I’ve decided to tag:

1. Filomena from Filosophie!
2. Chelle from Makeup Your Mind
3. Miranda from miranda loves
4. Nadia from The View is Beautiful
5. Shawna from Spill the Beauty
6. Megan from Megan Joy
7. Emily from Emily Shea Beauty

Here are my 11 new questions:

1. Are you an early birdie or a night owl?
2. What is your favourite place in the world and why?
3. If  you could eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
4. If you were to only wear one makeup item forever what would it be and why?
5. Where would you like to go on vacation next?
6. What is your biggest fear?
7. What do you struggle the most with beauty-wise?
8. What is your favourite can’t-live-without lip product?
9. What occupation did you want to have when you were younger?
10. What is your favourite animal?
11. Do you like to workout? If so, what types of sports/workouts do you like the best?

Of course this is not limited to just the people I tagged. If you feel interested, then I totally nominate you as well! Be sure to link me so I can read your answers!

Thanks so much and have a lovely day!

Well I can’t believe I’ve done it! November 20th is I’m Not a Beauty Guru’s first birthday. In people years it would still be considered a babbling little baby, but for blog years I’m happy. 🙂 My first post, Beginnings, can be found here.

This is going to be quite a chatty post, just a warning.

I’ve been thinking about this post for a very long time, and I’m so happy to be writing it. I’m proud that I was able to get to this point. I was one of those people that always started off writing journals with the best of intentions and then abandon them. This little blog I have kept up though, which I am happy and proud about. 😀

A notable thing I did this year was that I joined the CBB Network and was able to meet a lot more beauty bloggers. It was so nice being able to go on my bloglovin and get a constant stream of awesome content! 🙂 Also through the network I was able to start great conversations with other beauty bloggers which I love! I find the network is one of the funnest and unexpected parts of my first year blog journey.

Now for some reflection. Why I started the blog, where I feel I am at, and where I hope to be in the future. I guess in all honesty, I really enjoy where I am at. I started this blog with the intention of it just being a beauty diary. A place for me to keep track of my purchases, if I liked or disliked something, and the works. I never thought I would join a network of blogs, or even set up a bloglovin page. I know many many blogs that have been able to ‘achieve’ much more than my blog was able to in a year or less. I know I have not been a constant poster, but I’m cool with that. I didn’t start this with intentions to try and become an internet celebrity or anything (quite the opposite). Even as I start to learn the ins and outs of beauty blogging, I’ve shied away from some aspects. I’m not saying I am not open to PR or promotions, but that has honestly never been a driving force behind my blog. I knew that I would only stick with this blog if I did it on my own terms.

This has been a hobby for me where I am able to produce something and look back on it. I am able to benchmark my progress and grow. But as any blogger I’m sure has experienced, it’s so easy to get caught up in the numbers game. Even recently I can remember going through my Analytics account fiendishly going through report after report trying to see how I felt my blog was doing, awaiting a comment on my newest post, or even just looking at the follower count on other bloglovin blogs I follow. This is so easy to do, but I think it can turn so destructive. I can’t lie and say that when I see my follower count decrease I don’t feel anything. As I’m sure many know, blogging is very personal and I can’t help but feel a little upset when I see that counter drop! I guess it’s how you deal with the situation and move on from it is what matters. This blog is my space and I’ve been running it how I want to run it. I remember first thinking at the beginning of my blog journey about making the blog private, but then at a spur of the moment, decided to make it public. I’ve been able to meet some great people through my blog though, and for that I am thankful.

So as I move into my second year of blogging (I hope it continues!), here are some things that I hope to keep in mind and goals:

• I hope to continue to grow as a writer. This is a skill that I can improve on, and my blog enables this
• Try my best not to get caught up in the numbers. Remind myself that I am doing this for me and nothing else
• Continue and remember why I enjoy blogging. I hope that if I ever found that this blog was not what I hope it to be or is causing me any undue stress, I’d be strong enough to step back and even walk away
• I also hope to continue to work on my photography and potentially editing. The picture on this post is the only photo I think I’ve ever edited on my blog. I hope I’ll have time to experiment more with editing.
• Be as active (or unactive) as I wish. I know if I push myself to do something that I don’t want to do, it will just end up not done or done poorly
• Maybe potentially re=design my blog with HTML/CSS. I’ve been dying to code my blog for so long, but I just find it so difficult. I’m in IT too, the shame… 
• Learn more about Google Analytics. I think it would be very interesting to actually understand these metrics, plus this seems like really good information to learn about
• Remember to enjoy the ride!

Hopefully what I’ve said in this post is in no way controversial. This is honestly just a a personal post and applies to my blog experience!

For those that read my blog, I just want to give a sincere thank you. I love having active discussions about products and beauty items with others. 🙂 I hope you are able to enjoy your time on my little slice of the internet.

So here’s to 1 year, and hopefully more in the future!

PS. I thought I would ask this at the end as well. Any tips for me going into my 2nd year of blogging? Any critiques of my blog? Thanks for reading! 🙂

Hello hello! Hope everyone is having a great week!

I thought about doing a post on what is in my travel makeup bag and decided to really examine what I’ve been carrying around. Honestly, after doing this post, I realized how much I’m lugging around. Things have accumulated when I put my lip of the day in my bag and then don’t end up taking it out…Anyways, here is what is in my travel makeup bag.

1. The Bag

This is a pretty run of the mill makeup bag. I bought it from Forever 21 for under $10 bucks? It was actually sort of expensive for what it is, but I like that it’s lined. Just in case there are any accidents, I don’t think anything would leak through in my bag. 🙂

2. Lip Products

As you can see from the preview picture, I have a lot of lip products on the go!

Top Row:

• Stila Lip Glaze in Kitten
• Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Nude Blush 
• Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Apple a Day 
• Make Up For Ever Sephora birthday gift 
• Tarte LipSurgence in Elite 
• Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait 
• Givenchy Le Rouge in Brun 

Bottom Row:

• NARS lip gloss in Orgasm 
• SoftLips in Vanilla 
• BITE lip gloss in Strangefruit 
• Maybelline Baby Lips in Quenched 
• Fresh Lip Balm in Rose

3. Everything else 😉

• Josie Maran Hand Cream in Vanilla Apriocot
• Bath and Body Works PocketBac in Vanilla Berry Sorbet
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner
• L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream
• Sephora Mirror
• Oral-B Glide Floss
• Boscia Green Tea Blotting Paper

I wonder if people carry as much as I carry in travel makeup bags? Maybe more?

Have a great day! 😀