Does the World Really Need Another Blogger?

Probably not, but after many years of acquiring and honing my knowledge of the everyday beauty product, I decided I wanted to share my tips and secrets with others. Things such as my favorite drugstore make-up brands, which stores actually have clothes to fit the average gal that many designers seem to forget about, and those stores that accept returns on make-up, even if it's already been opened. It might sound silly but those are the kinds of things that as a product junkie, I want to know about.

Why else? Well, I have a shameful love for fashion magazines and when I discovered Allure a few years ago, I was in heaven. It is, quite simply, porn for make-up addicts and I love it. So much so that I subscribe for two years at a time, which I never do, not even for other magazines I enjoy just as much. But I can't help but wonder if the products praised and adored in fashion magazines aren't somehow influenced by the fact that the companies who own those products are also shilling their advertisements in those very same pages. Is there any way for editors to be truly objective?

Maybe, maybe not. My background is not in communications or journalism so it's possible I have no idea what I'm talking about (which for as much I hate to admit it, sometimes happens), but I think it's much better to get an opinion from someone who has no agenda, someone who isn't supermodel beautiful, someone who most likely spends more on beauty products than the average bear but doesn't have the money to drop hundreds of dollars at a time on Creme de La Mer (but maybe someday would like to be able to)...

That someone, of course, is me. As you may have already noticed, I describe myself as an everyday, fabulously average young woman, which is true. And I mean average in a positive way - we can't all be rock stars.

As for me, I'm not tall, thin, or effortlessly stop-dead-in-your-tracks beautiful; in fact, I am petite (a nice way of saying short), curvy (an even nicer way of saying chubby), look like death warmed over in the mornings, am constantly at odds with my hair, have my fat months and my skinny months, am usually disheveled by the end of the day, love taking hours getting glammed up when going out and about, usually have about 5 minutes to get ready for the workday, and work in a job that doesn't necessarily embrace or appreciate when people take the time to look fashionably professional.

And I know there are many of us who are in the same fabulously average boat together; we struggle to be happy with who we are even while the pages of the very fashion magazines we love tell us otherwise. Because of that, I want to share a point of view that has been developed by my many years of searching for those cosmetics, skin/haircare products, and clothes that are easy to use, easy to find, make me feel beautiful, can fit into the many budget sizes I've had over the years, and are just downright fun.

Products that can be found anywhere from drugstores, discount stores, ebay, department stores, speciality shops and boutiques. And like so many others I know, I am also constantly aware of the fact that my love for what can be construed as superficial is sometimes at odds with my feminist ideals. So why not eventually talk about that too?

My other reason for jumping into the world of blogging? I get a thrill when someone asks me where I got the lipgloss or the shirt I'm wearing or the bag I'm carrying and I get to tell them all about it. So, I figured why not take my love for products, my love for journaling, and my love for information sharing, wrap it in a glossy bow, and Voila!

And one last thing... I know that many of us fabulously average women have no desire to wear make-up or don't care about the fact that green, yellow, and orange are some of the hot colors for the spring. Maybe they have kids (I don't) and the last thing on their mind is Sephora's newest catalog. I get it. An insane, slightly obssessed love for cosmetics is not for everyone. But I always say that the power of some lipgloss, mascara, highlights or even some minty chapstick to brighten one's day should never be underestimated.

So, I hope you will enjoy reading my upcoming musings on what I affectionately refer to as my lipgloss addiction. Be careful, it might be contagious...