When you've been offline for a while it's a little overwhelming coming back - and I feel it's only polite to explain my absence rather than just bursting into the room, raving about lipstick.
This blog has never been about me, per se - and purposely so - I live in a small place; I have kids; am naturally quite shy and talking about myself just isn't my thing, but sometimes it's good to open up a little...
Initially I took a step back from blogging for health reasons - acute back and neck issues which meant I couldn't sit at a desk or hold a camera (now under control if I'm careful). From the sidelines, I noticed the world of blogging and instagram become increasingly clouded with a negativity that I didn't want to be a part of - fakery, over-commercialisation, drama and airbrushing of photos, lives and truths.
It's been good to get some perspective and in retrospect, I realise it's more important to remain grounded and true to ourselves than to walk away. Most people are hungry for authenticity and an impartial voice that they can trust; the essence of blogging when I began 7 years ago. This doesn't have to change... there are many incredible bloggers out there who continue to inspire me every day.
On a more personal note, I spent a lot of time with my mum in recent months, while her health declined rapidly. After many hours of hand holding by hospital beds, we lost her in April... something I'm still coming to terms with, one day at a time. I probably seem quite normal on the surface, but it's never far away.
There has been a whole lot of happiness too... great times with family and friends, training as a make up artist, going to amazing gigs, and realising that I function best in a creative environment with a good dose of fresh sea air and sunshine. Really good coffee, chocolate and Prosecco all help too, obvs.
There are loads of things I can't wait to blog about, but wanted to share all of this first. I haven't stopped writing about beauty (for magazines like Estila and The Wonderful World of Dance) but am committing to blog again because I'm still so passionate about it!
I'm excited to share my beauty finds with you... from firm favourites to shiny new releases - and a few tricks I've picked up along the way. I also want to feature beauty tips for those of us who are no longer 21 (or 31... or 41 in my case), which I hope some of you will find helpful. If there's anything else you'd like to see, I'm all ears.
If you're still reading, thank you for being here - I've genuinely missed it and it's good to be back!