I've been blogging for 4 and a half years, but up until now I'd never had a prolonged break away from blogging. Although I couldn't avoid it due to the demands of A Levels, part of me was apprehensive that taking time away from blogging would lead to me falling out of love with it and never returning. However, it had the opposite effect and I returned with more motivation and passion, as well as learning many new things. I thought I'd take the time to talk a bit about this and what I realised during my blogging break.

Blogging isn't always my priority - this perhaps comes across as being uninvolved and not dedicated to blogging, which is far from true as I really am, but I realised that blogging can't always be my main focus. I've always said that academics have to come before blogging, as well as friends and family, and this is something that my break reaffirmed. Up until the last week of my blogging break, it hardly ever crossed my mind as I had so much going on and had to focus on other things. As much as I'll always love it, it can't be my main focus 100% of the time.

Statistics don't matter - I've never been the type of blogger who obsesses over analytics and checking out trends in pageviews, however taking a break from blogging definitely made me realise just how unimportant this is. I completely understand that it's different for anyone who blogs as a job, but for someone like me who does it as a hobby it really doesn't make a difference. Although I still gained steady views during my blogging break, there was a definite dip in my usual traffic. But rather than worrying about this, I was instead just glad to get back to blogging and didn't care whether I was getting a couple views or a couple hundred.

Blogging is a reflection of myself - when I started blogging I was very objective with barely any personality injected in my posts, but upon having a break from blogging I realised just how much I wanted to change about this. My blog is one of the best reflections of myself and I want it to be more of a representation of my life rather than solely being reviews and recommendations (although I do still enjoy writing these). I know for a fact that I'll look back on my blog in years to come, and I want it to be a portrayal of some of the most important parts of my life.  

I truly love blogging - doing this has been a hobby of mine for the past 4 and a half years, but over the past year or so it perhaps became more of a chore and something that I was doing simply out of routine or for the sake of it. However, not blogging for a few months made me realise just how much I missed it and my love for the platform was definitely rekindled. Instead of churning out a post a week as a force of habit, I'm back to writing as I genuinely enjoy it and it's what I like spending my time doing.

It takes a lot more time than I realised - when I first stopped blogging, it amazed me just how much free time I was left with. Sundays especially used to be consumed with taking photos, editing, proofreading and social media promotion, and so once I stopped blogging I was suddenly left with a considerable amount of free time. I was under the impression before I stopped that it definitely wouldn't get in the way of my studies, but I soon realised that my short break freed up a lot of extra time for revision.

Blogging is more than a hobby - I've always viewed my blog solely as a hobby, and don't get me wrong it still is, but having a break made me realise how much more it is. Running social media platforms, writing emails and conversing with brands makes it seem so much like a business. Although I'll always love blogging as an enjoyable pastime, I really underestimated the amount of work and effort that goes into it, which is much more than a casual hobby.

I really want to improve my blog - towards the end of my blogging break, whilst I was finishing off my last couple exams, I was incredibly eager to get back to it and mentally brainstorming ways of improving my content. I feel like my blog has been quite stagnant for the past couple years, and I've just been carrying out the same routine without striving to improve my blog. However, now that it's summer and the perfect opportunity to give blogging my all, I can't wait to find ways to improve my blog and increase the quality.

All in all, I realised that having a break from blogging for a few months wasn't damaging like I expected, but instead renewed my passion and motivation to blog, giving me a new burst of energy to create content for my readers. I can't wait for a summer filled with blogging and documenting my life on here, and so make sure you continue reading to see what I'll be getting up to. Thank you for reading this post and I'll see you in a few days with another new one!

Love from Daisy x
Tarte Travel Friendly Palettes

Today I'm back with another makeup review post, this time putting some Tarte products to the test. I love trying out new makeup, and you'll probably remember that I picked up both of these travel-sized palettes when in New York in February. I've been playing around with them for quite a few months now and so it's time to report back with all of my thoughts and opinions in the form of this review. If you'd like to know more about the Tartelette Flirt Eyeshadow Palette and the Hampton's Weekender Contour Palette then keep reading!


TARTELETTE FLIRT EYESHADOW PALETTE

Tarte Tartelette Flirt Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is perhaps the ultimate on-the-go essential, having all that you could ever wish for to create natural everyday looks or heavier smoky eyes depending on what you prefer. The six shadows, all of which are warm-toned, vary from mattes to shimmers to give a wide variety of options and looks to create. I'm personally a huge fan of neutral eye looks with perhaps a subtle pop of shimmer, so I knew instantly that I'd fall in love with this eyeshadow palette.

Tarte Tartelette Flirt Eyeshadow Palette

I quite often discuss how eyeshadows I've tried are fairly pigmented, but this palette seriously takes it to a whole new level! I've honestly never seen eyeshadows as bold as these ones, especially from the matte shadows, and even just a light dab of the product will leave you with an intensely-packed look. The shimmer shadows also live up to this, although they do need a bit more building, and I personally find that applying them damp for a more frosted look works wonders. The best part is, their pigmentation doesn't hinder the blendability as these eyeshadows still blend out flawlessly and are easily manoeuvrable, due to the creamy consistency.

Another benefit of these eyeshadows is that they really don't stray once in place. After doing these swatches I found that running my arm under water left them completely unhindered, and when on the eyes they're still in place hours later. This is definitely impressive as I'm someone who suffers from fairly oily eyelids and struggles to make eyeshadows last, so this palette definitely impressed me!


HAMPTON'S WEEKENDER CONTOUR PALETTE

Tarte Hamptons Weekender Contour Palette

Bronzer and blusher are perhaps my favourite part of my makeup routine, so I was incredibly eager to try out this contour palette and see how Tarte's products lived up to the others I've tried. This is another product that's incredibly useful for travel, as it gives you 3 powders all in one compact palette, ideal for creating a gorgeous base look.

I love champagne-toned highlighters, and this one is heavily pigmented to leave a gorgeous sheen on the high points of the face - perfect for creating a radiant, glowing look. The blusher is a muted pink that is perhaps slightly too dark for my complexion but will look gorgeous when I have a tan. The bronzer is a medium-toned brown that has some added shimmer to create a gorgeous sunkissed glow to the face. Although the intense pigmentation means that these products aren't the most blendable, and I find that they require a bit more work than others I've tried, they're definitely worth it for the lovely look that's created.

Tarte Hamptons Weekender Contour Palette

With quite a lot of base products that I've tried, I find that they look gorgeous for about an hour after application and then quickly start to fade away until there are no remnants left, especially with blusher. I'm pleased to report that this isn't the case here, perhaps due to containing Amazonian clay for long wear. The powders become almost fixed to the face and really don't budge throughout the day, which is great for having a sculpted look that seriously does last.

As a whole, these two palettes definitely left me impressed and created a great first impression of Tarte, and so I can't wait to see what other products they have on offer! Thank you for reading this blog post and I'll see you soon with another one!

Love from Daisy x