Make up isn’t just a skill of mine, its an enjoyment, which is why blogging about it isn’t a chore, its something I appreciate.

As I have mentioned in previous posts I have always had a keen connection with beauty bloggers and YouTube stars. I read blogs and watch the same people on a daily basis, from the likes of Zoella, Shani Grimmond, Bella Fiori, to name a few. They give me inspiration and teach me ways that I can adapt my skills further, giving tips and tricks on how to perfect certain techniques, ones that I use on a daily basis when applying my make up. Aside from the usefulness of these videos and blogs, they also acts as my favourite pastime. I admire their confidence and motivation to talk so openly about something they are passionate about, it has since made me realise that I have found that confidence myself.

Vivienne and Burgess write effectively about digital storytelling which is what I have conducted through the making of this blog,  they argue ‘the digital storytelling movement has been an important intervention in community media arts, taking advantage of the affordances of digital media technologies but based on the sharing of personal images and identity narratives among small groups of participants” (Vivienne and Burgess, 2013: 283).

During the process of writing this blog, I have acquired a number of goals I wish to persue to take my passion further. I would hope that one day I can take my enthusiasm for beauty and use it in conjunction to my future aspirations, particularly my future career. I aspire to work in PR, and my ultimate dream would be to combine this with beauty by working with Make-Up brands to do campaigns for them. I have found blogging about make up is practically PR anyway right? so I’m almost there!

Aside from my blog I have also created an Instagram account to post pictures of my make up collection, beauty releases and just anything else I find pretty! As Wendt argues, ‘the methods for creating photos on Instagram have drastically changed former notions about photography, as we – not only in our selfies but also in other photos – appear to rely on smartphone screens rather than ourselves to compose photos’ (Wendt, 2014: 23) I enjoy photography and composing images on Instagram. I follow many beauty accounts myself which inspired me to create my own, they post selfies of their make up looks and also posed pictures of the products they used to show their followers. I enjoy making flat-lays and showing the beauty of make up in the images I post. The existing accounts similar to mine have taken it further and by being a blogger alongside, which is what I hope to achieve sometime in the near future! I wish to gain a following on my page in order to start a blog with a pre-existng audience in order to take my hobby and skill further.

instagram.com/xbeautyofmakeupx

Blogging, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook are social media platforms that have the ability to give someone an opportunity to produce content about a desired subject, something they feel passionate on and from doing so they are able form a community of people in an online space. ‘Web 2.0 is defined by the ability of users to produce content collaboratively, whereas most of what exists on Web 1.0 is provider-gener- ated. It is on Web 2.0 that there has been a dramatic explosion in prosump- tion. It can be argued that Web 2.0 should be seen as crucial in the development of the ‘means of prosumption’;Web 2.0 facilitates the implosion of production and consumption (Ritzer and Jurgenson, 2010: 19) . It is something that would not have been accessible to do before Web2.0 but its a great hobby to get into in order to talk openly and freely.

I would urge anyone who has a strong passion to think about starting a blog, it’s so easy to do and more importantly its actually great fun!

Caitlin x

Bibliography
Ritzer, G., and N. Jurgenson. “Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The Nature Of Capitalism In The Age Of The Digital ‘Prosumer’”. Journal of Consumer Culture 10.1 (2010): 13-36. Web.

Vivienne, S., and J. Burgess. “The Remediation Of The Personal Photograph And The Politics Of Self-Representation In Digital Storytelling”. Journal of Material Culture 18.3 (2013): 279-298. Web.

Wendt, B., “The Allure of the Selfie: Instagram and the New Self Portrait”. Network Notebooks 08, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam, 2014. ISBN 978-90-822345-1-0.

Make up is something I take great pride in. I love buying it, I love applying it and I love talking about it!

Make up isn’t just about covering up or changing your appearance. It’s a beautiful thing to be creative and experiment with.

When I first used make up I used it to hide away insecurities of mine, particularly my acne. It gave me confidence and did ultimately make me more happier and comfortable to go out in public, I kid you not, I would never leave the house without it. Its apparent that I no longer see make up in this way. I now use it because its something I enjoy, it may sound vain but sitting in front of a mirror and seeing a look come to life is appealing to me.

My favourite thing about make up is the beauty of it. It allows you to freely shape, paint, colour your face in a way that suits you. It’s can completely transform someone, giving confidence to say you look good and experiment in a way that nothing else can.

Make up for me looks beautiful in its packaging let alone on my face!

Caitlin x

If you know me and my make up collection you will know that eye shadow palettes are the one make up item I get super excited about buying.

I am one of the girls that follows the hype when a brand announces a new release of a product. I blame Instagram for that, the minute I see a beautifully photographed eye shadow palette I am immediately sold. I’m a self-claimed impulse buyer when it comes to make up, I somehow have it in my head that I need it rather than want it, when realistically who needs 12 eyeshadow palettes consisting of every shade of brown, orange, pink, gold, glitter, shimmer. You name it, I probably have it plus maybe 100 more…

Eyeshadow was never my forte, until I discovered YouTube tutorials. I now know the importance of gradation and blending. The success of a smokey eye relies on you to blend until your arm can’t psychically take no more, trust me anyone can make eyeshadow look incredible with the blending technique!

Although I have watched many, the thought of creating a video myself, showing how I achieve a perfected eye-look was somewhat daunting for me. However it was great fun and I hope it shows my love for make up.

My Movie from Caitlin Thomas on Vimeo.

I chose to use a mixture of browns, oranges, and pink in my crease which are my favourite colours to use on a daily basis, I added gold shimmer to the lid which can make your eyes pop, especially if you have blue eyes like me! The pink is very me, I just love the way pink can create a very pretty make up look, I am yet to pull off a make up look without using pinks, pink blush, pink lips, pink eyes, it may look daring in the palette but it can look amazing when applied! I hope you like the look I came up with and gave you some inspiration!

Caitlin x

Make up for me is much more than just a daily routine. It’s an aesthetic and a means to express myself.

I have always liked make up, I used it from a fairly young age. I am not ashamed to say I was one of the many girls who applied maybe one to many layers of Maybellines ‘dream matte mousse’ foundation 3 shades too dark all over my face, bright pink blusher and thick clumpy mascara, as part of my daily make up routine (girls are you with me?). It makes me cringe at the thought now, I dread to think what I must have looked like, but I guess every girl has been through that stage, right?

Although my love for make up started around 4 years ago, I was in my last year of school and my prom was fast approaching. Every girl envisions what their prom day will be like for them, every fine detail; from the dress, the hair, the shoes and of course the make up! I remember searching aimlessly on Instagram and Tumblr for inspirations for prom appropriate make up looks, it was then that I discovered the millions of Make-Up tutorials on YouTube, this is where my *obsession* stimulated. Despite my practice, looking back at my prom photos, my make up skills were
needless to say, not on point. Its pretty obvious I had no clue at this point how to perfectly contour my face, blend a smokey eye, and I most certainly did not have eyebrows ‘on fleek’. But hey we have all got to start somewhere.

I made a list of make up I wanted for my 16th birthday, recommended by beauty bloggers I had endlessly researched. I had previously only used drugstore products, but as prom was an occasion and it was my birthday I opted to try out high-end brands to see the difference it would make for my skin and make up in general. Since then my collection has grown massively, with brands like M-A-C, Benefit, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Too Faced, Urban Decay, which I treasure as my prized possessions, although it’s no surprise that my bank balance has taken a battering!!

With my moderately excessive make up collection and hours spent watching beauty bloggers on YouTube, I taught myself certain skills acquired to do my make up better, and although I would never claim to be a make up artist, I have gained a confidence and enjoyment from doing it.

Caitlin x

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