Sound and Vision

(vintage everything except for the shades by Urban Outfitters, socks by F21, shoes by Fornarina (I used to work for them!))

A million apologies for my huge blogging hiatus. I've been frustrated with the whole blogging thing and I'll tell you why. As some of you may remember from a previous post (back in the beginning of August), I wrote about my first giveaway from Anastasia of Beverly Hills. They had partnered up with The Confluence Group, a marketing firm who contacted me about wanting to use my blog to reach out about Anastasia's beauty products and told me to make a post first, and supplied me with the images and video, and me, being super green, was like, okay sure, free brow kit, yay!! Post made. They got back to me and said cool, we like it. I wait for my gift...I wait.. and wait. I send them a 'What's up?" email. I wait some more. And then, I was like wait a minute, did I just get scammed? Now, with anger and shame in my veins I write them another email inquiring about the delay and describing my disappointment in such seemingly reputable companies and their unprofessional marketing strategies.

Well, luckily, that email didn't fall on deaf ears and yeah, I received a brow kit shortly after. Not 2, as promised, and as I had detailed in my post for a giveaway opportunity. That really miffed me. I felt then, like now I was a scam, because there was no giveaway as mentioned. I just didn't know how to deal so I delayed further on posting. Now, finally, after having gathered my thoughts and feeling ok enough to even open the product, I tried it out for this shoot above. The little brow stencils they give you to shape your brows seemed like a good idea at first, but then when placed up to my brows, were about a mile too long and way too wide. None of the given stencils even remotely fit my brows. Pretty useless if you ask me. Everything else is nice. I think they should get rid of the stencils and replace them with a pair of mini tweezers like the brow kit by Urban Decay has.

As I write this, my frustration with this whole fashion blogging-marketing-brand-product placement-promotion business, I realize... hey, more power to the bloggers. I encourage all bloggers to take control of what they want or don't want, what they like and don't like and don't be afraid to say it out loud. This is your blog, you have no editor, no one in charge of what you publish and what you say. Magazines rely on advertisers, blogging is totally free from that restraint, which is why blogging is so monumental, so free, so unique.

I hope that me shedding light on my poor experience is understood not to bash Confluence Group or Anastasia of Beverly Hills. They have apologized for the delay and told me about their shipment problems and I completely forgive them. It doesn't change the fact that for a couple of weeks I was depressed about blogging, getting your hopes up, and then not hearing or seeing from them again? Well, it felt like getting stood up. I wanted to shed light on this because it happened and maybe some of you can relate. I have a blog to reach out. And I love my readers! So, lesson learned? Do not post before you see said product to avoid disappointment and you know, "mail trouble."

All the best, xo Nicki