Blogging Tips: Organisation

Organisation is one of those things that is crucial for me to get through my day. I have tried so many different ways of planning out my blog posts, and this way is definitely the best for me. I've been using this type of planner for a couple of years, and recently bought this beautiful "dark cherry" colour from kikki.K. 

I use different sections to plan; 

"Calendar" / "To Do" / "Post Ideas" / "Notes" / "Inspiration" / "Projects"

I love that this is a perpetual calendar - I usually plan a month ahead at a time. There's certain posts that go live every week so I fill those in first, then refer to my "Post Ideas" tab to fill in the blanks. 

I write everything in pencil, and then when it's scheduled to go live, I write it in pen - this allows me a bit of freedom to move things around without it getting messy with white-out. 

I create a to-do list table, that allows for me to check off when I have taken and edited the photos for each post, when it's written and then when it's scheduled to go live. I usually plan in my day-planner when I am going to take a whole bunch of photos at once; then another day for editing, and then a day to write and schedule. I find by breaking all the tasks up I don't experience "bloggers block" as often. Blogging can take up hours, so breaking up the tasks also makes it all a bit more manageable. 

In my 'Post Ideas' tab, I keep a couple of lists - one is my 'review list', where I keep track of products I've either been sent or that I've bought that I want/need to review. 

I also keep a more general 'Post Ideas' tab, where I scribble possible future posts - I try to brainstorm here regularly so that I never run out of ideas. 

Sometimes I get inspired from other blogs, pinterest, magazines etc, and I keep track of this in the 'Inspiration' tab - this way, if I do run a post or build an idea I can easily head here and refer back to it

When I'm planning giveaways, or collaborating with other bloggers / instagrammers, I keep track of this in the 'Projects' tab. 

So that's how I plan my blog posts - I usually plan a couple of times a month to try keep on top of everything. Do you plan your blog posts? What do you use? 

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Eyes of the Night: Naked 3 by Urban Decay

I have been obsessed with the Naked 3 palette (and using it exclusively) since I bought it at the UD Launch a couple of weeks ago - it is so easy to create so many different eye looks with this beauty; there's a few darker shades which are great for night-time, but there's also so many shades which make this the perfect palette for work. 

I wore this look out to dinner the other night with a friend (hence, no lipstick) so I went a bit darker with some of the colours. 

I used Nooner and Factory in the outer V, and Darkside in the crease and under my waterline. All over lid colour was Buzz, with a bit of Limit and Strange blended in the inner corner. 

I used Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Inked in Pink as a base - this is the perfect colour-match for the Naked 3, however it does make blending a little difficult. 

I am still loving the Hourglass Ambient palettes; for this look I used Incandescent Electra (middle) from the blush palette, and Dim Light (left) as an all-over finishing powder from the lighting palette. 

I am really loving the way the Make-Up Store's Microshadow in Meteor looks as a highlight; it creates such a pretty sheen without any glitter. 

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Week in Pictures #67

Gorgeous decorations and delicious strawberry cake at a friend's engagement party last weekend - I feel like I have so many engagement parties and weddings going on in my life right now and it makes me so happy to see my friends so happy and with the loves of their lives! (Although it is a bit expensive for me ha ha) 

And speaking of true love - on Saturday J and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! 

We had such an amazing day visiting the Aquarium, and the Sydney Wildlife Park before heading out to dinner at Onyx in Newtown.  

So many cute animals - blows my mind that we have a little zoo right in the heart of the city! The quokkas and the wombat were probably my favourite.

So much good food - burgers for lunch from Grill'd; 

we dined at Onyx at Newtown; the deep-fried brie was easily the best dish. We also got the chicken quesadillas, and the pulled pork main to share. Our order got screwed up by the manager so we also got some free chicken croquettes, hurrah! 

Apple ciders in glasses and finishing the night off with drippy gelato - best! 

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In-Depth Review: Clearasil Ultra and Clearasil Daily Clear Ranges.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Clearasil and asked if I would be interested in trying some products from two of their skin care ranges. I was sent the 'Rapid Action Gel Wash'* and the 'Acne Treatment Cream'* from the Ultra range, and the 'Vitamins and Extracts Scrub'*, and 'Vitamin and Extracts Daily Wash'* from the Daily Clear range. 

Clearasil were one of the first skincare brands I ever tried, and I've been using the Acne Treatment Cream for years - it contains 5%w/w benzoyl peroxide and 50mg/g of Bentonite. Benzoyl peroxide is an antibacterial agent that works to kill the bacteria that causes acne and inflammation. I find this product really helps clear my skin when I break out and I get multiple bumps and blemishes in the one area (normally my chin or cheeks). 

If you're using this product, or any other product with Benzoyl Peroxide in it, you need to ensure you use proper sun protection - BP can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage, and burning.

The Vitamins&Extracts Daily Wash that I was sent expired on the 12/2014, according to the stamp on the back of the product. This product has avocado and pomegranate extracts, and is a thicker consistency than I would normally use in a face wash. It did leave my skin feeling a bit dry after use (I naturally have dry/dehydrated skin), and I think because of this it did cause me to break out a bit. Like I mentioned though, the product I was sent was out of date, so I'm not sure if that has something to do with why this didn't work for me, and if you had oily skin you would probably also have different results. 

I like the squeezy tube - it makes it easy to dispense product in the shower, however the product does build up in the cap. As this is a thicker wash, it gets cakey and gross if you don't rinse it every time you use it. I feel like a lot of product would be wasted because of the recess built-in to where the product comes out. 

I did also receive the vitamins&extract scrub from the same range as the wash. Again, this contains avocado and pomegranate extracts. This contains microbeads and so is a manually-exfoliating product. I've spoken out before about microbeads contained in face scrubs, and how damaging they are for the environment (and how damaging they can be for your skin). It is for this reason I did not trial this product. 

I did really like the Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash cleanser. As the name suggests, this product is a gel cleanser. It claims to make "your skin visibly clearer in 12 hours", which is quite the claim. I presume that this claim is due to the salicylic acid, which although is listed as an ingredient, there is no percentages given as to its concentration. I don't know if I would agree with the 12 hour claim, but I do feel like my skin was clearer after continual use of this product. 

This cleanser feels light, and lathers well. My skin feels normal after using it - I really like that this doesn't dry my skin out. There's a faint scent, it's kind of clinical and not offensive. 

Again, I like the squeezy tube and the packaging. Overall, I really did like this cleanser. I think it would also work really well with the Clarisonic (I need a new brush head for mine so didn't test it out, but it's a good consistency for it)

These products were kindly sent to me by Clearasil for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own - for further details check out my disclaimer here. 

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April Goals

I was busy almost every weekend in March, so the month passed me by quickly. Can you believe we're already in April!?

How are you going with goal-setting and your New Years Resolutions? 

MARCH GOALS

- Do 3 pull-ups

HOORAH! I am finally feeling like I am getting my strength back since breaking my wrist, and being able to do 3 pull ups is the greatest feeling ever. 

- Set a budget

- Sell clothes from wardrobe clean-out

- Get back into regular plasma donation

I am happy to say I can tick this one off this week. I have been regularly donating, every 3 weeks. If you are eligible to donate blood, book in now for your next donation. The Red Cross relies on reliable donations, and you are literally saving lives! 

- Establish a routine; sleep on time so I'm not waking up tired every morning

I feel like I am finally adjusting to full-time work and the crazy long days that come with being a lawyer. There are still some days where I'm waking up tired, but for the most part I'm in bed before 12 - which is massive for me. 

- Bring lunch to work

I am definitely getting better with this, which is saving me money. I love knowing what I'm having for lunch - it's something small to look forward to during the day. 

APRIL GOALS

- Set a budget.

- Sell clothes from wardrobe clean-out

- Do 5 pull-ups

- Stretch 5x a week

- Set a regular cleaning schedule

- Pay for C's hen's night

- Revise my Chinese to send a letter to my penpal in Chinese

- Get my practising certificate and High Court certificate framed

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My Week in Pictures #66

Happy Easter lovely readers! I hope you all had a great long weekend, and took plenty of time to rest. The long weekend kicked off on Thursday afternoon when the Easter bunny dropped off some eggs to my desk at work. J and I headed down to Canberra on Friday afternoon, arriving back home on Sunday night. J's mum brought out the Easter baskets and we each got some easter choccys - anyone who knows me knows that Lindt is my favourite - paired with an Easter bilby and Cherry Ripe and you've got one happy Michaela. 

We went to the Old Bus Depot Markets on Easter for something to do - there's a stall there where a man makes fresh orange juice, and hot spiced ciders. I had the spiced apple and cinnamon cider, J had an orange juice, and J's mum had the honey, lemon and ginger cider. Perfect on a cool, rainy Easter day. 

I'm now spending my Monday watching Netflix (I signed up for the month-free trial and am loving it!), doing washing and preparing for the (4 day) week ahead. 

How was your Easter break?

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New In: Urban Decay!

 

Urban Decay finally graced Aussie shores last week, when it launched at Mecca Maxima nation-wide. I wasn't keen enough to line up and be the first to get through the door, but I did wander down during my lunch break and picked up two products I have wanted for years, but not bothered to get due to ridiculous exchange rates and long shipping times.

 

I don't think the Naked 3 needs any introductions. 

I went with 3 over 2 - I already own 1, and 2 was a bit too similar to what I already own in my collection. 3 though... 3 has shades that are unlike anything that I own - beautiful, rosey-toned neutral shades.This palette will be perfect for work eyes, and I will be able to mix and match it with other eyeshadow shades that I already own. 

I also picked up the Primer Potion in Eden; I have veins that show through my eyelids so I thought it would be a good idea to go with the primer that has a bit of concealer mixed in. The first time I used it though, it came out all separated. Is this normal? Looks like I'll have to remember to shake well before using.

 

 

 Did you pick up anything in the Urban Decay launch? There are so many more products that I want!

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