(My top favorite picks from the NARS Spring 2018 skincare and makeup line. You don't need much at all to achieve a clean, fresh face!)
I used to blog a lot more often. Remember back in June when I wrote my last blog post, revamped my site's look and paid extra for the fancy domain www.realellybrown.com?
Yeah, me neither, because I stopped updating my blog after that. Part of that was because most of my writing power went towards my lifestyle pieces for The Sunday, and part of it is because I got very comfortable. Life got busy, taking work trips with my band and doing things I was excited about.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being comfortable, except that...well...it's harder to make content and really push yourself unless you have something to say passionately.
The truth is, lots of things were happening that I could have found passion to write about. Last year was a hell of a year--a frightening brush with cancer, watching and feeling my physical instrument change after surgery (my mouth; my diction changed entirely), and really coming to terms with how that would change my work as a singer/host, and my identity as a performer. Luckily, I did not lose that.
Some exciting things happened, too--I also started a chapter of my Los Angeles-based caroling group here in Las Vegas. I formed relationships with a few new hosting clients and made some great online educational content. And I got even more involved in Facebook, and helping with Ricky's content (@RealRickLax).
I wasn't in a mood to write somber posts about keeping cheery while it was all going on. My way to deal was to just stay busy. I wanted my head entirely in the present and the positive, and I worried that instead of writing being cathartic, it would drag me into a state of overthinking. And as much as I love my fiancee, (my rock!) he did quite enough worrying for the both of us, thank you. Since March, all three PET scans have been clear. Cancer is in the rear-view mirror now.
This post doesn't feel as spiritual as my blogs have in the past, but still, I wanted to share it with you. After all, complete wellness includes body, mind, and spirit. Makeup and skincare is a powerful thing: when you FEEL beautiful, you feel well. You feel healthy and happy. And somehow, it MAKES you want to do everything better--eat better, exercise, and take time for the self. And when you feel well, you feel beautiful. And that power in makeup makes a difference in the lives of women, whether they are looking for a new job...or fighting cancer...or simply want to improve the quality of their lives.
So, I'm going to include the content I create on Facebook here on this blog. I hope you find it relevant and useful, and I look forward to sharing so much more with you in 2018!