Hi loves!!!!
I am holding two giveaways. One is on Instagram and the other is on Twitter. To enter you need to check out my Twitter and Instagram ( @mypinkrambles on both accounts). The pressies are a Clinique pop lippie and a Dior nails varnish ( the pictures are from the ones I own. The winners will get new ones!!)
So, hop over to my
Twitter (pinned post)
and/or IG (use your phone for Instagram).
Read the instructions on how to enter and good luck!!
xx
Joanna
Hi lovelies!
I had heard about the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess line bringing out a Multi Purpose Palette and saw it in store yesterday, swatched it, and of course got it! I will give you a mini review and some 1st impressions.
A highlighter, a blush and a bronzer. The highlighter is a cream/gold colour, the blush is pink/ light pomegranate and the bronzer is light brown.
There is no powder brush and no mirror (3 months later…. there is a mirror and it’s under this thick sticker. I had been using it for so long and thought there was no mirror. :p). The packaging is expensive (it’s not plastic) and the clip to open and close the palette is sturdy not at all flimsy. It is quite heavy (11.5 grams).
I would say it’s more on the powder side. There is not much fall out when you put it on your cheeks etc. I have only tried the blush so far. It is quite long-lasting but I wore the blush midday in very hot weather and it did not last till the night-time. I would say 6 hours in extreme weather conditions! I will report back to you about the highlighter and bronzer.
In Greece, I got it for 45 euro cause Estee Lauder cause of sales ( I have mentioned this a zillion times but in Greece we often have sales on cosmetics).
I think the palette is so pretty and I really look forward to wearing it this summer. I do think you should check it out next time you are in a store that sells Estee Lauder products.
So, that’s all for now. Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram/Google+.
Talk soon!
xx
Jo
Hi everyone,
Today I thought I’d share with you my own Huffington Post story. I will talk to you about how I got published, I will share my posts with you, and what happened after I got published. In the end, I will give you my words of wisdom (aka what I really think).
So, I started blogging here about 8 months ago and I joined a few Facebook groups to get a few ideas and figure out how I could become better at more general/ lifestyle-ish blogging. From time to time I would see people in these groups talk about being published on the Huff Post and how great that was. I knew the Huffington Post, I read it from time to time, and thought to myself, ” Hey! I will give this a shot” and I did.
I filled in a bloggers form. This is a page that you can fill in and upload your post. My post was something very dear to me. I thought it was a good post and actually believed if I ever had an opportunity at being shared, it would be with this post. I clicked the submit button.
No response.
I then read that many people were emailing Arianna Huffington herself, so I did.
No response.
A few months went by and I wrote another post. I thought I’d give it one more shot and that’s when I heard back from Arianna.
You get an email saying that your post has been accepted and you will be receiving a new email with passwords to set up your blogger profile/page.That happened and then I made my profile. The hardest part for me was choosing a decent picture. Yeap. I know. Vain but, well, don’t wanna look like crap in my Huff Post Profile! I actually asked my friends which one they preferred the most. Most of them agreed on this one pic. I disagreed, and chose a completely different one!!
Well, once you submit your post it gets published in one or two days.
I learnt this the hard way, so I am going to tell you a few secrets.
If you want to read more of my adventures, make sure you check out my blog at http://www.mypinkrambles.com
at the end of my blog post and it got published without any editing.
3. Make sure you proofread your article and don’t rush to press submit.
Well, this depends on why you are sharing your post on the Huffington Post website. It looks good on your media kit. I was happy to see my name on a bigger platform. I enjoyed seeing the ‘likes’ and the comments on Facebook or my other social media.I did get approached by a few websites to write a few blog posts for them though (unpaid) and actually did write one.
BUT my page views did not go up. I only got 20-30 extra page views whenever one of my posts was shared. I did not get blog subscribers from this experience.
Oh yeah! Now the good part. I got plagiarised! 4 times. My blog post, the one I wrote about opening and closing a business in Greece, got copy pasted on websites and two personal blogs. Everything!! Like…. every single word. The irony is that the plagiarists were Americans talking about going to university in Greece and opening a language school in Greece. I mean…. c’mon!!! One of my plagiarists was actually in publishing!!! What did I do? Well, I sent messages and tweets to the websites and asked them to take my post down or at least mention me as the writer. I also contacted the Huffington Post.Nothing has happened though. I will now take harsher measures against these websites. Do keep in mind that some websites can repost a Huff Post article, but this was not the case!
Sure! It’s just me sharing something I have already shared here, so why not? It’s not like I have a super-duper popular blog and am missing out on traffic. It’s not like my Huff Post blog posts are reducing my DA numbers.
So, there you have. Now my words of wisdom.
I say go for it. Try it at least once. So, you don’t get paid. Big woop. Did you start blogging cause you wanted to become a rich blogger?
You can click here to check out the 5 posts I have published.
Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram.
Talk soon!
xx
Jo
Hi everyone!
I wanted to do a rose/floral print so this week’s spread is just that. Roses, roses and some polka dots. You can download my printable at the end of this post and don’t forget to subscribe to my if you like planning, beauty, makeup and other girlie stuff (check the sidebar on how to ‘follow’).
First of all, I made my boxes so as to cover the whole page. That means that there is no need to use washi tape at the bottom of the page (look at the pic above). I have the happy planner with the gold heart in the middle).
I write down my work schedule, any appointments I have and bills that are due.
I used stickers from a few Etsy stores.
The me sticker is from Spark some sunshine.
The coffee mug is from Planner chick designs.
The makeup brushes and the hanger that says shopping are from Hello petite paper.
The cupcake is from the Sassy planner.
The printable
Remember
It covers the whole page and you do not need washi tape for the bottom side.
Make sure your printer is on: print actual size.
Click below to download the Pdf file:
The digital paper was bought from the Etsy store Chen studio 88.
So, that’s all for now. Happy planning and don’t forget to check the sidebar for more about planning, beauty and other stuff.If you have an Etsy store and would like to be featured on my blog, feel free to email me (check the about page).
Talk soon.
Jo
A few moments later……..
This post is probably the most random post I have written so far. I started off wanting to write about one thing and then I started feeling sorry for myself which lead to a completely irrelevant ending. So, here is today’s post.
I work a lot. Like all day long. Literally. I teach Business English online in the morning and I teach kids English in the afternoon. I also blog. I have two blogs. One is an educational blog and the other one is this one which is, let’s call it lifestyle-ish/ beauty-ish or a Me, Me,Me blog.
My edublog has been there for about 3 years and this one is almost 8 months old. Trying to juggle life, work and blogging is hard. Today, I want to talk a bit about blogging and how I find time for it.
How do you find time for blogging?
I don’t.
I make time for blogging.
That’s the answer. I do not have time to blog. I mean I should be working out or cleaning the house or something but I don’t instead I make time to blog. For me, at the moment, blogging is my creative outlet. I do it for fun. Even if I write about what I bought, it’s fun. It’s like hanging out with the gals and showing stuff.
Yes, I work all day, but I do have free time and when I have free time instead of say watch TV, I blog.
Well, in the mornings I am a freelance online Business English teacher (yes, that does sound fancy). What that means though is that I am home in front of my pc from 9-3 teaching. I do not have a set timetable though, and I may have gaps between lessons. That’s when I write.
I also blog late at night instead of reading a book (I feel a bit guilty about that one).
I do not always have time to finish a blog post. I have lots of posts that are in draft form which I continue writing whenever I have ten or fifteen minutes, here and there. That helps me have content.
I don’t know about you guys, but the hardest thing about blogging for me isn’t making time to blog, but making time to share my posts. Dedicating time for all the social media. Yes, I have Buffer and I schedule posts. I use Pinterest and have a Facebook page for my blog, but sharing takes more time and it sometimes feels like it is not worth it. I often see that my page views are from an ‘unknown source’. Whatever that means! I am still baffled as far as Instagram is concerned. I am amazed by how up and downsy my twitter following is.
In terms of my edublog. I do not have these problems. Finding time, sharing and trying to help the blog grow. I do nothing and people read my posts. It just sits there and gets page views. I think it’s because I have had it for a longer time and because I share material which teachers can download and use in class.
This random blog (yeah, I am talking about this one. The one you are reading now. If you are actually bravce enough and have reached this part!) does not have content that will make the reader come back. Actually scratch that, there are some planner printables which make readers (new readers) visit my page but that’s it. They do not follow or subscribe. They get what they need and go.
I had to give this section a title cause it doesn’t make sense and has nothing to do with finding/making time to blog. I often get discouraged. You see, while I do tell myself that I blog because it’s fun and I like writing (I actually think I am quite good at it. Yeap. Me getting a big head). I am not happy with my page views. That for me is a reality check. I am lying to myself when I say I write because it’s fun opr maybe I should say, I half lie. I do have fun, but I also want people to read what I write and enjoy it as well. Find it interesting and on some days my page views are like close to 0.
That is discouraging which makes me realise that I am not just writing for fun. I am writing because I want something to come out of all this writing. I do not know what though.
Isn’t that funny? Why write when you have no clear goals? Or do I have goals that I am scared to word?
Dunno fellow blogger. This blog post feels like a whole lot of nothing, but anyways, I am sharing some thoughts with you guys and waiting for words of wisdom from you guys. How do you keep going. Why do you keep going? Why do you make time?
That’s all for today.
Oh! Yeah! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog (follow me somewhere or add me to your Bloglovin thingy).
Thanks for sticking around. If you actually stuck around.
There are certain things a woman who is close to her forties and over,will hear about being single and today I am going to share with you some of those ‘catchy’ phrases. My approach is of course on the humorous side, while theirs is on the ‘helpful’ side.
You need to find a man.
Which is followed by the question,
Why can’t you find a man?
You remain silent and they jump in offering myriad explanations.
Yes. That’s it. I am picky. That must be it.”There are so many men out there. You are smart and beautiful and yada yada yada”.
That of course is better than
Or
What exactly,about myself/ my appearance, do you want me to change?
Wrong? What do you mean wrong? Hmm let me think about that one. Reality check ‘my friend’. I am being me.
Something is wrong with you
See if you are forty and single then something MUST be wrong with you. Like c’mon. You have met so many people. You must have met someone by now. What IS wrong with you?
You choose the wrong men.
Maybe I did/have but then again so do 50% of the divorced couples. You see I can say I am divorced minus the marriage.
Now time for a GOOD ones (this coming from the mean girls/boys)
You are never going to find a man at this age.
Do you think you are getting any younger?
Followed by
How are you gonna have babies?
OK! Fair point but then again, there are ways,you know the one about the birds and the bees?
OR
Don’t you want to settle down and have kids?
Hmmm. I guess I don’t.
You need to act your age
Aka you shouldn’t be going out till late, you should have a purpose in life, why are you wasting your life?
You long-lost friend sees you after many, many years. The conversation goes something like this:
So!! How are you?
Good. You?
Oh! I am great thanks. So are you married? Kids?
Ummm. Nope and nope.
Oh! OR Oh! Don’t worry, you will find someone.
I will find someone…… “in a bag of chips” as we say in Greece.
Then this one which is supposed to be funny.
You are gonna die alone with your bags/shoes/dogs/cats etc.
Followed once more by the
You must be doing something wrong.
Well, I am a bag lady , so I will have my bags. Dunno about the rest of you lovelies. Guess what though,
I am happy and single. Gimme a break.
What do you think? Have I forgotten anything? Don’t forget to follow this blog or me somewhere, somehow (check the sidebar on how to ‘connect’).
Talk soon!
Jo xxx
Hi dolls!
The last time I went to the Dior counter and bought some makeup, the sales assistant told me that the Dior (Greece) makeup artist would be coming to my town and asked me if I would like to get my makeup done. Of course the lovemedoo (aka: me) jumped at the opportunity and said of course! So, in today’s post I will share with you what the makeup artist told me and I will show you some pics and of course what I got!
Let’s start with my age. I am 40. When I sat in the ‘chair’ the Dior makeup artist asked me how I take care of my skin. I said the truth. I wear a day cream which is moisturising and at night-time I also wear a face cream. I do not wear sun screen lotion and I always take off my makeup before I go to bed.
He said that my skin is very sensitive which is why I need to wear sunscreen. I also have red spots (discoloration not acne) cause of the sensitivity. My skin is a bit dehydrated.
He also suggested
I use a serum before applying my cream because it absorbs the facial cream much better and goes deeper into the skin.
Dior Totale Dream Skin: this products refines the skin texture and evens the colour of your skin. It is also an anti wrinkle cream.
One essential serum: this detoxifies and makes skin look luminous.
Capture Totale MultiPerfection Cream: this cream delivers immediate long-lasting comfort and is anti-ageing.
Caprtue Totale Eye Serum: it makes your eyes look more rested, detoxified and regenerates.
(descriptors take from the sephora.com website)
My skin felt nice and soft after all the creams and serums.
Unfortunately, I did not write down all the products used, but I do have some of them, so I can share most of the info.
Primer: Diorskin Forever and Ever Primer
Fourdation: Dior Forvever foundation
Powder:DiorSkin Forever & Ever Control: Extreme Perfection & Meatte Finish Invisible Loose Powder.
Lip Liner: Number 593
Lippie: Dior Addict Milky Tint no. 126.
I got the powder, the liner and the lippie.
I really had fun at the Dior makeup counter. I loved the look and the experience. To be totally honest though, after I took off my makeup my under eye area (left eye) was a bit puffy and red and I do not know why. It may have been the products or the makeup remover I used to take off the makeup. I actually did a no makeup day or two after that.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you tried any of these products?
Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram.
Talk soon!
xx
Jo
Hi there!
Time for monthly favourites. So, in today’s post you will read about makeup products, clothes, a bag, and other random stuff I loved in the month of April. So, let’s see what I liked!
Clinique Pop Lipsticks
I love this line. The lippies feel so soft, comfortable and nourishing. They are long-lasting and so far I have 2 in my collection. The one I am loving at the moment is Plum Pop which is number 14. You can check it out here (I am using Amazon affiliate links throughout this post).
Nail polish
I am currently wearing this on my nails. It is a repurchase. I am talking about the Dior Grege 413 (beige/nude). You can get it here.
Vest tops
Yeap! I really like the H&M vest tops. They are comfy, soft and quite long. Check them out at your local H&M.
Trainers
Every summer I go to the UK, so I need shoes that don’t look like trainers, they are black all over, and which are great for when it rains. So for the past 3 years I have been repurchasing this pair of Reebok runners.They are all black, leather and they are great for walking. They have a very soft padding on the inside. They are oil and slip resistant.Thy are the Reebok Women’s Work N Cushion Walking Shoe. You can check them out here.
Eyeshadow and liner
I am very clumsy when it comes to eye shadow and that’s mostly cause of my eyesight. I have been using liners and eyeshadow pencils a lot and for the past month I started using again two of the pencils from the range Colorbrand Bourjois and I use the colours 04 Rose fauviste and 03 Beige minimaliste. Extra points for the fact that these pencils say what colour the product is on the packaging (I am colourblind).
Cross Body bag
I just love this bag. I got it from Zara for 25 euro! It looks so expensive. Has a lot of compartments. You should check it out at Zara.
My new Perfume
Eskada Delicate notes. I love this because it reminds me of a floral scented powder-y perfume. If you like Bulgari Rose or Chloe Rose, you should check this one out!
Drinking Iced Coffee
The weather is getting warmer and I am loving my Frappe. If you do not know what that is, it’s a cold coffee (nescafe) which is shaken till there is froth. You add sugar and milk (if you want to). I got this huge plastic glass and that’s how I have my coffee every single day. You can get the Pink Freezable Ball Gell Tumbler Cup here.
YouTuber
I started watching Lydia this month and I really like her videos. She is very chic and loves luxury products. She does makeup tutorials, hauls and vlogs. She lives in the UK. If you haven’t watched her videos yet, you should go over to her chanel and check her out (aka subscribe).
Shout out to bloggers
I really liked reading this post and thought it was such a refreshing idea. So much that I might try it with someone. Two best friends share their week with their readers. You can check out their blog here.
And what about my ‘stuff’?
My most ‘liked’ Insta photo is 
My most popular post last month was: My “problem” with the word disability which was also published in the Huffington Post. You can read it here.
Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram.
Talk soon!
xx
Jo
Hi there!!
I decided it was about time I took you around my town. I live in Chania, Crete (Greece). At the moment it is Easter time in Greece (Greek Orthodox) and the weather is great (like 27 degrees!). So, this was a good opportunity for me to take you along. Yesterday was Good Friday. On Good Friday we go to the church and kneel before the crucifixion.
My day started with a pomegranate and green tea juice and a walk around the old harbour (also know as the Venetian harbour).
You see my town has a long history and has architectural influence from the Egyptian, the Turks, The Venetians and the Greeks!
Of course the most popular landmark is the Alexandrian Lighthouse.
and the harbour itself.
There are also squares
and an old mosque.
This place was so packed that I couldn’t take a picture of the whole building (sorry folks, gonna have to settle with half of it).
After our juice, we started walking around the old town and going to churches. I have not taken any pics of the inside of churches, but I do have pictures of the places I walked by.
Our first stop was in a small square where you find two well-known restaurants and the church of Agia Irini (or Dabia square).Pictures below are of the tavern called the Turkish Well.
Lots of taverns in my town are like this (just so you know).
You see really beautiful buildings,
the typical picturesque narrow streets,
and little naighbourhoods.
Today I woke up to the smell of traditional cheese pies (sometimes they are mixed with spinach or other green spices/stuff (Haha! Dunno the English word for this!). This is a typical dish for Easter.
and this is a typical sweet bread for Easter.
So, there you have it. I gave you a small glimpse of some of the places in my town and I also showed you two of our Easter “dishes”.
Happy Easter to those celebrating. If you are looking for a place to spend your summer, you should look into Chania (Crete) cause Greece is not just about the economy, Grexit and bad things shown on the news. There is a lot of beauty and very friendly folks!
Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram.
Talk soon!
xx
Jo
Special thanks to my friend Antoni for some of the pics
If you had to choose only one makeup/beauty item, what would that be? I thought about that question quite a bit when my Facebook friend April asked it. I replied, ” Lipstick”. But then thought, ” Is that true?” What do I never ever leave the house without? Even on the days I am not wearing any makeup, I wear perfume!!
So, today let’s talk about what I love.
I ❤ rose scented perfumes. I have bought loads of different ones throughout the years.
I loved Gucci Rush 2. OK. This one is not pure rose, but it does smell of rose a lot.
If you are a rose scent fan, you need to check out Chloe Roses and VIP rose.
Chloe rose smells like a lot of roses. Very floral not overpowering. Lovely scent that is quite long-lasting.
VIP Rose this smells like rose but there is also a powdery smell to it. It is stronger than Chloe and on my skin, lasts longer.
Dolce & Gabanna The one (rose) is another favourite. I went through 2 bottles, but then moved on to Chloe.
I recently discovered the Escada Delicate Notes perfume. I really like it. It actually reminds me of the Bulgari one, but it is not as strong and does not last as long.
My all time favourite though is Bulgari Rose (it is discontinued, but you can still find it on Amazon). That was my perfume for many years. It smells of roses and talk. It doesn’t oxidase and it is a really nice scent for brides (my sister wore it on her wedding day).
If you are on a budget but still want to smell like a rose/flower-y, then go to the Body Shop and check out the perfumes. I have the Moroccan Rose, but I know the body shop is coming out with an English rose as well.
I love them all, but my top ones are:
Bulgari Rose
Chloe Rose
So, there you have it lovelies.What’s your favourite?
Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram (cause as you can see, my pics are fantastic!). I am doing #Beda; blogging every (kinda) day in April, so do check out those posts.
xx
Jo
My Pink Rambles 