I've had a couple of nominations for this blogger award - see here and here - and while I don't tend to nominate others to do it (because like me, most people have now done it multiple times) I still like the concept of sharing some blog love and always like answering the questions because it gives me something to write about.

Lauren from Teacher Types is my most recent nominator. Thanks Lauren! You'll be seeing a guest post from Lauren here on Almost Posh soon, so look out for it.



First; 10 random facts about me:

1. I was on TV game show The Weakest Link circa 2001. I made it halfway through and was the strongest link in Round 1 before I got knifed by a mole from Moana.

2. Dale and I were married on the fourth anniversary of our first date . . .  in Las Vegas. It was the same chapel where Angelina married Billy Bob. Elvis was not in attendance.

3. My first overseas trip was a Contiki European tour in 2001. I woke up on my first morning overseas to news of the Bali bombings.

4. I have lived in two industrial cities, two small country towns and two capital cities across three Australian states.

5. I have written and recorded a song that received commercial airplay on Nova 91.9 in Adelaide.

6. Jobs I've had include various admin roles, court reporter, customer service officer, waitress (lol) and shopping centre harrasser.

7. I can wiggle my ears and move my eyeballs independently of each other. Obviously, I'm a hit at parties.

8. I always put my left shoe on first.

9. I get called Ruth on average once a week which is annoying enough but even more so because it's my sister's name and most people doing it have never even met her.

10. The first book I ever read was "The Enchanted Wood" by Enid Blyton and I have over 100 of her books still.



And now my specially set questions:

1. I know you love op-shopping! What's been your very best find? Like the best label? Or the best bargain??

I got a pair of brand new black pants (Review) that fit like a dream for $12 from Savers. I've also found shoes by Vivienne Westwood ($6), Salvatore Ferragamo ($8) and Kurt Geiger ($17).

2. Favourite make up product right now for those of us who are challenged in the make up department?

Boring foundation aside, I can't go past my Tarte Tartelette eyeshadow palette. I use it every day. It has 12 matte neutral shades and every one is totally wearable as either a full-lid shadow or as liner with a liner brush. It's super easy to use and while it's not cheap, it's a good investment if you just want one workhorse palette.

3. Again sticking with the theme of those of us who are challenged in the fashion department - what trends are coming up for Spring??

Spring will bring us more off-the-shoulder styles if you only joined in late last season like me, block heels (yay, comfort!) and boho type vibes.

4. Meal + beverage you started your day with today?

I am not great when it comes to breakfast to be honest. Today I am munching on handfuls of  the Superboost mix from Coles and a small latte with Zymil from Cotto.

5. Quote of the mo...

I am useless at inspo quotes so I'll throw you something from those immortal brothers of philosophy, N & L Gallagher:



I think there's something in that for all of us, don't you?

What are you doing with yourself lately? Have you entered my giveaway yet?

No, not for me - what are you trying to say?!


Only joking. Even though it is actually my birthday in about six weeks (and if someone were to gift me free veneers I'd be delirious with joy), the face-lift in question is all about the blog.

I'd been wanting to revamp for a while and was going to wait until my 2 year blogaversary in mid-September to launch the new look but I had some unexpected time to myself on the weekend and got all carried away with it and simply couldn't wait so here it is.

Having made the move to something visual (that's not too abysmal), it has meant the front page now features auto jump cuts - that's the "read more" business rather than the full post. I know this aggrieves some people because it messes up their blog readers (with particular apologies to Snoskred) but hopefully it's not enough to put anyone right off.

There's a few things I need to tweak - like getting the Disqus comment count to show up on the home page so I don't look like Billy No-Mates and things like that. Otherwise, have a squizz (looks better on PC, obvs) and let me know what you reckon.

Usually on a Monday, I post about beauty-related matters but my scheduled guest post has not yet been submitted. My contributor needs more time to put some products to the test, or so he says. So let's talk about cosmetic procedures. I've not had anything more invasive than an eyebrow wax although as mentioned above, I would love to get my jacked-up grill fixed.

Have you had anything done? Would you?

(I'm cheekily still linking up to the Monday Makeup Madness party btw)

As a sociable introvert who can sometimes struggle making small talk when meeting new people and dreads the idea of being in a room full of strangers for the purpose of networking, I fully understand if you say you're too shy to attend blogger meet-ups or events. However I'm here to tell you why you need to get over it and get on board.

1. Bloggers get both you and it



Bloggers understand #bloggerproblems and #bloggerlyf. Whether it's moaning that your child is still too young or your husband too uncooperative to take decent style shots, a lack of a decent selfie wall in the house that isn't blocked by wheelie bins or garden hoses or a budget that doesn't extend as far as you'd like, bloggers understand, sympathise and offer hacks and solutions, including affordable phone tripods at Typo.

2. You can be on your phone


Bloggers don't mind if you're looking at your phone at a catch-up because they know you're not being a rude mole; you're checking in, tagging, Instagramming, Snapchatting or otherwise capturing the moment for your followers. Instant phone access means you can connect right away - you might even find you already follow each other!

3. You have volunteers to take your style snaps


Meet somewhere with some cool street art or industrial walls and you have the perfect backdrop for some style shots and no shortage of people willing to help you (and you won't feel like a chump for asking). Bloggers know how to take Instagram photos and will take heaps until you're happy, not just three from the same wack angle if you're lucky. Here's Caitlin from Twist of Cait working the wall as Jenni from Styling Curvy snaps away at our recent catch-up.

4. Networking and connections


Chatting to other bloggers can get you connected in all sorts of ways - including discovering new blogs or Insta accounts to follow, e-courses, events, brands and more. Obviously don't bowl in asking for someone's personal PR contacts straight off the bat, that's rude. (Appreciate your hustle but . . . don't). Ask for ideas on how to build relationships instead.

5. You will probably meet somewhere nice


Bloggers are unlikely to meet up in a grotty food court (see point 3). An Instagrammable location is key. So whatever you're going to eat or drink, it will probably be presented nicely and be a joy to consume. Go ahead and treat yo'self.

6. You build friendships



The more you meet people, the more at ease you'll feel with them next time you see them. Soon it will be like catching up with friends, not random strangers off the internet. So it's important you push yourself to do it because you'll benefit enormously from it. Maybe try and arrange to meet someone you've connected with online in a one-on-one situation first.

Finally and most importantly, be your authentic self.

Here's some of the blog-related things I've got up to since I started:

Little Blog Big workshop
Sydney trip
Radelaide blogger catch up
Bloggers United AU Adelaide event
Katies VIP Shopping Night
Almost Posh on Tour
Lush x Bloggers United event

I've also caught up with people for one-on-ones which is also fun. Blogging can be a solitary career at times so this is really like meeting up with colleagues for a fun work event.

Have you been to any or many blogger catch-ups? If not, do it.

So. Mid-July already. 162 days until Christmas.

via GIPHY I know.

My daughter will be starting kindy in six months and I am approaching my late thirties at a rate of knots. Still, this means I draw ever closer to the planned 90s radness of my 40th birthday party which I'm excited about.

I thought I'd check in with my start-of-year goals and projects so you can see how I'm tracking.

Wardrobe Update

At the start of the year, (well, February as it turns out, close enough) I took some time-honoured wardrobe auditor advice and did the old turn-the-hangers-around trick in my wardrobe.

It was a simple but effective way to get visibility on what I was wearing - well, my hangable things anyway. Still haven't heard of a solution for folded drawer-based items. As the months progressed, I'd look at things that were still facing the wrong way and go, "Yeah, you know what? I'm actually not going to wear you again ever" and into the donations bag it would go. Or I'd think, "Obviously I haven't worn you for a while, so out you come to play."

There are still a few things turned around that aren't getting the boot though; including special-occasion dresses and things that are cool but I just haven't had the opportunity to wear them yet, usually for opportunity / seasonable reasons. Some more items have been archived to The Vault - too pretty to lose, not wearable often enough to be taking up wardrobe real estate.

I've been really happy with my approach to clothes this year, including tracking my spending with the Style Cost Project and the "love it or leave it" philosophy in store change rooms. I'm saving both bucks and space by not bringing home anything unnecessary. As a blogger, it's easy to get caught up in the idea of having something new to blog about or share on Insta. Now I just try and wear old things differently.

The one downside I've faced is that I accidentally donated a good pair of jeans that I still very much wanted instead of another pair that were meant to be donated. That hurt a bit.

The key outcome from this exercise is that I'm going to continue to turn my hangers around every six months. It's easy as, costs nothing and it really does makes a difference.

Blogging

I wrote about my blogging goals for 2016 at the start of the year too. How am I doing? Glad you asked.

1. Grow, grow, grow

Slow and steady wins the race, so they say. I would look at my Google Analytics page in extreme puzzlement, wondering how I could possibly only have 65 page views in a month and being too ashamed to share my povvo stats in my media kit. So how's this, after really working through every possibility, I recently discovered I still had THE OLD TRACKING CODE FROM MY OLD DOMAIN in Blogger. FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. What. A. Numpty. Once that was fixed, up went my page views. It will be a while before I have accurate historical stats to go off but I feel a lot more love now. My social media outlets continue to chug along and I still get what I consider to be good engagement (thanks y'all, keep it coming).

2. Approach brands directly

This is something I still struggle with (the SHAME!) but I'm pleased to say I have had some success with this initiative so I'll continue to battle the cringe factor and keep doing that, as long as it fits in with the overall Almost Posh vibe and whatnot. I've also been more selective with what I've accepted from approaches by brands - including requests for do-follow links, and as hard as that can be, I feel good about it. Nobody wants their blog penalised by Google, after all.

3. Invest in the blog and my bloggy development

In April, I got an ABN and went legit by incorporating the blog into my small business start-up, Writemate. This has meant learning all about the ins and outs of income, expenditure, and being able to claim back blog type investments which has been different. I've haven't yet attended any formal training but I have gone to events and had some excellent networking activity which is as good, if not better, than a course if you chat to the right peeps.

4. Attend ProBlogger

This was a massive one for me, so when tickets first went on sale at 12.00pm local time, I had my ticket by about 12.04pm. Then, as I spoke to various people I was keen to meet there, I felt a growing sense of dread. Hardly anyone I "knew" (or wanted to get to know) was going. The topics didn't feel right for me. A family wedding loomed nearby. I started getting super anxious at the thought of blowing so much cash on flights, accommodation and - let's face it - outfits. A panicked advertising campaign to offload later and thankfully someone picked my ticket up for a reduced price. I only lost $20 but saved a fortune to put towards the possibility of more intimate blogger meetings and events. This is a lesson learnt in not getting caught up in the hype.


Have you checked in with any goals, aspirations or resolutions you made at the start of the year? How are you tracking? Ever turned your clothes hangers around?

So I'm still on holidays and enjoying myself tremendously doing all manner of holidayish things, not least of which has been meeting up with some blogger peeps!

Bit of a random diversion for Almost Posh, but a couple of months ago, I woke up one Friday morning, started a small business and was suddenly all:
Okay, it wasn't quite that spontaneous (I had given it some thought the night before) but it was kind of that easy. I'd been doing some sideline work through various contacts as well as getting a small amount of income from the blog so decided it was time to get legit and make my hobby into a business.



If you're interested, it's called Writemate (your friend who can write, see what I did there?) and it offers content and creation services, editing, formatting, bit of this and that, you get the picture.

Here's what I did to kick off. Obviously, it may well be different for you, I'm not a professional and this is provided as information only. Do your research, consider the PDS available and if pain persists, see your doctor.

1. Get an ABN (Australian Business Number)

An ABN is what identifies your business - mostly to the government for tax purposes and also to your customers, verifying your legitimacy. When you google "ABN", the first sponsored results are for outfits guaranteeing to get yours for you in 15 minutes, low cost, no hassle etc. However registering for an ABN is free so I wouldn't be paying for it if I were you. Business.gov.au has lots of useful information to determine whether you need one and what steps to take.

2. Register Your Business / Trading Name (optional)

You don't have to register a business or trading name if you're trading under your own actual given name but as I had dreamt up what I thought was quite a nifty business name, I thought I'd bars it within Australia by registering it with Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). This sounds heaps scary but it's not. You'll need your shiny new ABN to register and it will cost $34 for one year which is quite reasonable and may be claimed back on tax.


3. Buy a Domain Name (and scab up all associated social media handles)

Whether it's blogging or business (or both!) a domain name gives your website a professional look and helps people remember it easily. Don't be put off by how technical and computery it sounds, it's really not that hard to link a domain name to your existing website and most domain hosts provide tailored instructions or have support chat to help.

It's also more affordable than you might think. I've used Hover for both my domains. AlmostPosh.com costs me $17 AUD for a year and Writemate.com.au costs $39 AUD for two years. I'd have liked Writemate.com but some scab was squatting on it and wanted like $14,000 USD for it. LOL, I said to them and offered them $20 AUD. To register an .au domain, you'll also need your ABN.

Protect your brand and business name by signing up for all the social media handles and keep them consistent across the lot to make it easy for your customers/readers to find you - even if you don't intend to use, say, Twitter, you want to protect your name as much as you can. Social media is where the people are and is essentially a low-cost marketing tool so it makes sense to try and use it for your business.



4. Build a Website (if you haven't already)

If you haven't already got a website or blog, don't worry. With easy website builders out there (like Wix, Squarespace, even Wordpress), it's pretty easy to smash out a simple yet cute looking website that you can then tie to your custom domain. Make it clear, concise, tell people what you do, give examples of your work and importantly, let people know how to contact you. (Or, you know, I can do it for you via Writemate, pluggity plug plug.)

5. Get some business cards

I was in my early 30s before I got my own proper business cards through work and although I have only used about seven of them legitimately, I still remember the thrill of handing one over like I was all grown-up and important. I now carry three lots around; work, Almost Posh and Writemate because I am THAT important. The two latter were super easy to design and have printed via Vistaprint - I've used them for loads of things over the years, they are always really affordable (and often have deals through coupon sites like Living Social), easy to navigate, loads of options and add-ons and they arrive really quickly. I went basic stock, uploaded my own graphics and am really happy with them both. Let me give you one if I see you because I have 247 of them!


6. Do Work / Make Money

Now that your framework is up, time to do some work! You can use PayPal to invoice for payments which is really easy and it means people can pay you with cards. Remember to track all your incomings and outgoings for tax time. I usually do my own tax via eTax but this year I think I'll consult a proper accountant to make sure I've done everything properly and claimed all my entitlements, which will include the cost of registering the business, the domain names, website premium package, business cards, blogger events (O HAI PROBLOGGER!) and any other expenses that might arise.
via GIPHY 7. Get help

If all this has left you reeling, have a quick squiz around the Government Business pages for a starter. There are lots of good resources with checklists and calculators and all sorts of tools to get you started, with information relevant to your state or territory as well as support and advice articles.


Have you got an ABN for your blog or have a business name registered? Is there anything stopping you from doing so? What else would you advise others starting out to consider?

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This is not a sponsored post, unless you count the plug for Writemate which is me anyway so essentially I'm sponsoring myself with precisely zero dollars or gifted items. For more information see my PR and Media policy.

Since blogging is like work (work I really enjoy but work nonetheless), I am closing for public holidays this year so I can chill and enjoy them with the old fam.

Particularly on this, Adelaide Cup Day, where I will not be partaking in any kind of horse racey activity but instead my daughter's third birthday.

I KNOW. THREE!!



South Australians, enjoy your long weekend. Rest of you, happy Monday.

I know it's getting a bit tiresome, but I kind of won a couple more prizes lately.

This one was a prize pack celebrating the relaunch of Champagne Cartel and it had some lovely makeup things in it that I wanted to talk about for Monday Makeup Madness.

Please excuse my amateur flat-lay skills. I learnt a few tips at the Bloggers United Adelaide day but these were taken beforehand.


I hadn't heard of Youngblood before but was quickly drawn in by the matte black packaging and lovely looking products:





The pigmentation on the Pink Ice eye shadow is AMAZING. One swipe and you have luxe shimmer from here to breakfast. I haven't quite got the hang of the creme blush but the Champagne Life colour (I see what you did there) is everything. And who doesn't love a shadow pencil?  The Eye-Illuminating Duo is gorgeously coloured and can be used for highlighting, shading or base-ing.

Speaking of pencils:


I was already well in love with the Maybelline Color Drama lip pencils (god, it hurts to write "colour" without a "u" but there you are) so I was happy to add more to my collection. Well, I kept the berry one and gave the other two to Stacie because I already had Fuchsia Desire and the red wasn't suited to my head. She will of course rock them and this:


MAC! I know, it's very pretty. But I already had two really similar colours so I felt sharing the love would be appropriate. More MAC ahead:


A classic black liner pencil will never see you wrong. I'm also interested to try the Rimmel liquid liner, as you know I am always on the hunt. The Silk Oil of Morocco mascara has quickly become my new daily drive. It has a slightly unusual smell but once you get past that, you have lucious ink-black lashes that aren't all stiff and scratchy.


I had been looking for a new concealer and I have to say that this LimeLily one is quite impressive. I just have to learn how to extract enough product from the squeezy tube without blurting it everywhere.

There you have it, a lovely haul thanks to the ladies at Champagne Cartel.


In other make-up news, I finally got my hands on this and I'm loving it sick . . . (please note post workshop flatlay attempt)


The Real Techniques Face Expert brush usually retails for $22.99 but a combination of a 20% off sale (still on!! GET THERE!) and my Priceline rewards voucher saw it become mine for about $14. Can't complain about that. I'm really enjoying using it, I feel like it gets my Maybelline Dream Wonder foundation up to a really enjoyable finish.

In other news, I also won this lovely sarong from Styling Curvy's Capriosca Swimwear giveaway! I know!


Blogging comps are where it's at, so get amongst it if you don't already.

Did you have a nice weekend? It's gross and humid here for the week. Any tips on dressing for warm wet weather *revolted shudder* would be welcome.

Yesterday I had a blogger catch-up down at the Little City co-working space and got to meet / catch up with some of my fellow Radelaidian bloggers; Alice from My Kitchen Garden (who also does the social stuff and marketing for Little City), Jenni from Styling Curvy, Kim from New Mumma Kim and Tatum from Hardwood Digital to do some blog work.



Well . . . I say "work". We pretty much just talked non-stop. Which was great, because I had plenty of take-aways from it and what blogger doesn't love a chit-chat about blogging with people who know what's up. Also my netbook wasn't working, so I couldn't do anything anyway.

So with all the blogspo buzzing through my brain, I thought I'd try and nut out some goals for the year.

1. Grow, grow, grow



My biggest challenge with Almost Posh is working out how to grow it nice and organically without a) irritating people b) selling out or having anything to do with the people who are constantly contacting me from Insta promising loads of free followers c) having to resort to writing controversial / clickbait type posts. I'm really happy with the small and engaged community I have here and every comment I get genuinely makes me thrilled. I'd just like it to be a slightly bigger small and engaged community!

2. Approach brands directly



Here's where I struggle because contacting people and essentially asking for free stuff or money makes me cringe and die and feel like the world's biggest scab. I have mentioned before that I like working with brands because I feel I give an authentic and real voice to their product and because I tend to put faith in bloggers representing products. In my actual work environment, we call that "trusted advisor status" and that's where I'd like to be. I've been lucky enough to do a bit of it last year purely by being approached and I would like to do more (providing it fits in with what I have going here).

3. Invest in the blog and my bloggy development



This involves things like courses and events as well as tools like planners and quite possibly templates. As a sociable introvert, turning up to things on my own makes me quite antsy but once I'm there and somebody throws me a bone, I am all up in that. And the more things I go to, the more people I know for next time. And it gives me material to blog about. It's a win all round. Personal development, YAY! Next up is the Bloggers United event in Adelaide in February and I'm looking forward to it greatly.

4. Attend ProBlogger

This is a big one so I am counting it as a separate goal from number 3 above. The financial commitment, the travel, the thought of being "alone" in a room full of 1500 people . . . but the feedback from people who have been, not to mention the potential learnings make it too much of an opportunity to pass up attending, at least once. The September date means I have plenty of time to save up and plan for it, while building my blog network so I am not that "alone" on the day!

I am already looking forward to revising these goals at the end of the year and seeing how far I've come. There are other things that I want to do like improve my images (I NEEEEED an iPhone 6s for reals) and work on behind-the-scenes stuff like SEO and indexing but this is big picture results-orientated goal setting.

What are your aspirations for 2016 - blog or otherwise?

As the year draws to a close (I KNOW, I can't even believe it either), I present the standard wrap-up post, looking back over my first full calendar year of blogging activity.

Before I get into the season that was, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads, follows, likes, comments and shares my content or activity; across all platforms. I feel a definite sense of engagement and community here at Almost Posh and interacting with you all has been one of the main drivers to continue on doing what I enjoy doing! Look forward to bringing you more of whatever it is you like in 2016.

Let's have a little look back over the year then . . .

January

I change the name of the blog (from Ghetteaux Posh), make some fitness related resolutions (LOL!), suffer a toddler-related wardrobe malfunction at the shops and do a bit more shopping with mixed results.

February




I start my Australis Velourlips obsession after a swatch session at Priceline, attend the Fashion Icons exhibition at the Art Gallery of SA, spend more money at Priceline, give you my awesome spaghetti bolognese recipe, spend a weekend at the Adelaide Shores resort and talk some more about Velourlips.

March




I get my hair did at Miss Coiffure, partake in the Style and Shenanigans colour challenge on Insta, throw back to awful turtlenecked ribbed tops, spend even more money at Priceline, bang on about how much I love rose gold (with a super early peek at the iPhone 6s!), have a go at contouring (badly) and advise that you should never say never when it comes to fashion trends.

April



I review the Nail Beauty Luxury Lounge, talk about coaching in a life sense, launch the #PoshLadyIndigo style challenge with Jen and Stacie, review some products gifted by Scholl and Airwick, share some ANZAC Day family stories and announce the winner of the #PoshLadyIndigo style challenge.

May



I share 7 Ways to Shop With Success, attend some fancy events, have a go at DJing for the first time, give some ideas for quick loungeroom makeovers and the same for the bedroom, go to the shops in my slippers and address the issue of milia seeds.

June




I share a winter wishlist, throwback to the cheongsam dress, attempt iCurvy's Spin The Pin challenge, get some op shop bargains, attend the Little Blog Big workshop, get some lovely presents from Stacie after her US trip and start planning for No-Buy July.

July




I share my minimal hairdressing abilities, throwback to internet homepages, attempt a couple of style challenges, share my Mum's vintage makeup stash, appear in the Herald Sun and the Age talking about No-Buy July, then appear on Mornings to do the same.

August




I share some tips for being better with your bucks, review some gifted fashion bags from Pleatopia, head to Sydney where I met Christina and Sephora, take part in the Restyle challenge, and review a mini haul from Beauty Heaven.

September




I do a beauty blogger tag and try out my Tarte palette, have Stacie model some sunglasses that were gifted from Glassesshop.com, work some culottes, celebrate Almost Posh's first birthday with a new look, talk about lip products, share some blog-based learnings, attend the Adelaide Hair and Makeup Show with Bridie and start my affiliate relationship with The Iconic.

October



I complete the 30 Lippies In 30 Days challenge, go to three posts a week with the first Posh Picks post, have amazing fun playing dress-ups for the Adelaide Fashion Festival Style Blogger challenge, discuss my ongoing quest for the perfect eyeliner, pick up a haul from Mix Apparel, get a Liebster Award nomination, attend the Adelaide Fashion Festival and Cheesefest.

November



I wear some denim skirts, squee about Sephora being online, buy some basics, attend two lovely weddings, talk jazzy pants, share some valuable tips on how to wake up tired, review Jamberry nail wraps kindly send over by Sam and spend a nice posh day at the cricket.

December




Slowing down the posting schedule for the holidays, I make a mixed bag attempt at some style challenges, review my Black Friday purchases from Sephora, meet up with some Adelaide bloggers, share some sales alerts (which may be still going) and win a pair of Nine West flats thanks to Stacie!

I hope everyone has had a good year, I've enjoyed it. Here's to 2016 being even better!!