OK, after my bout of depression on Monday, I feel encouraged to keep this blog up.  I hope that I’m not seen as crying wolf.

Thank you Halifax of Sparkled Beauty for your kind words and encouragement.  I regard you as a longtime blogging friend, and hope that this shout-out will encourage others to visit your site.

Love,
Julie

I woke up this morning hating this shitty little blog and I am on the verge of trashing it. Since no one’s reading it, I might as well be writing a private diary.

Someone wrote on FB: “unloved, unrecognized, burned out?”

Unloved, unrecognized, for sure. When I compare my viewership, engagement, and opportunities for remuneration to what other blogs have, I am ready to throw in the towel. I have sunk 7 years into this blog, and while I thought I was doing good stuff, I woke up to the fact that I was deluding myself.

As far as burnout is concerned, I suppose that it’s too soon to complain. I reactivated the blog only in mid-August after a year and a half absence in which I experienced severe stress in my life.

While I am sure that many in the world have gone through a lot worse, I have gone through a *long* rough patch in my life.  I don’t think that I’ve seen the end of it.  Right when I am picking myself up, re-energizing my blog, and otherwise re-engaging myself in life, I am fearful of backsliding.  I have had a lot of financial problems and my mother died after a nearly a year of accelerating decline. I lost 30 pounds – not by design, but my weight loss was induced by stress. Eating was distasteful, I had to force myself to eat, and I lost 20 pounds in one month. I underwent a shocking change in appearance. In addition, I lost a lot of hair – I hated to wash my hair, as wads of hair would come out with every shampoo: enough to fill my hand. I lost interest in my appearance and would just throw clothes on. I didn’t have income left to buy new clothes to accommodate my weight loss: my clothes just hanged on me and my tops got so stained that I wouldn’t even give them to Goodwill. I’m still wearing them. Hardly the stuff of someone who is purported to be a style and beauty blogger.

After a long hiatus, I’m jumping back into social media.  Follow me on Twitter for frequent updates – my handle is thestylepage.

I’m planning to blog about Nuance Salma Hayek cosmetics, available exclusively from CVS.

5. How did you enter into partnership with Keisha Whitaker (wife of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Best Actor, Last King of Scotland) to form Kissable Couture?

I knew that I wanted to create something, I looked at my kit each day, and then it hit me. The product I spent the most money on for my clients was lipgloss. One day while I was sitting with Keisha I mentioned the idea, and she loved it. It wasn’t long after we began taking meetings to make it happen, and the rest is history. We launched in September of 2007.

6. What new launches from Kissable Couture might we expect in 2010? Are there plans to expand the number of retail outlets?

Kissable Couture has many line expansions in the works but it’s all about timing. We are entering to the QVC retail family which is an exciting time for our brand. We will continue to open in new stores across the country.

7. There is a placeholder for “A.J. Crimson” on your website for products you think that we should buy. Could you give us a sneak peak of the products you plan to sell under A.J. Crimson?

I opened a store called [Beauty Statements] by AJ Crimson which carries a collection of all things I love including moisturizer, hair care products, home must haves, and makeup of course. I also have a section called consignment and there are sure to be some unbelievable pieces there! It’s fun! It’s all an experience of what people tell me they need and love and think others should try or must have. I survive because of all the people that support me. With [Beauty Statements] by AJ CRIMSON we help each other out. It’s all about sharing.

8. What do you enjoy doing besides makeup?

I love lying in the park and watching the clouds. I also love the beach and definitely want to spend a month in Europe. Maybe Tuscany or Paris and learn to paint on canvas. I like spending time with close friends but I love to see my businesses grow. My passion is building businesses.

9. Lastly, could you share some of your favorite makeup tips with our readers?

I feel like I never have enough tips. Lol! Use mascara every day, use an eyelash curler, and don’t wear too much powder. Make sure you always have at least one tube of Kissable Couture in your purse. Everyone will want to know what you’re putting on your lips. It’s still a girl-in-the-know product and not everyone has one.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Gloss is long-lasting lip color that comes in a dual-end tube. One end contains lip color with a self-contained sponge wand applicator, while the other end contains lip gloss with a self-contained brush applicator.

The lip color works similarly to L’Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour. You apply the color and wait two minutes for the color to dry down and set. I noticed a numbing sensation once the color had set.

After the lip color has set, you may apply the lip gloss. The lip gloss is a tinted crystal lip gloss that is sticky and very thick in consistency.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Gloss performs as well as L’Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour, but I like L’Oreal Paris’s product better for its standout packaging and untinted lip balm.

A representative for Rimmel London sent me Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Gloss for review. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Gloss comes in 12 shades: I received Enduring Love, a shade of rose.