Hi friends!
Gosh, it’s been a while hasn’t it? It will feel like I’m making excuses for my lack of presence here, so I won’t 😛 That being said, I do have quiet plans to be a little more present here on my blog. I’ll keep them quiet because I’m not sure how quickly I’ll bounce back 😛
I have been observing the social media space over the past year, and it is with interest that I note that there is a renewed interest in blogging, or rather, in keeping a space to call your own. While Twitter seems to have imploded in a dumpster fire (I’m no longer very active there myself), Instagram and Tiktok don’t seem to be going anywhere. But there is a growing realisation that anything you build on another’s platform can be easily taken away, whether due to complaints, or a server outage, or simply because of a change of ownership (as in the case of Twitter).
When you have your own space, you aren’t subject to the whims and fancies of someone else. You can only be accountable to yourself for keeping it populated. And that’s something I want to do more of 🙂
2023 has for me, been the year of new beginnings and new experiences on the business front. What we’ve learnt while running a small business, is that you must be quick on your feet to pivot when the need arises. We found ourselves pivoting more than we expected, which threw a lot of plans out the window, but which also brought new direction to the brand, and enabled us to learn quickly what works (and what doesn’t).
Work and the business has pretty much taken over my life for the last year, so there has been little on the beauty front, which I’m aware is what most people follow me for. I’m not lamenting the loss in followers, because I know it was bound to happen. And I hate that word ‘followers’ because it makes me think of sheep LOL! 😀 I’m quite sure most of you are far more intelligent, and have minds of your own.
This was one of the better Retinol serums I’ve used this year – worth trying!
At the moment, my life pretty much revolves around my business and my dogs. Yes, I’m that crazy dog lady LOL! My head is always buzzing with new ideas for the business, and I’m always reading and learning more about what I do. There is so much progress in the world of dog nutrition, and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself learning more about it and how to apply it to my own dogs, and to the business, which is dog-centric. I have plans to even take up a little short course on pet nutrition in the coming year, which I hope to find time to do, simply because it’s such a fascinating topic for me 🙂 I have been thinking about this for a while, so I’m putting it out here to keep myself accountable, for when I check back in next year LOL! 😀
I know however, that this isn’t what many of you signed up for, so it really isn’t worth my time nor effort talking about it on my platforms, be it here, or on Instagram, where I pop by from time to time. The thing is that when I started my blog almost 17 years ago, it was centered around my life then, which was a fairly typical life of a 30-something. I went to work, I luxuriated in the world of beauty and relative luxury, and I wrote about it.
The PB of today is quite different from the PB of 2007 😀 It isn’t necessarily bad, but I think how my life has evolved, and the pandemic years of 2020-2021 have changed my perspective on life, my passions and what I want to do. It isn’t to say of course, that I am no longer interested in the world of beauty, or that I don’t keep up with the news.
I do, when I have the time or inclination. I am still using skincare products, and I am still trying new things and there are brands who still keep me on their mailing list so I am not totally out of the loop. I just am not living that Instagram/Tiktok influencer life, if you get my meaning 🙂
One thing I caught myself doing over the year, which I wasn’t too happy about, was spending a lot of time on social media.
This is a bit of a double-edged sword, as I do have to manage the social media for the brand, and to keep abreast of what’s going on in the news. Too often however, I found myself falling down that video/IG Reels rabbit hole, where I was mindlessly scrolling without really taking in anything. Before I decided to dial back on Twitter (or X as it’s now known), I found myself getting increasingly served a lot of negativity and toxicity, and it was very draining.
I also noticed that my attention span was getting shorter, I wasn’t absorbing much information, I stopped reading long-form articles, and I felt like a zombie, with my brains turning to mush as they were relentlessly bombarded with useless videos made in the name of ‘content’ and entertainment.
It was times like that that I had to physically force myself to snap out of that hypnotic trance, put the phone down, and go off and do something physical with my hands to ground me. You know the saying “Go out and touch some grass”? It’s a good reminder, because just being outside (whether you have grass or not), with the sun on your face, it makes you feel more in touch with yourself and the world. I’m not a terribly creative person, but because my work involves getting my hands dirty, either with raw meats and animal parts, or biscuit dough, I have come to enjoy those off-line times when I can’t be messing around with my phone, and I’m just detached electronically. It’s been good for my mental health.’
If you go for just ONE facial, make sure it’s at Biologique Recherche!
So I’m planning to scale back a little more on being on social media, and to allocate pockets of time in a day when I’d be online, checking on work, or catching up on social media, and not just scrolling mindlessly. I realise this makes me sound like that old crochety aunt, but you know what? I think I am that old crochety aunt! LOL! 😀 As I said at the top, I hope to be more present here as well – it’s a promise I’ve been making over the past few years, and one I keep breaking. Ultimately however, this is still my space, so I just know I’ll come back here eventually 🙂
2023 has been a fulfilling year, and I am excited about 2024. It’s struck me that it might be the first time in a long time that I’m looking forward to the new year! 😀 It is also a big big milestone birth year for me, so honestly, there’s a lot going on in 2024! 😀
I hope your 2023 was fulfilling for you too, and that you having taken a much needed break at this year end, and are looking forward to the new year with new resolve and hope, for that is ultimately what we can do – hope, and then work our assess off to achieve our hopes and dreams 🙂
Happy New Year friends!
xoxo
Paris B
Ali says
Nice post!
Jenn says
I’ve been reading your blog since the time you were featured in Her World many years ago. When my kids were growing up, I didn’t have much time to read your articles. If I had followed you consistently, I would have gotten onto the Retinol, Vitamin C wagon long ago & would have much better looking skin now LOL! Recently, when I was looking for some anti-aging products, I veered back to your blog and checked out your recommendations. Thank you for all your indepth writings! I always enjoy reading your articles as they are akin to well-written short stories for me, although they’re based on skin care products. Keep up the good work…please..
Paris B says
Hi Jenn, this is one of the sweetest notes I’ve received lately, and it’s been a massive boost to my mood, thank you! 🙂 I’m happy that you’ve enjoyed reading my blog, and that you don’t find my long-form writing tedious haha! Absolutely appreciate the kind words!