creativity and positivity: blogmas

THE SIBLING TAG

For those who know me in real life, you'll probably be familiar with the funnier anecdotes of the relationship between my brother and I. For those know don't know, he and I are basically the same person. We've been close for as long as I can remember, and there's rarely a day goes by where we don't speak to or message each other, even at all hours of the night. He's also quite actively involved with my blog; taking some of my outfit pictures, coming up with creative ideas and showing a keen interest in what I do. So I thought it would be a great idea for us both to take part in a variation of the sibling tag. Most of the questions are taken from this post, however I've omitted some of the slightly more embarrassing / less interesting ones, just so you aren't all bored to tears. All of my answers will begin with an "R" and all of his with an "M" (for Rachel and Michael, obviously)!

Who is the oldest / youngest?

R: I'm the eldest, and Michael is the youngest. But there's only four years between us, so it's not a huge age gap.

What do you like and hate about each other?

R: I love how he's always asking questions, and actively seeking to learn as much as he can. He also has this really cutthroat sense of humour that a lot of people would probably misconstrue as quite mean but it comes from a good place. I hate that he's getting older! He's too tall and old for me to annoy or fight with, and he doesn't like any affection whatsoever now.

M: I hate how you take up so much space on my sofa, and I love how you're so nice and make me happy and get my sarcastic humour.

What do you and your siblings have in common?

R: We have the same sort of taste in everything, from movies and awful TV shows, to memes and the same weird sense of humour. We rarely ever fight over what to watch or do. We're both interested in the same sorts of issues too.
M: We like the same memes, dogs and hate the same people.

What's your funniest memory?

R: There's no real specific memory for me, but he's always taking the piss out of certain members of our family, so Sunday dinners, Christmas and birthdays are always fun because there are more opportunities for him to get smart with everyone.
M: The chicken goujon incident (context: I was very hormonal when my family got a takeaway one night. My boyfriend ordered chicken goujons and I heavily hinted without specifically saying that I wanted some. He ignored me, finished the lot and I sobbed) or the Debbie Reynolds / Harry incident when I mixed the two of them up.

Most memorable argument?

R: I can't remember any specifically large fights, but when we were younger we couldn't stand each other! When I was going through my moody adolescent stage, I didn't want anything to do with him because we had literally nothing in common, and I looked at him as a silly little boy. I put his through hell as a kid, I would just yell at him over everything and anything.
M: Do we even have one? We pretty much never fight.

What do you and your sibling do for fun?

R: I like watching him play video games because I'm terrible at them. During the summer we watch a lot of really dreadful horror movies together, and he leeches off of my Netflix account!
M: We play games, we watch cheap tv and watch wrestling.

What's something that annoys you about them?

R: Even when he's wrong, he can never admit that he's wrong, and he always tries to start political arguments with the rest of the family, even when he knows better! He lives for the drama.
M: Your bath bomb mess that you never clean up after you're finished, and YOU HOGGING THE SPACE ON THE SOFA ALL THE TIME.

What does your brother / sister think about the most?

R: Dogs. Dogs and memes.
M: Same.

What is something you like to do together?

R: I love it when we both have time off in the summer, so we can go out for walks around the park and dog-spot, or go into town - even if I always have to buy lunch!

M: Haven't we already answered this? My answers are the same.

Who is the most talented?

R: I don't want to sound self-centred, but I would say I am because I have more hobbies and interests that I like to pursue. He is talented in certain ways, like he's very intelligent and more aware than others his age, but he doesn't really take an interest in other things.
M: I'm clearly the most talented, as I can cook and you can't.

What is your brother / sister really bad at?

R: Taking care of himself! If he could live in his pyjamas and never have to take a shower again without being prompted to, he would be so happy. He's also really bad at holding his tongue, if he wants to say something he'll just say it without thinking of the consequences.

Nicknames you have for each other?

R: I call him a whole variety of things- bean, floral incandescent porpoise, pudding, wee son, Miggle and Mickel.
M: My nicknames for her are almost identical to what she calls me - Riggle, egg, bean, big pickle.

Last thing you talked about?
R: He sent me a text this morning talking about all of the old ladies he's seen trip and fall in the snow, and we laughed at my mum going out to the shops in her dressing gown and slippers. And the Great Dane frolicking in the snow.

Are you close?

R: Very close, even if he is getting older and drifting away.
M: We close af.

One thing you can do that your sibling can't?

R: He has a lot more confidence in himself, in certain respects, whereas I don't really feel overly confident about a lot of things. He can also cook a lot better than I can, even if he doesn't eat what he cooks.
M: She can do English and I can't.

Describe the last thing you did with each other.
R: We were on the phone together a couple of night's ago because I was up in my university house and he was back home. He's really sick right now and he wanted sympathy.

Complete this statement, "My sibling is..."

R: The best sibling.
M: I don't know what to say for this. (Thanks Michael)

Do you have any brothers and sisters? Are you close?

I hope you've enjoyed reading!

Until tomorrow,

Rachel x

December 10, 2017
2 Comments

THINGS I'LL NEVER PROMOTE

blogmas

Since integrating into the blogging community earlier this year, I've been offered a fair few sponsorship deals and promotions. This is nothing new to me, as I've been an affiliate for companies on Tumblr before, and my previously large Instagram following attracted a lot of business deals and free items to add to my wardrobe. I never truly understood the rules and regulations regarding these promotions, and since clueing up I've become very selective in what I say "yes" to. I'm not fussy on whether I charge for reviews, and quite often I'm happy enough to accept a new product in lieu of actual payment (which is a whole other ethical debacle in itself which I won't get into right now). By no means are my e-mails flooding with opportunities, and I can go months without so much as a peep from any brand or PR. But when I do, some deals just don't sit right with me, and I think it's important to address companies and products I fundamentally disagree with, and that you will never see me promote on my blog.

DETOX TEAS AND COFFEES

My issues with detox teas go way back, and at one point in my life, I was one of the vulnerable young girls struggling with my appearance and developing body that bought into them. If you have no knowledge of the products are companies, how they operate is by producing so-called "detox" teas to reduce bloating over a certain period of time, which are pumped full of nasty ingredients and laxatives. They usually work with well-known influencers with a huge social media reach, a very good body image, and a predominantly young audience who may feel unhappy with their appearance and want to change something. After all, if they make you look like someone who is tall, thin and happy with their appearance, they must work - right? I was shocked and outrage when one of these large companies reached out to me a few weeks ago, and I'm still shocked. After hearing Charlotte's story, it has become clear to me that these companies don't give a damn about who they contact, and who may be on the receiving end of these promotions. Granted, they may work for some people, but you will never catch me promoting anything along those lines. That's a good old cuppa with almond milk in the pictures.

ANIMAL TESTED COSMETICS

I've been making a conscious effort to change my ethical stance on cosmetics and my diet for a while now, and the easiest thing you can do is swap big, animal-tested brands, for sometimes cheaper and cruelty-free alternatives. This is something I've applied to how I approach sponsorships with brands too. I'm usually happy enough with most T&Cs, but the one question I always as is "Are your products cruelty-free?" and in most instances, like with TOTM and Palmer's, I have felt reassured that the products I've been gifted won't contradict my ethical stance. However, some brands either aren't transparent enough for my liking, or just simply don't reply to the question. The best advice I can offer to someone who is looking to get into cruelty-free cosmetics and products, is to always do your research before agreeing to any deal. Cruelty Free Kitty is a great place to start, and Vix posted an absolute corker of a post regarding ethics in the blogging industry.

SUPPLEMENTS

Hair vitamins, skin vitamins, eyelash vitamins and even vitamins that take the place of vitamins - yep, I've seen it all in the blogging industry. I can be a little vain sometimes, but never in my life have I entertained the thought of trying any of these things, and just because I'm a blogger that doesn't make me in anyway more inclined to do so now. Essentially, you post a photo with the bottle and that's it, and I have a sneaking suspicion that most influencers never actually try the products themselves, and I'm not about to start misleading the people who take time out their day to read my posts just to make some quick money. Blogging is a tough old business, and I give props to anyone who makes money from what they do, but some deals just don't sit right with me, and I wouldn't want to take part in myself.

FIDGET SPINNERS

Yes, I did have an e-mail that landed in my inbox this week from a Chinese company asking me to feature their fidget spinners in one of my Christmas gift guides, in exchange for 10% of the charge is I managed to sell any. Great business deal, especially when the fidget spinners cost $3 each which might just give me enough to pay my rent with. I have worked on this kind of deal before, but only for companies I actually like. However, recently I'm trying to work with smaller businesses instead of re-sellers and wholesale brands, so as of right now those kinds of brands are off my promotion list.

FALSE REVIEWS

Now this may not necessarily be a product based point, but I know it's something that other bloggers get almost daily. Sometimes companies or brands will pop up in your inbox and ask you to post a pre-written, positive review about a product that you don't even have to try yourself. You get paid, and they get promoted, something that I fundamentally disagree with. I write my own posts, and I write them honestly, and I would never mislead my readers into believing a product that seems like absolute crap, is the best thing since sliced bread. Morally, I don't agree with it and I think it's shameful that brands and PR companies try to take advantage of new bloggers who might not know any better. Equally, I refuse to link to brand's websites on posts that I've written for other brands, especially when they have nothing to do with the post at hand (looking at you reviews dot com) because it's senseless and completely distrustful.