Hello!

Hello!

Logging into this blog after an extended leave feels like finally meeting an old friend when life has got in the way and you’ve had to reschedule more times than you would want to admit! So much has happened, yet you pick up right where you left off!

If you are one of my old followers who happens to stumble across this – it is so good to see you! How are you?

While being absent from this blog and YouTube I have still been posting on Instagram – mainly life and family, which keeps me busy! Please do come and say Hi @natalyafgm!

As a very brief life update of the last 3 years… After moving and refurbishing our new house I finished redecorating pretty speedily in preparation for our new arrival. Though I feel like the house needs an update already due to its intensive use! I had my son Joshua in January 2017. We had a tough first year following a long (73 hours!) complicated birth, colic, recurrent mastitis and 15 months of intense sleep deprivation, but he is wonderful  - intelligent, sensitive, fun, cheeky and the absolute love of my life! Maxie is now 11- he has had a few tummy issues, but is doing well and has been the most patient big (cat) brother we could have hoped for! I went back to work full time in Jan 2018 and have been doing my best to balance the spinning plates of toddler, career, childcare, home, husband, friends, family... the list seems endless. I rarely feel like I have the right balance, but I know where my priorities are.

I would love to find the time to blog again as a creative outlet for myself, but with working full time and keeping a toddler entertained often any energy I have left after the intense negotiation that is ‘bedtime’ is just enough to watch an episode of Love Island (or Netflix or any other reality TV rubbish that doesn’t involve any brain engagement)!

My interests have also changed, which I think is natural now being at a different stage in my life. Do you still read blogs? What are you interested in? I still love beauty, but it’s a much smaller part of my world and has become pretty routine and time efficient. My main priorities at the moment are health (especially in terms of fertility, which has been a really difficult journey for us), toddler behaviour/ nutrition/development/activities and still having a little fun thrown in so I am not a slave to the routine - which can be beauty, fashion, self-care, fitness, food, fun places to visit.

I have shared so much over the years and feel like it would be nice to speak to you all in my former little corner of the internet! Is there anything in particular that you would find interesting? 

Speak to you soon my lovelies! xxx

A change of direction...

So many of you lovely readers have contacted me to inquire where I have been hiding so I thought it best to write a little message to you all.

2012 was such a fantastic year for me. So many amazing things happened! I got engaged (squeal), got a big promotion at work, passed all my exams keeping me on track to gaining the financial qualification I have been studying for and have been involved in some exciting fashion and beauty projects. I am so happy and blessed and greatful for everything in my life. I can't thank you all enough for your support and your enthusiasm over this blog and my YouTube channel and I really do appreciate every comment, tweet and e-mail and the time you take out of your day to spend in my little world.

I am still incredibly passionate about beauty, fashion and all the girly fun that comes with this blog, however, I do see that there will have to be a slight change in direction.

At the end of last year I was still working full time, studying, commuting on the weekends to spend time with the boy in Liverpool, attending 3/4 events in the evenings every week and starting to plan a wedding (which, in truth, has been the most difficult task of all). As you can imagine this left me with very little time for anything else and made me lose enthusiasm - some days I felt like life was just going through the motions. I was honestly quite exhausted, often staying up till 2am to get all my work done and starting it all over again the next day.

One of the reasons I decided not to make blogging/ youtubing my day job is that I love variety. In some ways I like the fact that I have a serious job in the City, and that I can be successful without wearing a boring black suit everyday into the office. I can have a challenging career, while still preserving my individuality and femininity. I never want my love of beauty and fashion to become a job. I want to keep it a hobby - something I am excited about and I thoroughly enjoy, not something I have to do to pay my mortgage. I would much rather sit in a meeting about the future of commodities and then run off to learn all about the latest mascara and be excited by both. I'm not ashamed of being a geek...

I love this blog, I love my readers and I love all the friends that I have made through blogging, but as I get older I feel that my audience grows with me so I hope that you understand this slight change in direction. I am going to really make an effort to make this blog more personal and include a greater variety of topics. I want it to mature with me and reflect other interests that I have thus far only touched on.

My life is so full of contrasts and I feel that this blog hasn't reflected all those dimensions. I want to make a real effort this year to live my life to its fullest, and if that means reading fewer press releases, spending less hours behind a computer and more time with my friends enjoying all London (and who knows where else) has to offer I am ready to do that. Hopefully those experiences will make for more exciting content, both in life and online!

I really do hope that you want to come on this journey with me... even if it may contain a little less eyeshadow! xxx

Welcome to filthygorgeousmakeup, my new beauty blog!


Hi everyone and welcome to my new beauty blog. I have been thinking of setting this up for so long, but never seemed to get around to it. Finally it is here... Yay!! I am really looking forward to be able to show you photos of looks I do, as well as share new purchases and do more reviews. So please stay tuned for more!! :)

much love,
Natalya
xxx