Tattooed Tealady is 3!

03 April

On April 3rd 2012 I sat down at my computer, created a Blogger account and wrote my very first post on Tattooed Tealady. 3 years down the line I'm still here, writing that very same blog. Where has the time gone?!

It seems like so long ago that I wrote my very first post, yet the past 3 years have flown by and it doesn't feel that long at all. Tattooed Tealady wasn't the first blog I had written; I'd been writing blogs on and off since I was 16, blogs which were more personal online diaries than anything to do with my hobbies or interests, a world apart from beauty reviews that's for sure. Tattooed Tealady was something different, somewhere for me to start sharing my adoration for beauty, a space on the Internet that I could use to be more creative.

When I started Tattooed Tealady I didn't have any expectations, I didn't even know how long I would keep it up for - all my previous blogs hadn't lasted very long, getting bored of updating them and eventually closing them down. I never expected it to become such a huge part of my life, something I feel incredibly passionate about and would now 3 years later, mean so very much to me.

Through Tattooed Tealady I have had the chance to meet bloggers from all different niches, making friends all over the UK and some even as far as other Countries around the world. Some of these friends have become close friends who I see often outside of blogging, friends who have become very important to me - I'd never have met any of them if I hadn't started this blog. It's the biggest positive to come out of writing Tattooed Tealady.

Writing this blog has presented me with opportunities I never would have dreamed of. I have had the chance to learn so much more about beauty than I thought possible, meeting the people behind the brands, seeing their passion and love for their products first hand. Being able to work with brands on a personal level has been such a wonderful experience, and I'm forever having to convince myself that this is real life - not just a daydream that I'm getting lost in. I've expanded my own knowledge about beauty, how products are created, what all the technical jargon means and a whole wealth of information about skincare in particular which has helped me manage my own skin, all through writing this blog. I've been incredibly lucky to go to events and experience things through this blog that I am forever grateful for; like spa days, dinners with brands and creators, getting to stand centre stage at The Royal Opera house before seeing a performance of The Nutcracker. All things I never expected when I created a Blogger account 3 years ago.

Of course, so much of the wonderful experiences and opportunities I have had would never have been possible without you, reading this right now. Without the people who read my posts, who have returned day after day, who have kept reading for 3 years - and all those who are newer to Tattooed Tealady too, so much of what I'm grateful for would never have happened. I cannot express enough my love and gratitude to each and every one of you, for taking the time to read and support my little space on the Internet. It amazes me how many people all over the world read Tattooed Tealady, from right here in the UK to every continent and Country on this big beautiful planet. It's unbelievably humbling.

In celebration of Tattooed Tealady turning 3 - and to thank each and every one of my lovely readers - I am hosting a 'celebration giveaway'. The giveaway will run for one month from today, ending at midnight on May 3rd 2015. It's open Internationally, so wherever you're reading from, you can enter for a chance to win too! Good luck to all who enter - and thank you again, for your amazing support!

The prizes
Cargo Limited Edition Northern Lights Eye Shadow Palette, Benefit Cha Cha Tint Lip & Cheek Tint, Smashbox Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquer in Firecracker, Illamasqua Matte Lip Liquid in Forbidden and an Inika Certified Organic Eye Liner in 05 Black Caviar.

How to enter | Terms & Conditions

To enter you must fill out the Rafflecopter below.
All mandatory options must be completed, and any false entries will be removed.
Optional entries may be entered at your own discretion.
For tweet sharing entries, the tweet must remain as stated/written in the Rafflecopter - your entry via tweet will not count if the text is changed.
If any of the entries ask for extra info for me to validate your entry, and this information is not provided, the entry will be removed without warning.
If you are under 16, you must seek permission from your parent/guardian to enter.
Fake accounts used to enter multiple times will have entries removed without warning.
There will be 1 winner for this giveaway, who will win all prizes included.
The winner will be selected at random using the Rafflecopter and contacted via email (so make sure you leave yours in the RaffleCopter!) and announced here as well as Twitter - the winner will have 48 hours to get in touch and claim their prize. If the winner does not get in touch to claim the prize, another winner will be selected.