It’s just a little talking post today. I’m feeling a little introspective and thoughtful, and just wanted to chat with you guys.

What about?

Well, something exciting happened over here. Over a week ago, a box arrived on my doorstep. It was a box that I had been expecting to come, but I still couldn’t believe it when it actually showed up. I’m not going to lie, when I got the email asking if I wanted to try the product, I thought it was an elaborate hoax and now someone out there had my address. But it was really them, and it really showed up.

As you can tell from the picture above and the title: I got a PR Sample from Sally Hansen.

What’s a PR Sample? It’s a sample that companies will send out, to bloggers and YouTubers, of their product, for that person to test out and talk about. I got a free box of polish from Sally Hansen. They either saw my Instagram or my blog, thought I had a good thing going, and wanted to send me something to show and talk about, whether positive or negative.

It’s still wild to me.

They sent on over a box of their new Mega Strength polishes – 6 of the shades, a top coat, and their hardener, in this cute little orange box. There will be a full post coming up on these polishes (in the next couple of days) and I’ll talk all about them. But first, I want to talk what this box means for me, and for you all reading. I just want to reflect a little.

At this point, I’ve been writing on this blog for almost 3 years now (this summer will be the anniversary), and I’ve purchased far too much polish, and will continue to be purchasing too much for years and years to come.

I went into this all because I loved beauty and nail polish. I had tried and failed a couple of times to start a blog, and during the summer of 2016, I said screw it and finally just went for it. I just wanted to talk about something I loved so much. I didn’t have friends in real life really that were as crazy as me about beauty as I was, and I just wanted to talk about it. I just wanted to tell others if something was bad, or good, or just plain fantastic. I wanted to let others know about something before maybe they purchased it too. I was buying it and using it anyways, why not let others know about it?

I never expected PR. I thought maybe hey, someday, that could be cool, just to be able to show more products. But it wasn’t something I went into this for. I couldn’t put this much time and effort into something just for an end goal of free product. You would be able to tell that my passion wasn’t there.  I went into this simply because I was actually was passionate about it and wanted to help people with reviews. I’ve put a lot of hours and effort into this blog, and I still love it, and I’ll still continue on even if I don’t get a single more free product.

But I got this one. So what does that mean overall? What can you guys expect?

I will admit, I was goddamn excited. I was texting friends who have supported me and this blog from the start and almost screaming. I still smile every time I see it sitting on my desk. I’ll probably keep the box for sentimental reasons. It’s a special thing. It may seem small, just one piece of PR. But it’s still my first. I’ve never gotten this before, and you’ve never seen it over here.

And sure, I get PR from a small indie nail polish brand before this. That’s still there, and I’m still forever grateful for that as well. I never want to minimize that experience, and I’ll still be working with that brand because I love it. At this point, it almost feels like me critiquing and giving points to a friend. I’m just helping out a smaller brand as they continue on.

However, this one is Sally Hansen. It’s a bigger brand and a whole different ballgame. It’s a product you can find in drugstores, and I’m one of a bunch of bloggers that it was sent to. It still feels special in a whole new way.

It means I get to try out a product that I was interested in, but that I honesty hadn’t planned on buying for a while, or at all, because of budgeting.

I know it seems like I buy a lot of makeup and nail polish (because I do), and at this point in my life as a single young woman living by herself in the city with a full time job, I’m able to portion out a part of my paycheck each month for fun purchases. But I’m nowhere near rich, and I can’t afford to buy everything that catches my eye currently. I do hold myself back and pick and choose over some things that I wish I could review, but will pass on because there are other brands that I feature more on this blog. I would love to add on more, and hopefully as my budget continues to grow, I can.

So here’s what it really means: this is just another product I get to feature on the blog, and talk about to you honestly. I’m always honest with you guys, and I never will change that. I have your trust at this point, and I can’t ever give that up, even for more free products.

I was even transparent about this in my email accepting these products. I said I would be reviewing them honestly, and the free product doesn’t guarantee a positive review. It never does, and never will. I’m excited about them, but I’ll talk about the formula and any issues openly.

You might just assume all of this already and think this is a pointless post. It’s just something I wanted to get out there, and emphasize, especially for this very first piece of PR. It’s a policy I’ll continue on with, and if I get lucky enough to continue to receive more, I’ll make sure the same transparency is there with every single company. It’s about you guys, and your trust in me in the end.

It’s just something I wanted to talk about, and I’m glad you’re all here with me and supporting me. Without you guys, I wouldn’t even be here talking about this now.

I can’t wait to talk about even more polish with you all.

********

Follow me:
Instagram: @GingerlyPolished
Twitter: @GingerlyPolish