Beyond the Post: What Working in Digital Marketing Has Taught Me

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

I used to think being good at digital marketing meant coming up with a nice idea, designing something that looked good, writing a caption, and making sure it went out on time. All important things, of course. But the longer I work in marketing, the more I realise that publishing the post is often the smallest visible part of the job. There is everything that happens before it, everything that happens after it, and a surprising amount of time spent trying to understand why something that made perfect sense in my head isn't working quite the way I imagined.

11 Years of The Lori Diaries: Why Am I Still Blogging?

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

When I first started The Lori Diaries, I had no idea how much it would come to mean to me, or that it would still be part of my life more than a decade later.

A Little Christmas, One Vlog at a Time: My Vlogmas 2020 Watchlist

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

December has arrived, and my YouTube subscriptions have started looking suspiciously like a Christmas advent calendar. There are trees to decorate, presents to wrap, festive coffees to make, and an impressive number of people convincing me that I, too, need another candle. After the year we've had, I'm finding an unexpected amount of comfort in watching somebody else potter around their house and get excited about Christmas.

Soph x Revolution Extra Spice: The Palette That Earned Its Mess

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

I went to Istanbul for a short trip in October and came home with a little something extra in my makeup bag: Soph x Revolution's Extra Spice palette. It wasn't a new release, but I'd wanted to try it for ages. Two months later, it's looking considerably less pristine than the day I bought it, which should tell you something about how much I've been using it.

The Purple Palette I Waited For: My ABH Norvina Review

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

I saw the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina palette and immediately decided that, sooner or later, it was coming home with me. Perhaps it was the purple velvet packaging. Perhaps it was the promise of pinks, lilacs, and the sort of shimmers that make you open a palette just to look at them. Either way, my first ABH purchase had been mentally added to my makeup collection long before I actually bought it.

A Little Bourjois, a Lot of Opinions: 5 Makeup Products

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

Bourjois has a way of making a trip to the drugstore feel just a little more glamorous. The packaging is pretty, the lip colours always seem to be calling my name, and even the foundations manage to look like something I should be applying in front of a Parisian dressing-table mirror. But a pretty product and a good product aren't always the same thing. After spending time with a handful of Bourjois finds, I've discovered a foundation I genuinely enjoy, a BB cream I probably didn't need to buy, and a few lip products that have made me very particular about texture.

L’Oréal x Balmain: Four Lipsticks, One Little Reality Check

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

The L'Oréal Paris x Balmain lipsticks have finally made their way to Macedonian drugstores, and naturally, I couldn't leave with just one. Four shades later, I have a little piece of Balmain in my makeup bag, a new appreciation for orange lipstick, and a few thoughts about whether the packaging lives up to the hype.

L’Oréal Nude Magique Cushion: The Everyday Foundation I Needed

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

Last year, my skin and I went through a difficult phase. After dealing with severe hormonal acne breakouts, buying foundation stopped being quite so simple. I still wanted to wear makeup, but I wanted something lightweight, comfortable, and natural-looking enough for an ordinary day. Enter L'Oréal's Nude Magique Cushion Foundation, a pretty little compact that made me wonder whether my everyday base could feel a lot less complicated.

Essence Lash Princess: The €3.50 Mascara with a Dramatic Side

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

There's a particular kind of beauty disappointment that comes from buying a mascara promising extraordinary lashes, only to find that it has made your existing lashes slightly darker. I already have naturally long lashes, so when I buy mascara, I want it to earn its place in my makeup bag. I want lift, length, and a little false-lash drama. Two weeks ago, I picked up Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect for around €3.50. The result? Very pretty lashes, with one small catch I didn't notice until later in the day.

Catrice HD Liquid Coverage: The €7.50 Foundation That Surprised Me

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

Matte foundation and I have a slightly complicated relationship. I love the idea of a smooth, even complexion that stays put for hours, but my dehydrated skin has a habit of making anything too matte look rather less glamorous by lunchtime. So when I picked up Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation at dm for around €7.50, I wasn't expecting a great romance. I was simply curious whether a foundation this thin could really offer the coverage it promised. As it turns out, I had underestimated the little glass bottle.

Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume: How Much Mascara Is Too Much?

Everything Else · The Lori Diaries

My lashes are already long, but apparently that isn't enough for me. Give me a mascara promising even bigger lashes and I'll still want to know whether it can make them longer, darker, and a little more dramatic. Essence's I Love Extreme Crazy Volume arrives in a bright-pink tube that makes no attempt to be subtle. Neither does its enormous brush. I was very ready to fall in love with it, but after putting it to the test, I've learned that there's a fine line between the lashes I want and a few coats too many.