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Post in Besides Beauty
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Are the message boards dead?

Just a casual observation here but it seems like there aren't as many new posts as there used to be.  Is this just me or does it seem that way to other people, too?  Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of the new posts used to be the same topic over and over again, but it seems a little dead around here.  You can tell me if it's just me!  🙂

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@LCResz @I hear you.  I am actively ignoring my spend with Sephora so I don’t feel like I have to spend x more to make rouge this year.  The loyalty program doesn’t hold a candle to ulta’s and even individual brands’ sales.  I’m trying to spend more outside of Sephora just because I know I can get more bang for my buck else where. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

I’ve kinda sorta noticed it, though I’m not here nearly as often as I used to be. I wondered if maybe I was just showing up on slow days. 

 
The reason Im not here as often: 
Spoiler
Maybe some folks are going through the same (or similar) thing I am: total burnout in all (or many) facets of life. For some people, “burnout” is simply boredom or loss of interest, or not having the time and energy for BIC compared to something else happening in their lives. For me, “burnout" is a polite summary of “my mental health has taken too many hits over the last 2 years and everything’s snowballed now, so I’m taking myself mostly off-grid where my not-okay-ness won’t affect other people online.” I haven’t been on social media much in general lately… eh, not counting youtube, which I treat as a streaming TV source. (I very rarely comment on any youtube videos anyway.) With the holidays coming, I know my mental state’s only going to get worse since I won’t be traveling to see family this year—so I really need to work on pulling myself back together now, with the help of a therapist and possibly meds. Sure, interacting with folks online could help with that. But Im so burned out, anxietys convinced me to keep my distance for now. 
 
I do like helping people, so I still try to answer a question or two when I’m here. And hey, I’m commenting on this thread, so there’s also that. 
 
I don’t remember the last time I logged onto Instagram… I’m not a big fan of IG’s setup for online discussion, and I still don’t follow any influencers there (or anywhere). My IG account’s not focused on any single topic, and I haven’t posted a ton of content there overall. IG could be a therapeutic output channel for me, once I’m feeling more in control of things. I’m usually active on Facebook, where I keep up with family and friends, but I’ve stopped interacting there too—plus, FB’s gotten ridiculous with account bans, so it’s not unusual to find out friends have been hit with 30-day bans lately. I mean, I got a “next time we’ll ban you" warning just for commenting (on a friend’s post) that the way many Americans handled covid is stupid compared to certain other countries’ citizens. As for other social media platforms and forums/boards, Ive also pulled back from those. Hopefully Ill be more active again, eventually. 
I assume some people are simply less interested in beauty these days. In addition to folks not using as much makeup and haircare products (due to working from home, masking in public, etc.), new product releases seem too similar lately, or look/feel like rehashes of previous releases. Theres not enough innovation or creativity coming from beauty brands. That might partly be because some brands realize many customers cant/wont spend as much money on beauty as they used to. Or you know, some brands are stuck on a particular rehashed theme and refuse to push beyond that comfort zone. Customers are getting bored. Hell, I bet some influencers are getting bored. I mean, how many times can you post photos/videos about palettes with identical color stories and formulas? Anyway, maybe theres not enough exciting beauty stuff to talk about lately. 
 
But if anyone else is “burned out” the same way I am: I feel you. 
 
If anyone’s ever sent me a BIC message I haven’t replied to: it’s not you, it’s totally me. And okay, maybe it’s also BIC/Lithium since there was a time I wasn’t getting message notifications. But I’m not trying to ignore people. I have maybe 15 unread messages and I can’t adequately explain why anxiety stops me from replying, but it does, and I’m trying to push through it, but anxiety’s a strong beast. I’m sorry to anyone whose feelings might be hurt, or who might feel insulted or ignored. Totally not my intention. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne I am so sorry and I understand. A lot of what you shared resonated with me. I wish I could better articulate what I am feeling, but I wanted you to know that I appreciate your honesty.

 

@sprocketta mentioned the lipstick carousel you recommended. I am still using the makeup brush post-cleaning holder you also recommended. Every time I am going through my weekly cleansing, I smile at that little contraption that make my life so much easier. Thank you, and big hugs to you. If you’re not a hugging type of person, Hugh fives. Or whatever floats your boat 🙂

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne  I'm sorry to hear you are struggling, as you are such a positive person and have a lot to offer people.  Even our pastor mentioned how all of the covid (and related) stuff can make people tired, for a lot of reasons.  So it's definitely not just a few people who are experiencing this.

I totally quit Facebook in the spring, and I don't regret it at all.  Well, except that it's harder to keep up with some people.  But I realize I prefer to keep a few deeper friendships than trying to be managing over 100 of them on FB.  That's too much mental energy, for me anyway.

 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne You're definitely not the only one. I feel you and am not looking forward to the winter months. Everyone I know is vaxxed so things are so much better from this perspective, yet the toll and endurance of dealing with the pandemic has really sapped people. Our lives continue to be disrupted and marked by losses.

 

It takes an effort to seek out enjoyment - like enjoying life is not a default state, you need to put energy into it, even if it's talking about beauty in a pretty easy going and supportive community like BIC. Feels like everyone's batteries are just always hovering above 0%? Sending you comforting autumn vibes 🕯 hang in there!

 

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Re: Are the message boards dead?

💜💜💜 @WinglessOne You are most definitely not alone. The whole last year and half has taken a toll on my mental health as well and that's probably the biggest reason I'm not checking in daily anymore. I have to think that's the case for a lot of people, especially some of our "regulars" we don't see around as often. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne I understand. I’m still not sure if I’m going home for the holidays this year. Covid has definitely affected my mental health. I work had to keep it on track though. Basically the instant I started working from home last year I shifted from going to the therapist every two weeks to every week. They’re video appointments but I just didn’t wanna get too weird and isolated and I was afraid I would get depressed. I don’t get to wear lipstick all the time like I used to. I DO find that organizing my collection has made me use barely touched items much more though. And you were kind enough to recommend the lipstick carousel I bought, so thank you. I feel you. Trust me.

Re: Are the message boards dead?

I feel you @WinglessOne @and its hard to  deal with the anxiety we are all going through atm. You are definitely not alone. Its happening now,  but you will get through it no matter how long it takes. I hope you are doing well enough 🤗 .   I have ups and downs all the time and I wish I never had the down part but it happens and there is norhing wrong with it.

 

Take care and Im sending positive thoughts to you! 

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Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne  Virtual hugs! I’ve missed you on here. And I’m always here if you need to talk/vent. I also deal with anxiety and I know exactly how you feel. I also think it least for me the whole pandemic has definitely added an extra layer of anxiety on me that has become worse the before. I definitely miss doing all the things I use to do and it is hard when I can’t even see my friends and family. You aren’t alone and I’m always here if you need anything.

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@WinglessOne I hope you’re doing ok.  The holidays are stressful and I’m sure COVID isn’t helping anyone. We’re two months out from the holidays but I already had my meltdown yesterday thinking about all the obligations and expectations I’m going to have to live up to, manage, and disappoint. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@itscarin - I definitely noticed a slowdown in posts on BIC!  I thought it was just me.  I'm not an Instagram user so I'll always be here.  I'm teleworking so haven't worn makeup since March of last year.  I do draw on my eyebrows most of the time when I go out, but that's it.  I've bought a few smaller sized eyeshadow palettes that I haven't used and one or two lipsticks (a nosedive in both areas for me).  I see no reason to spend the money when (a) I don't know when I'm going to be able to go back to wearing makeup, (b) I'm teleworking, and (c) I'm looking at retiring in 5 to 7 years.

 

I'm always happy to talk makeup even if I don't wear it.  

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@Titian06 @I agree with this - I am an Instagram user but I really only use it for my personal life and rarely post. I used to be super into the YouTube beauty community but I think I got too old to tolerate all the drama and lost interest haha. A lot teens and such seem to have moved to tik tok as well 

 

I’ve definitely noticed a bit of a slow down here, but I still like to talk about all the beauty stuff as well, even if I wear it less than I used it because I’m not in the office everyday. But I’m sure that’s contributed overall to less posts. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

I am considering retirement also @Titian06 . Every time I bring it up with my husband he always reminds me of all of the money that we save on our health care and prescriptions. I am considering cutting down on my work schedule just to keep benefits. I know that I would regret retiring completely but a reduction in working hours would keep me active enough. I always worked throughout the pandemic even though it was a reduced schedule. Because I deal with the public I have always worn a full face of makeup. The biggest difference is that I am gravitating towards lighter colored lip glosses.

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@Titian06 cheers to your future retirement!  I love make up but I also love being able to go to bed without having a drawn out procedure for taking off my makeup. I pretty much only wear makeup when I have a meeting with boss so I can fake looking like I cares about my appearance.  I’ve got an old school boss who cares about things like that. 😕

Re: Are the message boards dead?

I've noticed that things have slowed down for a while now, and I mostly stop by to check out the promo codes thread before making purchases or if I get an email that someone messaged me or tagged me in something or other.  

 

But after years as a Rouge member, I'm not sure I'll reach that level for next year because I'm just not buying as many products. I spend most of my time at home after my job went permanently remote, and since I'm usually wearing a mask when I venture out, I only wear eye makeup and maybe a tinted lip balm. But really, I'm trying to buy fewer things in general and go more minimalist. 

 

And I tend to keep up with some of the people I've met through here on Instagram these days. But it seems like most of them are no longer active here, as well.

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@txcatx @I never get emails or messages anymore! I don’t know why but it also makes me forget to come back and see what’s up.

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@txcatx  I rarely wear lip products anymore because of mask wearing.  It definitely helps cut down on the spending!

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@itscarin  I have definitely noticed that there are way less posts lately. I haven’t been as active on here because I changed jobs and don’t have as much free time. 

Re: Are the message boards dead?

Starting a new job is always stressful @faeriegirl ! Hopefully it’s going well and will settle soon!!

Re: Are the message boards dead?

Thank you @Kim888! It is definitely getting better❤️

Re: Are the message boards dead?

@faeriegirl  How is your job?  Do you like it?

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