ABOUT ME

I actually set up this blog back in 2012 and to be honest, I never really enjoyed typing away. In actual fact, I deleted everything. Every single post I wrote! Why?

For years I have followed blogs, bloggers, vloggers, influencers, creators, gurus, youtubers.......the list is endless. I have enjoyed following for years and in between that time, I thought I could do "my own" blog and be an influencer and have the best looking life style. But in actual fact, I was just doing it and trying to be like everyone else in the blogging world.

In reality, I hated it. Everything I did seemed so forced and fake. I had to take the best pictures, but I never had the really expensive DSLR. I never had the best lighting, I had to try and filter the crap out of everything. I wasnt even a fan of how I looked. It/I/Myself......nothing was perfect.

However, all the other top blogs out there, were SOOOOOO perfect.

In 2015 I opened up my first shop. First and foremost, I have to say, I have 3 wonderful staff. They are my glue! I have amazing clients too.

In my little shop (and it is little!) we perform hair, nails, makeup and beauty treatments. I love my shop. Its a place for fun, laughs and above all, making people feel so, so good about themselves. We have women/girls (and sometimes men) that come in a lot of the tim7e feeling so rubbish, whether its about their looks, lives, jobs or just life in general. But our achievment is for them to walk away and feeling better and looking good. 9 times out of 10, I have to say, we really achieve that! That makes me feel so good, that I/We have done that and made them smile.

In 2016 I had my son. The best thing since sliced bread (along with my soul mate, of course!) They both mean the world to me and more! I count my blessing everyday and I am very grateful to have them in my life. Life is complete and in my eyes, perfect.

As some of you read this, you will understand and I hope it come across "well" without being abrupt so to speak. But, when you have children something inside (not for all, but it did for me) changes. I changed the way of how I look at myself, my thoughts, my actions. In a nut shell, you really don't care what "others" think. I love the way I look. I'm the heaviest I have ever been, but yet I'm very comfortable in my own skin. Yeah sure, I'm eating well and in the last few weeks I have lost a few pounds. which is a bonus! But, I'm still very happy. I'm not worrying about stuffing cake into my gob, because I don't care if I dont get into those size 8 pair of jeans! I really don't care that people think I'm strange, because I don't put pictures of my son up on social media. I really don't care that I have extra fine lines and wrinkles, since 2012! My point is, I'm ok and I'm happy with me and I'm ok if I don't "approve" my life, with some. I realise now, I can't make everyone happy and everyone is not going to like me. I'm so, so cool with that!

Which brings me back here, on blogger!

Since 2012, blogging is a huge industry. A great one at that. But it has changed so much. Everything is blurred, brightened, highlighted, filtered, cropped, photoshopped, sharpened.....arghhhhhhhhhh!!! TOO MUCH. MUCH.TOO.MUCH.

It was once fun, raw, happy and life! Now its a bunch of filtered crap and perfect. Don't get me wrong, I still read and watch the same ones that I did back then. But I have also deleted tons and tons of the ones I used to follow.

So here I am, bringing life back. What blogging once was. Yes I have snazzy equipment now and I'm not afraid to use it! But what I can promise you this.....

No filters, no photoshop, no cropped, blurred, highlitened nonsense! You can't tell me, some of you haven't felt it too? Looking into everyone else's perfect online life and feeling shitty about yours. Trust me, life isnt like that. Life isnt filtered.

So I am going to bring to you #nofilterbyjaychapman

It will still be clean, crisp and quailty pictures. But it will also be straight to the point. When I am reading a blog, I realsie I skim out most of the fluffed up stuff and get to the point......Does the product work?!

Now of course, I realise that not every products isnt going to work on me. But I am in such a great position with my shop, I can try out a lot of "stuff" on clients, staff, friends and family. Plus being a pro makeup artist for many years, I have experience. Not only that, I dont have perfect skin (shock horror!) Do any of us?! I have pigmentation, large pores, oily and scaring.

So everyone, Hi.......My name is Jay Chapman and I hope you enjoy my blog!