Beauty

What Is It Actually Like Being A Beauty Blogger?

It was 2012, I was well into my Computer Science degree at University and I’m not going to lie I was finding it tough. Ever since I was a child I’d been interested in technology, whilst many young children and teens dreamed of being artists, pop stars and astronauts I had It set in my head that I was going to become a *drumroll*……systems analyst.

Since I was a teen I’d spent many an evening hunched over my computer teaching myself all about computers, how to build my own website, playing around in various graphic design programs and wanting to learn more, but when I finally got to University to do what I had always wanted to do, I was struggling. I found it ridiculously difficult to engage with what any of the lecturers were saying and all of the content just seemed so outdated, I wasn’t getting to code websites as I’d dreamed of, instead I was learning how to use flash (really?!)

being a beauty blogger

In addition to this my course was over-run with men, I know the stereotype of these types of courses is that there are about 90% men to 10% women, and they aren’t lying, all of my girlfriends had gone off to Uni and I was desperate to meet someone who I could have a chat with about other things I loved like make up, fashion and the latest TV shows I was watching.

It was around this time that I’d also got into watching YouTube videos, I regularly tuned into Ingrid (Miss Glamorazzi) and Anna who was Viviannadoesmakeup at the time, they both had their own beauty blogs and I thought, “why not give it a go?”, I had always enjoyed writing and lord knows I had enough beauty products in my cupboard to be able to blog about them, so on January 24th 2012 I published my first post on my imaginatively named blog “Sophee” about hair tongs no less. Since then I’ve met loads of amazing girls, been to some cool events and today i’m sharing what it’s actually like being a beauty blogger.

It’s Quite Expensive!

being a beauty blogger

The number of times I’ve justified a make up purchase due to the fact that it’s “for the purpose of blogging” is unreal, beauty blogging is a very expensive hobby as there are constantly new releases and hyped up products that you want to try out. This will often lead me to have clear outs to give to family and friends of products I’ve never used but did get a fantastic Instagram shot of!

Above you can see a glorious shot of my “eyeshadow drawer”, I daren’t think about the number of palettes I have, but those smokey eyes and shimmers #worthit

It’s Not A Competition

It’s a highly saturated market and can be easy to think of as a competition, but it’s not. There will always be someone who takes killer Instagram pictures and manages to look flawless in every photo that you’d love to be, but blogging means something different to everyone as we’re all at different stages in the journey so it’s important to support other people whilst still meeting and celebrating your own personal goals.

Picture Taking and Flat laying Will Become Your Life

being a beauty blogger

James jokes that I have an “Instagram carpet” that I lay all of my products on before I take pictures, and he’s not far from the truth. I’ve got my basic blogger marble sticky back plastic that I use for photos and I was even eyeing up a mini fur rug in IKEA the other day to jazz it up a bit! I will meticulously plan out all of my photos down to arranging lipstick in a certain way and securing it with masking tape on the base to make sure it doesn’t roll about.

A huge part of beauty blogging is getting good, clear pictures of product that will make people want to come back for more, I’m no expert but I love to experiment and see what combinations of products and photo posts work the best.

being a beauty blogger

I now have so many fake flowers in my house that I use for photo opportunities that I struggle to find places for them!

You’ll Meet So Many New People

As I mentioned, part of the reason for starting my blog was to get engaged and start chatting with other like minded people. The beauty blogging community is huge and there are always constant opportunities to meet someone new. 4 years ago I tweeted Julie about meeting up before attending an event organised by another blogger and here we are 4 years later still friends and still meeting up.

You’ll Savour The Daylight Hours

being a beauty blogger

In the winter months it’s an absolute NIGHTMARE trying to get any good quality content for your blog. When I leave in the morning it’s dark and by the time I’ve come home in the evening it’s even darker. This has led to me savour any daylight hours possible – the first thing I do when I get out of bed on a Saturday is take any photos for planned content for the week ahead. Seeing as England seems to always be in a perpetual state of winter this happens pretty much every weekend..

It Actually Helps With Your Career

I’ve managed to get two jobs thanks to my blog. People always seem really interested in what its all about and are curious to know more. Having it shows you are dedicated to a cause and have interests outside the working world!

Social Media Becomes Your Best Friend

being a beauty blogger

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook even Hootsuite all become your best friends as they’re super important for engagement. I always make sure I have some tweets scheduled and try and partake in as many blogger chats as possible. They’re a great way to meet new people and start getting your blog around. I try and tap into popular hashtags on these social networks as it ensures I’m getting as much exposure as possible.

Most of all though I think everyone can agree that being a beauty blogger is all about a big sense of community and pride in your own work. I love being able to talk with 100s and 100s of girls I’ve never even necessarily met, but automatically have something in common with. I also really enjoy being able to talk to people about my blog because I feel quite proud of my little space on the web and all of the wonderful opportunities it has brought me!