How To Start A Beauty Blog

I've been writing my blog now for almost 4 years. It started when I was a college student, obsessed with reading beauty and fashion blogs and watching beauty gurus on YouTube back when their subscribers digits were several figures less. I've been in love with my blog and at other times, less passionate about it. But I've learnt a lot over the year from being a clueless teenager just starting out, to understanding the industry more and what work and how to go about things.

 

I thought I'd share with you some of my best tips for how to get the best out of starting out. I didn't research much back in my start and was clueless to my content, focus and image. It can be daunting knowing where to start, but by following these simple steps you'll know how to get the best out of the experience.

 

Decide which platform you're going to use

The two main and easiest sites to use for this are Blogger and WordPress. I personally chose to use blogger as it's much easier to navigate around and use. However if you're more confident behind a keyboard then WordPress offers excellent opportunity for more personalisation if you're knowledgeable at writing code. Blogger allows you to choose your options without you having to faff around which much code at all.

 

Tools of the trade

You don't need the best kit out there to start a blog, I still don't have a load of top notch technology and I cope just fine. All you need is a desktop or laptop, you don't need a Mac. Then a camera, I use a digital camera rather than a DSLR as I find it easy to keep and travel with and provides the quality photographs I need without the hefty price tag. If you're just starting out, a phone with a good quality camera will work for now. You don't need Photoshop to edit your photos, I use a free online photo editor which is Ribbet.

 

 How things looks and navigate

You don't have to have the most fantastically designed blog for it to look great. I always find that simple is better and I like to keep mine monochrome and uncluttered. I used to code my own design but rather than spending time maintaining this I purchased one from Pipdig. Loads of sites offer templates for free or a small charge that can really give your blog a more professional look. It's important that the blog is easy to navigate around and clearly set out so your readers can easily find what they're looking for, nothing is more off putting than a blog which is visually complicated.

 

Find your focus and make your content relevant

You can have the best design out there but without the right content on your blog, you aren't going to attract an audience who genuinely want to read what you have to say. The main thing to keep in mind with blogging is that you have to be passionate about your focus. From the beginning, I decided my blog was mainly going to be based around product reviews. However, some beauty bloggers have a wider reach such as how to posts or may go half on half with fashion. You don't have to stick to what you start with but find your comfort zone, write what comes to you naturally. Originality can play a big part here, it's hard not to look at other beauty blogs for inspiration.

 

Timing and consistency

This is easily my downfall when it comes to blogging. Decide how often you're going to post, whether that's once a week or every day, and do your best to stick to it. I am terrible at going through periods where I just can't sit down and think of anything I want to write, and that's fine. The best way to beat this is to prewrite posts when you're feel motivated and creative enough, so you'll never have a shortage of content to post. Some of your readers will be subscribed to your blog or follow you through social media but others don't. Therefore consistency will help you grow and maintain your audience better as they know when to come back for new posts.

 

Social media and growing your audience

It takes years not days to build up an audience to your blog. Even after all these years, I have a small subscriber base but get a lot of views to my blog. Social media is the best way to send people to your blog. At the least you'll need to set up a Facebook page and Twitter account solely for your blog. I'd also recommend you create a Instagram account too. Get involved on Twitter, find other beauty bloggers and engage with them. Post links to your new posts and use your hashtags effectively. The community as a whole are very supportive of each other so don't be afraid to engage yourself in conversation on social media regularly.

 

These are just a few pointers to get you started. The whole process is learning from trial and error so don't be afraid to change things and keep them fresh and engaging. Create something you're proud of and have confidence in yourself.

 

Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

I'm very hit or miss when it comes to eye creams in a skincare regime. At 21, it's something I want to get myself into the habit of using now so that it won't seem like so much of a chore it future years to come when it's almost a necessity. However, I do see the pros using them now, smoother application and less creasing with your under eye concealer. The cons however is the eye watering price tag for a little pot of cream which most the time leaves you dissatisfied.

 

I decided to give the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. It seems to be in everyone's staple regime, especially during the winter where people like me suffer with dryness around the eyes. At £20 for 14ml it's not the cheapest out there but a little bit does go a long way. The packaging is very simple but sturdy plastic and travel friendly, always a bonus for me. The product itself if a very thick cream which needs to be warmed up in between your ring rings until it turns into a thinner substance. This is the correct time to apply as advised by Kiehl's. It contains avocado, beta carotene and shea butter. The cream is hydrating but sinks into the skin around the eye area well without leaving excess residue.

Overall this is one of those products I really do see the benefit from. The consistency and texture suits my oily skin well and keeps my eye make-up in place all day. It's also super soothing and replenishing enough to use after removing my make up and cleansing at night. It doesn't contain any fussy ingredients which irritate my uber sensitive eye area. This little pot is going to last me months so all in all, this should be on everyone's beauty shopping list for sure.



MAC Craving Lipstick

Some may say I'm a bit of a lipstick snob and I'll refuse to put my paws on anything that isn't high end. It's one of those products I find you really do get what you pay for. With the colder months lurking on us, it's time to give my colour palette a little vamp. I'm a big fan of reds and nudes but cannot touch anything pink as it just doesn't suit me at all. So I thought I'd dabble in a bit of plum, but nothing too scary to start with.

 

 

Craving is deep warm plum toned pink which makes it super wearable in the day time as well as for date nights. I choose it specifically for colder months, however I've come realise it's actually pretty versatile and would look just as great worn in the summer. It comes in the Amplified finish which means it's super pigmented and creamy meaning it won't dry your lips out. I also find these sorts of formulas very easy to apply without a liner or brush as they glide on so smoothly without dragging the lips. I do find it does wear off quite easily when I'm out for meals or drinking a lot throughout the day so be sure to keep it in your bag for top ups throughout the day.

When I spotted this on the MAC website, I did expect it to have more of a purple tone to it. I do find it leans towards the pink more but I still find it suits me well. It is rather opaque and glossy so I do find I need to blot it a little as glossy lips aren't really my thing. MAC lipsticks aren't the cheapest at £15.50 and going up year on year but they last forever and for the quality they are worth every penny. I feel this shade would suit paler to medium complexions most but applying it more sheer etc. could work for darker skin tones too. I'm sure this is a lipstick I'll be reaching for religiously over winter.
 



Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer

Concealer is a part of my make-up routine which I can find unessential at times. I don't particularly suffer with dark under eye circles and my full coverage foundation tends to deal with any redness or blemishes that crop up. On a shopping splurging I ended up picking it up to give it a whirl, at £22 for 7ml of product, it's not the cheapest concealer on the market. However, I've been using it everyday and it definitely deserves a good rave about so here's my findings.

 

It has a decent shade range as far as concealers go, with 8 shades available ranging from light to extra deep. My only disappointment in this department is that the lightest shade which I was matched to, Light 01, isn't the fairest of shades. However, when blended well and applied alongside my foundation, it appears seamless. It also has a sun protection of SPF 10 which is useful to sensitive parts of your face such as the nose and under the eyes.

 

It is packaged in a sleek plastic tube with a gold coated lid which is home to a doe foot applicator. I know these are controversial in terms of spreading bacteria but it's never deferred me from a product. When the lid is pulled out the tube, the perfect amount of product is sitting on the applicator to allow you to cover any imperfections on you face. It applies incredibly rich yet light when blended and doesn't sit cakey on the skin. The coverage is a firm medium yet buildable, this allows it to cover well without being too thick and settling in any lines on the face.

 

 

Even though I suffer from oily skin, it stays in place all day as it claims, it doesn't slip or budge until it's time to remove it. It's also the only concealer I can wear on any area of my face that suits it's needs; it covers any blemishes well yet is light and creamy enough to use under the eyes and around the nose where you don't want something too rich any heavy. I like to apply mine with a duo fibre brush blending lightly, it doesn't take too much work either which is a winner in the mornings. My first tube lasted me a good 5 months so although a little pricey, a little goes a long way. I'm thoroughly impressed with this concealer and can't see myself replacing it with anything else for a very long time.

 

Everything Is Changing.

So I've decided it's probably time to write a post on what's been going on lately as my presence on my blog and channel has been limited lately. I've been going through some huge changes in my life recently and just haven't really had the time to sit down and relax and lose myself in all this.

 

So university didn't go as I planned at all, from the beginning I became very depressed, alone and anxious and instead of getting stuck into my studies; locked myself in my room and distanced myself from everyone and everything. By Christmas I'd decided it really wasn't for me and planned not to return in the new year. Unfortunately, I did a lot better than I had thought I would in my exams which motivated me to continue my course. However, in this time I also lost my grandma. After a few weeks I fell back into my 'I really don't care anymore' outlook and in this time my grandad also became very ill and sadly also passed away on my 21st birthday. During this time I accepted a job offer in my university town and I think if it wasn't for that, I would have completely lost all hope in my life.

 

The weeks after all this made me realise I needed to reassess my life, my attitude towards things and what I really wanted. I spent as little time at home as possible as I knew I really needed to gain some independence. I was very unhappy and let this heavily affect my relationship as things weren't perfect already. I decided to end things with my long-term fiancé and concentrate on getting back on track with university and sorting myself out financially. With everything that had already occurred, this was a very sad time for me and I genuinely can't remember much of that time as it was too painful to not just delete this memory from my mind.

 

So where has all this left me? With a lot of full time working over summer, a failed first year at university with LOADS of retakes and still in the pittance of my overdraft. I'm not quite sure what I'm planning to do with my life in the near future but I've battled my anxiety and depression demons fiercely and feel more adult and able to deal with difficult situations than I've ever been and I couldn't be prouder of myself. Sorry if you've been waiting for me to post things, I've had a few messages asking where I've been. Just bare with me, I plan to come back bigger and better than ever.

 

Thanks for your patience and support, I love you all.