I have been sitting on this idea for what seems like forever, well this isn't my original concept,
I recall seeing it as a discussion point on Cosmopolitan's Facebook page - link
many months ago and thinking more of us should share how and why we blog
so here goes nothing...
I started blogging early last year and have to say I never truly understood what blogging
was until it engulfed me well and truly...it happens to us all at some point, it's not an if, it's a when!
The first ever blogs I read and still do to this day were The British Beauty Blogger - link
and Cosmetic Candy - link, like I said I had no idea really what a blog was up until then
and actually thought both were some sort of online magazine.
I actually envisioned both writers of such blogs to live life's similar to the head honcho in The Devil Wears
Prada...I have a vivid imagination and a lot of spare time haha!
Both myself and sister were watching T.V and eating sneaky late night Pizza and I was boring her
with my newest MAC purchases (MAC Pink Friday Lipstick) and she suggested that rather than
boring my friends, family and most importantly her with my newest make-up purchases and finds
perhaps it was time to sit down and share with the world through blogging.
I actually laughed and was more than opposed to the idea yet here we are a year later and more than
1300 posts in...who had the last laugh (clue it wasn't me).
I'm not going to lie and say pushing the publish on your first post isn't daunting, it was and is
but if you don't try new things how can you grow as a person?
Sure I look back on my first posts and cringe but somehow I can never bring myself to delete them
as they show how far I have come with this little blog and give me a royal kick up the ass
when I feel like slacking off!
The best part of blogging?
When someone other than your Mum clicks that follow button and leaves a comment.
A stranger engaging with you about a random lipstick rambling,
sheer magic and something that only a fellow blogger would understand.
Not that i'm not grateful for my family reading my blog and my mum telling anyone and everyone about it,
slightly mortifying when she tells her newsagent that her daughter will have something to clear up
those spots on his face...cheers Maw!
Yes I've had some amazing opportunities through blogging that would never have happened
had I not sat down and rambled about that hot mess of a lipstick that was Pink Friday
but the best part has to be the amazing people that I have meet along the way some that I am lucky enough to call friends and all the lovely people who sit down and put up with my constant ranting raving
about beauty products and put up with the odd spelling mistake or ten on a daily basis ;)
So thank you all for the support over the year and I hope many others start blogging
so I can return the support!
Why do you blog and who inspired you to crack open that laptop and create your own little
corner of the big bad internet? And yes doing this kind of post is wayyyyyy wayyyy out
of my comfort zone...eek!
of my comfort zone...eek!
this was lovely to read :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much and thanks for making it through this monster of a post haha :)
DeleteLovely - Would love to see the face behind the blog when you do some swatches sometimes :)
ReplyDeletexxxx
I completely agree and I am trying to build up the confidence to do that in the near future :)
Deleteyes! i agree! I love your posts and will definitely say that your opinion has swayed me into some really lovely purchases! would love to see some photos of you using the products you are raving about!
DeleteI guess I'll just have to buy a tripod and bite the bullet ;)
Deleteahhh goodo :) I really want to see FOTD with Chestnut eyeshadow lol :)
Deletegood post, I'm currently at the 'engulfed' stage of blogging. I've only been doing it for a couple of months but it's fantastic to connect with people over a blusher :D
ReplyDeleteI honestly couldn't agree more :) and I love that fellow bloggers are always one step ahead of the game and know more about make-up than some beauty counters!
DeleteJust started blogging, will be interesting to see how I will feel a year on from now but im sure itl be the same as you :) x
ReplyDeletePrepare to loose all your spare time ;)
DeleteAw it was so nice to see a personal post from you for a change! I agree with the comment above about how it would be lovely to see the face behind the blog at some point too :)
ReplyDeleteI felt I could relate to this like the bit how only bloggers really understand how it feels, bonding over lipsticks! My friends and boyfriends just don't quite understand it x x
Aww thank you so much and I completely agree I do have to man up and get some face of the day posts etc up...eek!
DeleteHaha yes most are like it's another pink lipstick get over it, then you blog about it and fellow lippie fans just get it haha :)
Thanks for reading :)
This post is a nice change! I have only just started blogging so I am hoping I make it through my first blogging year with as much satisfaction as you! x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :) and I wish you every success :)
DeleteI'm about 6 months into blogging and I have totally caught the bug... all my spare time is dedicated to it! I've always had a passion for makeup and am lucky enough to work in the beauty industry, and my blog acts as an outlet for all my thoughts and opinions!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments about seeing the face behind the blog :)
Rachel from www.whatabeauty.co.uk x
It sucks up any spare time doesn't it but when you love doing something you don't mind at all :)
DeleteYou are so lucky I hope to be employed within the beauty industry before the year is up!
And it is something I will take on board, I'm just shy in that sense but hey who isn't :)
Great blog!:)
ReplyDeletelaurenlovesmakeupxoxo.blogspot.co.uk
I started blogging just after I'd left school. In the build up to Prom I'd suddenly gotten back into make up and like your friends and family - None of mine wanted to hear about how I wasted my money!
ReplyDeleteOver a year later I'm so proud to be part of this lovely community! xx
haha why won't they listen to us ;) I'm so glad it spurred you on to blog and me too so many lovely beauty writers out there!
DeleteAww, that's sweet! Did the blog stop you rambling to others IRL? I really should work on setting up my blog, maybe I'll stop boring the BF!
ReplyDeleteThank you :) and no if anything I'm worse oops ;) but totally start a blog it's so therapeutic :)
DeleteHaha. They should appreciate the recommendations. I shall, as soon as I get home. It's hard to beauty blog when you have... well, almost nothing of your collection with you!
Deletelove the blog! keep up the fabulous loveliness!
ReplyDeleteps
if you ever want an editor for your posts for those niggling spelling mistakes...let me know ;)
Aww thank you so much and it is definitely something I will keep in mind thank you for offering :)
DeleteThank you, Adrienne, for sharing with us all your make-up experiences and more. Thank you for sparing much more of your time thinking on new ideas, taking amazing photos and giving us new posts everyday. Thank you for reading and answering each and every comment. Thank you for continuing with what you love by heart... And thank your sister for encouraging you to start all this up! :D
ReplyDeleteI personally can say I've found a very special person on you and I hope this blog and you, as individual, will raise and shine now and in the future :)
Best wishes!
Aww Papish thank you so much for what is a lovely and heart felt comment :) I really appreciate you not only taking the time to write this comment but each one in the past it means more than you could know :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletethis made me melt a bit, lovely x
DeleteSo lovely wasn't it :) comments like that keep me going when i'm tired but have a gazillion things to share!
DeleteI loved this post I started my blog partly to share my love of make-up and partly because I started reading other blogs which inspired me, yours was one of the first I started reading and it still a favourite of mine along with Paperbacks And Postcards and Sailboat
ReplyDelete: ]
Aww thank you :) and i'm glad you started blogging you have a lovely blog that will grow and grow! I love both those blogs too and Jennie from Sailboat was one of the first blogs I followed too :)
DeleteYou've only been at it for a year?? Props to you for doing this personla post, I like it! You seem so established! What are your best tips to increasing your reach? How did you get the word out? other than family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging about skincare and beauty because I want to be a dermatologist one day. As a medical student there's a lot to get your head around, and my blog: http://rokderm.com/ lets me keep up with my skin-care love, I research to give my readers the best possible information about the topic I'm focusing on be it reviewing the ingredients of a product, or writing a post about new treatment modalties or skin conditions. It was actually my boyfriend who nagged me into blogging, and it took almost 2 years before I gave into it! I'm glad I did now though, I love my new hobby, it makes me grow.
Check me out! http://rokderm.com/
Rolah
A year and a half now :) it is one of the longest hobbies I have ever had apart from dance. Aw thank you but I honestly do not know, having 100 readers let alone what the blog now has astounds me, I personally think it all down to you lovely lot spreading the word ;)
DeleteWow that sounds so fascinating and I really do hope you get your dream job! I read your blog and asides from being super jealous of your flawless skin (you do not need foundation) I really enjoy not just your reviews but how educated you are in skin care :)
Thank you so much! What can I say, it's an obsession ;)
Deletethis is such a lovely post and I'm so pleased you started blogging as your blog is well and truly amazing and your swatches are always brill xx
ReplyDeletewww.misssunshinesparkle.blogspot.com
Aww Danielle you are far too kind!
DeleteThis post may be out of your comfort zone but I thoroughly enjoyed it! x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :) all the lovely feedback has given me the much needed push to put myself out there more often :)
DeleteGreat post, thanks for sharing :) I don't really comment much but I have to say that yours and British Beauty Blogger and the two blogs I follow religiously, you always post great stuff! x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading what must be my longest post ever and for taking the time to comment, I love Jane's blog too so I'm flattered to be mentioned in the same sentence as her :)
DeleteThis post is amazing and has made up my mind about starting my own blog, great girl great blogger.
ReplyDeleteThank you x
I can not wait to read your new blog :)
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this and getting to know a little but more about you! I can't remember what I felt like when I pressed publish on my first post but its been a roller-coaster of excitement ever since.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it wasn't a snoozefest ;) that's exactly how I feel :)
Deletebest of luck with the Irish Blog Awards lovely :)
I loved this post. Your blog is one that I have been reading from the start. Although I started this blog in aug 2011. I have only started to use this url and blog properly in feb 2012, but then i was so busy with everything i forgot about my blog and reading peoples blogs and beauty products. now i am back and want to stay, reading my fave blogs daily, but new products and reviewing, also checking back a year later and cringing/reading at old posts to see how far i have come just like you. so although i do not have 1000 followers or plus. i enjoy blogging and hope people enjoy my blog. ((this has turned into an essay lol just kinda saying that youve inspired me to start blogging daily/more!!))
ReplyDeletexo - thegirlsbeautyreview.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for sticking around :)
Deletehaha my comments always turn into essays too so worry not ;)
I'm glad I could help you get a little more motivated and can't wait to see lots of lovely new posts from you :)
I love this post. I love your sincerity, it is almost a year now that I have been blogging. I get discouraged most times because no one seems to read or support me. I am thankful for the few subscribers that I have but most if not all of them are pretty much inactive. I continue to share in hopes of impacting where necessary, but sometimes I am doubtful as to the point in writing/posting when no one reads...I am rambling so I will just say I love your blog and I am your avid supporter. I eagerly wait for your posts.
ReplyDeletexx,
Toya
Hi Toya :) I'm so sorry you are having a rough time in a blogging sense at the moment. Trust me I know how it feels in the beginning no-one read this blog and i'm sure most established bloggers will tell you the same thing that it didn't happen over night. You've just got to keep at it and with a great blog like yours the followers will come trust me :). Thanks for commenting and I wish you the very best of luck, if I can help in any way feel free to email me :)
DeleteI absolutely love this post (and your blog!). Perfect Sunday night reading, VERY heart-warming and inspiring! :)
ReplyDeleteAww thank you so much :) I was so nervous about posting this post as well...eep!
DeleteThis is such an interesting post, it's great to hear how others get into blogging! I happened by a fashion blog in twitter (must have been a RT) and then I was hooked!
ReplyDeleteHow cute is your mum? Lol it's great that you have such support! Xo
Me too :) it's funny how most of us stumbled into it rather than sitting down and saying "this is it I'm going to be a blogger". Lord I think nutter is more the word ;) haha!
DeleteWhatever reason you got into it, keep at it! I love your blog, always entertaining, honest and your pictures are fab! I discovered it by accident (probably googling something) and now check in most days to see what you have reviewed ; )
ReplyDeleteTherese
Aww thank you and in truthfulness that is how I found most blogs too :)
DeleteAw this was lovely to read :) I started blogging because i was inspired by other blogs and YouTubers, however i am too shy to make videos, so this is the perfect place for me to ramble on to my hearts content :)
ReplyDeleteSophierosehearts x
Thank you so much :) I'm the exact same, having a blog is a great place just to wax lyrical about pretty things and not be judged. I'm glad you are enjoying blogging too :)
DeleteI absolutely love this post A, it's so nice to catch a glimpse behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging last summer because I was an avid fan of Beaut.ie and all the lovely ladies I met on there. Now, just over a year on my own blog is thriving (That still astonishes me everyday) but I've also joined the Beaut.ie team as a beauty writer! (Unbelievable)
I'd encourage anyone who's thinking of hitting their first publish button to do it - jump right in, the water's warm :)
Keep up the great work A, you're truly an inspiration x
Thanks Sue :) isn't amazing how blogs inspire others to just throw caution to wind and do it.
DeleteThat is astounding Sue and how great must it be to write for the blog that inspired you in the 1st place? P.s it is not unbelievable you are an amazing writer and just a great gal! Keep up the fab work :)
That was an absolutely beautiful read, I started blogging a while ago and I'm still not sure what I'm doing but it can be an extremely awarding thing to do, Thank you again for your post its truly inspiring :)
ReplyDeletexx, Rana
Aww bless you :) and I don't think any of us truly know what we are doing I think we all wing it slightly ;) haha :)
DeleteGreat post, i thought you had been blogging for longer your very good at it, i also dont know where you get the time to make them and the pictures so detailed, i started a blog but find it realy hard to stick to but still constantly read other blogs, do you have certain times you blog or do you just fit them in around a day? You should defo start you tube videos for reviews and shopping lol anyway keep up the good work xAmanda from Glasgow x
ReplyDeleteI think I am one of those blogs that just feel like they have been around forever but haven't much like a bad smell haha...kidding ;)
DeleteI do have sit down times when I like to get things out of the way and then others it is when I have time. I do struggle with time management in all honesty and probably do spend more time blogging that what is considered healthy haha! Oh lord my ugly mush on Youtube is one thing the world does not need hahaha!
Whole heartedly enjoyed reading this. Always good to reflect on why you started something to keep yourself grounded on where your going in future. Aside from lipsticks even in relationships. You are one of my favourites :) you deserve every success.
ReplyDeleteLiz
http://www.aspirationsofglam.blogspot.com
xxx
Thank you so much Liz :) and I agree sometimes it is nice to just sit down and reflect...see where you went wrong and how to grow etc :)
DeleteAww that is beyond kind thank you so much and wish you lots of luck and success too :)
love reading your post :) and what i like about it you always comment back and ask questions, I think I fallowing u 2 years now. No complain. And that u answer is very nice my first question was about black pudding a while ago I didnt know what it was made of,
ReplyDeleteBtw wat for shade of lipstics is in your pic? :D
First of all thank you for sticking around for so long it is more than appreciated :). I believe if people have time to comment I have time to answer and I hope that is always the case :) Oh yes I remember that conversation hahaha :)
DeleteIt is Barry M Lip Paint Shade 147 a summer favourite of mine...shame it's not summer here any more haha!
hehe yeah was loong time ago :D that conversation. And I wil be sticking around :D remember I did won that small perfume :D hehe Love it it smell really good
Deletenice post
ReplyDeletehttp://beautybubblesinyourlife.blogspot.fr
Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me to do one of my own in the next few days. So much of that made me laugh with recognition - the Mum follow, the stranger engaging with you through it. It's a feeling that's difficult to explain to my friends who don't write/blog.
Thanks again, lovely post.
Sarah
Hi Girl. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many followers now.
I am damn jealous with you.
Regards,
Dee
Plastica Beauty Product Specialist
Love your blog..There are millions of beauty blogs out there but you stand out..Your consistency and the effort that you clearly put into your pictures and write up makes you so amazing. You are definitely one of my fav bloggers and an inspiration to me. Hopefully I am as successful at blogging as you in the next year..haha..xoxo
ReplyDeleteP.S Please show us the pretty face sometimes :D
http://shelovesthefinerthings.com
I don't know why you were so nervous to write it, its inspiring that u went out of your comfort zone to do so. that is the exact reason why i started blogging. I never started to gain followers. I started as i have been stuck in a life rut for years more and more bad things kept happening to me but i didn't know how to deal with them, so i just started typing them and next minute i have people leaving comments and i found it easier to talk about all the things i like. The best part of it too for me is the amazing people i have met over the past few months. I loved this post, its nice seeing a bit more of you and its obviously gotten lots of good feedback, keep up the wonderful blog
ReplyDeletemissy xox
I really enjoyed reading this personal post! I often read your blog but rarely comment for no particular reason, but I always check up on it at the weekends and catch up with what you've been posting.
ReplyDeleteBefore I started the blog I co-write with my friend, you were the one of the people whose blog I'd read so you have definitely contributed to my current lack of spare time and super fixation on products ;)
But I absolutely love it and writing about my favourite things is like therapy to me! Maybe I will do this post too :)
http://cosmeticsshoppingandintoxication.blogspot.co.uk
So lovley post, you have a great blog!
ReplyDeletehrrp://www.zahja.blogspot.se