10 Things I’ve Learned in My 9 Years of Beauty Blogging
As VBR turns 9, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on and share some lil’ tid bits I’ve discovered and learned from beauty blogging over the years. Fellow beauty bloggers, please share some of your experiences and nuggets of wisdom with me, too! 🙂
10 Things I’ve Learned in My 9 Years of Beauty Blogging
- It’s a crowded space. There are a million kazillion beauty bloggers (many of which are cruelty-free & vegan), and they’re often reviewing the same exact ish as you are. The only thing that sets you apart from them is, well, YOU. Your unique voice and perspective, tone, photography style, keeping-it-realness are all factors that inspire readers to come back and visit again and again. When it comes to VBR, I try to create posts that I genuinely enjoy reading myself (ha, that sounds conceited, but I think you know what I mean).
- Running a blog ain’t cheap. Between hosting services, tech support, designers, high speed internet, etc…. it’s a miracle I don’t live off of crackers and air. While I know I won’t be makin’ bank blogging about beauty stuffs, I did recently start incorporating a limited amount of ads and affiliate links. Fret not, I’m definitely not going to pimp up my blog with annoying and distracting ad units everywhere you look. Also, and I hope this goes without saying, I only post and promote products that I truly love. That being said, when you do use my affiliate links, you are helping offset the costs of running VBR and I’m truly grateful.
- Juggling a work/life balance is no joke. Blogging most days a week (which there is so much pressure to do!) is crazy time consuming – and with kids? Fuggedaboutit! Yeah, you know, my selfies that I post, where my face is all painted and purdy-ish (see above)… there’s a 99.94% chance that I haven’t bathed in 3 days and I’m not wearing pants. Nah, make that a 99.96% chance.
- Um, everything is… “awesome.” There are only so many ways to describe a product’s scent, texture, feel, effectiveness, and it’s SO hard to steer clear of overused and vague-sounding descriptors like ahem, “awesome” and “amazing.” I need to start using more words like “stellar,” “wunderbar” and “umphtastic.” 😉 Seriously, any help in this department is much welcome. Thanks in advance. *SMOOCH*
- The #bblogging community is a warm and fuzzy place to be. I’ve connected with so many beauty brands that I love and have met so many wonderful, sweet and talented beauty babes via my blog and social media. Even though the vegan community can be a bit clique-ish and judgey at times, overall, there’s just so much support and positive vibes. It seriously makes my heart burst.
- Photoshop is my bae. This may not be something many beauty bloggers fess up to, but we ALL touch up our selfies, product shots, swatches. Mhm, guilty, yo! Whether it’s color correcting, fixing levels, blurring blemishes, making crazy eyeball veins disappear with clickity-clack magic, whatever it is… it’s really hard not to do it. And trust me, it helps the overall aesthetic of VBR, which is a good thing.
- Lighting is everything. Too much direct sun = bad. Not enough light = bad. Shadows = bad. As a blogger, I’ve learned a lot about photography, staging, lighting, angles, poses… still learning, of course, but man – it’s kind of complex! Ooh, and when I look at my posts from my early years circa 2007, it makes me cringe and wanna vom. 😉 There’s beauty in growth though, right? I need to embrace that ish!
- You do you, and have your content reflect that. Certain types of posts perform better than others. For instance, I know on Instagram, my foodie pics get a considerable more likes and comments than my beauty ones do (go figure!) – ha, and maybe it’s because of my gluttonous, voracious appetite and love for vegan donuts and other fried sh*t. Am I gonna shift VBR to a vegan food blog to increase my social media following? No. I genuinely post about things like I truly adore and appreciate whether they be food, fashion, beauty, family stuffs. It’s all gravy, baby. Mmm, mushroom gravy with garlic and onions and lotsa mashed taters. #YUM 😉
- Is Hoarders accepting new applicants? I have never in my life owned this many beauty products, and while is seems like a blessing (and it is, #hashtagblessed), it’s out of control – like it actually stresses me out! My organizational skills are nil and all my wares are sprawled about my house (sorry, Mr. VBR!), so I can never find what I need ever (months, years later even!). And by the time I finally find x, y, or z, it is most likely expired, dried out, or funky. I’m constantly giving away my excess beauty products but I still feel like I’m drowning. I know, I know, I should NOT be griping about this petty shite. Life is good. Chill out, Sundawg. Go drink an extra fermented kombucha, and come back for #10.
- Living life is more important than blogging. This may seem like a mega ‘duh,’ but I know I personally put so much pressure on myself to constantly churn out content and upkeep my social media channels that I sometimes forget to just breathe (not even joking, like really breath, filling up the lungs and diaphragm), live life and enjoy the friggin’ moment. When I’m putting my kiddos to sleep at night, and all they wanna do is cuddle with their mommy, everything else fades in the background, and nothing matters more than a squishy snuggle fest. As I watch their cute, tiny faces drift off into slumberland, my heart melts, I feel so alive and in love, and all the pressures of blogging or doing anything on the internet for that matter, seem insignificant. I’m trying to become better at putting the phone down, being present, seeing the bigger picture, and not being so wrapped in the blogggy world.
Thank you for reading this ranty, bitchy post about my blogging woes and discoveries. 😉 Also, thank you to each and every one of you who has supported VBR over the years. All the comments, e-mails, and love are felt and truly appreciated. xoxo
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)
Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at Sunny@VeganBeautyReview.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.Filed in: vegan lifestyle
