One of my favourite things about beauty blogging is getting emails from lovely readers like you. I’ve been getting a number of emails from them asking how it was that I became a beauty blogger. I thought I’d answer them and share with you how I walked down the blogging road 🙂
Let’s rewind to 2005, shall we?
I didn’t start out blogging about beauty. In fact, there were barely any beauty bloggers back then (Temptalia who? :P). Personal blogging had just started to be popular and being the sheep that I am, I followed the herd. That was when I stumbled upon Paris B‘s old beauty blog, before she became My Women Stuff. In case you didn’t know, the name of her blog used to be Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget (oops did I let the cat out of the bag?) 😛
Version 2007
At the time, although I loved reading fashion and beauty magazines, I hardly even wore makeup. Eye makeup meant a horizontal sweep of one colour on the eyelids (I’ve done bright blue stripes before *facepalm*), a blush so sheer I might as well not have worn it at all and dusky pink lipstick. In other words, when it came to makeup, I was utterly hopeless. Malaysian fashion and beauty mags back then didn’t even show you how to apply makeup. They were more interested in selling you cosmetics instead.
It was no wonder why I thought the idea of beauty blogs fascinating. I finally got to read honest reviews of products. I saw meticulously photographed images of how one would apply eye makeup (the pictures may not seem as professionally done these days with fancypants cameras but back then, they were considered very well shot with just regular point-and-shoot cameras).
Version 2008
When 2007 came about, Paris B and I have already been reading each other’s blogs for a while (me on her personal and beauty blog, and her on my personal one). In jest, I asked her what if I too blogged about beauty? I wasn’t serious about it at all; I really just wanted to do it for a laugh because come on, who would want to read a beauty blog whose blogger knew jack about makeup? Paris B was incredibly encouraging and pushed me to do it.
Just to test out how I would write a topic remotely about beauty, I published a post on my personal blog on cheap ways to take care of dry and cracked heels. To this day, I still get random comments from that post. The reaction was much better than I anticipated. A month or two later, Beautyholics Anonymous was born.
Version 2009
As I wasn’t good at makeup, I focused a lot more on skincare, a topic that I was (still am) passionate about. In time, more bloggers started to come on board the beauty blogging scene. The blogging journey is where one never stops learning. I learned so much from beauty bloggers and in time, my makeup skills started to improve. They’re nowhere near the likes of Connie or Celina, but hey, wearing mascara daily and knowing how to master the liquid eyeliner aren’t bad, eh? 😉
The blogging scene has evolved over the years. It’s getting more competitive and big beauty brands like Estee Lauder and L’Oreal are now working with bloggers (something unheard when I began beauty blogging). Beauty blogging isn’t just talking about a lipstick I love anymore, it’s also about networking. Still, I do see it as a good challenge to push myself further to learn more and meet new people.
Version 2010
That’s how I started beauty blogging. Humble beginnings talking about Ginvera Marvel Gel and how to exfoliate your skin with a loofah. 🙂
If you’re a blogger too (personal, beauty, fashion, foodie, etc), how did you start blogging? What changes have you noticed about the blogging scene compared to when you began?
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, your readers.
As I am very new to blogging I love hearing others’ stories about how they began and what they have learnt along the way. I love the support that is evident amongst the Australian beauty bloggers and that the more experienced, such as yourself, are so open with their help and knowledge.
Kate from Seduced by Beauty recently posted..Makeup Store–my idea of heaven
My pleasure, Kate. I’ve learned a lot from my blogging journey and I’m still learning even after 5 years. Like I said, the blogging scene sure has evolved over the years and things are very different now from when I first begun.
All the best in your blogging journey 🙂
What a lovely inspiring story!!! You were the first beauty blog I read regularly so in a way, your beauty blog inspired me to beauty blog 😉
Ling recently posted..Goodbye Cellulite! Review of Elixia BodyShaper Cellulite Contour Crème (and win one to try yourself!)
Aww thanks Ling! It’s such an honour 😀
Hi! What a lovely post! Thank you for sharing your story. I am also quite new to beauty blogging and appreciate any insight to the wonderful world of blogging, lol. 😀
Becca recently posted..Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Shimmer – (“Cherry” and “Rhubarb”)
Thanks for your kind words Becca. I always love reading about how beauty bloggers started out with their blog, so I thought I’d share my own to (hinting at other beauty bloggers to share their story too *nudge nudge*) 😛
OMG Tine ROFLOL!! I haven’t heard that blog name in agesssss /nostalgic Its basically dead and buried now but it was a good starting platform, and I don’t remember our conversation but I love that we bonded over blogging and just blogging alone, sharing our personal stories on our blogs whether beauty or not. I miss the days of personal blogging. I’d never go back because there’s just too much exposure now, but I do miss it 🙂
Paris B recently posted..Notorious Ombre Contraste: A Notoriously Popular Sculpting Powder from Chanel
Hahahaha I actually still have my old Blogspot page! (which was where I got the screenshot from) It felt so weird reading back what I wrote, how I used to design it (I actually had a chatbox on the blog! Remember those? :P), the silly sponsored posts I used to write (gaming, casinos, etc) 😛
I miss personal blogging too. But like you said, there’s just too much exposure these days. You never know who’s reading.
Exactly. Too many people around who can put 2+2 and make 5 😛 I thought a few times about reviving it, but nah. Some things are better left unsaid 😉
Paris B recently posted..Your Say: Sales Assistants and how they can make or break your interest in a brand
LOVE this post Tine! You and #MBBE totally inspire me when it comes to blogging, learn something new from you guys everyday <3 <3
Jess @ Miss J. Shopaholic recently posted..Beauty Haul: Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Burberry Beauty!
Aww thanks Jess. So glad to hear that *warm fuzzies* <3
Love this walk down memory lane and reading about how you got into it. You’ve always been such a supportive and helpful blogger and I love that I can ask you any kinds of silly questions and you’re more than happy to share your advice, I don’t think my blog would be where it is n0w without your inspiration.
Megan recently posted..Bobbi’s Skincare Luxuries
Thanks Megs. It really warms my heart to hear you say that. Encourages me to work harder towards being a better blogger. And your questions were never silly! 🙂
This post is so interesting – I’m glad I’m not the only one who takes screen caps of my blog prior to transforming the layout/design! 🙂 thanks for sharing this with us… It’s amazing how far the blogging scene has come since 2005! I also tip my hat to you for your dedication to blogging for so many years! X
Sarah recently posted..Himeji Style! ABBM’s November Meet – and some important announcements.
Thanks Sarah. Blogging was so different then. No one sent us any products to review (back then, there weren’t even any! And when American companies happen to stumble upon our blogs and send us a small bottle of body lotion, let me tell you, it was the feeling of “OMG we’ve made it!” :P) In hindsight, I don’t know if I even spent more back then or now, even though I had to buy all of my beauty products to review 😛
🙂 that’s a really good Q about the spending! I think I spend about the same compared to before I started blogging, as the more I learn the more I want to spend to get quality products, particularly skincare. Having said that, if I can get good products for a bargain, such as Face of Australia, I’m all for it! 🙂
Sarah recently posted..Will [A’kin]‘s pureMAN range get your man looking Visibly Fit?
i started blogging in 2009 when Indian beauty blogging scene was totally non-existent..at that time i used to read sesame’s blog and I was always passionate about skin and hair care and till date I am so I write only about that…make up is not my forte and I am incredibly lazy so i am always like why to apply all that when I have to go through the trouble of removing it all after coming back 😀 and, now the scene is so competitive!!!
Swati recently posted..Omved Anirveda Body / Bath Oil {Product Review}
haha…read your exchange with Paris…personal blogging is definitely dangerous now a days!!!
Swati recently posted..Omved Anirveda Body / Bath Oil {Product Review}
I know what you mean. It IS getting a lot more competitive now with so many more beauty bloggers in the scene. Definitely takes a lot more work to stand out now 😛
You know how I started blogging – Val told me to XD
Tina recently posted..My Favourite Face of Australia products
Aw poo poo! Really happy to know that someone out there LISTENS to what I say, haha!
Tine, I wish I have great memory like you. I don’t exactly remember why or who inspired me to blog. I think it was my curiosity what a “blog” is and decided to sign up an account with blogspot.
The only blog I recall reading frequently back in 2004 was Dooce, she inspired me to write about….life.
ponikuta recently posted..The unsuspecting product I use on myself, my home and my dog – Bosisto’s Lavender Oil
Dooce started a lot of people into personal blogging. I only stumbled upon her blog many years later after she became really successful 😛
Haha that was what it was for me too in 2005 when I signed up for an account on Blogspot! Thank goodness for that curiosity eh? 😉
Nothing like peer pressure to get you started on something awesome, eh? 😉
Hi Tine, thanks for this post. It was great hear how you became a makeup blogger. I have a question which you have sort of touched on. How do you narrow your niche? I am a parent/mummy blogger but am realizing I don’t want to write about my kids on the blog. But i do because thats expected of mummybloggers. Which kind of defeats the purpose of my blog. I enjoy your blog because I am hopeless at makeup & so I am learning all the time. X
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Thanks for your question, Lisa.
If you don’t want to write about your kids on the blog, then don’t. Don’t follow that expectation. A favourite blogger of mine, Dani from Danimezza.com (perhaps you have heard of her?), has stopped writing about her son on her blog and am now focusing a lot more on fashion. She started her blog off as a platform to write about her life and her family but have, over the last 6-12 months, slowly weaned the mention of her son off the blog. She did lose a lot of her readers but she’s a lot happier following her passion in writing about fashion now.
Break the stereotype. Be the mummy who’s a blogger who doesn’t blog about her kids. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just because your blog name is Mummy Manifesto doesn’t mean you have to write about your children. It’s very important to write what you’re comfortable about. If you’re not comfortable writing about your kids, don’t do it.
Good luck 🙂 x
Oh my gosh! I think I have been following you longer than I think I have! I rem the floral headers you used to have…. You have come such a long way Tine and Beautyholics Anonymous is one of my fave blogs to read in my RSS 🙂
Beauty Box recently posted..Updated Skincare Routine For Face: Early Winter 2012
Hahahaha mighty chuffed that you remembered, Yu Ming!
So glad to hear that, lovely. It really is an honour 😀 xx
Started beauty blogging because Suan suggested it! She saw me writing product reviews on my personal blog and said we should start. Before that we were already following all the evurl blogs so we just thought to start it for kicks. Haven’t looked back since, and we’re very grateful that we’ve met some incredible people, made some good friends, and learned more about beauty, fashion, and skincare.
dom recently posted..Review: Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace
It’s so good that our blogs gave us the opportunity to meet incredible people, isn’t it? The good friends I’ve made is still the biggest blogging accomplishment yet 🙂
awww, it’s nice to know how you started …. i love personal post like this 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it Issa 😀
Thanks for sharing your journey on how you started Tine, awwwww, i just love reading how one started blogging. Heck I cant remember when I started following you. I started blogging in 2003 but not on wordpress. Mine was more on a personal side – a peek into a my simple life hehe then my topics were pretty much random – now i can add motherhood into the topic 😛 on that particular blogsite, i have made many good friends ones, truly good ones and of different ages and backgrounds. Then on Wordpress, i made other friends so its good just wish i can kick my lazy butt and get back into blogging again, i wish i have the motivation to do so again so question for you Madamoiselle, where do you get the inspiration for blogging?
Aww thanks lovely 🙂
Since I blog about beauty, my inspiration mostly comes from other beauty blogs, fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, magazines … basically anything pretty (and glossy ;)). I like sharing about the beauty mistakes I’ve made over the years, what I’ve learned (in terms of makeup and skincare), this sorta thing. Blogging pals help a great deal in kicking my butt to blog as well 😛
I started blogging when only the cool and the geek knew what it is. It started out as personal blog and as an exchange of what’s going on with my life with a friend. Blogging has changed so much over the year. It came to a stage it’s too dangerous to reveal too much but it’s hard to come up with something without putting too much info out there. Around 2009 I archived and wiped out the site and re-started anew to diary-ize my makeup looks and things I use. Thought it was a fabulous original idea without knowing there are already so many beauty blogs out there already! /facepalm I kinda miss blogging back in the days where you get to know the blogger more by reading their posts. Nowadays it’s more about networking and events etc, something I still have to get use to.
coco recently posted..essence i love stage eyeshadow base
People are getting too clever now. It’s very easy to put two and two together to figure out who you are in your blog. Now I even worry blogging about going on a holiday. I contemplated writing where I was going to for months before publishing it here. That’s only because I had people coming over to check up on the house. Sigh.
Yeah I know what you mean. Back in the day, if you’d have told me I’d be networking, attending events and all that from blogging, I’d have laughed my head off. I was excited enough receiving a bottle of body lotion from the States! 😛
Haha, thanks for sharing this “since the beginning of time” story 🙂 I started blogging back in 2005 or so through Friendster, then decided to migrate it to Blogspot. Fast forward many years later, I decided to keep it private because there’s too much exposure and everyone is internet savvy blah blah and I have a corporate job to keep. Sometimes I look back and wondered, if I had consistently blogged and kept it public, would it have changed the course of my life today, i.e. could I have earned myself many blogmates like how you click with your blogger network, could I have landed myself a Prince Blogger etc…But since the past year or so, I have ceased blogging though many days I felt like writing because life was getting out of hand and only through writing it can be therapeutic for me. I have gone through a painful experience and just before things turned bad, I have blogged about the wonderful memories. Now the thought of opening up my blog and have the urge to read about the past is just too painful…
Hehe, keep writing Tine and I will keep reading and write back to you a little via comments 🙂
OMG I remembered blogs on Friendster! Heck, my husband used to blog on Friendster even before we started dating! Oh those were the days 🙂
Nah, it’s always best to write what you’re comfortable enough to share. This is especially so if you work in a conservative environment (especially when most people weren’t familiar with the term “blogging”). You never know who’s reading your blog.
Before I publicly shared my first personal blog post, I had a private blog that I never shared with anyone. Painful memories, that one. I kept the blog on Blogger for a number of years before I realised I was holding on to something I shouldn’t be holding on to. Clicking that DELETE BLOG button was one of the best things I’ve done for myself 🙂
I just LOVE to read Bloggie Wednesdays 😀 it’s always fun!!
xxx
Rute recently posted..Christmas Wishlist
Hahahah thanks Rute! 😀
This was a really interesting post, my friend and I just started blogging after years of reading other beauty/fashion/hobbie blogs and I’m really loving this series with little tips and tricks! I’m looking forward to developing my blog in the future. Thanks so much.
Alina recently posted..Urban Decay Naked-Off – Everyday Look
Aww thanks Alina, that’s really good to hear. All the best in your blogging journey! 🙂
Great post. I could kick myself for starting & stopping my blog back in 2006. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing so I quit, only to relaunch a better blog last year. Now the market is so saturated with bloggers but I enjoy it, even though I’m basically speaking to an empty room for now but I know that’s par for the course. ; )
VNikol recently posted..Listing: Things I Suck At
Hey you gotta do what’s comfortable and right for you, so don’t worry about it. Things will improve with time. Still, I do know what you mean about the market being saturated with bloggers. It’s like you gotta scream to get your voice heard.
Just found your blog. I am following you. 🙂
I write about my beauty blogging experiences in a series called “Behind the Blog”.
Hope that you are doing wonderful!
Thanks Lacey! I’ll be checking out your Behing The Blog series now 🙂 x