Once I first began Make-up Savvy manner again in 2010 I wholeheartedly did not count on to stick with it. Apart from having fun with studying books I would by no means been in line with hobbies and my historical past of beginning blogs and letting them fizzle out after a number of months was sturdy.
However magnificence running a blog was completely different, one thing caught.
It was nonetheless the early days of running a blog, effectively within the magnificence area of interest it was, and should you have been running a blog about make-up it was for the pure love of it. There was a way of neighborhood, primarily on Twitter, and a rawness that meant a weblog put up did not should include editorial-quality photographs or skilled copy to be loved.
Running a blog was an outlet for myself and lots of different bloggers I knew on the time and most significantly it was enjoyable! Content material wasn’t PR samples led (extra on that later) or wrote with a purpose to earn a living. It was simply easy; take some badly lit pictures with the flash nonetheless on, skip modifying them and write up a evaluate with none hyperlinks what so ever. Completed!
Quick ahead to in the present day and there is a particular normal to purpose for in case you are nonetheless within the magnificence running a blog sport, rather a lot aren’t. With ever dwindling journal gross sales throughout the board within the final 8 years I anticipated magnificence and trend running a blog would pave the way in which for a extra genuine form of content material – or, so I naively presumed.
And in some methods it has. There are nonetheless bloggers that offers you unbiased opinions however even then it comes with the caveat of ‘not too many damaging opinions’ and pairing it with photographs that look straight out of {a magazine}, one thing I am responsible of attempting to realize.
So What Occurred?
Whereas myself and lots of different bloggers have been wonderful to satisfy that top normal (though I used to be discovering I had skilled blogger burnout out every now and then), what occurs if we’re confronted with an surprising, erm , world pandemic?? Do we feature on with content material like nothing has occurred?
The promoting firm I am with instructed that is precisely what I ought to do in a spherical about manner. If I have been to put in writing content material and embody sure phrases or phrases regarding stated pandemic I might see much less advertisers on my web page because of this.
The truth was to both carry on writing about make-up (whereas most individuals have been at dwelling of their pjs googling how lengthy to quarantine their meals purchasing for) or in no way. I selected the latter. It was a no brainer for me. Make-up immediately felt such a trivial subject material and I merely could not faux it wasn’t.
And whereas it is arduous to confess I additionally realised I would misplaced my manner when it got here to running a blog when PR samples inevitably dried up resulting from everybody within the magnificence {industry} working from dwelling. Whereas I did not depend on PR samples, my content material was usually moulded round them as a result of I had a accountability to function and evaluate the merchandise I obtained, even after I have not requested for them.
After all I am totally conscious this was and nonetheless is a primary world downside to have however with out PR-sent magnificence merchandise I used to be not sure what to put in writing about, particularly on the fee I used to be churning out weblog posts.
Why Have I Come Again?
For a number of months into the pandemic I saved my hand in running a blog within the hope normality would resume (Spoiler: it did not) and I would discover some form of inspiration and get again to it. However alas that did not occur and my unofficial weblog break changed into me feeling like I would formally give up running a blog. I even thought-about promoting my weblog!
However prior to now few months I’ve felt a shift in myself. I have been having fun with make-up once more, I’ve FINALLY found ColourPop and I am obsessive about Pat McGrath merchandise, together with watching and studying extra magnificence associated content material.
I’ve discovered myself eager to share with you new magnificence merchandise I am loving and to get some form of writing routine again once more.
And if I am being completely trustworthy, I realised letting my weblog’s web page views dwindle day-by-day was a waste of the previous 10+ years of constructing this weblog into one thing.
For the previous however-many-years Make-up Savvy has grow to be my important supply of earnings and an ideal match for my way of life which incorporates residing with gentle anxiousness and a few well being points, which means an ‘out of the home’ job simply would not swimsuit me. So I’ve determined I owe it to myself and the weblog I’ve constructed as much as give it one other go however this time alone phrases.
Transferring Ahead
Once I look again on the sort and magnificence of weblog posts I wrote to start with they’re far faraway from what they’re in the present day. And whereas I cringe on the frequent spelling errors and badly taken photographs of my weblog posts circa 2010 there are parts from them that I nonetheless get pleasure from. From random magnificence hack posts to easy make-up product opinions.
Authenticity
When writing weblog posts for this weblog I’ve by no means felt like I have been inauthentic or dishonest in any manner. Nonetheless going again to the topic of PR samples I do really feel like my content material grew to become industry-led additional time, moulding my weblog posts to suit merchandise I used to be despatched relatively than what I used to be having fun with or shopping for.
However there must be a steadiness. Sure, PR samples are an enormous profit when you find yourself writing 5 weblog posts every week (80% of my earnings merely cannot be spent on make-up, though I would prefer it to be) however perhaps the difficulty is with writing content material at such a fee and never what I assumed it was.
Reflecting on this has been necessary and so I’ve determined worthwhile long-form content material issues extra to me than churning out a excessive quantity of PR-led posts that feels throwaway. This implies you’ll be able to count on 1-2 posts every week on Make-up Savvy to any extent further which I really feel is greater than sufficient proper now.
No Extra Competing
One factor I internally struggled with was imposter syndrome, particularly when it got here to writing skincare posts. Whereas I’ve by no means claimed to be a skincare professional or guru I felt it was my accountability to present out the very best well-researched skincare recommendation and this felt like numerous stress – loopy, proper?
I am merely a 30-something yr outdated girl (should resist the urge to name myself a lady) that enjoys cleaning, shopping for new SPF’s and gel-moisturisers that typically nonetheless makes use of the odd face wipe. Is that this such a criminal offense? After all it is not. However did it use to really feel like a criminal offense within the magnificence running a blog neighborhood to say using face wipes? Sure!
So whereas my face wipes utilization is not that a lot I really feel compelled to put in writing about my High 10 favourites, I do need to be extra trustworthy with regards to skincare. It will imply much less thorough skincare posts, as they appear to zap my mind, and simply easy trustworthy opinions on how I discover merchandise work for my very own pores and skin sort.
Extra Drugstore Magnificence Based mostly Content material
With on-line buying being the one technique to store over the previous yr, together with a dwindling financial institution steadiness I really feel like I’ve fallen again in love with drugstore magnificence manufacturers. Platforms akin to ASOS and Amazon have actually impressed me with their ever increasing vary of manufacturers, together with Boots & Superdrug in fact.
So you’ll be able to count on extra drugstore merchandise on my weblog than ever earlier than. Though we’ll have to make an exception for my love of Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury make-up merchandise nonetheless.
Whereas there’s a spot for premium magnificence merchandise right here and there it is merely unrealistic to function full ranges of high-end merchandise and specific the way you want all of them in your life. I am additionally conscious that my unique readership got here for my savvy-ness for bargains, eBay finds and drugstore magnificence opinions – that is what I plan to get again to.
Whereas it might take a while to get again into the running a blog loop I now really feel a way of path that’s being led on my own and what I really feel such as you and different readers might need to see – it already feels just like the outdated days and that is one thing I am welcoming.
When you’ve got made it this far, thanks a lot for studying and for nonetheless visiting Make-up Savvy – I actually hope I could make this weblog again into one thing price coming again to weekly and one thing I am pleased with.
Charge xo.
