I have noticed in the past few months that a lot of my favorite blogger friends decided to say goodbye to their beauty blogs. Some of them have concluded it just wasn't fun anymore, some preferred to devote their finite free time to other pursuits, some are still writing but have changed their focus from make-up and skincare. I, too have been wondering whether it's worthwhile to keep on trucking, given how sporadic my posting is now with baby Julian on board. I figured maybe I'll share my reflections about beauty blogging as a hobby in this day and age, mostly because I'd love to hear your thoughts too. So here goes.
There's a vast difference these days between professional (as in, earning revenue: be it from ads, affiliate links or sponsored posts) and personal blogs. Obviously there's a lot of grey area - many personal blogs do make a little bit of money on the side as a bonus perk to a beloved hobby, and before anyone gets their feathers ruffled, I personally have absolutely no problem in that and have myself earned a little from writing a couple sponsored posts in the past. To me it boils down to this - are you actively motivated to blog because you're counting on that revenue to pay or contribute to your bills? If so, in my mind you are indeed a professional blogger. And you may try to convince me otherwise, but I strongly believe that most professional bloggers are going to blog differently from someone who does it just for fun. I'm not saying your blogging job can't also be a passion - I belive it is for most professional bloggers - but you're not going to write in the same way when you need the money to buy your groceries versus when you're doing it just to enjoy. It has nothing to do with honesty, disclosure etc.; it's just a matter of perspective.
If you were to ask me for advice on starting a beauty blog today, I would tell you not to do it. Or I guess, scratch that, I'd ask you a question in return - what are your expectations? What are you hoping to gain from beauty blogging? Do you want exposure, an audience, growth, free products or sponsorship deals? Then probably YouTube would be a better bet, albeit bear in mind that it's going to be VERY difficult as the beauty guru market is oversaturated as it is. Do you just want to start and see how it goes, hoping to get noticed? You'll probably end up deeply disappointed. Or lastly, do you enjoy pouring words onto the (web)page, and would like to meet like-minded beauty enthusiasts? Then yes, please, go for it. I truly think this is the only reason any of us blogging hobbists are still here today.
With one caveat though. I may be wrong, but compared to when I first started Rocaille Writes, I do see much less of a community in the beauty blogosphere these days. Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, SO MANY of us have already left the scene. I've also noticed a significant decline in commenting, and I'd be the first to blame - these days I just don't have the time to leave comments. We also don't do tags or collabs anymore. And it may be just me, but we stopped having these lengthy conversations on Twitter; I'm in fact seriously considering deleting my Twitter app, and I hardly ever check it from my desktop. The only social media outlet that still remains is Instagram, and I love our little community there, but at the same time I don't think Instagram can replace beauty blogs entirely, even now with the option of uploading multiple photos. Because while Instagram can provide all the visual content, I still think beauty blogs are primarily verbal, and it's always the writer's voice that drives me to certain blogs and not the others.
As for still feeling passionate about beauty 8 years after I clicked 'Publish' on my first post, yes, I continue to enjoy trying out and experimenting with new products. However, I often feel very ambivalent about reviewing certain brands or products. The main reason is that I don't want to be a 'beauty influencer': that is, I don't want to influence you to shop for products you don't need. I would like to think that maybe if you're already contemplating a well thought-out purchase, then my review of a product can help you make an informed decision, but I am aware that oftentimes, sharing my favorite products will entice you to spend unnecessarily in some way, and it is a form of promoting the consumerist mindset.
Secondly, the number of products I would like to share with you seems to be growing smaller and smaller. Mostly because I'm purchasing a lot less than I used to, and secondly because I'm feeling quite burnt out on reviewing PR samples (which I receive very rarely anyway). It often has nothing to do with the actual products sent for review and everything with the communication between myself and the PR company. I don't even want to say how many times my emails have gone unanswered, packages with samples ended up never being sent, how many times I was dropped by a brand for no reason - except maybe actually sharing my honest opinion, and a positive one at that? In many instances, my relationship with the PR has made me avoid a certain brand, regardless of the quality of the products. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you know?
At the end of the day though, Rocaille Writes is here to stay. Primarily because for me, beauty blogging is therapeutic, and without it, I'm just a stay-at home sleep-deprived mom with stacks of dirty dishes and mounds of unwashed laundry. Hmm, maybe that came out wrong: I'm happy to be one. But I want and I need this one small creative thing for myself that is keeping a beauty blog, and I refuse to let it go. Like I said in the past in this post, Rocaille Writes may not be about reviewing the latest limited edition collection in a snap, but I have so much more than that to say. If only the days were longer, you guys!
Showing posts with label Beauty Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty Blogging. Show all posts
Friday, May 19, 2017
Friday, January 22, 2016
Beauty Blogging: What if I'm not that into make-up anymore?
Whoa, hold your horses, people. I'm not actually saying I AM not that into make-up anymore (Wait... Am I?) - I'm just analyzing, or rather, overanalyzing the blogging fatigue I've been experiencing lately. I really enjoy how people do this random brain dump when they're filming their Get Ready With Me videos, so I sort of decided to do a blog version - although let's not kid ourselves, I am not getting ready at the same time I'm writing this - although some things here have occurred to me as I was struggling with my eyeshadow this morning. Ekhm.
As you may already know, this year I'm continuing my efforts to both reduce the size of my existing make-up collection and to purchase less make-up and hopefully no skincare products (explained here in more detail). I've been thinking a lot about this goal this month and here's what it boils down to: at the moment, it really isn't all that hard for me. I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to say this, but I may be *a little bit* bored with make-up.
I like the beautiful products I have in my stash and I enjoy the process of putting them on, but I just don't feel a lot of enthusiasm - and I'm not overly impressed with the end result. Sure, I look nice and put together, but the vibe is somewhat off. Similarly, I'm not at all tempted or excited over new make-up collections or product releases. Sure, everything looks pretty, shiny and sparkly, but it just seems like the same thing over and over. Matte lip trend? Here, have some more matte lipsticks from another five brands. Spring 2016 make-up? No problem, pastel eyeshadows and blushy pinks coming right up. I'm about 99% sure that if I were to purchase anything at this moment, I'd be able to find a near dupe already in my possession.
I believe this is both the reason and the result for/ of a more paired down collection. In order to squash our lemmings, we unsubscribe from brands' newsletters, stop following the latest releases, or talk ourselves out of the new stuff by comparing it to what we already own. As a result of striving for that smaller stash and appreciating what we have, we start not having as many lemmings in the first place. But have those efforts inadverently killed my love for make-up?
I guess this question boils down to whether 'love for make-up' is synonymous with 'love for make-up products'. Make-up isn't some abstract art - I guess you could have just a theoretical appreciation for it by admiring looks in photos - but for us practitioners (lol), it can't really be separated from its tools. You do need adequate products to practice your make-up art and it's awfully nice to geek out over the best ones available on the market, but I'm sure we'd all agree that it's definitely not all that there is to it. There's the skill, the variety of techniques and approaches, the experimentation, the different styles. Looking back, it was my fascination with this more intangible aspect that caused me to get into make-up in the first place, NOT the products - of which I owned very few and had very limited means of purchasing more.
My current feelings are the exact reversal of that first love; I spend lots of time, money and mental resources acquiring and analyzing products but I don't focus nearly enough on the creative aspect. Some would be quick to blame writing a beauty blog as a past-time, what with its constant focus on new products, relationships with brands and prompt reviews of PR samples. This is why I think so many wonderful bloggers have been going on breaks or quitting their blogs - most of us who have been posting for years now experience a general malaise, like maybe beauty blogging just plain isn't fun anymore.
I still think it is whatever we make it out to be. If beauty blogging means product reviews, page hits and monetization to you, then to me that sounds more like (at least part-time) work, and work sometimes isn't fun, despite how passionate you may be for the subject. But I guess that if you're more like me, then it can be fun, it can be creative and it can be independent of whatever else is going on in the blogosphere or on the beauty market. We just need to take it back.
(A little bit of a disclaimer - this is not meant as an attack on any person or blog. I'm not trying to insinuate anything or pass judgement; it's just quite obvious to me that as with any area of human activity, people have different goals and motivations, and that's great. And obviously things are rarely black or white, and they rarely remain constant. I think it'd be accurate to say that Rocaille Writes is in that grey area, and that it keeps evolving. It would make me proud to say that.)
What all this rambling means for me and my blog is that I would like to go back to the beginning and post more about my make-up experiments and looks. If I'm not a 100% content with my current make-up situation, than it is in my power to change it around and see what I would like better instead. Doing Project Pans and/or similar challenges is actually the first step - using the same products day in and day out really gives you the necessary push to try out different things you may have not thought of previously. So expect to see some more Face Of The Day posts from me, or maybe some recreations of inspiring looks, or even tutorials. Let's see what I can come up with!
Have you been stuck in a bit of a make-up rut lately? Are there any new products you can't wait to get your hands on, or have you been unimpressed like me? What do you look for in a beauty blog? I would love to hear your thoughts!
As you may already know, this year I'm continuing my efforts to both reduce the size of my existing make-up collection and to purchase less make-up and hopefully no skincare products (explained here in more detail). I've been thinking a lot about this goal this month and here's what it boils down to: at the moment, it really isn't all that hard for me. I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to say this, but I may be *a little bit* bored with make-up.
I like the beautiful products I have in my stash and I enjoy the process of putting them on, but I just don't feel a lot of enthusiasm - and I'm not overly impressed with the end result. Sure, I look nice and put together, but the vibe is somewhat off. Similarly, I'm not at all tempted or excited over new make-up collections or product releases. Sure, everything looks pretty, shiny and sparkly, but it just seems like the same thing over and over. Matte lip trend? Here, have some more matte lipsticks from another five brands. Spring 2016 make-up? No problem, pastel eyeshadows and blushy pinks coming right up. I'm about 99% sure that if I were to purchase anything at this moment, I'd be able to find a near dupe already in my possession.
I believe this is both the reason and the result for/ of a more paired down collection. In order to squash our lemmings, we unsubscribe from brands' newsletters, stop following the latest releases, or talk ourselves out of the new stuff by comparing it to what we already own. As a result of striving for that smaller stash and appreciating what we have, we start not having as many lemmings in the first place. But have those efforts inadverently killed my love for make-up?
I guess this question boils down to whether 'love for make-up' is synonymous with 'love for make-up products'. Make-up isn't some abstract art - I guess you could have just a theoretical appreciation for it by admiring looks in photos - but for us practitioners (lol), it can't really be separated from its tools. You do need adequate products to practice your make-up art and it's awfully nice to geek out over the best ones available on the market, but I'm sure we'd all agree that it's definitely not all that there is to it. There's the skill, the variety of techniques and approaches, the experimentation, the different styles. Looking back, it was my fascination with this more intangible aspect that caused me to get into make-up in the first place, NOT the products - of which I owned very few and had very limited means of purchasing more.
My current feelings are the exact reversal of that first love; I spend lots of time, money and mental resources acquiring and analyzing products but I don't focus nearly enough on the creative aspect. Some would be quick to blame writing a beauty blog as a past-time, what with its constant focus on new products, relationships with brands and prompt reviews of PR samples. This is why I think so many wonderful bloggers have been going on breaks or quitting their blogs - most of us who have been posting for years now experience a general malaise, like maybe beauty blogging just plain isn't fun anymore.
I still think it is whatever we make it out to be. If beauty blogging means product reviews, page hits and monetization to you, then to me that sounds more like (at least part-time) work, and work sometimes isn't fun, despite how passionate you may be for the subject. But I guess that if you're more like me, then it can be fun, it can be creative and it can be independent of whatever else is going on in the blogosphere or on the beauty market. We just need to take it back.
(A little bit of a disclaimer - this is not meant as an attack on any person or blog. I'm not trying to insinuate anything or pass judgement; it's just quite obvious to me that as with any area of human activity, people have different goals and motivations, and that's great. And obviously things are rarely black or white, and they rarely remain constant. I think it'd be accurate to say that Rocaille Writes is in that grey area, and that it keeps evolving. It would make me proud to say that.)
What all this rambling means for me and my blog is that I would like to go back to the beginning and post more about my make-up experiments and looks. If I'm not a 100% content with my current make-up situation, than it is in my power to change it around and see what I would like better instead. Doing Project Pans and/or similar challenges is actually the first step - using the same products day in and day out really gives you the necessary push to try out different things you may have not thought of previously. So expect to see some more Face Of The Day posts from me, or maybe some recreations of inspiring looks, or even tutorials. Let's see what I can come up with!
Have you been stuck in a bit of a make-up rut lately? Are there any new products you can't wait to get your hands on, or have you been unimpressed like me? What do you look for in a beauty blog? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Monday, September 7, 2015
Minimalist Monday: So You've Decluttered All of Your Stuff... Now What?
Thank you guys so much for your encouraging words on my Minimalist Monday series - I really appreciate that, and your feedback gives me more ideas for future posts! That's exactly how this one was born: in part inspired by your comments, in part the result of my own reflections towards the process of achieving a simpler lifestyle.
The thought that has recurred the most in many of my conversations about purging and minimalism in general, and which has stuck in the back of my mind for the past couple of months, is that 'decluttering is just a trend'. Yes, if you're observing the whole phenomenon from the outside or have just dipped your toes into it by throwing out some old T-shirts, it seems to be exactly that - the Marie Kondo obsession, the whole series of make-up collection declutters on YouTube, popularity of Project Pans, blog sales; everyone is loving it at the moment. Everyone is throwing this out, everyone's reducing, everyone is simplifying... Or are they, really?
Here's what I think really happens to most us during the decluttering process, even with the best of intentions. You've either just finished reading 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' (here's my review, if you're curious about my thoughts), or have watched a bunch of 'beauty gurus' purge and reorganize their closets and make-up drawers - and now you can't wait to start your own 'journey' (yes, that's how it's being called these days; sounds better than 'getting rid of a bunch of crap', doesn't it?). Usually, it goes two ways from there: either you get completely overwhelmed by the task and only manage to tackle a very small space, if that; or, you do actually go through all of your closets, junk drawers, document folders, and yes, make-up collections, and get rid of quite a significant amount of stuff. Which camp are you in, by the way?
I'm firmly in the second camp - I did go slowly and carefully through most of my stuff, and got rid of (threw away/ gave away/ donated) A LOT of things. I would estimate at least 50% of my own clothes, 30% of my make-up stash (over a period of a couple years - I started well before decluttering became a trend), 20% of other things like documents and miscellanous things; this last category had the least amount of progress since it includes things I share with my husband, and he's still not very interested in getting rid of anything. It felt AMAZING - I was on a decluttering high. I could see visible changes to my drawers and cabinets, everything looked cleaner and more organized (look at the pretty rows of my vertically folded clothes! Yes, they still look that way), and I was able to rediscover so many beautiful things I've owned for years but wasn't using because all that other crap was obscuring it from view. It was magical, just like in KonMari's book.
Well, okay - but what do I do now? I feel that this is something that isn't really mentioned in the book at all; Marie simply states that once you go through the total, all encompassing purge, you will never want to go back to your old ways, and your home (and life) will remain clutter-free. But unfortunately, I don't believe it's all that simple.
If you think about how all those things you just got rid of made their way into your home in the first place, they were not just 'junk' to begin with. You bought them because you needed or wanted them, or they were generously given to you as a token of someone's love and caring. No one came in with a shovel and showered your space with trash - that's clearly not the source of the problem.
The heart of the problem is that we're part of a consumerist culture, and we've been brought up associating all kinds of important feelings with physical goods, thinking about them as status symbols, problem solvers, or happiness bearers. Oh, the stuff! Stuff is important. I need more stuff! I believe that if you do not take time to address those feelings, and if you don't try to change your attitude towards stuff, you'll be just facing the same clutter problem again and again over the course of your lifetime (how depressing). There won't be any 'life-changing magic' to your hard work in purging your closet; things will just slowly revert back to where you started.
But changing your attitudes and thought patterns is not easy, and it won't happen overnight. That's the not-so-fun part of attempting a more minimalist lifestyle that's rarely mentioned, much less executed, by all those trend-setters showing us their perfectly decluttered and reorganized spaces. Essentially, if you truly want to change your consumerist ways and lead a simpler lifestyle, you need to acquire MUCH less stuff in the future, on top of continued efforts to downsize what you already have.
This is precisely why I put in place my two make-up products a month allowance two years ago (I'm considering changing it to one product a month next year) and started documenting my empties and doing Projects Make A Dent/ Project Pan. This year, I've also started writing down a list of every make-up item and every piece of clothing/ accessories I buy, along with their prices. So far, I've resisted doing a complete inventory of my make-up/ nail polish/ skincare stash because I think I'll be too overwhelmed with the results, but it's a useful tool, and I may consider doing it at some point in the future.
And while all of these strategies are helpful in keeping me on track of my stuff-reducing goals, it is still not easy - I get tempted, like we all do. I continue to purchase unnecessary things that I'll probably regret later. I don't want you to think I'm some sort of minimalist lifestyle ideal - you should see my bathroom cabinet, or my skincare back-up drawer - and remember those 70 nail polish bottles still remaining in my collection, even after various purges? I'm still a beauty fantatic at heart, and I love trying new products and reviewing them on the blog, even though I know I don't actually NEED them. Simplifying your life is definitely a long process, difficult and mundane at times (you know, like actually trying to use up all those extraneous bottles of stuff instead of just pitching them in the trash...), and finding your personal balance between living with less and living a full life may take months. Or years. I fully recognize that.
What I'm trying to say is that making a lasting change is challenging, and it may not even be for everyone. If a mere thought of getting rid of your things is giving you the heebie-jeebies, or you've finished your declutter and you feel happy with where you are now, then good for you - you certainly don't need me to tell you what to do, you just do you. But if you still feel overwhelmed by what you own, or you feel stuck, not fully content but not knowing where to go next - just give yourself some time to think things through. I've found that my comfort levels keep changing all the time (specifically, I'm comfortable with simplifying more and more stuff in my life; just look how skeptical I was back in February...), and what you deem impossible right now may seem quite effortless in a couple months. Minimalism isn't some sort of trendy race or competition (and if you hail the benefits of your newly decluttered closet just to turn around and haul MORE stuff into your life, then you're clearly missing the point - hint hint, YouTube), and it doesn't help to compare yourself to other people - just do it at your own pace, with your own set of rules.
I do my best to try and enjoy it despite the difficulties - like coming up with new ways of simplifying my life (for example, recently when I needed a new suitcase for international travel, I intentionally bought a smaller one to practice more efficient and minimalist packing - or trying to decide which personal care products in my bathroom I could do without), discovering more books and blogs about minimalist lifestyles, or combining my remaining clothes into new outfits I've never thought of before. I would love to hear your thoughts about your own decluttering/ simplifying/ minimalist experiences, what you struggle with the most and what you find the most helpful - we're all in the same boat! On a different note... Happy 29th Birthday to me! - I'm writing this post early in preparation for our Italy trip, and I'm hoping that as you're reading it, I'm off somewhere basking in the sun between hills of Tuscany, sipping Chianti and enjoying a fabulous gelato :D Thank you for reading!
The thought that has recurred the most in many of my conversations about purging and minimalism in general, and which has stuck in the back of my mind for the past couple of months, is that 'decluttering is just a trend'. Yes, if you're observing the whole phenomenon from the outside or have just dipped your toes into it by throwing out some old T-shirts, it seems to be exactly that - the Marie Kondo obsession, the whole series of make-up collection declutters on YouTube, popularity of Project Pans, blog sales; everyone is loving it at the moment. Everyone is throwing this out, everyone's reducing, everyone is simplifying... Or are they, really?
Here's what I think really happens to most us during the decluttering process, even with the best of intentions. You've either just finished reading 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' (here's my review, if you're curious about my thoughts), or have watched a bunch of 'beauty gurus' purge and reorganize their closets and make-up drawers - and now you can't wait to start your own 'journey' (yes, that's how it's being called these days; sounds better than 'getting rid of a bunch of crap', doesn't it?). Usually, it goes two ways from there: either you get completely overwhelmed by the task and only manage to tackle a very small space, if that; or, you do actually go through all of your closets, junk drawers, document folders, and yes, make-up collections, and get rid of quite a significant amount of stuff. Which camp are you in, by the way?
I'm firmly in the second camp - I did go slowly and carefully through most of my stuff, and got rid of (threw away/ gave away/ donated) A LOT of things. I would estimate at least 50% of my own clothes, 30% of my make-up stash (over a period of a couple years - I started well before decluttering became a trend), 20% of other things like documents and miscellanous things; this last category had the least amount of progress since it includes things I share with my husband, and he's still not very interested in getting rid of anything. It felt AMAZING - I was on a decluttering high. I could see visible changes to my drawers and cabinets, everything looked cleaner and more organized (look at the pretty rows of my vertically folded clothes! Yes, they still look that way), and I was able to rediscover so many beautiful things I've owned for years but wasn't using because all that other crap was obscuring it from view. It was magical, just like in KonMari's book.
Well, okay - but what do I do now? I feel that this is something that isn't really mentioned in the book at all; Marie simply states that once you go through the total, all encompassing purge, you will never want to go back to your old ways, and your home (and life) will remain clutter-free. But unfortunately, I don't believe it's all that simple.
If you think about how all those things you just got rid of made their way into your home in the first place, they were not just 'junk' to begin with. You bought them because you needed or wanted them, or they were generously given to you as a token of someone's love and caring. No one came in with a shovel and showered your space with trash - that's clearly not the source of the problem.
The heart of the problem is that we're part of a consumerist culture, and we've been brought up associating all kinds of important feelings with physical goods, thinking about them as status symbols, problem solvers, or happiness bearers. Oh, the stuff! Stuff is important. I need more stuff! I believe that if you do not take time to address those feelings, and if you don't try to change your attitude towards stuff, you'll be just facing the same clutter problem again and again over the course of your lifetime (how depressing). There won't be any 'life-changing magic' to your hard work in purging your closet; things will just slowly revert back to where you started.
But changing your attitudes and thought patterns is not easy, and it won't happen overnight. That's the not-so-fun part of attempting a more minimalist lifestyle that's rarely mentioned, much less executed, by all those trend-setters showing us their perfectly decluttered and reorganized spaces. Essentially, if you truly want to change your consumerist ways and lead a simpler lifestyle, you need to acquire MUCH less stuff in the future, on top of continued efforts to downsize what you already have.
This is precisely why I put in place my two make-up products a month allowance two years ago (I'm considering changing it to one product a month next year) and started documenting my empties and doing Projects Make A Dent/ Project Pan. This year, I've also started writing down a list of every make-up item and every piece of clothing/ accessories I buy, along with their prices. So far, I've resisted doing a complete inventory of my make-up/ nail polish/ skincare stash because I think I'll be too overwhelmed with the results, but it's a useful tool, and I may consider doing it at some point in the future.
And while all of these strategies are helpful in keeping me on track of my stuff-reducing goals, it is still not easy - I get tempted, like we all do. I continue to purchase unnecessary things that I'll probably regret later. I don't want you to think I'm some sort of minimalist lifestyle ideal - you should see my bathroom cabinet, or my skincare back-up drawer - and remember those 70 nail polish bottles still remaining in my collection, even after various purges? I'm still a beauty fantatic at heart, and I love trying new products and reviewing them on the blog, even though I know I don't actually NEED them. Simplifying your life is definitely a long process, difficult and mundane at times (you know, like actually trying to use up all those extraneous bottles of stuff instead of just pitching them in the trash...), and finding your personal balance between living with less and living a full life may take months. Or years. I fully recognize that.
What I'm trying to say is that making a lasting change is challenging, and it may not even be for everyone. If a mere thought of getting rid of your things is giving you the heebie-jeebies, or you've finished your declutter and you feel happy with where you are now, then good for you - you certainly don't need me to tell you what to do, you just do you. But if you still feel overwhelmed by what you own, or you feel stuck, not fully content but not knowing where to go next - just give yourself some time to think things through. I've found that my comfort levels keep changing all the time (specifically, I'm comfortable with simplifying more and more stuff in my life; just look how skeptical I was back in February...), and what you deem impossible right now may seem quite effortless in a couple months. Minimalism isn't some sort of trendy race or competition (and if you hail the benefits of your newly decluttered closet just to turn around and haul MORE stuff into your life, then you're clearly missing the point - hint hint, YouTube), and it doesn't help to compare yourself to other people - just do it at your own pace, with your own set of rules.
I do my best to try and enjoy it despite the difficulties - like coming up with new ways of simplifying my life (for example, recently when I needed a new suitcase for international travel, I intentionally bought a smaller one to practice more efficient and minimalist packing - or trying to decide which personal care products in my bathroom I could do without), discovering more books and blogs about minimalist lifestyles, or combining my remaining clothes into new outfits I've never thought of before. I would love to hear your thoughts about your own decluttering/ simplifying/ minimalist experiences, what you struggle with the most and what you find the most helpful - we're all in the same boat! On a different note... Happy 29th Birthday to me! - I'm writing this post early in preparation for our Italy trip, and I'm hoping that as you're reading it, I'm off somewhere basking in the sun between hills of Tuscany, sipping Chianti and enjoying a fabulous gelato :D Thank you for reading!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
My 2015 Capsule Collection Goals and Blogging Resolutions
Happy New Year, my lovely readers! I hope your New Year's Eve was filled with laughter, bubbles, good company and only a fleeting moment of deepest reflection ;) Here's to a wonderful 2015 for all of us!
The beginning of a New Year is always a bittersweet time for me; among all the party fun and social obligations, my thoughts often turn inwards to analyze the achievements (and fails) of the past year and to set goals and resolutions for the months to come. I tend to be quite hard on myself and sometimes blow negative things out of proportion, but actually, this year, I'm feeling pretty good!
In 2014, I made good on my resolution to post at least two times a week, and if you look at the number of posts per year since my blog's inception, it's been the second most prolific year of my blogging career - no doubt mostly due to the fact that I've had a lot of free time to allocate for developing my online space, but also because I've tried to be very consistent and plan and schedule posts in advance for the times I'm not around to write at leisure (like the past two weeks when we've been in Poland for the Holidays). I think this posting discipline has also helped me to be more creative overall, and using my blogging notebook to jot down ideas served as a back-up when I felt the flow of ideas slowing down for a bit. Last year, I also said I wanted to include you more in my personal life, and while there's still a lot I'd like to do in that regard, there's been a couple travel posts, tags as well as a whole lot of photos on my Instagram to give you a better idea who I am as a living breathing human, not just a made up face.
As for the stash-reducing, capsule collection goals, I'd like to stay on the same track of purchasing no more than 2 new products a month, but with certain exceptions. I did so well last year in terms of using up my skincare back-up stash that I now actually regularly run out of products, and I feel that these necessary repurchases should be exempt from my limit. I would also like to exclude make-up brushes from my self-imposed allowance, because I gave away so many that weren't working for me in the past couple years that I now have some gaps in my collection, and I'd like to fill those in with some luxuriously soft specimens.
Looking at my make-up collection at the beginning of 2015, I'm very happy with what I own and I want to take the time to appreciate and enjoy all I have without the constraints of too many 'Project X Pan' / 'Use it all up' challenges, although I will be participating in another Project Make A Dent, hopefully armed with experiences from the past year and better prepared this time round. I also don't foresee the need to further declutter my stash in any significant way, but when the need arises, I'd like to be more decisive in giving away or tossing products that don't work for me.
And that's about it! No major changes or drastic challenges, but a path of sustained, controlled consumerism. I no longer want to punish myself for making bad purchasing decisions in the past by desperately trying to use things up, I just want to enjoy what I own and treat myself here and there without feeling guilt or anxiety over the rest of my collection. What are your plans and resolutions for 2015? Are you going to take part in any stash-reducing projects this year? I'd love to know!
The beginning of a New Year is always a bittersweet time for me; among all the party fun and social obligations, my thoughts often turn inwards to analyze the achievements (and fails) of the past year and to set goals and resolutions for the months to come. I tend to be quite hard on myself and sometimes blow negative things out of proportion, but actually, this year, I'm feeling pretty good!
As for the stash-reducing, capsule collection goals, I'd like to stay on the same track of purchasing no more than 2 new products a month, but with certain exceptions. I did so well last year in terms of using up my skincare back-up stash that I now actually regularly run out of products, and I feel that these necessary repurchases should be exempt from my limit. I would also like to exclude make-up brushes from my self-imposed allowance, because I gave away so many that weren't working for me in the past couple years that I now have some gaps in my collection, and I'd like to fill those in with some luxuriously soft specimens.
Looking at my make-up collection at the beginning of 2015, I'm very happy with what I own and I want to take the time to appreciate and enjoy all I have without the constraints of too many 'Project X Pan' / 'Use it all up' challenges, although I will be participating in another Project Make A Dent, hopefully armed with experiences from the past year and better prepared this time round. I also don't foresee the need to further declutter my stash in any significant way, but when the need arises, I'd like to be more decisive in giving away or tossing products that don't work for me.
And that's about it! No major changes or drastic challenges, but a path of sustained, controlled consumerism. I no longer want to punish myself for making bad purchasing decisions in the past by desperately trying to use things up, I just want to enjoy what I own and treat myself here and there without feeling guilt or anxiety over the rest of my collection. What are your plans and resolutions for 2015? Are you going to take part in any stash-reducing projects this year? I'd love to know!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
How To Blog Through A Blogging Crisis
We all know how it usually begins: you're feeling slightly lazy one day and opt for an evening of Sherlock instead of photo editing and writing, then the next day something comes up and you run out of time, then you're suddenly no longer in love with your original post idea... Before you even realize where the time has gone, a week/ a fortnight/ a month has passed and you've completely lost any inspiration and/or motivation to blog. Poufff! Your blogging mojo is gone - just like that.
I've been blogging for six years now and I've experienced major blogging crisises a good number of times. However, as you can see, I'm still here - so there must have been some strategies I've been using to deal with my posting malaise. This post was actually inspired by a Twitter conversation with Charlotte, and while I do not aspire to offer some incredibly innovative advice here, I hope someone somewhere will find my mind tricks at least amusing, if not helpful.
Let's start with an easier case of blogging idleness: you still really love posting, you've just fallen off the wagon and don't know where to start again. You know, I firmly believe there's nothing wrong with typing up some random nonsense to be completely scrapped later on, just to get you back in touch with your writer's voice (or in my case, hitting 'Publish' on it in a strange moment of bravado that I'm going to deeply regret some day). There are two choices you can opt for in terms of subject matter: either safely fall back on an easy feature you've done before, like a monthly favorites round-up, a tag, or an empties post, or if that feels too boring, go the opposite way and post something you've never talked about before: a recipe, a travel journal, maybe a book review. Or experiment with your photography, change up your lighting, angles, background, whatever. It's YOUR freakin' blog - you can post whatever YOU like. I also find that keeping a notebook with post ideas is immensely helpful when I scrabble around for something to talk about; whadd'ya know, this is exactly where the post you're now reading originally comes from.
Now, for the exponentially more serious MAJOR blogging crisis, by which I mean feelings somewhere along the lines of: 'I hate my blog', 'I hate posting', 'I can't stand social media', and, of course, 'I'm a lousy writer' (no judging: I've definitely been there before, my friends - still occasionally am). This is the stuff that makes people abandon their blogs overnight, to linger in a limbo of half-finished series and interrupted conversations. But how do I go back to loving blogging again?
Don't try to guess the ultimate reason behind the hulking mass of a writer's block - there can be many. It doesn't always help to try to pin it down, despite what psychotherapists may lead you to believe. Writing is not like childhood trauma, or Oedipus complex: it's such a twisting, intertwining nucleus of creativity, emotion and discipline that not only are any efforts at untangling the knot bound to fail in the end, they may actually hurt 'the magic' more than help it along. In the rare case of knowing exactly what's stopping you from blogging, go ahead and get it off your chest: I find that a good rant always feels good. But otherwise, leave the thicket for now. Don't poke at it.
For me, the first step of finding my way back to writing is in fact to disconnect from it entirely. Go, stand up from the blank laptop screen, get out there. Take a trip, go see an art exhibit, talk to new people, or an old friend. I've learnt again and again that ideas strike when you least expect them, especially when you're actually thinking about something else completely - and then when they strike, don't force them, just store them for later, to have just in case. In a more practical sense, disconnect from the elements of the blogging world that frustrate you, like maybe those rapid-fire reviews of just released products on multiple blogs, accounts from press events, instahauls, page view and follower counts. Just don't look at them - stop reading, tweeting and instagramming for a while. And please, please, under no condition try to compare yourself to other bloggers. It NEVER helps.
What fundamentally helps me to enjoy blogging again, is connecting with you, my Dear Reader. No, not readers, the strangely anonymous crowd of blog visitors: a singular Reader. I know you - you've left comments before, and from these, I've gathered glimpses of your personality, and I've kept them close to my heart. I know you're an amazing, critical-thinking, kind, unique human being, and I try to imagine my posts as personal letters to you, snippets of a longer conversation with a wonderful, caring friend somewhere out there, miles and days apart. I imagine we're sitting at a cosy cafe, drinking chai lattes, and I'm spilling my heart out to you, and you listen, you understand, and then you further contribute YOUR thoughts to my story. I'm sorry if this sounds vaguely stalkerish - I didn't mean it that way. This is just to say that I never cease to want to talk to (or with?) you, and yet it boggles my mind that you even exist. Because blogs are very much unlike books or magazines with their 'target audience' and 'ideal readers', because you're a real breathing person who brushes her teeth in the morning, NOT a concept, and definitely not a business venture, or an obligation. Reminding myself that you're there for me is enough to dispel the worst case of a writer's block. I just need to keep reminding myself. We all need to.
I've been blogging for six years now and I've experienced major blogging crisises a good number of times. However, as you can see, I'm still here - so there must have been some strategies I've been using to deal with my posting malaise. This post was actually inspired by a Twitter conversation with Charlotte, and while I do not aspire to offer some incredibly innovative advice here, I hope someone somewhere will find my mind tricks at least amusing, if not helpful.
Let's start with an easier case of blogging idleness: you still really love posting, you've just fallen off the wagon and don't know where to start again. You know, I firmly believe there's nothing wrong with typing up some random nonsense to be completely scrapped later on, just to get you back in touch with your writer's voice (or in my case, hitting 'Publish' on it in a strange moment of bravado that I'm going to deeply regret some day). There are two choices you can opt for in terms of subject matter: either safely fall back on an easy feature you've done before, like a monthly favorites round-up, a tag, or an empties post, or if that feels too boring, go the opposite way and post something you've never talked about before: a recipe, a travel journal, maybe a book review. Or experiment with your photography, change up your lighting, angles, background, whatever. It's YOUR freakin' blog - you can post whatever YOU like. I also find that keeping a notebook with post ideas is immensely helpful when I scrabble around for something to talk about; whadd'ya know, this is exactly where the post you're now reading originally comes from.
Now, for the exponentially more serious MAJOR blogging crisis, by which I mean feelings somewhere along the lines of: 'I hate my blog', 'I hate posting', 'I can't stand social media', and, of course, 'I'm a lousy writer' (no judging: I've definitely been there before, my friends - still occasionally am). This is the stuff that makes people abandon their blogs overnight, to linger in a limbo of half-finished series and interrupted conversations. But how do I go back to loving blogging again?
Don't try to guess the ultimate reason behind the hulking mass of a writer's block - there can be many. It doesn't always help to try to pin it down, despite what psychotherapists may lead you to believe. Writing is not like childhood trauma, or Oedipus complex: it's such a twisting, intertwining nucleus of creativity, emotion and discipline that not only are any efforts at untangling the knot bound to fail in the end, they may actually hurt 'the magic' more than help it along. In the rare case of knowing exactly what's stopping you from blogging, go ahead and get it off your chest: I find that a good rant always feels good. But otherwise, leave the thicket for now. Don't poke at it.
For me, the first step of finding my way back to writing is in fact to disconnect from it entirely. Go, stand up from the blank laptop screen, get out there. Take a trip, go see an art exhibit, talk to new people, or an old friend. I've learnt again and again that ideas strike when you least expect them, especially when you're actually thinking about something else completely - and then when they strike, don't force them, just store them for later, to have just in case. In a more practical sense, disconnect from the elements of the blogging world that frustrate you, like maybe those rapid-fire reviews of just released products on multiple blogs, accounts from press events, instahauls, page view and follower counts. Just don't look at them - stop reading, tweeting and instagramming for a while. And please, please, under no condition try to compare yourself to other bloggers. It NEVER helps.
What fundamentally helps me to enjoy blogging again, is connecting with you, my Dear Reader. No, not readers, the strangely anonymous crowd of blog visitors: a singular Reader. I know you - you've left comments before, and from these, I've gathered glimpses of your personality, and I've kept them close to my heart. I know you're an amazing, critical-thinking, kind, unique human being, and I try to imagine my posts as personal letters to you, snippets of a longer conversation with a wonderful, caring friend somewhere out there, miles and days apart. I imagine we're sitting at a cosy cafe, drinking chai lattes, and I'm spilling my heart out to you, and you listen, you understand, and then you further contribute YOUR thoughts to my story. I'm sorry if this sounds vaguely stalkerish - I didn't mean it that way. This is just to say that I never cease to want to talk to (or with?) you, and yet it boggles my mind that you even exist. Because blogs are very much unlike books or magazines with their 'target audience' and 'ideal readers', because you're a real breathing person who brushes her teeth in the morning, NOT a concept, and definitely not a business venture, or an obligation. Reminding myself that you're there for me is enough to dispel the worst case of a writer's block. I just need to keep reminding myself. We all need to.
Monday, August 11, 2014
YouTube Celebrity Culture: Why I'm Not a Fan
Like many of you, I've been watching the YouTube beauty community for even longer than I've been blogging, which is over five years now. I've seen YouTube videos morph from poorly-lit phone camera clips shot in one's bedroom to professionally produced and edited short movies with sophisticated backgrounds and props, just as I've seen blogs go from simple online diaries with shaky shots and ernest ramblings to elaborate websites with magazine-style spreads and sentences fully resembling ad copy. That's the way of things: I know it, you know it, I've written about it before.
What I haven't written about before is the YouTube and blog celebrity culture that's quickly expanding beyond my wildest imagination. It's a lot more apparent on YouTube, where you can watch hundreds of vlogs from conventions like VidCon, BeautyCon or IMATS, in which half-crazed teens and pre-teens wait for hours in a line to catch a glimpse of their favorite vlogger, and who scream and cry with abandon when the moment comes. On Instagram and Twitter, fans fight for who can have the right to claim the first comment, or the first like. Young girls and boys follow their guru's every step, every word, every recommendation. Yes, my dear readers - YouTubers and beauty bloggers are veritable celebrities these days.
And I'm really not a fan of this new celebrity culture. Granted, that's something deeply ingrained in my personality; I've just never been much of a fan of anything or anyone (well, maybe with the exception of Spice Girls in elementary school), and the older I get, the more wicked pleasure I get from doing the exact opposite of what's currently trending. But I absolutely don't mind that there are people out there who enjoy being part of the fan club, and get some happiness and excitement from following their idol, of which I'm reminded every night, when I can hear cheers through our windows from people gathered around the actors' entrance at a Broadway theatre opposite our apartment building. What I do mind is the inherent hypocrisy of being part of the YouTube celebrity culture in particular.
Bloggers and vloggers are respected and trusted by the virtue of being just regular folk, exactly like you and me, only passionate to share their lives with other people out there. They're not royalty, they're not multimillionaires, they're not with the glamorous crowd. They're your everyman, or everywoman, and since they're just like you, they've become a good friend - someone to catch up with and spend some time every day, someone to listen to and someone to take advice from, someone who loves you and wants you to be happy. Right?
Wrong. These days, the assumption that popular bloggers and vloggers are just like you couldn't be further from the truth. Their lives have ceased to be normal the moment they stepped on that stage to wave to thousands of ecstatic fans, the moment they got a manager, the moment they sat on a plane to Ibiza/Dubai/Los Angeles to take part in a brand's newest ad campaign, the moment they're sent expensive gifts just to consider endorsing a certain product. Again, I don't begrudge any of their success or their life choices, just like it doesn't bother me which Hollywood couple just got a divorce, or how much Tom Cruise has spent on his mansion. It's just something that goes on somewhere in the world, and I'm so far removed from it that it's not even a part of my 'normal' life.
So while I do understand that celebrities, be it YouTube or otherwise, are not just like you and me and really are not my friends, I'm really not sure the teenage crowd is even remotely aware of the fact. It struck me especially hard recently as I was watching a successful YouTuber's fashion and beauty video for back to school. Really, doesn't it seem odd to take tips on how to get ready for school from someone who's been out of school for probably over five years now, earns her own very good money, and uses the video as an opportunity to promote a certain brand?
But that's not even the gist of it - it's the skewed image of reality that these bloggers and vloggers picture in their videos and blog posts. The reality in which you need a 20-minute make-up and hair routine to get ready for high school, the reality in which you do a full Kim Kardashian contouring and false lash application for a movie date with your boyfriend, the reality in which your morning consists of pressing a button on a Keurig to make a cup of coffee in your spotless expensive kitchen, prancing around in cute pjs and taking at least an hour to get ready for a brunch with friends. I'm sorry, but it is not MY reality, or even the reality of 98% of people out there, including these innocent kids watching on their laptop screens, pinning for the day they're all grown up and perfect like their idols.
You may say that watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts is pure escapism, it's just a way to forget about your own troubled life for a little while, to feast your eyes on things that are flawless, happy, and beautiful, and just right. But coming from bloggers and vloggers who used to be just like you, I feel that the line between reality and make belief is especially blurry, and maybe even invisible to the ever younger audiences.
I don't know - maybe not. Maybe I'm just getting old, and I find the 'things the kids are up to these days' increasingly annoying. What really gets me going is being told by a successful, popular, fully made-up adult businesswoman pulling cutesy faces and pretending to be awkward but adorable at the same time that it's a-okay to be 'a weirdo' like she is - just be yourself! I guess I find it especially infuriating to be fed such trivial bullshit in a phony, saccharine, fakely friendly fashion. Or maybe I've just outgrown YouTube?
What I haven't written about before is the YouTube and blog celebrity culture that's quickly expanding beyond my wildest imagination. It's a lot more apparent on YouTube, where you can watch hundreds of vlogs from conventions like VidCon, BeautyCon or IMATS, in which half-crazed teens and pre-teens wait for hours in a line to catch a glimpse of their favorite vlogger, and who scream and cry with abandon when the moment comes. On Instagram and Twitter, fans fight for who can have the right to claim the first comment, or the first like. Young girls and boys follow their guru's every step, every word, every recommendation. Yes, my dear readers - YouTubers and beauty bloggers are veritable celebrities these days.
And I'm really not a fan of this new celebrity culture. Granted, that's something deeply ingrained in my personality; I've just never been much of a fan of anything or anyone (well, maybe with the exception of Spice Girls in elementary school), and the older I get, the more wicked pleasure I get from doing the exact opposite of what's currently trending. But I absolutely don't mind that there are people out there who enjoy being part of the fan club, and get some happiness and excitement from following their idol, of which I'm reminded every night, when I can hear cheers through our windows from people gathered around the actors' entrance at a Broadway theatre opposite our apartment building. What I do mind is the inherent hypocrisy of being part of the YouTube celebrity culture in particular.
Bloggers and vloggers are respected and trusted by the virtue of being just regular folk, exactly like you and me, only passionate to share their lives with other people out there. They're not royalty, they're not multimillionaires, they're not with the glamorous crowd. They're your everyman, or everywoman, and since they're just like you, they've become a good friend - someone to catch up with and spend some time every day, someone to listen to and someone to take advice from, someone who loves you and wants you to be happy. Right?
Wrong. These days, the assumption that popular bloggers and vloggers are just like you couldn't be further from the truth. Their lives have ceased to be normal the moment they stepped on that stage to wave to thousands of ecstatic fans, the moment they got a manager, the moment they sat on a plane to Ibiza/Dubai/Los Angeles to take part in a brand's newest ad campaign, the moment they're sent expensive gifts just to consider endorsing a certain product. Again, I don't begrudge any of their success or their life choices, just like it doesn't bother me which Hollywood couple just got a divorce, or how much Tom Cruise has spent on his mansion. It's just something that goes on somewhere in the world, and I'm so far removed from it that it's not even a part of my 'normal' life.
So while I do understand that celebrities, be it YouTube or otherwise, are not just like you and me and really are not my friends, I'm really not sure the teenage crowd is even remotely aware of the fact. It struck me especially hard recently as I was watching a successful YouTuber's fashion and beauty video for back to school. Really, doesn't it seem odd to take tips on how to get ready for school from someone who's been out of school for probably over five years now, earns her own very good money, and uses the video as an opportunity to promote a certain brand?
But that's not even the gist of it - it's the skewed image of reality that these bloggers and vloggers picture in their videos and blog posts. The reality in which you need a 20-minute make-up and hair routine to get ready for high school, the reality in which you do a full Kim Kardashian contouring and false lash application for a movie date with your boyfriend, the reality in which your morning consists of pressing a button on a Keurig to make a cup of coffee in your spotless expensive kitchen, prancing around in cute pjs and taking at least an hour to get ready for a brunch with friends. I'm sorry, but it is not MY reality, or even the reality of 98% of people out there, including these innocent kids watching on their laptop screens, pinning for the day they're all grown up and perfect like their idols.
You may say that watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts is pure escapism, it's just a way to forget about your own troubled life for a little while, to feast your eyes on things that are flawless, happy, and beautiful, and just right. But coming from bloggers and vloggers who used to be just like you, I feel that the line between reality and make belief is especially blurry, and maybe even invisible to the ever younger audiences.
I don't know - maybe not. Maybe I'm just getting old, and I find the 'things the kids are up to these days' increasingly annoying. What really gets me going is being told by a successful, popular, fully made-up adult businesswoman pulling cutesy faces and pretending to be awkward but adorable at the same time that it's a-okay to be 'a weirdo' like she is - just be yourself! I guess I find it especially infuriating to be fed such trivial bullshit in a phony, saccharine, fakely friendly fashion. Or maybe I've just outgrown YouTube?
Friday, June 6, 2014
A Beauty Blogger's Identity Crisis
I didn't consider myself a blogger until very recently. You may laugh now and ask what I had been doing with more than five years of my life then, and probably a couple months ago, I would have shrugged, avoided your eyes and mumbled something about studying, work, being a housewife, and liking to read books in my free time; at which point I suppose anyone I'd talked to came to the conclusion that I generally lack any interesting hobbies, initative or passion in life - in short, that I'm a terrible bore.
And somehow that was (sometimes still is) preferrable to looking people in the eye and saying 'I'm a beauty blogger. I have a website where I review make-up and skincare products'. When I started this blog, I opted for a nickname and kept it a secret from all my friends and family, with the exclusion of my husband. I only blogged at home, alone, and avoided asking anyone for help with photos or website design, even when I really needed it. Looking back on it, I should have joined a 'Bloggers Anonymous' support group, who'd meet after dark at abandonded cementaries, chanting 'We love blogging, we love blogging' in a trance to the sound of rhytmic typing.
I'm not sure why I should feel so bad for being a beauty blogger. When trying to dissect my feels, I did find true what Gummy and Larie have recently written about society (mostly of the female kind) putting other make-up wearing women down for being vain, selfish, or obsessed with their looks. I don't want to be regarded as superficial; I've always been the best student, the ambitious, the brainiac - I don't want to disappoint! What if my family and friends knew and thought beauty blogging was silly, and a waste of time? Wouldn't that be so much worse than them just not knowing altogether?
But as life would have it, the cat got out of the bag soon enough; in an inspired, touchy-feely moment I spilled the beans to my brother, who then spilled them some further to my parents and even some cousins, therefore completely removing the 'going public' decision from my control. And you know what, the reaction really was not something I expected: my parents were impressed that my posts looked so professional, one cousin suggested I could earn some money from monetizing the blog, and another admitted that it's very interesting and that she, too, enjoys girly beauty stuff and even dreams of becoming a hair stylist and opening her own salon.
These days I can honestly say that my immediate family and close friends are incredibly supportive. My Polish dad routinely asks how my blog is doing and reads my machine-translated posts through Google. My English-speaking brother reads my posts and follows me on Instagram, and he's of the opinion that my writing is good enough for me to become a journalist. On a recent vacation in Morocco, my mom visited not only an argan oil expeller to score me a bottle of the genuine stuff, but also a Moroccan pharmacy, where she inquired about Rhassoul clay and different types of soaps and oils, so she could bring me all the deets from the very source. My best friend once spent an entire afternoon at work going through my old posts, and often checks the blog to see what's currently rocking my boat.
So I'm not enirely sure why, even when people around me have long accepted the fact that I'm a beauty blogger, I should still struggle so much to admit it. I have now realized that the biggest part of it is that I don't feel good enough a blogger to actually call myself one - because you know, it's not like I make my living from it, or have thousands of readers. Like maybe I'd like to be a beauty blogger, but for now I'm just a wannabe.
I have now come to the conclusion however that there IS truth in this simple piece of advice: 'Want to become a writer? Then write'. Because I'm already doing it: I blog every week, sometimes every day. When I'm not blogging, I'm gathering ideas, planning my posts, shooting and editing photos, testing products, or networking on social media; I breathe the blogging stuff. I currently have the luxury of just being a housewife, and blogging takes up most of my free time, which is substantial. So why shouldn't I call myself a beauty blogger, a writer, a photographer, if that's truly what I do? Does it matter if I make money from it? Does it matter if people love it or hate it? I give it my best - shouldn't it be all that matters?
It's hard work, but I'm now trying to allow myself the privilege of being called a beauty blogger. I even recently told some new girlfriends that I had this beauty website, and some of the things I'd been posting on it, and the challenges I'd been facing. And... they said it was awesome, and at least *looked* interested! I haven't quite delivered on the promise of sending them my link though - I'm a work in progress, you guys. I'm trying.
So please, tell me - do you call yourself a beauty blogger? Have you told your friends and family about your blog? Do they read it? Do you mention it when people ask about things you enjoy doing in your free time? Or are we beauty bloggers all just a bunch of weird, introverted, embarassed online fanatics in denial of our passion? Or is it just me? TELL ME.
And somehow that was (sometimes still is) preferrable to looking people in the eye and saying 'I'm a beauty blogger. I have a website where I review make-up and skincare products'. When I started this blog, I opted for a nickname and kept it a secret from all my friends and family, with the exclusion of my husband. I only blogged at home, alone, and avoided asking anyone for help with photos or website design, even when I really needed it. Looking back on it, I should have joined a 'Bloggers Anonymous' support group, who'd meet after dark at abandonded cementaries, chanting 'We love blogging, we love blogging' in a trance to the sound of rhytmic typing.
I'm not sure why I should feel so bad for being a beauty blogger. When trying to dissect my feels, I did find true what Gummy and Larie have recently written about society (mostly of the female kind) putting other make-up wearing women down for being vain, selfish, or obsessed with their looks. I don't want to be regarded as superficial; I've always been the best student, the ambitious, the brainiac - I don't want to disappoint! What if my family and friends knew and thought beauty blogging was silly, and a waste of time? Wouldn't that be so much worse than them just not knowing altogether?
But as life would have it, the cat got out of the bag soon enough; in an inspired, touchy-feely moment I spilled the beans to my brother, who then spilled them some further to my parents and even some cousins, therefore completely removing the 'going public' decision from my control. And you know what, the reaction really was not something I expected: my parents were impressed that my posts looked so professional, one cousin suggested I could earn some money from monetizing the blog, and another admitted that it's very interesting and that she, too, enjoys girly beauty stuff and even dreams of becoming a hair stylist and opening her own salon.
These days I can honestly say that my immediate family and close friends are incredibly supportive. My Polish dad routinely asks how my blog is doing and reads my machine-translated posts through Google. My English-speaking brother reads my posts and follows me on Instagram, and he's of the opinion that my writing is good enough for me to become a journalist. On a recent vacation in Morocco, my mom visited not only an argan oil expeller to score me a bottle of the genuine stuff, but also a Moroccan pharmacy, where she inquired about Rhassoul clay and different types of soaps and oils, so she could bring me all the deets from the very source. My best friend once spent an entire afternoon at work going through my old posts, and often checks the blog to see what's currently rocking my boat.
So I'm not enirely sure why, even when people around me have long accepted the fact that I'm a beauty blogger, I should still struggle so much to admit it. I have now realized that the biggest part of it is that I don't feel good enough a blogger to actually call myself one - because you know, it's not like I make my living from it, or have thousands of readers. Like maybe I'd like to be a beauty blogger, but for now I'm just a wannabe.
I have now come to the conclusion however that there IS truth in this simple piece of advice: 'Want to become a writer? Then write'. Because I'm already doing it: I blog every week, sometimes every day. When I'm not blogging, I'm gathering ideas, planning my posts, shooting and editing photos, testing products, or networking on social media; I breathe the blogging stuff. I currently have the luxury of just being a housewife, and blogging takes up most of my free time, which is substantial. So why shouldn't I call myself a beauty blogger, a writer, a photographer, if that's truly what I do? Does it matter if I make money from it? Does it matter if people love it or hate it? I give it my best - shouldn't it be all that matters?
It's hard work, but I'm now trying to allow myself the privilege of being called a beauty blogger. I even recently told some new girlfriends that I had this beauty website, and some of the things I'd been posting on it, and the challenges I'd been facing. And... they said it was awesome, and at least *looked* interested! I haven't quite delivered on the promise of sending them my link though - I'm a work in progress, you guys. I'm trying.
So please, tell me - do you call yourself a beauty blogger? Have you told your friends and family about your blog? Do they read it? Do you mention it when people ask about things you enjoy doing in your free time? Or are we beauty bloggers all just a bunch of weird, introverted, embarassed online fanatics in denial of our passion? Or is it just me? TELL ME.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Why I Don't Haul Make-up Anymore
You may or may not have noticed that I don't do make-up hauls anymore - and I was recently thinking why this should be so. It's obviously not that I no longer buy make-up (heavens forbid!). The gradual decrease in posting my beauty shopping sprees actually happened quite organically; I believe I last shared a make-up haul back in 2012, and there have been very few and far between skincare and nail polish rampages in 2013. So why have I stopped hauling? Everyone loves a good haul!
I think the most straightforward and practical answer is that since trying to curb my make-up consumption at the beginning of 2013 with the allowance of no more than 2 new products per month and challenging myself to avoid buying back-ups (click here for the original post!), I have mostly stopped buying beauty products in larger quantities at a time - so what I had been purchasing would have made for a pretty pitiful haul, don't you think? But you see, sometimes I break my rules and buy more than two products a month when there's a good sale, or receive beauty gifts I could be sharing with you; so there must be some other reasons not to haul, right?
The answer that I simply don't like hauls anymore may automatically come to mind, but I've decided that it is not the case - in fact, I still very much enjoy watching YouTube hauls or reading other bloggers' haul posts, or hearing what you've been buying on Twitter. It's like I'm living vicariously through other people's shopping, and it helps me to stay motivated and continue with my low-buy. What helps even further, and I know I'm not alone in this, is that sometimes after watching a popular YouTuber (sorry, I refuse to call anyone dabbling in make-up a 'guru') do a lot of beauty damage, I feel slightly sick to my stomach; maybe it's all that money spent on frivolous things, umpteenth back-ups, the excess, and so, so much waste. At any rate, I'm then convinced that this is NOT how I want to feel about my beauty shopping, and this is not how I want to make YOU feel about my haul posts; so as a result, no hauling.
Another related reason is that ultimately, hauling fosters the beauty shopping frenzy, increases the hype, winds up the marketing machine of big beauty retailers, makes us part with our hard-earned money often against our better judgment. Posting hauls further promotes impulse, indulgent spending. I'm not saying it's always a bad thing - it's nice to spoil oneself once in a while, especially when you have a budget for it. But for me personally, it's never sustainable, and it's not something I want to encourage on my blog anymore.
Last but not least, I've started to question how helpful and informative haul posts really are to you, aside from getting a glimpse of my crazy spending habits and seeing what I choose to purchase, the latter of which you'll see anyway by way of consecutive reviews. I know some regard hauls as inspiration for their own beauty wishlists and shopping, but I don't really want to recommend anything to you that I have yet to test and try in earnest - and then I also sometimes post seasonal beauty wishlists (like this Spring one!), so you can see where my interests lay, and we can all exchange experiences in the comments.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Rocaille Writes is no longer partaking in 'the more the better' attitude towards beauty shopping, and consequently, beauty blogging. What I want Rocaille Writes to be about (yes yes, I know I'm repeating myself here... but it all ties in together, see?) is truly outstanding products and curating a more reasonable make-up collection that brings nothing but joy to its wearer; no regrets, ever!
Let me know in the comments your take on make-up hauling, and haul posts. Do they still interest you, do you hate them, or maybe prefer videos over blog posts, or only like quick snapshots on Instagram to satiate your curiosity? Comparing the response I've been getting to capsule collection/ stash reducing posts versus the old haulage posts, it seems like you guys are kinda over make-up hauls too... Are you?
I think the most straightforward and practical answer is that since trying to curb my make-up consumption at the beginning of 2013 with the allowance of no more than 2 new products per month and challenging myself to avoid buying back-ups (click here for the original post!), I have mostly stopped buying beauty products in larger quantities at a time - so what I had been purchasing would have made for a pretty pitiful haul, don't you think? But you see, sometimes I break my rules and buy more than two products a month when there's a good sale, or receive beauty gifts I could be sharing with you; so there must be some other reasons not to haul, right?
The answer that I simply don't like hauls anymore may automatically come to mind, but I've decided that it is not the case - in fact, I still very much enjoy watching YouTube hauls or reading other bloggers' haul posts, or hearing what you've been buying on Twitter. It's like I'm living vicariously through other people's shopping, and it helps me to stay motivated and continue with my low-buy. What helps even further, and I know I'm not alone in this, is that sometimes after watching a popular YouTuber (sorry, I refuse to call anyone dabbling in make-up a 'guru') do a lot of beauty damage, I feel slightly sick to my stomach; maybe it's all that money spent on frivolous things, umpteenth back-ups, the excess, and so, so much waste. At any rate, I'm then convinced that this is NOT how I want to feel about my beauty shopping, and this is not how I want to make YOU feel about my haul posts; so as a result, no hauling.
Another related reason is that ultimately, hauling fosters the beauty shopping frenzy, increases the hype, winds up the marketing machine of big beauty retailers, makes us part with our hard-earned money often against our better judgment. Posting hauls further promotes impulse, indulgent spending. I'm not saying it's always a bad thing - it's nice to spoil oneself once in a while, especially when you have a budget for it. But for me personally, it's never sustainable, and it's not something I want to encourage on my blog anymore.
Last but not least, I've started to question how helpful and informative haul posts really are to you, aside from getting a glimpse of my crazy spending habits and seeing what I choose to purchase, the latter of which you'll see anyway by way of consecutive reviews. I know some regard hauls as inspiration for their own beauty wishlists and shopping, but I don't really want to recommend anything to you that I have yet to test and try in earnest - and then I also sometimes post seasonal beauty wishlists (like this Spring one!), so you can see where my interests lay, and we can all exchange experiences in the comments.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Rocaille Writes is no longer partaking in 'the more the better' attitude towards beauty shopping, and consequently, beauty blogging. What I want Rocaille Writes to be about (yes yes, I know I'm repeating myself here... but it all ties in together, see?) is truly outstanding products and curating a more reasonable make-up collection that brings nothing but joy to its wearer; no regrets, ever!
Let me know in the comments your take on make-up hauling, and haul posts. Do they still interest you, do you hate them, or maybe prefer videos over blog posts, or only like quick snapshots on Instagram to satiate your curiosity? Comparing the response I've been getting to capsule collection/ stash reducing posts versus the old haulage posts, it seems like you guys are kinda over make-up hauls too... Are you?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Going with the flow, or going with the crowd?
This is going to be a bit of a different post - so if you're not a blogger yourself, or actively involved in the beauty blogging community, the following might not be of any interest. But for those in a similar conundrum: the blogging blahs have settled, and in my experience if I don't air out whatever is currently bothering me, there may be here for good. So here are some random observations about the state of the beauty blogging union, and my place in all of this.
When I started this blog back in 2009, blogosphere was very much a different beast altogether. Reading blogs was still a relatively niche past-time, being a blogger was very alternative - or simply weird for non-blogging people. Blogs seemed more personal, and intimate, and the community was tight but open to newcomers. That's why it was so enticing to be a part of it; I wanted a space to let the creative juices flow and show my point of view, and I wanted likeminded friends to discuss all things beauty. To a lot of you, it might still be the case - but I feel like something HAS changed.
In 2014, many of those beauty blogs are now competitive buisnesses. Sure, businesses with a strong focus on writing, product photography and social media presence - but so are women's magazines. It's all about the New! Just Released! Limited Edition!, PR samples, press events. Churning out swatches and a review the minute you lay your eyes on a product, because it's all about who can be the fastest, who has the freshest trend. Posts at different blogs featuring a newly released product come all at the same time like a huge wave, and it's really rather interesting (dare I say, annoying?) to see five subsequent Instagram photos from different bloggers featuring the exact same eyeshadow palette that has just landed on their doorsteps. The more posts and YouTube videos about the same product, the more hype around the product, the more people are frantically trying to purchase, now now now, before it's gone.
Now, for a necessary disclaimer: I absolutely do not begrudge successful bloggers' success, or the fact that they have been able to make a career out of something they love. I also understand that what beauty blogs focus on are essentially commercial products, and so brand relationships form and have to be maintained. But - it IS walking a thin line between being truthful to yourself and fearing a cold shoulder from a big company, and no amount of disclaimers is going to change it. Some pull it off with more aplomb than the others, and that's were my readership preferences lay - but that's something you absolutely have to judge by yourself.
What I'm trying to say is that the beauty blogosphere is not what it used to be, and I don't regard is as something pejorative - call it progress or necessary evil, it just is what it is. My feeling though is that in the new blogging landscape, there's a certain paradigm choice to be made: are you going with your own flow, or are you going with the crowd? What's your focus? New collections, swatches and lightning fast reviews, or staying true to your unique perspective, true time-tested favorites, less popular products that really work and deserve a mention? I'm going to be quite blunt: the latter approach is not going to generate as many page views, or give you as many readers - you know, what most people would call blogging success. But is carving your own niche worth it for YOU?
It is worth it for me. I'm not a big player - there, I said it. What I get from beauty blogging are not free samples of the newest products, invitations to press events, external motivation in the form of readers and page ranks; although I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the rare brand outreach, or am not overjoyed over gaining new followers or seeing some nice stats for the month (thank you!!!). The reason I have been blogging for so long and do not intend to quit (come on, I'd be like abandoning my own baby!) is that I get a tremendous satisfaction from the very process of creating, from post ideas, through product photography, to actual writing - about something I love and feel passionate about. And still, the sense of community: so many wonderful readers, friends on and offline. You really are my tribe.
Practically, it means that you won't see many newest product releases, reviews and swatches here on Rocaille Writes. That might be a disappointment to some of you - and I understand. But from what my gut is telling me (and from what I can gather from your very enthusiastic response to the Anti Make-up Phase post), a lot of you are not here for it. What you will see on Rocaille Writes are products I'm truly enthusiastic about, be it old or new, from small or big brands, product comparisons so you don't need to spend your hard earned cash on everything that gets the hype, my own interpretations of current trends, thoughts on the blogging process, quality over quantity of posts, my struggles, experiments, randomness; whatever is on my mind as a writer. If I'm not going to sit with the popular girls because of that - so be it.
And yes, observing the current state of the beauty blogosphere can sometimes be quite depressing, and frustrating, and blogging blahs-inducing; but we shall withstand the storms and persevere. And maybe try not to look at those stats too often, and not compare myself - in the end, I can only be me, but I strive to be the best me that I can. Love you, my unique, fearless, no-bullshit readers. Friends.
When I started this blog back in 2009, blogosphere was very much a different beast altogether. Reading blogs was still a relatively niche past-time, being a blogger was very alternative - or simply weird for non-blogging people. Blogs seemed more personal, and intimate, and the community was tight but open to newcomers. That's why it was so enticing to be a part of it; I wanted a space to let the creative juices flow and show my point of view, and I wanted likeminded friends to discuss all things beauty. To a lot of you, it might still be the case - but I feel like something HAS changed.
In 2014, many of those beauty blogs are now competitive buisnesses. Sure, businesses with a strong focus on writing, product photography and social media presence - but so are women's magazines. It's all about the New! Just Released! Limited Edition!, PR samples, press events. Churning out swatches and a review the minute you lay your eyes on a product, because it's all about who can be the fastest, who has the freshest trend. Posts at different blogs featuring a newly released product come all at the same time like a huge wave, and it's really rather interesting (dare I say, annoying?) to see five subsequent Instagram photos from different bloggers featuring the exact same eyeshadow palette that has just landed on their doorsteps. The more posts and YouTube videos about the same product, the more hype around the product, the more people are frantically trying to purchase, now now now, before it's gone.
Now, for a necessary disclaimer: I absolutely do not begrudge successful bloggers' success, or the fact that they have been able to make a career out of something they love. I also understand that what beauty blogs focus on are essentially commercial products, and so brand relationships form and have to be maintained. But - it IS walking a thin line between being truthful to yourself and fearing a cold shoulder from a big company, and no amount of disclaimers is going to change it. Some pull it off with more aplomb than the others, and that's were my readership preferences lay - but that's something you absolutely have to judge by yourself.
What I'm trying to say is that the beauty blogosphere is not what it used to be, and I don't regard is as something pejorative - call it progress or necessary evil, it just is what it is. My feeling though is that in the new blogging landscape, there's a certain paradigm choice to be made: are you going with your own flow, or are you going with the crowd? What's your focus? New collections, swatches and lightning fast reviews, or staying true to your unique perspective, true time-tested favorites, less popular products that really work and deserve a mention? I'm going to be quite blunt: the latter approach is not going to generate as many page views, or give you as many readers - you know, what most people would call blogging success. But is carving your own niche worth it for YOU?
It is worth it for me. I'm not a big player - there, I said it. What I get from beauty blogging are not free samples of the newest products, invitations to press events, external motivation in the form of readers and page ranks; although I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the rare brand outreach, or am not overjoyed over gaining new followers or seeing some nice stats for the month (thank you!!!). The reason I have been blogging for so long and do not intend to quit (come on, I'd be like abandoning my own baby!) is that I get a tremendous satisfaction from the very process of creating, from post ideas, through product photography, to actual writing - about something I love and feel passionate about. And still, the sense of community: so many wonderful readers, friends on and offline. You really are my tribe.
Practically, it means that you won't see many newest product releases, reviews and swatches here on Rocaille Writes. That might be a disappointment to some of you - and I understand. But from what my gut is telling me (and from what I can gather from your very enthusiastic response to the Anti Make-up Phase post), a lot of you are not here for it. What you will see on Rocaille Writes are products I'm truly enthusiastic about, be it old or new, from small or big brands, product comparisons so you don't need to spend your hard earned cash on everything that gets the hype, my own interpretations of current trends, thoughts on the blogging process, quality over quantity of posts, my struggles, experiments, randomness; whatever is on my mind as a writer. If I'm not going to sit with the popular girls because of that - so be it.
And yes, observing the current state of the beauty blogosphere can sometimes be quite depressing, and frustrating, and blogging blahs-inducing; but we shall withstand the storms and persevere. And maybe try not to look at those stats too often, and not compare myself - in the end, I can only be me, but I strive to be the best me that I can. Love you, my unique, fearless, no-bullshit readers. Friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)