The Life & Times of a Beauty Blogger

I think one of the most popular question I get via email is regarding beauty blogging:  how did you get started, how do you get readers, how do you take photos, how do you balance school and blogging, and so on and so forth.  I find that a lot of the answers and advice I give are redundant (which isn’t a bad thing), but I think it’s time to have a nice post to refer others to, as well as give you a more behind-the-scenes look at how life goes by here at Temptalia.

Note:  I take blogging seriously–to me, even though it is a hobby and passion, I want to be the best that I can be.  I’ve always been this way with my hobbies.  I take great pride in what I do, particularly since it is public and once it’s on the internet, forever.

What my typical blogging day looks like…

• 6:00AM:  Wake up, check e-mail and Twitter on my phone, then head to computer.
• 6:10-6:45AM:  Approve comments and reply to quick questions asked via comments on the blog.  (Yes, the more complicated or difficult your question, the longer the response time, since I have to either research, reference, etc.  But I do try to get everything answered as quickly as possible.)  Check Facebook Fan page for any questions to answer.
• 6:45-7:15AM:  Read, send, and reply to email–this includes replying to pitches from brands/PR, replies to readers’ comments and questions sent via email.
• 7:15-11:00AM:  Write 1-2 posts for the day’s postings.  Reply to comments, questions, etc. on blog and YouTube.  Either photograph/swatch products to review or crop and edit product/swatch photos so they’re ready to be used in a review.
• 11:00AM-12:30PM:  Walk Mellanhead & eat lunch!
• 12:30PM-5:00PM:  Try to do a look and film it as a YouTube tutorial, then hand it off to the boy for editing.  Then test and write notes on various products.  More photographing or editing of photos, sometimes writing a post or two.  One or two days out of the week, I spent 1-2 hours watching TV with Mellan during this time.
• 5:00PM-6:00PM:  Eat dinner.
• 6:00PM-11:00PM:  Read, send, and reply to urgent emails.  Reply to comments.  Write 1-4 posts for the next day.  Try to log off the computer by 11PM!

Keep in mind, this is a blogging day, which is when I don’t have school.  I typically have school in the mornings on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for 2-3 hours and then again in the evenings on Mondays and Wednesdays for another 3 hours.  On days when I do have class, I will spend less time taking or editing photos.   I do all my schoolwork on one day when possible.  I usually take part of Friday or Saturday to spend reading next week’s assignments and doing any homework.  I know how to speed read (one of the most valuable skills I have ever learned), which has helped me immensely in every aspect of my academia.  My weekends are often considerably less intensive, though sometimes more so, depending on how I feel and what we do–we often visit with our friends/family on the weekend and then relax together on the other day.

My schedule is flexible and that’s how it should be. Even though the above is my approximate schedule, it is a flexible schedule.  Sometimes we go out for lunch or dinner, and we don’t rush through it so I can stay on schedule.  Sometimes we go for walks, head to the mall, do grocery shopping… dessert runs, coffee runs… whatever!  I frequently take 5-10 minute breaks to go play and cuddle with Mellan.  Sometimes I’m tired from not sleeping well and will just take a break–watch some TV, go for a walk, whatever.  There are always areas where you can scale back for a day or two without anyone noticing, and it is important to allow yourself breaks and some fun when you need them, so you don’t burn out.

The Hows & Whys of Blogging…

Blogging for Love, Not Money

It is important that this your motto.  The majority of successful blog I’ve seen and read, not just in the beauty blogosphere but in general, have one thing in common:  passion.  The authors of successful blogs have an obvious passion for the topic they blog about.  They are passionate about learning more about their chosen topic and passing along that knowledge to their readers.  It is not about the bottom line.

Where I Began

Many people reach out to be for advice on how best to start their blogs and how can they get a lot of readers quickly.  Just like most get-rich-quick-schemes are scams, get-readers-quick-schemes are also scams.  There is no right or wrong recipe for gaining a readership, but the key is to blog honestly, passionately, and always be yourself.   I would also say there is an element of luck to it as well.

For me, I lucked into having a natural readership because I used to post my looks everyday on the MAC Cosmetics Livejournal community, so I had a place where people already knew me, my style, and those who who interested, could also follow me on my blog–which at the time, was more of an archive of my looks than what it is today–so I did not start at ground zero.  I also lucked out in terms of timing.  I did not start blogging at the beginning of time, and I am, by no means, the first or even one of the first few beauty bloggers.  However, I was able to start blogging when blogging was becoming more accepted and blogs were being read by more and more people, but the beauty blogosphere was not crowded, either.

By providing useful content and information, readers stayed, continued to visit, and referred their friends or linked to the site as a reference.  You have to provide value to your readers.  Value does not have to mean something new and different, either.  You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you post!

My Blogging Advice

• Always be you–even if not everyone likes you, your style, what you say or how you say it–be yourself.  You would be surprised just how much is picked up between what you say (or don’t say).
• Enjoy it–you have to enjoy it, because blogging is very much a labor of love for the majority of bloggers.  If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it.  If you’re bored with your blog, take a break.  If you have writer’s block, take a break.
• Figure out what you can do better than anyone else–it’s important to find some sort of signature item that you can have on your blog.  Just something that makes the blog you.
• Write original content, because nobody wants to read a regurgitation of other people’s work or press releases all day.
• Take your own photos. Adding something visual to your post to complement the writing can go a long way in making it relevant and interesting.  Stock and promotional photos can be great tools, but they should be more of a supplement than the majority of your content.
• Remember, Rome was not built in a day. Cheesy and overused, I know, but it’s true.  Many successful blogs were not overnight successes, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you months to gain even a small readership.
• Don’t let other people get you down. This is a hard one, and it is one that I’ve struggled with time and time again (though happy to report, nobody’s made me cry with their internet insults in well over a year).  You just can’t.  There will always be those who don’t like you or what you do.  They may genuinely dislike you (it’s not always jealousy).  They may make assumptions, some may even make up “facts” about you.  You can’t always change them, but you can try by doing your best and being yourself.   If you do your best, you’ve done all that you can, and there is nothing to be but proud of yourself for it.

The Photo Station

For two years or so, I’ve been using a Nikon D90 DSLR.  I use both a kit lens and macro lens for photography. I don’t use a lightbox.  I have made my own lightbox in the past, and I’ve purchased lightboxes as well, but I have never liked the results.  I always ended up going back and just laying a product on top of the lightbox (rather than in it) and shooting that.   In an effort to be more organized and keep things in one place, I have a simple white table I purchased from Ikea for about $20 that I use as my “background.”  It’s in front of a window, and I use the light that streams in as my lighting.  It’s not fussy, and it didn’t cost me much at all.

The most important piece of advice I can ever give you about photography is to read your camera’s manual, regardless of whether it’s a point and shoot or DSLR.  Read it.  Learn it.  Understand your camera, what it can do, what each setting is capable of doing.

Next, I recommend reading photography blogs like DPS.  Even though I surely don’t know very much about proper lighting, how to set everything up just right, and such, I have tried to garner a basic understanding of photography principles and incorporate those into how I take my photos.  If you’re shopping for a camera, make sure you read reviews before you buy.  And you don’t need a $1,000 camera to take good photos.  Many point and shoots are amazing and go for $150-300.  I would not invest $1,000 into a camera if you’re only just starting to blog.

When it comes to beauty, it is most important to take color accurate photos.  A swatch is only as good as it is accurate.  The best way to work on accuracy is to take photos under different conditions and settings–just test it out.  See what part of your house seems to generate the best lighting for photos or what settings result in the best images.  Digital photography makes it so easy to take a thousand photos and view them–don’t like ‘em? Delete ‘em.

How do you stay motivated?

My readers motivate me! Everyday, my readers push me to be better and to do more.  It’s humbling to have anyone come to you for advice, even if it is just about makeup and not how to solve the crises of the world (please don’t come to me for those, I have no solutions!).  Everything Temptalia is today is a result of the readers that support it with their comments, questions, and loyalty.  It would be nothing with each and every one of you.

I also have an amazing support system from my friends and family.  They get blogging, and they don’t see it as frivolous.  They support me whenever and however they can, whether it’s as a sounding wall, shoulder to lean on, or simply to get some feedback from.  Their support is invaluable to me!

I hope some of this was informative, even if it was about ten thousand words longer than I intended or wanted to be.  If you made it this far… kudos!

This post is designed to help readers understand more about how I review products, what characteristics I’m looking for in products, what criterion I use for different aspects of a product, and the like. My goal is to qualify my review process in such a way that helps readers understand why a product receives a certain score. Ultimately, I hope that this FAQ reduces any confusion and gives everyone a better understanding of the rating system and how best to use it.

Read the FAQ on how I review and what the rating system means to me…

The Review

I always test out products I review. I’m not reviewing a product I haven’t seen in person, with my own eyes, and touched with my own fingers (or applicator–whatever!). When it comes to most makeup, the trial period isn’t particularly extensive (if an eyeliner fades in an hour, wearing it for a week isn’t changing that!), but the review is about that trial, my results, what I liked/disliked, where a product could use improvement, whether it’s worth the price tag, and if it lives up to its claims.

For skincare, I test most products for two to three weeks at a minimum, but depending on the type of product, I often test products for as long as six weeks. Skincare really depends on what I’m reviewing it for (e.g. anti-acne, anti-aging, etc. require longer testing periods, but if it’s just a facial scrub, a few weeks of testing is usually enough). I usually indicate the testing period length when I do skincare reviews.

Bottom Line: Products are photographed and swatched/used/tested as appropriate.

The Rating System

The rating system is not a substitute for the written review or photos/swatches included with the review.  It is meant to be a quick summary, but it should be considered in context.

Product – 60% weight

The Product score is a measure of a product’s effectiveness, efficacy, and how it performs. In my eyes, this is an extremely important factor, which I have always weighted higher than the other factors I review on (value, ease of use, and packaging). At the end of the day, I want to know if a product did what it was supposed to do–I don’t care if it was a steal or I felt like I got robbed or if it comes in a paper bag–it’s all about how well it works. I often look at a product’s claims to determine how well it meets them.

Value – 20% weight

Value is a measure of whether the product is priced in line with expectations and whether you’re getting enough for your money. I do not think it reasonable or even remotely helpful to compare a $25 lipstick with a $2 lipstick. If that’s how you look at value, then few products will have value. Even a L’Oreal lipstick is pricey compared to a $1 Wet ‘n Wild lipstick! I think it’s silly to compare Chanel to Wet ‘n Wild to determine value.

Value, to me, is a combination of how the product’s price stacks up against similar products from direct competitors and if you’re getting enough for that money. For instance, I compare value across brands like Chanel, Dior, and Guerlain, but I don’t compare any of these higher end brands to mass retail brands like CoverGirl, L’Oreal, and Maybelline. So I ask myself these questions: 1) how much product do I get for my money? (I use price per ounce, usually!); 2) how does it compare to direct competitors/similar products from the brand?; and 3) how many usages will I get out of it? Value is something to look at, particularly if you’re on a budget, but a product should, ultimately, not be so docked down that it receives a low rating purely because it’s expensive.

Ease of Use – 10% weight

Most products are fairly simple and easy enough to use, so this is an area where a lot of products can get some “gimme” points, essentially. However, sometimes I do come across products that are confusing in their directions (like a mask – it might not tell you whether to rinse it off or not) or are impractical (e.g. lip palettes). It’s something I look for in a product, but it has a very small impact on the overall score.

Packaging – 10% weight

The way a product is packaged can often grab your attention, so we know brands pay attention to packaging, and I think it’s important to keep it in mind as part of a review. I love fun packaging, but packaging doesn’t make or break a product (well, not usually–there’s always an exception), so this is just a minor characteristic to judge a product on. I often look at the practicality of packaging, whether it keeps things sanitary, how it functions, and the like.

Overall

The overall score is given on the American grading system of A, B, C, D, F, with both pluses and minuses to reflect degrees of scores. I feel this system conveys a clear message of how good or bad a product is. If you think about it, there are three ways to say B: 8/10, 80%, and B-, but they do all mean the same thing. I award a maximum of 30 points for product, 10 points for value, 5 points for ease of use, and 5 points for packaging. There is a maximum of 50 points to help determine the overall score. This overall score may be influenced by my overall feel (such as perhaps I’d like to give more like 3.5 points out of 5 for packaging, and the like) and experience with the product itself and how it stacks up, so I may round up (e.g. point values are 79%, I may round to a 80% or a B-).

So here is a break down of what each letter means:

• A: This is a product that is excellent overall. A+ is the highest grade a product can achieve, thus it is a rare, but coveted, score. A- reflects an excellent product with a minor flaw (be it value, ease of use, packaging). If I give a product A- or above, it’s something I’d consider purchasing again in the future and will likely use repeatedly in the future.
• B: This reflects a good product overall. A solid product that I’d recommend to others and wouldn’t mind using, but I may not repurchase in the future because I feel like there’s something better out there. It’s good, but not good enough that I want to stop the search for more. B+ represents a product that’s just at the cusp of good and great. B- represents a product that’s a cusp of good and average.
• C: This reflects an average product overall. This is a product that performs decently, but it’s not something I’d recommend to others overall. Like the other grades, a plus indicates slightly better than average but not quite good, and a minus indicates a slightly less than average product.
• D: This reflects a below average product overall. I do not recommend products with this low of a score. These are products that often perform well below expectations and fail to meet the claims it makes. To earn such a low score, the product itself must be less than effective.
• F: This reflects a failure of a product overall. I’ve never given this grade out, though I have come close. This is a product that doesn’t work and isn’t worth your time. It’s probably not even worth the time it takes to read the review about it.