Confessions of a Beauty Blogger

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Instead of doing a review or eye look today, I thought I would a tag that I have been wanting to do for a while now. I have not posted a tag in AGES, so why not? I am really tired from studying for my final exams as well so it is a nice change to write a more casual post.

The tag I want to do is the Confessions of a Beauty Blogger tag, which I saw on Wonderland Beauty. Aly's post was so lovely and I learned so much more about her from the post. It is such a great way for readers to learn more about the blogs they read! As I was thinking about the questions, it also made me nostalgic and I came to realize that I've been writing this blog for some time now 

(2 years+)! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

When did you start your blog?

My blog technically started in 2009. But I posted about 2-3 posts in 2009-2010. I call 2011 the year my blog started because that is the year I really began to post regularly.

Have you had any past online presence before (Other blog, YouTube)?

Yes, on Quizilla during my high school years. It is kind of an embarrassing topic and I rather not say more. xD

Why did you start a blog?

My obsession with makeup and blogging began in the long summer before I started college in 2009. I was bored. Really bored. Somehow I discovered the Youtube makeup community and along with that, the beauty blogger community. I was an avid watcher and reader of makeup videos and blog posts and I loved it!I become totally obsessed and that is when I decided to start my own blog, although I did not really do anything until 2011.

When did you become serious about starting a blog?

I created my blog on a whim in 2009, but I only posted one thing in a year. In 2010, I think I might have posted another post, but it wasn't much. Then in 2011, I actually really started The Dark Side of Beauty because I become a lot more serious about makeup and my makeup collection had grown so much since 2009. Once my makeup collection grew to a considerable size, I felt I had better tools to actually have content for my blog.

What was your first post?

My current "first post" is a EOTD inspired by a Lime Crime look. But my first actual post was a random EOTD using MAC products. This was my very first post ever in October of 2009 . But I ended up erasing that post because I decided not to have a blog afterall. Of course, I changed my mind again after that! I still have the picture I took with my phone. Not only was this the very first makeup photo I took, it was also my first time using bright eyeshadows. And the rest is history!

What has been your biggest challenge about blogging?

The beginning was very difficult for me. I blogged for a while before I had any followers at all. Although it was not so much about how many followers I had, I wanted to have at least one so that I knew that I was not wasting my time. I almost quit a few times but I kept blogging. Why? Because I enjoyed it! A lot. Although I said I wanted to have people read my posts, I enjoyed blogging just for the sake of it. It was almost like writing a diary that I could look back on in the future. That is what kept me blogging and got me through the initial challenges of starting my blog.

Where do you see your blog in one year?

It's so hard to say! One year ago I would not have seen myself where I am today. But hopefully, my blog will still have tons of makeup looks and reviews and what-not. I want to incorporate new things, but I am not completely sure of what those things might be just yet. I am hoping to have better quality pictures and, who knows, maybe video tutorials!

What is the most rewarding thing to you about blogging?

To me, the community support is the most amazing thing about being a blogger. Bloggers interact with one another and support each other. It is so great! Yes, there is some occasional drama, but regardless of that the beauty community can be so friendly, fun, encouraging, and simply gorgeous! I love getting feedback from other bloggers and from non-bloggers. It is just a great way of interacting with people all over the world who have the same interest.

What is the most discouraging thing that happens to you?

This is very rare, but rude comments can be quite discouraging. Especially when you put a lot of time and effort into a post. On the other hand, a lack of feedback from readers can also be discouraging because it is hard to know whether my readers liked a particular post or whether they hated it.

What's your lasting inspiration or motivation?

I love belonging to the beauty community. I love writing. I love sharing my ideas, opinions, and looks on my blog. I love doing these things here, where I know people won't be as harsh as the people in my everyday life who do not understand my passion for makeup. Where instead of being told that I am wearing way too much makeup, people will complement my looks. And above all, I love the multitude of other "nerdy" girls who also like girly things. So in other words, my lasting inspiration is the feeling of belonging to a group that does not label makeup as something vain, but that sees it as a source of creativity and expression. 

Thanks Aly for sharing your confessions! :) These here are my own~

I would love to see others do this tag as well, so I tag anyone who is willing to share a little more about themselves!