the beauty blogger tag

It's been ages since I've done a tag post, which is weird as I quite like doing them and I feel as if it lets you get to know me a bit more. The lovely Lexi from Feather Light Beauty tagged me to do this, and I though why not - so here goes!

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?

Honestly? Because I did a nail design, I thought it was pretty and I wanted to share it with people. I've been blogging since the start of last April, so about 9 months now.

Whose blog did you fall in love with first?

MakeupSavvy! It was the first blog I stumbled across that wasn't purely swatches and I just loved how laidback it was - like a magazine but better.

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product that you bought? Was it worth the hype?

I'm not 100% sure about this because before my days of blogging I had no way of documenting what I had bought (oh, the woes...) but it probably was the Max Factor nail polish in Fantasy Fire. And it was definitely worth the hype.

What are your five favourite things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

- Taking and editing the photos is my favourite part, I guess I like editing because it's kind of like doing a makeover and making something look prettier. And I just love photographing stuff.

- Interacting with the blogging community. Reading comments always makes me smile, and I love the weekly Twitter talks although half the time I forget and miss them. At the moment I'm doing a makeup swap with Katie so I get to try out some American goodies - another perk of being a blogger!

- I find the actual writing of the posts quite enjoyable too. It's nice to let all your thoughts out to people who like the same stuff you do.

- You end up being so knowledgeable about makeup, I read so many reviews I can walk into Superdrug and know if half the products they're selling are any good or not so there's no blind guesses.

- Being able to ramble on about eyeliner and not get weird looks. Makeup isn't the sort of thing that I can discuss with my mates in real life!

What have you leant from being a beauty blogger?

Apart from learning about actual products, I've learnt how to design a website, take and edit photos, how to make posts interesting (I hope) and how to network and get your site out there. Having a blog has also helped me with my grammar, when I look back at my old posts I cringe at how many commas I used.

Have you changed anything since being a beauty blogger?

I buy more makeup and skincare than I would if I didn't have this blog and I've "borrowed" my mum's camera for better photos too.

What advice would you give to a beauty blogger just starting out?

Put yourself out there and don't be scared, the blogging community is far more positive and safe from trolls than the Youtube community. Also, presentation is key. A nice blog design, easy-to-read font and clear, large photos (choose the X-Large option on blogger) will make readers stick around if you aren't talking a whole load of rubbish.

And do it for the right reasons, if you think you will love blogging then go for it but don't do it for things like free samples. Building up your blog will take a lot of time (social media is great for getting your blog out there) and you will lose motivation if you aren't getting what you want.

Last of all you can make your blog as much work as you think you're capable of, it is your blog after all. If you aren't up for swatching endless eyeshadows but love nail polish just upload a nail of the day every time you have a new colour on that you particularly like with a brief description of the shade. Don't be convinced that you need to do a certain type of post in order for your blog to work.

Name your top five makeup brands.

Revlon and L'Oreal are pretty good and although I don't have much from MAC I love everything I've tried. Rimmel and MUA are cheap and cheerful with some great products hidden in there.

Recommend your top five beauty products.

Carmex is my holy grail and the best mascara I've ever tried is the No7 Exceptional Definition mascara. The L'Oreal Superliner is the only liquid eyeliner that I have complete control with and my go-to bronzer is in the E.L.F Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder. The Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair has to be the best serum ever, my skin absolutely loves the stuff.

If you'd like to do this tag, go ahead! It's a lot of fun - and leave me a link to your post in comments so I can read it :)