I’d like to share some thoughts on this one today because I’ve seen many people fly out and buy lots of new beauty items or the latest releases or the full collection “for the blog” and later feel burnt out or their wallet starts hurting, and they think of giving up. I’ve also been asked by people point blank how to get hold of PR people for free products so they didn’t have to buy them.
For the former, if you have a nice big budget and feel that the newest violet lipstick is something you’d wear everyday, then please don’t let anyone stop you! For the latter, I think they have a really skewed perception of blogging. You don’t start a blog for purposes of getting free stuff; you start a blog because you want to share your views and knowledge. Less common these days, but still, there’s hope.
Fact is, most of us who blog are just beauty buffs wanting to share our thoughts and views on products and on beauty in general, and not all of us have those sorts of deep pockets or PR connections. Quite often, I see blog sales happen with products that are brand new or barely touched and it does make me feel a little sad because the product doesn’t quite go to waste, if the new buyer wants it, but for the large depreciation which never covers your costs. It’s basically a waste of money on the part of the blogger. I’ve even heard of people putting up PR samples for sale – the biggest faux pas that can happen. Putting yourself on a no-buy only makes things worse sometimes. Its like going on a crash diet. You’ll bounce back worse.
You see, blogging about beauty or beauty blogging isn’t just about the latest, the newest and who can buy the most. Its about having a passion for beauty. Quite often, I warn new bloggers who ask, that you have to have a passion for your subject and you have to be a beauty buff to start with. You can’t set up a blog to blog about beauty and then start thinking of what stuff to buy to blog about, or then hope that if you have a blog, PR companies will send you lots of freebies. Yes, I’ve been asked this too.
No, there are no tips for what to buy to start a blog, you either have them or you don’t. Sometimes the PR thing happens in which case, good for you! But these days, the field is getting more crowded so lean times are ahead and fact is, we’re pretty much on our own.
So, what does a beauty blogger do? Does she go broke buying everything she sees so she has something to review? Does she buy a new lipstick every day or every week? Does she kiss ass with PR so she gets showered with freebies that she could never use up nor even like? Does she have to do massive shopping hauls and share them with her readers?
Well, no you don’t. Do it if it makes you happy and doesn’t send you to the poorhouse. Don’t, if it will or if you feel it places unnecessary pressure on you and your finances. Here are some ways to get started if you don’t already have a large beauty collection, or don’t want to fall into the trap of crass consumerism 🙂