Tag: Web Design

  • 6 Solutions For Stressed Out Skins

    6 Solutions For Stressed Out Skins

    Worked all day. Out all night. 10 days of straight travel.

    Sound familiar?

    Below, explore the best brands and products that beat signs of stress better than all the rest. Get ready to glow, girls.

    Skyn Iceland Face-Lift-In-A-Bag – This brand is literally all about “solutions for stressed skin.” They wrote the book. I have only tried their Face-Life-In-A-Bag and I am hooked. The weekly system is meant to turn back the clock. Eyes will look more rested, wrinkles appear smoother and smile lines fade away.

    Indi Lee Squalane Oil – This olive-derived Squalane is 100% pure and promotes elasticity, diminishes age spots and hyper pigmentation, and boosts cell regeneration and oxygenation. It’s super natural and suitable for all skin types. I love slathering this all over my face, neck and chest.

    Avène XeraCalm – Another brand who has tackled the calming department and is literally dedicated to sensitive skin. Their XeraCalm line is all about lipid-replenishing skincare that directly targets the source of itching, redness, irritation and even eczema. My favorite is the A.D Lipid-Replenishing Balm. I like to use it on those bumpy areas on the back of my arms.

    Pai Calm Redness Serum – Have you girls tried Pai? This super natural line is my latest favorite and pre-wedding go-to. The Instant Calm line is fab. Jessica Richards of Shen Beauty told me all about it and now I’m hooked. The Instant Calm Redness Serum is so nice and goes really well with the Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream. I’m hooked on this whole line.

    Erno Laszlo Light Controlling Lotion – This stuff takes me back to the 90s when my mom gave my sister and I our first official skincare routines. Years later, I was reintroduced to this magical lotion and it still works. It’s meant to calm redness and reduce surface oil to refine the texture of the skin and tighten pores, eliminating dullness for fresh-faced results. Anti-inflammatory botanicals calm irritation and support natural tissue repair, leaving skin smooth and hydrated. I’m obsessed with the chic bottle too.

    Rodin Lavender Body Oil – This is the holy grail of body oils. Period. It’s formulated to relieve and nourish tired, overworked skin. It’s enriched with a calming blend of French Lavender Absolute and Bulgarian Lavender, as well as Rosehip, Neroli and Evening Primrose to help promote collagen production. It’s the ultimate in skincare indulgence.

  • Online Beauty Shopping Guide

    Online Beauty Shopping Guide

    Thanks to an increase in niche beauty brands, the rise of the natural beauty industry, and an insatiable enthusiasm for Korean beauty products, we are in a golden age of beauty shopping right now. And there have never been more ways to get your hands on all of these products thanks to online beauty shopping.

    Here, we’ve rounded up the 25 sites that are killing the beauty retail game, whether you’re looking for products for curly hair, hard-to-find sheet masks, or vegan lipstick.

    Now grab your phone and go shop.


    Kat Von D lipsticks.
     Photo: Andrew Stuart/Getty Images

    Best Variety

    Sephora: No list would be complete without the OG beauty retailer that arguably took beauty out from behind the department store counter. Its online experience is just as good, with hundreds of passionate, candid product reviews and an app that’s worth downloading for the exclusive deals alone. The retailer has been killing it lately by introducing new brands and offering tons of exclusives that no one else has.

    Ulta: Ulta is growing in leaps and bounds, and a lot of that growth has been due to an improved online experience and a revamped rewards program that allows you to score all sorts of free stuff. It’s also still the only retailer totally dedicated to offering prestige and drugstore brands right next to each other; plus, there’s a huge haircare and hair tools department.

    Dermstore: While not as large as the previous two, this underrated gem has a nice mix of natural brands and heavy-duty clinical skincare brands. (You can get harder-to-find brands like SkinmedicaSkinceuticals, and organic brand Eminence, too.) The makeup selection is also well-edited, featuring smaller brands like Pur and Jouer. As a bonus, Dermstore tosses in a generous handful of samples with every order.

    Bluemercury: Another incredible skincare giant, Bluemercury is worth checking out for its best-selling peel pads from the house brand, M-61. You can also find crowd-favorite makeup brands like Bobbi BrownTom Ford, and Hourglass, as well as a huge selection of candles and home scents.

     

    Natural

    Credo: Credo, which was started by a former Sephora exec, is growing and now has stores in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and soon Boston. It carries a huge variety of natural and organic skincare, but most importantly, it also stocks several natural makeup brands. Good natural makeup is a bit of a unicorn still, but check out Nu Evolution and Rituel de Fille. It also offers a “clean swap” service where you can put in a current product you use to find a “clean” alternative.

    Cap Beauty: This New York City jewel-box shop has a pretty whopping selection, and it now also ships globally. Cap has brands like Tata HarperVintner’s Daughter, and RMS Beauty. Most notably, it carries tons of beauty edibles, a quickly growing category in beauty.

    Follain: This East Coast-based chain of five shops is growing, with a new pop-up in New York and a really robust selection of brands online. Follain carries several organic skincare and bath/body brands, as well as faves like RMS and Ilia.


    Photo: Natasha Denona/Beautylish

    Indie/Hard-to-Find Products

    Beautylish: Beautylish’s strength is its huge and engaged online community, which includes forums, tutorials, user product reviews, and interviews with brand founders. It also sells products, particularly those that have found fame on Instagram and that you won’t find anywhere else, like Jeffree Star cosmetics and Wayne Goss brushes.

    Cult Beauty: This UK-based beauty e-commerce site is an incredible deal for US shoppers now thanks to the pound/dollar exchange rate and not having to pay VAT tax. It also has an incredible assortment of indie and natural brands, and it focuses on the products from each brand that have a lot of buzz. The curation is some of the best we’ve seen on either side of the pond.

    Ricky’s: Ricky’s is an institution in New York City for pretty much any product you need, from backstage hairdresser-approved bobby pins to Manic Panic. Its website is admittedly a bit of a mess, but one that’s worth digging through because Ricky’s is not afraid to pick up an obscure brand. It’s also committed to finding viral Instagram products like Morphe palettes and Ardell lashes. Finally, check out its impressive RickyCare collection, a house brand featuring beauty and hair tools.

    Marjani: Marjani, the beauty e-comm site specifically for women of color, was born out of founder Kimberly Smith’s frustration with the lack of diversity from mainstream beauty retailers. The site stocks haircare, skincare, makeup, and more catering to various skin tones, ethnicities, and hair textures. Some brands, like Beauty Blender and The Wrap Life, might already be familiar, but for the most part, Marjani delivers some truly under-the-radar names full of promise.


    Photo: ghd
  • Become a Successful Beauty Blogger

    Become a Successful Beauty Blogger

    Some are paid to sit on the front row of shows wearing free designer clothes in return for tweets; others command an audience of millions of viewers – or get the opportunity to work with the biggest brands and names in the world. These days, when it comes to making it big in business it seems to be the new generation of bloggers who have all the power.

    The problem however, is that discovering how to successfully build and project yourself to this level of influence and prowess is no mean feat. A lack of funding, long, unsocial hours and a need to constantly be on the cultural pulse are just a few of the tricky obstacles that can stand between you making it big and having a truly rough ride.

    So, where do you start? To help give us some insight we sat down with fashion stylist and beauty blogger of four years, Gemma Carey, to get her top tips on how best to break into the barmy world of blogging.

    FIND YOUR NICHE

    “The first step to creating a beauty blog is coming up with an idea that is unique to you,” says Gemma. “With so many beauty blogs on the market now, it’s difficult to find something that hasn’t been done. Think about what you like most about yourself in terms of beauty (but not in a vain way!). Perhaps you have long hair that is easy to work with, so you could specialise in hair tutorials. Or maybe you have nice nails, so you could focus on posting nail tutorials. Or, if your passion lies with cosmetics, that’s okay too, but try and make it different somehow.

    “You also have to think about your backdrop/location/layout in your photography. Look at other blogs and find something that you could do differently. It’s all about making your blog unique to you.”

    MORE GLOSS: An Email Exchange With…British Beauty Blogger

    CHOOSE YOUR AUDIENCE

    “Next, you need to think about who you want your blog to be aimed at, which will in turn help determine the content of your blog. For example, if you want to inspire teenagers you’re looking to write about affordable brands such as Rimmel and Natural Collection. However, if you’re aiming at women aged 25+, you need to look more at skincare and anti-ageing products from brands such as Rodial and Dermalogica.

    “You also need to be constantly aware of considering your audience when choosing your style of writing, layout and the general vibe of your blog. If teenagers read your blog, keep your writing chatty, your layout girly and pink! For an older audience, keep it clean and simple.”

    UNDERSTAND THAT IT TAKES TIME AND COMMITMENT

    “Blogging looks easy and glamorous. Well I tell you it’s not easy and mostly not glamorous either! Becoming an appreciated blogger with lots of followers takes commitment and certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Compiling and writing quality posts can also take hours sometimes. So, make sure you have some time available on evenings or weekends between studying or a full-time job. You won’t be able to quit your job and become a full-time blogger straight away, so spend the spare time you have working on your blog until you reach your desired goal.

    “There will also be times when you feel demotivated and don’t know what to write about. This happens to bloggers. What I do is read other blogs and search for inspiration on Instagram – it soon motivates me to start writing again!”

    MORE GLOSS: How to be become a successful fitness blogger

    INVEST

    “There isn’t much investing you need to do to become a blogger, but it’s always a great idea to own a good camera. Don’t worry if you can’t afford one though, you could always consider collaborating with a photographer. Often, student photographers are happy to work together in exchange for a credit on your blog (e.g. Photography by xxx). This is a good way to have good quality photos without you having to fork out lots of money. The only disadvantage to this is that you have to work around each other’s schedules, which means you can’t always work when you want to.

    “If you are working on the photography yourself, ensure you have plenty of space with good light. There’s nothing more unprofessional than awful photos on a blog when you’re trying to sell a product!”

    MORE GLOSS: How to become a successful beauty vlogger

    QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY

    “It’s really important to remember that quality is so much more important than quantity. Posting a really insightful article with beautiful images once a fortnight is much better than posting a quick, half-hearted review every day.”

    THE TECHNICAL SIDE

    “Choose a blogger platform to work from – Blogger.com or WordPress.com are the most popular and are both super easy to use. Also for a blogger to be taken more seriously, it’s important to have your own personalised domain. For example, www.beauty.com – not www.beauty.blogspot.com. It isn’t expensive – mine only cost me £7 for the year from Godaddy.com.

    “Another way for bloggers to make money is advertising. There are various ways to sell advertising space – you can simply put tweets out and sell them directly yourself, or you can use platforms such as Passion Fruit Apps, sign up to Google AdSense or join a blogging network called EtailPR. These not only allow you to display ads on your blog, but they also work alongside many brands who you can request samples from for you to keep and write about.”

    BRAND COLLABORATING

    “There are a few different ways to collaborate with brands. They can send you products to review, you can write a sponsored post where they will pay you to write about them, brand ambassadorship or via an affiliate programme. The most popular is gifting bloggers, which of course is a great perk to the job! But don’t be disheartened if some brands reject you – you have to remember that they get inundated with blogger requests and have to be quite picky on who they work with.

    “Brand ambassadorship can bring you a monthly wage but only really works for bloggers who have thousands of followers. An affiliate programme is a good way to earn some money at any stage of your blogging – this is when you feature a product and if someone purchases it from clicking on your blog, you receive a percentage for what is sold.”

    NETWORKING

    “Networking is so important and is the main way to gain followers and readers. Make sure you have at least two social media sites – Twitter and Instagram being the most important. Comment on and favourite other bloggers’ tweets – have conversations and discuss your favourite products. By doing this you’re building relationships with fellow bloggers and gaining followers. You can also join blogging networks such as Bloglovin’ and EtailPR. Attending blogger events is also a great way to network.

    “Soon enough you’ll be invited to them, but at first I’d suggest getting in touch with PRs, introducing yourself and asking them to let you know when they have an event on. At the events you can mingle with fellow bloggers and build relationships with PRs – those are the people that are going to help you build your brand. Also, try and comment on other blogs with a link to yours – they will most likely comment back and leaving a link to your blog increases your brand exposure.”

    To read more from Gemma, head to her blog, find her on Instagram or follow her Twitter feed.

  • 6 Solutions For Stressed Out Skins

    6 Solutions For Stressed Out Skins

    Worked all day. Out all night. 10 days of straight travel.

    Sound familiar?

    Below, explore the best brands and products that beat signs of stress better than all the rest. Get ready to glow, girls.

    Skyn Iceland Face-Lift-In-A-Bag – This brand is literally all about “solutions for stressed skin.” They wrote the book. I have only tried their Face-Life-In-A-Bag and I am hooked. The weekly system is meant to turn back the clock. Eyes will look more rested, wrinkles appear smoother and smile lines fade away.

    Indi Lee Squalane Oil – This olive-derived Squalane is 100% pure and promotes elasticity, diminishes age spots and hyper pigmentation, and boosts cell regeneration and oxygenation. It’s super natural and suitable for all skin types. I love slathering this all over my face, neck and chest.

    Avène XeraCalm – Another brand who has tackled the calming department and is literally dedicated to sensitive skin. Their XeraCalm line is all about lipid-replenishing skincare that directly targets the source of itching, redness, irritation and even eczema. My favorite is the A.D Lipid-Replenishing Balm. I like to use it on those bumpy areas on the back of my arms.

    Beautiful smiling woman lying on a grass outdoor. She is absolutely happy.

     

    Pai Calm Redness Serum – Have you girls tried Pai? This super natural line is my latest favorite and pre-wedding go-to. The Instant Calm line is fab. Jessica Richards of Shen Beauty told me all about it and now I’m hooked. The Instant Calm Redness Serum is so nice and goes really well with the Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream. I’m hooked on this whole line.

    Erno Laszlo Light Controlling Lotion – This stuff takes me back to the 90s when my mom gave my sister and I our first official skincare routines. Years later, I was reintroduced to this magical lotion and it still works. It’s meant to calm redness and reduce surface oil to refine the texture of the skin and tighten pores, eliminating dullness for fresh-faced results. Anti-inflammatory botanicals calm irritation and support natural tissue repair, leaving skin smooth and hydrated. I’m obsessed with the chic bottle too.

    Rodin Lavender Body Oil – This is the holy grail of body oils. Period. It’s formulated to relieve and nourish tired, overworked skin. It’s enriched with a calming blend of French Lavender Absolute and Bulgarian Lavender, as well as Rosehip, Neroli and Evening Primrose to help promote collagen production. It’s the ultimate in skincare indulgence.

  • Online Beauty Shopping Guide

    Online Beauty Shopping Guide

    Thanks to an increase in niche beauty brands, the rise of the natural beauty industry, and an insatiable enthusiasm for Korean beauty products, we are in a golden age of beauty shopping right now. And there have never been more ways to get your hands on all of these products thanks to online beauty shopping.

    Here, we’ve rounded up the 25 sites that are killing the beauty retail game, whether you’re looking for products for curly hair, hard-to-find sheet masks, or vegan lipstick.

    Now grab your phone and go shop.


    A display of Kat Von D lipsticks
    Kat Von D lipsticks.
     Photo: Andrew Stuart/Getty Images

    Best Variety

    Sephora: No list would be complete without the OG beauty retailer that arguably took beauty out from behind the department store counter. Its online experience is just as good, with hundreds of passionate, candid product reviews and an app that’s worth downloading for the exclusive deals alone. The retailer has been killing it lately by introducing new brands and offering tons of exclusives that no one else has.

    Ulta: Ulta is growing in leaps and bounds, and a lot of that growth has been due to an improved online experience and a revamped rewards program that allows you to score all sorts of free stuff. It’s also still the only retailer totally dedicated to offering prestige and drugstore brands right next to each other; plus, there’s a huge haircare and hair tools department.

    Dermstore: While not as large as the previous two, this underrated gem has a nice mix of natural brands and heavy-duty clinical skincare brands. (You can get harder-to-find brands like SkinmedicaSkinceuticals, and organic brand Eminence, too.) The makeup selection is also well-edited, featuring smaller brands like Pur and Jouer. As a bonus, Dermstore tosses in a generous handful of samples with every order.

    Bluemercury: Another incredible skincare giant, Bluemercury is worth checking out for its best-selling peel pads from the house brand, M-61. You can also find crowd-favorite makeup brands like Bobbi BrownTom Ford, and Hourglass, as well as a huge selection of candles and home scents.

    Natural

    Credo: Credo, which was started by a former Sephora exec, is growing and now has stores in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and soon Boston. It carries a huge variety of natural and organic skincare, but most importantly, it also stocks several natural makeup brands. Good natural makeup is a bit of a unicorn still, but check out Nu Evolution and Rituel de Fille. It also offers a “clean swap” service where you can put in a current product you use to find a “clean” alternative.

    Cap Beauty: This New York City jewel-box shop has a pretty whopping selection, and it now also ships globally. Cap has brands like Tata HarperVintner’s Daughter, and RMS Beauty. Most notably, it carries tons of beauty edibles, a quickly growing category in beauty.

    Follain: This East Coast-based chain of five shops is growing, with a new pop-up in New York and a really robust selection of brands online. Follain carries several organic skincare and bath/body brands, as well as faves like RMS and Ilia.


    An eyeshadow palettePhoto: Natasha Denona/Beautylish

    Indie/Hard-to-Find Products

    Beautylish: Beautylish’s strength is its huge and engaged online community, which includes forums, tutorials, user product reviews, and interviews with brand founders. It also sells products, particularly those that have found fame on Instagram and that you won’t find anywhere else, like Jeffree Star cosmetics and Wayne Goss brushes.

    Cult Beauty: This UK-based beauty e-commerce site is an incredible deal for US shoppers now thanks to the pound/dollar exchange rate and not having to pay VAT tax. It also has an incredible assortment of indie and natural brands, and it focuses on the products from each brand that have a lot of buzz. The curation is some of the best we’ve seen on either side of the pond.

    Ricky’s: Ricky’s is an institution in New York City for pretty much any product you need, from backstage hairdresser-approved bobby pins to Manic Panic. Its website is admittedly a bit of a mess, but one that’s worth digging through because Ricky’s is not afraid to pick up an obscure brand. It’s also committed to finding viral Instagram products like Morphe palettes and Ardell lashes. Finally, check out its impressive RickyCare collection, a house brand featuring beauty and hair tools.

    Marjani: Marjani, the beauty e-comm site specifically for women of color, was born out of founder Kimberly Smith’s frustration with the lack of diversity from mainstream beauty retailers. The site stocks haircare, skincare, makeup, and more catering to various skin tones, ethnicities, and hair textures. Some brands, like Beauty Blender and The Wrap Life, might already be familiar, but for the most part, Marjani delivers some truly under-the-radar names full of promise.


    a ghd hair straightener, carrying case, and box in light pink.Photo: ghd

  • How To Not Look Tired

    How To Not Look Tired

    I actually can’t remember when it started, but literally every single morning I wake up saying the exact same thing: “I’m so exhausted.” And I literally am. On average, I would say I get about 7ish hours of sleep a night, maybe, if I’m lucky, but the thing is, there’s a distinct difference between feeling tired, and visibly looking tired. You know the look. Puffy eyes, puffy face, dark circles, larger than life pores, dry skin and facial imperfections that even makeup can’t seem to cover up.

     

    Yesterday was one of those days. I looked in the mirror and thought, “Do I really look like this? What did I do to deserve this? What can I do to save myself?” It’s days like these show how salt, alcohol or sleep deprivation can get the best of us, and it’s literally painful to look in the mirror. But feeling sorry for myself is not an option. I have written about the best way to detox the body, but how do we un-puff the eyes and face and make ourselves look less tired? I’ve compiled my tried and true tips (that I swear by!) for how NOT to look tired – even when you are. Perfect, right? Just in time for fashion week.

    1. An Oxygen treatment. I get mine at Dangene’s Institute of Skinovation.

    2. Water! Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you look tired. Water is the key to life. On a normal day you should drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses, so when you look tired, pump that up! For those that have a water aversion like me, add lemon or emergen-c.

    3. Apply a facemask! Make sure you use something nourishing or hydrating, because you want plump up that tired skin. My latest skincare love is Belif Facial Scrub, a nourishing exfoliant made with tons of botanical and plant extracts. I recently traveled with this mask and applied right after my flights, and magically looked completely rested and pore-free! This product is a must-buy, tired or not. I’m also live by SK-II Facial Treatment Mask. No one does it better than them. It’s one of those cloth sheets that is just saturated with serum.

    4. Apply an eye mask. Sure, sure you just applied your face mask, but that delicate area around the eyes is one of the telltale signs of fatigue. I LOVE Klorane and Chantecaille eye masks because they’re super easy to apply and perfect for travel. If they say ‘leave on for twenty minutes’, apply for one hour. I also love Talika’s Cellular Eye Contour Patch. This brand is new for me, and what I love that the patches are inspired by aesthetic surgery techniques.

    5. Get moving. Take a brisk walk or go work out! I know, sometimes exercise seems like a daunting idea, but getting up and moving gives you a rosy and healthy glow.

    6. Always keep spoons in the freezer to combat days like this. Frozen spoons on the eyes will work wonders in the de-puff department. Take out of the freezer and leave on your eyes for as long as you can.

    7. Splurge on citrus. They’re packed with vitamin C, and can increase energy and alertness. Add lemon to your water or down a ½ grapefruit. Add honey to make it a bit sweeter.

    8. Try an eye massage. Clinique De-Puffing Eye Massage is great for on-the-go. Its like a roll-on perfume, but for your eyes. The cold metal ball instantly cools while dispensing brightening serum. I’m also quite addicted to Foreo’s Illuminating Eye Massage. Um, so sick.

    9. Eyedrops! I’m addicted to Rohto Cooling Eye Drops. I keep a few around my apartment and in my makeup bag just in case. My LA bestie Taylor got me involved in these. Apparently, everyone in Hollywood uses these babies.

    10. Concealer the eyes. Apply under the eyes and around the nose area and down the smile lines. A color that is slightly lighter than your skintone will brighten your complexion immediately. I’m LOVING RMS Beauty “Un” Cover Up in shade II, which is a touch lighter than my natural color.

    11. Luminize. Radiant or luminizing products deflect light and make imperfections less visible. A brighter face makes you instantly look awake. My latest love is a product I just talked about, Koh Gen Do’s Aqua Illuminator. It’s the B.O.M.B. You can either mix in a large dollop in with your moisturizer OR apply directly around your eyes, cupid’s bow, forehead and, of course, the brim of the nose. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is another excellent dual-functioning product that can be used as a highlighter to brighten and nourish your skin.

    12. Invest in a brightening pen. Sometimes if you’re lazy or just lounging around the house (but you still want to look your best), apply a brightening pen like BY TERRY Touche Veloutée Highlighting Concealer or classic YSL Touche Éclat in Luminous Radiance. These are beauty bag essentials. There also Benefit Eye Bright. This pink-toned, creamy stick has been one of my go-to brightening products for years. I simply apply it under my eyes and on the inside corners to wake up.

    13. Sunglasses always do the trick.

    So there you go! Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any tips to share with me.

  • Become a Successful Beauty Blogger

    Become a Successful Beauty Blogger

    Some are paid to sit on the front row of shows wearing free designer clothes in return for tweets; others command an audience of millions of viewers – or get the opportunity to work with the biggest brands and names in the world. These days, when it comes to making it big in business it seems to be the new generation of bloggers who have all the power.

    The problem however, is that discovering how to successfully build and project yourself to this level of influence and prowess is no mean feat. A lack of funding, long, unsocial hours and a need to constantly be on the cultural pulse are just a few of the tricky obstacles that can stand between you making it big and having a truly rough ride.

    So, where do you start? To help give us some insight we sat down with fashion stylist and beauty blogger of four years, Gemma Carey, to get her top tips on how best to break into the barmy world of blogging.

    FIND YOUR NICHE

    “The first step to creating a beauty blog is coming up with an idea that is unique to you,” says Gemma. “With so many beauty blogs on the market now, it’s difficult to find something that hasn’t been done. Think about what you like most about yourself in terms of beauty (but not in a vain way!). Perhaps you have long hair that is easy to work with, so you could specialise in hair tutorials. Or maybe you have nice nails, so you could focus on posting nail tutorials. Or, if your passion lies with cosmetics, that’s okay too, but try and make it different somehow.

    “You also have to think about your backdrop/location/layout in your photography. Look at other blogs and find something that you could do differently. It’s all about making your blog unique to you.”

    MORE GLOSS: An Email Exchange With…British Beauty Blogger

    CHOOSE YOUR AUDIENCE

    “Next, you need to think about who you want your blog to be aimed at, which will in turn help determine the content of your blog. For example, if you want to inspire teenagers you’re looking to write about affordable brands such as Rimmel and Natural Collection. However, if you’re aiming at women aged 25+, you need to look more at skincare and anti-ageing products from brands such as Rodial and Dermalogica.

    “You also need to be constantly aware of considering your audience when choosing your style of writing, layout and the general vibe of your blog. If teenagers read your blog, keep your writing chatty, your layout girly and pink! For an older audience, keep it clean and simple.”

    gtg-gemma-carey.jpg
    Salon WordPress Theme – Blogger

     

    UNDERSTAND THAT IT TAKES TIME AND COMMITMENT

    “Blogging looks easy and glamorous. Well I tell you it’s not easy and mostly not glamorous either! Becoming an appreciated blogger with lots of followers takes commitment and certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Compiling and writing quality posts can also take hours sometimes. So, make sure you have some time available on evenings or weekends between studying or a full-time job. You won’t be able to quit your job and become a full-time blogger straight away, so spend the spare time you have working on your blog until you reach your desired goal.

    “There will also be times when you feel demotivated and don’t know what to write about. This happens to bloggers. What I do is read other blogs and search for inspiration on Instagram – it soon motivates me to start writing again!”

    MORE GLOSS: How to be become a successful fitness blogger

    INVEST

    “There isn’t much investing you need to do to become a blogger, but it’s always a great idea to own a good camera. Don’t worry if you can’t afford one though, you could always consider collaborating with a photographer. Often, student photographers are happy to work together in exchange for a credit on your blog (e.g. Photography by xxx). This is a good way to have good quality photos without you having to fork out lots of money. The only disadvantage to this is that you have to work around each other’s schedules, which means you can’t always work when you want to.

    “If you are working on the photography yourself, ensure you have plenty of space with good light. There’s nothing more unprofessional than awful photos on a blog when you’re trying to sell a product!”

    MORE GLOSS: How to become a successful beauty vlogger

    QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY

    “It’s really important to remember that quality is so much more important than quantity. Posting a really insightful article with beautiful images once a fortnight is much better than posting a quick, half-hearted review every day.”

    gtg-gemma-carey-three.jpg
    Salon WordPress Theme – Blogger

    THE TECHNICAL SIDE

    “Choose a blogger platform to work from – Blogger.com or WordPress.com are the most popular and are both super easy to use. Also for a blogger to be taken more seriously, it’s important to have your own personalised domain. For example, www.beauty.com – not www.beauty.blogspot.com. It isn’t expensive – mine only cost me £7 for the year from Godaddy.com.

    “Another way for bloggers to make money is advertising. There are various ways to sell advertising space – you can simply put tweets out and sell them directly yourself, or you can use platforms such as Passion Fruit Apps, sign up to Google AdSense or join a blogging network called EtailPR. These not only allow you to display ads on your blog, but they also work alongside many brands who you can request samples from for you to keep and write about.”

    BRAND COLLABORATING

    “There are a few different ways to collaborate with brands. They can send you products to review, you can write a sponsored post where they will pay you to write about them, brand ambassadorship or via an affiliate programme. The most popular is gifting bloggers, which of course is a great perk to the job! But don’t be disheartened if some brands reject you – you have to remember that they get inundated with blogger requests and have to be quite picky on who they work with.

    “Brand ambassadorship can bring you a monthly wage but only really works for bloggers who have thousands of followers. An affiliate programme is a good way to earn some money at any stage of your blogging – this is when you feature a product and if someone purchases it from clicking on your blog, you receive a percentage for what is sold.”

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    blogger – beauty

    NETWORKING

    “Networking is so important and is the main way to gain followers and readers. Make sure you have at least two social media sites – Twitter and Instagram being the most important. Comment on and favourite other bloggers’ tweets – have conversations and discuss your favourite products. By doing this you’re building relationships with fellow bloggers and gaining followers. You can also join blogging networks such as Bloglovin’ and EtailPR. Attending blogger events is also a great way to network.

    “Soon enough you’ll be invited to them, but at first I’d suggest getting in touch with PRs, introducing yourself and asking them to let you know when they have an event on. At the events you can mingle with fellow bloggers and build relationships with PRs – those are the people that are going to help you build your brand. Also, try and comment on other blogs with a link to yours – they will most likely comment back and leaving a link to your blog increases your brand exposure.”

    To read more from Gemma, head to her blog, find her on Instagram or follow her Twitter feed.