THE THINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT BLOGGING

I'm taking my cue from the really fabulous Danniella with this post. Her original post was titled 7 Things They Didn't Tell Me About Beauty Blogging which I loved. I love Danniella's blog - it's so funny and she writes as though you were reading her thoughts. So here is my thoughts on what I wish I'd known before I started blogging (although that wouldn't have stopped me in all honesty) and thanks to Danniella for the inspiration! 

By the way - this is meant to be very tongue in cheek so please don't take the points below offensively or as gospel. I'm just pretty sure every blogger has had one of these 'moments' in some respect or another.

1. YOUR BANK MANAGER WILL NOT BE HAPPY WITH YOU

BEFORE BLOGGING: You're in a shop and you see a red lipstick you like. You remember that you already own a red lipstick and that you like it. Do you really need another red lipstick? Probably not. You may purchase it as a treat but you're more than likely to put it back and move onto the mascaras.

AFTER BLOGGING: You're in a shop that you've been recommended to visit on Twitter because the latest collections are now available to the masses. You see a red lipstick and you fall head over heels in love with it. Do you really need another red lipstick? Well, obviously yes. You already own 10 but this one is cremesheen/sheer/matte and has a blue/orange undertone with a hint of coral/pink/lilac which is completely different to your others. You put it in your basket, repeat the above questions and justifications with the mascaras, foundations, blushes and skincare and then purchase without giving a second thought to the rent... Well, at least that's what I do.

2. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING TO TWEAK ON YOUR BLOG

BEFORE BLOGGING: You would write something down, for example a note or a card, and that would be that. You'd occasionally retake a photo if it wasn't flattering. Who has the time to try and get different fonts or angles or lighting sorted? 

AFTER BLOGGING: You constantly play with your blog design because it's never quite good enough. You design it yourself but six months later you're bored and want it redesigned again, but properly and therefore pay for it which doesn't make your bank manager happy either (see above). You mess with fonts to find out which one you prefer, what size is easiest to read, whether you think the page looks messy or not. You think that your photos aren't clear enough, not big enough - you spend hours taking one shot and then not being happy with it after... Well, at least that's what I do.

3. YOU OPEN YOURSELF UP TO CRITICISM FROM COMPLETE STRANGERS

BEFORE BLOGGING: Meh, I'm wearing/doing/saying it so whatever she/he says/thinks doesn't really bother me.

AFTER BLOGGING: You look on Guru Gossip for new bloggers (there's an adored bloggers section) to follow and find yourself mentioned in a less that pleasant way. You can do one of three main things: a) make a drama out of it because you're upset/hurt/angry about it all and want people to know what you think of it in a blog post/twitter rant/complete and utter meltdown, b) make a few sarcastic comments about it, be grateful for your friends sticking up for you and then take it as constructive criticism and try to work on what the gossipers have said is a bug bear, c) maintain a dignified silence about it all. There are obviously other ways in which to cope but I did b).

4. YOUR NON-BLOGGER FRIENDS WILL NO LONGER HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT

BEFORE BLOGGING: "Oooh I've got this new perfume. I can't remember the name but such-and-such bought it me for my birthday/christmas/anniversary." Your friend smells your wrist, agrees it's nice and the conversation moves on.

AFTER BLOGGING: "Oooh I've got this new perfume. It's called 'Blah Blah Blah' and contains 'blah blah blah' as a top note, then 'blah blah blah' as a middle note and then 'blah blah blah' as a base note. According to [insert YouTuber here] it's her favourite but [insert blogger here] says she thinks it's got too much 'blah blah blah' and then I read [insert another blogger here] that 'blah blah blah' is bad for your skin. I think that [insert brand here] is a dupe for [insert new perfume here] only slightly more 'blah blah blah'..." and so on. Your friend smells your wrist, mumbles something about 'yeah, it's nice' and quickly changes the subject to something you're less likely to baffle them with. 

5. YOU'LL KNOW MORE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY THAN SOME OF THE SALE ASSISTANTS IN THE BEAUTY HALLS

BEFORE BLOGGING: You get stopped by one of the sales assistants in Selfridges. They tell you all about the great ingredients in the blushers they're hawking and how you must buy one because there's nothing else like it on the market. You nod along, smile when expected and sometimes get hooked by their spiel.

AFTER BLOGGING: You get stopped by one of the sales assistants in Selfridges. They tell you all about the great ingredients in the blushers they're hawking and how you must buy one because there's nothing else like it on the market. You nod along, smile when expected and then tell them that actually, their blusher colour is a lot like one from a previous collection from such-and-such and that the ingredients are very similar to such-and-such... and so on. They look at you slightly scared by the amount of information you've just confronted them with and when they realize they won't be getting a sale from you, because their sales pitch has just been annihilated, they retreat back to their counter to give you looks that veer between terror and obviously thinking you're a nutter.

6. YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION CUTS OFF/YOUR LAPTOP CRASHES AND IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD

BEFORE BLOGGING: It's annoying and you'd like to be surfing the Forever 21 online sale but you will live and off you go to the pub.

AFTER BLOGGING: It's not annoying - it's devastating. All of the photos (not of loved ones and memories - of yet to be reviewed products), the YouTube videos waiting to be uploaded and the ability to surf around for the latest beauty news GONE. It breaks your heart and you take to wearing all black clothes in mourning (well, you can't publish outfit posts so there's no point in wearing that new Native American print Midi Skirt now is there?) What will your readers do with themselves without your regular posts? Think of all those giveaways that you could have entered and won! And so on - until it's fixed/you get a new laptop/the bill gets paid and suddenly life is complete once more.

7. THE BACK OF YOUR HAND ALWAYS LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE CONTRACTED A TROPICAL DISEASE

BEFORE BLOGGING: If you really liked the look of something you might give it a small swipe on the back of your hand or across your wrist but most of the time you wouldn't bother. 

AFTER BLOGGING: You go up to any counter in any shop and swatch swatch swatch. Your whole hand ends up covered in multicolored stripes - regardless of whether you intend to purchase those products or not. Your excuse is that you want to feel the texture/see the colour/work out if you have something similar (see point one above). It's the way we beauty bloggers spot each other in the wild aisles of Boots or Superdrug and give each other knowing smiles.

8. YOU'LL MAKE SOME AMAZING NEW FRIENDS YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE MET IF IT WASN'T FOR YOUR BLOG

BEFORE BLOGGING: You're happy with your friendship circle and that is that. You're introduced to new people naturally and make more as your life progresses on. 

AFTER BLOGGING: You're happy with your friendship circle and then you start to use Twitter. All of a sudden you're talking to people from all over the country, if not the world. You're telling complete strangers about your day and they're offering their own renditions in return. You're discovering people you have massive amounts of subjects in common with and you're getting close to them. You may never meet these people in reality and if you do it may only be a few times, perhaps a few times a year if you're lucky, but you count them as friends and cherish them nonetheless. Sometimes, you don't even feel like you need your actual friends anymore at all.

9. YOU DECIDE THAT YOU WANT EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOME TO BE WHITE AND/OR FLORAL

BEFORE BLOGGING: You liked the vintage/shabby chic look but you were more than happy with your furniture and layout. You're vaguely aware of the Cath Kidston range but it's not your style.

AFTER BLOGGING: Everything looks so much better when it's white and pastel, no? You want to paint your dressing table white, buy Ikea Alex drawers for storage, daintily place bunting all around your home and have become obsessed with collecting Cath Kidston. You're not happy when things don't look photo-perfect on your dressing table and you believe that ornaments are awful but leaving a Chanel product lying about looks just as good for decoration.

10. IF YOU DON'T BLOG FOR YOURSELF THEN THERE'S NO POINT IN BLOGGING AT ALL

BEFORE BLOGGING: If you do something you enjoy you do it for yourself. Plain and simple. It may benefit others too but if it makes you feel good you're gaining from it first and foremost.

AFTER BLOGGING: It's all too easy to get sucked into the jealousy and competitiveness of blogging. Why has she got more traffic than me? Why has he been sent that sample when I haven't? Why has she got more followers? Why is that PR talking to them? Traffic, PR samples, followers - they're all perks. They're great and fun to have, confidence boosting, but if you're not blogging for yourself to begin with then you won't enjoy it and it'll become a chore. The bloggers that succeed are the ones that do it for themselves and because they enjoy it - without expectations for anything on top. 

Do you agree with my points? Do you have a point of your own to add? Let me know in the comments!