Today I will be talking to Rachel from BeautyqueenUK.
What inspired you to start blogging?
I have always been part of online communities writing reviews on products and when a penpal friend of mine told me she had starting blogging, I started reading her posts, thinking 'I could do that' and I set up my first blog secretively to get a feel for how it would work re-hashing some product reviews from a site I was a member of. Then I set up Beautyqueenuk and then I was off.
What are your favourite beauty products?
Now Mel, this is like a hard question. The simple answer is I don't have a favourite product. If I had to narrow it down to products I couldn't live without - Lip Balm, Mascara, Perfume, Facial Mist Spray, an overnight mask, a balm cleanser and Hand cream. I never leave the house without mascara and I am a lip balm addict. I double cleanse my skin every day, a apply an overnight mask a few times a week and facial mist and hand creams are my desk saviours for keeping my hands and face refreshed. Not forgetting perfume, for which I am addicted to!
What beauty trends are going to be big for 2016?
Bold Lips Is A Current Trend
Bold Lips is a definite thing right now, along with hair braiding and products that are 'anti-pollution' seem to be filling my inbox. That said there is always room for one or two surprises.
Tell me about your proudest blogging achievement.
Not long after I started blogging, I was contacted by the PR girls from Deciem, a company I have grown to love and adore. Deciem was about to launch Inhibitif, which has made quite a few appearances on my blog, and I was asked if I would like to trial it was 8 weeks. Inhibitif is a product which leads to hair reduction not complete removal and there are products for legs, underarm, face and other body parts. I did the leg trial and was literally amazed at how brilliant it is, so good, I still use it today. During those 8 weeks, I wrote regular posts to record my findings and then I was asked if it was okay to use my blog posts, results and photos not only in The Sun Newspaper but also on the product packaging - quite simply an amazing opportunity to be given. Each one of those posts has just about hit the 100k mark for reads and I am honoured that a brand gave me that chance.
What is your favourite blog post of 2015 and why?
Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette
I have three or four that I enjoyed writing, but the one that changed things slightly for me is Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector palette. I have redness on my cheeks, it flares up when I am stressed and does give people cause to ask if I have a problem, this palette was the first one that actually worked to deal with the redness and conceal it. Who knew green could neutralise redness in the same way purple conceals dark eye circles? For me, this palette, which I have repurchased, gave me much more confidence.
One I was honoured to have written about is the Timothy Dunn Blue Rose Candle which is so personal to a very close blogger friend of mine, it was quite moving to receive, light and admire the scent.
Finally, advent calendars. I adore advent calendars, always have and last there was over 40 beauty advent calendars to choose from and writing that post and constantly updating it, not only kept me on my toes, but kept me fascinated with which brands did which calendar and the race to see who would sell out and who would create the most elaborate and most expensive.
Do you have any advice for newbie bloggers?
Timothy Dunn Blue Rose Candle
Don't judge yourself on someone else. It is easy to get bogged down by stats, followers, likes, hearts and retweets. Blogging is a growing world and it takes time to get noticed, you won't ever become Zoella but there are things you can learn from people, just don't assume you will learn everything in a week, amass a million followers and be a household name.
What are your blogging goals for 2016?
Keep it fun. So many people get themselves bogged down and overwhelmed with blogging. I want it to remain fun and something I enjoy doing. I work full time, I am a wife and my hubby also blogs, but when it stops being fun, I will stop doing it. Life is too short to not enjoy something.
Love Rachel blog, I have bumped into a few time and she is a lovely lady. xx
ReplyDeletewww.annanuttall.com
I haven't met her but hope to one day.
DeleteI never knew they did beauty advent calendars how cool is that! Keeping it fun for 2016 is a great goal as it keeps the readers, well that's what I think :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some amazing beauty calendars out there. The Benefit one looks fab.
DeleteInteresting to see where this blogging lark can take you! Fab when when something you love can be your money earner too xx
ReplyDeleteShe has a great blog. This is such a great way to know other bloggers x
ReplyDeleteBrilliant advice, I always take a step back when things gets too much on the blog, I love it and am very proud of my blog but I would never allow it to create stress.xx
ReplyDeleteYes great advice, I agree.
DeleteI read beauty queens blog a lot so I really enjoyed reading this. I love beauty advent calendars too but they are so expensive x
ReplyDeleteI read Rachel's blog frequently so it's nice to find out a bit more about her! Guess I should start buying some lipsticks if bold lips are on trend this year!
ReplyDeleteI have lots of bold lippies, but I didn't realise I was on trend!
DeleteLovely interview and great advice for newbie bloggers. And realistic blogging goals, go you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely interview. I need to head over and follow her as I'm getting really addicted to makeup lately.
ReplyDeleteRachel has a lovely blog Jodie, so I hope you get a chance to visit.
DeleteI love Rachel's blog, definitely a place to read about all the latest products. Great interview.
ReplyDeleteI read Rachel's blog regularly - I love all her beauty tips, tricks and finds x
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