Does Beauty Blogging influence your shopping habits?



I am not sure what led to this little discussion with the BF but I think I must have been rearranging my makeup in my Muji Storage or talking about my blog.  He said "so what would you be writing about when all your makeup finishes? (I doubt if that will ever happen though)"  "Would you have to buy more?" "Do you have to buy more makeup to keep your blog flowing?" These questions made me chuckle but I think they are very valid questions and quite important especially if you are considering being a beauty blogger. He was not asking these questions to be annoying or anything like that; he was just genuinely curious. He is one of my biggest fans (and critics-he can be very blunt, I tell you) so I always value his opinion on my blog and videos. Generally, I think blogging usually influences many bloggers’ and non bloggers’ shopping habits in one way or the other but I don't think it is the driving force for many purchases. It influences my shopping habits somewhat and I am sure if you enjoy reading my blog, you may have been influenced to try out a product at some point based on my reviews.  I thought it would be interesting to address some of his questions which I thought were interesting and I want to hear what you think about these questions...



What would you write about when you have written about everything in your makeup stash?
I know FashStyleLiv is predominantly a beauty blog that posts regularly about beauty related topics but there are also other non-beauty related topics on here. I have a few lifestyle and blogging tips posts.  I personally don’t think I can ever write about everything in my stash. This is not because I have a lot of makeup or beauty products but mainly because there are so many ways to write about the beauty products in my stash apart from outright reviews. I don’t even review all the products I purchase because I may not be blown away by them or I am just super lazy. If I feel strongly about a product, I may review it on my blog. On the other hand, I write other blog posts that do not involve new products. I recently wrote about my favourite drug store foundations, my high end foundations, dupes for high end makeup, etc. I love to write product reviews but I also like to switch things up a bit. If you are a beauty blogger or you are considering setting up one but you don't want to spend a fortune (and you shouldn't), you can write about your favourites, best powders, favourite lipsticks, favourite high end and favourite drug store products, skincare routine, everyday makeup, wishlists etc.


Would you have to buy more beauty products to keep your blog flowing?
I am going to be honest; I don’t necessarily buy products because I want to review them on my blog. I think that would be an absolute waste of my money. I only buy products I love and I know I will get a lot of use from them. Of course, there is still the odd purchase that disappoints me but that comes with the territory. For the most part, I love the products in my stash because I do some research before purchasing. I would agree that more than a few purchases have been influenced by other bloggers' reviews and video reviews as well. However, I usually don’t give in to a hyped product especially one that has been sent to many bloggers to review unless I really like it. Although it raises its status in my shopping brain (yeah there's a section in my brain for that), I would only purchase it if I go in-store and test it out for myself. The long and short of it is I don’t need to buy new products to keep my blog flowing. I buy new products because I want to try them and if I like them, I will feature them on the blog. Blogging plays a part in the kind of products I purchase but I don't have the time, energy and loose cash to buy products just for the blog. I just like to talk to about Beauty; that's all. My friends usually ask me about beauty stuff and I am always more than delighted to recommend products or chat about it. That's why I also love to write about it too!!



What factors influence your purchase of a beauty product?
I already mentioned that I love to read reviews from my favourite bloggers and vloggers whom I value their opinions. I know I can trust their recommendations and even if the product does not work for them, I still go out and purchase it if I think it would work for me. I won’t buy products that are over hyped especially if they are just brand campaigns which lack originality. I would wait till the sand settles to read other reviews before making a purchase. I still don’t have any Urban Decay Naked Palette despite it being really hyped and actually a good product. I will buy it one day but that day is not today. It also took me almost two years to finally purchase the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation which should definitely win the award for the most hyped foundation. However, I am ashamed to say beautiful packaging really influences my purchasing power and I know I am not alone on this one (many brands know and capitalise on this). I am a sucker for pretty packaging and sometimes, I just buy products because they look so pretty. Although these days I find that I am overlooking pretty packaging and buying products that actually work well (If they have pretty packaging; that’s a plus!). Lastly, if there is a discount, offer or gift with purchase, there is a strong chance I would make a purchase especially if the product has been on my wish list for a while. Of course, I give in to the odd drug store purchase if it is less than £10.



If I am stuck in a rut, what blog post should I write?
I am sure if you are a blogger, you may have been stuck in a rut several times for various reasons. I don’t usually have a writer’s block (I have loads of blog ideas but I feel lazy); I just have a motivational block if that even exists. I have my calendar and blog topics all lined up and ready to be published but sometimes I just don’t feel motivated and inspired to publish them. It ends up being stuck on my ever increasing draft posts (I am ignoring my draft post; it's a real mountain now) but I'd rather have it that way than publish a lack lustre post for the sake of it. One of the ways that work for me for escaping from a rut is taking a short break, revisiting the original reason why you started blogging, look at old posts, appreciate your progress, etc, There are so many posts to write and I wrote a post on Blogging on a Budget over here to help out with some topics if you are in a rut. 



Overall Thoughts
The long and short answer to the question- Does Beauty Blogging influence my shopping habits? I would have to say Yes and No. Beauty Blogging helps me learn about more beauty products and what I need to try when next I have some loose cash or need a new product. Beauty Blogging sometimes prevents me from trying a new product especially if I see a few negative reviews from trusted bloggers/vloggers. However, I don't need to sustain my blog by buying new products. As mentioned earlier, there are so many ways to recycle old posts to create new ones and these methods do not necessarily mean buying new products. So, if you were shying away from Beauty Blogging because you think it would leave a big hole in your pocket, well, it won't. You need to understand that you don't have to write about every new launch. Many beauty bloggers who do so get these products from various brand PRs (they have also worked hard to get to where they are now).  Go ahead, set up a blog and start blogging away with the products you currently have (just clean them)!! However, don't blog because you want to get free products from brands because you would be surprised to find that's not the way the cookie crumbles. Start a blog because you are passionate about what you write and if you get freebies along the way, it's a perk not a right. Remember you can always blog about anything you feel like apart from Beauty Products; it's your space so do as you please. I love reading random posts including lifestyle posts, photography posts and blogging tip posts. That's it folks! Now over to you: Does Blogging (or reading other blogs/watching YouTube) influence your shopping habits?

8 comments :

  1. For beauty products, I'm influenced by reviews (both blog and youtube) and word of mouth from friends who have tried stuff out. For clothes, shoes and stuff, I don't think I'm influenced much by bloggers 'cause a lot of times you see an outfit look great on someone but when you try it on in the store, it looks like crap. If I see what I like and it fits, I buy :)

    Before I started blogging, I was so worried about how I'd keep up with clothes...would I have to keep buying clothes every time just so I'd have something to post...but I spoke to a fellow blogger and she encouraged me to do it. My wardrobe still isn't overflowing but I'm not close to running out of outfit posts 'cause there are soon many ways to switch it up.

    Haha...apologies for the sermon, you can tell I loved this post :)

    xxx

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    1. I absolutely love your comment!! You are so right and I can imagine that many fashion bloggers may also feel the same way because they would not want to run out of outfit posts ideas. I like that you know how to mix and match outfits and you understand that you don't necessarily need to have an overflowing wardrobe to be a successful fashion blogger!! Thanks a lot for stopping by and I am pleased you loved this post....(Sorry for my sermon/epistle)...xx

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  2. It does, a lil bit I guess. Since I'm basically a shopaholic when it comes to drugstore/supermarket shopping :D

    I tend to try new products just to compare with what I've tried before. But not because I plan to blog about it, it's just my usual habit; trying something new. Being a beauty blogger helps me delivering what I know after I've tried a new product. Since I like to browse around before buying a product. So when I have the information, I hope people who like to browse around first before shopping like me will find it useful :)

    So, there's always something to write since I buy at least 1 or 2 new products every month. But the thing is, sometimes I get bored writing reviews all the time. I never run out of products to blog about, it's always stocked until at least a month forward, until I purchase new items the next month.

    So to spice things up, I will write something new, something different than my usual posts. It can be FOTD or makeup tutorial, beauty tips or blogging tips (related to beauty blogging).

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    1. I am totally understand!! I like to try new things especially makeup (not much skincare per say). I always browse on an item before I buy it especially if it's one that has not been on my radar. I always find reviews really useful and I read a couple before I make a decision even if I skim through it really fast. I also like it when bloggers switch up their routine with FOTD, Makeup Favs, etc as it helps me see the product in action!! Thanks a lot for your comment and I certainly learnt a lot!!...xx

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  3. This is a really interesting post! I often find myself buying like 3 colours of something to write a blog post, whereas if I didn't have a blog I'd probably be happy with the one! If I have a high-end product I'll often buy a dupe of it to write a blog post too...

    I also find myself keeping products to reference them in posts that I may otherwise have got rid of...xx

    Magpie Jasmine

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    1. I am so pleased you found this post interesting!! I have to admit, I also buy several shades of a product partly because I am greedy and also because I know it may make my review a bit better. Of course, this only applies for drugstore products especially when Boots and Superdrug hold offers!! I am a packaging hoarder and keep them for future posts too....hahahahaha!!!...xx

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  4. I find this post really helpful! I'm a fashion and beauty blogger but whenever i try to post a beauty blog, i'm struggling to make one since i do not have much of a make up collection and i don't usually buy much. So i would like to thank you for giving me an idea about posting a beauty blog without buying one (like favourite products, skincare routine, etc). I also agree with you that some beauty bloggers may have influenced you in buying beauty products. Since I don't always do a make up haul, i had tons of ideas about what products i should buy so whenever i buy one, i at least have an idea.
    Really love this post

    Micah x
    http://micahmaristela.blogspot.com

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    1. Awww I am so glad you found this post useful. It's also a struggle for me to do fashion posts sometimes because I am so used to doing Beauty posts. I am pleased you know what you don't have to have a lot of makeup to be a beauty blogger; you can always write on what you currently have!!! Thanks for stopping by...xx

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