Beauty Bloggers Headquarters - Why I started blogging...

Hello!

I just found out about Beauty Bloggers Headquarters and decided to join the group!  Here's what it's all about (from their site): "This blog was created solely as a tool to help out our fellow bloggers, this is just a friendly community where we can share our experiences, tips and how-to's for building your social media accounts, blogs, websites, etc." Click the button above to check it out! 

The first task is to get to know each other and why we started our blogs so here are my answers:

How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging since January of 2012.


What/who inspired you to start blogging? I had been reading Temptalia.com, bowsandcurtseys.com, prettymaking.com, and thebeautifullifeofthegirlnextdoor.  Now my make-up skills are no where near these ladies and I don't have the buying power of Christine at Temptalia, but I realized there was definitely a "place" for my knowledge.  I have worked as a makeup artist and skincare consultant, I am VERY fair skinned, and I am in my mid thirties.  There are not a lot of blogs that address skincare/makeup from my point of view, or do really long trials like I do, showing my bare face and the results after weeks of use. 

  Did you tell your family and friends about your blog? No. Only a very few people who know me know about the blog and I think only 3 have ever read it.  Hi Enid!

 If so, what was their reaction? I think Enid, (the only one who reads it on occasion) liked that I share both high and low end products and that I knew about a lot of skincare products.  My boyfriend also knows about the blog and he's supportive.  Everyone else is in the dark.  I think most people would think I would write a blog about books (which I do feature on Fridays).

 What goals or dreams did your have for your blog when you started?  I just wanted to find an outlet for one of my passions, I wanted to be able to help just one person find the right thing!  As many beauty bloggers will tell you, the comments people leave mean SOOO much, and to be able to "talk" to other bloggers that are "beauty junkies" that "get it" means a lot.  My goal was and always will be to try out products and show how they actually perform.

 Have you accomplished them? I actually get comments pretty regularly now and have made some bloggin' friends so yes!  But now I want to create more videos, and bring in Guest writers (my hairstylist and aesthitician friends).  Because Hair is Not my thing! :)

  If you could give your beginner-blogger-self one tip of advice, what would it be? Ok, if you didn't grow up with internet because you're "old" like me, really search around for the best platform (Wordpress,Blogger, LiveJournal....) and pick a name that you can use for multiple sites (twitter, facebook etc) and have it all set up before you start.  Also, don't do this if you don't want to do it for YOU and only YOU.  I knew for months that literally NO ONE was reading my blog, but I was doing it for me and a record of my experiences so it never bothered me.  It should be fun and organic, if you feel like posting is going to be a chore after a few months, it's probably not for you.

  What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being a blogger?  My favorite thing is finding other blogs to read!  If I follow a blog it means I actually read it EVERY time they post.  My reading list is long but they are all talking about things I'm interested in so it's like a really good book that never ends :)  My least favorite thing....It's that I don't know enough about Photoshop or internet things to make my blog better!  I want to have a cool side bar or links to my Pinterest etc... but I don't know how!  Hence why I joined BBHQ.

  What does your blog name mean? Formosa Candidus means Pale (white) Beauty in Latin.  But I also have the title "green eyed monster" at the top because I don't have to explain it, and I have very green eyes (and I'm a bit of an opinionated monster, as you'll see below) :)

How did you decide on it? I have a minor in the Classics and I always wish being pale was appreciated now like it was even 50 years ago (500 years ago I would have been so hot!)... I don't think having to bake your skin is pretty.  So I wanted to represent classical beauty and show what you need to take care of pale skin and let people feel ok about being fair.  I hear all the time how I look sick because I'm so light, or that I glow in the dark and I should tan a bit to look "healthier".  No. No. No.  I am Formosa Candidus!

Hope you all found that a little interesting if you made it through!  And check out all the other blogs at http://beautybloggerhq.blogspot.com/

Jasmine