Collections! BBHQ Challenge

Hello!

The May Beauty Blogger Head Quarters Challenge was to show part of your "beautiful collection".  So today I have a video of my glitter and specialty nail polishes.






I store my polishes in our Guest room in one of the nightstands next to the bed.  It has 3 drawers and I take up two.





Jasmine

Beauty Blogger HQ - April Task

Hello!

Today I am doing the April Beauty Blogger Headquarters' Challenge!




This Month's task is all about inspiration!  So lets dig in!
What inspires you to blog and/or vlog?

I am inspired to blog because there are SOOOO many wonderful products out there and so much mis-information!  I can't live in a world where everybody wears MAC cosmetics just because of the name, puts Vaseline on their face at night because they think it's moisturizing or never try a red lipstick.  Everyday when I talk to women about skin care and basic cosmetics I am inspired to show things on my blog - I want it to be a resource.  I don't want people to feel intimidated.  I vlog to break it down even further, skincare needs to be a conversation - everyone is different and your skin is your largest organ - you need to get past commercials and get down to what works for you!

Share some of your favorite blogs to read for inspiration? 

I love Christine @ Little Red Bow -> She and I have very similar skin tones and cosmetic leanings, but she's much younger and hipper!  Her blog inspires me to try so many colors (I got Tarte Amozianian Clay blush in Tipsy because of her review) She picked out my favorite concealer and I love reading everything she posts.

Beauty Redefined by Pang -> Ok first of all she takes AMAZING pictures and constantly inspires me to do better.  Then the reviews are so well thought out and tested that you know if it's a hit or miss no need to check it out if you can't get to the store!  She has so many nail polish and eyeliner reviews it's like a library of inspiration!  And she is very creative with her cosmetic looks!

Martha @ QuickCheap & Pretty -> She inspires me to try my hand at fashion blogging, make sure I am conscious of cruelty free and vegan friendly brands and she loves to read as much as I do!   I also am inspired by the tone of her vlogs - she makes it very conversational and educational.

Mandy @ Prettymaking - does the most beautiful eye looks and swatches!  She inspired me to start a blog and is my go to for buying indie!

Ronnie @ Bows & Curtseys - was one of the first blogs I ever read and her color work is mind-blowing!  I could look at her eye makeup looks for days.

There are so many other blogs that I love for so many reasons but I decided to stop here.

What are your favorite magazines to browse for inspiration?
Allure, Marie Claire & Harper's Bazzar - I will say before YouTube and blogs - magazines were so much more inspirational I remember ripping ads out for Shishedo and Chanel to attempt to mimic, I read them more now for educational inspiration.

How do you organize your inspiration? Pinterest board, notebook, sketchpad, etc.? 
Because I am inspired daily - I keep a box of products by my desk and it is all I need to organize what I am going to post about.  I usually don't write posts very far ahead.  What you are reading has been written within 24 hours maybe, maybe 48 hours out for my book reviews.

What motivates you to continue blogging and/or vlogging?
There is always new items on the market and everyday I experience the confusion people have about skin care - and I want to change that!  Mass market brand advertising lights a fire under me everyday - it makes me crazy!!! They use young models and weird lingo and seriously no one knows what they are buying - I want to give GOOD information not product description.

How would you describe your style of blogging and/or vlogging, how has it changed from when you first started?
I think my style is conversational - and always has been.  I have gotten better at pictures and more diverse what I write about so that it isn't just swatches of foundations.  I think I also try to engage my audience more.

How do you handle competitive thoughts with other bloggers/vloggers?
I have age envy - I want to be young and doing this - but it doesn't feel competitive!  If I read a blog that I feel is "better" than mine it just inspires me to make myself better and work on what I am doing.  I guess that is where being "older" is an advantage - I'm old enough to know better!  And I also see the value of criticism whether given kindly or not.

For fun, share some of your favorite inspiring photos:


from Beautylish.com -> color and simplicity!! Love!



The colors...the blending...so pretty!


This is soooo my aesthetic!  It inspires me to look "classic" and put together everyday!

 WOW! 


I ALWAYS need organization inspiration!

All right!  Hope you made it through all of this!  THANK YOU ALL FOR INSPIRING ME!!!

Jasmine

Beauty Blogger Headquarter March Task - Photo Editing

Hello!

Today I am going to do the March Beauty Blogger Headquarter's Task and it's all about Photo and Video editing on your blog.

1) What program(s) have you used in the past for editing your photos and/or videos? Can you provide a short review, likes/dislikes?

I used to mainly use Windows Live Photo editor.  Windows Live Photo editor is pretty basic, you can crop, adjust the color temperature, brightness and contrast.  When I first started this is pretty much all I used.

This picture was taken in the early days of my blog in natural daylight - I now take comparison face pictures with "daylight" lighting so that each picture is consistent and there isn't random shadowing or a change in color temperature because it suddenly gets cloudy. 


2) What program(s) are you currently using for editing your photos and/or videos? Can you provide a short review, likes/dislikes?

I use PicMonkey now because you can crop, adjust color temperature etc... but you can add color background, make collages, and add little graphics.  It's pretty good for a free program, but I do wish I knew how to use Photoshop.

3) What are your thoughts on image editing websites; free or purchased?

I think most of the free websites are pretty basic and give you just enough to want more. I really don't want to spend even $10 a month for extra graphics or whatever.  I guess I'm cheap. It works well enough for now. If my blog were to advance I might consider learning Photoshop.  Now to purchase Photoshop out right as a software package is around $700 there is noooo way I'm paying that currently.  So I don't really know what else I would use.

4) What are your thoughts on editing videos directly on Youtube's website?

I currently use YouTube's video editing and it's no fun - so I have been looking at some other software.  Most likely Sony Movie Studio, since I have a Sony camera and it looks easy to use.

5) What program(s) would you recommend for beginner bloggers?

For basic photo editing PicMonkey is pretty good, and free!  The key to all photo editing is taking GOOD pictures so you don't have to do much! Read up on your camera so you know how use it.  Make your self a light box if possible, it makes a world of difference and allows you to take pictures anytime of day.


6) What is your editing process like? Do you edit individual pieces or schedule a day for all your editing?

I edit my pictures the day I take them so it's usually only a few at a time.  I don't prepare more than 2 posts at a time.

7) On average, how much time do you think you spend on editing images and videos in a week?

Photos, maybe an hour (total in a week).  But if I have to edit a video it's more than an hour (I really am not very savvy) to edit, then like 3 hours to upload it to YouTube.
 

So that's pretty much it - I will say when I take product pictures I already have a pretty good idea what I am going to write about so I only take a few photos.  My photography skills need improvement, but overall I think they are ok.  Macro is what I have the hardest time with (and yes I have messed with the settings NUMEROUS times) but I think I need a camera upgrade.  I currently use a Sony Cybershot. 

Jasmine

My blogging station and routine

Hello!

Today I am linking up with:
 

To talk about HOW I actually blog!


Where do you blog? Do you have a space dedicated to your blogging work? An office, a table, a corner of your room... I most often blog sitting in bed late at night.  I do all the prep work elsewhere, but when I actually "sit"down to write it's in my room at night.

What do you blog on? Computer, laptop, tablet... what do you recommend? I use a Dell laptop - and I say use what ever works for you!  I feel most comfortable on this laptop, and I know where all my info is stored.

Do you have any blogging rituals? Drinks, music, movie, candles... No rituals per se.  I usually have a Diet Coke on ice next to me, and while I'm editing photos I usually watch my "shows" on Netflix or Hulu Plus (Project Runway, Revenge, The Office, The Mindy Project etc..)

How do you keep your blogging ideas organized? Notepad, planner, post-its... It's all in my head!  Sunday is Sunday Social, Monday is the Manicure of the week, Tuesday is oh la la Lips, Wednesday and Thursday are a video or what I think of as an "education" post (like info about skincare or make up application, or a review).  Friday is Book club, and Saturday is for whatever :)

Do you have a blogging schedule for the week?  Or the month?  See above. If so, how do you stay on top of it all? I just make sure I am taking the right photos and that I am keeping up with make up trends and new products.  Also I pre-schedule a lot of my easier posts (book club, oh la la lips & Sunday Social)

How do you keep up with your publishing schedule and what you have already posted? I guess I haven't posted enough to have to worry about what I already posted.  I am able to keep up by sheer force of will!  I know in order to make my blog be what I want it to be, I need to be taking pictures constantly, I need to keep making videos, I need to just think out of the box!  I also LOVE beauty products and if you have ever watched any of my videos you know I have a lot to say, and I am OPINIONATED so it is pretty easy for me to put it out there.

If you review products, how do you keep track of what needs to be reviewed in your collection? So in our living room I have a thin desk that sits behind the couch and has a lamp (so it looks like part of the living room and I keep a drawer full of products underneath with the most important ones on top in a basket.  I also built my own light box which I hide in the hallway closet and then when I need it I put it on the desk in the living room and take my pics.

 

The star and arrow in the pic above point to the lamp on the other side of the living room where I take my "indoor" manicure photos.

Here is where I shoot my videos.  The yellow arrow points to my mini tripod.  As you can see I have one of the jewelry organizers with pockets hanging on the wall but I re-purposed it to hold make-up!  And if you watch my videos (hint, hint) you also know on the other side of the wall is my magnetic eyeshadow wall frame.  (you can see it reflected in the table mirror).

What do you do with all your "old" data? Photos, videos, extra drives, online storage..? I put it on an external hard drive.

For fun, what beauty/non-beauty products do you need to have on hand near your blogging station?  Always hand lotion,cuticle oil and lip balm near my bedside when I'm writing.   And my 16 pound cat is almost always laying on my right arm so I have to re-type a lot.

So that's my "system" and it works for me!  Thanks for reading!

Jasmine

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