Today’s post is dedicated to two of the most influential and inspiring Beauty bloggers:
Amber Murray and Christina Farrell-Lerchen. With their power to attract thousands of users, thanks to their honest opinions of the latest must-have products and great make-up tutorials, they have become the favorites of the beauty industry. Exclusively for Buzzoole, they decided to reveal their secret tips to business success!
How did you first become interested in beauty, and what led you to create your own blog?
Amber Murray: I’ve always had an interest in beauty, but about 14 years ago, I decided to go to cosmetology school to become a hairdresser. That started it all! Then, in 2008, my friends were begging me to start a blog since they always had questions for me about the newest products. The rest is history! 7 years later, I’m very happy blogging.
Christina Farrell-Lerchen: I have been a makeup artist for over 17 years, but originally was going to school for journalism. I wanted to combine my two passions, and thought that blogging would be a great way to share my experience.
Which things a person, who wants to achieve such a big success as you, should consider before starting a beauty blog?
Amber Murray: First, decide on your niche. It’s best to have a good grasp on the focus of your content so it’s not all over the place. The other things to consider are the level of commitment you’re going to have with it. If you want to develop it into something you can eventually monetize, you need to be able to dedicate time and financial resources for hosting, tech help, and other unexpected costs like programmers and designers. When first starting out though, I do not recommend spending a lot of money on a layout for your blog or expensive hosting. There are plenty of free templates out there to use until you get on your feet! Eventually, you will grow into needing more resources. But most of all, HAVE FUN!
Christina Farrell-Lerchen: Try not to look at other blogs and judge yourself based on them.
Beauty blogging has become a very competitive industry, so you have to find your own unique voice and message to get across. [Tweet “.@makeupblogging: “(…) you have to find your own unique voice and message to get across.””]
What are your recommendations on using social media well to promote a blog and increase the traffic to it? Do you use particular social channels differently to manage your personal branding? How do you do it?
Amber Murray: I think that helps that I stay approachable on social media. I promote my posts on all of my social media channels, and try to incorporate nice photography in those posts.
That tends to keep people most engaged. I also think it’s important to remain upbeat and positive with all posts and share other peoples’ posts too! That builds relationships online, and sometimes they’ll end up sharing your posts as well. It’s great to get that exposure, and it almost always leads to a jump in followers for me. If you tweet or Instagram about a brand’s product, make sure to tag them too! They may repost it as well.
Christina Farrell-Lerchen: I mainly use Buffer and Viral Tag to create automated systems for my social media. I love to share inspirational messages and encourage readers to think outside of beauty trends.
What advice would you give to aspiring beauty bloggers?
Amber Murray: The most important things to me are consistency and content. Content is king![Tweet “.@beautyjunkies: “The most important things to me are consistency and content. Content is king!””] Write well, and write often if you can. Your voice is unique, and there are people who will love it,
it just takes time. It won’t happen overnight – so please don’t give up. It’s taken me 7 years to grow, and I still have a lot of growing to do because the blogging landscape changes constantly. You can do it -because if I can, anyone can! If you want to blog only for free makeup from brands, it’s probably not the best idea. I recommend doing it only if you’re truly committed and passionate. Another important thing – please do not ever engage with any reader who is verbally abusive or rude to you (either in the comments of your blog, or on social media). It’s never worth it, and it wastes your time and creative energy. Plus, it’s hurtful. You don’t need any of that in your life. And if you don’t engage with them, they go away!
Christina Farrell-Lerchen: Research first, and find a look, voice and style that fits YOU. Decide on how much time you want to invest in your blog, and what you want to share with the world.
Be unique.
What are your top 3 beauty tips?
Amber Murray: Sunscreen EVERY DAY, without fail – no matter what! Skin cancer is never pretty, and it doesn’t discriminate against any race or skin tone. Anyone can get skin cancer.
Please protect yourself! It will also keep your skin looking as youthful as possible. Never go to bed with makeup on! Your skin is doing repair work and while you’re sleeping. It can’t properly recover from the day if it’s clogged with makeup. I use a Clarisonic skin cleansing brush every night before bed to make sure I’m properly cleansed and free from all debris. Splurge on your skincare products, but shop bargains for your mascara and lipsticks! Save your money for products that work, and don’t fall for claims that seem unreal. If it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is!
Christina Farrell-Lerchen: Take care of your skin, remove your makeup before bed, and invest
in a really great concealer!
Share your thoughts about the article with us. And if you have any ideas you’d like to read about in an upcoming Buzzoole blog post, write them in the comments!
