5 things Since Re-launching my Blog | Blogging

I have been blogging consistently again now for a couple of months and it's quite interesting how in that short space of time things have changed. I'm happy to at least be doing something again but I wanted to share with you guys some things I've noticed since being back and blogging.

No one reads it - Facts are facts! I mean, in all honesty I've always had a teeny tiny readership so I wasn't expecting much when I did relaunch again but in all honesty, no one cares and no one is reading! There's a part of me that's a little sad about it but actually in some respects it's nice to have a hobby and write about anything I want to!

I am lazy at promoting it - literally so lazy! For about a month and a half I just didn't schedule any tweets at all telling people I was writing new content, the thing is I got so out of the routine of the whole blogging space that I forgot entirely that I had to promote that damn thing. Not gonna lie, that might be some of the reason why no one is reading this little corner of the internet!

Lucky that I wrote loads of content before launching it - I launched with 8 weeks worth of posts (only one a week, so 8 posts) and once I relaunched and had all those pieces scheduled I literally didn't log back into Blogger again for at least a month, so if I didn't have the content ready and waiting I very much would have had a gap and then the posts would have felt forced and it would have been a hot mess!

Still struggling to get into it - I'm still very much trying to find my voice on this blog, a lot has changed in a year and when I first started again I knew that I wanted to go in a slightly different direction and not just be about things and stuff. So I have tried to focus a lot of my content to be opinion based and current to how I am feeling at that moment in time but it has taken  a little while to get back into it.

Enjoying the freedom of writing whatever I want - I eluded to this in the first point but since no one is reading my damn blog anyway, it's actually quite freeing to not have any expectations or constraints into what I write! Now, I know I'm hardly writing about anything ground breaking but I would never have written about fur becoming mainstream or separating the art from the artist or even why I gave up meat so I'm happy that I do now!

So even though the relaunch has been a little meh in terms of readership and I have definitely taken my sweet time to get back into the routine the main thing is I am still pretty positive about my blog and I'm happy I started again. I think when you take a break from blogging it's easy to think "oh why should I bother" but it's about identifying your objectives. Are you blogging because you want to be seen? If so, have your shit together before you start and make sure you scream about it from everywhere!  Are you blogging because you just want to write again? If so, then just do it! It doesn't matter whether you have a consistent routine or think you're writing about nothing, do it for you!

Why I Stopped Following Huge Influencers | Blogging

Image by kropekk_pl from Pixabay

I used to watch a hell of a lot of YouTube videos, I mean hours upon hours a day just consuming the video content of the big YouTubers and I used to really love watching little snippets of peoples lives or the odd make up tutorial here and there however all of a sudden I just stopped watching them. It was literally like a switch, one minute I am rushing to the channels to see the latest upload and the next I literally could not give a shit and then it hit me, I no longer found these YouTubers, relatable, aspirational nor inspirational. 

I know a lot of people have been feeling this sort of way with some of the really big YouTubers and I just want to stress before someone labels me as "jealous" - I think it's incredible that people can make vast amounts of money from their channels, that alone could be considered aspirational and I would totally understand but that type of content doesn't interest me, I like to see normal people with normal lives, not people buying Gucci every damn week. I like honest, funny content, not fake smiles and perfect angles.

I used to watch a fair amount of Zoella videos, in an almost guilty pleasure kinda way because I felt a lot of her content was probably more tailored to school girls and I am a quite a bit older than that but I still watched them. I came to really enjoy her vlogs and her Christmas content because there was a real personality behind it. That said, I have never and probably would never buy any of her products because the brand doesn't resonate with me. When she moved into her new house, I watched the first few vlogs more from a voyeuristic point of view and then the content just seemed to stagnate, yes her house is stunning and you're damn right she deserves to show it off and be happy in a space she has worked hard for but when did it become just about the money? She released an advent calendar, which was obscenely priced and then uploaded an apology video because of the backlash which was possibly the most insincere thing I have ever watched which shows how out of touch she is from her audiences - the girl knew exactly what the price of the calendar would be because she would have been aware of the profit she would make from each sale, so let's not go there. Her boyf is even more problematic with the amount of wasteful things he spends his money on, and yes, it could be argued that it's his money so therefore he can use it however he sees fit but it's the culture he is breeding that concerns me a little more. 

Lets be honest, those guys are incredibly easy targets but it's not just these influencers who have lost touch with their audiences it's also the ones who aren't relatable. Some style influencers I have loved for the longest time but sometimes as you see their content evolve and become even more beautiful and even more creative which lead me to feel a little disconnected because I no longer felt like their content was relevant to me, it's for people who can spend obscene amount of money on fashion and travel the world, I just can't. I think sometimes you personally change as an individual which means the type of content you want to see will inevitably change as well, which isn't a bad thing at all. I don't watch a lot of big beauty gurus anymore because they don't talk about cruelty free brands but insist on promoting brands just because they get shit tone of stuff for free - which I understand but I'm not interested. 

I think my tastes have definitely changed in the content I want to see, I no longer want to see heavily curated content, I want to see content that means something, that is showing me something good or giving a true opinion, I would love to see content that makes a damn difference without being told I should buy this or use this code.

Back to Blogging | Life

And all of a sudden it was 11 months later and I am writing again for the first time. It's crazy to think that after all this time I am back and I actually want to blog! You could tell in my most recent posts something was a little off, I was kind falling out of love with it all and I just couldn't find the motivation. Sure I used my brand new home as an excuse and it was a good one because I got so out of my routine I struggled to form it again.

I would love to say I have been off travelling the world but the reality is, we got a new home, we got a dog, my job has been a massive struggle mentally and nothing felt good! In fact, I got really down and the crazy thing is I didn't need to be, I had all these wonderful things in my life but I just couldn't be bothered to write anything or commit any real time into blogging. I felt like I had to be constantly mindful of what I was saying because social media is such a minefield these days and if you say anything you're seen as negative or you are showing off, often you simply cannot win. This completely made me turn my back on blogging because I just couldn't see the point in writing anything.  

Recently I have thought often about my blog because I need something to distract my mind a little however I think I want to change my blog into conversational pieces. I think I am done with writing about beauty stuff, I want to use my blog as an outlet I can have a discussion on which hopefully someone will find interesting at the very least. Notice how I am saying "I think" a lot because in all honesty I don't really know how I want to evolve my blog, that said every now and then you may see the odd beauty post from me because it's still a massive interest of mine. But I don't want to get into a habit of constantly buying new things because it's all a bit unnecessary isn't it? I think blogging is a great thing but often people can get swept up into buying items/products they think they need just because they need content and I just don't want my blog to be about products anymore, I want to have a real voice again and I won't get that from writing about a bloody lipstick. 

I want my blog to become simplified, I don't want to post things because I feel like I just have to, I want to post things that I am genuinely interested in or passionate about, I may even start writing more commentary on the retail industry because it's something so ingrained in me that I definitely can talk a lot about but I know this may lead to people not even wanted to read it anymore, but as long as I am happy writing again then surely that's all that matters. I never started this blog to have a career carved out of it, I just wanted to write so I think I will.

Anyway, that's enough talking basically I'm back and I have some new content and I hope I'm back for a while at least!

Blog Update | Blogging

I feel like a lot of bloggers lately are falling out of love with their little space on the internet and to be honest I am too! I have had my blog for just over 4 years and whilst I've had my ups and downs I have always managed to just keep it ticking over at least, but here I am with one post scheduled and all out of ideas for any future posts. It's not that I don't like writing any more because I actually really do, I think it's just that I am losing my voice lately! 

If anyone has read my blog as of late, all the beauty posts are just reviews of The Body Shop products and it just feels so suffocating, it's almost like they are the only brand I choose from which isn't necessarily true, I do like a lot of their stuff and, herein lies the problem, it's easy content! How have I got to a stage where I only post stuff that is considered easy, surely I should be posting stuff that I am really excited about. I mean don't get me wrong, everyone has some filler content in some blog posts but all of a sudden it seems to be my only content...! I do love beauty but since going cruelty free it does get harder to try out new things because as soon as you find something you love you just cling onto it for dear life! 

Also, I feel like my lifestyle content is lacking that certain something is used to have, I barely even write about food anymore and you guys know I love my food. Sometimes I'll go out with the intention of taking a few blog pictures for a foodie post, take one picture and then literally forget to take anything else, seriously so annoying from a blogger perspective. I also haven't baked in MONTHS and when I do, they never quite look good enough for my blog so what's the point. Even when I write opinion pieces about how I don't quite fit into the blogging community  or even my love/hate relationship with social media no one really engages with it, so it seems a little pointless. 

I used to be so strict with scheduling posts but now come midweek I genuinely forget, how have I got to a stage where i genuinely forget to do a simple task that I have been doing for years? One reason I have other stuff going on and that is no longer  priority, which is absolutely fine but I need to figure out a way to work blogging back into my life again. Work is just busy all the damn time and actually quite mentally draining right now, so when I get home I don't even want to look at another laptop in all honesty! 

Things I am 100% clear on are that I do want to carry on blogging, I do want to write home content, I do want to carry on writing about beauty - I just need to find a way to do that! So I think I am going to reduce my content down to one post a week until I am up to speed and loving my blog again! 

A Cruelty Free Blogger? | Lifestyle

When it comes to skincare, make up and even hair care I can honestly say I am cruelty free and yet I still struggle to promote this publicly on my social media. I have thought about it a lot recently and I guess it's lead me to question why?

I think the problem is when you start labeling yourself you actually open yourself up to a lot of criticism which I just can't be bothered with! The issue is that things change all the time and whilst I may buy a product that I personally think is safe/cruelty free I could end up being wrong and that's when you start to question the label! Additionally I'm not vegan, I mean, I ain't even vegetarian so how can I claim to be cruelty free when I chose to eat meat or wear leather? It's such a minefield that I often feel really conflicted. We're at an age where we have so many sources of information and videos you become overwhelmed and feel the need to do better which I think is a brilliant thing but I still struggle to fly that "cruelty free" flag because I know that I'm not perfect. 

I think it's the granularity of it all, where do you draw the line? I would never touch any L'Oréal products and until last year The Body Shop was actually owned by L'Oréal however TBS still didn't test on animals, but morally I don't want to contribute any revenue, in any capacity to L'Oréal so didn't want to shop there. Even massive bloggers are still promoting brands that all sell in China where legally they have to test products on animals before they are sold in that country, so I stop wanting to read or watch their content because its something I just can't get excited about anymore. My most read blog post is a lipstick review on L'Oréal which I no longer want to promote but you can't get away from the fact it's my most liked post. There are just so many things to consider and I just want to say that on a level I am cruelty free but I know that I can't be perfect with all my choices.

I am a huge believer that small changes make the biggest difference and whilst I do eat meat and wear leather I do believe that by only buying brands that do not test on animals I am making a small difference. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, I will start to make a bigger more considered lifestyle change.

Monetising Your Blog | Blogging

Let's face it, if you have a blog and you are on Twitter not doubt you'll hear a lot about affiliate links and making money from your blog. I see so many questions about this and try to answer them because I have actually been in the affiliate industry for 5 years now ,so I get it!

I thought I would create a blog post on how to monetise your blog and just give a really simplified selection of the options...

Join an affiliate network directly...

• What is an affiliate network:- An affiliate network is a platform that allows brands/publishers to get tracking links to add to their website. If a consumer were to click on that link and make a purchase, the sale will be tracked and attributed to the relevant publisher. 
• Pros: 
• You can join as many affiliate networks as you like. 
• Have direct relationships with multiple brands
• Exclusive CPA offers from brands direct
• Cons: 
• The dashboards are old and clunky, they aren't as sleek and easy to use as some of the sub-networks 
• It takes time - you have to find different brands and then apply to their programme and they have to accept you. 
• How do you get paid: if someone makes a purchase through your blog and they don't return the item(s) the brand will pay the commission after 30 days which will be reflected in the dashboard. One thing to note is that sometimes it can take a little while longer depending on how good the brand is as paying their invoices 

Join rewardStyle...

• rewardStyle is a sub-network that uses affiliate networks for tracking but you don't need to long into different affiliate networks because rS has all the brands in one place. 
• Pros:
• You only need to log into one dashboard to have access to all brands 
• Dashboard looks cleaner and made for content creators/bloggers in mind
• If you are a big blogger rS will negotiate tenancies with brand for paid campaigns 
• Instant access to 100s of brands
• Paid on CPA 
• Cons:
• You have to be accepted onto the network - these guys can be rather fussy about who they work with 
• You cannot get contact details for specific brands on their network, they are very much the middle man between you and the brand
• How do you get paid: in exactly the same way as working with an affiliate network direct. 

Join Shopstyle Collective...

• Shopstyle is a newer subnetwork competing with rS a little but they works slightly differently in the sense they pay on a CPC (per click) as opposed to CPA (per sale), if you get a lot of traffic to your blog this might be a good option because you may earn more. However works in a similar way to rS because they use affiliate networks tracking and you have access to all brands.
• Pros:
• Quick and easy to sign up - anyone can join! 
• Really easy to get links and create collages 
• If you are a big blogger rS will negotiate tenancies with brand for paid campaigns 
• Instant access to 100s of brands
• Paid on a CPC 
• Cons: 
• You cannot get contact details for specific brands on their network, they are very much the middle man between you and the brand
• CPC fee is often much lower than the CPA rate
• How do you get paid: in exactly the same way as working with an affiliate network direct. 

Join Skimlinks...

• This is another subnetwork that works like SC and rS but they aren't made specifically for bloggers in fact this tool is often used to monetise magazines and lots of different types of content. 
• Pros: 
• Quick and easy to sign up - anyone can join 
• Add a piece of HTML to your blog and this will automatically add an affiliate link behind any brand URL you add to your blogpost, which means you never need to log in and get links
• Good analytics tool to check your daily/weekly/monthly stats
• Instant access to 100s of brands
• Paid on CPA
• Cons: 
• Dashboard isn't as visual as SC and rS. 
• You can't get banners easily
• How do you get paid: in exactly the same way as working with an affiliate network direct. 

So there we have it a quick snapshot into some websites you can use to monetise your glorious content, seriously guys it's so easy it's worth find more out about these networks. I hope this post helps a little but if you have any questions just let me know.

Link on the following links to read more about Awin (affiliate network), rewardStyle, Shopstyle Collective, Skimlinks. 

Do you monetise your content?

Why I took a break...| Life Update

So from like November until now I took an unexpected break from my blog. I just felt like I had so much going on that I couldn't even begin to think about writing content, it just kinda felt like my posts had nothing behind them and I couldn't be bothered. I didn't mean to even take a break but it got to the day before my usual Sunday post would go up and  just thought "I have nothing to say"... 

2017 was a pretty odd year for me, I always knew that it would be difficult because 2016 was such a high but that's not to say I didn't have a good year because I really genuinely did, it was just stressful. So today I just wanted to take a moment to just explain why I have been quiet so anyone reading can understand that these things just happen.

Buying a house...
Yep, that's right me and the boyf are in the process of buying our first home which is just a little bit mental but it just takes so bloody long. We aren't even finished with the process, we are currently waiting for the contracts to exchange and for a completion date but it just feels like it's taken forever. It's hard because you get your hopes so high and then your fate just rests in everyone else's hands and we literally have no idea what we are even doing. We are both brand new to this entire process so it's a really big learning curve, Chris has been bloody amazing though because he has just dealt with the majority of it. I would have been so much more stressed if it wasn't for him and his rational thoughts, he is just incredible! Hopefully we will have a completion date soon! 

New job...
I got this job in September so you are probably thinking, "why is she still banging on about it?" but the thing is I joined the digital marketing team of a department store, so we are talking about retail, the busiest quarter of the entire year in the retail calendar is Q4 - October, November and December so I literally hit the ground running. I frickin' love it but it hasn't been easy, you're dealing with "New Job Syndrome" where you get worried that you can't even do the job you have been given or that everyone hates you whilst trying to actually do the damn job and learn the quirks of the company. The new job also means, new industry events and new social evenings that you have to go to because you're new, so you're just exhausted all the damn time. I get up when it's pitch black and come home when it's pitch black which means no time to actually take pictures, when the weekend comes I just want to chill and enjoy it.  

My phone was stolen...
A couple of guys on a moped just took it and also decided to give me a little shove which made me fall over like a right wally. I went out for a few drinks after work and was walking down a normal road in London and the bike just went on the pavement and took my damn phone! I sorted everything out really quickly because I ran into the 3 store on Oxford St to get the sim killed and my number swapped to a new one but the thing is I had loads of blog posts and pictures saved to my notes which I hadn't started writing yet so it's kind of left me with hardly any drafts of back up content which is so damn frustrating.  


So there we have it, that's why there has been a radio silence on Honeypot Blogs, but what happens next? Well I am going to start writing regularly again, I do miss blogging and once we have our own place I can make space to take pictures and do different content, I mean guys, I'll be writing about home and interiors as well. I needed the break in order for me to get interested again. 

What have you guys been up to the recent months?

Bloggers I am lovin' right now | Blogging

I'm getting a bit meh about blogging and my blog so today I thought I would share with you some blogs I am absolutely lovin' right now. I mean, these girls are incredible so you probably already know them but if you don't bloody check them out! 

Devoted to Pink
Leah is just one of those girls that is frickin' glamorous and owns her own buisness but she comes across like she is really down to earth and approachable! I actually first started following her in instagram and then found myself watching her instastories more and more and she is just someone you can relate to and she has just started her youtube channel! She is so inspirational to me and I think she is going to be the next blogger to really blow up big! 

Nibbles 'n' Scribbles
This wonderful blog is for the people out there who want to know what the latest snacks and how good they actually all!! This girl is also a peanut butter fan so if Nibs gives it a thumbs up you best believe I'm gonna buy it!! I always love seeing her pictures when scrolling through instagram even though they often make me incredibly hungry. She is also so bloody lovely too! 

Beth Eve
Followed Beth for about 3 years now and I consider her one of those people who is like a friend of the internet, she is so positive and SO supportive, to me she really makes the blogging space a welcoming place (ooo get that ryhme) not only that but if you like cats, you're gonna need to follow her on twitter! Beth has recently started blogging again after a little break and I am so happy that she is because she writes about diverse and interesting topics from "why I'm a hufflepuff" to "Imposter syndrome"

Annie Writes Beauty
I'm drawn to Alice's online voice because she is honest which then makes her so easy to relate to because she says what we are all thinking! I adore her instagram feed, it's so cute seeing her little bump grow over time! Alice writes anything from beauty posts to really honest and frank pregnancy updates which I really admire


Who are your favourite bloggers right now?  

Writer's Block | Blogging

Whether you are writing blog posts or essays at university or doing presentations at work, everyone goes through a period of writer's block. It's that moment where you are feeling completely uninspired and you just don't know what do say.

I love writing, I always have and I've had my blog for nearly 3 years and it's only really this year that it has changed into a much more wordy being and actually just a lifestyle blog. Now I just kind of write about what I am up to and just my general thoughts which is great but it's quite hard to write about that stuff if you're just feeling a bit shit in all honesty. However, I'm quite fortunate in the sense I have always been pretty organised with my blog which means I have several drafts and only post once a week, as much as it breaks my heart to say that. This means, I can literally take a month off and no one would know because every Sunday something will pop up. 

In July, I just really struggled to write, no matter how many beautiful walks I went on, no matter how many delicious dinners and drinks I had, I just felt like I had no words to write.

So at the end of July, all of a sudden I only had two posts left and knew I needed to write something. Quite often people say you can't force things you just have to go at your own pace which to a point agree with, however another really big part of me believes sometimes you just need to suck it up and push through it which is kinda what I did. On Sunday I was looking around my room thinking about something to write when I thought why not a beauty post? Beauty was originally what I wrote about when I first started but this year I became bored of it but it's something that comes quite easily to me and I was trying out a new skincare product so I thought I would just try it. It kinda worked because it just got me into the natural rhythm of writing again.

I do think sometimes everyone needs a break so I never feel bad about taking time off my blog bit I definitely felt that recently it wasn't so much of a break as opposed to actually not wanting to write, ever! So I felt that teasing out the words a little bit was the best way to get around it.

I must admit that during my break I kinda wished I had a vlog channel or something because it would just be easier to ramble to a camera as opposed to sitting and writing but it's too time consuming and you need a lot of stuff so I considered snap chat but I'm still not sure.

What are your tips for when you feel uninspired?

How to work with brands, from a brand perspective | Blogging

You guys probably don't know but I actually work for a luxury fashion retailer in Italy, I won't go into too much detail but one part of my job is working with bloggers. So today I thought I would just talk about a few things that I have found when working with bloggers. I'm writing this from a luxury fashion perspective, I know that beauty brand or highstreet will probably have a very different out look and way in which they work. 

So let's dive in with some key topics starting with....

Numbers and stats

Ok guys look, we know when you're faking it. You have over 200K followers on instagram and only 100 likes with 4 comments, c'mon we have to check these things. Don't get me wrong I know many bloggers will inflate the monthly visits a little but personally I would prefer you to be honest. The thing is unfortunately numbers really do mean a lot, because sometimes the people above you don't care that a blogger's engagement levels are higher than the followers because they want to go for the ones with the biggest reach. They want their brand to be see by thousands. It sucks but sometimes it just is how it is.

Payment

This one is always a little cringe, no one ever wants to out right say my posts cost X amount, but sometimes it's just easier to be upfront because then we know whether this could be a partnership we can actually develop. Some brands cannot pay flat fees but would rather work on a gifting or giftcard basis, which some bloggers are happy with and others not so much. The value will also depend on your reach and sometimes when we specify a value it's really because we can't go higher. 

Agencies

Nothing annoys me more than when I recieve an email saying "Great, I have cc'd in my talent manager who will discuss with you". I get it, I know some bloggers are really big and don't have a lot of time to be going back and forth with negotiations however you have to see it from the brand side sometimes as well. If I'm reaching out to you it is probably because I actually really love your blog and would personally love to work with you, I want you to be excited to at least interested to work with us too! When you cc in your manager it just gets very impersonal, so we can lose some of the excitement of working with you. Also I work with some amazing bloggers who have very big numbers who I know are managed by an agency but work direct with us and it is so easy because the conversation doesn't have to go through a middle man. 

Content

To be honest, I'm really flexible with this one, once I come to an agreement with a blogger in terms of fees, I am happy for them to write whatever content they would like, it's their blog after all. Don't get me wrong, if it's in a video make sure you mention the brand or if it's a blogpost still mention the brand. Remember the brand you are posting the content for, are they a mono brand like Alexander McQueen or a retailer like NET-A-PORTER, if it's the latter still mention the retailer even if the designer item you bought is Gucci, it's a Gucci handbag you bought from NET-A-PORTER. Another thing to note is to be honest with when you will be able to get the post up, we are just as excited as your other readers to see what you have posted. 

Affiliate Links

All about measuring performance, lots of bloggers are signed up to affiliate networks or platforms that work with networks, like rewardStyle for example. For us this is so important because we need to see the level of engagement, sometimes the audience isn't a great fit and they is absolutely fine we will tailor how we work with bloggers and other times we try something and see a massive amount of engagement which is a pleasant surprise. The good thing about affiliate links is that you can also earn money from each sale you make as well so it's kind of a win win situation to include them . 

So I guess the key things are, be honest... about everything, fees, schedules, content, we can often get things done a lot quicker if we know everything to start with. Don't take it too personally if a brand can't work with you because of your numbers, sometimes it's really out of our control. If you're excited about the brand, tell us it'll make us love you all the more. 

What tips do you have about working with brands? 

Blog Birthday | Blogging

So, I may have just missed my blog birthday I'm such a bad parent!

I mean, I guess it doesn't really mean a great deal other that I have actually managed to stay committed to this tiny blog of mine! I will say in like the last 5 months it's really evolved into something quite different! When I first started it was all about the beauty products and the beauty reviews with other food/baking posts thrown in for good measure! However since everything changed in my personal life it has definitely filtered through into my blog life!

The posts have so much more content and fewer pictures, but I have always been a lover of words, they mean everything so I'm actually pretty happy with this however it has impacted my followers and my growth! I have seen so many other blogs grow at a much quicker pace than mine, but they are putting in the time and the dedication to constantly keep promoting and this is definitely my biggest downfall! I can sit and write for hours, but to actually remember to tell people about my recent posts I fail at! I think it's actually a very competitive industry because everyone wants success on some level, whether that's to be able to blog full time or get free stuff, so I think it's actually very hard not to compare your blog to others.

I don't think I have ever really set goals for my blog, I really believe that in a lot of cases you set specific goals and then you miss the bigger picture, I always said I wanted to work with more brands but I didn't actually reach out to any, they kinda came to me which was a massive compliment. Of course I have always wanted to grow my followers, but it's actually really hard because I'm not one of these people who engages a lot of social media but I try and join chats where possible. I also hate the "Follow for Follow" culture so when I get new followers I know for a fact that 90% of them will unfollow as soon as they realise I don't follow them back immediately, but that only ensures that I am growing organically and at my own rate. 

I have had so many wonderful opportunities to work with numerous brands, probably on a smaller scale compared to some but I have been so thrilled when asked to collaborate and without my blog I just wouldn't have this access so it's really amazing.

Honeypot Blogs 1st Birthday

That's correct, my little Honeypot Blogs is a year old!!

Firstly, I'm incredibly surprised that I have managed to last a year, I have started blogs in the past and I struggle to get past the first couple of months. I just struggled to find a specific interest that I could write about. 

When I started this blog I really wanted to throw myself into it, I made sure I had a different Twitter account and a different Instagram account. I also wanted to keep it somewhat secret from people I actually knew, I just didn't want the criticism. It actually took my work pals, who also have blogs, months to find me so that was interesting to know people I actually knew would be looking at my blog (pressure). What I didn't realise was how much it would properly become a hobby and become a massive part of my life. I don't even use my own personal twitter and instagram accounts anymore, I don't have a need for them. But as this year has gone on I'm becoming less secretive about it and starting to share my blog more and talk about it more. 

Blogging also awakened my love for beauty, even if they are just reviews, I actually enjoy writing about products. I even wrote a post about how blogging has inspired me, how it almost sparked that passion for writing again and that's something I never thought it would do if I'm honest. I never started this blog to make money or to get freebies, I just wanted to write. I don't think I would want this to be my career, I don't I stand out enough but you know I'm just loving writing again. 

I quite quickly fell into a routine with how many times I post and what I write about and to be honest I think that's what's kept my interest. I like a routine, I work really well with a routine, whether it be the gym or work or what I eat, I like to have a structure and blogging just kind of fit into a little gap in my life and it works. 

My blog is still tiny and I probably only have about 3 people who actually read it but you know what I'm ok with that. It'll be exciting to see how my blog changes over the next year. 

However, I still don't think I'm ready to fully put my face on my blog.

How blogging has inspired me

This post is going to be a little lengthy and wordy not one of my normal beauty reviews, this is more of a post about why I started blogging and how it's changed me in a the few months since I started. 

I started this blog in mid March just as a hobby, it actually started because my work colleagues had started theirs and they were always talking about it and it just made me want to join in. I've always loved writing and I have a degree in journalism. About half way through my course, I fell out of love with writing and never thought about becoming a journalist again, I had well and truly closed that door for years. When I started Honeypot Blogs, I still didn't really see it as anything, it was literally something I could do to waste my time.

Recently my posts have become a little longer and I am putting a lot more content in than what I did when I first started, which lead me to start thinking why? Why I was starting to put more effort and focusing on the content when we all know that pictures probably play a bigger part in blogs than the content?

I was having a bit of a rummage around my old folders and stuff when I came across this black and white one and it gave my heart a little flutter because it made me remember what was inside. 

Now these are just the smallest amount of Elle articles I had cut out and saved, all of them are double sided but it gives you and idea. When I started my journalism degree, I was passionate. I was 100% sure that I would be a journalist and I was in love with reading and writing. I would save all articles I loved from several different magazines and several different journalists, as I said this is one small selection from one magazine. When I started looking over these pieces, I started to feel that buzz again. 

In this folder I also found one of my old assignments, one I probably got the highest score from and it was about my favourite lifestyle journalist at the time - Avril Mair who is now the Fashion Director at Harper's Bazaar.

At the time she used to write the best lifestyle posts for Elle, she was strong, confident and would try anything. There was some incredibly random things she would try out but I would read each word like it was my last. The woman was fearless and she was who I wanted to be. Needless to say after discovering this folder again it's sparked my passion, had I not started this blog I would still have my journo door locked tightly but it's now fractionally open. 

I love my job, I'm currently in online marketing and I'm going to be realistic and say I'm probably never going to be able to go fully into journalism, but who knows maybe in 5/10 years time I could do a bit of freelance on the side. How amazing would that be? I love writing and my blog has given me the opportunity to start developing my skills and write about what I love. It has reminded me of my passion and helped grow my confidence in writing again.

When I told my best friend Vernia, she really liked my blog, she was in my uni class as well and it's so nice to have someone share that sort of stuff with. She has always been a massive inspiration to me, because she is a born writer, we was an editor of a magazine and still writes on the side of her full time job and she just inspires me. With every blog post a write I'm keeping that fire alive, it's giving me a focus and I can truly say that I am happy to write again.

I don't have a lot of followers, this is a very humble blog, there is so much more that it has given me than just that. It feels really good to have that spark and that passion again. 

How have you rediscovered your passion?