The Beauty Spyglass Turns Two

The Beauty spyglass turns two

Where does the time go? The Beauty Spyglass is two years old today! I wanted to share a mini celebratory post, nothing too long and drawn out but just something to mark the occasion.

When I founded my blog in 2016, I literally didn’t know anything about blogging. I didn’t know I would be sent “free stuff” and I certainly didn’t know I could actually earn money from my blog. So clearly, that’s not why I started. The reason I started was to talk about and share the things I love to anyone who’d be interested. Two years on and I’m still going strong.

I generally have a short attention span, so keeping my blog going for two years really is a personal achievement for me.

The Beauty Spyglass is my passion, I’m still very much excited by it, still in love with it and I plan on sticking around for years to come, continuing to grow and learn…

Blogging is a great teacher, not only on a personal level but if I look back at where I started, things have really changed around here.

I’ve learned so much and have since spent many an hour updating old posts and making sure they are SEO optimised (which they weren’t’). Updating imagery, creating an internal link network and removing endless exclamation marks. My style has changed as my blog has grown, now preferring a grown-up approach to my writing.

Blogging about the subject of beauty has enabled me to learn about the industry, shown me the unethical practices of certain brands (which I now avoid), and allowed me to make informed decisions about the products I choose. Read why I now prefer an ethical approach to beauty.

It’s human nature to lose interest when the reward area in our brain isn’t stimulated. This is so true of blogging.

Every day is different and those days when PR interest is slower, you can start to feel disheartened very quickly, but then later in the week, a fabulous email will drop into your inbox and everything is right in the world once again. It’s definitely a case of accepting the highs and lows.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come and although I generally only post twice a week, several of my posts are ranked with Google now so I’m getting more and more organic page views daily.

I’m fortunate to work with some wonderful brands who’ve kept me in skincare for the last two years and allowed me to discover products I wouldn’t have previously known about. Two years on and my blog now generates a steady income and I couldn’t be happier about earning from doing what I love.

First-year – 105 posts, 716 comments and 17,286 all-time views.

And now – 187 posts 1,948? comments and 50,841 all-time views

Glancing back at the comments on my One-year anniversary post, it’s clear to see the support of the blogging community and those which continue to support to this day – (you know who you are). Also, a big thank you to the fantastic brands who I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout the last two years!

On an exciting side note – I’m through to the second round of the UK Blog Awards 2019. If you enjoy my content, I’d really appreciate your vote. Click here and choose the Beauty category. (page 5) You can also vote for me in the Lifestyle category (page 17). Thank you in advance. Now closed.

Here’s to the next blog anniversay. How about you, have you got a blog anniversary coming up?

 

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Image use: All content and imagery is the property of The Beauty Spyglass. If you would like to use any of the images (with credit link), please email samantha@thebeautyspyglass.com with your request detail.

24 Comments

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 16, 2018 / 3:18 pm

      I know. I do consider myself very lucky. Thank you siobhán x

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 16, 2018 / 3:16 pm

      Thank you Jodi! x

  1. November 17, 2018 / 2:58 am

    So exciting !!!! Congrats on all you’ve achieved and good luck with the blogger awards! You definitely deserve a win!! ☺️

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 17, 2018 / 4:13 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m not holding out much hope but fingers crossed! x

  2. myspottedblog
    November 18, 2018 / 5:47 pm

    Happy Blogiversary! It’s so awesome to read of your success. Very inspiring! At first I didn’t start for any reason but myself, but you’re right about the reward part of the brain. It wasn’t until I started getting views and comments that it started to matter to me. I’m trying to stay true that I’m doing this for me though.

    Lovely post and congratulations on your so far success. I wish you much more to come!

    Cheers xx

    Rachel | http://www.myspottedblog.com

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 18, 2018 / 9:28 pm

      Thank you Rachel. Totally! It really is the reward stimulation that keeps us going. It’s great to see people reading and commenting, definitely makes it all worth while. We’ll continue for the love of it though! x

  3. November 18, 2018 / 9:39 pm

    Happy Blogiversary! I love what you said about blogging being like a teacher. It’s amazing how much you can learn from it! Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved! 🙂

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 18, 2018 / 9:50 pm

      Thank you! It’s so true isn’t it. We learn so much and it’s ongoing. I’m always learning new things! x

  4. November 19, 2018 / 4:54 pm

    Happy blogaversary lovely and congratulations on all that you’ve achieved! I’ve loved following your blog for the past two years! Here’s to many more! Can’t wait for the future posts x

    Amelia / http://rosetintedpics.co.uk

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 19, 2018 / 6:52 pm

      Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. You’re one of a few who’ve been with me from the start, it’s so lovely that we can support each other as our blogs grow x

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 20, 2018 / 4:15 pm

      Thank you! So kind of you x

  5. November 20, 2018 / 12:31 pm

    Congratulations lovely! So proud of you! I’ve voted, good luck with the UK Blog Awards. And the cupcake is so cute! x

    http://new-lune.com

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 20, 2018 / 4:12 pm

      Thank you lovely, I really appreciate you voting! Dan bought me the cupcake so I just added the two candies! x

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 20, 2018 / 4:11 pm

      Thank you so much! x

  6. Lauren Brooker
    November 23, 2018 / 2:37 pm

    Congrats on two years, Samantha! That’s a brilliant achievement and I thoroughly enjoy your content. Can’t wait to see more from you xx

    Lauren | itslaurenvictoria.co.uk

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 24, 2018 / 11:12 am

      Thank you so much Lauren. That means a lot! x

  7. November 26, 2018 / 8:21 pm

    Congrats hun on your 2nd blog birthday! I’m relatively new to it (purely cos of illness and time), but your posts are informative with such lovely imagery! Fab that it earns a living…I keep wanting to but health is an issue. Keep it up!
    H x

    • Samantha
      Author
      November 26, 2018 / 8:54 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Heidi. Time is an issue for me too as I would love to post more! Following you on Instagram I see you talk about your illness but you’re doing a fab job! I understand some days are better than others though. I’m sure you could start charging for your posts, ask everyone who approaches you! That’s what do I (If you don’t ask, you don’t get right?) I should be more active on Instagram and get more stories up, but I just can’t seem to get into the habit of using it to its full potential. I’m hoping to change things up a bit soon as I feel I’m just plodding along with my blog lately. Thanks so much for stopping by, really appreciate you taking the time. x

    • Samantha
      Author
      December 3, 2018 / 7:55 am

      Thank you so much! x

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