I’ve been meaning to do a few more offbeat/get to know me more blog posts recently, so it was the knick of time that Kara from Fit Chick Next Door tagged me in this quick and fun How Well Do You Know Me post. I hope you all enjoy finding out some little details about me – outside of the beauty obsessed, neutral-clothing loving regular mix you usually find here!
I’m sadly not well traveled when it comes to international trips (although I have been to 26 of the 50 states), so there are several places I want to visit. I’d say the top three are: Greece (for the beaches), Italy (for the history), and either Ireland (for the greenery/nature) or Spain (for my heritage). Is that four? Fine.
I’ve been at this blogging thing now for over three years and two moments stand out to me the most: meeting Charlotte Tilbury in an intimate blogger session in Houston when she first released her collection in the United States and hosting a beauty soiree at Cos Bar with a couple of my favorite blogging ladies.
Many may think blogging is stupid, silly, transient or immature. But for me, it started as an outlet – a hobby – and has since grown to a supportive network of friends I’ve never met; like-minded women who inspire me, and most of all BELIEVE in each other.
The Beauty Look Book is always one of the first beauty resources I check with when debating new makeup purchases – particularly of the higher end brands. I find her photography to be flawless, accurate and I never leave reading her posts with unanswered questions.
Making sure my readers have no unanswered questions is something I always aspire to – providing a resource you read and feel confident either purchasing the product or not (and knowing why).
This is intense. Ok:
Don’t start a blog expecting to make money quickly. You’ll burn out and hate it.
Everything you ever needed to know is Google-able.
Authenticity will take you further than you ever imagined.
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” (this goes out to all the ladies I’ve asked for help/advice who have provided it without expecting anything in return. thank you.)
Keep your head down but celebrate others successes. It’s easy to check the numbers and see how fast others around you may be growing, but the best way to enjoy the journey is to lift them up. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen an amazing sponsored post from a fellow blogger and wonder how she got it… to then get an email in my inbox days/weeks later with a similar (or better) opportunity.
It’s a love hate, but probably Instagram. I love being able to search hashtags and find others talking about the same products, topics or brands that I am and what their thoughts are. I also use it as a source of style inspiration more than even Pinterest anymore (especially since you can now save posts to Collections on your private feed).
I also have my largest following there, so I love being able to share [in real time on Instagram stories] the latest news in my Brighter, Darling world!
I hate it because the algorithm has made it hard to do the things I love… but hopefully those computer wizards figure it out soon.
It may sound old school, but I love beauty/fashion magazines. It’s a big part of why I even started a beauty blog. Now I’m like my own mini beauty editor! I take hot topics from magazines like Allure, Glamour, and People StyleWatch to stay on top of trends. I am active on my Bloglovin’ feed to see what my other blogging babes are raving about. My final (and most frequent) source of inspiration is my family/friends. They constantly ask me recurring questions and when I’ve heard it 3x or more, I know it’s time for a blog post.
Get a planner and write it down. As tech savvy as I am, I will never be without a paper/pen planner (currently using the famous Erin Condren one, but I’ve also been known to love the Lilly Pulitzer ones, too). Life’s too insane to expect your brain to remember everything.
TV SHOW – currently: One Tree Hill (I’m catching up from college lol…), Southern Charm, Pretty Little Liars, Downton Abbey; all time: Dawson’s Creek, Gossip Girl, Parenthood
COLOR – blue, green, gray (can you tell? look at my blog!)
FOOD – pizza all day every day
ANIMAL – dogs
MOVIE – recently: The Edge of Seventeen, Me Before You; all time: Armageddon, The Notebook, The Great Gatsby
GUILTY PLEASURE – The Kardashians. I don’t hate them, sorry haha.
It’s no secret I love Charlotte Tilbury, so I think if I actually was able to work with them on a bigger opportunity, I’d be ecstatic. Her products just work so effortlessly on a multitude of skin tones and anyone I’ve tried them on looks stunning, so I’d have to go with CT at this point.
Oh there’s lots you don’t know about me. I tend to keep my personal life pretty quiet here, but the high details are on my About Me page 😉 Some factoids many find surprising are that I’m left-handed, have had my nipples pierced (a sorority story for another day haha), and been skydiving three times.
I’m meant to tag 10 blogging babes here, so I’ll do that but if you’re not tagged and have a blog and want to do this, please do so and let me know! I’d love to read it.
Have any other questions for me? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll do a few more of these Q&A type posts.
-Steffanie
