What a year it has been.
I launched my blog on Thanksgiving Day in 2017 so it has just been over a year of blogging. Firstly, I want to say such a huge thank you to YOU for following along and reading this. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without followers and readers so I am so grateful for you taking time out of your busy life to spend time on my website.
Why I started my blog
I often get asked the question of why I started my blog and there were lots of different reasons. I was thinking about starting a blog for over a year before I took the plunge and did it. I was actually really nervous to start. My following grew so much in a year and I have received nothing but positive support. There are cheerleaders all around me which I am so grateful for. I was wondering would anybody read my posts but instead I have had thousands of visitors over the last year!! May this be a lesson for you to take a chance on something new that you’ve been wanting to try. You’ll never know if you don’t try.
My past in modeling was what really made me want to start a blog. I love fashion & beauty and love photoshoots but have been doing them for years and was getting to a point where I had to be really interested in the photoshoot to want to give up a day of my weekend to shoot. I had agents for years which was so great but often with a modeling agency, you are booked and don’t have much of a say in outfits, hair or makeup. I had a following of a couple of thousand on Instagram because of my modelling and some brands messaged me asking me if I would be interested in working with them to shoot their products. It seemed like a win, I got to pick exactly what I shot and only said yes to products that suited me as a person. I started thinking about becoming the stylist and planner of photoshoots while also modeling and really liked the idea. I absolutely loved modeling professionally with an agent over the years but I had outgrown it by last year and wanted to have more of a say in the shoots.
I set about learning how to build a website (I had no idea) and also how to be successful in marketing and blogging. I have a degree and masters in business/finance/accounting and am a qualified chartered accountant so I know a lot about business and this helped so much. I work full time at the Sephora Headquarters in San Francisco and love my job but it doesn’t always allow me to be as creative as I would like so this was the perfect opportunity to use my creativity while still work at an amazing company.
I love traveling (as you see from my Instagram) and was always writing long emails to friends on my top tips for places I’d been and wanted to do this and write about travel more. From working at Sephora, I know all about the greatest and newest products and get wildly excited trying out new products so wanted a place that I could share this with people.
I also love writing (and from my childhood years have a goal of writing a book) so my blog ties my love of writing, fashion, beauty & travel together.
What I have loved from a year of blogging
I have loved meeting new bloggers, photographers, business owners, hair dressers & make up artists through shoots and events. I have loved working with amazing beauty companies like Lancome, Laura Mercier, Christian Louboutin Beauty, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Prose haircare and more. Having the opportunity to try out new products before they hit the shelves makes me so excited!!
As part of my travel blog, I have also collaborated with hotels, spas and tours over the past year which involves me staying at the hotel etc. and writing about my experience. I LOVE this and exploring new places! I honestly feel very lucky and can’t wait for next year where I already have more exciting products with brand collaborations lined up.
One of my highlights was NYFW. I had always dreamed of going to NYFW. All I wanted was to attend one of the shows but I was invited to so many because of my blog along with after parties that I could have only dreamed of! I also modelled in NYFW which was insane – you can read more about that HERE! So it has been quite the adventure so far.
I also loved getting the kindest messages from followers telling me they loved a certain blogpost or product/trip advice. I also had a few moments where people came up to say hi on the street and that they follow my adventures on Instagram. I’m definitely going to work on becoming less awkward during these encounters haha.
What I learnt from a year of blogging
I’ve also learnt so much throughout the year. I learnt that I will need to say no to a lot of brands that email regarding a collaboration but don’t really suit me or aren’t what I would buy for myself. I’ve also learnt that there will be times that I don’t have time to blog or post on Instagram. Often when I come back from travels, I’ll be catching up on work. Instagram/my blog is the last thing on my mind. It’s all about balance. I also was going to a lot of events earlier in the year but towards Christmas focused on writing more which I love more and saw my readership double in one month.
2019 - onwards and upwards
This was my most chatty post to date but I wanted to say a huge huge thank you. I am so lucky to get the chances that I am given and it is because of my readers and followers. I have added more blogposts over the last month and I’ll be posting lots more this year and traveling a lot also! Much more to come in 2019 and thank you so much for following along :)
I have included photos from a very fun photoshoot during the year with San Francisco based hair stylist Melissa Wagner, owner of Secret Agent Salon. The first time I modeled in the US was a photoshoot with Melissa in 2015. Photography was captured by the hilarious Jeramie Campbell.
