Does Beauty Blogging influence your shopping habits?

I am not sure what led to this little discussion with the BF but I think I must have been rearranging my makeup in my Muji Storage or talking about my blog.  He said "so what would you be writing about when all your makeup finishes? (I doubt if that will ever happen though)"  "Would you have to buy more?" "Do you have to buy more makeup to keep your blog flowing?" These questions made me chuckle but I think they are very valid questions and quite important especially if you are considering being a beauty blogger. He was not asking these questions to be annoying or anything like that; he was just genuinely curious. He is one of my biggest fans (and critics-he can be very blunt, I tell you) so I always value his opinion on my blog and videos. Generally, I think blogging usually influences many bloggers’ and non bloggers’ shopping habits in one way or the other but I don't think it is the driving force for many purchases. It influences my shopping habits somewhat and I am sure if you enjoy reading my blog, you may have been influenced to try out a product at some point based on my reviews.  I thought it would be interesting to address some of his questions which I thought were interesting and I want to hear what you think about these questions...

What would you write about when you have written about everything in your makeup stash?

I know FashStyleLiv is predominantly a beauty blog that posts regularly about beauty related topics but there are also other non-beauty related topics on here. I have a few lifestyle and blogging tips posts.  I personally don’t think I can ever write about everything in my stash. This is not because I have a lot of makeup or beauty products but mainly because there are so many ways to write about the beauty products in my stash apart from outright reviews. I don’t even review all the products I purchase because I may not be blown away by them or I am just super lazy. If I feel strongly about a product, I may review it on my blog. On the other hand, I write other blog posts that do not involve new products. I recently wrote about my favourite drug store foundations, my high end foundations, dupes for high end makeup, etc. I love to write product reviews but I also like to switch things up a bit. If you are a beauty blogger or you are considering setting up one but you don't want to spend a fortune (and you shouldn't), you can write about your favourites, best powders, favourite lipsticks, favourite high end and favourite drug store products, skincare routine, everyday makeup, wishlists etc.

Would you have to buy more beauty products to keep your blog flowing?

I am going to be honest; I don’t necessarily buy products because I want to review them on my blog. I think that would be an absolute waste of my money. I only buy products I love and I know I will get a lot of use from them. Of course, there is still the odd purchase that disappoints me but that comes with the territory. For the most part, I love the products in my stash because I do some research before purchasing. I would agree that more than a few purchases have been influenced by other bloggers' reviews and video reviews as well. However, I usually don’t give in to a hyped product especially one that has been sent to many bloggers to review unless I really like it. Although it raises its status in my shopping brain (yeah there's a section in my brain for that), I would only purchase it if I go in-store and test it out for myself. The long and short of it is I don’t need to buy new products to keep my blog flowing. I buy new products because I want to try them and if I like them, I will feature them on the blog. Blogging plays a part in the kind of products I purchase but I don't have the time, energy and loose cash to buy products just for the blog. I just like to talk to about Beauty; that's all. My friends usually ask me about beauty stuff and I am always more than delighted to recommend products or chat about it. That's why I also love to write about it too!!

What factors influence your purchase of a beauty product?

I already mentioned that I love to read reviews from my favourite bloggers and vloggers whom I value their opinions. I know I can trust their recommendations and even if the product does not work for them, I still go out and purchase it if I think it would work for me. I won’t buy products that are over hyped especially if they are just brand campaigns which lack originality. I would wait till the sand settles to read other reviews before making a purchase. I still don’t have any Urban Decay Naked Palette despite it being really hyped and actually a good product. I will buy it one day but that day is not today. It also took me almost two years to finally purchase the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation which should definitely win the award for the most hyped foundation. However, I am ashamed to say beautiful packaging really influences my purchasing power and I know I am not alone on this one (many brands know and capitalise on this). I am a sucker for pretty packaging and sometimes, I just buy products because they look so pretty. Although these days I find that I am overlooking pretty packaging and buying products that actually work well (If they have pretty packaging; that’s a plus!). Lastly, if there is a discount, offer or gift with purchase, there is a strong chance I would make a purchase especially if the product has been on my wish list for a while. Of course, I give in to the odd drug store purchase if it is less than £10.

If I am stuck in a rut, what blog post should I write?

I am sure if you are a blogger, you may have been stuck in a rut several times for various reasons. I don’t usually have a writer’s block (I have loads of blog ideas but I feel lazy); I just have a motivational block if that even exists. I have my calendar and blog topics all lined up and ready to be published but sometimes I just don’t feel motivated and inspired to publish them. It ends up being stuck on my ever increasing draft posts (I am ignoring my draft post; it's a real mountain now) but I'd rather have it that way than publish a lack lustre post for the sake of it. One of the ways that work for me for escaping from a rut is taking a short break, revisiting the original reason why you started blogging, look at old posts, appreciate your progress, etc, There are so many posts to write and I wrote a post on Blogging on a Budget over here to help out with some topics if you are in a rut. 

Overall Thoughts
The long and short answer to the question- Does Beauty Blogging influence my shopping habits? I would have to say Yes and No. Beauty Blogging helps me learn about more beauty products and what I need to try when next I have some loose cash or need a new product. Beauty Blogging sometimes prevents me from trying a new product especially if I see a few negative reviews from trusted bloggers/vloggers. However, I don't need to sustain my blog by buying new products. As mentioned earlier, there are so many ways to recycle old posts to create new ones and these methods do not necessarily mean buying new products. So, if you were shying away from Beauty Blogging because you think it would leave a big hole in your pocket, well, it won't. You need to understand that you don't have to write about every new launch. Many beauty bloggers who do so get these products from various brand PRs (they have also worked hard to get to where they are now).  Go ahead, set up a blog and start blogging away with the products you currently have (just clean them)!! However, don't blog because you want to get free products from brands because you would be surprised to find that's not the way the cookie crumbles. Start a blog because you are passionate about what you write and if you get freebies along the way, it's a perk not a right. Remember you can always blog about anything you feel like apart from Beauty Products; it's your space so do as you please. I love reading random posts including lifestyle posts, photography posts and blogging tip posts. That's it folks! Now over to you: Does Blogging (or reading other blogs/watching YouTube) influence your shopping habits?