I've been working the odd day and this always leads to me ruminating. Sitting in a room in silence for a couple of hours with only your thoughts for company will do that to you! Lately I've been musing on how difficult it can be to write a consumer blog in January. Particularly with the financial climate as it.
Blogging is a lot of fun but I find I struggle to write for the sake of it. My blogging mojo hasn't gone exactly, it's just not there everyday like it usually is and I think a lot of this is because I'm not buying as much. Spring collections don't often grab me and I am making a concerted effort to cut back (I'm sure I'll make up for this a bit at IMATS). I tend to want to focus more on skin care at this time of year and, as I'm sure you know, testing skin care products for review is time consuming so there are never more than a handful of those posts each month.
When I announced my eyeshadow no-buy, I noticed that a lot of other people were talking about cutting back and starting project 10 pans etc. I think it's a natural part of the annual cycle that people tend to tighten their belts in January after the onslaught of Christmas. This ebb in blogging mojo is probably part of the natural cycle too. I've been writing this blog for almost two years now and you definitely start to see patterns in your desire to write and general blogging enthusiasm. I've noticed it elsewhere too, I think it's hard to write with consistent momentum year-round.
Even when I have things I could write about, if I don't feel in the mood writing can be like pulling teeth and I'm sure it comes across as a reader too. I have noticed that I seem especially critical in January: just looking over my posts from the last couple of weeks I've moaned about a BB Cream, an Hourglass brush, the cost of Caudalie, been lacklustre about a Bionic mascara and whinged about the very popular Tangle Teezer. That is a whole lot of moaning! I'm bound to have to come back and eat humble pie on at least one count once Spring arrives and returns my good spirits.
I think that's enough of my thoughtfulness for today. What do you think, do you experience a slump in enthusiasm in January, either it's in terms of blogging or buying? Or am I just a moody old mare that probably needs to invest in a S.A.D. lamp? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I got paid yesterday...so no cutting down for me haha! I am fed up of the lack of good light though and dry skin.
ReplyDeleteHappy shopping EJ! I'm looking forward to the longer days returning.
DeleteI definitely have been experiencing a sort of slump in January in terms of both blogging and buying. I mean together they form a vicious cycle of sorts - since I'm trying to cut back on how much I spend on beauty products, that means I have fewer products to blog about, especially newer ones that more people are interested in reading reviews about. Fingers crossed, this phase is over soon!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a phase and I do remember feeling the same last year. It'll be spring and we'll all be feeling more chipper before we know it :)
DeleteI hear you, January is never a good month..it just goes on and on..
ReplyDeleteI think your no buy is a great idea but as my blog is pretty much reviews only if I cut back too much on my spending them my blog would cease ;)
It can be difficult to be enthusiastic when its products that are a bit meh, but then I always find those reviews helpful as they serve as a heads up.
Well it will be Feb soon, so lets hope we are less glum soon xx
You're right. I know the meh reviews are helpful but I think I sound like such a moaner! I'm sure we'll all be out of the slump soon. January does seem to go on forever though, doesn't it? xx
DeleteI have noticed on twitter and blogs that many people are doing the project 10 pan/no-buy/low-buy etc. I'm trying to buy less makeup too, especially to avoid the impulse purchases when I just buy something on a whim and later not use it, when I could have just bought a product that was actually on my WL in the first place. I also really like negative and meh reviews - we need to know about the crappy products so that we can avoid them :) And I think that these phases, the ups and downs are completely normal with blogging and everything else, and no, you're not a moody old mare :) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Klara. I definitely think there are cycles through the year with blogging. Around the summer holidays is another time when I struggle to stay motivated. I had seen so many mentions of cutting back generally that I wondered if it might be part of a bigger trend though? I'd really like to stay focused on not buying on a whim just as you say. I'm very much enjoying playing with what I already have at the moment xx
DeleteNone of the new collections have caught my eye except maybe NARS. The new color collection of other lines are colors that I don't wear or look good in anyway. I don't look beautiful wearing Easter egg colors although I try to convince myself I do. I also have dupes of many of the colors. And, yes financially I am trying to be more wise. Do I really need more beiges and neutral eyeshadows? Not only that, like you said January is a slump month. Brain is tired from the holidays and I end up watching TV and get lazy from blogging.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same Olivia, I just want to spend time reading and letting my brain recover! I don't suit the Easter egg colours either. They look pretty but not for me. NARS and the D&G collection have caught me eye but I'm ignoring them because of the eyeshadow ban!
DeleteI ended up with a lot of drugstore items that have given me quite a few reviews. Skincare takes forever to review since you want to really use it and know how it affects your skin.
ReplyDeleteDoing some FOTD or EOTD are great ideas and it helps you use what you have.
I need to do more FOTD/EOTD posts. I have been playing around with old faves quite a bit. The only hamper is the light is really bad here at the minute for getting makeup to show up in photographs. I will keep trying though!
DeleteLove the photo! Almost as good as you in the white lab coat a while back. :) I do feel much the same way you do, but I would swear I heard out of the corner of my ear yesterday on the news that the financial climate is finally coming back around. I certainly hope so because they last 10 years have been suck city.
ReplyDeleteI also find my blogging mojo is taking a different turn. I have tons of product left to review that I photographed over the last few months, but I just can't seem to work up the enthusiasm to wax ecstatic. I am finding makeup, dare I say, a little boring. There's so much more to life, and I intend to find out. I am sure my product passion will reignite when I see the first crocuses emerging from a crust of snow, but I don't find the spring collection that inspiring. I was momentarily deranged by the Dior Garden one and the BB Nudes/Neons, but sanity prevailed without a purchase except for one nail polish ... which I haven't even tried on.
I don't think an SAD light could hurt, and I mean that with all seriousness. I am going shopping this weekend for two huge 5500 Kelvin bulbs, which mimic daylight at around noon. At the very least, I won't have to wait for sunny days to take product pictures anymore! And the light might help cheer me up, to boot.
I hope tomorrow looks brighter, Jane. x
Funnily enough that picture actually has me looking at a science book and was originally taken for another post for Get Lippie :D. On the news here it was saying that we're close to being in a recession again. It's all based on the specific definition of so many months economic downturn. That news was partly what sparked my musing.
DeleteI'm quite happy in myself and I only jest about me being a moody old mare. I do find January hard in terms of blogging though, I just want to read a book rather than write or try to take pictures. And I hear you about the boredom with makeup. The interest always returns but I do enjoy writing about things too. Oh and re: pictures ready to go that is an issue for me also. If I don't feel enthusiastic at that particular moment, I can't write no matter how many handy pictures I have prepared. I have about 10 posts sat in draft full of pictures as we speak but the words don't flow. I never was a very good girl guide ;)
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I think I was in a bit of a slump as school came on. Ironically, now that i'm in school I'm dying to post but have less time to do so. My youngest sister recently gifted me over $200 in makeup goodies that I can't wait to share. So I suppose I have reasons to be excited.
ReplyDeleteI hope that your enthusiasm returns. Or if it doesn't, that you don't push yourself beyond your happiness!
Thanks E-A. I look forward to hearing about all your new goodies!
DeleteHmmm interesting post...I have to be pretty careful with my spending anyway: life as a freelancer means I don't have that much of a budget! Having said that isn't the beauty industry meant to be pretty recession proof? Lipstick sales apparently go up in a recession...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you though: I would wait until something really inspires you to do your next post. I imagine you become successful as a blogger you get inundated with review requests etc. But personaly, I try and remember why I started blogging: it''s an outlet for me emotionally as well as allowing me to write, and write about stuff I love!
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I feel the same way! Doesn't help that I'm also juggling a job, a move, and being maid of honor in my sister's wedding... blogging just can't take the front seat right now.
ReplyDeleteThat said, if you've got the winter blues I highly recommend the SAD lamps! They've gotten my family through many rough winters (we are all very sensitive to the lack of sunlight).
I'm with you on this one Jane! x
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