About Rouge Deluxe & Beauty Blogging

I've debated writing this post for awhile now, and figured I'd just put it out there for what it's worth. I started writing this blog when I was living in Tokyo in 2007 and continued doing so after I moved back to Singapore in September 2007. Rouge Deluxe was started because at that time, there were very few online sources in English for information on new releases by Japanese beauty brands, which I was interested in. So I figured a blog was the easiest way of compiling and posting all the information, instead of posting them on forum boards like MakeupAlley or Cozycot where they would quickly be lost amidst the flood of new posts.

"Haru" or "haruchan" was my nickname on MakeupAlley and Cozycot, so I adopted it for the blog. "Haru" means "spring" in Japanese, and is a common name in Japan, as well as the name of a character in one of my favourite Japanese drama, "真夏のメリークリスマス" (Manatsu no Merry Christmas). My real name, as many of you know by now, is Iris and I am a Singaporean of Chinese descent. I've lived in the UK, US and Japan and officially been a makeup addict for about 10 years now (and member of MakeupAlley since Dec 2001!).

Rouge Deluxe's primary objective is a simple one, to write about the beauty brands and products that I love and anything else that happens to catch my interest at the moment, be it clothes, shoes, food, magazines or travel. It is not a money-making tool which is why there are absolutely zero ads on the blog. I like to keep things simple and prefer not to have to worry about my blog stats, number of page views and hits etc. Anything that I receive from companies to review is stated clearly and upfront, and I never do paid reviews or advertorials. I have a full-time job which finances my beauty habit (fortunately!) but for reasons of privacy, I do not answer questions about my profession on my blog. My blog is purely my hobby and I intend to keep it as that.

For ladies who are contemplating starting your own beauty blog, here's some advice based on what I've learnt over the past 3+ years of blogging. Please feel free to take it or leave it, as your objectives, perspective and values could well be very different from mine.

1. Find your own niche: Figure out what you want your blog to be about and what you would like to focus on. Is it just about posting information on new collections/sales/events or do you want to offer more in-depth product reviews? For me, there's nothing more boring than a blog that just copies new collection info from other blogs.

2. Develop your own style: The blogs that are the most memorable and interesting to read are those that develop a unique style, that is instantly identifiable with the individual blogger. It can be the way that you write, how you organise your product reviews, the personality that comes across in your posts, your other personal interests etc. Some bloggers take this to the extreme and it can become more of a turn-off but you can't please everyone.

3. Get the fundamentals right: That means getting your grammar and language right. Some bloggers write in the style of instant phone/text messaging, with the attendant bad spelling and acronyms. That may be their 'style' but to me, it just comes across as lazy writing. Some of the grammar and spelling is so atrocious, I've had friends ask me if that blogger is even educated! Just as people will judge you by your outward appearance (clothes, makeup, hair etc), it is only natural that people will also judge you by how you speak and write. Some of the most common mistakes I see are bloggers who can't tell the difference between "its" versus "it's", "complementary" versus "complimentary", or "advise" versus "advice". It's just poor form and presentation. Ask yourself if that is really how you want to present yourself to the world?

4. Grow a thick skin: The online community is like high school with its cliques and immature, petty or jealous people who think nothing of throwing insults and abuse at total strangers just because they think they are shielded by the anonymity of the Internet. Writing a beauty blog, especially one in which you post pictures of yourself, invites the inevitable "hater". For that reason, some beauty bloggers do not post pictures of themselves and I can understand that. But I find that the best and most useful beauty blogs are still those where you can actually see how the products are used on the blogger, often in very creative ways that provide a great source of inspiration. Ultimately, it depends on your own comfort level and how self-confident you are in dealing with the inevitable crappy comments that will come your way. To me, haters are like rude drivers in Singapore. They will always be around heckling you but just ignore them and move on.

5. Moderate your comments: This is so that people don't get free license to crap all over your blog or spam your blog with ads. I do delete comments that are purely hateful or offensive. These people are basically just itching to get a reaction and I will not allow them to spew their negativity on my blog. Recently, a reader left a comment asking me if another blogger (who is a friend) was slimmer in real life. Erm, why would I ever answer a question like that?! If a reader is just plain rude, I have no qualms about telling them off in my reply (see Tokyo Banana post).

6. Be honest: I believe that most readers are well-informed and have a good 'bullshit detector'. If you are just shilling a product for a company, it shows quite easily, especially if the blog post is nothing more than a regurgitation of the official press release. If readers wanted only a gushing review, they would read a magazine instead of a blog. Readers visit blogs because they want more honest, unbiased product reviews. They usually just want to know the basics: does it work, is it worth the price, how/where can I get it? If you come across as gushing over a product only because you received it for free, or are being paid to write about it, at the end of the day, your own credibility gets undermined.

7. Be committed: Blogging on a regular basis takes a lot of time and energy, not just in terms of finding new topics or products to write about but also how to write about them in an interesting, informative way. Doing it on a consistent and regular basis is one of the most important ways of developing a loyal readership. It can be difficult if you have a demanding full-time job or other life priorities but doing anything worthwhile and doing it well takes patience and commitment. For me, I blog mainly at night and on the weekends as that is when I have the most free time but some bloggers prefer to take the whole weekend off. If you are taking an extended break from blogging or plan to stop altogether, at least have the courtesy to inform your readers. Just abandoning your blog without any notice is poor manners to anyone who takes the time to visit your blog. Beauty Addict used to be one of the most established beauty blogs and was even mentioned in the New York Times, but quite a few readers left angry comments on her blog when she just disappeared for extended periods of time without warning.

Personally, the greatest reward about blogging is being able to develop friendships across the world. I've met some truly wonderful ladies thanks to the blog. It is also very gratifying when I receive comments from readers saying how much they appreciate and enjoy the blog. My goal is not to be the best and biggest, only to be useful to my readers, wherever they may be in the world. I check my blog stats only every other month or so, and am always surprised to see the countries that my readers are located in.

Alright, that's quite a long and wordy post (without any pics to boot) so I'll stop here. Do feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions in the comments section! Although if your question is about how to increase blog traffic and revenue, I seriously have no advice in that respect.