So my blog, Noire Tropical Beauty, is celebrating its birthday today! It’s been 10 years since I tentatively put out my first post. It was 2009 and I was avidly looking for all the information that I could about anything in beauty. At that time, forums were the thing, especially for natural hair. I had just transitioned to natural hair in 2008 and I wanted to find out the best products and ways to take care of my hair. I fed my ‘lemmings’ for new M.A.C. releases on Spektra. Makeup was exciting and we were just entering a new age. The internet was changing how we consumed information and how we interacted with brands. YouTube was really brand new and being able to see someone demo a look or talk about a haul, even in 360p, was exhilarating.
Fast forward ten years later, so much as changed. Beauty has evolved from its more simple beginnings. Online content and shopping is king. It is impossible to exist in this space without some kind of social media presence. Brands heavily rely on influencers and online experts to help get the word out to the masses. This has been both good and bad. There is more opportunity for everyone to become an expert in but at the same time many of the prejudicies that have existed within beauty for decades have found their way online.
So what have I learnt in the last 10 years? I have loved producing content. I still get excited when something new, interesting or innovative is released. I have especially enjoyed seeing brands specifically focusing on the needs to black and other women of colour. Allyuh! We have options now!! Real, legit options and now we are in a space where we can demand and expect more and better from beauty companies. Nowadays coming out with less than 35-40 shades of foundation will get a collective cut-eye.
The one thing that I have learned is…
that no matter how many people are in the beauty blogging space, how many followers they have on YouTube, how many clicks they get on their blog, how much ‘sameness’ there is on their IG makeup looks, every individual is different and every voice in unique.
My blog has not been the most successful, I don’t have a huge following, but I have my own perspective on beauty, especially with my science and beauty background. I still enjoy doing the research and bringing new content to my readers. I still love educating and being educated. I am thankful for all of the people that I have met and friends that I have made along the way. And I am grateful to all those who have supported and followed me 🙂
Anyway, stay tuned for new content, say hi and let me know if there is anything that you want me to review.
Laters!
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