Lipstick, Powder and Paint

Face it, we all need a bit of beauty in out lives to make ourselves feel glamorous. Every decent magazine covers beauty in great depth but with a huge socio-group to cater for it is pretty hard for the journalists  to meet everyone's demands. This is why beauty blogs have become very popular over the last few years. The beauty blogger offers a no nonsense, barrels free guide to make up products by telling us what works and what doesn't and how to apply the stuff. The complex thing about make up is that what works for one person may be hell for another so to gain a personal perspective about the latest mascara or lip gloss is invaluable. Enter Yinka from Vex in the City who is a London based beauty blogger with a witty and savvy writing style that has gained her a huge following. She took time out to answer a few questions her blog and the odd bit of lippy.

What made you start blogging?
I've always had a passion for writing and thought "Hmm I can do that". Frustration also played a part in my decision to start blogging as there were few beauty blogs written by black women in general and even fewer written by black women based in the UK so I thought I'd start my own.

Describe the concept behind Vex in the City.
I didn't really start blogging with a concept in mind. It was (and still is) just an outlet to share my love of beauty and skincare products with like minded people who appreciate a good lipgloss when they see it. However, I wanted to make it relevant to those who were also having difficulty finding reviews of make up products or swatches on skintones similar to their own. When I get messages from readers thanking me for doing certain swatches or for discussing a particular product then I know I'm doing okay.

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?
Bloggers have had a huge impact on the media and we way we view it. A journalists job is to deliver the news impartially, whereas bloggers have the freedom to add their own opinion to a story which has the potential to reach millions. From a beauty bloggers perspective, I'd rather read a review of the latest mascara from an ordinary consumer on their blog, than take the word of a glossy magazine that has been paid to feature the brand in question. PR companies have caught on to how valuable beauty bloggers are, so now I'm often approached by different agencies wanting to send me items to review on behalf of their clients. As a result, I've discovered new brands which has broadened my beauty radar. I don't try and be some sort of beauty expert, far from it. I'm learning daily and having fun as I do it.

Beauty blogging seems to be the new thing in blogsphere so how do you keep your blog fresh?
There's certainly been an explosion of beauty blogs lately but it's not as new as some people think. There are established beauty blogs that have been around for 3-4 years now. Likewise there are blogs that are not so well known that have been running for a similar time frame. Sometimes I won't review a product as there's already an influx of reviews on it and I don't want my blog to have the same content - sometimes I can't avoid that though. If a product is that good, then it deserves a mention on my blog. I think my personality comes across in my posts which my readers like too. I've come across blogs that sound like bad press releases in every post or are littered with poor spelling and grammar. I always try and inject a bit of personality into my writing as well as sounding literate, that seems to work.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
More often than not, you can find me on Twitter! (damn that site!!) When I'm not tweeting I'm doing the usual - shopping, out with with friends, with my family, etc

Describe a typical day in the life of Yinka.
Chaotic!

Where do you source your stories from?
The majority of my blog posts stem from personal purchases and experiences. The staff in the Fouberts Place MAC Pro store know me (I dunno whether that's a good or bad thing!). I write frequent reviews on products and keep an eye on upcoming collections that are featured on Specktra, a popular beauty forum. 

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
I stopped buying magazines for a couple of years but then started buying Look, New! and Glamour again. I want quick, accessible beauty and fashion and those three tick my boxes. However saying that, I just threw away a box full of magazines and I'll be sticking to reading their websites this year when I can. I wasted a stupid amount of money on them.

Name five blogs that you read religiously
I follow a lot of blogs so don't have the time to check daily, but there are a number I check regularly that always have content that interests me:

http://www.comeovertothedarksidewehavecandy.com/
http://www.lipglossiping.com/
http://k-hartley.blogspot.com/
http://juvenescent.wordpress.com/
http://www.abrilliantbrunette.com/
http://www.harlemloves.com/

Hmm that was six, wasn't it?

How do you see Vex in the City evolving over the next two years?
I haven't looked that far ahead to be honest. My blog is something that allows me to escape from the grind of daily life and I'll continue to blog for as long as I continue to enjoy it and have the time to spend on it. I take it one day at at time. If any opportunities come my way as a direct result of my blog then great, but I don't have a grand master plan in mind.

You can read Yinka's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Blogger Meet Up

So on Sunday 2nd August at 4pm, eight fabulous bloggers bit the bullet and met up at Savannah Jerk (formerly known as Mr Jerks) in Soho for some food, drink and some chat. The group included Keysha of The Cocoa Diaries, Janice of Mad News, Michelle of Fantasy Ride, Yinka of Vex in the City, Didi of The Virtues of Beauty, Ashanti of OMkari, Karen of K.Hart and moi. Over some superb Caribbean cuisine we discussed music, make up, twitter, facebook, blackberries, celebrities and everything else in between. A fun time was had by all and it was really great putting the faces to so many superb blogs - apart from Ashanti and MsQuiche - who I knew them from before. I will admit I was a bit nervous meeting the bloggers, my first fear was - would anyone turn up? What will talk we about? What if we run out of things to say and there is this awkward silence? My fears proved to be totally unfounded because as soon as everyone arrived the noise volume at Savannah Jerk raised by 200 decibels. To say we were the loudest table would be putting it mildy and as customers came, eat and went London Bloggers Massive were still there taking up space. Eventually we shifted at 8.45pm when the Savannah Jerk staff started clearing up and giving us ‘get the fuck outta here, I wanna go home and put me feet up’ looks. We bade each other farewell and promised to meet again very soon.

Look out for the next Blogger Meet Up in autumn. If you are a Blogger and would like to join us in our meet ups then please leave a message and I will drop you a line when the planning commences.

Bloggers in the pic from left to right: Janice, Yinka, Michelle, Karen, Keysha, Ashanti, Didi and Me.