Hello, World!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog.

Who am I?

My name is Chichi. I’m originally from London. I currently work as a digital content executive for a fitness and leisure company. I’ve previously worked as a freelance beauty writer. My career so far has mainly consisted of copywriting and content creation roles.

I’ve always been passionate and enthusiastic about beauty. I started experimenting with makeup from a young age and I spend my spare time reading beauty editorials and exploring beauty stores and halls.

I’ve also got a natural flair for writing and I absolutely love it. And that’s where blogging comes in…

My blogging journey

I started blogging in 2013. I was studying at university. I was bored, not getting along with my awful housemates and I was fed up of being pressured into the student nightlife lifestyle (not a good idea for an introvert.) I wanted a proper hobby. I started writing for the university’s women’s magazine and I had a dream: I wanted to go into journalism. So I started a blog, ChichiWrites.com. Prior to this, I started a short-lived blog in the summer of 2013 that was all about my love for nail polishes and nail art, but I got bored and deleted it.

I ran Chichi Writes - a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog - until 2018. I loved it. I had my own platform where I could write and express my interests and I was able to gain incredible opportunities and meet some pretty cool people. But I reached a point where I felt as though I’d outgrown the blog. I wasn’t the same person when I started out and a lot had changed in the blogging world. Plus, I decided that as much as I liked writing about multiple topics, I wanted to focus mainly on beauty.

So I eventually shut down ChichiWrites.com and started a new blog, The Cosmetic Notebook. Initially, I had very high (and unrealistic) expectations for this blog. I wanted the blog to focus on specific aspects of the beauty industry. There’s nothing wrong with that but I started to feel as though I was limiting myself. When I started out I enjoyed running TheCosmeticNotebook.Com but as time went on, I started to lose passion for the blog. I assumed that I didn’t have enough time to dedicate to The Cosmetic Notebook because I was so busy (and so stressed out with my previous job) but I noticed that even when I’d make time, I didn’t feel enthusiastic enough. I was tired and suffering from writer’s block. I was putting so much pressure on myself to create the perfect blog and that was killing my motivation.

Eventually, I decided to take a step back, so I took some time out. I didn’t want to bother with The Cosmetic Notebook anymore. Plus, I was going through a lot in my personal life. I was unhappy with my situation so I decided to find a better job in a better working environment - and I got it!

I took a blogging break so that I could relax, recharge my mind and re-evaluate my passions. I needed to decompress. I needed to find the right direction in my life.

I realised that I’d been putting so much pressure on myself to be the perfect blogger. I felt as though I had to wear so many hats, so to speak. Blogging is a wonderful skill to have and it’s a great way to make money (if you play your cards right) but I’d lost sight of why I started out in the first place, all those years ago.

I didn’t blog because I wanted to make money (though that’s an added bonus!) I didn’t blog because I wanted loads of followers on social media. I didn’t blog because I wanted freebies (though these are pretty good to receive!) I didn’t blog to please anyone or to jump on the bandwagon.

I started blogging to express my passion.

I started blogging because it was the perfect way to combine my love for beauty with my ability to write.

First and foremost, blogging was - and is - a hobby.

Ultimately, you should do something because you enjoy it. The rest (e.g. the additional perks) can come later on.

After taking a blogging break throughout the summer of 2019, I decided to start afresh and wipe the slate clean. And so Chichi Writes Beauty was born.

Chichi Writes Beauty is a beauty blog that will mainly focus on makeup, but it will also focus on general beauty content, and a little bit of lifestyle and fashion.

That’s it.

That’s all.

This is my beauty blog, and this is my hobby.

Enjoy reading.

:)