Five Things I've Learnt From Blogging

I've now been blogging a little over four years; I honestly don't know where the time has gone!! When I started writing this blog, I was a nineteen-year-old student trying to fill some time in the summer between my second and third years of University; I was young and naïve and really had no idea just how much I'd fall in love with sharing my thoughts with people on the Internet. My full archive is still available on this site because, embarrassing as some most of my earlier posts are, I do think it's nice to see how far I've come! This little space has evolved from random ramblings and the odd cringe-inducing "outfit post" attempt, to something I'm actually pretty proud of and enjoy spending my time working on. I've also been having a little think, the past few days, and realising just how much I've learnt from blogging...
I have a skin type... and it's not 'normal' | I know; shocker, right!? I didn't really have any understanding of skin types when I started blogging; I just bought products at random and if I'd ever given it any consideration, I would have assumed that my skin type was normal or even dry because of my eczema. Through blogging, I've learnt what different skin types mean, how to recognise them, and what kind of products work best for me. Surprisingly enough, my incredibly oily skin reacts a whole lot better to products that aren't designed for normal/dry skins... Who knew!?
Ingredients matter | Previously, I was very much a pick-up-whatever's-cheapest kind of girl; I genuinely didn't see the point in spending more than I absolutely had to on skincare. Blogging has taught me so much about ingredients, how they work with our skins, and which ones to seek out or avoid. As well as now knowing about things like why I shouldn't be using alcohol on my face and what ingredients can lead to spots, this has given me much more control over my eczema as I'm able to avoid products which trigger it. This is probably the most important thing I've learnt from blogging as eczema really can make your life a misery and my skin is so much better since cutting out SLS in my shampoos and body washes.
Highlighter isn't just for revision notes | I had literally never heard of highlighter as a beauty product and it's not something I would ever have considered putting on my face until I started blogging; now, I have a slightly excessive collection of highlighters - liquid, cream, powder, I've got them all! - and they're one of my favourite make-up products. I really like how a sweep of highlighter down my nose and across my cheekbones can brighten my face up and make me look so much more alive.
You can fill your brows in | This simply hadn't occurred to me. Sure, I'd seen people who drew their brows on, but why would I want to do that!? I now can't imagine not filling my brows in each day; they're quite sparse and light compared to my dark hair, so filling them in makes a real difference in terms of framing my features and bringing my face 'together'. I love the difference it makes and honestly, brow products are one of my daily essentials!!
Boots is pretty much my favourite shop | I used to be all about the clothes shopping; you could lose me for hours in New Look or Primark, but now I'd much rather blow all my spare cash on skincare and make-up! I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not? I have an unholy collection of face masks, cleansers, body butters and goodness knows what else yet I somehow can't help myself from adding to it at every given opportunity... There's a thrill in discovering a skincare gem that I just never got from buying a new top or pair of shoes.
There are dozens more things I've learnt from blogging (the fact that make-up brushes need washing springs to mind...), but these are some of the main ones! What have you learnt from blogging, or from reading blogs? Any confessions to share? I'd love to hear the most important thing blogging has taught you!

xo