Makeup Files

(Have you been entering the week of giveaways in celebration of the anniversary? You could win a lot of cool stuff!)

Three years ago today, I started my first post on Makeup Files. There were two, actually. One announcing the blog, and one about getting your face ready for makeup.

How It All Began

Before I talk about this awesome 3rd year, I’d like to tell you the origins of Makeup Files.

I bought the domain 3 1/2 years ago. I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do with it, and for months, it just sat there empty.

Then one day I was talking to a friend on the phone. She asked me about white eyeliner and I started listing all of the merits of the stuff. She was impressed with my knowledge, and a little bell went off in my head. “Hey…I know a lot about makeup,” I said to myself.

That’s when I realized what I wanted to do. I was already a freelance writer, working from home. Starting a blog seemed like an excellent way to spend my time, even if I made almost no money from it (yeah, blogging isn’t very lucrative.)

A few weeks after I started the blog, I wrote up my opinions on white eyeliner: Super Makeup Tricks with White Eyeliner. Even though it’s one of the oldest of almost 500 posts, it remains one of the most popular.

Makeup Files’ 3rd Year

Fast forward 2 years. Makeup Files had really grown. I finally found a blog layout and design that I liked and I continued to post on a regular basis.

Some highlights of the past year:

• I released another beauty ebook, The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover. And I recently released it for the Amazon Kindle (or various Kindle apps).
• I wrote a guest post for Makeup and Beauty Blog.
• I started my weight loss journey with Nutrisystem Nation (and lost over 6 pounds!)
• Was a finalist for BeautySchool.com’s Top Beauty Blog Contest and was listed as a top beauty blog to watch in 2011.
• I had a bunch of giveaways over the year to show my appreciation for my readers.
• Average daily traffic tripled.

And someone special has something to say about all this…

Thanks Apartment Gnome!

Top 5 Posts of the Last Year

If you’re new to Makeup Files and you want to see the best of the last year, or you’re a regular reader and want a blast from the past, check out the top Makeup Files posts of the last year:

1. How to Do Your Makeup Like Ke$ha
2. How to Look Cute While Jogging
3. 10 More Ways to Look Beautiful Without Makeup
4. 26 Mantras for Powerful Self Esteem
5. 5 Must-Have Items for Natural Beauties

They’re the top for 2 reasons: they are the most viewed, and I like them.

So, here’s to Makeup Files. Happy anniversary (or blogiversary, if you will)! May this blog be around for years to come. Cheers!