If you’re new here — hi, I’m Mira. I’ve been writing about clean beauty, curly hair rituals, and the occasional mascara that doesn’t flake. Every few months I pull back the curtain and share what this little blog actually earns. No filtered numbers, no “six figure secret” fluff. Just the real income, expenses, and lessons learned while sipping too much matcha.
May turned out to be a surprise glow-up month. A couple of affiliate links randomly popped off, and a brand collaboration I pitched months ago finally went live. But also — my camera died, I had to buy new lighting, and I definitely impulse-bought a jade roller that I absolutely did not need. Let’s break it down.
I also sent out my very first newsletter with a hand‑drawn header (it looked a bit like a friendly snail, but people liked it). That newsletter drove about 15% of the affiliate sales. So yes, email still works, even for beauty bloggers who sometimes forget their own password.
Now for the part that doesn’t fit into a neat spreadsheet: I turned down a sponsored post that didn’t align with my values (a “clean” brand that actually uses lots of perfume — nope). Turning down money is scary, but my DMs stayed peaceful and I slept better.
And before you ask — yes, I still have a part‑time freelance gig (copywriting for a sustainable brand). The blog alone doesn’t replace my full income yet, but it’s growing slower and steadier than a lash serum. And that’s fine by me.
If you’re thinking about starting a beauty blog or you’re in the messy middle: keep going. It’s a lot of unnoticed work — replying to comments, fixing broken links, testing lipsticks that look awful on me. But then a reader emails you saying they finally found a moisturizer that doesn’t sting, and it all feels worth it.
Next month I’m planning a “budget beauty series” — think drugstore finds under $15. And maybe a better system for tracking affiliate links, because my spreadsheet currently looks like a toddler drew on it.