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Jakarta Post

A beauty blogger gets down to business

Beauty bloggers are cutting more sway as consumer influencers in today’s social media world

The Jakarta Post
Mon, February 23, 2015

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A beauty blogger gets down to business

Beauty bloggers are cutting more sway as consumer influencers in today'€™s social media world. Meet one who is part of the trend.

Jakarta-born, Singapore-educated Elrica Diona says perhaps it was luck that got her to where she is today as a well-established beauty blogger. She majored in public relations but ended up pursing a career as a professional makeup artist. She has twice won the title of Singapore'€™s Best Beauty Blog Award for her blog, Pink Bublé (pink-buble.blogspot.com).

'€œI like pink and I like Michael Bublé. So I thought why not put them together?'€ the 30-year-old said.

Now juggling her various commitments as brand ambassador for beauty products, owner of her own PR and marketing company and mother of a toddler, Elrica is having the time of her life.

How would you describe your blog?


I would say my blog is about my life, my story, my makeup and my beauty journey. Now I write more about beauty reviews, makeup tutorials and my travels. I want people who read my blog to relate to me, and to send a message to young girls out there reading my blog to stay true to themselves and just be confident in their own skin.

Why blog?


When I first started my blog back in 2007, all I had in mind was that I wanted to record my journey living in Singapore. The blog posts were mostly about my thoughts of living abroad by myself, my angers and my dreams. I wanted to have memories that I can look back to someday, a more digital version of public diary, something that my family back home can read and relate to my life here in Singapore.

Can blogging be a full-time job for anyone?


Definitely! In Singapore, there are plenty of bloggers who are represented by agencies and they pay their bills by displaying ads in their blog. The earnings are pretty awesome.

What are some perks to being a beauty blogger?


After winning the award, I managed to get beauty contracts with makeup companies from Singapore, Korea and Japan. There are countless high profile event invites, freebies, beauty products to play with. I also got to make friends with people in the industry and gained friendship with other bloggers.

... and the not so fancy part?


Some people think beauty bloggers are product beggars and an attention '€œwhore'€. Big oops on this, but I am guilty as charged! Well, more but on the attention part. I bribe my readers with many photos of me with make up on!

With the rise of commercial bloggers, can we trust everything that beauty bloggers recommend?

It depends. Check the credibility of the blogger. Trust the honest ones, close your window on the fake reviewer. You'€™ll know this by reading up their blog and getting to know more about the blogger.

You'€™re a professional makeup artist. Are the techniques you post on your blog easy enough for amateurs to follow?

Yes! Sometimes I even use finger to apply the eye shadow, so the readers can'€™t make excuses by saying they don'€™t have the tools.

Who are your personal favorite beauty blogs?

I love Jane from Head To Toe and Shan from Shaxoxo. I think they are very honest, and positive! As for Shan, I love how open she is about her life and her breast implants.

You also run your own PR and marketing company and look after a toddler. Describe what a typical day is like for you.

My typical day usually starts with a good cup of coffee, followed by a good 20 minutes in the shower. Then I usually sit in front of my computer to check my emails, jot down some ideas to pitch for potential clients, and start writing. My work meetings are usually in the afternoon. I'€™m usually done around 5 p.m.

After that it'€™s family time. Previously I worked as a senior PR and marketing executive at a multinational company. But I left that position to look after my little one. Having discovered my true passion and being able to do it, I think this is one of the best decisions I'€™ve ever made in my life.

What keeps you going?

The bills keep me going! But seriously, my dream is to own a company with big enough capital to hire people and give them the same opportunity I got from people who believed in me.

What is your next project?


I am going to bring this company, my blogging world and my family to another continent, right down under. That is the next project.

(Sondang Grace Sirait)

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