Post sponsored by iHerb. Opinions are 100% my own.

One of the questions I am asked most often is, “what is it like being a beauty influencer?”. To many, it seems like a glamorous job, but it is a lot of work. A lot of hard work, to be honest.

Everyone thinks, hey, you get loads of FREE MAKEUP (it’s not free, I work for it!) and you just test all those products all day long. Well, it is a lot more work than you think.

It has taken me YEARS to build a following and it is pretty much a one person show around here, except for the few hours of help a week from Caci (my daughter). I am not complaining whatsoever. I love the community that I have built, the relationships and friendships that I have formed through blogging and I truly love this job. But I think you would be surprised at how hard I actually work at it.

If I had to guess, I work 10 - 12 hours a day (on and off) and building and maintaining Beautiful Makeup Search and and the social sites. It takes a lot to manage EVERYTHING. I wear all the hats — I am the one who answers all the email, writes and edits the majority of the posts, photographs all the pictures, tests the majority of the products after opening the boxes. I organize the products, plan the content calendar; I negotiate contracts, create a budget — I am the account! I am also the social media manager which is a part time job in itself.

I do all of this from my home office, which includes a little photography area.

I have a family which includes four children, a husband and a new puppy. I make it a point to schedule in “me time” and I go to bootcamp at least four times a week. To say that I am busy might be an understatement! I have found that if I stay on top of my nutrition and hydration with the right products throughout the day, I have the energy to keep up.

I make this all possible by keeping a pretty tight schedule, too.

I thought I would answer a lot of the questions I so often get by sharing a bit behind the scenes and my schedule and what it really takes to be a beauty blogger.

Here is my day in my life as a beauty blogger.

5 AM - 6 AM
Wake Up! I am an earlier riser and just wake up when my internal alarm clock gets me up. As soon as I get up, I have to get the puppy up, take him out and have a bit of puppy play time.

I get everyones coffee, tea, lunches ready for the day so that I can begin my day.

By 6: 30 AM

I am sitting down to the computer with my morning smoothie! I LOVE starting my day with a smoothie as it wakes me up and gets me going. I use plant-based protein powder (a recent lifestyle change) and I add collagen peptides to it, as well. I look over any emails that came overnight, check the blog post for the day and make sure all looks well, schedule Pinterest on that post and corresponding social posts for the day.

Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Beauty Blogger

8 AM

It’s usually only my husband and I home (with the puppy) by this time, so I take a few minute break and we talk about our day and spend time with the puppy. I clean up from breakfast and usually throw in a load of laundry and shower to get ready for the day. I have always used AVEENO so it should be no surprise that you would find both AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Body Wash and AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Lotion in my bathroom.

9 AM - 12 PM

It is back to my desk with a glass of water for supplements and then I get to work for a few hours. I take a few supplements every morning including one for Hair, Skin & Nails. I have taken this one for a few years now and I swear it has helped my hair tremendously because it is not as thin as it once was. I have a few more daily supplements and prescriptions (ugh) that I take at this time and then I go back to e-mail, download banking updates, reconcile invoices and start creating content. I usually put up an Instagram post, maybe an IG story; I might take photographs, sort through products or organize. I have no rhyme or reason to my mornings, but I block out the mornings to staying in the office and working hard.

12 PM - 1 PM

I take a lunch hour! Weather permitting, I go outside with the dog, maybe go for a short walk and eat lunch. I will switch my load of laundry and do anything else around the house that needs done, but quickly.

1 PM - 2:30 PM

I get back to work. I usually get back into e-mails and spend this time taking time to answer them, send e-mails that need sending. You may have noticed that I have a hand cream on my desk. I can’t be without hand cream and just love the way that the DermaE VitaminE Lavender & Neroli Shea Hand Cream smells!

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Errand time! I use this hour to run errands. If I don’t have errands to run, I use this time to do extra things like laundry, run the vacuum, or make phone calls, but it’s rare that I don’t have some sort of errands to run. I almost always have to run to the grocery store, drugstore (picking up more beauty products!), bank or post office.

3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Back to working on posts. I am really careful about hydration, so every time I sit down, I am sure to re-fill my water. I usually try to test new makeup in the afternoon and this is when I like to take the majority of my photos, too. It is too bright in my office in the morning, so I wait and use my artificial lights so I don’t have harsh shadows. I almost always have a snack when I first sit down and I depend on protein bars. Think Thin bars are my favorite!

4:45 PM - 5 PM

Puppy time! Before I start prepping dinner and leave for bootcamp, I dedicate 15 - 20 minutes of puppy playtime to Peanut! He is very attached to me and is usually sound asleep under my desk, but he needs his playtime a few times a day. He definitely gets his exercise and playtime with others in the house, but I like playing with him, too! It’s a nice break ;)

Peanut the Puppy Sleeping under the Desk

5 PM - 5:30 PM

Make/Prepare Dinner

5:30 PM - 7:15 PM

Bootcamp

7:15 - 8 PM

Dinner and clean up

8 PM - 11 PM

I call this time family time, but I have my iPhone and laptop with me while I am on the couch. I am constantly checking social media, editing or writing posts if I have a deadline and continually answering e-mails. I try not to use the laptop as I want to spend time with the family, but if I have a deadline, I do so, but I do it form the couch in the family room with the family instead of my office.

I am constantly up and down to make sure the laundry is finished during this time (I do 2 - 3 loads a day) and that the house is all picked-up and put back together. I can’t stand to go to bed with a messy house.

I head up to bed around 11 PM each night, take off my makeup, apply a hydrating cream (this Wake Up Beautiful Sleepover Mask is a FAVE) and finish up with this lip balm as a final step. I tuck Peanut in and turn off the lights and go to sleep for the night before waking in the morning and doing it all over again.

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I do this most days, except for the weekends. I admit, that I do the morning schedule on Saturday and put in a half a day of work. I check social often on weekends, though I try not to work as much.

Do you think that you could work from home and stay motivated every day?

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