There was a time in my life where I was a 'blogger'. It was before Instagram and started because my favourite online forum closed. I had adored the forum, regularly meeting up with the women there for real-life bar dates and clubbing nights. When it was sold and closed, many of us felt bereft - and we wanted a new way to share and connect. Blogs were born.
I don't know exactly when I started, and I deleted my blog quite a few years ago now. But after a deep dive into some archives, I know that when I attended the Vueilio Blog Awards in 2016, I wrote that I had been blogging perhaps 8 years at that point. Calculations predict therefore that I was blogging in 2008. A whole 16-year-old teenager ago.
It was a blurry time - photos were uploaded that were dark, blurred and taken in a moment. Thoughts were shared with no agenda - apart from to share. I was lucky enough to have ridden a small wave of success with my blog. I received a ton of free clothes, free make-up, a coffee machine, a holiday to Menorca, glasses, paint, experiences and workshops. I was in a TV advert and a magazine ad. I wrote a featured column in a tattoo magazine. I was in photoshoots. And probably many many more. Written in a list like that feels wild, as I was a smaller blogger compared to many of my peers. It was a time before #ad disclosures and bloggers were paving a way for the influencers of today. I don't mean to #humblebrag here, simply to share a small insight into the blogger bubble of the 2010s.
The best thing my blog gave me, was Rockalily. I launched Rockalily Lipstick in 2011 (I think), which was featured in magazines such as Hello and Cosmo. A year later, I opened Rockalily Cuts. My hair salon was open from 2012-2019 and it was such a rainbow of colourful adventures. I am forever grateful to each and every staff member and customer who came through those doors.
I opened a hair salon (I am not a hair stylist) because my hair was my ultimate accessory. Over the years, I started wearing hair pieces and then full wigs. I have owned so many - in all different colours and styles. Even as a salon owner, I was a full-time wig wearer. It was never a secret, and my actual hair was always cut and coloured. It still is. It's bright green.
Before, during and after having a blog and running Rockalily, I was and am a teacher. There were even times when I taught full-time, and ran the salon. I closed the salon: I wanted a more quiet and streamlined life, I guess. I'd outgrown the working hours that were required to keep that many plates spinning. I wanted a smaller life in many ways. I deleted my blog and closed the salon.
So here I am now. I'm still a teacher. I still wear wigs. Rockalily Wigs was born. A micro-business launching because I seem unable to just do one thing at a time. It may last a long time or a short time. Who knows?!!
So much is different this time. When I launched a lipstick brand and then a salon - I had big dreams. I'm older now, and my dreams are a little smaller. However, I do miss the connection with others and sharing something that I love. So here it is. A wig I love wearing every day - available for you to buy, one small drop at a time (until they're not).