First Look Fridays: Isabella of Musings of a Muse

Happy July 4th, my fellow beauty chicks! I'm excited to bring you this week's edition of First Look Fridays, featuring Isabella -- or Izzy, as she prefers to be called! -- from Musings of a Muse. This native New Yorker writes such a fun blog -- her FOTDs always use the latest, hottest products and she's got so many product reviews, I have no idea how she even has time to try them all! Read on to find out more about this fab gal!

Why did you decide to start your blog?
I started a really small blog on Myspace just for my own entertainment really. I honestly never even gave the idea of a huge readership a second thought when I began my blog. It was all about little entries here and there about releases, makeup hauls, etc. ... At the time I was a member of a Singaporean forum, and still am, that pretty much blew my readership out of the water. A good friend and fellow blog mate of mine, Iris from Rouge Deluxe, linked me on her blog and after that readers just kept pouring in. I have a huge Asian-based readership, which I'm very proud of, and most of the Singapore girls that read my really bad Myspace blog are still with me to this day after my big move to Blogger. It's a little over a year since I started Musings and to this day I'm always shocked at how many people pop by daily just to have a peek at what I am up to! I can't help but be tickled when I read the excitement in comments about cosmetics. I think my readers relate really well to the fact that I'm just a normal, average, everyday girl that LOVES cosmetics as much as they do (maybe even more than they do!).

I love the name of your blog! How did you come up with it?
Gee, I wish I had some really awesome story to tell about the legacy of the name, but sadly I don't. It was a really random name that just sounded right at the time. It later turned into all sorts of things and now "the Muse" and "Musings" follow me around on the internet and off!

Do you have a "day job?" What is it?
I sadly do have a day job. Ugh, how horrible. Readers ask me all the time about what I do. I even have some that tell me, "Oh, you're probably in the makeup or fashion industry," and sadly I have to say nope I am actually a very boring ... drumroll please ... insurance broker! Ack! Maybe I should lie and create some super-glam job that has to do with cosmetics! I'm partners with my sister and we own and operate our own insurance agency selling commercial liability, personal auto, life insurance, etc. ... so my real life is quite removed from my cosmetic life.

What have been some of the highlights of having your blog?
There are sincerely way too many to list. Readers are so supportive and amazing and just brilliant. I treat them like friends or family. They make my day by stopping by to just shout their thoughts out at me on a product! I love interacting with them every day and I look forward to waking up in the AM to check my comment field and see what they have said. It's a really great highlight to a busy day! When someone comments to say, "Oh I always check your blog before purchasing a product" it simply makes me shine and I feel like I'm doing some great service! I was recently featured in a popular online Korean magazine. This totally rocked my world and I couldn't even begin to explain the excitement I felt when I saw the article!

Playing with products must be fun -- but what are some things you do for fun outside of blogging?
Products are way too fun but sometimes real life can be fun too! I'm all for good times. I love to shop (obviously right), spend time with friends and family, go out ... although my weekdays are normally slow, I'm a very big weekend girl and love doing stuff with friends. I spend tons of time with my sister as well -- since we get on so famously, we are always up to something or another.

Are there any other beauty blogs you read regularly? What are some that you like and why?
I'm normally a big reader of blogs that I call "home grown." Home grown blogs are the ones that don't read like a big press release. Those that have cute little quirks or personal info about the writer. I like blogs that are passionate about cosmetics and have a great love of product like myself. I like to read reviews where I can see the person trying out a lipstick or an eyeshadow. I enjoy bloggers that dig into that big old pot of bold blush and tell the world how much they love it even if the shade is a bright blazing blue. I also love "reading," I use the term reading loosely, Japanese blogs that have the latest info on Japanese cosmetic releases.

Blogs I read religiously ... hmm the list is huge ... but some of my personal faves are:

1) Rouge Deluxe -- I could be biased because a good friend writes this blog, but my first mouse click of the day normally starts here. It's the best place to find out the latest and the greatest on Japanese makeup releases! I haven't come across a better place to get the scoop on beauty abroad.

2) Kiss and Makeup -- Seriously who doesn't love Kiss and Makeup? They are such a fab group of girls loving what they do!

3) Nessasary Makeup -- Simply awesome blog about all good things makeup! Vanessa is a favorite blogger of mine and I find myself clicking over to her site at least ten times a day!

4) http://et-coquine.at.webry.info -- Sadly it's not in English, but with a little help from my trusty translating applet I'm able to make out some of what gets posted here. But if I'm honest, I'll admit that I just drool at all the pretty pictures!

5) MandyPandy's Beauty Blog -- This is on my hit list daily and doesn't get updated nearly enough! If you like the dirty, raw, hysterically funny side of beauty in it!

Now that you've learned more about the adorably fabulous Izzy from Musings of a Muse, you simply must go and read her blog right now! Thanks so much to Izzy for granting this wonderful interview!