2020: My blogging year in review

It’s the last day of 2020, and I couldn’t be happier. As you all know, 2020 has been a nightmare for many, and so, I hope that 2021 will be better for everyone. Since it’s time for all kinds of round-ups, and summaries, then here comes my blogging year in review.

My blogging year in numbers

In 2020 I published 104 blog posts. That is 41 blog posts more than in 2019! Yay! The slowest months for me were February and April when I only published three posts in a month. I’m not sure what was the reason for so few posts in February but in April it was because of the distance learning from mid-March to mid-May due to the COVID-19 quarantine in Estonia. With a 7-year old, who thought (and still thinks) that school and learning is a pointless waste of time, it was a struggle to get his school stuff done and so I really didn’t have enough energy or time to write new posts or even take photos 🙁

My busiest months were October and November when I published 14 posts in a month. When compared to 2019, my blog received 10.8K more pageviews and had 5800 more visitors in 2020. My income from blogging also increased a little this year, but to actually make a living from it, my blogging income has to grow a lot more in 2021.

My most commented post

The blogpost that received the most comments was the “Oh, I think it’s a scam” post with a weekly link-up. The post was about my not very pleasant experience with a fitness clothing brand Lyre Fitness (or at least that’s what they claimed) who offered me an opportunity to host a giveaway on my IG page for them. There would have been 20 winners and I was promised two items from their shop for free.

Everything did sound too good to be true, but I just wanted to believe it to be true. Fortunately, I was warned the whole thing being a scam and so I pulled my post down after it being live for 2 hours.

I also contacted Lyre Fitness and mentioned DM’s I received about the whole thing. They replied 2 days later saying that no, of course, this is not a scam and someone is just spreading fake news. They also promised to ship the leggings I had chosen and that I should receive them in 2-3 weeks.

So, I should have received my leggings in late October or early November. Well, what do you think, did I received the promised leggings? Of course not! I also did a Google image search and found that exactly the same clothing was sold on Amazon and AliExpress and the prices there were times cheaper than at lyrefitness.com site.

My most viewed/read posts in 2020

The most visited post in 2020 is a post from 2019 – my review of Essence This Is Me lipsticks. The next most read is also from 2019 – my post of Essence This Is Me Gel Nail Polishes.

In the third place, we have my review of L’Oreal Preference 11.11 Ultra Light Crystal Blonde (or 11.11 Venice). I discovered this hair dye this year and have repurchased and used it several times already.

The fourth most-read post was another Essence Cosmetics review, but this time from 2020. Essence bye bye panda eyes! smudge-proof volumizing & defining mascara. This budget-friendly mascara is good, and I loved using it.

The 5th most read post is another hair dye review, but this time from 2017! Schwarzkopf Color Expert Omegaplex 10.1 Icy Blond is a very good hair dye. and I loved it a lot.

The 6th post is also from the oldie-but-goodie category – my review of FutureBiotics The 30 Day Beauty Secret supplement. The 7th most visited blog post at beautybymissl.com was another hair dye review from 2019 – Garnier Color Naturals Creme Bleaching Cream in shade E0 Super Blond review.

The 8th and 9th most-read posts according to Google Analytics are very surprising. Both of these posts are old: Avon Luxe lipstick swatches from 2013 and a post about my experience with Mane n Tail Herbal Gro products from 2014.

And the 10th most read post was another Essence review from 2019 – the post of my first impressions of Essence fall/winter 2019 products.

My favourite post from 2020

It’s a challenge to find the favourite post from 2020. Well, all my posts are like my babies and so it is difficult to choose. I love creating outfit posts because they are relatively easy to write, but sometimes it is not that easy to take the outfit photos. My hubby usually has to be the photographer (thanks hubby!) but when he is away I will have to do it myself using a tripod and remote control. Creating makeup looks is also fun but with the 2+-year-old toddler, it is sometimes a nightmare because he also wants to put on makeup when I do.

Well, since I can’t choose one favourite post then let’s do a favourite posts from of some of my blog’s main categories 😉

My favourite outfit post

That’s a difficult one, but I think my outfit post featuring a yellow hole-embroidered dress and striped shoes wins this time. I just love love love this pastel yellow summer dress because it is comfy, looks cute, and HAS POCKETS! I wore it a lot this summer and one of my favourite combos was with those striped H&M shoes.

My favourite review post

There will be two posts in this category – a beauty product review and just a review post. My favourite beauty product review post from 2020 would be my post on Elisheva & Shoshana Aloe Vera+ Deep Cleansing Detox Scalp Treatment Shampoo. I like the photos I took for this post and I’m just overall happy with it.

My favourite non-beauty review post title belongs to my post on Photowall wallpaper. I like the post, the photos and I love Photowall. I was lucky to work with Photowall twice in 2020 and I just loved working with them. Everything went smoothly and I love both the canvas print and wallpaper I received thanks to the cooperations.

My favourite makeup look post

I didn’t post many makeup looks in 2020, but I think my favourite would be this makeup look featuring Essence the Nude edition eyeshadow palette in a shade 10 Pretty In Nude. There is just something about this whole makeup look I absolutely love.

The most mentioned brand on my blog in 2020

Okay, I think if you reached so far then you already guessed which brand it might be… Of course, it’s Essence or Essence Cosmetics. I remember when I started blogging in 2011 then I read all those reviews of Essence makeup products and I was super sad that they weren’t sold anywhere in Estonia back then. Fast forward to 2015 when we moved back from the UK, and I finally found Essence products from our local supermarket. Yay! And a few years after that they contacted me and offered some products for review 🙂

I like Essence Cosmetics because it’s budget-friendly. They have some really great mascaras, brow products, lip glosses, etc. My newest favourites from Essence Cosmetics are the HELLO! GOOD STUFF Tinted Beauty Cream and Pretty Natural Hydrating Foundation. These two products are just perfect for the simple everyday makeup looks that let me achieve a natural look that I prefer.

So, this was my roundup of my blogging year. How did your 2020 go?