My First Bloggers Meet-Up - #sotonoctmeetup

Blogging is, more often than not, quite an isolated past-time. Writing, researching and reading blog posts is a one-man job, involving many nights in alone with your beloved laptop and whatever camera you choose as your weapon. So when an opportunity to meet fellow bloggers comes up...well...it can create a sense of excitement and fear in one go!

I first heard about #sotonoctmeetup on twitter a month or so ago. A number of local bloggers were going to get together in a venue to chat, eat and sample products from some brands. Catherine, a fellow blogger, had taken it upon herself to organise the event, and after months of planning, some major changes and last-minute cancellations, the day arrived. Unfortunately, Catherine couldn't attend in the end, but another blogger, Alice, stepped up and the meet-up went ahead.

I was very nervous, but excited. I didn't think about it too much before the day, and it was only until I began walking to the venue that I started to feel anxious. Fortunately, after sitting down tentatively amongst the other girls, and making some awkward small talk, I started to feel a little better. I felt very self-conscious and almost like an imposter when I arrived, like I wasn't supposed to be there...so I ordered a cheeky tropical mojito and started chatting to two lovely ladies in particular - Kelly, from Along Came Kelly and Tammi from Tammingtons. They were so easy to get along with and we had a lot in common in terms of our blogging techniques! We were all fairly new, all bewildered by the technical side of beauty blogging and very nervous! It was lovely to have some friendly faces to help me settle into the event.

I also got to meet other bloggers too! Alice from Annie Writes Beauty and Mandy from One Slice of Lemon have spoken to me on twitter a few times, so it was lovely to put a face to a twitter handle. There were so many other girls too whose blogs I am still hunting down. It was only a small meet up, but it was still hard to talk to everyone in the time we had - especially when you're too shy to make the first move.

We enjoyed out drinks and food, before chatting to a few brands - Lush were there, which made my day, and I enjoyed an arm massage from the ladies from the Southampton store. I also spoke to people from ESPA, who took a look at my skin and offered a taster kit, and In Situ Cosmetics, who focus on personalised skincare. 

After a lot of chatting, eating and moisturising, I left the event with a lovely goodie-bag and some new friends. I don't really focus on beauty on this blog - I'm very much a novice, but with so many skincare samples I am looking forward to discovering some new favourites! I am particularly keen to start using my ESPA products (and book a complimentary mini-facial!)

I really enjoyed taking this step and attending my first meet-up - it's nerve-wracking and intimidating at first, but it's well worth it, and  I'm looking forward to getting more involved in many other ways. I'll also hopefully be writing my advice for attending blogging events in another post, and looking at the goodies I received too - so watch out for that.

I really appreciated having the opportunity to attend the #sotonoctmeetup - I've only been blogging for a year, and am no expert on beauty (which these meet-ups seem to centre around) but it's a huge step for me to build up my confidence to meet others who seem to be experts and well-respected writers in the local blogging bubble and beyond. I can't wait for the next one! Thanks to those who organised and ran the event - I had a great afternoon.

I'm lucky enough to be going along to another local meet-up in two weeks. After my first experience I'm already really looking forward to it, and although I am nervous again, I am planning to throw myself straight in. I do feel worried that I'll stand out like a sore thumb, and that the other attendees will be professional and coiffed - but if the offline blogging community is as friendly and welcoming as it is online, then I have nothing to worry about!

If you attended the meet-up,  or if you're heading to the next one in a couple of weeks, please stop and say hi (especially if I never had the chance to chat to you!) It's always lovely to find new blogs to read and people to listen to.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? She Wears Burgundy turned one last week, and I'm sending one of my readers a little relaxation kit as a thank you! Take a look and enter my giveaway, before it's too late.