Every Monday we bring you a blogger feature on a talented individual who inspires us. This week are featuring the established Kirbie Johnson, the founder of her own blog ‘Kirbie Goes to Hollywood’, and contributor to PopSugar Beauty, Huffington Post, Styleist, US Weekly, Yahoo! and more. She’s an expert in the beauty field, the queen of pop culture and an inspiring writer and blogger to boot. We are proud to bring her to our blog and always on the look out for her next article and piece of life saving advice.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? 
I’m a tried and true Texan who has lived in LA the past five years! I left Texas a week after graduating to pursue my dream of being a host.
Full-time, I work for POPSUGAR as their beauty reporter and producer. I get to interview everyone in the beauty industry — from top stylists and makeup artist, to Tom Bachik (who does J-LO and Zooey Deschanel’s nails) and even celebrities like Rihanna, Sofia Vergara and Zooey. When you get report on beauty trends and try out of all them in the process, it definitely doesn’t feel like work! Plus, I get to combine my love of beauty with interviewing, which is something I love. It’s basically girl chat. Who can complain?
In addition to working on camera, I produce branded and sponsored videos, working with brands like Olay, Covergirl, Stayfree, Aussie, Rimmel London and more. If you have a brand who wants great content that doesn’t feel like an ad, I’m your gal!
My blog, Kirbie Goes to Hollywood, is a mix of tips, advice and commentary on beauty, LA, music and the entertainment industry.
I majored in advertising and public relations in college, which was a part of our journalism school, so I took everything I learned there and combined it with my love of beauty, music and entertainment.
What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
Bubbly, hopeful and determined
What Profession other than yours would you love to attempt?
This is so tough! I am absolutely in love with graphic design. I learned a bit about it during college, so I know how to use Photoshop, but I would like to take a few courses so I create my own blog templates and websites. I like to do everything myself!
I’m signing up for screenwriting courses at UCLA soon because I have a lot of ideas I’d like to see fleshed out and see where I can take them, professionally at least. People think it’s weird, but I want to write scary movies or a series like American Horror Story.
Annnnd I love doing people’s hair and makeup. It’s a creative outlet for me, and I love helping people. If I can teach a woman something that makes her feel better about herself… that’s what it’s all about.
What is your favorite quote?
See the light in others, and treat them as if that’s all you see. – Dr. Wayne Dyer
What inspired your blog?
KirbieGoestoHollywood.com was originally “Kirbie need a job.” Ha. I was in my senior year, trying to figure out what I was going to do professionally. So I created a blog to write about my hopes and dreams and to also commentate on world events. I found that people resonated with my writing because I was authentic and talked about what I was going through, like finding a job or moving away from my boyfriend or trying to land my dream job.
Once I decided to move to LA, it became Kirbie Goes to Hollywood and turned into a way to connect with my family and friends, who were miles away. I could talk about the odd jobs I was picking up, which celebrities I got to work with and really just have a place to get everything I wanted to say out into the world.
What is your favorite social media platform and why?
I’m all about Twitter. I love that it makes news digestible. I can go on Twitter, look at trending topics and know what’s happening in real time, and then scroll through my newsfeed to find topics I’d like to learn more about. And, of course, tweet Harry Styles.
Plus, hello? People are hilarious on Twitter! My favorite thing to do is watch events like the Olympics or The Oscars and live Tweet. It’s gold. My favorite Twitter moment has to be when Chrissy Teigen drunkenly told her followers she’d follow them if we posted some really ridiculous photo of ourselves holding a plant and smiling with no teeth. I, of course, really went for it and she ended up following me! She still does. I bet I’m on mute or something!
Where do you find inspiration for blog posts?
Everywhere — overhearing a conversation at the coffee shop, music (most recently Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour inspired my Prismatic hair color post), conversations with my girlfriends or guy friends. If a guy asks me what he should wear to Coachella, I’ll turn it into a post. When I learned that your car tells you which side your gas tank is on, it blew my mind (sadly), so I wrote about that and 9 other things every woman should know. Recently, I got off a really irritating flight, so I wrote about things people need to stop doing on the plane. I have so many notebooks and notes in my phone full of ideas that pop into my head throughout the day.
What do you think it is about your blog that keeps people coming back for more?
To be honest, I know it’s a personal blog, but it’s important for me to not be self-indulgent. And to figure out what I’m offering in terms of service for the reader. I want them to learn something or
laugh!
At the same time, this is like my public diary. I want to be able to remember some of the awesome things I was able to partake in. I obviously work for a studio, so I am very conscious of separating 
what I do professionally between what I’m writing about on the blog. If I’m talking about beauty, it’s usually something I wouldn’t normally write or shoot for the site. And I’ll post recaps of events or concerts I’ve got to through work to give more of an “inside look” or diary component.
I’m always most impressed by bloggers who are fabulous, smart, witty writers and let that do most of the talking. That’s the mindset I come from when I write. I know that for some posts, I have to take photos of my hair or pose, but sometimes I cringe because it can feel so narcissistic. I’ll do it, though, if I need to show off the product!
I’m on camera for my job, but I want the blog to feel like a place that readers can go and read something their girlfriend is writing. I’ll share glamorous things because I’m excited about them, but mostly, I like to share my embarrassing moments. It adds a human component to it all. I like to cover subjects that people aren’t aware of… one post that means a lot to me is one I wrote about teens and social media, and how it’s getting out of hand. It really opened up a lot of my readers’ eyes to what is going on online with our youth.
How does a brand get your attention for a feature?
Making the pitch personal really does make all the difference. I used to work in PR, so I know how many pitches you have to send out and how daunting it can be. But throwing in “I thought this would be perfect since…” and relating it to a post always catches my eye.
That being said, I’m always looking for what’s next. If a product has been covered endlessly, I won’t want to cover it.
What do you love most about blogging?
Getting to say what I feel and what others are feeling.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’ll have started my own production company and will have my own talk show, and will be involved in music in some capacity. I’d like to have two books published and be a showrunner for a TV show that I’ve developed, written and sold. I’d like to be able to take care of my family and help give back to people who have taken care of me over the years.
In your opinion, what separates a great blog from an unsuccessful blog?
Like anything in life, persistence! And walking to the beat of your own drum. Don’t follow the leader.
Read More about Kirbie Johnson Here : kirbiegoestohollywood.com/
