How to Make Money as a Beauty Blogger

If you’re wondering how to make money as a beauty blogger, this article is going to cover everything you need to know, so buckle up babe!

We’re going to talk about the top three ways that beauty bloggers make money. We’re going to dig into the best affiliate programs for beauty bloggers. And then we’ll talk about the best strategies for increasing your income from your beauty blog.

Simply put, this is how to make money as a beauty blogger:

1. You can promote and sell beauty products/services through affiliate marketing.
2. You can promote and sell beauty products/services through sponsored posts.
3. You can create and sell your own beauty products/services.

Of course, you have other options, such as selling ad space on your website or earning ad revenue through YouTube videos (also good options).

But the three options listed above are usually the highest-paying and most sustainable ways for beauty bloggers and vloggers make money.

For the sake of this article, we’re going to focus primarily on affiliate marketing and the best affiliate programs for beauty bloggers.

Pro Tip: Get started with affiliate marketing early in your blogging journey to build up that passive income!

HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BEAUTY BLOGGER USING AFFILIATE MARKETING

Affiliate marketing is simply promoting products and services for other businesses that you are associated with. In your case, this will likely be businesses related to beauty products and services (makeup, skin, hair, etc). 

You sign up for the beauty affiliate program you want to join, and they give you a trackable link to share with your audience.

When someone makes a purchase through that link, you earn a commission.

This is a simple definition, but it’s also the only thing you really need to know about affiliate marketing right now: recommend a beauty product that you’re affiliated with and get paid when someone buys that product through your link.

And here’s the best part: you’re already a blogger/vlogger and you’re already recommending things that you use and love to your audience. You might as well get paid for the content you’re creating.

AFFILIATE NETWORKS VS. AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

There are two ways to gain access to that fancy little affiliate link that earns money for your beauty blog.

1. You can join an affiliate network that contains a pool of beauty programs you can join.
2. You can join individual affiliate programs that don’t use any third-party platforms to host their program.

Amazon is an example of an individual affiliate program, they run the program on their own platform with their own manpower. They don’t use an affiliate network to facilitate things.

WHICH SHOULD YOU USE FOR YOUR BEAUTY BLOG?

You can use them both!

You should use whichever one contains the affiliate programs that you want to promote.

If the affiliate program you want to promote is inside a network, then join that network where it resides. If the affiliate program is a stand-alone program, like Amazon, then use that program.

I love affiliate networks because they make everything so easy.

You can access multiple beauty affiliate programs in one place, apply to those programs, find out how much they pay, get your affiliate links, and get paid…all right there within your affiliate dashboard.

Because affiliate networks house so many different programs, we’re going to focus on affiliate networks in this article. But don’t discount the individual, in-house affiliate programs that are available to you.

To find in-house affiliate programs, simply search on Google for the name of the program you want to join. Just type: ‘Affiliate program for { brand name here }‘ and see what pops up.

Quick tip: Use in-house affiliate programs and affiliate networks to help you accomplish your affiliate income goals!

Now, let’s jump into the best affiliate programs for beauty bloggers.

BEAUTY AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

We’re going to dig into the top 5 affiliate networks every beauty blogger should join, and we’ll list some of the popular affiliate programs within.

Don’t let the list overwhelm you. 

You can start with one network and one beauty program at a time. Then, once you get comfortable with promoting that program, you can add another, then another, until you’re promoting as many beauty products as your heart desires!

1. FLEXOFFERS

Flexoffers is one of the best affiliate networks for beauty bloggers.

They have so many options and their payouts are some of the highest in the popular affiliate networks.

You can join FlexOffers right here.

After you go through the steps of joining the network, you’ll head over to their search option and find some beauty programs you’d like to join.

Just login and click on Advertisers, then Search Advertisers, and type the name of the beauty affiliate program into the search bar.

They have over 700 beauty programs, but you can also search in their other categories, like health and fitness, to find more options that fit within your niche.

Here are some of the programs you’ll find in Flexoffers (commissions are subject to change at the discretion of the program owner):

Zilk After Shave // 25% commission per sale
Bare Minerals // 10% commission per sale
Becca Cosmetics // 10% commission per sale
Clinique // 10% commission per sale
Smashbox // 10% commission per sale
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics // 8% commission per sale
Urban Decay // 8% commission per sale
Estee Lauder // 8% commission per sale
Laura Mercier // 4% commission per sale
Ulta Beauty // 4% commission per sale 

To join any of these programs, just click on the program name and then hit the green button that says Apply Now.

Then click the box to agree to the program terms, and hit ‘Apply to Program’.

You’ll receive an email letting you know if you were approved or denied.

If you’re a beauty blogger with original content on your site and your legal pages set up, it’s likely that you’ll get approved by many of the programs.

Once approved, you can login and grab your affiliate links to start promoting the products on your beauty blog!

Quick Recap: Join Flexoffers HERE and set up your legal pages HERE to help protect you and prepare you for your journey as a beauty blogger.

2. AWIN

You can join the AWIN affiliate program right here. 

There is a $5.00 screening fee to join the network, but the fee is refunded to you after approval. 

There is no minimum requirement for page views, followers, or subscribers, but the team over at AWIN told me that applicants must have a “website or platform that is LIVE. They must have an accessible, good standard of content. And that content must be relevant to the programs they are applying for.”

Here are a few of the beauty affiliate programs you can join through Awin and how much you can earn from each of them:

Hand in Hand Personal Care // 25% commission per sale
Mad Style // 15% commission on each sale
Dome Beauty // 10% commission per sale
Look Fabulous Forever // 10% commission per sale
The Hut // 8% commission on each sale
Skin Store // 8% commission per sale
Beauty Expert // 7% commission per sale
Grow Gorgeous Hair Care // 7% commission per sale
Mankind Male Grooming // 7% commission per sale
All Beauty // 6.5% commission per sale
Temple Spa // 6% commission per sale
Etsy // 2-4% commission per sale
Fab Fit Fun // $9 commission per sale

Keep in mind, you’ll join the AWIN affiliate network first. When you get approved, you can search for the programs in your dashboard here:

And then you’ll click the button to “Join Program”. You can also check commission rates and contact the affiliate manager if you have questions about the program.

You’ll agree to the terms, select the main platform where you’ll promote the products, and write a quick note about how you’ll promote the products.

And that’s it!

When people ask me how to make money as a beauty blogger, I always try to remind them that it’s as simple as this: promoting great products that make your audience’s life better or easier!

3. SHARE A SALE

You can join the Share-a-Sale network right here (it’s free). 

Some of my favorite and highest paying affiliate programs are available in this free network. It has thousands of programs to choose from, and plenty of good ones for beauty bloggers! 

Here are some of the beauty affiliate programs in the Share-a-sale network:

Bella Skin Beauty // 20% commission per sale
Glam Boxes // 13% commission per sale
Beauty by Earth // 10% commission per sale
Credo Beauty // 10% commission per sale
Cents of Style // 10% commission per sale
Claire’s // 5% commission per sale
Dollar Tree // 4-7% commission per sale
Sally Beauty // 1% commission per sale
Madison Reed // $20 per sale
Pampered Mommy Box // $4 per sale

You’ll search for programs to join here:

And then you’ll click the button to “Join Program”:

Simply sign up for Share-a-Sale right here, apply to the programs that you want to join, and then start promoting your affiliate products to your audience.

It takes a little time to grow and start making steady money, but this is your starting point. So, start today!

Related read >>> Here’s How to Boost Your Blog Traffic and Reach Your Dream Customers

4. RAKUTEN

This one made it onto the list because it also has some great affiliate programs for beauty bloggers. 

You can sign up for Rakuten right here (it’s also free)! Here are some of their top beauty programs and how much you can expect to earn from each sale.

Kat Von D //8% commission per sale
SmashBox Cosmetics // 8% commission per sale
Beauty Brands // 7% commission per sale
Beauty Plus Salon // 7% commission per sale
Wet n’ Wild // 6% commission per sale
LipSmacker // 6% commission per sale
BirchBox // 5% commission per sale
Twist Hair // 5% commission per sale
MAC Cosmetics // 4-6% commission per sale
Marc Jacobs Beauty // 4% commission per sale

Once you get approved by Rakuten, you can search for affiliate programs in your dashboard under ‘Programs’:

Apply for the program you want to join by hitting the apply button beside the program name.

You’ll check the box to agree to the terms that pop up in the next window, and that’s it.

5. CJ

Last but not least, is the CJ affiliate network (previously known as Commission Junction). Also free to join and full of great affiliate programs for beauty bloggers.

Here are some of the programs you’ll find within this network:

Dollar Shave Club // 10% commission per sale
Gillette // 10% commission per sale
Beautified You // 8% commission per sale
eCosmetics // 8% commission per sale
Elizabeth Arden // 8% commission per sale
American Crew // 6% commission per sale
Flesh Beauty // 6% commission per sale
Athena Cosmetics // 5% commission per sale
First Aid Beauty // 5% commission per sale

After joining the CJ network, you’ll search for advertisers by name or keyword.

Once you hit the button to apply to the program, your application is automatically submitted for review. 

Apply to the programs that are a good fit for your blog, grab your affiliate links, and start sharing them with your audience.

Now that you have a pool of great beauty affiliate programs in your back pocket, let’s take a quick minute to chat about another way to monetize your beauty blog: sponsored posts.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BEAUTY BLOGGER (DOING SPONSORED POSTS)

Affiliate marketing is an awesome way to make money from your beauty blog, but it’s certainly not the only way. Let’s talk about two other ways to make money from your blog or vlog.

One is by doing sponsored posts.

Simply put, this is how sponsored posts work: you reach out to brands or businesses that you want to work with and pitch them your idea for a sponsored post. This usually consists of promoting their products or services on your own blog or social channels.

Maybe there is a beauty product you want to share with your readers. Maybe there is a local spa you’d like to feature on social media. Or, maybe there is even a skin care company you’d like to review. Soooo many options for you, so get creative!

{Actionable Tip}: Make a list of the top beauty products, services, and companies you’d like to work with. Send one email pitch every day.

Best-kept blogging secret:

You can usually join a company affiliate program AND promote that company through a sponsored post (unless otherwise stated in their terms).

This means that you can get paid to write a sponsored post AND also use your own affiliate links in that post to promote that company’s products and/or services.

This leads to extra blogging income with very little extra effort – and that’s the kind of math >> THIS BLOGGER << likes to do!

Here is a comprehensive article about working with brands on sponsored posts. It also includes a pitching guide to help you land those sponsored gigs and get paid!

HOW TO MAKE MONEY AS A BEAUTY BLOGGER (BY SELLING YOUR OWN BEAUTY PRODUCTS)

Not every beauty blogger wants to create and sell their own line of products, but if that is something that interests you, don’t take it off the table.

There are creators that sell beauty products like scrubs, body butters, and oils. There are others that sell beauty guides, books, and courses. And others that do beauty coaching or offer beauty services to supplement their income.

There is no limit to what you can accomplish in this space!

Do some affiliate marketing.
Do some sponsored posts.
Create something awesome to sell.
Make some YouTube videos and grow an audience there.

Just be sure to always focus on filling needs for others and providing value for them.

The money comes after you’ve built that trust, created that awesome content, and learned how to serve your target audience. And it’s worth it!

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