The Weekend Post #2: Blogging Tips (Behind the Scenes of Blogging)

Hi My Lovelies,

I always get asked every now and then how much work it takes to run a blog and I never have the right answers because blogging could be demanding ( lot of work) or easy (minimal effort) depending on how you look at it. I am in no way an expert but this is just the way i work on this blog which is by no means the perfect way; just what works for me.. So, I decided to share this post on what I do before I publish a blog post.

1. Getting the Idea: I draw inspiration from different things which include magazines, other bloggers, press releases, internet, myself, products, nature, friends, family and you of course (your comments are one of my favourite inspirations). I get inspired and I always try to jot something down even if it's on a small notebook or on my phone or iPad. For example, let's say a friend asked my opinion about choosing the right foundation, I would give my honest opinion and of course I would feel inspired and a blog post will be birthed.

2. Writing the post: If I am really buzzing with inspiration and I have the time, I will whip out a blog post in no time. I write and type very fast (and even faster) when I am in the mood. Most of my posts are done either on the tube, train, bus, at work (during lunch break), on my balcony at home if the weather is fine (I also take pictures here) or just on my bed (my favourite place); I don't have a set time for blogging (I know, I know, I am not very organised) because I have a lot of other things vying for my attention and time. Writing the post is one of the most interesting parts of blogging for me because I love to write :-) which is why sometimes you are all bored to death with my super long posts..sorry!!

3. Photography: This is where it gets a bit technical and complicated. I like to take pictures but it takes a lot of time and a lot of factors influence it with the biggest being the amount of light available especially now that it's winter in the UK with very short day light. I always go crazy with pictures and take a lot then I delete them. Contrary to what people think, I don't own a DSLR camera but I have a point and shoot digital camera (Nikon CoolPix), an iPhone and a Bridge camera. I hope to share a photography post soon. I would like a DSLR camera at some point but my other devices do just fine for now. I prefer to take photos with natural daylight so if the weather is nice, I would take all the photos I may need for a week because if I have photos ready, I can whip out many blog posts.

Unedited                                                                       Edited

4. Editing the Photos: Most of the photos used on here are edited to improve the quality. I love pictures and I always want the best experience for my readers. Editing could take a while especially when you have tonnes of pictures to edit so I always do them in batches. I love editing because the pictures seem to be brought to light instantly which is why I am not too bothered if the initial quality of the picture is not great; I am more concerned with getting a good shot. I don't do heavy editing for the photos because "ain't nobody gat time fo' dat" but I usually adjust the white balance and contrast and that's it. Sometimes, if the lighting is great, I don't really edit, I just auto-adjust and that's all. I don't edit pictures of swatches of makeup of course because I prefer the real/true image to be seen.

5. Arranging/Editing the post: I like this part because it means I am getting to the end goal- publishing!! Here, I just decide what style I want the post to look like. I could either put all the pictures above the actual post and have the blog write up underneath or I just insert the pictures above related headings. It takes a really short time and I actually enjoy this. Whatever I choose, I always choose a nice picture for the heading/post title which is incidentally what is picked up when sharing the blog posts. I also add links if necessary and edit the posts for any errors and spell checks. I italicise and make bold where necessary and add headings.

6. Preview: If you use blogger, you can preview your post while in draft and it shows you how the blog posts look like when it is published which is very handy. I wish life had a preview button so we can preview any decisions we want to make to see how it looks like before attempting it...hehehehe that explains why we are still humans despite all the knowledge we think we know *holds lips and smacks wrist for digressing*. The preview button allows me see the blog post as though I was just a reader like you and I make a few adjustments and add my labels/tags after I am satisfied.

7. Publish and Share: Once I am happy with all the editing, I hit the publish button and it's published. I really feel very accomplished and excited once I hit the button. Then, I proceed to share  on Google, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Glipho. Occasionally, I would share on Instagram and other forums. For more ways to share, I have a post here which is helpful for sharing blog posts. If I see an error, I am always happy to go back and tweak it. Sometimes, I am naughty and check how many views the post has..very naughty I know but it does make me feel encouraged and if I get comments, it makes my day and I always reply because I love the interaction.

That's it folks. I know it seems like a lot of steps but step 5, 6 and 7 take just a few minutes. The most time is spent in steps 2, 3 and 4. More on 3 and 4 which is photography and editing. Sometimes, I do these steps over a few days while on other days when I am less busy I can actually do all steps in a day which I prefer. The amount of blog posts I have in my draft is ridiculous but I am getting to whip them out soon.. I hope you have enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes and if you would like more of this kind of posts, let me know...toodles... xx

&Other Stories Haul- Brocade Aegean Eyeshadow and Caddage Pink Blush

Hi My Lovelies,
So, I popped into &Other Stories which is a sister store to H&M and COS. I was around Regent Street in London for a little meeting and I decided it was a good time to wander around and do some window shopping to see what the January sales was offering. &Other Stories is one beautiful store with a very welcoming set up. Now, I wish I took some pictures but I was busy admiring the décor and all the lovely items for sale. They sell almost everything you can think of and more including clothing, beauty items, makeup, skin care, jewellery, accessories, bags, lingerie, just name it. Think of them like a high end H&M store with more class.. I ended up picking up two makeup items on sale: Brocade Aegean and Caddage Pink. The names are really interesting and very different. The Brocade Aegean sounds Grecian...









Brocade Aegean- Eye Shadow Quad
This is a lovely bright eye shadow quad which stood out amongst all the items on sale. To be honest, bright colours are not the kind of eye shadow colours I reach for often but I was drawn to this one because it held a few of my favourite colours. The colours you get are Purple, Blue, Yellow and Green. Of course, that's the simplest descriptions of the colours I could think of because many could describe the yellow as a bright/neon yellow (if there's anything like that tho) but I am a bit rubbish with describing colours so I think using the bare names of the colours are just fine. Although, it looks really bright and OTT, it is actually wearable. I find that the opposite eye shadow colours complement each other and actually look good when worn with and over each other. They are not very pigmented as expected but I would say they are okay for a non-high end eyeshadow especially when worn with a primer. It would be a little flat without an eye primer but I have been loving this so far. The normal RRP was £12 but they were having 70% off (how amazing!!) so I got it for £3.60 which I think is a massive bargain.







Caddage Pink Blush
I instantly fell in love with this blush because I knew it would be perfect for my skin tone.Silly me, when I first saw the name, I thought it said Cabbage Pink at first and I was like (:-o). I would describe it as a rich dusty brownish-pink which kind of reminds me of Sleek's Sahara blush. I think this is a really versatile colour because it will look flattering on many complexions. Unlike the eye shadow quad, the Caddage Pink blush is very pigmented and you really need a light hand with this if you don't want to end up looking too made up. This has been my go-to blush ever since i purchased it and I think the inscription on it says it all: "Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days"..hahaha it sounds so cheesy but I love it. The retail price for this was £10 but I got it for £3.00 as they also had 70% off...:-)



I like my little haul of &Other Stories but I doubt if I would have bought any of the items if it was full price..Ok, maybe the blush if I was feeling a little rich. In total, I only spent £6.60 which I think is really amazing given the quality of the products. If you don't have time to pop into their store here in London, you can shop online on the &Other Stories website and I still spy some sales bargain left.  Have you shopped in &Other Stories? See you in my next post...x

Pull and Bear Haul- Rings

Hi Me Lovelies,
I doubt if I have ever had a jewellery haul over here which is surprising as I love Jewellery and Accessories and I actually sold them for a little while back in the days. Who knows I may relaunch it soon!! Anyway, I popped over to Pull and Bear stores one lazy day in Oxford Street London during the sales. For some strange reason, I just assumed nothing will interest me in there and I thought it was going to be expensive. I was pleasantly surprised because their non-sale and sale items were actually affordable and of excellent quality. They kind of reminded me of Zara and I have no idea why.



As usual, I was drawn to the sales section which is my favourite section hands down. They had some really nice pieces but I didn't really see anything I needed until I spied these rings. I think they are definitely my style. I am not a huge fan of wearing rings especially heavy ones because I feel they weigh my fingers down (I know it's weird and I don't like bracelets either) but these rings are very light and the designs are just perfect for me. I like rings with simple, clean designs that have abstract themes to them and I think these rings just ticked all the boxes for me with an exception to the skull one which I am not a huge fan of. It looks more gothic or rock 'n' roll which is not my style really. I like to shop for rings in stores like Whistles, Urban Outfitters and now Pull and Bear because I love the style of rings they churn out.

And No...I don't wear them all at the same time; just did for picture purposes :-))

My favourite pair

This pack of 4 rings cost £1.99 as their sales price which I think is a mahoosive bargain. The set contains a silver plated twisted loop rings, a gold plated circular ring, a silver plated inscription ring (I think it says love on it) and of course the skull shaped ring in brass.  I wished they had other designs but this was the only one left at the time. I am really surprised at how well these rings have held up; they have not faded or changed colour and I am really impressed with their quality. They also had some amazing neck pieces which looked like my style but I didn't really want to spend any more as it was unplanned purchase. I am pretty sure they still have some sales on the Pull and Bear Website if you want have a nosey peek...go on, you know you want to.. :-)). I will see you in my next post...x

The Weekend Post #1: All Black Everything

Hi My Lovelies,

I just thought to write something different for a change and I hope I can keep up with this. In fact, I will try not to jinx it. I am hoping to share a nice post every weekend and see how it goes. It will also provide a little break from all the beauty posts..a big toast to many more of these...Here, goes a few things, all black as you may have noticed, that tickle my fancy..

Denman Brush

I have been hearing about the Denman brushes for ages but I never got around to buying it because my relaxed hair, at the time, was very fine in texture and I had no tangles . Since going natural, my hair texture has changed and it has a few tangles every now and then. I chose the one with soft bristles because my hair is quite soft and my scalp is also tender. I definitely recommend this if you have a tangle-prone mane or if you have natural kinky hair.

L'Oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer Eye Liner

I may have already featured this already but this is one of my favourite eye liners that ever liveth...:-). It has a felt tip which lets is glide easily across my eyelids for a smooth application and a nice cat flick at the end. I have been using this for brand for years now and I love it.

Nikon Cool Pix Compact Camera
This was my first digital camera as a gift from the BF so it holds a sentimental place in my heart and I really love it. It is responsible for 60% of the photos on this blog; the rest of my cameras are my iPhone 5 and my Bridge Camera FujiFilm. I love compact cameras like this because they are so portable and I can whip them out for lovely blog photos.

iPad Mini and Logitech Keyboard
This is one of my bestest birthday gift from the BF on my most recent birthday in January. I have always wanted to get an iPad but when I got my iPhone last year, I knew I definitely needed the iPad. Apple and I are slowly building a loving relationship howbeit an expensive one if I must say. Together with the Logitech Keyboard, they are both the perfect device for blogging on the go.

Zara Wallet

Another new purchase which I am heads over heels in love with. I adore all leather goods from Zara despite how expensive they could be sometimes but their recent sales have surprised me with their relatively low prices and this was one of their offerings. It's so gorgeous and very compact plus it matches really well with my Zara Office City bag already reviewed here.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and if you love Photography as much as I do, pop over to MP Photography by Mark Prime. He is good friend of mine and his pictures are absolutely amazing. Here is his Facebook Page if you want to have a look see and his website is here too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Photography-by-markprime/463616237076544

It's a relatively new page but he has already uploaded a lot of beautiful shots which would definitely blow your mind. That's pretty much all  for the début weekend post and I will see you in more posts for the week..toodles..xx