WHAT DO OUR FELLOW BLOGGERS LOVE AND HATE?

As bloggers, we all like to know what our fellow bloggers think about our work. It is always nice to get some positive feedback after working so hard at something you enjoy for so long. For a while I have been looking into what people like to see from bloggers and through many different twitter talks and other community groups, I have managed to collect a whole list of things that, as bloggers, we all share either love for or hate for. 

There are always the normal points that we all like, for example, a nice blog layout, simple text, etc. But there are also a huge range of things that bloggers like, that I hadn't even realised were possible. Make sure that you scan down this list to ensure that you are pleasing your blog readers! 

What do we love?

Many bloggers recently have been questioning whether people are more drawn in by the quality of pictures or by the actual content of the blog. This shows that photograph quality is obviously very important to many bloggers. Although blogging is about what you write, most bloggers do admit that they like to see good quality and decent sized pictures to add to the sense and feeling of a blog. 

I have also heard many people say that they like to see an 'About Me' section on a blog somewhere! It should include a picture, where you are from (country at least), what you have a passion for, how old you are and how long you have been blogging. Many people say that it is so important to be able to put a person to the blog, and this also helps personality to come through in your writing. Following this information, they also like to have a contact section so that companies and other bloggers can contact you with any questions or offers.

Now onto blog characteristics. Many people like the typical fresh looking blog, well planned out and easy to read writing. However, there are also many other features that people like to see. These are a search bar, to provide a convenient way for a blog reader to find a certain post. Also, a blog archive, to enable readers to see posts from the past without having to click loads of 'read later posts' buttons. They also like to have social media links (especially twitter and Bloglovin') to keep up to date with your content. Finally, they also like to see category links to find certain topics at once. 

What do we hate?

Now, I have found that there are actually a lot of pet peeves that are shared between bloggers. I found myself writing these all down during a twitter talk to ensure that I didn't use any of them myself in my blog. Because they were hates shared by many bloggers, I thought I would share them all with you as well, to help you all with your blogs. 

There was a really bizzare feature of a blog that I heard during a talk. Many people said that they had come across a few blogs that actually played music in the background while you were reading. I find this just absolutely crazy because I know a lot of people who cannot read with music playing. One of them being myself. This was one of the biggest pet peeves! Make sure you don't do that!

The next thing that people hated was the pop up subscription boxes, especially when they are on their phone and not laptop. They are just inconvenient. A lot of bloggers also shared dislike for the idea of no name, picture or about me page on a blog. Obviously this is understandable, everyone wants to know who the blogger is. 

Moving on, there are so many more things that bloggers don't like, I will share them all below:

• overcrowded blog design,
• bad punctuation/grammar,
• writing too small to read,
• long posts with no pictures, 
• too many pictures, 
• pictures that are too small to appreciate, 
• 'nice post' comments which prove that you haven't actually read the post,
• repetition of sponsored posts,
• bad quality pictures, 
• cluttered blog layouts 
• extremely long blog name 

I'm hoping that this post wasn't too boring, I just think that a lot of people could take use from this to help to grow their blog. If you do have any likes or dislikes that you think I can add to this, leave them in the comments! Good luck with your blogs! 

WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE A MORNING COFFEE?

I don't know if I am the only person who always grabs a coffee as soon as I wake up in the morning? It is something I have done now for a few years and I have never actually thought about why, or possibly the psychology behind the reason that I never forget to have a coffee. Personally, these kinds of ideas really interest me. Things like - why and how do we associate negative moments in our lives with situations, and why do they make us feel anxious, even when the situation happened years ago? I could spend so many hours researching about so many crazy and mind-blowing theories and ideas that I would just get stuck in a world of over complicated websites, hopelessly wishing that I understood all of the sophisticated wording.

We live in a world where we are all controlled by one part of our body. Isn't that just crazy? Our brain, just that one thing, controls everything we do, everything we see, smell, taste, hear, it all happens because of our brain. I find this so fascinating. Although all of the parts of our body are vital for different things, the brain is vital to life. The slightest damage causes us to not function properly. It's almost like we are machines. But, we cannot always be fixed. But of course, we are a lot more than that. There's hundreds of chemical impulses that jolt around our body constantly. Hundreds of reactions that are constantly happening. And hundreds of tiny blood cells flowing through our bodies in the blood, fighting off diseases and carrying oxygen, while we are living completely oblivious to it all. For most of us, our brain hasn't even stopped developing yet. It is not actually fully developed until our late 40s. That just goes to show the utter complexity of our brain.

I suppose there are so many ideas around why we repeat the same things every day possibly without even knowing or realising it. I suppose they could be called habbits. Now, I am no psychologist and I have never studied psychology sadly, but I have gathered a few reasons from my research that I find quite interesting. It is said that we form a habit with a psychological pattern called a "habit loop" which has three stages. Stage one is a cue or a trigger that tells your brain to let a behavior happen. Then comes the thing that we do (the habit), followed by the 'reward' - something that your brain likes, helping it to remember the habit in the future.

So I guess this means that grabbing a coffee every morning has become a habitual behavior for me - without actually realising. That must mean that my brain likes the caffeine fix right? Not necessarily. It definitely does make us a lot more alert though. Caffeine increases levels of Dopamine in the brain which gives a feeling of happiness and liveliness. This is why many people tend to jump for a coffee in the morning - it wakes us up when we would so much rather remain in bed for the day! It's like an addiction but we just don't realise. It is actually a lot easier to get addicted to coffee than it seems. As you keep drinking coffee, you liver compensates for the extra chemicals in your diet, enabling it to metabolize the caffeine. Adjustments are also made in the brain. Ultimately, you require more caffeine every day to get to the same level of alertness. Once again, the brain is changing. It's changing at a constant every day.

So ultimately, I suppose the reason is a lot more complex than I had originally thought. Beyond the need for caffeine to wake me up, and beyond the cravings for coffee, there's actually a lot more of a reason. My brain actually expects a caffeine fix every morning as a habit. It is interesting, intriguing, and I guess okay in a way. I don't excessively drink caffeine throughout the day which could cause damage, so I am not quite in the danger zone. However, this would definitely prove to be a hard habit to break. Let's hope I don't have to do that any time soon.

LIPSTICK: IS IT WORTH PAYING MORE?

In my opinion, everything recently has such high price labels and sometimes I really don't know whether it is worth spending so much. Obviously, there are always cheaper alternatives but sometimes they are not as good quality. Of course, the other down side is that alternatives aren't always the 'best' brands. However, if it means spending an extortionate amount less, I am definitely up for it. I am always on the look out for dupes that are good quality, I mean most people would rather spend £5 than £15 if they can find something just as good!

Now, when it comes to makeup, I will admit that it's not the same buying brands that aren't so 'high' up in the makeup world. It is always nice to treat yourself to a brand that everyone talks about. It is important that we can do that. But at the same time, with makeup so highly priced, it is hard to always be able to afford to purchase high end brands. Fortunately, this is where dupes come to hand. 

Recently, I have collected many different brands of lipsticks and I have been testing them for several months. In this post I have three different range lipsticks; high range, middle range and bottom range (based on prices and ratings). I have the MAC Creme Cup, the No7 Classic Rose and the MUA in shade 2. I have quite detailed opinions on these three different branded lipsticks and so I thought I would share it with you. This post is purely to compare the three different brands and evaluate whether it is worth spending more on a lipstick in my opinion. 

Lasting Power 

This is without a doubt the most important quality of a lipstick. I mean, if it doesn't last on your lips, what is really the point in applying it? Most lipsticks tend to last a few hours maximum and I am not too fussed about having to apply again every few hours as I don't tend to be out for hours on end. However, there are lipsticks that tend to last for more than a couple of hours, and these are my favourites. In this collection, I find that the No7 is my favourite for its lasting power. It stays put for hours on end and leaves a slight stain which is perfect. The MAC lipstick I have in this collection isn't the longest lasting as it is a creme sheen and in my opinion, it moves around on the lips quite a lot. The MUA lipstick has a terrible lasting power. It smudges all around the lips and it lasts for an hour if I am lucky. It's terrible. 

Appearance
Once again, my favourite lipstick in this collection for its appearance has got to be the No7. It is very pigmented and is the perfect shade. It is slightly matte which means that it looks more full on the lips. My second favourite would definitely be the MAC Creme Cup which is a lovely nude natural looking lipstick shade. It is perfect when you're just looking for a simple, hydrating lip shade. MUA's shade 2 is also a nice shade; it has a berry tint and is quite shiny on the lips with a slight shimmer. I really like this lipstick in the winter months when my lips are quite dehydrated and dry looking.

Packaging Quality
This is one of the things that makes a high end product stand out from a bottom end product. Brands like MAC are well-known for being dependable and reliable, their packaging contributes to this. MAC's packaging is stunning. It is such high quality and you know that your lipstick is safe. It feels and looks good quality and that is so important. No7's packaging is also very smart but doesn't feel quite as sturdy as MAC's. MUA's packaging is quite bad quality in comparison with the other two. The lid doesn't tend to stay on well and I have had one that has smashed when I dropped it. The plastic is really thin and brittle. I would definitely say that MAC has won this one.

Formula
The formula of a lipstick is also one of the most important things. We all have different formulas that look better on our lips that others. I tend to prefer a formula that has a thickness to it and so I prefer matte textures over shimmer formulas. Matte shades don't tend to smudge which is also great because the last thing you want is a smudge of lipstick finding its way off of your lips to your face - isn't it just so awful when this happens and no one tells you? In this collection, I would say that the No7 lipstick has the best formula in my opinion. I think this is due to my preference of matte lipsticks. The MAC Creme Cup is a creme sheen which is why I prefer No7's over it. However, the MAC does have an amazing formula that is very hydrating and once again, perfect for the winter months especially. Unfortunately, the MUA lipstick is my least favourite formula. It tends to move around a lot which isn't ideal at all. It is also a very wet formula and leaves a weird coating on my lips. I am not a massive fan at all.

To summarise, I would say that yes, it is beneficial to look around for dupes. I wouldn't be quick to recommend looking for the cheapest dupe, because they are not always the best quality. However, the products from mid range brands are just as good as some of the high end products. The only difference I would say is that the packaging is quite different between high end and mid range. If you are not too bothered about packaging, then it's perfect. But if you are, definitely stick with the high end products. Remember not to forget that it is important to treat yourself now and then!

This was a collaboration with the lovely Emma and Gabriella. Definitely make sure to check out their posts and leave a comment if you are feeling up to it! I am sure they would appreciate it:) 

FRUIT UP YOUR BREAKFAST!

Recently, I have been trying to find healthier breakfast recipes to encourage myself to have breakfast. I struggle with eating 3 meals a day, due to many different reasons, but I know that breakfast is so so important. I have found this quite simple breakfast to be a new favourite. It is delicious, super healthy, and something that I will look forward to eating in the morning. It is always a brilliant idea to have a healthy but substantial breakfast to set you up for the day, and this breakfast is perfect! It is quite an easy breakfast to make but I will tell you how I made it anyway.

Shopping List
A small dish of mixed fruit of your choice - frozen fruit is amazing!
A medium sized dish of cereal (I used shreddies, but anything works really)
A medium sized pot of yoghurt

Method (for those of you who need it)
1. So I started off by removing the lid of the yoghurt and using a spoon, I placed it onto the cereal in a huge dolop. I then used the spoon to mix the yoghurt into the cereal until it was all suitably covered.
2. I then grabbed the fruit and threw them into the bowl, and voila, there you have it! A perfect breakfast ready to eat!
(If you would like your fruit covered with yoghurt as well, you can add it before you mix in the yoghurt and then combine it all.)

This is such a simple and cheap breakfast idea. It is such a quick meal to bring together and is perfect for anyone, even those in a rush. If you do try this, make sure to let me know what you think! I am sure you will love it!!

(This post is part of a little blogger series I'm taking part in called the "secret blogger project 2015" run by teen bloggers Emily , Rebekka and Charlotte. About 30 of us will be writing twice a week on selected little lifestyle topics and you can also go onto the twitter and Instagram hash tag "#secretbp2015" to have a little chat and view everyone's posts. If you would like to join or know more (we'd love to have you!)  Instagram dm @theperks0fbeingemily or if you don't have Instagram, send a quick email to  rebekkarosebeautyxo@gmail.com!)

3 PRODUCTS AND ONE LOOK

We all have different makeup looks, one that just about covers our dark patches when heading out of the house somewhere unimportant, one that contains so many products that you cannot keep count and many more in between. Today, I have a look that is in between these two looks. I have picked out my 3 favourite products, an eye product, a face product and a lip product to make a subtle and cheap look. It was very difficult to only choose one product for each section, as I am such a makeup junkie that I have tens of lovely brands - with fabulous products. Luckily though, after an hour or so choosing, I managed to find 3 simple products.

The three I have chosen are:

• Rimmel London's Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory 
• NYX's Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake
• Maybelline New York's Great Lash Mascara in Very Black

Mascara

I chose the Maybelline mascara out of several others due to the fact that it is very long wearing and doesn't tend to smudge below the eye as much as some of the others I have. Due to the fact that I haven't used a powder in this look, I thought that this was essential for a mascara. I have also chosen this mascara because it is very voluminous which I think is important in a subtle makeup look, to make your eyes look more open and warm. 

Foundation 

I have chosen the Rimmel foundation because it is without a doubt, my favourite foundation of all time. It provides such a lovely makeup base and it is perfect for the brighter months because it has a bit of a shimmer to it which makes your skin look a lot more vibrant and healthy. I also find that this is one of my less oily foundations which is again important for this look because I am not using powder and I don't want my face to look too oily. 

Lipgloss

NYX's Butter Gloss is just an ideal product for this look. Lipsticks like MAC don't tend to last as long on the lips and look better in a full makeup look. The NYX Butter Gloss is a long-wearing product that looks amazing on your lips. It is also a neutral colour which is perfect for a makeup look with minimal products. 

THE LOOK: 

What is your 'go-to' makeup look? What are the products that you throw on in a rush? 

This was a collaboration post. I am hosting this with 3 lovely bloggers:
Amy - www.atouchofpastels.blogspot.co.uk, Megan - www.secretlymegan.blogspot.com,
Nicole - www.thriftyvintagefashion.blogspot.co.uk and Jess - www.heyitsjess.blogspot.co.uk

                                                                             

NAKED PALETTE TWO INSPIRATION

A few months back, I bought the Naked 2 palette. Now I have to admit, that although I do love the Naked 2 palette, it is not my favourite. Considering the amount of people that rave about this product, personally, I definitely feel that it is over rated. It is a wonderful palette, but it's just not the perfect palette for me. This is not to say that is is a bad palette at all, it is just me saying that I prefer other palettes over this palette, mainly because I prefer coloured palettes and I am not a massive fan of shimmer eye shadows. 

I chose to purchase this palette mainly because of the fact that I had heard good reviews about it and I wanted to try a nude palette. I chose the Naked palette because I knew they were going to be good quality eye shadows, and I was not wrong. These eye shadows are so pigmented and they have a minuscule amount of fall out. I won't go on about this product quality, as so many people have tried this. I will just say that if you do like nude and natural coloured palettes, definitely think about purchasing the Naked 2!

In my opinion, due to the fact that these eye shadows are quite similar, I have only really managed to make one kind of look. I like to use light eye shadows all over with a darker shade at the edge, blending them out with medium shades. These are the kind of eye shadows that look great with all eye colours, but I definitely think that they bring out the blue in my eyes without a doubt! They are absolutely perfect shades for parties, especially when you don't want to look too made up!

I have a few favourite shades in this palette, these are the ones with an asterix next to them in the above picture. 'Foxy' is the shade I tend to use all over my eyelid and also in the corner of my eye to lighten. 'Tease' is a love mid-toned shade which I tend to use in the corner of my eye as a base before the darker eye shadow. 'Busted' is the shade I use in the outer area of my eye. All of these shades go well together. You don't have to be a makeup artist to use this palette well.  

Due to the fact that I like coloured palettes, I am definitely thinking about purchasing the Urban Decay Electric palette because if it is anything like the quality of this palette, I would be very pleased! Has anyone got the Urban Decay Electric palette? What do you think about these two palettes?

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SOPHISTICATED BLOGGING TIPS!

I am aware that there are so many bloggers spouting out all over the place recently, so I decided to give a few tips. I know that as a new blogger, I was always looking for new tips to improve my blog and so I decided to leave a few of my own tips! Instead of leaving a list of the most well-known tips, I have thought about the tips that I wasn't aware of as a new blogger which have made a huge difference to how I feel about my blog now! 

There are some things that I think should feature on every blog, some more important than others. The first thing I look for when it comes to the appearance of a blog, is a clean and well designed layout. I like to see a blogger has tried with the appearance of their blog, had a play around with the HTML and put some effort into what they produce. The appearance of a blog is the utmost important feature, it is often one of the reasons I follow blogs! I like the posts to be clear, easy to read, and for me, well set out. Spending a little bit of time on your blog makes all of the difference! Personally, I also love to see an 'about me' page, displaying a picture and some information about yourself! It helps me to put a face onto the blog and it also gives the blog a personality, along with the writing itself. Next, I would say it is vital to have a 'popular posts' widget to the side of your blog so that people can go through your posts and find what is popular easily!

Now that I have displayed my most important tips, I shall go on to the not so well-known tips, like how to add a search bar. These are tips that add that little bit more to your blog! All of these tips are ones that I have learnt about through research and I have managed to add to my blog with the help of other blogs! 

Add tags to your blog posts

This tip is vital if you want to add a search bar or category links to your blog! If you do not have tags, you cannot make suitable categories! You should add tags that are relevant to your post! For example if you are doing a beauty post, tag beauty, makeup, etc. It is the kind of thing that people would search for in a search tab!

Add a search bar

This is so important for a blog in my opinion! It allows people to find what they want to read. It gives a choice which people always like! For this, I used the website http://helplogger.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/6-custom-search-boxes--for-blogger.html which has many different custom search button designs. You just have to copy the link and simply add it to your blog as a HTML/Javascript gadget in your blog sidebar, and it will appear! There's so many different designs you can find! 

Add a Bloglovin followers link

This is an absolute 1000% MUST for every blog!! It is so much easier to follow a blog that has a bloglovin link, it is so convenient. To find a Bloglovin button, go to http://www.bloglovin.com/widgets, choose the type of button you would like, and press 'get this icon'. Then it will ask you to log into bloglovin to get your information. After that it will come up with a link suitable for only your blog. You need to copy this link and copy and paste it into a HTML/Javascript gadget in your blog layout side bar. 

Add social media links

To add social media links all in one picture, first create a picture on picmonkey or any other photo creator and then save it to your computer. Next, go to this website: http://www.image-maps.com/

To add links to your social media link picture follow the steps:
1) Upload an image, press click to continue,
2) Right click on image, click create rectangle, draw a rectangle around the part of the picture that you want to add a link to
3) Then add a map URL (add URL you want this part to link to when pressed),
4) Next, press settings tab, delete the text from 'background colour' and 'border', then press save,
5) If you want more than one link, repeat those steps from 2 onwards again.
6) Once you're happy with the links made, right click on image, press get code, press HTML code, scroll down and copy the full code, paste into a HTML/Javascript gadget (on layout of blog).

Add an Instagram grid

To get your free Instagram widget, go to this website: http://snapwidget.com/
1) First, press 'get your free widget',
2) Type in all of your information and then choose  widget type as grid,
3) Press 'get widget' and copy the link that appears,
4) Copy this link into another HTML/Javascript gadget in your blog layout.
As this grid is linked to your Instagram, it will change as you update Instagram and add new pictures.

Add category links

The most helpful website I have found for making category links is this one: http://icanbuildablog.com/2014/06/blogger-how-to-add-categories/.
1) You need to create an image on pic monkey or another photo creator and save it to your computer.
2) Once you have done that, return to http://www.image-maps.com/ to add links as shown in the steps to add social media links (above).

THE LINKS YOU NEED TO USE IN IMAGE MAPS IS ON THE WEBSITE ABOVE, MAKE SURE TO USE THOSE LINKS OTHER WISE IT WON'T WORK AT ALL! The part you will require is pasted below...

I hope this post has helped you bloggers out there, whether you are a new blogger or whether you have lots of experience! If you would like more of these posts definitely let me know as I have plenty of other tips to share with you all...good luck!

Any further questions, feel free to let me know!

P.S I am very sorry for a blog post off of schedule, I haven't been well this week and so I
had a little break..New post will be up tomorrow as usual though.

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BAG ESSENTIALS FOR A WEEKEND AWAY

This weekend, I am heading off to Dorset for the weekend to celebrate my Brother's 18th birthday. I thought that as it is not long until holiday season, this post could prove to be quite handy for those of you wanting some help with packing your bags! I always have a long think and write a list of things to take, before packing...I am a nightmare! 

As I didn't want to include clothes and different outfits, and also to keep it short, I have decided to only use what I would take in my carry bag of essential holiday things. Other wise, we would be here forever! 

I began with the first thing that I always pack, which is makeup! In my opinion, it is the easiest thing to collect and there's no questioning about whether to take it or not. I haven't packed all of my favourite products, but a lot of them are in my bag! I have my MAC eye shadow palette with Cranberry, Girlie, Swiss Chocolate and All That Glitters. I also have my Body Shop honey bronzer and Instablur, Rimmel Stay Matte powder and Wake Me Up concealer, Maybelline Big Lash mascara, No7 foundation, MAC Creme Cup, KIKO lipliner in shade 310 and a few makeup brushes. These are just my makeup essentials. 

Along with my makeup in my makeup bag, I also packed my Got 2b salt spray, Nivea micellar cleansing water, a mini travel deodrant, Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs, and my Nivea night cream. I did also pack a few cotton pads to use when removing my makeup.

As I only have 2 months left until my exams start, I have also added a few revision guides and a note pad and pencil case. I will not be doing much while I am away but I think there will be some time in the evening to write a few notes for revision. Every little bit helps.

Finally. I have packed a book - Miranda Hart's biography which is just so funny! I have also brought my purse with some money, some sunglasses, some gum and my iPad! 

Although I have acquired quite a collection of things to take here, there's a few more things I forgot and I am packing tonight. How I forgot some of these things is beyond me! So for extra bits, I am taking my MP3 and earphones, my camera (with its bits), a few hair bands, a hair brush, my watch (and a few bits of jewellery), and hand sanitizer (always comes in handy). Obviously, I am also taking my Doc Martens, a scarf, coat and a few outfits for the weekend. And that is it! If you are going away soon, have fun and I hope this helped! 

What's something that you always take away with you?

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PROM INSPIRATION

As many of us are aware, prom season is on the way. I have been looking around for inspiration for a prom dress, as I am not sure yet what kind of dress I would like, or for that reason, what would suit me. I do not often wear dresses and if I do, I tend to wear longer dresses, so this inspiration post is mainly for those of you looking for a long prom dress. I also chose to look at long dresses because I think that is the style that most girls tend to go for when it comes to choosing a dress for prom.

I have seen so many different styled long dresses on all of the different prom dress websites. I have also had quite clear ideas in  my head for what prom dress I would like, but then quite quickly, these ideas change. These dresses show a few styles that I am really fond of at the moment.

Long Sleeved 

The long sleeved dress isn't always ideal for prom, it may get too hot and many girls tend to go for more open chested dresses. However, I am really liking the long sleeved dresses because they're very elegant looking, and I have always been a lot more comfortable with wearing sleeves. The long sleeves also allow for a higher neck line which is something I quite like. 

Slim fit/leg slit 

This is my favourite style at the moment, without a doubt. I think that the shape of the dress is very tidy looking and I think that the slit gives it just that extra detail. I am a big fan of the pattern on the darker slim fit dress too, I think it's diverse and looks very pretty.

Embellished mesh top

These dresses are striking! They are perfect for prom because they're not massively over the top, but they're also not under-embellished. However, I do think that these types of dresses can sometimes be a bit risky as they can sometimes look a bit tatty and sometimes the stitching can come off, resulting in the diamontes falling off, which is never a good thing! However, if you do buy from a reliable place, I am sure there would be no problem.

One over arm strap

The over arm strap dresses are simple but very pretty. I think this is the perfect style of dress for people who have a low budget (like me) and also are possibly not that into dressing up all pretty. It's simple, but definitely prom worthy!

I hope this inspiration has helped some of you! When is your prom? Do you have a dress or know what style you are going for? Is anyone making their own dress?

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