Wearing leggings makes an outfit a lot more comfortable than regular jeans, so whenever I wear a longer, chunky type of sweater, I try to pair it with something comfy like this. I got these jean looking leggings from New Look and they're one of my favourite pairs. The grey and black sweater is also from New Look (can you tell I like that store?) and I really like the black detailing on the bottom part. I thought the grey patterned scarf would be a nice addition, plus it is perfect for extra warmth. Finally, I paired the outfit with my beloved brown ankle boots and dark navy bag.
This post is not to say that I am any expert when it comes to blogging, but I feel like I have learned a few things after these years of blogging and I thought I would share some of these tips with you, in case you are looking for some ways to improve your own blog. These are things that I usually notice about other blogs and that I believe make a blog look better and also make it more user-friendly (or easier to browse through).
1. Stick to the normal fonts. I'll be honest with you, this is one thing that will make me less likely to read a blog - it's when the person uses an italic font or any type of font that is hard to read. I like to use the default ones that Blogger comes with.
2. Stick with a theme. Pick a theme for your blog and try to stick to those colours for links, banners, side-bar titles etc. It will make the blog look more put together. Also, I would keep a white/light background, rather than a black/dark coloured one - people are more used to the white one and it is way easier to read.
3. Make it easy for people to comment. When a blog has a very complicated way of commenting (like having to log into other accounts to use it), it will sometimes deter me from leaving a comment. I also don't use Captcha code on my blog, which I honestly find a bit unnecessary, since Blogger will usually find spam comments on its own, or you can easily delete them if you get any. It makes it easier for people to leave a quick comment.
4. Add an "You might also like.." type of widget at the end of your posts. This is something that drives quite a lot of traffic through my blog and there are various widgets that you can use to do this (like Engageya - which I currently use, LinkWithin etc.).
5. Improve your blog's appearance on mobile devices. Check out your own blog on a tablet or phone and see what it looks like. Can you read what it says easily? Can you click on the buttons in the sidebar? Just take an overall look at it and see if it's user friendly, since a majority of people will browse your blog through a device other than laptop/PC.
6. Improve the search speed on your blog. If you don't already have Google Analytics for your blog, I would highly recommend making an account there. It is very helpful to see various stats about your blog (much more accurately than the Blogger ones). You can also see there your site's speed and what you can do to improve it. If your blog loads very slowly, people are very likely to just click away instantly.
7. Make it easy for people to search through your blog. Use widgets or different pages on your blog to help people search through your older posts. For example, I have created two pages to make it easier for people to browse through the posts: by category or by date.
8. Make your photos Pinterest friendly. I'm going to be honest, I don't do this for all of my pictures, but I try to most of the time. An example is the picture I made for this post. Keep in mind when editing your photos the way in which they will look on a Pinterest board and if they will stand out.
9. Link your social media accounts. This might seem like a no-brainer to most of you, but I sometimes stumble across blogs where I have to dig very deep to find their Twitter name, for example. Or they just don't link it at all.. Definitely keep your social media in sight, so that people don't have to go through too much trouble to follow you there if they want to.
10. Keep it simple. Take a look at your blog and see what stands out - the main thing should be the content you post, so I would say try to keep everything else fairly simple. This is totally up to you! However, keep in mind that a tidy blog will be easier to read than a cluttered one.
These are the main tips I have learned along the way and that I think have helped me the most. I hope you found these useful! Leave any tips you might have in the comments below, I'm always open to learning more!
I don't know about you, but when the cold season comes around I am in major need of certain products to keep my skin looking healthy and not very dry. When I find products that are moisturizing and really good on my skin, I will hold on to those for pretty much the entire season. So I thought I would share with you what I've been using so far this cold season.
Firstly, my lips are always in need of a good moisturizer, no matter the season, but more so in autumn and winter. I've been gravitating towards the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose, which has a lovely consistency and works really well for me. I don't usually carry it in my bag with me, because I find it a bit unsanitary to apply it with your fingers when you're out and about, but I do use it every single night and morning.
My skin has definitely become a bit brighter and more healthy looking due to the Garnier Moisture Match (the one in the yellow packaging, which is supposed to illuminate, protect and moisturize the skin). I apply this daily and I like how it's not too greasy in consistency, but still does a good job in moisturizing your skin.
I received this range of Planet Spa Avon products from a friend of mine and this face mask has quickly become one of my favourites (the range is called "Thailand lotus flower"). It's a really lovely product for when you want to pamper your skin and hydrate it at the same time. It's also supposed to deep clean your face, which is always a plus.
I hope you enjoyed reading this! Do you have any cold season staples this year? Share them below!
This past weekend I found in our New Yorker store this pair of trousers. They're not really leggings, because the material is thicker, but they are the stretchy fit and very comfortable to wear on a daily basis. I was immediately drawn to them because I've been looking to get some different coloured pants, and try to experiment with more than just the regular blue jeans. For this outfit I paired them with some creams, whites and beige tones, to keep it in the pastel - light tone. I feel like the scarf goes really well to tie together all the shades in the outfit and, to be honest, I just really love wearing plaid scarves.
Welcome back to another one of "This Week's Most Loved", a post that is long overdue. I always have certain items that I gravitate towards, which I'm sure we all have at some point. This week I've been enjoying a lot two makeup products and a fall accessory.
The New Look watch is something I received for my birthday from my boyfriend and it is the best fall accessory, in all honesty. I love golden accessories and the fact that this has the burgundy dial makes it look so lovely, in my opinion. I've been loving pairing this with deep fall colors in my outfit.
My go-to fall lip product has been the MAC lipliner in Beurre (this is actually called a cremestick liner), which has a matte finish on the lips and has the most gorgeous fall color. I believe this colour will suit a lot of different skin tones. I've gotten so many compliments on this lip color and I really love how long lasting it is as well.
My rediscovered foundation, the Rimmel Match Perfection one, has been the one I've been wearing literally every single day this past week. The natural finish and nice coverage is what sold me on this one and I believe this will remain a staple in my makeup collection for a very long time.
What products have you been enjoying this past week?
Ok, I think this faux fur vest is going to become a regular in my outfit posts for this autumn/winter season, because I find it to be very easily paired with a lot of different outfits, whilst also keeping me extra warm. For this outfit I chose a little bit of a different pairing though, containing all cream-beige type of items. So I went for an off-white sweater and beige pants. I think the vest gives it a bit more of a brown tone, as well as the boots. I know during fall people usually gravitate towards dark, deep colors (I do that too with some of my outfits), but I think you can go with lighter combinations as well.
This month I've been loving, first of all, the MAC Beurre Lipliner (Cremestick Liner, actually), which is a very lovely dark fall lip - resembling the Kylie Jenner type of look. I love this shade and I think I'll wear this a ton during this fall. Next, I've been loving a few Rimmel products that I've been trying out recently. The Rimmel Mono eyeshadow from the GlamEyes collection is a really lovely one - I have it in the shade Tribute, a nice taupe, mauve color with shimmer in it. The pigmentation of this is pretty good and I like that it brightens up the eyes, without being too dramatic. Next I've been loving the Rimmel Glitter Bomb nail polish, which is a lovely top coat that has a rose gold tone to it. It looks really lovely on and it makes your nail polish last a very long time. And the last Rimmel product is their Match Perfection foundation, an older favourite of mine that I finally repurchased this month. I also have two hair products that I've been thoroughly enjoying: the Batiste Dry Shampoo (which finally arrived in my country) and the Dove Nourishing Oil Care hair treatment, which is actually a conditioner and treatment in one product, and it contains argan oil. This is honestly the best hair treatment I have found from the drugstore. Definitely give it a try if you get a chance to.