Thursday 1 March 2012

A Brief Update and Help Me Improve My Blog?

Hey everybody!

Sorry I have been MIA on Blogger for the past few days, I have been quite busy with university, plus it is difficult for me to post when I am staying at my uni halls because I leave my camera and most of my make-up and clothes at home.
Also, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me tweeting a few days ago about lacking in inspiration and not being happy with my blog. It isn't that I am fed up of blogging, I don't think I could be! I just feel that my blog needs a makeover, every time I look at it now I think it looks so cluttered and disorganised, and I am never happy with the photographs I take for my blog posts, either because of the lighting or the backgrounds I am using :/ This is where I need your help. I'd like to know if you like the way my blog looks, and any suggestions as to what I could do to maybe make it look better. Constructive critisism is very much welcome, just don't tear me down too much ;)

I would also like to know if you have any post requests. Sometimes I hit a wall where I don't have any items in mind to review or I am unable to take photographs for a FOTD or OOTD, so if there are any products that you have seen me use that you would like me to review or you have a competely different idea for a blog post that you would like to see, then please let me know and I will do my best to meet your request as soon as possible. Also, let me know which of the posts that I already write are your favourites and I will try to do more of those. I am back at home at the moment so here are some posts I am planning on writing in the next few days:
  • How to achieve my every day hair.
  • A review of Boots Botanics Facial Loofahs.
  • An OOTD.
  • Maybe an OOTN or two.
  • My make-up and jewellery storage.
Any feedback and suggestions would be much appreciated and I look forward to reading them, my blog is written for my readers to enjoy so I would like to know what you all like to see/ read :)

I hope you've had a lovely day!

19 comments:

  1. I love your blog! Though I think it would look good if you centered your header :) Also photos tend to look neater if you get rid of that little white border which can be done with a bit of html put in the CSS box on the template, just google it :) You could also try doing ootds outside, I think they always look really good :)

    Can't wait to see your makeup collection!

    xxx

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    1. Aww thank you! Yeahh, I think I might put on a new header soon so I will sort that out then, and I think you could be right about the photo borders. I really want to do my OOTDs outside because I love the way they look on other people's blogs but it's difficult because I don't really have anybody to take the photos for me :( That being said, I am going out with a friend tomorrow to take some photos of him for his website so I am going to get him to take some photos of me too! Haha :) Thanks for your suggestions lovely :) x

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  2. I know what you mean about lighting! the light in my halls is a horrible florescent yellow that ruins the quality of my pictures
    i always think ootd's look better outside too but its all about working up the nerve to do and to find some one to do it for you!

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    1. It's a pain, isn't it :( The only problem I have with doing OOTDs outside is I don't normally have anybody to take photographs for me :( I know a few quiet areas around here where there aren't many people though so at least that isn't too much of a problem :) x

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  3. I feel exactly the same about my blog! Never 100% happy with it but i think it's just being self-critical sometimes, i really dont think your blog is cluttered at all. I struggle with lighting too - particularly in the winter! xx

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    1. Aww it's horrible, isn't it? I just looked at your blog though and I really like it, I'm now following! And yeah, hopefully the lighting issue will be sorted as Summer gets nearer! :) x

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  4. I hate the backgrounds of my OOTD's too! And the lighting in my room is absolutely terrible. In the summer I've made a promise to myself to start taking my photos outside :) I guess I'll have to stop being so shy and actually let someone photograph me haha x

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    1. It's difficult when you have to take them by yourself, isn't it? :( I hope to be able to take my photos outside soon too! x

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  5. Firstly dont get down! Every blogger has times when they look at their blog and think 'that looks like poo' and get really unmotivated, it's just life really, writers have it too, it's quite hard to be 'creative' all the time I think! I personally love your blog and I think your pictures always look lovely :) if you're feeling uncomfortable though why dont you try popping outside to take some photos? Bribe your best friend / mum / dad / anyone willing and experiment with different places, the lighting would be lovely at this time of year too! I love your makeup looks, one way I manage to get a plain background for makeup looks is literally hiding behind my curtain! Sounds ridiculous but they're cream so I duck under them and take a photo with the curtain against me. I look forward to all the posts you've mentioned!

    Sarah
    http://fashionismyh2o.blogspot.com/
    xx

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    1. Aww, thank you for your comment, lovely! :) I really want to take my photos outside, it's just finding somebody who will come for a walk with me and take the photos because even my garden isn't very pleasing to the eye. I think I might try putting the curtain behind me when I take my FOTD pictures because I do take them next to the window anyway, so that's a great idea! Thank you! :) x

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  6. Hey Frances,

    I love that your blog has a lot of white space and isn't too cluttered. Perhaps consider resizing your sponsor buttons to the same size so that they look a bit neater, making your other buttons centred and getting rid of the image borders. Other than that I quite like your blog. :)

    If you don't mind spending a few extra dollars, there are lots of affordable blog design services out there *cough* mine *cough* that could assist in giving your blog a little makeover. There's nothing I enjoy more than motivating others to continue blogging by sprucing up their blog layout. :)

    - Felicity. x
    pursuitoffelicity.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks, Felicity! I've actually been considering coming to you for your blog design services for the past week! x

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    2. In response to your comment on my blog, I totally understand about being low on cash (that's one of the reasons I'm offering blog design in the first place, hehe!) and would be more than happy to work something out for you. I just had another blog friend come to me asking for a couple of small design tweaks that didn't fall under one of my design packages, so I added the services together in my head and then gave her a cheaper deal. :)

      Anyway, enough of me selling myself lol. I just really hope you keep blogging up. It's obviously something you're really good at. :D

      - Felicity. x

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  7. Hey I know I've commented already but I was wondering if you could do me a favour? I'm kinda in the same boat as you as wanting to tidy up and improve the appearance of my blog and I totally agree with what Maisy said about photo borders but I suck at HTML or CSS, I don't even know where to being. I was wondering you would be so kind enough to give me the CSS code just to get rid of that irritating border?
    Thankyou!

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    1. Will comment over on your blog now so you will see it quicker! :) x

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  8. I think you doing a really good job with your blog huni! I'm also never happy with my photos but I'm a crazy perfectionist haha! Can't wait for the upcoming posts! Xx

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    1. Thank you, lovely! :) Ohh I'm a perfectionist too haha, it's so annoying sometimes! x

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  9. Hey i stumbled across your blog a few days ago and since i read a couple of your posts already i decided to comment on this post and then on the other ones. I know how you feel since the same happens to me lately (so if you could check out my blog and give me some suggestions that would be so cool. I mean i just started blogging in mid-December and i am still new to this).
    so here are some suggestions based on my own opinion and they may clash with others.
    what i love:
    love your review of products post, they are always nicely written and honest. keep posting those.
    love your instagram posts since i get to know a bit more about you.
    love the white simple background which lets the posts take the spotlight.
    what i think that you should change:
    the header!!!!
    first of all your name is written twice, second those smiles etc are super cute but look weird, they don't give a professional vibe and a header can make it or break it for a blog. not that i claim that i have the best header ever, the truth is far from that. but just try to create a new header, you don't need mad internet skills or to pay money, just play with it. for example i created mine in POLYVORE! maybe you could write your name just once, then the blog description and just a smile and nothing else?
    i am not trying to be harsh on you, i am just saying.
    http://lureofthedarkside.blogspot.com/
    stop by and help me out, plz???? i am in desperate need, and be harsh on me i don't mind.
    ooo i am following you via gfc and bloglovin, forgot to tell that. if you decide to follow me back that would be awesome, just don't forget bloglovin. and i am not trying to spam or anything.
    on to the next post to comment...

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    1. Thank you for your comment, lovely, it was so helpful :) I actually agree about the header, I have made a few and I'm just experimenting with them to see which one I like better. I think I am going to keep the photo frame theme going on and just have my name in simple text :) I will stop by your blog soon and have a look at it :) Thanks again for your suggestions, I really appreciate it :) x

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