How mad is it, that I've had this little blog of mine for over 3 years now! On Monday 27th my blog turned 3 which has just gone so quickly I can't believe we're already at 3 years! So, I thought I'd do a post talking you through my experience with blogging in the past 3 years and give you guys the opportunity to ask me some questions about my journey!

My experience with brands

In my 3 years blogging I've been lucky to work with some amazing brandsand can whole-heartedly say I've enjoyed working with every single one of them. I've heard lots of horror stories about working with smaller brands but all the brands I've worked with have been lovely! A question I get asked quite often is how to approach brands or if it's better for them to apporoach you? On the either or situation, I'd say whatever suits you best, a lot of my products have come from brands approaching me but I have approached brands a few times in the past. I find when approaching brands just be as straightforward as possible but not over-confident, at the end of the day, what's the worst thing that can happen?!

Figures

Something I have had my ups and downs with over the past three years has been follower and viewing figures. In the blogging community you're always told not to worry about figures or care about them but the true is, it's hard not to care. When you've spent a couple of hours on a post and you're really happy with it, you hope it's going to do well, and then if it doesn't it is really disheartening! My viewing have never really been constant, and I have really good days and then really bad days (I still do!) but you get to the point when you just accept that you're not going to be getting hundreds of views everyday! It's also really hard to not compare your figures to other bloggers, some people join Instagram and get 200 followers in their first week, but for others it takes months to get to that point! My Instagram has always been a slow grower as I often get a lot of unfollows but you just have to accept that not everyone's going to like your content.

Trends

Linking on from the idea of not everyone liking your content, trends have started to take up a huge place in the blogosphere and I am not here for it. Some many of us now a days are changing our niche and blog design left right and centre to try and keep up with trends and to be completely honest I'm not quite sure why. I used to be one of those people who felt they had to be on top of every single blogging trend but now I'm passed the point of trying to please everyone by touching on about 10 different trends at the same time. I think it's just so important to know your niche and stand by it, at one point I think I called myself a beauty, lifestyle, baking and fashion blogger! How ridiculous as that?! I'm now just sticking with beauty and lifestyle blogger or even just beauty blogger and I can 100% say that focusing on one or two areas that your really passionate about will improve your views so much as it's that passion is hugely reflecting in your content and that's what people want to see!

The blogging community

The blogosphere has changed very dramatically since I first joined. when I first started my blog back in 2015, everyone was super friendly and helped each other out all the time! But over those 3 years, it's become more and more viscious with a lot of bloggers not liking each others Instagram posts or not reading the others blog post because they want the most likes or the most blog views! I'm by no means saying this is everyone in the blogging community as I've met (and still continue to meet!) some amazing bloggers along the way that have been nothing but supportive. Some influencers now have even resorted to buying followers or likes so they get higher the Instagram feed, it's one of the few things that I really hate about the blogosphere as it does mean that they get more opportunities in the community, which at the end of the day really isn't fair on the rest of us who've worked hard to get to where we are in the blogging community.

Q and A

So, I've picked out a couple of my favourite questions:

What was your favourite collaboration? (with a brand or another blogger)

My favourite collaboration with another has to be the post I did with Marti and El on the Dove beauty campaign! It's a super old post, and it's not my finest work, but the message behind it is one that I think I still really important in our community and one that needs to be shared more and more!
With a brand, I absolutely loved working with Bakerdays on the royal wedding post as it's probably the most unusual post I've done and they were just such a lovely brand to work with! I also loved working with Formula 10.0.6 as they were the first bigger brand that I worked with and it just felt so surreal!

What made you want to blog?

When I was younger I was always a huge fan of story writing and I still have all of my old stories sat in a drawer somewhere as they're just too funny! I think my blog was a way of putting that creativity into something as I stopped writing stories as I got older, and I saw what amazing things other bloggers were doing and I wanted to give it a go!

What's your favourite kind of post to write?

I'm a true beauty blogger at heart and I adore writing all my beauty posts but I don't think I can pick a favourite - I love favourites because I get to show you guys what I'm obsessed with but then I also love reviews, because I love going into the depths of the product, but then I also love get the look posts because I love breaking down someone's look and trying to make it a different way!

Did you learn anything from having a blog?

I have learnt so much over the past 3 years I don't even know where to start! One of the major things I've learnt has already been touched on in this post. I've learnt not to post what people want to see in order to get views or followers, I've learnt to post what I want to because I enjoy blogging and I'm not doing it to try and please everyone! And as blogger, I think that's one of the few very important things you need to learn!

So, thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you again next week with another new post!

Lou Loves x

My blog has changes a lot over the past three years so I thought it was about time to take a trip down memory lane.

First off, my 3rd ever post - august favourites. Even though I still do this type of post the way I do it is verrryyy different!

CLICK ME FOR THE POST!

I mean, I don't think you can even call it a post!!! I literally give no product info - what was I even doing?! Also, isn't that photography just off the scale great?!

Now let's fast forward to February 2016 when I created "my blogging story"

CLICK ME FOR THE POST!

I stand by some of the things that I said in this post to this day!! I'm so thankful for all of the support you all show me day in day out and I can never thank you all enough! I do cringe a little at this post though because I was just so excited about everything (including my 15 followers!).

Next up is from my old series "Lou's Guide To..."! This series was the first time I really fell in love with blogging so these posts are really special!!

CLICK ME FOR THE POST!

This post is so true! I hit the nail on the head here and I'd only been blogging a couple of months! This is one of about a 10 part series so make sure you go and have a look for the others because there's some cringey ones in there.

That's my first blogging year in a nutshell! Did you also notice the huge lack of spellcheck on those posts! I've really enjoyed writing this post and I've had a right giggle and some of these posts and I hope you have too! I might do another looking at my second year, so let me know if that's something you'd want to see. Thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you all next week!

Lou Loves xx

Back in January, I set myself 4 goals for my blog and instagram! It's been a few months now so I thought I'd check in and see how they're going!

1- 80,000 blog views

I'm making some great headway into this one! I'm currently sat at just under 71,000 so I should definitely reach this by the end of the year!

2- 750 Instagram followers

I've been having quite a few issues with this one... At the start of the year, I was on about 600, I then had tons of people follow me in the following weeks and managed to reach about 670, but in the 3 months or so afterwards my followers have slowly gone back down and I'm back on 596! So, I'm going to try really hard to boost it again!

3- Post on Instagram at least once every 3 days

And this is the cause of my problem in goal number 2. I've been really bad at posting to instagram and my last post was 31st march! So, I;m going to try and get back on it with my instagram game and hopefully we'll see an improvent in engagement and following!

4- Reply to all comments quickly

I've been pretty good at this one and I think all of them are up to date! Lets just hope I can keep it up!!

So, that's all for today! If you never saw my post setting out the goals, click here to have a little read! Thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you all again next week!

Lou Loves x

So, a lot of you will have noticed that, on Instagram stories, a new trend has been brewing. These "get to know me" templates have been going down a storm and I have loved seeing everyone's versions of them.... so, I decided to create me own! I've designed 3 for now to see how they go but I'm thinking of making a few more in the coming week!

The first one, of course had to be a blog based one! These have been my favourite to see so I really wanted to make one of these. I kept it pretty classic with some of the questions but then I threw some in that I hadn't really seen floating around!


The next one is a food based one, because who doesn't love food! This one is more in the "This or That" style where you circle your favourite but I really love it!

It took me a long time to build up the courage to start a blog and even when I did start my blog I didn't really know what I was doing and what to expect. My only plan was to post the occasional post as a way to past the time - this was almost 2 and 1/2 years ago. At the start of my1- time blogging I often got very disheartened so I wanted to share with you a few things I wish I'd known before I started my blog!

1- Posts take a lot longer than you think to plan,write and upload

When I wrote my first post I was actually really shocked at how long it took to write. Before I had my blog, I thought it was just a case of thinking of a post title and writing a couple hundred words and that was it! Any bloggers reading this will know that this really isn't the case. However, I do think it's one of those things that you cannot fully appreciate how long it takes until you're in the situation yourself.

2- It takes months (even years) to be completely happy with your blog, content and niche

If I'm completely honest, I'm not 100%  happy with my blog even after 2 and a half years. As there is always new trends and fashions in the blogosphere it's very easy to become unhappy with the content you're producing because you look at someone else's blog and wish you had their layout or writing style, etc. etc. So, make sure you try to find your niche straight away and stick to your guns ; don't be swayed by trends if you're not into them!

3- Views and followings take time

This is one I think every blogger has suffered through out their time. It's really discouraging, especially at the start, when you spend 2 hours on a post and you're really happy with it to get a tiny percentage of your normal post views. It's not something that ever completely goes away but you learn how to overcome it.

4- It can be really stressful at times

A lot of people won't understand this one... but the pressure can get to you sometimes. Trying to keep up with the aspirational lifestyle that we're constantly sold on social media can be hard and really overwhelming. The pressure to also constantly upload high quality content that viewers enjoy can be difficult so it's best to find your niche and content you enjoy as early on as possible.

5- Some people won't like your content, but that's okay

Your content won't always be everyone's cup of tea, but that is completely fine. As long as YOU like the content you produce. At the end of the day, your content is up to you and don't let a small minority of people ruin that content and love of writing and blogging for you.

So, I've probably just made blogging sound something that's really scary, but I promise you it's not. Blogging is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and I cannot imagine my life without it!

Lou Loves
xxx

Happy New Year everyone!!! To kick off the new year, I'm sharing with you my 4 goals for this year!

1- 80,000 Blog Views

My blog traffic is something that I've really been working on recently so having a numerical number to strive for is something that really helps me!

2- 750 Instagram followers

In 2017 I went from hating my Instagram to loving it again so I'm hopinh to carry that on into this year and hopefully pick some more followers up on the way!

3- Post to Instagram at least once every 3 days

Not consistently posting on Instagram is my major downfall and is something I'm trying to improve. I try to always make sure I have pre-taken photos but I always use them all and forget to take some more!

4- Reply to all comments on my blog and post on time all the time

These two are repeats from last year but it's something I definitely want to reach some I'm giving myself another year to try and get there!

Thnak you all so much for reading, and be sure to leave your goals for 2018 in the comments below! I hope you all enjoyed this post and I'll see you on Friday,

Love Lou
xxxx

At the beginning of this year, I set myself 4 goals and I've done a few check-ins through out the year but now it's time to see if I reached them all....

1- Try to reach 40,000 views

I think it's safe to say that I've well and truly exceeded this one! I thought this one was going to be a real struggle, but (at time of writing) I'm on 62,000 views! This one has completely blown my mind and I cannot thank you enough!

2- Reach 500 Instagram followers

Even up until my last update, I thought I wouldn't reach this one but I have currently got nearly 600 followers!  The new Instagram Algorithm (read my thoughts here)  has really knocked us small bloggers on Instagram but we're coming back better than ever!

3 and 4 - Reply to every comment and have every post up on time

This is where it goes down hill... Comments, I'm pretty up to date on but I still have quite a few thayt I need to reply to! Posting on time, on the other hand, hasn't gone so great! This year I've posted pretty consistently but I've gotta admit that sometimes I would forget about posts! But I think I redeemed myself with Blogmas this year!

Thank you all so much for reading, and be sure to check back in the new year for my 2018 goals! I hope you all enjoyed this post and I'll see you all in the new year!

Love Lou
xxxx

I thought I'd take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe new year!

We've reached the end! I've thoroughly enjoyed writing my blogmas this year as well as reading everyone else's so I thought I'd share my top 5 blogmasses this year!

I've loved reading Soph's blog everyday! As you know, I collabed with her for day 13 but even that day isn't my favourite! She's covered loads of different content that you wouldn't have thought to do! Click here to hop on over!


Although Eden has only done a "Blogmas Week" I've enjoyed it more than some blogmas that have been 24 days! Quality over quantity all the way! Click here to hop on over!


This one's a bit of a cheat one but who cares, because it deserves recognition! She didn't actually do blogmas but instaed, she did three absolutely gorgeous festive posts and I can't get enough of them!
Click here to hop on over!


I've always been a huge fan of Liv's blog and her Christmas posts this year have been incredible! One of my favourites ever! Click here to hop on over!

Last, but definitely not least is Amelia from Rose Tinted Pics. She's covered pretty much everything from wrapping to a Christmas would you rather! Click here to hop on over!

Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed Blogmas this year and I'll see you all on the 29th!

Love Lou
xxx

I have thoroughly enjoyed blogmas this year and I just wanted to say a big thank you for supporting me the whole way through! You lot are incredible!

I have been really enjoying doing Blogmas this year but I always get a lot of questions about how I manage to keep on top of posting every day! So I'm going to share with you my way of getting everything done it time for the upload date!

I usually start planning all of my posts in last September/early October - that may seem really early but it's the only way I can get it all done in time!

Then through out the whole of October I plan the content of the individual posts. This is basically me sat with my laptop and with any catalogues I've managed to pick up, trying to decide what to put in each post. I then make a bullet point list in my planner along with any links or product codes I might need which makes it so much easier when it comes to actually writing the post!

Then I spend the whole on November writing up all the posts (I generally aim to have all posts done so I can have December completely off but some posts I can't do until certain points!) I don't necessarily sit there and write 3 Blogmas posts in one day, usually whenever I write a normal post I would write 1 or 2 blogmas posts as well (depending on how long the posts take to do)

Another thing that often surprises people about how I do blogmas is that I don't write my posts in order. Generally I will write the harder more complex posts first to get them done so I'm not worrying about them and then leave the easier "Baking Week" posts until the end so I can get them done quite quickly. This concept must be really weird to some of you non-bloggers as logic says that the earlier posts would be written first but that's just not how the blogosphere works!

I then take all of my photos in one go. Instead of just doing lots of small sets of photos, I do one massive one when I can just get it all done and up onto my laptop. A lot of you have also been asking me how I do the cover images for each post. So, all I did was find a Christmas stock image on Google and then add the text on on www.befunky.com

So, I hope this has helped you bloggers out there and I'm really sorry that it's not as festive as usual for you non-bloggers but I know that these types of post were really helpful when I first started blogging. Thank you so much for reading and I will see you all tomorrow,

Love Lou
xxx

So, if you follow me on Instagram (@louloves01) you'll know that I recently changed my theme to a more flatlay based style. So I thought I'd share with you how I take my Instagram photos because I know how helpful this kind of post was when I was thinking about changing my theme!

I'll start off with the camera I use. Since the beginning of this year I've been using the Cannon 1300D . Up until recently I have used the pre-set settings but I now use the "M" setting and the settings I use are:

Shutter Speed - 1/125
Aperture - F7.1
ISO Speed- 6400
Exposure comp./AEB Setting - Centre (0)
Flash Exposure comp. - +2/3
Picture Style - Standard
White Balance - Daylight
Auto Lighting Optimiser - Standard
AF Operation - One shot
Drive/Self-timer Mode - Single shoot
Metering Mode - Evaluative meter
Image Quality - First setting (18m 5184x3456 [1320])

I take my photos in either a flatlay style or just a standard product photo style.

Flatlay Style:

So I just use this white blanket from Primark to create the plain white background but I know a lot of people use card and then use accent colours which I always love the look of put I don't think I would be able to pull it off! I usually take about 10 minutes styling the photo and then 5 minutes shooting so I can get 4 lots of photos done in an hour which doesn't seem a lot but an hours worth of photos can last me up to 3 week which means I don't have to spend too much time taking photos. I then either kneel on a stool or stand to take photos depending on the angle I want. As you can see in the photo I usually have a pile of magazines waiting (although I never actually use them) in case I want one in the shot.

Product Style:


So when I take photos of individual products, I try to keep it as minimalistic as possible because as much as I love scrolling through instagram looking at all of the gorgeous flatlays, I tend to fine that sometimes the product gets lost within everything else and I really wanted the focus to be purely on the product. So, I get the white Primark blanket and drape it over the stool to get the white base and backdrop. I then just make a flat space at the bottom to put the product on and just take photos of it!

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx

Blogmas Countdown - 11 Days

I did a review of this foundation so you'll know how much I love it but I really want to get into the nitty gritty of this product. I have the shade 1.5N and it's absolutely perfect for me - it's a complete "true match". I do find that I have to do 2 layers of my hydra genius moisturiser under this because it settles into pores and dry skin pretty quickly and I find that that really helps prevent it! I also love how nicely it blends in. I use my beauty blender and it's super easy - it literally only takes a few minutes. The only few complaints I have is that if you don't focus most of the blending under the eyes, the product does pull away a bit when you try and apply concealer but it just means a few more minutes blending!

An Instagram account I have been loving recently is Leah from @devotedtopink and I have been absolutely obsessed with Hannah's blog (www.hannahgale.com) so make sure you go and check them both out!

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you all again soon,

Love Lou
xxx

LINKS
Sleepy Body Lotion
Micellar oil infused cleansing water
True match foundation
Leah's instagram
Hannah Gale

So, you've all probably noticed my major absence on all of my social media, including on here. I took a little step back on here because things got a little hectic so I didn't want to be putting up posts that didn't have my full attention.

Things have settled back down again now so I will be back with my first "normal" post again on Friday but I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you about my instagram.

Since the new instagram algorithm I have been very frustrated with instagram and I often go days without posting. So, a couple of weeks ago I decided to start posting more and more to try and make sure my posts were seen. My account grew massively but I felt as though my content just wasn't good enough. I felt as though I was just churning out these posts but I wasn't happy with them as I was with my slightly older posts.

Then, when I went on my break, I made the decision to start instagram again but I really didn't want to loose all of those lovely followers I had gained and neither did I want to let go to those old posts that I loved so much. Yesterday, I posted a three post barrier to create a definitive line between the older posts that grew my blog and those that I really want to connect with. I am really going to make sure I completely love the posts before I post them.

I love following you all back and seeing your own blogs that you work so hard on, so make sure you leave your instagram handles in the comments.

I feel as though this post has been one long ramble but I will be back on Friday without a slightly less rambley (is that a word?!?). Thank you all so much for sticking with me and I will see you very soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

Yesterday, the lovely Iris from Get Up and Out Blog nominated me for this award (thank you so much lovely!) so I thought today was the perfect time to do this post. (You can check out Iris' blog by clicking the link above)

Also make sure you check out the creator of this award - Okoto Engima - by clicking just here

The rules for this award are:
1. Put the award logo on the post.
2. List the rules.
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award, and provide a link to their blog as well.
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
6. Answer the 5 questions asked by the person who nominated you
7. Nominate 10-20 people.
8. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
9. Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice, with one weird or funny question (specify which one that is).
10. Share a link to your best post(s).

So three things about myself (p.s. this is really hard so sorry if you already know these things about me!) :

1) When I was younger I used to love writing stories and that's what gave me the idea to start a blog!

2) My 3 most favourite films are Dirty Dancing, Grease and La La Land

3) Autumn is my favourite season!

Now onto the questions asked by Iris

1~ What are your favourite foods (one for each season)?

This is so hard! For Spring, I love having a barbeque (I mean depending on British weather aha), in summer ice lollies are a must. Then in autumn, chicken pasta bakes are the best. Finally in winter, what's better than a Christmas Dinner?!?

2~ What is/was your favourite part about going back to school?

I always love seeing which teachers I have and seeing who's in each of my lessons!

3~ What is your favourite part about blogging?

My favourite part about blogging is getting to interact with you all! I love seeing what you think of my posts and how I can improve them for you!

4~ What is your favourite time of year and why?

I love Autumn because everything just looks so pretty! (and you can get the best instagram photos)

5~ Funny question ~ Would you rather: read one book series for the rest of your life or listen to one artist for the rest of your life? Why?

I don't know this is so hard, because one artist can keep releasing new material whereas a book series you can only go over and over the same bits! I'm gonna have to go with one artist because I'd get bored of that one book series very quickly!




I nominate...

Life as Tilly Rose
Marti (from Pink Smarties)
Emsi Rose
Olivia Grace
The Batch of Beauty
Girl Abroad
Life as Najida
BethxKate
The Lifestyle Blogger
Beauty Obsessed

My questions for you are:

1- What is your all time favourite film and why?

2- What encouraged you to start blogging?

3- What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?

4- What do you find most frustrating about blogging?

5- Funny Question - Would you rather have 4 feet or 4 hands?

Three of my favourite posts of mine are : My 2nd Anniversary Post
                                                                   My 1st Anniversary Post
                                                                   S'mores Cupcakes

So, thank you so much for reading this slightly different post, I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

So, today is the day my blog turns 2 and I can't quite believe that it's happening to be completely honest with you. I started my blog as a past time one summery august day and I didn't know how long I was going to stick at it and where my blog could take me. My blogging experience has been absolutely incredible and I can whole heartedly say that's down to you guys. I couldn't ask for a more lovely or genuinely nice bunch of people. I can't thank you enough for your support, just reading my blog posts twice a week means the world to me. A couple of days ago I asked you guys to ask me some questions over on my Instagram (@louloves01) so I'm here answering them for you all!

@lifeasnajida - What motivated you to blog for so long?

I'm not completely sure. I think it's mainly down to the fact that I love writing so much for you lot twice a week and that you all support me. When I first started blogging I would get really disheartened when I spent a long time on a post for it to get 4/5 views. But when that did happen there was always the few people who would leave really lovely comments and make me keep trying to produce more and more better content for you all.

@bethxkate - Did anything/anyone inspire you to start your blog?

I wouldn't necessarily pin my inspiration down to one person but I saw loads of bloggers genuinely enjoying what they do. Before I made my blog, I had been thinking about it for a while and that day was just the final push I guess. Another thing I really enjoyed growing up was writing, weather that be stories or diaries, I just really enjoyed it and I think this was a way to rekindle that passion.

@artisticanimalblog - Favourite blog post you've been made?

Ahh this is so hard! I love posts where I get to interact with you guys so I really enjoy writing Q and A's for you but I also really enjoyed the two brand collabs that I did with Emma as well as with Heart and Home because they offered a relaly new experience for me!

@martistelling - Have you ever felt discouraged by anything and wanted to stop blogging?

Yes, of course! Especially when I was first starting out, it could be really discouraging look at your view number and comparing it to other more successful bloggers. If this is you at the minute, my best tip for you is to just ignore the views as it doesn't really correlate to how good your content is, you just need some more exposure. I also got quite discouraged recently as well. Back in January/February I went through a major view surge and was getting 200/300 views a day and then in April I think it dropped really dramatically (to about 20 or 30 views). I still haven't got back to where I was but now I don't look at the amount of viewers I lost, I look at how far I've come from the start of my blog and it makes me really proud of how much I have managed to grow my little corner of the internet!

@daisyjaneblog -Have you experienced any hate and if so how do you deal with it?

I've been really lucky and haven't had any hate so far but I know a lot of bloggers that are even smaller than me have but I guess I just got really lucky.

@words_with_el - What have you gained from your experiences as a blogger?

Oh wow, I cant even explain how much I've gained from blogging. The main thing that I have gained though is that in the blogosphere everyone is so supportive of everyone and there is just the best community feel that literally can't be beaten!

@artisticanimalblog -Any advice for starting a blog?

My advice to anyone thinking of starting a blog is to produce content that you would personally want to see. I went through a phase of writing posts that I really didn't enjoy and it think that negativity cam through in my posts so that's when I started posting what I'd want to read and it made me rekindle that love of writing/

@bethxkate and @lifeaskatiex - What have you learnt in your 2 years of blogging?

This is a tricky one... I'd have to say that my follower count and page views don't necessarily reflect how good my content is/ I always make sure that my posts are as good as I can make them and even if the post doesn't get many views, I know it was still good content.

@words_with_el - What's your favourite part about being a blogger?

My favourite part of being a blogger is being able to interact with you all on a pretty much daily basis. I love reading all of your blog posts and seeing everything you post on instagram!

@thebatchofbeauty - What's been the best thing about starting your blog?

The best thing so far has been being able to interact with my readers on a daily basis. Every single one of your comments have been nothing but positive and I cannot thank you all enough for that! I just love blogging in general and this has been an amazing journey for me so far and I can't wait to see where it take me in the future!

@artisticanimalblog - Something you wish you'd known before you started your blog?

I wish that I'd known just how much work it takes to produce content that's up to standard 2/3 times a week. When I first started, I definitely underestimated just how much you had to do and it came as a bit of a shock to me to be honest!

Thank you so much for all you support of these past 2 years, I can't believe the time has gone so quickly! I love you all so much and I'll see you again tomorrow,

Lou Loves
xxxx

I have seen posts discussing the new instagram algorithm a few times in the blogosphere so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you my point of view.

For those of you who haven't come across the new Instagram Algorithm, a few months or so ago, Instagram released a new update that meant, like facebook, posts were no longer in chronological order. For smaller bloggers like myself, and bloggers in general to be fair, it's caused massive reductions in engagement and followers on both instagram and their blog.

So, the new algorithm meant that posts were mixed up which meant that a lot of posts now wouldn't be seen. It also appears to me that Instagram is more actively promoting (and therefore moving to the top of feeds) posts from accounts with more followers. This is a big set back for small bloggers like me (currently having a few followers over 300) as it means that often our posts are lower down feeds, if on them at all. Obviously, this is just what I've seen and it may not be the same to everyone, but I thought I share with you what I have personally found.

As a small blogger, the new algorithm massively affected my blog. Before the update, I was posting pretty regularly on my instagram, and I still am, however, likes and comments have now become practically inexistent, which has also resulted in a big drop in blog views - dropping from the 200's to the 50's-  due to the lack of engagement on that particular promoting platform (if you didn't already know, Instagram is my main promoting platform so this was a pretty big knock for me).

Like several other bloggers, I am really struggling with Instagram and it's really making me question how long I am going to be actively posting on there. To overcome this, I've come up with some tips for you guys who may be experiencing the same problems as me:

1. Use hastags wisely

Hashtags can make or break a post, use the right ones and likes will flood in but if you don't get it quite right, even if it's the best content you have ever posted, you will get very few likes.

2. Try and produce the best quality content

If you haven't really got anything to post, don't find a picture you took about 5 years ago on your iPhone 3 because chances are you're going to get more unfollows than if you didn't post anything at all.

3. Interact with similar bloggers/accounts

This has been key in my instagram survival so far. Finding accounts similar to yours that you actually enjoy can be pretty difficult but once you find them, you'll often get a follow back and they'll also enjoy your content. (I'll link some of my favourite accounts in each niche at the end of this post)

4. Post as regularly as you possibly can

This is quite a controversial one, I've found. When I post 1 or 2 times a day I definitely get more engagement and I feel as though my posts sit higher on instagram feeds, whereas other 'gramers feel that they get less engagement. This is totally dependant on your audience so give it a go and see how you get on.

So, I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know any tips you have in the comments if you've been having similar problems. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all again soon,

Love Lou
xxxx

My favourite:

Beauty Accounts:

@lifeastillyrose
@dasiyjosephineblog
@justlucyslife

Lifestyle Accounts:

@chloeplumstead
@susiejverrill
@ellenextdoor

Fashion Accounts:

@eleanorclaudie
@rachyblogs
@stylelobster


Other:

@livv.gracee (She's an all rounder to be honest)
@hannahfgale
@devotedtopink (Another lovely all rounder)

I've seen this post circulating recently and I think it's such a lovely idea. For those of you who don't know, basically, you pick your favourite bloggers right now - spread some love in the blogosphere!

1- Life as Tilly Rose


You guys probably get so sick of how much I talk about Tilly, but her posts are just so good! They're always really unique and I genuinely get really excited whenever she uploads!

2- Daisy Josephine Blog (previously known as Daisy Chains and Paper Planes)


Daisy's blog and instagram are just the cutest! Her posts are always super useful and she does THE best!

3- Bethxkate


I don't know what it is about Beth but her posts just always seem really friendly and chatty! She also posts about quite a range of things, from DIY posts to beauty, she has it all!

4- Emsi Rose
I have collabed with Emsi so many times, so you probably all know and love her by now but I couldn't not include her! Emsi is one of the most sincere and lovely people I have come across in the blogging community, you all have to go and read her blog!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and let me know who your favourites are right now in the comments,

Love Lou
xxxx

Instagrams: @lifeastillyrose @daisyjosephineblog @bethxkate @emsirose

At the beginning of this year, I set myself some goals from my little corner of the internet so today I thought I'd update you on how I'm doing! (If you haven't read the first post, click here to read it)

1- Try and reach 40,000 views

When I came up with goal, I genuinely thought I wouldn't reach it as it was just under double the amount of views I had at the time. I now think it's safe to say I have 100% reached this goal (I'm currently on 51,000 views! I know, I can't believe it either).

2- Reach 500 Instagram followers

This is where things go down hill... I have been in the high 2 hundreds for about 4 or 5 months now and I just can't seem to get past the 300 mark! I get there and then I get a lot of unfollows but I didn't used to post very often so now I'm trying to post more regularly to try and make some more headway into the one.

 3- Reply to all of my comments

So far, I've been doing okay on this one. I have been replying to them all but often not very quickly so in the next few months I'm going to try and reply a little more quickly!

4- Have every single post go up in time

At the start of the year, I thought this was going to be quite tricky as a lot of times last year I was hours (or maybe even a day) late putting up posts, but so far all of them have gone up on time!

So, I think I've been pretty successful with my goals so far! I hope you all enjoyed this post, thank yu so much for reading, and I will see you very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx

It's the end of another month, so that means that I am back with yet another favourites post!


The first product I have been loving is the Comforter shower cream from Lush. I know, I know I'm a bit late to jump on the bandwagon with this one, but I have actually had this from when it first got released but I've only just got around to using it! Anyway, this is literally the comforter in a bottle. I was really surprised at how similar the scent was to the original bubble bar as sometimes scents can be a little different but Lush have got this one bang on! It lathers up really nicely and little goes a long way with this so it's going to last you a really long time. The scent is really super powerful so overall, I'm completely in love with this product - the only slight complaint I have about it is the fact that it's quite liquid-y compared to the regular gel formula.


Next up, we have the Spectrum A10 Small Fan brush. I ordered this brush at the start of the month and I have been completely obsessed. It's part of the pink collection so it has the classic pink handle and blue dip-dyed brush. Even though it's name is "small" fan, I find it's the perfect size, in fact, if it was any bigger I think it may be a bit too big! I'm not going to go into great depths on this product because I am doing a review on Wednesday but I thought I'd throw it into the mix anyway just because it is so good!


A product that I ramble on quite a lot about is the NYX hot singles eyeshadows. This month I have been really enjoying just lightly dusting the shade Velvet across my lid for a little wash of colour which I think is really nice in a glowy, bronze summery look. Velvet is a true brown with warm-ish undertones and a slight shimmer to it. Also, for a slightly more dramatic look I have been adding a bit of Smashbox's Roast into the outer corner and blending it up into the crease. Going back to the actual shadow, I am loving everything about it from the formula to the shade - it's completely and utterly perfect!



A skincare product that has been a complete lifesaver right now is the Garnier Moisture Bomb hydrating mist. Because it's been so hot recently, I'm been giving my face a quick mist of this every morning as it has SPF 30 in it so it helps protect my skin from the sun. It also really helps that this is super moisturising so I don't have to apply this and then a separate moisturiser afterwards. I know with a lot of high SPF face products sit well on the skin without make up but aren't so great when you've got make up on top but this is completely fine with make up on top. In fact, I'd say it makes make up sit better on my face!

An instagram/blog that I have been loving is yet again @lifeastillyrose / www.lifeastillyrose.co.uk , so hop on over to Tilly's blog and instagram and have a lil' look around!

I hope you all enjoyed this post, thank you so much for reading, and I will see you all again very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx

I always get a lot of questions in Q and A's asking me how I stay motivated to write blog posts and I normally give a pretty short answer so today I'm going into the nitty gritty of it!

The short answer to this question when I get asked it is I honestly don't know. Blogging is such a nice and you either love it or you find it a chore. I feel as though I don't fit into either category. 99% of the time I absolutely love blogging and I love seeing your positive comments in reply to my posts. However, there is still that other 1% when I realise it's Monday night at 5pm and I realise I still haven't written that nights blog post!

The main thing that keeps me blogging is you lovely lot. When I first started blogging it would be really disappointing to have spent hours on posts and them get 5-10 views.  If you're in that situation right now, don't worry about it, this happened to me for about a year before my views increased pretty rapidly. However now, there is a lot more of you viewing my posts and it's so lovely to see the number of views increase on a post. The fact that you guys take the time out of your day to read my posts is what makes me improve my writing, my photography and just my blog in general!

Another thing that keeps me motivated is other peoples success. At the moment in the blogosphere a lot of people are doing really well from blogging and that's what makes me strive to be a better blogger myself. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I'm trying to be the next Zoella but even smaller achievements like 1000 followers makes me keep pushing on to my next goal.

Linking back to the last point, set yourself goals. Now these don't have to be huge goals, make them realistic. For example if you have 300 followers don't expect to be getting thousands of views by the end of the year. I set myself some reasonable goals this year so click right here to be taking to my post about those!

I hope this post helped you and gave you some good advice. Thank you so much for reading and I will see you all very soon,

Love Lou
xxxxx