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5 Tips to Buying Stylish and Trendy Clothes

10/08/2018 by Louise 16 Comments

When you don’t know where to begin, it may be hard to keep up with fashion trends especially when the price tags don’t match your bank account. You will be surprised by how easy it is to look trendy and fashionable. Here are a few tips to help you …

Sell or trade

Selling or trading clothes that you no longer need or wear can be a great way to get more stylish and trendy clothes. Check what you don’t wear anymore especially the outdated clothes and those clothes you have grown out of. Ask any of your family or friends who is interested and swap with them. Maybe it’s a pair of trendy shoes your sister or best friend don’t wear anymore. Ask them to set aside what they don’t need any more and buy or trade whatever you like.

Review your closet

Before going out to your favorite store to add on to your closet, review it first and get rid of what you already have. Get rid of what you don’t need first, then look at what you have. You may have a nice fancy top that may match well with the stylish pair of pants you saw online. Try to create different fusions with what you have and add on to what you don’t have.

Do less online shopping

Online shopping may be easy for anybody who is always busy and doesn’t have time to go out for shopping. It will be also a great option for you if you already know your size because some times what gets delivered on your doorstep is not exactly what you anticipated for. This can also be costly and time consuming because you have to pay for the items to be returned before they are shipped to you again. So, shop less online unless you are shopping for accessories. Shop sparingly online as you try to compare both online and offline shopping.

Thrifting

Thrifting is a great way to buy stylish and trendy clothes on a small budget. In fact, clothes you buy in thrift store are high quality besides being affordable. What’s more, thrifting can be done both online and offline. You can browse through online thrift store and get exactly what you want, at a price several times cheaper than any big clothing store you know. Even more, with the use of social media, you will find a lot of thrift store pages where trendy fashion is bottomless.

Know your style

It is important to know the kind of fashion style which suits you. For instance, if you like gothic, then you need to know where to and where not to shop. Shopping in general stores for gothic fashion may be expensive and you may not find everything you want there. Instead, shop in stores that are purely gothic, for example, The Black Ravens which is an exclusive gothic store. Or Punk Rave Store, who sell some gorgeous gothic-dress. You will find more stylish clothes in these stores and you will be able to keep up with any current trends.

Do you have any other tips for buying stylish and trendy clothes?
If so, let me know in the comments below.
With love from Lou Signature Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest

Five Tips About Buying Your First Home

02/08/2018 by Louise 5 Comments

There are few things in life more exciting than buying your first home. You’ll finally have somewhere you can truly call your own, decorate as you like, and make some unforgettable memories in. That being said, the process is far from simple and can get stressful and complicated, especially for first-time buyers. Before you make any big decisions (or big mistakes), you need to make sure that you do plenty of research and really know what you’re doing. Keeping that in mind, here are five tips you should know about buying your first home.

Sort Out Your Finances

Before you can even consider what sort of home you want, you need to know exactly what you can afford. This means that you need to look through your budget and work out how much you have to spare each month for mortgage repayments. You should also consider any other costs that come with buying a home, like legal fees and a down payment. Your credit rating has a huge impact on how much you can borrow, so work on increasing this before applying for a mortgage.

Work With The Professionals

Buying a house is a complicated process, so it’s always better that you work with experienced professionals instead of trying to go it alone. You’re going to need to find conveyancing solicitor services to help you through the paperwork, a real estate agent to find you the perfect house, and a licenced inspector to look over the properties. Even on a budget, it’s much better to work with the pros, as they really know their stuff and can stop you from making any costly mistakes.

Understand What You Want

Real estate agents can be a lot of help when you’re looking for a house, but they can’t find you the perfect properties if they don’t know what you want. Because of this, it’s important that you sit down and write a list of everything that you want out of a potential home. Just remember that the “perfect” property might not exist, and, even if it does, it might not be in your budget, so figure out the features that are most important to you, and be willing to compromise on the others.

View Every Property Carefully

First impressions are important, but you should avoid having an opinion on any possible properties until you’ve had a good look around. Make sure that you view every single inch of each of the houses, looking in every room, cupboard, closet, nook and cranny. You should also have an inspector do the same before you make any decisions. Never allow yourself to feel rushed and make sure you ask as many questions as you need to.

Decide With Your Head

When you’re buying a property to live in, you’re always going to be partially driven by your emotions, as this will be somewhere that you’ll raise a family and make amazing memories. That being said, you shouldn’t let your heart take over completely. After all, buying a house is an expensive responsibility, and you don’t want to get yourself into a bad deal. Because of this, you should always be prepared to walk away if things don’t go as you hoped.

Buying your first home can be stressful and complicated, but, hopefully, with these tips, you’ll find the process a little more straightforward.

Do you have any other tips to share with someone buying their first home?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below.
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Designer Style on a High Street Budget

12/07/2018 by Louise 21 Comments

How nice it would be if we all had enough money to be able to buy the latest fashions. Unfortunately, there are more of us that cannot afford those designer labels than can, but there are ways you can keep up to date without spending a fortune …

Check Out The Charity Shops

Check out the charity shops in the right places and you may be surprised at the quality and how modern some of the things they have for sale are. This may not be the case if your local charity shop is in the countryside, but head for some of the big cities like London or Manchester and you are more likely to find the things you are after.

Even with the cost of travelling, if you use say Next or Debenhams discount codes to keep the cost of the hotels down, you can still save a lot of money and be fashionable. These large cities have many charity shops in their centres, and a weekend stay can give you the time to scour them all.

Car boot sales are another place to pick items up cheaply, especially if you leave it till towards the end when people are desperate to sell.

Watch Out For Flash Sales

Wherever you are, keep your eyes open for flash sales. Look online as well. These happen quickly with very little notice and often are only for a few hours, but they can save you a fortune. Even the big brands hold flash sales from time to time.

Look Closely At Your Wardrobe

Fashions have a habit of being repeated, so take a close look at the clothes shoved to the back of your wardrobe. In fact, you should perhaps look at your moms and your grandmother’s wardrobes as well. You may just be surprised how a small alteration to something that is years old can make it appear as good as the latest fashions.

Visit Factory Shops

When a factory receives a large order, they always make more than they need in case they hit a snag along the way. Any surplus is known as ‘cabbage’ and it is accepted in the clothing industry that this will be sold off in the factory shops at a reduced price. You could find the latest fashions on sale in these outlets, and only pay half of what you would on the high street.

Some areas have whole shopping centres that are only factory shops, and these are definitely worth a visit.

Check Online Auctions

Online auctions often have the latest fashions, and depending on what people are prepared to offer, you may pick up some real bargains in this way. The secret with them is to set yourself a price and do not be tempted to go above it, otherwise you could pay more than you would in a store.

It does not have to be costly to follow the latest trends if you are prepared to spend some time looking around the various places and to be a bit creative with what you find. It’s much more fun too!

Do you have any other tips for getting your hands on designer goods on a high street budget?
If so, let me know in the comments below.
With love from Lou Signature Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | YouTube

How To Leave Your House Sparkling With A Super Spring Clean

26/04/2018 by Louise 12 Comments

At this time of year, we all love to dust the cobwebs off and really transform the way that our homes look and feel. And there’s nothing more satisfying that a good old-fashioned spring clean. However, you know that you need to dust, mop, vacuum, and wipe every single corner of each room. So we’re not going to walk you through the basics that you already know. Instead, you’ll find eight cool tips to leave your home sparkling in the infographic below. But to get stared, here are three that you’ll love.

Clean The Washing Machine

There’s something really satisfying about cleaning something that cleans as a function. And obviously, even cleaning machines can get dirty. So if you want to make sure that your next load of laundry is uber clean, the give the washing machine a bit of a spring clean itself.

Clear Out The Fridge

As much as you do probably throw out any old food on a regular basis (or just eat it all up), giving your fridge a good clear out and clean always feels good. So pull everything out, give the sides and shelves a good clean, and then stack your fridge back up so that it looks its best.

Get Outside

And finally, you’re always going to want to make the most of the summer, so now is the perfect time to get spring cleaning outside and clean up your patio furniture. And the next time that the sun shines, you’ll actually be able to get out there and enjoy it!

Infographic Design By Appliance Hunter

And there you have it, my top tips on how to leave your house sparkling with a super spring clean! I hope you enjoyed having a read and found some of them useful.

Do you guys have any other spring cleaning tips to share with me?
If so, be sure to let me know in the comments below.
With love from Lou Signature Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest

Updating your bathroom, without breaking the bank!

10/12/2017 by Louise 26 Comments

We all have to agree, that the bathroom is one of the most important, and the busiest rooms of the house, but as it’s tucked away from main view, it can be easy for it to be overlooked when you’re looking to update or redesign aspects of your home.

Most would rather spend their makeover money on the living room, or their bedroom – which is fair enough, so how can you update your bathroom without breaking the bank? Or breaking into the cash you’ve set aside for other rooms in your home?

Here, you’ll get the lowdown on the easiest ways to make your bathroom look fresh, new and stylish.

Accessorise

Updating your bathroom can be as easy as installing a couple of new taps for your sink. Or a couple of glass shelves for all your toiletries. Companies like Better Bathrooms have an amazing range of bathroom accessories, from mirrors to towel rails, toilet roll holders to a new shower head, so the hardest thing will be choosing which style you want to go for!

Want to shower with music? Drag your bathroom into the 21st Century and install some Bluetooth speakers! The possibilities are endless.

Consider Colours

Painting walls, shelves or a vanity can be an inexpensive way to update your bathroom without having to make any other big changes. But before you start slathering a bright new colour on your walls, take a few things into consideration.

Remember that the bathroom is a place that is full of moisture! Spray from the sink and steam from the hot shower plays havoc with wall paper and freshly painted walls! So, use a water-based primer, this will help keep moisture off your walls and prevent mildew. You’ll also want to look into a mildew-resistant paint too – but don’t worry, this is available in a wide range of colours, so it shouldn’t hinder your creativity too much!

Lighten Up!

Even a great bathroom can feel drab and depressing when the lighting isn’t right. Start with the least expensive lighting fix. Trim thick shrubbery covering your windows from outside and even replace that dusty and faded old blind that hangs in the window space.

Adding mirrors also gives the illusion of space and they help create a light, airy space. See? Mirrors aren’t just for over the sink!

And we’re not just talking electrical lighting solutions either. Why not position a few candles here and there in your bathroom and give it that spa feel? If you don’t like the idea of a naked flame, then look into battery powered LED candles instead.

Storage

Half empty bottles of shampoo, abandoned beauty supplies and even the kids toys pile up fast in the bathroom, so consider getting a new storage cabinet. Got space above your toilet? Why not install a couple of shelves? Or fit an inexpensive unit around the base of the sink? You could also half your bathroom supplies too to free up some space!

Do you have any other tips for updating your bathroom without breaking the bank?
Why not let me know in the comments below.
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Making Your Garden an Extension of Your Home

06/12/2017 by Louise 24 Comments

It might seem like an odd time of year to be talking about the garden, and especially about how to make it an extension of your home. Winter in this country does tend, after all, to be cold, wet and rather windy, but I firmly believe that the garden can and should be enjoyed at any time of the year by those of us who are lucky enough to have one, and anyway making a few changes now will mean that the garden is all ready for spring.

The best way to make the most of your garden is undoubtedly by making it an extension of your home, and here are some tips to help you do exactly that:

Invest in Great Garden Furniture

The most obvious way of making your garden an extension of your home is by adding garden furniture. Ideally, you’re going to want to find the most robust garden furniture possible, so that you can leave it out for most of the year. Investing in a gazebo or awning will help you to use the garden in less than optimum conditions too, although there are always going to be times when actually sitting in the garden is a big no-no.

Install Folding Doors

The folding door shop is home to a wide range of folding doors, which are ideal for installing in the room that leads out to the kitchen. Then, when the weather is good, you can simply fold the doors away out of sight, making the kitchen, for example, and the garden one big space where you can move seamlessly and let the air in.

Hang Bird Feeders and Install Cameras

If one of your favourite things about being in the garden is the fact that you get to watch the birds going about their business, then hanging bird feeders and installing wireless cameras, especially in the autumn and winter, is a great way to enjoy the garden and make it part of everyday life, without having to actually go outside if it’s just too cold, or the rain is coming down in sheets.If you have kids, they’ll love watching the comings and goings too.

Install a Fire Pit

Having a fire pit in the garden means that you can enjoy the space even when it is cold. Not only is it great for those chilly spring evenings, but it’s fantastic for cool, crisp winter days too.

Lighting is a Must

You use your home day and night, so if you want your garden to be an extension of your home, you need to ensure that you can use it in the light and the dark. That means adding outdoor lighting, like the stuff you can find at the Wayfair shop. Wall mounted lighting is good, but wrapping the fences with solar powered fairy lights or lining your pathways with solar lanterns is good too.

Build a Deck

Decking is great for entertaining and a good place to place your furniture and barbecue. It’s also very affordable and easy to install yourself. More importantly, it really helps to bring the house and garden together. Click here to find out more about Deck Restoration.

I hope this has inspired you to use your garden more and make it more a part of daily living.

Do you have any other tips for making your garden and extension of your home?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Top Tips to Improve Your Credit Score

01/08/2017 by Louise 26 Comments

I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of you guys who read my blog who have applied for credit at some point in your life, only to be turned down because you didn’t have a good enough credit score. I know it’s happened to me on several occasions, and it doesn’t feel very good at all when it happens. So for today’s post, I thought I’d share my top tips to help improve your credit score. I hope you find it useful!

01. Check your credit report

Before applying for any sort of credit, it’s always a good idea to check out your credit report. I recommend using Noddle for this, as they allow you to access your credit report free for life, whereas other companies, such as Experian, offer a free trial and then charge monthly for you to continue looking at it.

Once you’ve accessed your credit report, make sure that all the information on it is accurate. If not, you can contact the lender to get it removed. If you request your report on a free trial then find you don’t need to access it after the trial period ends, remember to cancel it by setting a reminder on your phone.

02. Disassociate yourself from your financial partner

Did you know that when you take out a joint bank account or mortgage with someone, you automatically become ‘linked’ to them financially? This means that if they have a bad credit rating, it could have an impact on yours too (and vice versa).

If you’ve split up with someone that you had any joint accounts with, or the joint financial product you have taken out is no longer between you both, make sure you inform the credit reference agencies of your disassociation. If you don’t, the other person’s financial dealings could still have a massive impact on your credit score. And you don’t want that to happen when you’re trying hard to improve it!

03. Get yourself on the Electoral Roll

Getting yourself on the Electoral Roll can significantly increase the chances of being accepted for credit. This is because prospective lenders and credit reference agencies use this to check you are who you say you are, and that you live where you say you live.

I have to be honest here and say that I didn’t update my details when we moved house 4 years ago, and I still managed to obtain credit for various things. But I’ve also been turned down for credit because I wasn’t on the Electoral Roll. It’s very much a case of swings and roundabouts with this one!

04. Close any unused credit cards, store cards and mobile phone contracts

Lenders often take into consideration how much credit you already have access too, as well as the amount of debt you owe. If you have any credit cards, store cards, or mobile phone contracts that you no longer use then it’s a good idea to close them.

To do this, you need to contact the provider and close the account. Simply cutting up the cards and forgetting all about them isn’t enough. Be prepared for the Spanish Inquisition when you ring up though! Lenders will keep asking why you’re wanting to close the accounts because they don’t want you to leave. Don’t let them talk you into staying with them if you really don’t need the accounts – stick to your guns and close them down!

05. Don’t miss or make late repayments

Believe it or not, missed or late repayments can stay on your credit file for up to six years. That’s a long time! However, if a late payment was made because of a circumstance that was out of your control, such as a direct debit not being set up on time, then it is possible to get the black mark removed (as long as you made the payment as soon as you noticed, of course). All you need to do is call up your provider and have a chat with them.

06. Make sure you’re paying off any debts you already have

If you already have debts in your name, make sure you’re paying them off. It’s good practice to pay off more than just the minimum payment each month too, as this shows prospective lenders that you’re managing your debts well, which will go a long way to increase your chances of being accepted for credit with them.

07. Build your credit history with a credit card or loan

If you’ve never had credit before, it can often be difficult for a lender to assess you. Why not consider taking out a credit building credit card? The idea is that you make a couple of small purchases on it each month, then repay the balance in full at the end of the month via direct debit. This will show that you can responsibly manage credit and build a good credit history.

If you’ve had credit in the past, but have damaged your score for whatever reason, then why not consider taking out a loan for bad credit? These are small, short term loans designed to help customers overcome unexpected financial emergencies and need to be paid back as soon as possible (usually on your next payday). These sorts of loans will go some way to helping rebuild a damaged credit score, as well as helping you out financially.

08. Take out a prepaid card to repair your credit

Another way to help improve your credit score is to take out a prepaid credit builder card. You’ll be charged a monthly fee of around £5 for a service like this, which you’ll need to keep paying for a 12 month period. At the end of the 12 months, they will add an entry to your credit file to say that you’ve successfully repaid a debt. The good thing about a prepaid credit builder card is that it doesn’t require a credit check as you don’t actually borrow on it. I did this last year and it was well worth the monthly fee to help repair my credit history.

09. Space out your credit applications

And last but not least, try not to apply for credit too often. Credit reference agencies don’t get told if you are rejected for credit, but a note is made every time a credit search is made by a lender, and the more credit searches carried out in a short space of time, the less likely you are to actually be accepted for credit.

Space out your credit applications and, if possible, try to find out whether you’re likely to be accepted before applying. My top tip here would be to only ever apply for credit if you really need it so as not to do any more damage to your credit score.

And there you have it, my top tips to help improve your credit score. I really hope it’s helped if you were feeling a little lost on how to start going about it. And good luck with getting that score up!

Do you have any other tips on improving your credit score?
I’d love to hear them, so let me know in the comments below!
With love from Lou Signature Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest

Top Tips for Buying Pre-Owned Luxury Goods Online

25/04/2017 by Louise 72 Comments

For many of us, there’s nothing nicer than treating ourselves to a nice new designer watch or handbag. But keeping up with the latest trends can be expensive. And that’s why these days I like to shop online for pre-owned luxury goods, as I can often find the things I want at just a fraction of their original price!

Over the last few years, I’ve picked up some gorgeous clothes and handbags, stunning second-hand watches, and much, much more. And as I’ve always been over the moon with my purchases, I thought I’d share my top tips on buying pre-owned luxury goods online with you guys today. I hope you’ll find them useful.

01. Know the Original Price of the Item You’re After
The best place to start with any pre-owned luxury goods purchase is to do a little research into what the items would have been like when they were brand new. I always check things like the price of the item when it was new, what colours it came in, and whether or not it had any special stamps or marks on it to prove its authenticity. I also like to find out whether or not an item was difficult to get hold of at its original retail price. This is because buying pre-owned luxury goods can often set you up for a good deal, but if the item you want was very hard to get at the original retail price, you can expect to find a significant markup today.

02. Check Return and Authentication Policies
You’ll find that a lot of resale companies don’t have returns policies that are as generous as those of regular retailers. So I think it’s important to familiarise yourself with the rules of the site(s) you’re planning on buying from before making a purchase. Some sites only offer store credit for returns on pre-owned luxury goods unless an item turns out to be significantly different than described on the website, such as an under-the-radar fake. And for marketplace sites where pretty much anyone can sell their unwanted goods, return policies can vary from seller to seller.

03. Have Reasonable Expectations
Luxury shoppers expect a lot from the goods they buy. And so they should! I mean, what’s the point of buying high-end items if they’re going to be no better than the things you can buy in Primark for a tenner?! When shopping for second-hand goods, it’s important to remember that if you find the item you want at half its original retail price, it will probably show some signs of everyday wear and tear. For example, a designer handbag might have a scuffed bottom or a hardware scratch or two. If this sort of thing bothers you, then pre-owned shopping just might not be for you.

04. Look Out for Financing Offers
Many of the websites I’ve used for buying pre-owned luxury goods in the past have offered some sort of payment plan, with APR’s ranging from 0% right through to around 30%. These services can either make your purchase much more or much less affordable; so it’s important to make sure you read the small print before making a final decision. I’ve been wanting to buy Nathan a pre-owned Audemars Piguet from the kids for Fathers Day, but they are so expensive it’s unreal! I noticed that Xupes, one of my favourite resellers of pre-owned luxury goods, currently have a 0% finance deal on one of these types of watches, so I think I might bite the bullet and buy him one.

05. Trust Your Instincts
And finally, the most important thing to remember when buying pre-owned luxury goods online is to trust your instincts! If something seems off about an item or website, then it’s probably best to err on the side of caution and just avoid buying from there altogether. A quick Google search of the site you’re looking at will soon flag up any problems, as people tend to be quite vocal when they’ve received bad service or fake goods these days!

And there you have it, my top 5 tips for buying pre-owned luxury goods online. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed putting them together. I’m thinking of doing a post on my top 10 places to shop for second-hand goods soon, so make sure you keep an eye out for that too.

Do you ever buy pre-owned luxury goods online?
Let me know if you have any additional tips in the comments section below! With love from Lou Signature Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest

The 10 Commandments of Beauty

04/01/2017 by Louise 34 Comments

I’ve always loved playing around with skincare and makeup products, and over the years I’ve developed some habits that I absolutely swear by. Today I thought I’d share these with you guys in the form of ‘The 10 Commandments of Beauty’. I hope you find it useful!

01. THOU SHALT NOT GO TO SLEEP WITH THY MAKEUP ON

When I was younger I almost always went to sleep at night with my makeup on. Then I read an article in a magazine that mentioned how sleeping in makeup can cause clogged pores, breakouts, irritation and rough skin texture as well as leading to premature aging. And I’m not going to lie – it frightened me to death! I dread the thought of my skin looking old before its time so now I always take my makeup off before hitting the sack.

Top Tip:
These days balm cleansers make removing makeup quick and easy and they can even take off stubborn eyeliner and waterproof mascara in just seconds! I definitely recommend having some to hand.

02. THOU SHALT WASH THY MAKEUP BRUSHES REGULARLY

Washing your makeup brushes regularly will help prevent the dirt, grime and dead skin they harbor from transferring to your skin and causing nasty spots or infections. And it can help extend the life span of your brushes too. Ideally, you should wash your brushes after every use. But I doubt very few of us have time to do that, so I always aim to clean mine once a week.

Top Tip:
The Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Mat makes brush cleaning a breeze – just stick it in your sink, add soap and water, then swirl your brushes over the textured surfaces until the water runs clear. Simple!

03. THOU SHALT NOT SHARE MAKEUP WITH THY NEIGHBOUR

Makeup is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Everything from its formulation to its dark containers can help germs to procreate. It can even cause diseases to spread or transfer. And while your friend or co-workers face might not be affected by certain germs on their skin, you might not be so lucky. And vice versa. So keep everyone looking their best by keeping your makeup to yourself. It isn’t worth risking your heath and the health of those around you just to try out a new product!

04. THOU SHALT NOT WEAR CHIPPED NAIL POLISH

OK, so I guess this one is all down to personal preference, but I like to have my nail polish beautifully in tact or I don’t tend to bother with it at all. But when I was younger and going through my Emo stage I would paint my nails black, and be over the moon when they chipped. I thought it made me look quite Rock ‘n’ Roll. See – personal preference! These days perfectly painted nails that last for weeks are quick and easy to achieve thanks to all the beautiful gel polishes that are available. And I for one love them!

05. THOU SHALT REPLACE THY MASCARA EVERY 3 MONTHS

Since mascara touches your eyes, it’s important to replace it regularly to prevent bacteria growth. Cosmetics brand recommend you throw away your mascara once it’s been opened for 3 months and replace it with a new one so you don’t end up with nasty eye infections. And if your mascara has gone dry or has started to smell, it’s well past the point of safe use!

Top Tip:
Don’t have too many mascara’s on the go at once. I try to open no more than 2 at a time, no matter how badly I want to give the latest releases a try!

06. THOU SHALT CHECK THY FOUNDATION SHADE SEASONALLY

For the majority of us, our skin will change colour over the course of the year. It will usually be at its lightest during the winter months, and at its darkest throughout the summer. During those times of year, update your foundation by selecting a shade that disappears into your cheek when applied. If you don’t, it’s likely you’ll end up using a shade that doesn’t match your skin-tone for at least half the year. Eek!

07. THOU SHALT ALWAYS WEAR SPF

Did you know that 90% of visible aging is actually caused by sun damage?! That’s a really high number – and super scary when you think about it. Many people only use sunscreen on warm and sunny days. But in reality, we should be wearing it every day without fail. Why? Because it’s the ultraviolet rays that causes damage to our skin, and these rays can penetrate clouds with ease. So even on overcast days the sun is doing damage that we can’t see. And let’s not forget that sun exposure can also cause skin cancer. With so many different sunscreens on the market these days, there’s no excuse to not use use them. Remember, prevention is better than the cure.

08. THOU SHALT LEAVE THY SPOTS ALONE

I’m not going to lie. I’m the world’s worst when it comes to picking at spots. But this year I’m going to make a conscious effort not to touch them. Because let’s face it, picking at them is only doing more harm than good! Pick at a spot and it just becomes inflamed, making it look ten times worse than it did before. And of course you run the risk of spreading the infection from it across the rest of your face, so you’ll be spottier than ever. It’s better to just leave them alone!

Top Tip:
Rather than picking at your spots, use a medicated spot treatment on any pimples you may have, then cover with a little concealer. I find Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer does the trick!

09. THOU SHALT STAY HYDRATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day does wonders for your skin. It will help keep your skin hydrated, which in turn gives you a healthy-looking glow and also prevents wrinkles. I reckon it’s probably the best anti-aging treatment around! Of course, there are loads of other great reasons to drink plenty of water, but I’ll be covering them in a future post.

10. THOU SHALT NOT HAVE LESS THAN 8 HOURS SLEEP PER NIGHT

And last but not least is probably the most important beauty commandment of all – try to get at least 8 hours of quality sleep per night! My skin has never looked as dull and lacklustre as it does at the moment, and I know that’s down to lack of sleep. This year I fully intend to change our night time routine and hopefully start getting a full 8 hours sleep. I’m sure I’ll look and feel so much better for it!

Top Tip:
Use silk pillowcases to prevent wrinkles and change them every few days so any dirt and oils from your face and hair aren’t transferring back to your face and causing problems such as clogged pores or breakouts.

And there you have it – my 10 commandments of beauty! I hope you enjoyed it.

Do you swear by any of these? Or do you have some of your own?
Let me know in the comments below!

See you next time.
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Top Tips for Taking Awesome Instagram Photos

09/12/2016 by Louise 23 Comments

Over the years Instagram has become one of my favourite social networks. I love nothing more than snapping away with my iPhone and then uploading the photos online for the world to see. And I know I’m not alone in this – these days, there are millions of people in the UK alone who use this particular platform to share snapshots of their lives with their followers.

Some are even to make a living out of doing this, and those who wish to imitate this may buy Instagram likes to give their profiles a little boost and help them to grow their following so that it gets to the level where they are able to start making money from it. For most of us, however, Instagram is just a hobby, and a way for us to show what our world looks like at any given moment.

Recently lots of my Instagram followers have been saying that they love the new look and feel of my feed, so I thought I’d share some of my top tips for taking awesome Instagram pics and tell you how I’ve been editing them too. I hope you find it useful.

01. — USE THE REGULAR CAMERA APP ON YOUR PHONE

One thing I always, always do when I’m taking Instagram pics is use the square feature on the regular camera on my phone instead of the one on the Instagram app. Using this not only gives me a better quality of photo overall, but also means I can take several different shots and then choose my favourite to upload.

02. KEEP YOUR PHONE STEADY (ESPECIALLY IN LOW LIGHT)

I’m the first to admit that I don’t have the steadiest of hands, and this often results in blurry photos that I just wouldn’t share on Instagram. As most of my feed is made up of product shots I get round this by resting my elbows on the table, or using a tripod to keep my phone steady. It’s amazing how much of difference doing this tends to make!

03. CHOOSE YOUR BACKGROUND CAREFULLY

I think one of the most important things to consider when sharing photos on a platform like Instagram is the background. For example, if you’re taking a picture of that gorgeous cake you just made you don’t want to spoil it by having a load of dirty dishes in the background!!

As I mentioned before, I take a lot of product shots, which means the majority of my Instagram photos are flat lay. This means I need a nice looking surface to photograph them on.

At the moment I’m working on improving my Instagram aesthetic, and have chosen to have a feed full of beautiful pink, orange and gold colours. So I’ve been using some pink PVC I picked up on eBay for my main background. But I also think things like wooden table tops, bed linen and fluffy rugs make brilliant backgrounds too.

04. TAKE YOUR PHOTOS IN A WELL-LIT AREA

Taking your photos in a well-lit area is just as important as getting your background right! I love looking at nice, bright photographs, and find myself scrolling straight past anything dark without really looking at it. It’s always best to take your pictures in natural light (so outside or in front of a window) but this can be pretty impossible to do during the winter here in the UK. I mean, it barely gets light now! To fix this I use some studio lights that Nathan bought me a couple of Christmases ago. They light up the area I use to take my Instagram pics perfectly, and they don’t take up much room for storage either. I don’t know what I’d do without them!

05. AVOID USING FLASH

Using flash photography can lead to one area of your picture being overexposed. I would always recommend working with the light you’ve got rather than using the flash feature.

06. AVOID USING ZOOM

OK, so we’ve already established that the iPhone camera is great, but it’s not the macro lens that professional photographers use. Using the zoom feature will only reduce the quality of the final photograph. Instead of trying to zoom in with your phone, try moving in closer instead. You’ll notice a huge difference!

07. TAP THE SCREEN WHERE YOU WANT IT TO FOCUS

Did you know that if you hold down on one area of your screen it locks the focus? Playing around with this when taking photos can lead to some really interesting pics!

08. TRY NOT TO OVER-EDIT YOUR INSTAGRAM PHOTOS

And finally, try not to over-edit your Instagram photos. If you do, your pictures could end up looking like they were low quality to begin with. Even if they weren’t.

I use the VSCO Cam app to edit my photos, and it doesn’t take me long at all. Here’s my editing process …

1. Open the photo you want to edit in VSCO Cam and add a filter

From what I’ve heard most people like to add their filters last. But I actually prefer to add mine first. This is because it keeps all of my photos looking nice and consistent. And it very often results in me having to do less editing than I would if I put it on last.

For the last year or so I’ve been using the HB1 filter for all of my photos. To get this I had to download the HB (Hypebeast) collection from the filter shop, but all of the add-on filters are actually free at the moment. So make sure you go and grab them while you have the chance!

2. Adjust the filter and exposure

Next I turn the filter level down to around a 7 to make it less harsh. Although I will leave it higher if a photo is particularly dark or yellow-toned. But usually I go for a 7.

I then lift the exposure as much as I think it needs, which is usually somewhere between 1 and 3 stops. You can see that I bumped the exposure by 2 on the photo I used in my example.

3. Adjust the contrast and sharpen the picture

I usually bump up the contrast by 2 or 3 stops, and then lift the sharpness by 7. I find if I go any more than this it starts to make my photos look a little too heavily edited, so I always stick at a 7!

4. Adjust the colour

For me, the most important part of the editing process is to get the colour correction right. So this is probably the part I play around with the most.

Firstly, I take the warmth (or temperature) down a few stops, usually by 2 or 3 bumps. But again, this all depends on how warm the original shot is. At this point you’ll notice that the picture looks a bit washed out and very blue toned. So I bring the saturation up to a 4 or 5, which makes it all bright and colourful again. You’ll notice it still has a slight cool tint to it, but I personally think this looks fab!

And that is pretty much all I do! Sometimes I’ll try to straighten my photo a little more before I upload it to Instagram, but this is a rarity if I’m honest. Especially if I use the square camera feature on my iPhone in the first place.

Below are a few more examples of before and after shots of pics I’ve uploaded to my Instagram since I discovered the HB1 filter on VSCO Cam:

And there you have it – my entire editing process. It literally takes me 2 minutes from start to finish! It really is amazing what a filter and a bit of fiddling around with some colour settings can do to a seriously mediocre shot.

I hope these tips helped you if you were looking for a little advice on how to improve your Instagram photography. It’s taken me years to finally produce a feed I’m happy with, but I’m over the moon with it now. Especially with all the lovely feedback I’ve been getting from you guys. You rock!

Do you have any other tips to share for taking awesome Instagram photos?
Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Until next time, take care.
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