• Comment on other blogs
• Remove word verification
• Schedule Posts
• Post when you can
• Take photos in bulk

Comment on other blogs

I cannot stress to you enough how annoying it is to receive 'follow for a follow' or 'I love your blog shall we follow each other' comments so I definitely do not encourage these. By commenting on other blogs I mean leave genuine comments about the content of somebodies post, even if it is just a sentence. This allows bloggers to see that you have taken the time to read their post and in return may press your name to check out your blog ( or your link if you leave it) which isa much better way to get blog traffic than spam. NOBODY likes spam.

Remove word verification

This too is another little pet peeve of mine ( apologies for being so negative!). I wouldn't mind filling in the darn little cryptic puzzles if I had a slight idea of what they said! Word verification is automatically added to the comments form of blogger blogs in order to prevent spam but can be turned off in settings. Meaning less people will be discouraged from posting comments in the future!

Schedule Posts

@HattieConstance on twitter shared this tip and I am fully with her on this one! For me, scheduling posts is a life saviour, and was during my exams, and basically means you could spend a whole day writing blogposts then schedule them for the next few weeks, meaning you can carry on with other things. This means that if something comes up and you are short of time, posts are ready. You could also just draft blogposts, as I do, when ideas come into your head or you find yourself writing a review which can then be finished/added to as you wish.

Post when you can

@AnnaBlogster 's tip links quite nicely with the previous as blogging should not be a chore and should be done when you want to do it, not because you have to do it. By posting when you can, or scheduling when you can, you make blogging fit around you whilst still providing your readers with great content.

Take photos in bulk

This really helps me and is something I do quite frequently. When the sun is out or the lighting is great - get your camera! For those living in Britain, like me, you will know that when it is bright or sunny its not going to be for long so the sooner you can take photography, and lots of them, the better as these can be stored away until needed.

I still have plenty of advice to share but shall save that for another day! If you have any tips you think I have missed please comment below or tweet me and they may be featured in my next post. As always, take these as a pinch of salt; its your blog, blog how you want to!

Beth x

P.S You can check out the previous Blogging Tips Post

Vivo Compact Powder

I picked this from Tesco ages ago when Vivo was having its rounds on the blogosphere ( I haven't heard it mentioned for ages!). I was very disappointed with this. Firstly the lightest shade, 1 - Soft Vanilla, was orange and obviously far too dark for me. Getting past that, the powder looked cakey unless pressed in really well with a sponge and when I apply powder I want it to be quick. It also faded in patches. Despite the £2.19 price I was not a fan. That being said, I love the mirror!

I WOULD NOT buy this again

BALMI Lip Balm - Review 

I have raved and raved about these lip balms and as you can see I have managed to use up 2 this month, the mint flavour and coconut flavour. They are creamy, moisturising and taste great but I HATE the packaging. It peels off, they don't fasten ad they get grubby. That being said, 

I WOULD buy these again 

Benefit High Beam - Review

I received this sample in Glamour magazine a couple of years ago ( Is that offer happening this year does anyone know) as I had been dying to try it out but could not justify the price. I am so glad I didn't pay full price because I found this hard to work with at times. My favourite way to use this, in the end, was mixing it with my moisturiser however as a highlight straight after foundation ( before powder) it took my face makeup of and left a line on my face. I much prefer powder highlighters I have now decided. 

I WOULD NOT buy this again 

Rimmel Stay Matte - Review

This powder is currently my favourite powder. I love that it is transparent and matches my skin but also doesn't look heavy or cakey but provides a natural matte finish 

I WOULD ( and have) buy this again

Pure Revitalsing Facial Toner - Review

At first I thought I hated this product but I actually think it was the cleanser I was using alongside this that made my skin burn! When using this alone I was really pleased with the results for £0.99. My AMIE cleanser unfortunately doesn't remove all traces of make up but this did and ensured my skin was as clean as it could be without stinging my skin. 

I WOULD buy this again 

AMIE 2 in 1 Cleanser & Toner

I reviewed this way last year when I received this as a present however this is my second bottle and I thought I would give it another chance. Unfortunately my views haven't changed. I still don't feel this is good enough at removing even small traces of makeup and has a tendency to make my skin sting. 

I WOULD NOT buy this again 

Face B4 After Cleansing Serum - Review

I loved this as a moisturising serum but I didn't find it did much to my spots. Unfortunately I can't currently justify the £15 price tag. 

I WOULD NOT buy this again 

No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator - Review

I loved this. It was a cream consistency with small exfoliating beads which left your skin soft without irritating your skin. 

I WOULD buy this again

NIVEA Creme 

I wasn't keen on this. It was a thick cream that you would hope would sink in and moisturise your skin however I didn't find that this moisturised my skin but was just greasy instead. 

I WOULD NOT buy this again ( but would recommend La Roche Posay Repair Balme) 

Nip and Fab Eye Cream 

I don't know if they sell this individually so I won't dwell on this. It moisturises your under-eyes and doesn't sting. 

I WOULD buy this again 

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer 

I recieved this as a gift with purchase of the cleanse and polish and never seemed to reach for it. I don't think the spray was very good on this bottle so I couldn't use it well as a 'spritzer'. It was refreshing and worked well but I can't justify the price for a toner. 

I WOULD buy this again 

Nip and Fab Facial Scrub 

Again, I don't think this is sold separately but if it was I wouldn't buy this because I found it too harsh and scratchy on my skin. 

I WOULD NOT buy this again 

Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps

I hated this. You could only apply this to bare nails where it supposedly hardened them. THe problem was this peeled/chipped off instantly and didn't do anything. I was grateful it dried up so I could throw it away.

I WOULD NOT buy this again

No7 Stay Perfect Top Coat

I'm unsure on this. It worked okay and was cheap with my No7 voucher but it wasn't amazing

I WOULD NOT buy this again

So those were my empties. Sorry for such a mammoth post! I shall try and write my next one before the products build up! 

What have you used up recently?

Beth x

*

As mentioned a couple of posts ago, last Friday marked the night of my Year 11 prom which meant spending the night with my closest friends and having the chance to dress up and try to look glamorous then party!

I thought that a prom OOTD would be a great post to accompany my prom makeup FOTD so I thought that I would share some Prom photographs with you today and who knows, if this is popular, you may see more OOTDs accompanying FOTDs

As you can see I had an amazing time and loved seeing everybody looking great, it is clear from these photos that my friends looked STUNNING! We all decided to meet up before hand and travel on a double decker bus.

If you are interested my dress is from Quiz, Bag is from Next and Shoes are from New Look. As for the make up, you will have to check out my post HERE and hair I did myself using straighteners and two hair grips, simple!

Please let me know if you enjoy OOTDs or posts full of photos like this as I love taking and sharing photographs! Also, do check out my Instagram (@BethME) for more prom photographs!

Beth x

Products used:
Face/Base:
Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer
Mac Face and Body - N1
MAC Prolongwear Concealer
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
MUA Fixing Mist

Cheeks:
Nars Zen Blusher
MAC Soft and Gentle MSF
Natural Collection Peach Melba

Eyes:
Front Cover - Silver Dollar (Inner Corner)
Naked 2 - YDK, Foxy,Busted
Natural Beauty Mineral Eyeshadow -Sweet (lid), Glamourous (outer corner)

Lips:
Urban Decay Lip Junkie - Naked

What are your thoughts on this type of post? I quite enjoyed writing this today and may feature FOTD as part of my monthly mix up - Let me know if you want me to! I hope you enjoyed reading this and who knows - there may be a Prom OOTD to follow!

Beth x

Hello all its me again!Beth - the blogger that neglects her readers for revision then gives you 3 posts in a row!

Today is the first Monday of June meaning it is time to summarise the goings on of May and give you my Top 5 Blogposts of May. I shall give you those now as I predict the rest of the post may be a long one!

 #1 Mac Bare Study Paint Pot Review 
#2 Face B4 Skincare System Update 
#3 Garnier Dark Spot Review 
#4 Guest Post: Evening FOTD 
#5 Summer Fete

It would appear that my FOTD guest post was quite popular, would anyone be interested in me doing some FOTDs? If I pluck up the courage that is! Let me know below!

Anyway, onto May...

May has been a rather fabulous month for me and I would say that its probably my favourite of the year so far! This month started like April with lots of revision which led up to the start of my GCSEs,  6 of which I managed to finish in May. I am so happy that I never EVER have to do English ever again, yipeee! Amongst this I managed to take a break to visit a local summer fete, which I posted about, and went to my first ever BBQ of 2013 where they weather was actually lovely!

I then had 2 weeks of madness once my exams had started which lead up to my stand down and since the 24th May, I am officially a high school leaver. I survived.

I had a lovely day which I spent with my closest friends, caused a little bit of mischief ( hardly), had our final assembly then had a mini-festival in our school hall. Although the weather was pants it was a great day and don't think I could have ended my 5 years any better! To top the day off  I went to one of my closest friend's party which was surprising calm yet nevertheless a great night!

Since finishing high school I have had a bridesmaids fitting for my cousins summer wedding, had a hair practise and reached 200 bloglovin followers which, if you don't follow me already what are you doing?, you can follow by clicking the link in the sidebar.  We have also been looking after 3 kitten that were born on our farm and giving them lots of cuddles ( one of our ginger toms photographed above) and I have been a crazy instagram (BethME) and snapchat obsessed lady!

Overall May has been a great month and I hope June with final exams, prom, after prom and other parties will make for a fabulous month!

What have you been up to in May?? 

I have tried to keep makeup very simple this month and have tended to only reach for six products. For base I have used my trusty Mac Studio Finish concealer for my many blemishes and to set that have been using my Vie at home mineral foundation, that I picked up for a bargain of £1 ( post to come) to give me extra coverage, although it does not replace my rimmel powders, this has been doing the job. For eyes I have kept it simple with my Mac Bare Study Paint Pot which I reviewed last week, I love it!, and my Max Factor Mascara. For cheeks I have been using my new Natural Collection Blusher in Peach Melba, again post to come once my exams are over, which is a gorgeous pink/ peach colour and my Mac Soft and Gentle MSF which works as a highlighter/ bronzer in one. Again, beautiful and one which I shall be reviewing shortly!

Apologies for the brief post but normal posts shall resume in less than 3 weeks! Enjoy the sunshine, 

Beth x