5 Things I Have Learnt Since Joining Blogger

Hi guys. Today I was thinking about how much I have learnt since becoming a part of this wonderful Blogger community. My blog is a mere five months old and so I am still relatively new to all of this, but I am really enjoying creating posts for you all to read. It really excites me when people respond well to my content as I put a lot of time and effort into it. Plus, the comments that I receive always put a huge smile on my face. I thought that I would write this post today to help out any other bloggers that are new on to the scene and impart some of my 'newbie' wisdom on to them. So, without any further ado, here are the top five things that I have learnt during my Blogger experience so far!

1. The Diversity of Blogger
I never realised how popular Blogger is. Up until I started this blog, I solely used Tumblr to post all of my thoughts and feelings on to (as well as re-blogging photos of course!) However, I always felt that my Tumblr was very impersonal and so I decided to create my own blog here. I quickly discovered that there are so many different genres of blogs and that the Blogger community is so diverse. However, my favourite blogs are beauty, fashion & lifestyle blogs which are similar to mine. In addition, I never knew that there would be so many beauty blogs around. Of course I knew all of the major female bloggers after discovering them on YouTube - Zoella, Tanya Burr, Fleur De Force and so on, but I never realised that so many beauty bloggers are simply normal girls like me. 

2. Followers Are Just A Number
Although having a lot of followers would be amazing, it is not the be all and end all. If you enjoy blogging and it makes you happy, then that is all that matters! My tiny blog has 29 followers at the moment and although this may sound like a minuscule number to some, I am very proud that I even have that many and that 29 people in this world like my writing enough to follow me! So, never feel defeated by the number next to your Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' button!

3. Creating High Quality Content Is Hard Work
It is incredibly difficult to come up with new and innovative content for your blog. I find it extremely difficult at times to come up with posts that I feel will interest my followers. There have been times where I have gone for over a week without blogging because I have had a serious case of writers block or I have not been able to focus my thoughts into a post. I find that the way around this problem is to take inspiration from other blogs that are similar to yours and see what you like or dislike about the posts, and then channel that into your own writing. However, remember that you should never copy or steal somebody's content!

4. Building A Rapport With Fellow Bloggers
It is extremely important to build a rapport with other bloggers. Having a relationship with fellow bloggers will always be beneficial and it is a good way to make connections that can be used later down the line. A good way to do this is to comment on other peoples blogs with words of encouragement, telling them what you liked about their posts and so on. For me, receiving nice comments from my followers is one of the things I love most about Blogger because it shows that others appreciate what I write about and can connect to it too.

5. Beauty Tips & Tricks
Finally, number five on my list is purely related to beauty blogs. I have always been a girly girl and I have always loved make-up. Not only does it make me feel confident, I actually consider applying make-up to be an art form and it really fascinates me. Although I do not have lots of money and do not own many high-end products, I am a cosmetics junkie! Since I have been reading everybody else's blogs, I have picked up so many helpful tips and discovered some great products that really work well for me. The biggest tip I have learnt was to invest in some Real Techniques brushes. Before, I never used to use a make-up brush to apply my foundation (shocking, I know!) but now I could never revert back to my old ways. These brushes are an absolute godsend and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future as I only have the Core Collection at the moment.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about what I have learnt since joining Blogger and I hope that this little post may help any fellow Blogger 'newbies.' Thank you for reading :)

The Wonders Of Reading

I love getting completely and utterly lost in a book. Reading allows us to simply escape for a little while. We become so engrossed in the story line and characters in the book, that we allow ourselves to forget about our own worries and troubles. More often than not, we can connect with a book on a personal level. Every single person that reads it can interpret the story in a totally different way to one another, and I think that is amazing. I love being inspired and having my thoughts provoked by a particular quote in a novel. It is pretty incredible how an author can make a complete stranger emote so much just by reading their material and diving into their imagination. In this day in age, many people do not read books anymore - everything is electronic. However, sometimes the simplicity of reading a book and retreating into a different universe for a while is all we need.

One particular book that I have really enjoyed reading lately is 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green. I managed to read the entire book in the space of just under 48 hours, I literally could not put it down! I went through a stage at school where I completely went off of reading. I'm not really sure why - I think that I just did not have the concentration to switch off from all things social media related, sit in my room and simply read. Never the less, I have gotten back into reading mainly because I have a lot more spare time on my hands nowadays. After reading 'The Fault In Our Stars,' I quickly decided that I loved Green's style of writing and how well teenagers and young adults can relate to the content in his books. I think it's safe to say I am now a big fan.

If any of you are debating discovering a new book or if you want to get back into reading, I urge you to give 'Looking For Alaska' a go. It was a very enjoyable read with many twists, turns and revelations which always kept me on my toes. I think that the story is very unpredictable  which is why I could not put the book down for long. If you read the book after seeing this post or even if you have already read the book, I would love to know your thoughts and opinions - so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below!