Lifestyle

As a part-time blogger I spend the majority of my evenings and weekends either blogging myself or reading other bloggers’ posts. I’ve fallen in love with a number of bloggers over the years for many different reasons. Some are engaging writers, some have a great sense of style and some have beautiful blog designs. When a blogger manages to combine all three of these into one it’s even better, you’ve got me hooked!

Every reader is different and every blogger is different. There’s something for everyone in the blogosphere.

2017 has been another great year for us bloggers and readers alike, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what new posts and ideas next year brings. Throughout 2017 there’s been a couple of blog posts that I just can’t seem to forget. I keep referring to them, either to pick up some quick tips or for an engaging read. I always feel really inspired after reading each post, and I hope that you can gain as much motivation from them as I do! Here are the 6 best blog posts I’ve read in 2017.

‘Charlotte Tilbury Vegan Products List’ by Tashina/Logical Harmony

As a vegan it can be so disappointing when you become interested in a brand, only to discover that their products aren’t cruelty free and vegan. A couple of months ago I wrote about how upset I was that NARS announced that they were going to sell in China – there’s a classic bit of disappointment right there!

Tashina from Logical Harmony publishes a range of well-researched vegan product lists, so when I started obsessing over Charlotte Tilbury her blog was the first place I went to when I was doing my research and I’ve stuck to that list ever since.

Read her cruelty-free guides here.

‘Blogging and Relatability’ by Beth Sandland
I discovered Beth’s Instagram a couple of months ago and I fell in love with her style and her entertaining yet relatable captions. She’s a great writer, both in her captions and on her blog. In November she published a post called ‘Blogging and Relatability.’ She talked about how it’s ok to becoming disinterested in the bloggers you’ve followed for years because you’ve simply grown out of them. It’s ok to hit that unfollow button if they’re no longer your cup of tea.
Her post made me feel like blogging is becoming more sensible. More relatable. More challenging. For me, blogging is no longer an overload of generic beauty and lifestyle posts (which are still fun BTW) about products I’m not interested in. Blogging is more about new topics, opinions and ideas. I love that!

It reminded me that I don’t have to fit in someone else’s box, I can fit in my own box.

‘Photography Tips for Bloggers’ by Paula/Thirteen Thoughts

I’m so obsessed with Paula’s blog and Instagram at the moment. You might catch me double-tapping her posts now and again. Her images are an array of beautiful monochrome flatlays – the bloggers dream! I absolutely love her photography. She has her own unique style and her passion for it really shows through, something that’s essential to every bloggers brand! Paula is kind enough to talk about how she takes her pictures, and she’s published a range of different photography guides which have really helped me to get used to my new camera and improve my blog images. I just need to let my perfectionism go now!

Read Paula’s photography posts here.

‘How to Really Grow a Social Media Following’ by Lydia Millen

Lydia’s take on social media followers is super interesting. In her post she talks about how to spot the fakes on social media, and how you can make social media work for you. Lydia opened my eyes up to how far people actually go to get a “real” following, but bots are never going to click the link in your bio, give you advice or spread some love when you need it the most. Most importantly, Lydia’s post reminded me that it’s pointless trying to gain followers that aren’t interested in your content. They’re not going to contribute or engage with you, which is what social media is all about. It defeats the object.

It’s important to take a step back and enjoy what you’re doing. Create your content without concentrating too much on how many followers you have, people who are interested will come to you and share their passions with you!

‘Bullet Journal Update and Reflection’ by Lily Pebbles
2018 is looming and I really want to start planning next years bullet journal! I’ve had bullet journals for years, but I’ve always felt like mine were inadequate. I’d go on Pinterest and see all of these beautiful colour coded designs and think “why can’t mine look like this instead of black scribbles that I can hardly read?”

Lily posted a YouTube video and blog post about her bullet journal. She gave out some useful tips,

but what resonated with me the most was her advice. She made me realise that I don’t need to have one of those perfectly crafted journals with no mistakes. At the end of the day, I can’t draw and I really don’t have time to write neatly. Although I’d love to be, I’m just not patient enough.

Next year, I want to develop a system that works for me, and that is exactly what bullet journaling is about.

‘How to Find Blog Post Inspiration’ by Kate Spiers/Kate La Vie

It’s no secret (is it really that obvious?) that I’ve been in a blogging rut for the past year or so. I’ve followed Kate for years now and she actually inspired me to create a blog of my own back in 2014. I can’t believe it was that long ago!

Throughout the past year I’ve rebranded my blog a few times, started over and completely changed my theme. But something was missing. I felt like I didn’t know what I wanted to write about, I just knew that I wanted to write. Kate’s blog post inspiration presents some unique ways to form ideas, my favourite being “write posts you yourself want to read.” Try it! You can’t go wrong.

Reading Kate’s post gave me the real push that I needed. She gave me that key bit of inspiration, just like she did 4 years ago.

What posts make your 2017 favourites list?

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