Competition for blog of the Month - June

Hello Everyone!! It is almost June! 

And it is that time again to open our entries for Blog of the Month! Once we have collected all entries below, we will pick the top five stand outs and then we will open up the polls on our sidebar so you can vote for your favourite. 

Once we have tallied the votes we will announce the winner here on the 1st of June with a dedicated blog post and the winner will receive a special mention on twitter. 

How To Enter:

 

1. Add your link below in the comments.

You can do it like this if you like: <a href="url">Blogname</a>

2. Tweet us saying you wish to win Blog of the Month preferably with the hashtag #bbunch. 

Entries close on the 25/05/2013. We will then pick a top five and voting will commence on the 27/05/2013 until the 30/05/2013. 

Good luck!! :-) xx Ina and Emma

MAY BLOG HOP

Upon several requests we decided to host a blog hop. If you are not familiar with what a Blog Hop is then here is a short explanation:

A Blog Hop is a way to find blogs as well as to gain visitors, followers and comments to your own blog. A Blog Hop is basically a list where bloggers can add their blog's URL. The main purpose of a Blog Hop is for all bloggers on that list to visit each others blogs, follow, comment, share blog posts in social networks, etc. 

This BlogHop is in no way mandatory so if you want to join, then join if not then that is ok too!

There are only 3 Rules Please Follow them!!: 

1. Leave your link below!! Then Follow us through GFC/Bloglovin and Twitter

2. Follow at least 2 other bloglinks from down below and leave a comment on their blog or Twitter that you have found them from the #bbunch bloghop

3. Follow anyone who follows you on the bloghop back

If you want to join our Blog Hop then leave your link below.

xx Ina and Emma

PS. Blog Hop will run until the end of this month.
PS.2. Please have the common courtesy to follow the rules or else your link will be removed 

OPTIONAL You can Follow our Personal Blogs:

Ina:

http://www.instantdelight.com

and

Emma:

http://www.laviestylebeaute.com 

GUEST POST: Places I want to Visit

Hello :) I am Catriona and blog over at Sitting Under the Apple Tree In this post I'm going to be sharing the top five places I want to visit one day. But before I begin, I want to say a huge thank you to Ina and Emma for giving me the opportunity to write a guest post for their site, so thanks guys! Now let's get going, we've got a long way to travel.. ;)

♥ London ♥

  

 Just about everybody seems to have been lucky enough to go to London at some point in time, and here's me, never been in my life. But all that is about to change, oh yes, I'm finally getting to go this Summer! I can't wait to go on The London Eye, spend hours shopping at Camden, and ending the afternoons watching street performers at Covent Gardens. Excitement does not cover it. However, you're now probably wondering why London is even on the list since I'm actually going there pretty soon, and my answer is that I'm so sure I'm going to absolutely love it there, I can already say I want to visit again in the future. :) 

 ♥ Paris ♥

So a few years ago, I went outside the UK for the first time on a school trip to Paris. It was amazing, we went to Disney Land, the Science Museum, on a River Tour. We also stood underneath the Eiffel Tower, yeah we never actually got to go up it.. *sniff sniff* :'( And so I want to go again, for the journey (I'm in love with ferry's now, the hot chocolate is to die for, it's amazing haha), the shops, and to finally fulfill my life's dream of gazing over the city from the tippity top of that oh-so famous landmark. ^,^

♥ Venice ♥

Travelling around in boats? I can't think of anything cooler! I would love to visit Venice as it's such a wonderful and romantic city. Being surrounded by all the different types of food and historic buildings would make an awesome trip, I just need to figure out who to take with me..

 ♥ New York ♥

 

 Who doesn't want to visit New York? 'The City that Never Sleeps' sounds like my kind of place to go. I'd go on a tour and see all the sights and skyscrapers and then spend the rest of my time eating out, (a NYC breakfast anyone?) and of course, shopping! 

♥ Kenya ♥

   

This one's quite different from all the other destinations, but I've always wanted to visit somewhere in Africa. Kenya is such a beautiful place full of all different types of amazing wildlife and it would be a blessing to go there and experience it all. But, sadly I'm far to scared of needles to get any shots, so it would take an immense amount of persuasion for me to actually go there. Thanks for reading, if you're interested I have my own blog: Sitting Under the Apple Tree What's your top 5 places to visit? I'd love to know :)

GUEST POST: Five things that I wish I knew about blogging when I started out

Hello! I’m Ann, and I run a little blog called Prattle and Froth. I’m quite new to blogging- I started regularly posting in January after falling in love with many lifestyle blogs. For me, blogging is a two way process- I love to write posts, but I also love knowing that someone has read and enjoyed what I wrote. For a long time, I felt like I was just talking to myself in posts, and have abandoned my blog several times. I’m so glad that I persevered, and I’m really enjoying watching my blog grow. I thought I’d share my experiences and put together a little list of things I wish someone would’ve told me when I started blogging for other new bloggers who might be thinking of giving up. Let’s get cracking:

1. Everyone starts somewhere. Don’t be disheartened if you pour your heart out in your posts and no one follows you. People WILL find your blog, and they’ll love it!

2. Write about what makes you happy. I like cats and tea. Many of my posts make reference to either (usually both) of these things. Granted, my blog might be more popular if I wrote about lipstick or fashion, but that’s not me. I don’t know a thing about fashion and would feel like I’m trying to be something I’m not. My favourite bloggers write about a whole range of topics, but they all write from the heart.

 3. The blogging community is lovely- get involved! When I read a post that I really enjoy, I leave a comment telling the blogger. If you’ve found Bloggers Bunch, you’re already on the right track! Commenting regularly is also a good way of getting to know other bloggers, as is Twitter. There are various blogger chats hosted on Twitter throughout the week which are also a great way to find new blogs, and also to tell people about yours. I found out about a whole bunch of bloggers living in my local area, and met some of them last week. Everyone was lovely, and we all had loads in common. None of my “real life” friends blog, so chatting to other bloggers is a great way to learn more about blogging.

 4. You don’t have to be a photoshop whizz kid. There’s loads of free image editing software available- have a look on google. As for your blog design- you can either make it yourself (again, google is your friend here- there’s loads of tutorials) or pay for someone else to do it for you. Just remember that it’s the content that matters, not how pretty the background is! 

5. Finally... enjoy it! Blogging shouldn’t be a chore. It’s a way of making new friends and telling the world what you are passionate about. So there we have it! If you’ve got any more tips, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Interview: Hannah

What is your blog(link) and what is it about? 

Hannah Marie Beauty Blog http://hannahmariebeautyblog.blogspot.co.nz/ My blog is a beauty blog about all things Make up, Fashion, Hair, Nails, Life and everything in-between. It is basically a place where I can talk and share my obsession with beauty, meet people with similar interests and make new friends as well as sharing my tips and tricks as well as learning other peoples. 

Which country do you live in? 

New Zealand 

Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

Obviously I am obsessed with everything beauty. However I also really love to write and photograph so starting a beauty blog seemed like an amazing thing for me. I also have a puppy (who likes to help keep me company while I blog) and he is so adorable. I am in my last year of High School and I am planning on going to university next year but I would love to keep blogging on the side and see where it takes me. 

How did you get involved with blogging? 

 I have always loved make up and fashion (and shopping!) and recently I came across some Youtubers who seem to love all these girly things just as much as I do and I fell in love with all their videos. After a while of watching Zoella I came across her blog and although I’m too scared to out myself out there on camera I thought I could definitely try out blogging and I have loved it so far now I just need a audience and some similarly obsessed people to interact with! 

How would (someone) describe your blogging style? 

I like to mix my personality in with my writing. So whether it is a ‘how to’ post or a ‘haul’ post, I like to add a personal touch to them as well as adding in my tips and tricks or opinions. I try to write in a way that makes it easy for others to interact with me and my blog. 

What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog? 

Mostly focusing on School because it is my final year before university. I’m often found on Youtube watching my favorite beauty gurus. I also spend a lot of time trying out new styles or different make up looks to spark ideas for a new blog post. I love spending time with my friends as well. 

 Are you a full time blogger? How did you get into blogging and why? 

 No, I blog in my spare time however I am posting everyday at the moment. 

 How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog? 

Mostly by watching other beauty gurus or reading other blogs. It usually will spark ideas for me and inspire me too try different things and share them with my blog! 

What’s the best advice you can give to other bloggers? 

Blog Often especially if you are just starting a blog. Don’t just expect people to interact with you on your blog, go out and find blogs you love and interact on their blog and join in on the blogging community! 

Name 3 favourite blogs of yours, and why? 

Zoella, I love her blog because she was one of the first blogs I followed and she was the person that inspired me to start my blog! Sprinkle of glitter, she was also one of my first blogs I followed and I love how she mixes Beauty posts with personal posts on her blog. Charlotte’s Web, this blog is more personal then beauty related but it is still one of my favorites because it’s so entertaining. 

 Name some of the bloggers whom you look up to and why?

Zoella is definitely the main blogger I look up too because she is young but has turned blogging into a career with her Youtube videos and she gets to be a part of so many amazing experiences and I would love the opportunity to be in a similar position as her where she can do what she loves everyday! 

Which of your blog posts are you most proud of and why? 

My ‘How to’ posts:http://hannahmariebeautyblog.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/how-to-channel-nails.html http://hannahmariebeautyblog.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/how-to-yin-and-yang-nails.html and my post on Liquid eyeliner: http://hannahmariebeautyblog.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/liquid-eyeliner.html I am proud of these posts because I put a lot of time into them but I had so much fun making them as well. I also like these posts because I think they could be helpful and useful to other people interested in beauty. They also sparked up many more blog post ideas for me.

GUEST POST: Basic Blogging Photography Tips #Part2 of 2

**Bonus Tip: The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour is the hour in the day when the sun is positioned directly behind you, may it be during sunrise or sunset. During these times can you attempt to achieve Golden Hour photos like these:

(see full post here)

(see full post here)

Cool, isn’t it? The sun can bring a warmer feel to your photos during these times. Just set your camera’s exposure properly and you can achieve these photos for yourself!

Tip # 4: Selling the Outfit.

One thing I like seeing in blogs is the way the blogger poses. The more natural they look, the more they sell the outfit. I’m not a huge fan of posing like a high fashion model when it comes to fashion blogging since it tends to look too posed. It’s a huge turn-off and a big red flag is waved when those are encountered. In my opinion, sometimes standing there looking natural, smiling or not, sells the outfit more than contorting your body in strange ways like you’re auditioning for Cirque Du Soleil. Your readers will know if you’re trying too hard and when you’re simply being yourself.

(Photo by Jj, see post here.)

Working the outfit the way it would look in an everyday setting is the best pose you can ever give. If you’re wearing a flowy skirt, walk it out or twirl around. Show how it can look like with movement! Sell the garment! When you’re having fun, it’ll be evident in your photos.

Tip # 5: Take your Positions.

Like in English class where we have the Subject-Verb Agreement, in photography we have the B-S-P Agreement (a.k.a. Background-Subject-Photographer Agreement). The key to this is Distance in between all three, and the Angle of the Camera towards the Subject. Being typically Asian, I wasn’t blessed in the height department so I resort to “cheating”. Wearing heels is an option to give me added height, but I have a tendency to wobble in sky-high heels so I don’t wear them often. For photos when you don’t wear heels and you still want to look taller, you can “cheat” with the position of your camera (and by standing on your tippy toes)!

One pet peeve I have when visiting some blogs (aside from low-lit photos) is seeing awkwardly angled photos. This usually happens when the photographer is taller than the subject resulting in annoying “Inverted Triangle” shots. The subject’s head looks bigger than their feet, the horror! Aside from the subject looking shorter, readers don’t get to see the whole beauty of the outfit. You spend so much time in taking these photos, and your readers don’t get to appreciate it entirely because of a bad angle? Such a waste! Remedy it by asking – no, TELLING your photographer to squat down or kneel on the ground. If he/she loves you, he/she will follow.

Keep in mind that You (the subject) should have distance in between the background (e.g. wall, door, open space, etc.), and your photographer should squat/kneel down 2-3m away from you. That way your hips won’t look big in the shot. Also, the camera lens should be parallel to your tummy or belly button area to achieve a full view of your outfit. This way, you’ll look like a super model!

So there you have it! Hoping these tips and tricks helps! If you have any questions, comments, and suggestions, leave a comment below or email me at strawberry_bunny89@yahoo.com.

Don’t forget to visit my blog: http://justsephierojas.blogspot.com for more about the looks included in this post.

BLOG OF THE MONTH - MAY

The results are in! You voted and thanks for that!!  The Blog of the Month for May is...

Oh So Glam

Her blog link is http://glambeautys.blogspot.co.uk/ and her twitter is https://twitter.com/lizaprideaux

Liza mommy from Devon and a beauty blogger. Her blog has a lovely pink layout with a lot of beauty and fashion posts. Her pictures are lovely and she is a true doll! She also has hair tutorials and mummy related posts. We definitely love her blog and we are sure you will to! Go on over and check it out :) 

xxo Ina and Em

May Blog of the Month Finalists - Voting Starts Now!

Hello all! Entries are now closed for our blog of the month competition and it's time to announce our top five finalists. Choosing five bloggers was so hard as always due to so many amazing entries! Unfortunately we had to whittle it down though. Thank goodness it's now on you guys to choose the winner! Below is a little preview of each of the lovely bloggers for you to get an idea of who you want to vote for...

Becky from http://beckawoo.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Chelsea from http://www.throughchelseaseyes.com/.

Liza from http://glambeautys.blogspot.co.uk/. 

Sammie from http://www.littleblondelife.com/. 

Sal from http://petitesal.blogspot.nl/. 

Now that you've been introduced to our gorgeous finalists, it's time to start voting! There is voting panel on our side bar where you can make your selection. Happy voting! :) 

xx Ina and Emma