Beth Sugarblur

How to maintain a consistent looking Instagram

Over the past few months, I've slowly (finally) transformed my Instagram into a theme that I feel is working well for me. I've had many compliments and lots of questions asking me how I get it to look how it does. So I thought I'd write a short how-to guide explaining how to create a consistent, professional looking Insta.

Pick a filter and stick to it

This is probably the most important step I like to follow. I think something that instantly makes an Insta look better and more professional is if all the photos have the same filter applied to them. So whether you choose a filter with a lot of blue tones, black and white, whatever, your account will instantly flow better and be more pleasing to the eye if the content is matching in this way.

How to pick a filter

I wouldn't pick a filter that requires you to apply something like 5 colour filters from 3 different apps and then adjust 10 different photo editing options - it's just gonna take far too long every time and you're gonna get fed up with it very quickly. I use one colour filter and then use FaceTune to turn any backgrounds in my pictures black and white. I've gone for this look because I think it mades the central object really pop out and also makes my instagram look really clean and comfortable to look at. Then I simply use the features in the Instagram photo edit to add a bit of structure, sharpen etc. It is effective and easy to do, so I recommend choosing something simplistic like that.

I find it best to apply a fairly neural filter too. You can really over do the editing with too much contrast or brightness etc and the image will end up looking really unnatural and over edited.

Backgrounds
By this I mean the backdrop of your photos. Since I edit my photos to look nice and white, I tend to only picture things that have bright backdrops to help with the editing process. For example, I probably wouldn't post a night time shot because it would be too much of a contrast to my other images.

Angles
I think it is nice to experiment with different angles with your camera. Even though I want my Insta to look consistent, I also want it to look natural. Instead of taking all of your pictures from above with the feature object dead on centre all the time, try experimenting with different angles so viewers don't get bored of your account. Even by just crouching down and positioning your object to the far left will help you mix up the angle of your images.

Image content
If you're a blogger and your sole focus is makeup or shoes or whatever, it is best to fill 80% of your Instagram with images relating to your chosen topic. This helps to build an audience as they will begin to recognise your account and style with your chosen focus. If you don't have a particular content focus, I think it is even more crucial that you get a consistent theme going.

Camera choice
To keep my Instagram looking as professional as possible, I only use the camera on my iPhone 6S+ or Lumix Camera(s). So I wouldn't really post an image using SnapChat as I think it makes my account look less blogger and more 'personal account' - I've got @BethChx for that! These camera choices also keep images of a nice quality.

These are just some of the tips I like to think about when updating my Insta. I'm not saying it is wrong to have a 'non consistent' account, this is just some simple tips for those who are looking to improve theirs! The main thing is to be unique and create an account that is a true reflection of you. If that means using a different filter every day, taking pictures of your holidays one minute to daft photos of your dog the next, then go for it!! I think it is often too easy to ask how someone edits their pictures and just apply it to yours, have a mess around with some editing apps and try to create your own look. Here are some apps I love:

- VSCO: some lush filters, lots of editing tools
- Snapseed: nitty gritty editing e.g white backgrounds
- Facetune: nitty gritty editing e.g white backgrounds, removing blemishes
- Afterlight: good filters, lots of editing tools
- PhotoWonder/MakeupPlus: for sorting out any makeup mistakes (careful not to overdo this one)
- Phonto: Adding text like watermarks, announcements etc
- Layout: adds frames or multiple picture collages

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, by Beth

Special Review: Designer Wooden Watches ft. JORD Watches

Make way for the new kid on the block: wooden watches! Whilst classic silver watches are beautiful, wooden watches bring a whole new, stunning dimension to the world of telling the time. JORD Wood Watches are an American company bursting into the UK to introduce their wonderful time pieces. They offer a range of women's watches and men's watches in a wide variety designs all handcrafted out of natural woods.

What is so special about a wooden watch?

The watch featured in this review is a man's watch from the Dover series made from Koa wood with a stylish black face. I think the main beauty of this watch is its story from tree to beautiful accessory. JORD are very big on sustainability, Koa trees are not in danger of extinction meaning JORD are happy to create watches from it and watches from only from other sustainable sources. The Koa is native to Hawaii and is a soft wood that is exceptional for machining and gives a beautiful natural sheen to the finished product. The Koa wood watch varies in colour tones throughout the piece, really reflecting the nature behind it. Koa wood also varies in tone depending on what season it is harvested in which means products made from its wood are very unique. If you study the watch closely you can see the little cogs and inner workings of the watch busily keeping the watch working, which I think is such a beautiful, classic touch that has really made me appreciate the delicate craftsmanship that goes into making these watches. As a bonus, the watch does not need batteries, so no need to fork out for new batteries every few months!

I'd also like my readers to take a moment to really take a good look at the presentation box the watches from JORD Wood Watches come in. It is clear to see that the same amount of care, attention and detail has been put into the packaging as the watches. As you can see, my watch came in this gorgeous wooden storage box with a nifty magnetic lid to keep the watch safe and even a tiny little working drawer to store any information booklets that came with the watch. It is so beautiful! The watch is for my dad, but I think I'll be keeping hold of the box myself! I hope from this little added touch, my short description and from looking at the images provided, you really get the luxurious, quality feel JORD aim to provide in each other their pieces.

Who would like a wooden watch?

A stunning, quality piece needs a precious owner who can fully appreciate the delicate craftsmanship of these gorgeous watches. Whether you're looking to treat your dad, mum, a partner or a special friend who values the beauty of nature, a wooden watch from JORD Wood Watches would make a luxurious Christmas gift this festive season. JORD provide an easy to follow sizing guide and assure you that any watch repair service can re-size watches, so there is no need to worry if you are purchasing as a gift. You can even get the wooden presentation box engraved with a special message which is a lovely personal touch.

If you are thinking of treating that special someone this Christmas with a unique watch, check out some of the other woods, designs and styles JORD Wood Watches have for men and women over at their website here.

c/o JORD Wood Watches / Dover Koa and Black / £232
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Wooden Wristwatch

This post was sponsored by Jord Wood Watches

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, by Beth

In america tour, america travel

EAST AMERICA & CANADA TOUR: DAY BY DAY GOINGS ON

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In beauty, beauty blogger

How to achieve easy brows ft. BPerfect

As most people are aware, killer brows are a hot trend lately and one I am definitely following. I often find myself only doing my brows in the morning and leaving the rest of my face make-up free because of the huge impact a pair of beaut brows can make.

Being a self confessed brow lover, I'm always on the look out for new brow products to try to help me achieve that ultimate flawless look. I am however, careful with what I choose. I started with using pencils but I felt they gave a far too harsh line and I could never find a shade that wasn't too dark or else wasn't a nasty orange-y brown, you know the kind? I like my brows to look defined and well groomed as well as looking as natural as possible. I hate nothing more than seeing a pair of solid filled in lines on a sestra's face, it makes me sad. So I then turned to a pomade by Freedom before upgrading to a ABH dipbrow. I hadn't really used powders other than to alter the colour of the orange tinged brow pencil.

Upon receiving BPerfect's Eyebrow Make-up Kit, which is a semi-permanent eyebrow powder, I was super interested to try a powder based brow product properly. I chose the dark brown shade. Even though my hair is blonde, naturally the roots underneath are quite dark so I like to match that colour. Plus, I like to build up colour by applying light layers which is not a problem if you have a darker shade.

Included templates.

The kit comes with three different sized brow templates, something else I've never used before. I think these templates are great if you are new to sculpting your brows and want a fast and simple way to get your brows looking even. You simply place the stencil on your brow and I dabbed the product over it, building the product up in appropriate places. The only thing I don't like about the stencils is the finish the inner eye section gives. I like to gently fade out and blend out the product the closer I get to my nose, I feel this looks natural as brows naturally tend to get more sparse there. I found achieving this difficult with the stencils so I stopped using the stencil a bit before and created the fade with a brush.

Included brush.

In the kit you get a handy double ended brush. One end is fluffy and round, great for the initial dabbing on of the product over the stencil, and the other end is a thinner end I used for building colour in precise areas. The only negative with the brush is that I prefer a much thinner angled brush to achieve a more precise outline that I can then blend out. I also like a thinner brush for the inner eye area to help create the look of actual brow hairs, which is something that I could not create with this product and brush.

Onto the actual powder make-up.

Despite the minor negatives, the main star of the show, the powdered product, is a stunner. The powder is waterproof and smudge-proof giving it excellent staying power, something I didn't expect from a powder. I really like the colour, which I was worried was going to appear too orange but it is a lovely natural brown colour. Again, I went with the dark brown which I think would suit dark blondes to medium brown hair colours. The pigment is really lovely too, it is very smooth and silky and you can see the colour pay off in my swatch above. It obviously is not as pigmented as a pomade but I like that this means you can build up the colour. That is the beauty with powder, you can really take your time building colour and sculpting the brows you want. With a pomade or gel, you are racing against time to get it right before it sets. I think this product is definitely a great one for those just starting to fill in their brows due to the helpful stencils and easy blending abilities of the powder make-up. If you are at a bit of a lost end with your brows and the pesky things are not behaving, the BPerfect kit could give you a hand with getting them in order again.

Overall thoughts.

Being a ritualised pomade user, BPerfect's Eyebrow Makeup Kit has definitely happily reintroduced me to powdered brow products. I really like the level of pigment, it is not heavy but it is enough to easily build. I like that you can spend as long as you need creating your brows without the product clumping or drying out - definitely a good pointer for brow newbies. I found wetting the brush made the product go on even smoother and more precisely, especially in the inner eye area - check out my selfie below! The stencils are fab if you wanna slap on a quick pair of even looking brows and great for using until your confidence grows in brow sculpting. I am not a huge fan of the brush, I like to use my ABH angled brush with this product. Although the BPerfect Eyebrow Makeup Kit has changed my opinions of powdered product, I still prefer the precision I can achieve with a pomade, but will continue to use this product to change up my makeup bag.