How to be a good blogger.

Found via Tumblr, can't find the original source :( tell me if you know.

There are thousands of blogs online worthy of following, so how can you make yourself stand out? Be a good blogger, it's quite simple. I don't follow blogs that have more negative traits than positive. Your blog showcases who you are to your readers, so are you putting across the right person?

Be appreciative.

When I first started blogging I only had 27 followers and I used to look up to people who had a few hundred followers, I would never have believed I could get this many followers. Sometimes I read blogs and wonder how they managed to get thousands but 300 odd followers is a good achievement. Always mark special moments like your first 100 or 1000 to remind yourself of how you started out.

Also say thank you to other blogs if they've helped you out, I love networking with other blogs but if they're rude I won't do it again. Always remember to say thank you for the little things too, such as round ups or mini shout outs.

Network with other bloggers.

If you've ever wondered how I got 300+ followers it's actually all down to networking, my blog really took off when other more popular blogs starting to recommend and link back to me. There are several ways of networking that benefit you and other blogs:

• Social networking websites such as Twitter or Facebook, why not create a group for your blogs topic?
• Have a blog roll of your favourites.
• Do a round up every month.
• If you're writing a post recommend similar ones.
• Create a post everyone can participate in.
• Always give sources and credits where necessary.

Other bloggers aren't your rivals! Feel free to introduce yourself on a blog and give feedback if you particularly like a post. 

Don't people spam!

This is one of the few things on a blog that really grinds my gears, this probably isn't the proper phrase for it though so I'll explain. People spam is real people commenting on my blog with a generic sentence and asking me to follow them back, they always leave their website directly in the comment even though there's a URL box in the comment form. This is really rude! My comment section is not for advertising your blog, I will not click on your blog or give you any attention. I'll mark you as spam so you can't comment on my blog again and never network with you, although leaving your website URL in the comment directly often means it automatically gets marked as spam. So if you ever decided to offer me a website I would actually like either leave it in the comment form or leave another comment asking me to check my spam folder.

Always do your research.

Before you network with someone, recommend anyone, post about a person etc always do a background check. If I know there's genuine nastiness behind anyone I'll probably warn you, but if I don't know you well enough I'll probably just stop following. I don't want to be associated with any blogs that network with arseholes, it's quite simple.

Nasty people aside, it's always worth researching a topic before posting about it. Getting basic facts wrong can be embarrassing and the more you know about it the more you will enjoy writing about it. People get bored of generic posts, if you find some interesting facts or a quirky fact it could make it more original.

Don't get self-obsessed.

One of the worst types of blogs (in my opinion) are personal blogs, I don't follow anyone to hear about their life. Quite frankly I don't care and they always border on arrogance. But that's just my taste, I prefer opinionated and info type blogs. The kind that offer up information about topics I like or create discussions. I need a blog to be more than just a person, it's very rare that a person is so interesting that they can successfully blog about themselves.

However if you do blog about your personal life (and are probably flipping me the bird right now) and your readers enjoy it just keep yourself in check, would your readers really care that you picked up your prescription today? Ask yourself what they find so interesting about your life and focus on that, for example outfits are always a favourite. Personal blogs can be successful, but nobody likes a big head.

But even the blogs I like can have arrogant writers behind them, I have lost a few old blogs to that trait. It saddens me to see bloggers no longer reply to comments, don't bother networking and forget who they was before a thousand followers. Remember who supported you in the early days!

I'm not a brilliant blogger and I admit that, I'm grumpy and don't always have the time to post. But I don't worry too much about been a good blogger, after all I have 300+ followers I can't be that bad. And I rarely stop following someone once I've started, if in doubt post cat photos.

July round up.

I missed last month as I was off sick with a kidney infection, urgh that was nasty.

Can you ever feel classy with tattoos?
Amy's response to a Daily Fail article but includes other interesting points, I love the photo at the end.

Historical Styles for Long Hair.
Handy post for those who need to tie their hair up in hot weather, a lot more interesting than a ponytail.

What not to donate to charity shops.
A handy guide of what charity shops are allowed to resell.

Pin-Up hairstyles: A low down on roll ups.
A simple guide explaining each hairstyle along with links to tutorials, can't recommend this enough!

Casual pin- up Goth.
A yummy outfit post from Sophistique Noir.

Vintage vs Body Image.
A well written post from Charlotte, worth reading the comments for the feedback.

My five favourite gothy or alternative characters.
I laughed all the way through this post, looks like I have to check out some tv programmes.

Source.

And here's your reward for reading my post, a Robert Smith gif. nomnononm

Lush review: Butterball Bath Bomb.

Product: Butterball Bath Bomb.

Price: £2.40.

Tagline/description: Don’t let your skin turn to crackling in that hot bath! Vanilla fragrance and cocoa butter leaves you good enough to eat. Hot bath water can sometimes leave you getting out of the bath dryer than you think. Put moisture back into your skin with this ballistic, so you can lie back, enjoy a long bath and top up that hot water as often as you like.

My review: I was first attracted to this bath bomb because it's cheap price and simplicity, it's quite small and smells pleasant. A mixture of vanilla and cocoa butter, they work well together. Once in the bath it fizzes for only a few minutes but I think that's fair considering the size, there's no big effect to the water either. Just turns a milky colour. The smell isn't overwhelming and it's definitely my favourite for a simple treat. The best part of this bath bomb is the the oily bits that float up. I gently scoop them up and rub them on myself, it's very relaxing. It does leave the bath very oily however so be careful when stepping out and rinse out afterwards, nothing will stain though. My skin is very soft afterwards and there's a slight scent left over on my skin, I don't need to moisturise afterwards.

Pro:
Simple bath bomb, perfect for those who hate strong smells.
Left my skin feeling super soft.

Con:
Quite small but this is reflected in the price.
If you have a large bath you might want to consider buying two.

Would I repurchase: Yes!

How to reinvent your wardrobe: My own fresh start.

I had just been shopping and decided to hang up my new purchases up in my wardrobe when this happened: 

Oh. I broke my wardrobe. I think this was a sign I needed to have a clear out, I pulled everything out my wardrobe and followed the ten steps to organise everything. And here is what I decided to get rid of...

A whole bunch of clothes that no longer fit.

This is my DIY pile, I'm going to dye all of these to make them more versatile. Some have simply faded and need to be put in a dye bath.

The dress I wore for my 18th and spent £45 on, I've worn it once. Sigh what a waste, I didn't even really like it I just wanted something new to wear and got desperate. Below that is a 1940s vintage skirt I bought for £30, it's cute but it's just not me. The red lace dress is also vintage and beautiful, I love it but I have to accept it's too short on me.

Two full bags of clothes I'm taking to charity shops or reselling. The final total of what the clothes cost me is horrifying, it's £200 worth of clothes I bought and regretted. However it's fair to say a few of these don't fit me anymore, I'm too tall or too big. The £200 also includes the accessories I had bought and never used, I always have a favourite that I wear to death and then replace.

Much better! I've recently bought a new black wardrobe, now I've just got to put it up (snort like that's going to happen, I'll ring my Dad).

Ten more Goth tumblrs to follow.

Maru! Source.

Ahh Tumblr, the amount of hours I have spent browsing and admiring is shocking. You can view my previous post here.

Batcavers.
My favourite for old school album covers and music idols.

Fuck yeah The Cure gifs.
Ever wonder where I get my gifs? I get most of my Robert Smith gifs from here.

Goth Etsy Finds.
A collection of goth finds on Etsy, the best for finding new shops.

Corsets.
One of the best corset themed tumblrs, always elegant and classy.

Gothified.
High fashion influenced by Goth, also handy for male Goths looking for inspiration.

Fuck yeah gothic makeup.
Speaks for itself.

Gothic & Femininity.
My go to on Tumblr to admire lovely gothic ladies.

Dancing with Vampires.
Quickly became a favourite with a variety to reblog.

The Black Lace Dandy.
Full of historical inspiration and high fashion.

Eye Fancy.
Full of intricate and delicate things, fancy indeed.

Can I be Goth with natural make up?

Goth make-up is something I will always be fond of, I love how someone can be transformed from ordinary person to Queen of the Night. It's striking and unique, the effects can be brilliant if done correctly. It's no wonder that make up is considered to be a part of our particular aesthetic.

But do you have to conform to it? No, plenty of Goths don't wear heavy make up. In fact there's a few don't wear any at all! People don't wear make up for various reasons. Perhaps they don't have the skills or time, they may not even like make up. For example I've never worn a full face of foundation because it makes me feel uncomfortable. 

If you prefer the natural look then embrace it, there's not enough fresh faced Goths around and it would be a nice change. You don't even have to wear gothic make up, you can try a more natural looking approach. Just      because you're expected to wear black eyeliner doesn't mean you have to. Do your make up how you want to.