how to take nice blog photos

Okay, So word on the street is that not only do your blog posts have to be good, but also your photos.

I have been struggling for a while now with how to take good photos pf the products I review on my other blog. I have used many items to get the look I wanted, but something didn't feel right to me.

I used a place mat, a bed sheet, a blanket. I even used a fence once. But I wanted something more Fashionable, something more pretty or even beautiful. My daughter knew I was having a hard time with this for a while now, so one day she shows me a picture of a product with a gorgeous background and she told me I could accomplish this with my lap top and my phone. Then I immediately asked her if she took any drugs.

I mean this picture was amazing, I had to try it. So I am going to share with you how I accomplished this photo below.

Now I know it could be better, but it's way better then a bed sheet.  If you are still here then lets move on to the tutorial.

I used my Samsung Galaxy 3 and my laptop to accomplish this photo.

Step 1. 

Find a back ground you like. It can be anything you want, Google images is perfect for this. Save the Image to your hard drive.

Step 2.

Put the image into a software program that will allow you to preview it in full screen mode. This will block out any elements of your desk top giving you a full background.

Step 3.

Get something reflective, but not a mirror. I used a Good sized makeup Palette with a silver leather material.

It allows for reflection of the background, but won't show everything.

Step 4.

Get a lamp with a natural day light bulb and hang it over head. Use a sheet of paper or a white shower cap over the lamp to soften the glare.

Step 5.

Now this is the most important step! Place you item on your shiny surface, wipe it down as a matter of fact wipe everything down, dust can show up in camera too. Once everything is wiped down. Take a few shots with your camera and find the spot where you get the reflection of the surface and the background without seeing any of the lines from the monitor in the background. 

This will take a few shots to find this spot, but you will find it, try not to get to close to the screen as to not pick up your reflection in the background.

I hope this helps with your photos and if not let me know and I will create a more detailed tutorial.

Good Luck!

3 Mascaras 1 Girl

We all love a good mascara right? I mean, what other product can give your eyes an instant lift? What other product can say, hey! I have lashes? None.

And that is why I love me some Mascara. Today I am going to feature my three favorite most reached for mascaras.

Mascara no.1

They're Real By Benefit

This Mascara is perfect for everyday drama. It has a wonderful wand that enhances every lash and a formula that just won't quit. This is my everyday go to mascara.

Mascara No.2

LashGasam By TooFaced

This Mascara is always there for me when I don't want to wear falsies, but I want to look as if I am wearing falsies. this wand get really close to the root of the lash making sure to coat every lash with sexiness. This mascara lasts all day and night, just be sure to give it a moment to dry once applied.

Mascara No.3

Full Exposure By SmashBox

This is a mascara I wear with my falsies to blend everything together. The wand is spaced out enough to to coat the lashes without making them spider like while allow my natural lashed to blend for a flawless look.

This also requires some time to dry as the formula is quiet wet, so that you can get your lashes combined into your falsies.

The Roundup

I love mascara and all its magical benefits, my only problem with mascaras is that they are on a three month expiration date, so they say. I feel the Benefit They're Real is the perfect size for any mascara, if you follow that rule. I mean who uses that much mascara in three months?

Do you follow the three month mascara rule?

I don't, maybe I should, but that's just me.

Balancing Oil and Stress on your face!

As you all know, if you follow me on twitter that I have moved again. That is a total of four times this past year. I will admit my stress levels have gone through the roof many times and my face has the scars to prove it.

I have been staying with family members of both sides during my travels of our great nation, why do we say that? Aren't all nations great? I never got that. Anyhoo, My face has gone through  a lot, Climate changes, stress and hormonal break outs.

To be honest, I haven't been keeping up with my normal face cleansing routine. Getting the bathroom time to myself has been very hard, especially with a large family so the oil build up has been ugly.

I would wake up with new breakouts and blemishes every week, I knew I needed a plan of action so I went to Walgreen's. I needed something that was fast and easy to use, so I browsed and browsed and picked up a pack of Simple Oil balancing cleansing wipes for sensitive skin.

These wipes are amazing! They cleanse the face of all dirt, oil and makeup. I love these because they do help with oil production on my face and leave my face feeling clean and fresh with just one wipe.

The texture of the wipe is soft on the skin, but strong enough to get in there and break up the ugly bits.

I have stopped breaking out and oil production is at a all time low. Yay me!!

This is a picture I took during a very stressful day and not to sound like I am tooting my own horn, but I wiped the stress away with my handy Simple oil balancing cleansing wipes.

Products I used on my face this day:
L'Oreal Magic B.B. Cream, Medium.

Mommy Makeup's Mommy's little helper Concealer.
Mommy Makeup's Dual mineral powder
The review for these products you can find here.
http://www.themakeupsquid.com/2014/01/two-easy-to-use-beauty-products.html

Urban Decay's Flushed bronzer
The review for this product in here.
http://www.themakeupsquid.com/2013/12/urban-decay-naked-flushed.html

Urban Decay's Naked basics Palette
http://www.themakeupsquid.com/2013/12/urban-decay-naked-basics-palette.html



Thanks for visiting! Please like & share this post. Leave me a comment and don't forget to leave your blog links :)

Life Lived Beautifully

So I changed my banner on my beauty blog again www.themakeupsquid.com, I guess this is what I get for having photo shop at my disposal.

I wanted something a little less harsh then the blackness of the previous banner.

I also changed my social Icons to just text instead of the images, to many colors. It seemed like it didn't have any direction. What this post is really about is the motto I chose.

Life Lived Beautifully.

Life is not perfect, but it still can be beautiful.

This I feel is up to us, we can allow bad things to take over and swallow us up whole or we can allow it to shape and form us, but never penetrate us to the point of destruction.

Life doesn't even have to be lived well, I don't have to live in a mansion or have a fancy car to live beautifully.  I can live beautifully anywhere life puts me. I make my life, no one else has say in that. Just me.

I can allow things to get to me or I can over come them and make them my lessons not my future.

If your in a ugly room, make it beautiful.

You have a ugly car, make it shabby chic.

you have ugly clothes, give them to goodwill and buy some while your there.

It's all how you see it and I choose to make it beautiful.

Thanks for Visiting, If you liked this post please Like & Share. Please Leave me a comment it lets me know your there, leave your link behind :) Don't for forget to follow this blog! www.interwebschic.com

I'm So Thankful For Blogging Buddies Tag

 I was Tagged by my beautiful and extra smart blogging friend Ashley Maria. She is talented and super fabulous and is currently going through some exciting changes, So if you want to witness awesomeness go check her out on her blog at ciaobella.

If you'd like to spread the love and hop in on the tag, simply publish a post answering the Thankful Interview questions about your blog, about yourself, and then tag some other great blog buddies you're thankful to have so they can do the same! Now on to this tag.

I love these little finger pictures They are so cool :)

About My Blog 

How long have you been blogging?

My first post was posted on August 16th 2013 woohoo!

Are there any bloggers who helped you out/encouraged you when you first started your blog?

My sister encouraged me to start writing a blog, but my girls help me everyday :)

What Social Media has given you the most traffic to your blog? Is there a platform that you don’t use?

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and tumblr, although I don't use tumblr much but I do have it haha.

How often do you post? Do you have a regular schedule?

At the rate I am going about 1-2 times a week I would like to post more but life said NO!

Where do you blog?

In my fabulous, comfy, never made bed.

What camera do you use?

I Have used a Nikon, Ipod, Ipad, Samsung Glalaxy s4, and my Logitech webcam. I use anything I can get my hands on hehe.

How did you come up with your blog name?

I was searching for a blog name with the word "Makeup" in it while staring at the website squidoo, so TheMakeupSquid was born :)

Do you do any regular “series” posts on your blog?

Once in a while I do a double duty products, but mostly its just random like me.

What draws you to a blog?

The style, layout and sincerity of the post, I hate I feel like I am reading something out of a magazine, if that makes any sense hehe. I want to actually hear a voice when I read a blog.

What turns you off of a blog?

Music! And feeling like the blog is pushing me to buy a product, Just let me know you like it or love it and if I like or love you I will buy it, one day.

How many blogs do you subscribe to?

A lot, to be honest I can't read all of them, there isnt just enough time. But I am all for supporting blogs and Bloggers. So I follow as many as I can!

When do you generally read blogs?

Whenever I can really through out the day, but I haven't been able to read as much as I would like too.

What is your favorite type of post, and why?

Helpful, anything I can learn from. Look of the day, Tips, tricks that sort of thing and anything personal I love getting to know the people behind the blog :)

What is your least favorite type of post, and why?

Nail polish posts, but that only because I am jealous and cant grow my own nails haha!

About Me

Where do you live?

I just moved AGAIN! to JohnsTown PA.

What about your home?

Two story home built in 1941. I cant wait to start decorating it has great bones and so much charm :)

Do you have a “day job”?

My day job is my family, I can't quit even if I wanted to, I heard there was a law or something against that.

How tall are you?

I am a whopping 5'1, but I pack a punch!

Do you have siblings?

I am one of 7. 2 boys and 5 girls total

3 words to describe yourself.

Loud, Weird, hopeful.

Who is your style icon, and why?

Me of course :)

3 favorite bands/musicians.

TheCure, The Smiths and A Flock of Seagulls.

3 favorite movies.

The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Gladiator. I love epic films!

3 favorite books.

The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Memoirs of a Geisha.

3 random/weird facts about you.

I am currently trying to grow my hair out, but at the same time I want to cut it.
I know how to make my husband really really nervous.
I love watching strange documentaries.

Thanks for visiting! Please like & share this post. Leave me a comment and don't forget to leave your blog links :)

Being true to myself and my blog

Google Images

I can't do it. I tried and I just can't.

I got my domain name www.interwebschic.com, I changed my banner to reflect my personality and my interests, which I will probably change again since there are some aspects missing.

Interwebs Chic, is it pronounced Chick or sheek? I have no idea but either way I like it.
I woke up with a fire in my soul today and I liked it. I woke with a determination for my blog as I didn't like the direction it was going in. So I decided that no one is going to decide my fate or the direction of my blog.

I was so afraid that if I posted a rant after posting a blog tip people weren't going to like it and drop my blog.
But today that all changed.

I am not writing for you! I am not even thinking about you when I write, so why should I care what you think?

Google Images

I write for me. I write because there are things I want to share with you, things that might make something somewhere easier for you and in order for me to accomplish this I have to be me and I am not single sided, I am every sided.

I cannot have this blog be just about one thing. It has to be about everything I think or care about posting.
I want to help others with their blogs by sharing what ever I learn as I go on my own personal blogging journey, but I also want to share things that tic me off, things that make my day extra special even if its as little as hearing my favorite song at 4 a.m.

Google Images

I want to write about the process of making banners and images for blogs.
I want to write about how to add your comment link after losing it.
I want to write about how my husband makes my blood boil and I have to remind myself that putting a grown man in a closet is a crime somewhere in the world.
I want to write about how my three year old knows how to buy apps on my smart phone.
I want to write about my 16 year old son who won't talk to me.

I want to write about what ever I want to write about and if you are here for only one thing, I am sorry.
I am not a one thing person, so this blog will be about me and whatever that entails, the good, the bad and yes I dare say it, the ugly. eww.

Google Images

So I hope you stay, I hope you follow, I hope my insanity makes some type of sense to anyone out there somewhere on the interwebs.


Thanks for Visiting, If you liked this post please Like & Share. Please Leave me a comment it lets me know your there, leave your link behind :) Don't for forget to follow this blog! www.interwebschic.com

The blog changes interviews

We all want our blog to be the best that it can be. Sometimes this can be as easy as a few clicks or as hard as rewiring your blog completely.  Either way the interweb offers us options, lots of options and sometimes, we want to hear it first hand from someone we know what the best way to go as well as what we should stay away from.

I had the pleasure of interviewing three amazing bloggers, from veteran and newbie alike and they have some very good advice to share with you all, So here it is.

The blog changes interviews. 

1. Whats your name? Rebecca B. Bird

2. What is the name of you blog/s? HelloPrettyBird.com

3. How long have you been blogging? On and off for nearly 15 years (whoa), but about 6 months on my current blog

4. What are the changes you have made to your blog recently? (Layout, Commenting system, etc..) I recently switched from the standard Blogger commenting system to Disqus

5. Why have you made these changes? ( if you weren't satisfied with anything please let me know what these were.) I noticed that some of my readers were responding to each other in the comments on my site, so I wanted a commenting system that was more conducive to ongoing discussion. Blogger's standard comments are fine for just leaving a quick note but aren't very interactive.

6. What was the most difficult aspect of your blog/s to change? The transition to Disqus was pretty seamless, but one thing I didn't anticipate was that Disqus imported the old comments by the date they were posted, rather than by what was in reply to what! So if you look at some of my older posts now it's difficult to make sense of who is replying to who.

7. What was the easiest aspect of your blog/s to change? Installing Disqus only took a few clicks and a bit of waiting so it was very easy!

8. What are your most important widgets for your side bar if any. The search widget, though it hasn't been working properly lately so I may have to research alternatives.

9. What aspects are you looking to add to your blog in the future? I hope to add an improved search function at some point, and maybe streamline the navigation a bit. I think I could also be utilizing my footer better, but I haven't decided what changes to make yet.

10. Any advice for your fellow bloggers looking to make changes? Research your options carefully before attempting to implement a change! With commenting systems, for example, there are other choices besides Disqus (i.e. IntenseDebate, Google+ comments etc.) so it's a good idea to find out the strengths and weaknesses of each one before deciding which one will be best for your website. It gets a bit tricky if you're switching back and forth between different ones all the time!

1. Whats your name? Karen Pasto

2. What is the name of you blog/s? Kpsays.com

3. How long have you been blogging? 6 months

4. What are the changes you have made to your blog recently? (Layout, Commenting system, etc..) I am planning to completely do away with comment moderating. I decided to try the free version of Comment Luv to see if I liked it and test it before I completely changed over.

5. Why have you made these changes? ( if you weren't satisfied with anything please let me know what these were.) I like the fact that other bloggers who take the time to comment can leave a link to their most recent posts and maybe get more traffic. I have also found new blogs myself. Win/win!

6. What was the most difficult aspect of your blog/s to change? This was an easy change.

7. What was the easiest aspect of your blog/s to change? I use Word Press, and the plug in was super easy to install.

8. What are your most important widgets for your side bar if any.  I have an Instagram photo carousel and most popular posts plug in on my sidebar.

9. What aspects are you looking to add to your blog in the future? Since I am still new, I plan to hire a blog designer to take my blog to the next level. Also learn more about HTML coding.

10. Any advice for your fellow bloggers looking to make changes? It's your blog, so don't be afraid to change it up. If you don't like it, you can undo it :).  Thank you Laurie for including me in this project! Much love, kp

1. Whats your name? Hi, I am Jules, from Lippy Likes

2. What is the name of you blog/s? lippylikes.com

3. How long have you been blogging? Since October 15th so still a real noobie aw x

4. What are the changes you have made to your blog recently? (Layout, Commenting system, etc..) When I started my blog, I had no experience of blogging and was a total technophobe so I just googled free blogs and followed the instructions on Blogger. I quickly realised that there were some things I could do to really improve the look and layout of my blog and the readers enjoyment of it. I added my Blog to Bloglovin' which let me be easily found by potential readers. I set up a profile on Google+ which increases my visibility to search engines. I bought a decent camera to improve the quality of my pictures and found PicMonkey, a free editing site. Using PicMonkey I made a decent header and blog button which I proudly display on my sidebar. I use Google+ for comments which does away with the dreaded Captcha. I added adverts from Adsense and skimlinks to start monetizing my blog. I bought a custom Domain name for my blog

5. Why have you made these changes? ( if you weren't satisfied with anything please let me know what these were.) I bought the Domain name - www.lippylikes.com because I thought it indicated how seriously I take my blog. It cost very little but one day I would like a custom made design which can cost a great deal which was why I decided to start monetizing. I personally hate Captcha and often abandon a comment at that stage when a bogger has it enabled. 

6. What was the most difficult aspect of your blog/s to change? Adding the custom Domain name was something I found ridiculously difficult and I eventually had to seek the help of a friend the lovely Hayley at TeaPartyBeauty,

7. What was the easiest aspect of your blog/s to change? Everything else was really simple and believe me, if I can do it, anyone can,

8. What are your most important widgets for your side bar if any. For me the most important are the follow buttons - for google+, GFC and most importantly Bloglovin'. 

9. What aspects are you looking to add to your blog in the future? As I said, I would love to have a whole blog redesign, something plain and classy but will all of the necessary elements in place. 

10. Any advice for your fellow bloggers looking to make changes? I would advise simply googling anything you want to do. There are some very simple step by step guides out there If you really can't manage to do something then I suggest asking for help on twitter There are some super lovely ladies on there who are really great at all this kind of stuff and I have always been lucky enough to find someone to help. Most of all though remember, whilst everyone wants their blog to look fantastic, what is most important of all is the content. So Keep Calm and Carry On Blogging x

So as you can see its basically all about personal style and how you want you blog to look and feel.
Don't be afraid to make changes especially early on.
Always remember if you get stuck there's always Google :)