Recently i've noticed a few shifts in the blogging community, and the social media cat fights certainly have not stopped which is a shame to see, and it's times like that, that make me realise we need to lift each other up rather than tearing each other down. So this is where this post has come from, in an attempt to share some love!

JODIE MELISSA

I met Jodie through a few blog comment pods i'd been in, similarly to a lot of my favourite bloggers and I instantly loved her content, from the way it's written to the beautiful photography that is always fresh and clean. What I love is that Jodie has such a mix of content, mainly beauty and fashion but with her upcoming wedding it's lovely to see a different mix of wedding content thrown in, and although i'm a very far way from getting married, I absolutely loved her recent post Preparing For The Wedding #1 and if any of you gals are getting married or in the prepping stage i'd highly recommend giving that post a read!

L PAGE BEAUTY

Leanne is another amazing babe that I met through my first ever Instagram pods, and has ever since been a blog that i've loved reading! I'm forever swooning over Leanne's unreal beauty collection and wishing I could justify splurging after reading everyone of her posts. A recent favourite of mine was her Makeup Lately post, sharing a few recent additions into her collection, and I have to say that Becca palette is all kind of perfection and it's currently top of my beauty wishlist!

THE BEAUTY SANCTUARY

Jess's blog is one that i've followed for a long time without actually realising, and a few weeks back I started to notice her content popping up more and more on the bloglovin beauty pages which entised me to start reading her posts, and boy have I been missing out! Her photos are just absolutely stunning, and it's nice to see someone creating photos that separate her from everyone else. I also like that her content is different to what I see from a lot of bloggers, and takes a different approach to her single product reviews. I absolutely loved her A Guide to Pixi Glow Tonic, as she didn't just review this product, Jess actually explains why it does what it does and how to use it!

What blogs are you loving at the moment?

Being a natural pale skinned gal that I am it's safe to say that i've tried my fair share of fake tans, especially as there is a 0% chance of me actually getting a natural tan. For years I thought I was a gradual tan lover, but over the past twelve months i've made way for instant tans as I find they just give so much more colour, and actually don't go streaky like gradual tans do (i'm looking at you Dove Summer Glow). So here are a few products i'd highly recommend trying if you want to delve away from the gradual tans, and actually glow!

Kicking things off with a recent addition to my fake tan collection, after hearing so much hype I thought i'd finally try out the Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam (£14.99). Now I chose to pick this up in light/medium, because I wasn't sure how dark the ultra dark would go but after using this I definitely want to try it. This version I tend to apply before going to bed, and then showering off in the morning which leaves a lovely natural tan which I really like but I do find it to be a little lighter than I like, however it does build quite well if you use it a few days in a row. I also find that this fades really evenly, which is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to tan as I hate looking like a streaky mess post tan. I'm already wanting to try their Liquid Gold as i've heard some amazing things about it, so watch this space!

For a more instant bronzed glow a firm favourite of mine is the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan* (£6.99) which I actually discovered because of my Mum would you believe, and I absolutely love it! It's amazing for giving your skin an instant bronze with a beautiful shimmery glow that no tan ever gives you! Like most fake tans, this does run if you get it wet but I find it doesn't run half as bad as most fake tans, as long as you're careful this does stay put quite well and just makes you look luminous and glowing! 

A product I love to use inbetween tanning to kind of top up a tan when i'm in a rush but to also give my body a bit of a glow is the Sanctuary Spa Wonder Body* (£9.90). It's a lovely gel like formula that gives you an instant bronze with a beautiful glow that just makes your tan pop. It's also good if you haven't tanned and want to give your legs a slight glow, just to combat the paleness and make your pins appear healthy and luminous. 

Finally, a product that you just can't go wrong with to bronze all areas of your body but mainly your face/jaw line is the Rimmel Radiance Brick* (£5.99), which is essentially a bronzer with a few different tones running through it, that just combine to give you the healthiest glow. I personally love this to bronze up my cheekbones and to also blend my neck/jawline as I do find that my neck can be the hardest place to fake tan, so I always rely on a good bronzer to fix me up.

What are your favourite summer bronze products?

This time last year was when I finally got my blog mojo back after what felt like months of being so lost with just life in general. I'd just come back from a holiday that taught me a lot, and opened my eyes to a lot of things that I am now thankful for, even though at the time it was pretty crap but you live, learn and move on, thats what makes you stronger even when life can pretty cruel at times.

With all that being said, when i'm going through a bit of a rough time with life I tend to throw myself into the things I love, which for me were my blog, work and friendships that truly mean the world to me, the people I can really count on, not those who have constantly let me down. So with that throwing myself whole heartedly into my blog, it really taught me some vital lessons, ones that I will always remember because blogging is always changing, and with that the way we blog kind of changes as well. So here are a few things i've learnt, and things I wish i'd of known this time last year.

Your time will come - This time last year so many bloggers were beginning to absolutely boss it, of which I was so proud to see but it's often hard to not compare yourself and wonder why you weren't bossing it like they were, and getting the opportunities they were. Which I know straight away sounds pretty selfish, but like I said it's hard not to compare especially when you've been blogging for almost four years. Looking back it was evident that my content just wasn't evolving as others was, and it took for me to really switch up my content and approach to blogging to do a complete 180, and it's safe to say that your time will come, you just have to work for it whilst trying to be as individual as you can in the massive fish pond that is blogging. The opportunities will come, you just have to be patient which i've definitely learnt, and have since had some amazing opportunities to work with some amazing brands.

Stepping out of comfort zone always pays off - This time last year I remember roping my bestest gal pal into shooting my first proper outdoors outfit post, and although I felt completely out of my comfort zone if it weren't for that post I wouldn't be incorporating the fashion content that I have been for the past few months. Although I don't post fashion content as regularly as some, I'm so glad i've pushed myself to be comfortable to get in front of the camera and show off the pieces i'm absolutely loving at the moment. For example, i'm loving the embroidered trend at the moment and this beaut Zaful Floral Mesh Top* (£12.35) is the perfect example as i'm loving discovering new trends, and actually sharing them with you guys, which come a year ago I wouldn't of dreamed of doing.

Don't ever apologise - A few years back i'd feel like absolute crap for not posting, or sticking to my schedule but in all honesty we are only human and apologising for who you are, or apologising because life is just a bit hectic isn't what life is about. Those who genuinely support you will still be there, and you can't please everyone is this world. I've made some of the best friendships through blogging, even if we don't speak in a months I know who will be there and who won't, which is what true friendship is all about.

Instagram will always be a mind f*ck - The constant struggle with Instagram has gotten to the point where I've actually stopped caring, mainly because the stress of it all was really affecting my stress levels, of which for me just isn't worth it. I've come to learn that social media will always be a struggle, especially if you juggle a full time job around your blog like myself, and the best lesson I have learnt is to just do you, and not worry about anyone else. I may gain and lose 50 followers a day, but thats life (sort it out Instagram).

BE YOU! - This is definitely by biggest blog lesson to date, and is one I always tell myself but it's so important to stay true to yourself and not force a persona that just isn't real. If you don't take yourself seriously, no one else will!

What blog lessons have you learnt in the past year?