DIY

Friday 22 September 2017

HOW TO IMPROVE BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY - USING FREE SOFTWARE & PROPS


I think I have googled this question about a million times since starting my blog back in 2013 and have only recently improved my photography skills by far. I usually use a professional camera to take my blog pictures, but you can easily take amazing photographs using your phone if the camera has 8+ megapixels. For example, I currently own an iPhone 5s which has an 8-megapixel back camera which is more than enough to take good quality pictures for my blog or Instagram account. On the other hand, the camera that I use is the Sony DSCH400 20.1 Megapixel Digital Camera which is amazing for taking high-quality photos but unfortunately, it's not as good for filming videos.


As you can see in the collage above, the top picture looks a bit washed out and not quite professional for someone who is trying to introduce different products to their audience. However, the image below it is very bright and colourful which would catch anyone's eye from a distance as well as make an Instagram feed stand out.


To create Instagrammable photos, I use a light background like this one from Wilkos, and a few props to add a bit of your personality and unique style to the pictures. In this picture, I laid out a few different products and tried to make them look organised however if you prefer a more messy flat-lay then go ahead and do so as it might make the pictures look more interesting.
My favourite software to edit my pictures on my computer is Fotor which you can download for free here. The little routine that I like to follow to brightening my pictures is:

Brightness: 28
Exposure: 25
Contrast: -9
Vibrance: 12
Temperature: -23


This is the effect that I like to go for, which is bright yet colourful at the same time. Another software that I like to use is the VSCO app (you can upgrade it for more effects & filters) which is fantastic to use on the go when you've taken a nice picture and want to upload it straight away. If I want to create a collage or add text etc. to my photos then I turn to PhotoScape X, which is a fantastic free program but it can get a little bit difficult to use.

What software do you use to edit your images? Do you use the ones I mentioned above?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Wednesday 28 December 2016

RECIPE || QUICK AND EASY ROCKY ROAD






As most of you will already know, I've got a massive sweet tooth. I love anything to do with chocolate - whether it's solid or liquid haha - but one of my all time favourites has to be Rocky Road.

I didn't research any recipes for this as I know that many people like to put either raisins, nuts or jelly tots in there. I'm all about the chocolate chips and marshmallows!!

Ingredients:
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate Chips
- Digestive Biscuits
- Milk Chocolate 

Method:
- Take a few biscuits and crush them in a bowl
- Add the chocolate chips and marshmallows to the bowl with crushed biscuits
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl on the stove
- Pour the melted chocolate in the biscuit mixture and mix 
- Empty the bowl in a square dish
- Leave to cool
- Serve!

That's how easy and quick this recipe is! So if you have guests coming over and want to whip some dessert up quickly without putting too much effort in then here you go! This is also a great treat for the little ones, and perfect for lunch boxes!

What's your favourite pudding?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Thursday 7 April 2016

How I Clean My Make-up Brushes

Hi Everyone!

Who else finds washing their makeup brushes a chore? It takes sooo long to do and should be done more often than any of us wishes to admit. I personally clean my brushes at least once a month - yes I know it's not good enough but I never seem to find the time to clean them all! However I do switch up between brushes after one gets too dirty.



I usually clean them using MAC's Brush Cleanser which you can find here for £12. I've been using this for over a year now and I use up around 20ml each time for all of my brushes - and I do own around 50.


Firstly, I like to get organised and grab all the tools I will be needing before I get started. I usually get a small dish to put the cleanser in, and paper towels to rub the makeup off onto them.



So as you can see, I grab a dirty brush and soak it in the solution. I try to do this sparingly as too much solution will make the bristles become too coarse and sometimes it can get inside the handle and cause the glue to stop working resulting in the brush to come apart. And that is not what you want to happen, especially to expensive brushes!




After I dipped the brush in the solution, I swirl the brush onto the paper towel in circular motions until the brush has no product left in the bristles.


Ta-dah! Yes, it's that easy! However, if you don't feel like spending lots of money on special cleansers you can easily substitute it for a bit of washing up liquid or shampoo and then rinse it out under a running tap without allowing the water to soak up the whole brush.


I hope this helped! How do you wash your brushes?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Sunday 12 April 2015

How to become more organised

Hey beauties!
I've never been an organised person in my life. Whenever I attempt to motivate myself to be organised at the beginning of an academic year it all goes down the drain pretty fast... I'm talking like a week tops. But the other day I bought quite a lot of stationary as I wanted to get organised just in time for my exams.
First of all, make sure you have a to-do list of things you would like to get done in a day/week/month and make sure you stick to it. I usually write down a bullet-pointed list of things I want to get done in a day, e.g. revision and coursework and then when I've done it I highlight or cross the task out so I feel like I've accomplished something great.
Another great idea is to buy a weekly planner and a packet of star shaped stickers like I've done. What I do with it, is write down daily tasks and put a sticker next to each task after I have done it so when I have a certain amount of stars at the end of the month I can treat myself to a high end products for working hard. So far it's been paying off slightly as I've become more determined to revise more.
Make sure you always have enough pens in different colours so you can annotate your notes in different topics etc. A refill pad is always helpful when you want to make a list of upcoming blog posts especially if you order them by dates or alphabetically.
I usually make posters and mind maps and put them all around the house so whenever I am doing something like brushing my hair I will look at my notes and revise them in my head. This is very helpful if your exams have a lot of context you need to learn so topics like history, psychology and geography.
Flashcards are the next best thing after mind maps. They are so helpful when it comes to revision as you can get someone to ask you questions about certain events or theorists which you then answer to ensure you know EVERYTHING. Also, make sure you keep all your files sorted out by topics and dividers in a folder, keep it all hole punched and stapled to keep all important documents together.

What are your favourite ways of keeping organised/revising?

Have you entered my MAC lipstick giveaway yet? You have until May 1st to do so!

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Thursday 14 August 2014

DIY || Chevron Friendship Bracelet

Hi there beauties!
In today's post I will teach you how to make your own friendship bracelets. It will be described and shown on pictures. What I really like, is that you can choose your own colours and patterns which are quite easy to do! Summer is already here and I just feel like it's a must for me to share with you guys how to make your own friendship bracelets! (Sorry about the pictures not being so great, my camera was very out of focus!)


So here are two pictures of one of the bracelets that I have made.


 First of all, you need to measure out around 68inch of embroidery thread of at least three different colours. Then fold the pieces of string in the middle, just like it's shown in the picture above.


 Make a small loop, but big enough to tie when you're done with your bracelet.


 Separate the colours out so they are opposite each other. I have put the pink strings in the middle, the burgundy after and the black on top. The order will change every time you make a row of the pattern.


 Take the string on the right side and create a reverse 'L' shape over the string on the left.

                 

Then take the end of the 'L' shaped string and take it under the string and pull it through so it comes out on top.


 Then tighten the string on the top of the loop like this:


Now it is nice and neat.


Now carry on with the rest of the strings on that side.


 And then change the direction and do a normal 'L' shape an do the same.


This is what one of the sides should look like when done.


 And here is a snap of what a whole row looks like.


 Here you can see how the pattern is going to look so just carry on until you've reached the perfect length to go around your wrist/ankle.


 And this is how the bracelets should look like when finished :) I hope this wasn't too complicated, you can always watch a YT video on how to make a Chevron bracelet!
Lots of love,
Maya xo
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