This time we enjoyed reading the reviews of the following bloggers:

Anastasia of Glamorable!

Glamorable!

Beautisol Tea Tan Glow Wash-Off Body Bronzer Review

Admitting to be a member of the “alabaster community” and never having much luck with self-tanner, Anastasia was brave enough to give our Beautisol Wash-Off Bronzer a go!

Turns out, even pale people like to get a tan here and there and she has now found the perfect way to do it without the committment or any orange surprises. We like that attitude and salute her brave self-tanner investigations!

Anastasia, is a beauty addict and loves everything that includes an SPF! We highly support that. Enjoy your tan! Find her beauty blog here: http://glamorable.blogspot.com/

Tori’s Beauty Blog

Own Skin Health Refining Moisture Night Cream Review

Tori speaks out openly about her dark spots that have been an issue for her. Not shying away from photos to show the bare truth, she now seems to have found a solution to her problem thanks to our Own Skin Health Night Cream. Before and after comparisons make it easy to understand her point and to believe in the power of quality products.

Tori is an Edinburg (TX) based full-time beauty blogger and vlogger. We like the commitment to beauty and hope to see more in the future! Find her blog here: http://toritherebelangel.blogspot.com/ 

Meredith of Magpie´s Closet

Magpie’s closet

First Product Review! Own Lifting Eye Cream

We are honored to hear, that the  OWN Eye Cream wasMeredith’s very first product review! Having problems with dark circles due to intense learning and stress with her finals, this cream has helped her get back that fresh look around her eyes. We are glad to hear that and wish her the best of luck with graduation.

Find her blog here: http://magpiescloset.com/

Courtney of Phyrra.net

Phyrra.net

OWN Refining Moisture Night Cream Review

Although, having a dislike for jar packaging Courtney found the OWN Night Cream suitable for her sensitive skin. We appreciate her very honest review and thoughts on this product. A moisturized face without irritation is something we all are looking for and iFabbo is glad to hear that Courtney found it with the OWN skin care line.

Courtney is a cruelty-free beauty blogger! She loves Pinterest and everything hair related. On her blog you can expect to see tutorials, especially for DIY hair, topics on fashion and product reviews. Find her blog here:  http://www.phyrra.net/ 

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Send us your iFabbo SHOP product review, for consideration in our weekly “spotlight” series.  Every week we will feature the best reviews. To qualify, make sure to follow the instructions below:

• Email your submissions to Jessica at jessica@ifabbo.com
• You must have the iFabbo seal displayed on your website, and it must link back to our site.
• Please make sure all submitted links are reviews on a product you have received from the iFabbo SHOP.
• Make sure you use the appropriate URLs and hashtags in your review.  You should have received the inserts with all of the relevant information with your product order.
• For the “Spotlight” we would like to use a photo of you. Please submit either a photo with your review or let us know to use one from your “About” page or anywhere else from your blog.
• We love pictures so make sure you take photos of the products and include the in your review and post them on Twitter and Instagram.
• Submit only ONE post weekly for consideration.
• Post must be “work-safe” and contain nothing vulgar

We’ve all heard about crazy beauty habits before. Strange things people do to get that extra glow, better skin or shinier hair. But what actually works and what is a myth? We have researched deep into the world of beauty and selected a few that actually do work to help you look your best! Tested and approved by us!

Photo by fotosiamo via Flickr

• Working out regularly can combat wrinkles! The boost in blood circulation to the skin strengthens blood vessels and increases the renewal of cells.
• A hair dryer can work magic for your eyelashes! If you have straight lashes, try to heat up your eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a couple of seconds. The heat of the lash curler will bend your lashes and if set with waterproof mascara, they will look luscious all day!
• Olive oil is not just good for your salad! In small amounts applied, it can make curly hair smooth, dry skin soft and act like the fastest makeup remover!
• Toilet seat covers can fight the shine on your face! If you are in a hurry and have no other option to stop the shine on your face, use regular toilet seat covers as blotting paper! They work just as fine as regular ones from the store.
• Lemon can brighten up your face! Rubbing lemon juice on your face helps to brighten the complexion!
• Silk will smooth your problems away! Sleeping on a silk pillowcase instead of regular cotton is known to reduce tangled and damaged hair and prevent premature aging. The smooth silk won´t be as harsh to your face and hair as other materials.
• Berries can fight acne! Mash some fresh strawberries with a spoon and add a spoonful of white yogurt. It might tingle and that´s ok. Let it sit for a few minutes and wash off. Applied once a week, it is believed to control breakouts.
• Blue lipstick makes your teeth appear whiter! Blue undertones in your lipstick enhance the white in teeth. So show off your smile with bright pinks and reds or plum hues! (For example MAC Ruby Woo or Russian Red)
• Hair spray can be applied through your brush! After your blow dry, apply hair spray onto your brush and then run through your hair, it will hold volume and shine without leaving it clustered and sticky!
• Hair conditioner can be used as shaving cream! If you don´t have shaving cream around, just grab your conditioner instead. It leaves your hair silky and fine, it will do the same with your legs.

]]> http://blog.ifabbo.com/crazy-beauty-tricks-did-you-know/feed/ 0 http://blog.ifabbo.com/are-you-addicted-to-your-second-screen/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=are-you-addicted-to-your-second-screen http://blog.ifabbo.com/are-you-addicted-to-your-second-screen/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 16:25:08 +0000 The iFabbo Team http://blog.ifabbo.com/?p=6993

Photo by Yutaka Tsutano via Flickr Creative Commons

There are two types of people in the world: those who are addicted to their smartphone and those who lie about it. Yep, ever since those pesky, useful devices found their way into our Christmas stockings, birthday wish lists and general ‘necessities of life’ lists, we haven’t been able to put them down. So much so that the term “second screen” has been coined to describe them. Think about it: when you’re watching TV, you reach to live tweet the OMG moments; when you’re out and about and alone, your phone becomes your significant other. Admit it, even when you’re already browsing the web on your desktop computer, you’re still checking up on all your mobile notifications on various apps.

There’s no denying that smartphones are one of the greatest inventions since the wheel, especially for social media lovers like us. But are we actually being consumed by the information we choose to consume?

How much is too much?

If you think you might be addicted, the first thing to do is to step back and look at your smartphone habits. Is the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you go to sleep to check your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram? It can be hard not to feel like you’re missing out if you don’t keep constantly checking all your social media. Particularly with close-knit blogging communities, no-one wants to be out of the loop. The thing to remember is that the community will always be there. It’s always good to focus on your real life and enjoy the things that you aren’t sharing with your hundreds of followers.

Which brings us onto sharing. Social networking is a handy tool for interacting with friends that you know in real life or have met online through blogging. You’ve probably got a good handful of people that you always chat to and a loyal following who you like to keep regularly updated. While it’s fun to let others know what you’re up to, if you can’t remember the last time you had a meal without sharing it with Instagram, you might want to hold back a bit! It’s become a bit of a meme recently to take photos of others taking photos of their food (see Pictures of Hipsters Taking Pictures of Their Food!) – a sure sign that the practice is getting out of hand?!

Having a smartphone can feel like it comes with an obligation to be available 24/7. Are you one of those who has to reply to a text, notification or email as soon as possible to avoid seeming rude? While a quick reply is convenient for the sender, it might not be convenient for you. You shouldn’t have to pause lunch to email the PR person who contacted you or reply to your Twitter mentions during a real life conversation with a friend.

These might all seem like social norms but that doesn’t mean society isn’t addicted!

What is a healthy amount?

This really depends on your usage. If you feel completely lost whenever you leave your phone at home, it might be time to wean off the second screen! Try and restrain yourself from reaching it when you’re around others, choose set times in your day to check and reply to your notifications, perhaps every couple of hours, rather than minutes and hey, maybe for once our batteries might last for a whole day!

Could you last a day without your smartphone?

Photo by Zahid Ahsan via Flickr Creative Commons

What kind of a blogger would you consider yourself as? Beauty, fashion, tech, lifestyle? Or perhaps you cover all of these and everything in between? Have you ever thought that giving your blog a niche can help you to bring in the readers? Having various interests is great – it keeps your content diverse and helps to avoid that ‘repetitive posts syndrome’ rut that bloggers can often fall into. However, the diversity can also alienate your readers. Some posts may catch their attention but others may turn them off and too many ‘off’ posts might make them leave your blog in favor of another with more narrowed content.

As if you weren’t already feeling like a small fish in a big blogosphere pond, there’s the prospect of losing readers?! Unfortunately, yes. You may stick with just beauty or just fashion but when readers are following 20 other blogs with the similar content as you, what sets you apart? A review of Chanel’s latest limited edition nail polish? Add it to the long list of others with similar swatches. Photos of your delicious restaurant burger from yesterday? That looks nice. And as Meryl Streep put it in The Devil Wears Prada, “Florals in Spring? How original.”

Of course, iFabbo is always here to point you in the right direction and get your blog the recognition it deserves.

The most obvious niche to go after is the topic niche. If you’re into the art of gift wrapping but you haven’t seen that much content on it around, then by all means write away. It might seem like the most obscure subject or way too specific to generate interest but you’d be surprised at how many other people out there feel as passionately as yourself. After all, who would have thought that photos of makeup rubbed on the back of a hand would grow into the huge beauty blogging community that we know and love today? If you can think it, people will read it and you’re more likely to be come up higher on search engine results – always a plus for gaining more traffic! Being knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what you’re writing about always helps too. Readers will see you as the go-to blogger for your field of interest; you’re the influencer.

Niches can also come in other methods of blogging. Your writing voice might be particularly engaging, for example. If you’re a natural comedian, go with it! Readers will find it more refreshing to read your thoughts on the latest trends than the next generic opinion. Camilla from Into The Fold, is a great demonstration of this. Or if you have a real knack for taking the perfect photos, make it a huge element of your blog so that readers associate you with great quality images of all the things they love. Rosie from The Londoner, for example, can turn the sloppiest burger into the most delicious, gourmet looking meal with a click of her camera.

At the end of the day, the best way to find your own niche is to be your own blogger. Look at what interests YOU and ultimately, be yourself! We’re not promising an overnight explosion of followers once you’ve honed in on your blog niche. It will always take work and continuity to build a loyal following, but having a niche is one of those useful things to make you and your blog stand out from the rest.

Do you think your blog has a niche? How did you find it?

• Need a product to help with acne-prone skin? Buzzingtrends reviews ANEW Clinical Absolute Even Multi-Tone Skin Correcting Cream with DSX.
• Our External World lets us in on a new and simple way to thread facial hair with the Saheli Thread IT tool.
• Missed the Annual 2013 Met Gala? Glam Me Up shares the looks of celebrities who captured and rocked the Punk look.
• You can never go wrong wearing black and gold. Fashion Panache models an outfit perfect for a wedding party.
• That Sassy Girl has the latest trend alert to be on the lookout for!
• Hair care is always a must. Sifa’s Corner gives us the scoop on six hair tips to keep in mind.
• Glamorable raves about the Beautisol Tea Tan Glow Wash-Off Body Bronzer to get our body’s looking ready for summer.

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Do you want your blog post featured on iFabbo? We do the link love weekly, so arm yourself with your best post and follow our directions below or click here

The deadline for the weekly submissions is Friday, 6 pm EDT. No posts submitted after the deadline will be considered.

In order for your post to be considered, follow the instructions below:

• You must have the iFabbo seal displayed on your website and it must link back to our site. You probably did this already when you were first issued your seal, but be sure to double check it! Badges can be found here!
• Please make sure all submitted links are Beauty or Fashion related.
• “Like” iFabbo on Facebook.
• Submit only ONE post for consideration.
• Post must be “work-safe” and contain nothing vulgar.
• The submitted post must have been posted on your blog the week of that particular week! The specific dates will be announced on our Facebook page!
• Make sure you post the link underneath the “Submission Call” on our Facebook page. If your submission isn’t in the right spot, we might miss it.
• The Winners will be announced with name and links on our social media sites and blog every Monday!

Do you want your blog post featured on iFabbo? We do the link love weekly, so arm yourself with your best post from the specified week, head on over to our Facebook Page and submit it!

The deadline for the weekly submissions is Friday, 6 pm EDT. No posts submitted after the deadline will be considered.

In order for your post to be considered, follow the instructions below:

• You must have the iFabbo seal displayed on your website and it must link back to our site. You probably did this already when you were first issued your seal, but be sure to double check it! Badges can be found here!
• Please make sure all submitted links are Beauty or Fashion related.
• “Like” iFabbo on Facebook.
• Submit only ONE post for consideration.
• Post must be “work-safe” and contain nothing vulgar.
• The submitted post must have been posted on your blog the week of that particular week! The specific dates will be announced on our Facebook page!
• Make sure you post the link underneath the “Submission Call” on our Facebook page. If your submission isn’t in the right spot, we might miss it.
• The Winners will be announced with name and links on our social media sites and blog every Monday!

How do you make money off your blog? At one point or another every blogger asks himself/herself that question. Probably the easiest and most popular way is through advertisement and affiliate networks. With the amount of networks and partly confusing information, we decided to give you an overview of the main networks to get you off to a better start!

Usually, there are two types of networks: pay per click or pay per sale! With the first one you earn money by readers who click on your ads or links and with the second option you earn a commission of a sale that is made through ads placed on your site.

Photo by phalinn via Flickr

Most bloggers prefer a mix of networks on their site based on what it is they are blogging about. A main aspect to keep in mind: are your visitors prone to just clicking on your photos and ads or are they interested in actually buying the discussed item? With that in mind you can make a decision on what type of network to choose.

There are many affiliate networks available with a different variety of retailers and payment methods. Depending on your type of audience, your style and budget you should choose a network that covers your needs.

Many affiliate networks also like to assure that only serious bloggers with relevant content to their retailers are using their programs and therefore have an application process. That should give you an option though to apply with as many networks as you like!

An overview of the main affiliate networks suitable for beauty and fashion blogs!

Pay per Sale Networks:

rewardStyle

This platform allows you to earn money through commission. A reader of your blog clicks on the link and buys the advertised product. You will get paid a commission depending on the retailer. Once you reach the $100 mark you will receive your money via PayPal. If a customer returns the product, you won´t get your commission.

They offer affiliate links and advertisement. You can choose from a variety of retailer and style of advertisement. Attractive design makes it easy to navigate and is popular with fashion and style bloggers.

rewardStyle is an invite-only network. You will have to get approved first. However, as an additional plus, they offer a referral program – if they approve your friends site as well, you can get commissions of your friends yearly sales. Apply here!

Commission Junction

Similar to rewardStyle, this is a commission based network. With a much bigger variety of retailers, this networks allows all kinds of blogs to utilize their products.

You will have to choose the retailer you wish to advertise with first and then wait for approval on their part. Once you get the approval, you can choose the type of links to place on your site.

Commission Junction pays you once you reach $50 and deposits directly to your bank account.

Compared to rewardStyle, this site is a bit more complicated in terms of navigation and layout.  Due to the wide amount of retailers though, it is a great option for bloggers with a niche that no other network would cover. Find out more about working with Comission Junction here!

Rakuten LinkShare

LinkShare works commission based, however they are also known to value traffic leads as well. They specialize in ads and text links for WordPress, Tumblr and Twitter. Even a tweet with a link about your newest product can not only increase traffic but actually sending out tracking links that help track your possible commissions!

Easy to navigate, they operate similar to rewardStyle and ShopSense. Widgets allow you to design your own ads and are great for image focused blogs.

LinkShare offers individually created payment thresholds and the opportunity to have your earnings deposit starting as early as $1. Apply here!

Pay per Click Networks:

ShopSense

ShopSense is a service from ShopStyle that pays you for sending traffic to their retailers through clicks on text links, product widgets and advertisement. This can include links on your blog or through applications like Facebook and Pinterest.

Once you reach your earnings of $100, you will get paid via PayPal. The price per click varies depending on retailer and handling.

ShopSense offers a great source of many popular retailers for beauty and fashion related items. This is particularly good for the use of photos and product links. The variety of tools gives great options of using the links for a particular product or ads that will show your favorite products. You can choose and share images with relevance to your discussed post topic and link to the actual product.

The site is easy to navigate and you can choose from all kinds of layouts to suit your blog style. 

No application needed! Get started here.

Google AdSense

The probably easiest way to place ads on your blog, especially Blogger, is Google AdSense. Google offers AdSense as a widget to place ads on your site and get paid per click. Fairly easy to apply for, Google however must approve your application first. They deposit directly onto your bank account once you reach the $100 mark.

You will be able to choose from different layouts and ad designs. However, the content can only be limited to topic sections, not to exact styles or product items. Google pays strong attention to possible fraud and is known to ban people from the program if they assume the people click on the ads themselves.

Google AdSense sign up here!

Ultimately, you can apply to all networks, test them for a certain period of time and compare your results! You will see which ads will work best for you and suit your style.

Other main affiliate networks include: Skimlinks – Pepperjam – VigLinks – Amazon -  Burst Media – Beso – Fashion Traffic

How do you monetize your blog? Do you use a variety of affiliate networks? Let us know your experience!

This time we enjoyed reading the reviews of the following bloggers:

Nidia of Lit From Within

Lit From Within

Something Different Sunday – the Lilly Brush

Nidia wrote a detailed  review on the Lilly brush. We especially loved seeing her adorable dog Bodie!

Nidia is a semi-retired adjunct professor/dog trainer based in Central Florida. She has a passion for nail polish, her family and of course her 4 dogs! Find her blog here: http://beautylitfromwithin.blogspot.com/

Amber of Daydreaming Beauty…

Daydreaming Beauty…

Review – Own Renewing Skin Care

Amber wrote a review about the Own Firming Silk Concentrate and the Own Refining Moisture Night Cream. Dealing with sensitive skin as she explains, made it always complicated to find suitable products for her. Sensitivity, breakouts and dry patches have different needs, yet she found a solution with the Own skin care line!

Amber is a beauty blogger but more importantly, a mother of five! We appreciate a busy mother finding the time to review our iFabbo SHOP products.

Find her blog here: http://daydreamingbeauty.com/

Christine of Beauty & the Palette

Beauty and The Palette

OWN your skin, Baby!

Starting her review with a story about how a dog licked off her face cream, Christine’s review had us hooked.

Christine is a self-proclaimed beauty product junkie and trained in aesthetics. She made it her personal goal to “find that fountain of youth”!

Find her blog here: http://beautyandthepalette.com/

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Send us your iFabbo SHOP product review, for consideration in our weekly “spotlight” series.  Every week we will feature the best reviews. To qualify, make sure to follow the instructions below:

• Email your submissions to Jessica at jessica@ifabbo.com
• You must have the iFabbo seal displayed on your website, and it must link back to our site.
• Please make sure all submitted links are reviews on a product you have received from the iFabbo SHOP.
• Make sure you use the appropriate URLs and hashtags in your review.  You should have received the inserts with all of the relevant information with your product order.
• For the “Spotlight” we would like to use a photo of you. Please submit either a photo with your review or let us know to use one from your “About” page or anywhere else from your blog.
• We love pictures so make sure you take photos of the products and include the in your review and post them on Twitter and Instagram.
• Submit only ONE post weekly for consideration.
• Post must be “work-safe” and contain nothing vulgar

Photo by Stevendepolo via Flickr

Being a blogger means that at one point or another, you are sent beauty or fashion items to review and feature on your blog.  Gifts or samples can be seen as part of compensation; instead of money, you receive the newest face cream or the new “it” bag.  The more successful your blog is, the more products/samples you will receive.  We admit, after a while you may become a bit overwhelmed with the amount of products your receive and need occasionally to “clean house.”  We’ve been asked if  bloggers should sell the PR samples they receive and our answer is always the same. No!

What you should consider when thinking about selling your samples!

• First off, you should never use your blog solely to get free products or with the purpose to sell them later on! That is a big blogging no-no! Blog about products because you are genuinely interested and try to avoid making compensation your main goal!

• You have been given a sample because a company feels they could build a great blogger-brand relationship with you. Brands spend a lot of time and money sending you promotional products. They are after your opinion, your approach and authority! Don’t misuse that trust by selling their products as you might never hear from that company again. Use the product as intended. Think about the message you are sending to that company when they see their product on eBay or in a blog sale!
  

• Remember, there is a growing number of blogs out there, increasing by the hour! Companies are getting more selective as to whom they send products! Not every company has the resources to spend on promotional items. Theses companies will not work with you, if you are only after the freebies! Repairing a damaged reputation is hard!

• You readers may recognize the product you are trying to sell! Not disclosing that you have received it for free might lead to negative ramifications. FTC regulations should always be considered! See more on that here!

• PR samples have a specific purpose!  They are meant to be reviewed by you on your blog, and you are expected to give your honest opinion.  We understand that you may receive some products that are not suitable for you.  We recommend contacting the company and asking if you should send the sample back.  They will appreciate the effort and more likely will work with you again and be more selective when it comes to the products they send you.
• If you need to de-clutter your makeup drawer, consider donating your unused products.  Check out this post on some basic guidelines and websites.
  

What do you think about selling PR samples?  Is it ethical? Let us know your thoughts below!

“But the bag my camera came with is so ugly!” We hear you! They’re usually black, have a thick, rough strap and are clunky to carry around. Not the greatest accessory, but protection is important. If you have a compact camera without a protruding lens, sleeve covers are great. You can keep your camera protected from objects like keys in your bag, while still being able to whip it out quickly so that you never miss a shot. Larger bags are only necessary for bigger cameras such as DSLRs because the lenses are detachable and any accidental weight or bump to it could cause damage. (And you don’t want to be damaging your very expensive camera!)

Whatever type of camera you have, we want you to look as stylish as possible when you’re blogging on the go so we scoured the web to find camera bags that you’d definitely want to be showing off. All items (or similar) ship worldwide.

Vintage

If you have a penchant for tea dresses, petite florals and Peter Pan collars, these will match your style to a T.

Polka dot and floral sleeve from Etsy – click here.

Floral camera strap with lace detail from Etsy – click here.

Leather satchel style camera bag from eBay – click here.

Minimalistic

If you like your outfits simple and monochrome with classic combos such as a white tee and jeans, then why shouldn’t your camera bag be just as stylish too?

Leather compact camera case from LoveCases – click here.

Black and white chevron design camera strap from Etsy – click here.

White and brown buckle padded DSLR bag from Etsy – click here.

On trend

These picks wouldn’t look out of place on a camera catwalk as they touch on Spring/Summer’s popular fashion trends.

Neon is still a hot topic for Erdem, Matthew Williamson and Proenza Schouler, from eBay – click here.

Laduree colours are in as pastels were seen gracing the collections of Christopher Kane, Mulberry and and Prada, from Etsy – click here.

What could be more on trend than the new bag you picked up last week? This insert allows you to use any casual bag you want without compromising on protection, from Amazon – click here.

Which ones are your favorite? Do you have a favorite camera bag?