7 THINGS TO REMOVE FROM YOUR BLOGGER TEMPLATE

It's that time again - time for another post on cleaning up zee blogger template. I enjoyed writing the initial 5 Quick Ways To Clean Up Your Blogger Template and the follow up 5 More Ways To Clean Up Your Blogger Template. This time I thought I'd take a slightly different approach. As a reader, one of the things that overwhelms me when I enter a blog is too much clutter. So I've compiled a list of 7 different elements that are easily removable and won't be missed!

THE HALF BUN

I've fallen in love with a new hair style – the half bun. You may have noticed the mild obsession if you follow me on Pinterest. I don't know what it is about it. I mean, I know it's an unusual look, but I just can't get enough of it. Maybe it's the granola eating hippy in me trying to climb its way out. At any rate, it's what I've been sporting at work most days of late. I've enjoyed pairing it with either a graphic eye or a bold lip in an attempt to keep it looking somewhat edgy and not just like I forgot to wash my hair for a week and now I'm running with it. So what do you guys think? Chic or filthy hippy?

A HAIRY AFFAIR

I really decided not to hold back here what with the title and the sheepskin background in the photo. I'll admit I'm still a little bit squeamish about the topic of hair removal, but I reckoned if we're going to do this, let's do it right. A lot of us are blessed with a little more fuzz than we might desire, especially those of us that are Armenian... it's not as glamourous as the Kardashians make it out to be. So I thought it was due time to have a chat about a few options, really clear things up so we're not so *fuzzy* on the details. Good one Holl.

4 NEW AND FABULOUS

I've gone done it again. Somehow I've managed to compile a nice little group of new things to talk about. So, you know, that's what I'm going to do – talk about them. Unpredictable I am not. A quick side note first: The Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual, which I have hanging out in the photo above, is such a fantastic book! It's packed full of incredibly useful information about both skincare and makeup. I highly recommend taking it out of your local library.

WHY MAC DOES CONCEALERS RIGHT

I've never been particularly MAC obsessed. Not that they're not a great brand. They are. I just never went nuts on them. I don't have an enormous MAC eyeshadow collection and I've never tried any of their foundations, but one thing that I do find myself drawn to is their concealers. And for good reason. They just do concealers right. I think what makes them so fantastic is that it seems like each one is designed for a specific purpose – as though they're intended to attack a specific problem. I'll explain about the three that I own.

THE EXTREME MOISTURE SANDWICH

Once every week or so my skin tends to get really parched, due to the use of acne treatment products. It gets that gross, tight feeling, like it's about to start peeling, which it will do unless I do some emergency repair. The other night I discovered a nice little trio of products that really did the trick. They helped steer clear of the peeling and actually left my skin feeling quite plump in the morning.

A SIMPLE AND ATTRACTIVE SEARCH BAR WIDGET

A few months ago I was doing a little blog design update... heck I'm always doing an update. I'm an addict. Anyways, in my quest to keep my blog looking clean and minimalistic I went on the hunt for a new Blogger friendly search bar. I must say, trying to find a simple looking search bar was one heck of a challenge. In the end I found one from this site and modified it to get it looking more appropriate. I've shared this code before, but it was kind of buried among a bunch of other information. I thought it might be helpful as a stand alone post. I'll tell you how to add it. It's dead simple.

PHOTOGRAPHY: BRUSHING UP ON THE BASICS

I've been asked a few times now about what camera I use. I always think that's a bit of a funny question. Yes, I do use a DSLR (Canon Rebel t3i) and that's probably of significance, but the actual camera itself is a lot less significant than the settings I choose and the lens that I use. Couldn't have planned that rhyme if I tried. So while I'm not a photographer, I thought it might be worth running through some of the most basic settings to think about and what the advantages of certain lenses are. Turn that camera to manual!

FRESH FACED FOR 2015

A fresh year calls for a fresh face. I wanted to do something for you guys that really made me think bright, radiant and healthy. Maybe even a little bit spring too? One can dream. So I've kept everything quite pale and natural, skipping the bronzer for a change and instead opting for a few pops of colour.

STILA FIELD OF FLORALS CONVERTIBLE COLOR PALETTE

I wouldn't normally do two posts in a row just talking about one single product. But yesterday this came to me, The Stila Field of Florals Convertible Color Lip and Cheek Palette. I haven't seen any word of it yet on the blogosphere, so I thought I'd get some swatches out for you guys. But first I've got to tell you how I ended up with this palette because I'm still flabbergasted.  

MAC CLEANSE OFF OIL

The MAC Cleanse Off Oil certainly isn't anything new to the beauty world. In fact I think it's so... not new... that it may have been forgotten. Well ladies and gents, I'm here to bring it back! A little while ago I went on the prowl for a new oil based cleanser. My Clinique Cleansing Balm is on its last legs and I decided to mix it up for a change, maybe get a little saucy. I settled on the Boscia Tsubaki Cleansing Oil Gel, thinking it sounded like a good choice and potentially quite similar to the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel that everyone raves about. It wasn't. It was terrible. Don't go there is all I can say. I returned it and decided to put my trust in a classic – the aforementioned MAC Cleanse Off Oil.

PHOTOGRAPHY: THE IMPORTANCE OF WHITE SPACE

I think one of the biggest things I've learned about photography in the past few months is that sometimes less is more. Sometimes the best photos are the simplest and the most minimal. Take a look at Tamira's photography and you'll see what I mean. It's simple and clean and it's breathtaking. This isn't to say that busy photos never look good; I just find that it's much harder to compose them in an appealing manor. In my mind it's like a band – there are all these instruments going and if they're not all perfectly in synch (no, not Nsync thank god) it erodes into noise. So my suggestion is to consider taking a step back, pairing things down and giving everything space to breathe. I'll try to show you what I mean.

2014 BEAUTY FAVOURITES

Man, I love seeing everybody's yearly roundup. They're the best posts to read because you're really getting a look at the cream of the crop. So naturally I wanted in on a piece of the action. I'll try to keep it brief as there are so many things to talk about. Then again, I always say I'll try to keep in brief and I rarely manage to abide. Pfft, that Holly's such a flake. Pfft talking about herself in third person. And no I probably won't be getting any less weird in 2015.

GO PRO HYGIENE COLLECTION

I've mentioned the Pro Hygiene Collection Brush Cleaner a few times in passing, but it seemed only fair to give it it's time in the spotlight today. As I'm sure you've heard a hundred times before, cleaning your brushes is important, particularly when you're struggling with breakouts. Bacteria builds up in them and the last thing you want to do to troubled skin is slap a load of bacteria back on your freshly cleansed face. Weekly brush shampoos are a fantastic thing to do, but I like to clean up in between as well, which is where the Pro Hygiene Collection Brush Cleaner comes in.

BEST OF THE BOLD MATTES

I love a good bold matte lip. I just think if you're going for a striking colour it usually looks that much more striking when it's matte. Granted I may not get as much use out of a these lipsticks as my everyday neutrals, but they're the ones that make me feel like “f*** you, I'm an anteater!” You're really going to have to look at the link for that one to make sense.