Should I Have An Instagram Theme?

This is something I have been thinking about for a while. Should my Instagram have a theme? and I'm really not sure what the answer is. Instagram has become so popular over the last few years and it was only really towards the end of 2016/the start of this year that I really started to make an effort with it and try and grow my following. I've never really had a proper theme, but I have tried to go with the same sorts of backgrounds and props etc. to make things a bit more consistent. Whenever I have had quite a few photos all similar though, I've then started to get bored and just wanted to share my more personal photos. I'm never quite sure what to do and whether a theme is a good idea or not. 

I thought I would list a few pros and cons to having a theme and I'd love to know what your opinion is.

Pros

• It looks consistent - It can possibly look better to a brand or just to other bloggers if you have a bit of a theme and stick to the same sorts of photos. It can look more professional and if people get used to your theme and the pictures you post, it can be a good way to build a following. People know what sort of photos to expect from you and I've definitely noticed a spike in my followers whenever I've had a bit of consistency.
• Trying out new props - As stressful as it can be taking Instagram pictures, it can also be a lot of fun and I do love buying new props and thinking about how I can arrange them for a photo. I've definitely got a few favourite things I like to include in my photos and I do think that way people can notice which pictures are mine on their feed.
• It looks nice - I do think some Instagram accounts I follow are absolutely gorgeous and I love the theme they've gone for. Whether that's bright colours, certain props, a white background etc. They do look lovely and I admire people that can keep up with that and make all of their photos look beautiful.

Cons

• Unable to share personal photos - I know a lot of people have a seperate instagram for their own personal photos but I've always just had one that I use for personal stuff and blog stuff. I worry about posting certain photos in case they don't fit a 'theme' so then they just don't get shared. Sometimes I want to post different things that aren't blog related e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, quotes, food, and I can't when I try and stick to a theme.
• Photos can look repetitive and can get boring - I did go through a bit of a phase where for quite a few photos I kind of stuck to a theme and I did like how it looked for those photos, one after the other. But I also felt a bit like they looked repetitive and if someone new was to look at my blog they might not notice that all the photos were different, if that makes sense? I just feel sometimes it can look like you're repeating yourself and it can get boring.
• A lot of peoples instagrams look the same - As so many people try to stick to a theme I find a lot of peoples Instagrams look exactly the same and I think that's a bit boring. No one really stands out and thats a shame, because everyone is trying to do the same thing. For example when Marble was the big thing (which it kind of still is) everyone was going for the same types of photos, and I just think be creative, and a bit different. You don't have to follow the crowd to try and fit in.

When I was writing this I actually found it was much easier to list the cons rather than the pros so I suppose maybe that's telling me I shouldn't have a theme! I just think it's a lot of work and I don't think I have the patience for it. I also never want to feel like I can't share a certain photo, Instagram shouldn't be that serious I don't think. For now at least I'm going to stick with what I'm doing. Sharing whatever I want, when I want. Some photos might be similar and have the same sorts of props, and other photos could be of food or whatever I feel like! 

Have you got an Instagram theme? Whats your opinion on it?

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June Favourites - Baywatch, The Handmaids Tale and Summer Drinks

I feel like I'm struggling with monthly favourites a bit at the moment. There are so many shows and films I want to include but when it comes to actual products I'm not really changing things up! I'm going to try my best to carry on though and this month I did find a few new things I wanted to mention.

Wicked Book - George bought me this a few months ago, I mentioned it in this post actually and I couldn't wait to get started on it. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who really has to be in the mood to read so it took me until the middle of June to actually start it. I've mentioned Wicked enough times on my blog so I'm sure you're aware of the story, it's a massive show on the west end and broadway, most people have heard of it, but I was really excited to see how the show would translate into a book. I literally had no expectations but so far I'm enjoying it. I'm a few chapters in and even though it is strange how different it is in the book, it's a really good one to get lost in and I can't wait to get reading the rest.

Primark Winnie The Pooh Footlets - Okay I had to include these because they are just ADORABLE! I am obsessed by anything Winnie the Pooh, he is just too cute so when I saw these on Instagram a few months ago I knew I had to have them. I fully expected to miss out on them because the Primarks near me don't tend to have all the stuff I see online that I want, but they had these and they were only £2.50. I just can't get over how cute they are and they are also so soft! I love wearing them and I know they are not going to leave my feet in the colder months later on this year.

Marks and Spencers Room Spray - I've mentioned this at least once on my blog since I bought it but it's just so nice I had to feature it in a favourites post. A room and linen spray might seem a bit boring but I love any sort of homey bits like this and this has genuinely been making our flat smell amazing. This is from Marks and Spencers, my new favourite place for homeware and even though they had quite a few room sprays to choose from, the Patchouli and Clove stood out for me, just because it smells mainly of mens aftershave. Is it just me who loves the smell of mens strong aftershave? Well now I've got this I can make every room smell like it! I've been spraying this on the bed each morning after making it and also a little bit in each room. It's also nice to spray onto washing when it's just out of the washer so that when it dries it smells even better! So obsessed with this. It was £5 so not the cheapest but honestly worth it.

MUA Sheen Lipbalm - This was something I won in a giveaway last month and I'd never even seen this before so I was really excited to try it and see what it was like. It's the MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalm in the shade Peach Dream. I don't tend to put any product on my lips, I just feel like I look weird with brighter colours on so if I do it's always a nude sort of colour but I've started using this and I'm really loving it. It adds some colour to my lips but it's really subtle which I love and it's actually really moisturising. I just love what it looks like on and how it makes my lips feel. I'm definitely going to look out for more of these next time in Superdrug as they are brilliant and I'm sure they are only £2.

Fanta Lemon - Okay isn't this just the perfect drink for Summer? I remember always getting it when I was on holiday when I was younger, it was just the 'holiday' drink and so perfect for around the pool! With the hot weather we've been having recently, which to be honest I'm hating, I'm such an autumn and winter girl, this drink has been a life saver! 

Baywatch - I was really looking forward to seeing this film and in June we got round to it and had a bit of a date day, and I really really loved it! I was a bit sceptical and thought it might just be cheesy and a bit crap but it really wasn't. I thought it was really funny and I loved the cast. I mean, its Zac Efron for one who I seem to love a bit more after Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and then there is The Rock, who doesn't love him? He's just so cool isn't he. It's not the most amazing film and I didn't expect it to be, it's just a chilled, funny one and one that I know I would watch again. 

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The Handmaids Tale - This wasn't something I was intending to watch but after seeing a few tweets I started recording it and one night in June we watched the first two episodes and just got hooked by it! We've now watched 6 episodes I think and I'm enjoying it more and more every week. If you're not sure what it's about, it's basically set in a dystopian near-future where women aren't allowed to work, own property, control money or read. With widespread infertility due to warfare-induced environmental contamination, those left fertile are forced to become handmaids and are taken away from their own families and children, and are assigned to couples who want a child. They have to submit to ritualised rape with their male masters to become pregnant and bear children for him and his wife. So that was quite a long explanation and I know it sounds mental but it's just such a good tv show. At first I was a bit like what the hell am I watching but it's so tense and actually a little bit scary. With everything going on in the world it only makes it feel even more real!

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Have you been watching the Handmaids Tale? or have you seen Baywatch? I'd love to know your thoughts or what you've been loving this month!

Last months favourites - May - Seventeen, Line of Duty & Insta Stories

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A Little Body Shop Haul

Last week I placed a cheeky little order on The Body Shop, which is one of my all time favourite shops so I really wanted to do a haul and show you what I managed to pick up. They had a brilliant sale on and I had been looking for a few days for a few things to come in stock so once they did I got straight on it. 

The main things I wanted to get was a few things from the Peach range. Anyone who reads my blog will probably know I have a huge love for anything peach scented and once I saw a few people post that the whole range was on sale I knew I had to pick up a few bits. I looked for days and there was no sign of the peach range until last Tuesday night so I quickly added a few things to my basket. I'm sure I'll do a full post on this stuff in a few weeks so I'll try and keep it short, but I got the Body Mist which should have been £8 but I got it half price at £4, the shower gel which should have been £5 but I got it for £3.50, and the body butter which should have been £15 but I got it for £7.50. I'm not sure if the peach range is one that's usually stocked, I don't see it all the time but to be honest I'd have bought these full price as I just love anything peach. They all smell amazing. 

The next two things I ordered were the Rainforest Mini Shampoo and Conditioner. These were on sale for £1 each and I'd never tried any hair products before from The Body Shop so I didn't want to miss out on these. As they are only mini these are going to be brilliant for me to just try over a few washes. They are supposed to add volume to your hair aswell as cleansing and adding shine, I can't wait to see if they do make a difference. I'd love to know if you've tried these and what you thought.

The last two things I got were a Mini Grapefruit Shower Gel for £2 and a Fuji Green Tea Exfoliating Soap for £2.50. I've blogged about the Grapefruit range before which you can find here if you're interested, but I just love it and as I've now got through my huge stash of shower gels I really wanted to pick up another one of these even if it was just a mini one. The soap is a bit of a random one but I was really intrigued by it being an exfoliating one. I just thought I'd give it a try and I really like the Fuji Green Tea range so I knew it would smell nice anyway. 

I just love The Body Shop and my bathroom is basically always full of their products. It's honestly took me months to get through everything but now I have, this sale came at the perfect time! Even though the majority of these were on sale anyway, I also found a discount code online too meaning everything only cost about £15 which I think is pretty good given just the body butter alone at full price would cost that!

Have you tried any of these products from The Body Shop? Whats your favourite thing they do?

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Pizza Express Leggera Range Review*

I am a huge fan of Pizza and I could genuinely live off it but unfortunately it's not the healthiest thing in the world so it's something I only try to have every so often now. As I'm such a huge lover of all kinds of Pizza, when the chance came up to work with Pizza Express and review their new Leggera range, there was no way I could say no!

The Leggera range is basically 3 light pizzas that all have a multigrain base topped with fresh and delicious ingredients. There is Prawn and Broccoli, Chicken and Vegetable, and Squash, Kale and Goats Cheese. They are a perfect size for one meaning if you get in late from work and don't want to cook, or if you're partners away and you don't want to make a big meal for just you, one of these can just be thrown in the oven. They are so handy to have in the fridge ready.

I've actually tried Pizza Express pizzas at home before and always really enjoyed them so I was really excited to see what this new range was like and how it compared. I picked up the Prawn and Broccoli Pizza and the Squash, Kale and Goats Cheese Pizza last week from my local Waitrose for £3.79 each. Unfortunately they didn't have the Chicken and Vegetable one at the time which is actually the one I was looking forward to the most so I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. I was still really excited to be trying the other two though and couldn't wait to see what they both tasted like.

It says on the packets both of these only take around 7 minutes to cook but I kept them in for about 10 just because I like my pizza crispy! I'm so impressed by how quickly they cook, there aren't many meals that you can make in that amount of time so that was the first thing that I was really happy with. Both looked absolutely delicious when they came out of the oven and even though I'm not the biggest fan of seafood I genuinely thought even the prawn and broccoli looked really appetising which was the one I was a bit sceptical about. When it comes to the taste, I couldn't fault the leggera range.The base was really yummy and crispy and to be honest I couldn't even tell it was wholemeal. I'm one of those people who really loves the base and the crust on a pizza so it was quite important to me that I couldn't tell these were much healthier for me than a normal pizza, but the base was really, really good. It had a nice crunch but wasn't over the top. They cooked perfectly. I loved how different the the toppings were to usual pizzas but out of the two, I think the Squash, Kale and Goats Cheese was the best. That's just down to me not being a massive fan of prawns but I genuinely think Prawn and Broccoli Pizza would be perfect for those who love seafood. With this range there is definitely something for everyone, and as they are on wholegrain bases, they are genuinely much healthier than so many other pizzas so brilliant if you maybe calorie count or just want to keep an eye on what you're eating. They were the perfect size and just the right amount for one person. There have been times where I've been in alone for the night and haven't been sure what to make just for one but these are brilliant for times like that.

I was so impressed with the leggera range and have high hopes for the Chicken and Vegetable one when I can get my hands on it. I'll definitely be looking out for this range in future aswell as all the other pizzas, Pizza Express do. I couldn't recommend them enough! If you think you'd like these pizzas and want to try them for yourself they are currently available from Waitrose.

I'd love to know if you've tried anything from this range and which one you think would be your favourite! Or just what sort of Pizza you normally like?

*I was given a voucher to purchase the pizzas and review. As always I only work with brands relevant to me and my blog

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