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5 apps you should get to improve your Instagram profile

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Hi guys!

I hope you’re having a fabulous week so far! Today I’d like to share something you’ve been constantly asking me about- how do I edit my photos, what apps do I use to create beautiful designs for Instagram stories and how to create that perfect looking Instagram feed. I hope my tips will help you move your Instagram to a different level!

First of all, as many of you ask- I don’t use presets. I edit each photo separately, sometimes for an hour or two to make sure it’s flamingo perfect, haha! The first main tool I am using to edit my photos is Photoshop. I promise, learning the few basic things is life-changing. I have never thought I could create a magic like that! I was lucky at my previous job to have our incredibly talented Global Head of Social Media showing me how to use it. The way I’ve learnt the basis was watching Sarah editing. Firstly it was very overwhelming and kind of scary as it was so many steps, but after watching the same steps few times it became easier and after practising for months it became doable! I still have a lot to learn but happy with what I already can do! What I would recommend is to watch the YouTube tutorials. It may seem very confusing at first but I promise- give it some time and you’ll get it! You can get Photoshop here

However after editing my photo in Photoshop the actual editing is not over yet! After Photoshop I am moving my image from the computer into my mobile and continue editing using my favourite mobile apps.

Lightroom I am sure you’ve heard about this editing tool already, if not- please get it. It’s free of charge to use on Smartphones and even without knowing Photoshop you can create beautiful edits. I mainly use this app for creating these perfectly coordinated colours. This is where I am trying to bring the blues, yellows, whites and pinks (my dominating colours) on all my photos to the same shades. Sometimes I create 20 versions of the same photo with different colour shades to find that perfect one!

 

How do I see if the photos look good all together on the feed? Here’s my secret :

UNUM This app helps you to create the perfect looking feed. You can basically put all your edited images into the app and move them around the way everything looks great together. If the colours don’t seem to match that well, I continue editing the colours using Lightroom until it’s all perfectly coordinated. The app is linked to your Instagram account so after adding the photos to it and putting them nicely together, you can also add the captions and hashtags, save them and then be posting the photos directly to your Instagram account. Another great thing about UNUM is also the analytics which show you when your followers are the most active so the app actually tells you when it’s the best day and hour to post and also what’s your best hashtags. If you’re running few Instagram accounts you should also know that you can log in up to 5 accounts to the app- it was saving me at my previous job. I had all the content scheduled for all my brands in one place. I highly recommend it!

Unfold This app is my quite recent and absolutely favourite discovery. This is where I create all the beautiful designs for my Instagram stories. The choice is great and honestly I love playing around with it. You can be editing both- photos and videos. I promise you can do the magic! The app costs few pounds and it’s so worth it. The new features and frames are added very often to make sure you never get bored. You can choose from many beautiful frames, fonts and colours. Here’s few examples :

 

HypeType another awesome app for improving your Instagram stories. The best feature is adding the music to them. It definitely makes the stories more fun, engaging and it makes people wanna watch them! You can also purchase many original fonts.

 

Quickshot – this app is insane. I discovered it thanks to Elajza and I am forever grateful. You know this feeling when you look at the sky and it looks just so perfect and blue but after taking the photo it doesn’t look that wow? Or what happens a lot to me as I take most of my photos with iPhone 8 plus- the blue sky in the strong sunlight looks very kind of dark and stormy on the photos. This is when you need Quickshoot. You can “swap” the sky in just few seconds. You can now have your perfect blue skies, magical pinky sunsets and even the stars, haha! Create your own magic!

I hope you’ll find these apps useful and you’ll love them as I do! Let me know!

Xoxo,

The Blonde Flamingo

 

 

5 things I struggle with as a blogger

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Hi guys,

Hope you’re having a great weekend. I started mine off  with a delicious brunch at Ffiona’s with a group of bloggers from all around the world. We had such a fun meeting talking about our careers,plans, trips, patient partners and friends behind the camera and all that inspired me to write a blog post about what I struggle with the most as a blogger and all real stories behind all that I am doing.

First of all- as many of you ask- I am not a full time blogger yet (even though it feels like a real full time job already!) I have a full time job as Social Media Coordinator. Many of you ask why I am still working full time. Is it because I don’t make enough money from the blog? Or because I am scared of change? Is it because I just don’t want it to be a full time job? The answer may be a little bit surprising- it’s simply because I like my job! I know it may sound a bit weird, but I do respect position I am at. I was fighting for this job for very long time and done all I could to get it. I am finally doing what I love and it’s extremely important to me. I used to have a job that I hated so much that every morning I was waking up with the thought that I don’t wanna go to work. Nothing was making me more sad and frustrating. And one day, I finally found the courage to quit and promised myself I won’t ever stuck at the job I hate again. As now I have a job I enjoy doing, I will try to do both for as long as I can.

However I am not going to lie- it’s extremely hard to work full time and run my own business. So my main struggle as a blogger is time. Since I think November, I’ve been working crazy amount of hours to make it all work. What my week really looks like? When do I shoot campaigns and content?  If you’ve ever seen a blonde girl rushing around South Kensington and Portobello with a bouquet of flowers, balloons, suitcase (clothes and shoes to change if I need to shoot few outfits) and a tired looking boyfriend or a friend at 7 am in the morning – yes- more likely you’ve seen The Blonde Flamingo. I always have to shoot campaigns before going to work – plus I always have to beg my boyfriend or a friend to wake up with me and take my photos (omg I know it sounds mad!) I am always on a run, even though I have my shooting locations planned in advance. So many times the locations I planned to shoot at are still closed- this is when I start panicking and nervously looking for another pretty spot. I know it may sound funny but it really stresses me out when I know I only have an hour or two to get it done. After the shoot I am running to work. I am editing and responding to my emails on my lunch break. After work I am running home or to the cafe to finish editing, to write captions, plan trips, book tickets, plan outfits and locations for the next day. Most of the days the only “time off “I have is watching a movie with my boyfriend but most of the times I don’t last until the end of it as I am too tired. Why am I not doing that all in the weekend? The answer is simple- it wouldn’t be enough time. I need to spread the shoots between the days to not get mental ( well, to be honest I get mental most of the times anyway haha!) Also- the crowds! Shooting at the cute cafes is simply impossible in the weekend- if I had to wait 2 hours to sit down at Elan Cafe to take one photo or wait for people to move out of my shot (perfect example is my favourite pink spot- Peggy Porshen) I would never ever get my work done!

Second struggle I have as a London based blogger is the weather. Those of you who were following me for a long time already know my colourful and cheerful editing style. I never struggle that much with creating content during my tropical travels- this is actually when I get super creative. It’s warm, sunny and magical. My head is exploding with ideas and set ups. The real struggle started when I came back to London and I realised that because of work I would need to be here for a while. I’ll be honest with you- I didn’t know where to start. Most of the times I had to push myself to get out of bed at 5.30/6am to get ready for a 7am shoot. Couple of months ago it was still dark at this time so I had to wait for first ray of sunlight to take a photo. Now it’s a little bit easier as days are getting longer, but it’s still freezing! Last weekend I was shooting campaigns in a total blizzard (I just LOOOVE deadlines!) and I was changing my outfits and warming up in the phone box hahaha ( I swear- this Instagram story had the biggest amount of views ever!) but seriously speaking- I’ve been so cold and so sick in the last few months because of all that. I can’t wait for the spring to finally arrive and make my work at least a little bit easier!

Another thing I am struggling with is finding the balance. Last few months all I was really doing was working, working and working. And all I can think of and talk about is work. This had a negative impact on my relationships. I’ve just been so busy! And I know it’s not really easy to be my partner right now. Building all that takes so much of my time and it’s something I think of 24/7. I am constantly reading, learning, researching, analysing, negotiating, planning and organising. Sometimes I get really stressed, down and tired and think of giving up as I know my lifestyle at the moment is not healthy but I promised to myself I’ll start working on it and look after my health and my family and friends better. I am so blessed I have them on my side!

Another problem is lack of real time off.  Since I’ve started to think of this blog more seriously, I’ve been devoting almost all my holidays allowance to building the content. I barely go home to see my family as I simply don’t have enough days to do so. The press trips are not really flexible dates wise so many times I had to decline because of not having enough holidays left ( always crying after that I swear! ) If I manage to make it, I work on every single trip that others call a “holiday” or my favourite comment a “free holiday” – nothing comes free and bloggers work days and nights to pay off the complimentary accommodation or trip they’ve been invited to. So may times my friends and colleagues were asking why am I so pale (after a tropical trip)- the answer is simple- I wasn’t on holidays! I went on a work trip!  At the beginning it wasn’t bothering me, but as now also being in London is so intense with work and shoots I started to dream of a trip or retreat that I could completely switch off. Turn off my phone, forget about Instagram, photos and simply lie down on a sun bed and do absolutely nothing for at least couple of days. I promised to my boyfriend we’ll do it this year- we both need it now more than ever.

And the last struggle – lack of space. Since I’ve became a blogger, I had a chance to work with a lot of amazing brands and designers so I became a lucky owner of so many beautiful clothes, bikinis, shoes, bags, accessories and cosmetics. Now, after not even a year our apartment (that we only moved to last year in May and it felt so spacious) is simply too small. I can barely close my wardrobe. My dressing table is totally full. The amount of shoes I have its simply unbelievable- I never though I’ll have so many pairs at this age ( but I am not going to lie it’s always been a dream of mine as I looove shoes!) so because of me and my business we have to change apartment for bigger. Isn’t that insane?

What do you struggle the most as a blogger?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 facts about The Blonde Flamingo

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Hi guys,

Slightly different post than usual, but I realised I don’t share enough with you (besides my travels) and would love you to get to know me better as a person! Hope you’re survive until the end, haha!

  1. I LOVE puppies I am literally a freak – all my family and close friends know that. I can play with puppies, touch puppies, talk about puppies, stare at puppies on the street and think of puppies all day long, haha. When I am stressed or in a bad mood- I watch videos of puppies and all my negativity and stress is gone in a second. I also have the names for my puppies chosen already! The only question is when am I going to have one?
  2. I am addicted to mangos– omg. I swear I can’t survive a day without eating a whole mango by myself. I prefer mangos more than any sweets in the world! I recently found that one shop that sells the sweetest and most juicy mangos I’ve ever had in my life( well maybe except those I had in Zanzibar!) and I go there almost every single day.
  3. I’ve always wanted to travel the world and move abroad At first, my parents were not very happy about it. They wanted me to finish off University in Poland – as every ‚normal’ person- as my dad called it. But deep inside I knew that following the system is not for me. I also wasn’t even sure what I wanted to study. All I knew was- I want to travel the world. During my last year at high school I was already working on the weekends (while others where partying) and saving money to get all courses and certificates I needed to be able to apply for an animator job abroad. I went for a casting- omg it was insane- I had to dance and sing in front of everyone on a proper stage, but I was one of the 17 people who got offered the job out of over 200. Signing that contact(my first proper job) was the happiest day of my life that time, haha! Imagine I was sitting on a plane to Greece one week after my final exams without even knowing if I passed them or not! The adventure was all I cared about.
  4. Blogging was always something I wanted to do Of course- 8-9 years ago it wasn’t as popular as it is right now and I didn’t think about it as future, dream job, but I just simply enjoyed it and had this idea in my mind. When I look back, already as a 15,16 years old girl I was going out with girls to take photos, shopping at second shops, doing some DIY, going on little summer trips abroad with my friends and I was sharing all my adventures and outfits on a platform called Stylio. However at 17, I had some personal issues and I’ve given up ( I wish I never have) and stopped working on it. It took me few years to get back to this vision of my life. Moving to London at 19 years old definitely helped me with that- it’s such an inspiring city! Here I started to believe that nothing is impossible.
  5. London is not my final destination Even though I love this city with all my heart. This is where my „real life” started. This is where all my ideas and dreams were born. This is where I’ve grew up, fallen in love, made friends, started my own business and I think the most important thing- this is where I found myself and started to believe in myself.  However somewhere deep inside I belong to the ocean breeze and sunshine. In the near future, I’d love to settle down somewhere more relaxing than busy London (where I run around all the time rather than walk) where I could wear summer dresses all year long, eat fresh seafood for dinner everyday and watch sunsets on the beach every evening. Not sure where that perfect place is yet, but I am not going to lie that Italy is the country that stolen my heart with all its beautiful traditions, delicious food, melodic language( have I ever mentioned I can speak a basic Italian? Don’t mind my bad grammar though!) and warm people and this is the place I am considering as my future home. Could I please have a little villa in Positano and a pink vespa, please?