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I was lying  on my couch Friday night, checking out my Facebook feed on my phone (as I always do when the Princess is having her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse time!) and I came across this article on IFB  – Why No One Wants to Hear About The Decline of Personal Style Blogging (Yet).  I checked out the Buzzfeed article it was responding to (which was a bit snarky for my taste but anyways!) and backtracked to Jeanine’s article about the fashion blogger bubble bursting.  I tweeted the post and ended up having a great convo with Alison from Wardrobe Oxygen (who has a great blog by the way! I read it all the time). It sent my writer mind into a tailspin! The same feelings I had in my last post about fashion blogging were confirmed and I started thinking about what we needed to do next.  You know we creative types can be all over the place and the more I thought about it, I found that the state of blogging affairs has come down to this:

We have to evolve.  We have to take our blogs to the next level.

Now I admit I’m not just a personal style blogger.  I didn’t start incorporating outfit posts until about a year after I started blogging.  Back then (we’re talking 2010 when I did my first outfit post), the idea of putting up what you’re wearing was really gathering steam.  I loved doing it and loved checking out other personal style bloggers because it was awesome to see fashion that wasn’t on a model.  It was a source of tangible inspiration, something I could easily try to do without breaking the bank.  It exposed me to new ways of wearing clothes and accessories while challenging me to be creative with what I already have (remember the 30 x 30 challenges?)

Now in 2013 we’re dealing with a gross oversaturation of new bloggers who are starting to look a lot alike.  I’m not seeing anything really new and creative. It’s because those top bloggers who made it have set an aesthetic standard that new bloggers are trying to attain.  I can’t blame them – they see this as the path to success in securing brand partnerships, major ad campaigns and a big readership.  Also, like the IFB article pointed out, companies are learning how to get the best bang for the buck when it comes to bloggers.  They are looking for more than just a fashionable girl with pretty pictures.

Bloggers who “make it” aren’t just cute anymore, they have business plans, niches, a specific purpose other than broadcasting their own vanity. – IFB

We gotta step it up people!  If you want to be in this fashion blogging world for the long haul, leave that day job and go pro, you have to up your game.  We have to go higher than what we used to.  It takes more than a good camera and a great fashion sense.  They are a million girls that have that.  It’s going to take something that isn’t as fun:

Business Sense.

We’re talking business plans, media kits, and business cards.  We’re talking analytics, editorial calendars, and target audiences.  It’s all about pitching, ROI’s, and branding. Your own sense of style doesn’t separate you from the pack anymore.  If you want to be a professional blogger you have to think like a business a person.

Before you write that next blog post or email a PR company for samples, these are some questions you should ask yourself:

• What really makes you different from the gazillion fashion bloggers out there?
• What value are you bringing to your readers?
• Why should brands work with you?  What can you do for them and their brand?
• What does your reader get from your blog that they can’t get anywhere else?

I know we are not feeling the negative vibe that being blogger has these days.  The stakes in this game have been raised and if we have to prepared to meet it if we want to be taken seriously.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this!  What do you think we need to do to stay in the blogging game long term?

PS:  A great book that can help you answer some of those questions as well help you with a business plan is Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to The Front Row by Yuli Ziv.  I can’t say enough good things about it!

Yeah…not fun.

So to brighten my Friday (and hopefully brighten yours!) I’m bringing in my buddy Pinterest to give out a healthy dose of beauty inspiration.  Ya’ll know makeup and hair makes me happy!

Beautylish.com

Blacknaps.org

fashionmodeldirectory.com

hairandmakeupbystef

Makeupgeek.com

Shopstyle

thealternativewife.tumblr.com

trendycurls.tumblr.com

Are you on Pinterest?  I’m soo addicted!  Make sure you follow me.

Have a great weekend!

Their collections don’t disappoint and their new summer 2013 Collection Into the Blue is no exception.  I wouldn’t mind rocking any one of these dresses!

Ariel

Golda

Lucretia

Novella

Thera

What do you think?

Photos courtesy of IGIGI

One of the things being with husband has taught me is how to be spontaneous.  Ya’ll know me,  I’m Mrs. Type A and I have to spend forever planning everything!  But the years with him has made me a bit more lax and I’m learning to go with the flow of things.  Last week we were both feeling very burnt out with the day to day and in true hubby style we decided to go to Orlando this past weekend.

Orlando is one of those special places for us.  It’s where we went on our first trip as a couple.  It was the place we went to our honeymoon.  And now it’s the first place my daughter has been to.  Only seems right, right?  :)

We skipped the major parks and went around town instead.  We took advantage of the scorching weather and hit up Flamingo Water Park.  My daughter is a water baby just like her mom! She had a blast!  I did get a little ahead of myself and went on that tall water slide.  Yeah…I almost died!  Afterwards we went to Downtown Disney, a place I know like the back of my hand.  It’s filled with one of kind shops like the Lego Store and Candy Cauldron as well as a themed restaurants like the House of Blue’s and Planet Hollywood.  Sprinkled in that mix is Disney Quest (a huge indoor arcade), movie theater, and air balloon ride. The famous Cirque de Soleil right next door.  I was excited to see all of it but I totally lost my marbles in the World of Disney.  That place is huge with items that you can only buy there.  My husband practically had to hold my hand because I wanted to buy my princess everything! Like, I’m not even kidding!  I finally settled on a Disney Princess bath toy set, reserving the princess dresses and mouse ears for her first trip to the parks.

We all needed the break from the grind and though  I’m still kinda tired, I do feel refreshed and ready to tackle my crazy work planner.

How was your weekend?

{Neon Green Shirt: Beals; Denim Skorts; Kohls}

Even though I didn’t have plans to go playing out in the rain, I still put an outfit together nonetheless.  I’m still struggling with revamping my wardrobe to fit my lifestyle so these next few outfit posts are all about stretching my fashion creativity.  I first started with clothes that really haven’t made the blog yet and I immediately thought of these skorts (yes skorts!)  The last time I wore this in an outfit post was almost three years ago and I really don’t know why.  I wear them all the time, especially during the summer.  Their comfortable, they’re denim and don’t have to worry about flashing anybody.  You also can’t tell their skorts from the back either!

{Blue Flower Earrings: Old; Blue and Silver Necklace: Gift; Silver link bracelets; Gifts from Hubby}

The neon green shirt was a random buy I made a month or so ago.  I was out shopping for a swimsuit for the princess.  The color immediately caught my eye on the rack and when I pulled it out I liked it even more!  The material breathes, which is essential in the hotter months and the V neckline  work great with “the girls”.

{Blue and Green Wedges; Old Navy}

Further scanning my closet I spotted these  wedges, which I don’t wear often enough!  I bought them last year when I was looking for cute, comfy shoes to wear while I was pregnant. They way they strap up the ankle gives these wedges it’s own flavor while not cutting off my circulation.  It picks up the neon green color and the blue gave me the inspiration for my fashion jewelry.   You know I can’t resist big, in-your-face earrings and I kept the blue party going with the long necklace.  These accessories definitely brought this outfit up a notch and I can’t wait to wear this combo out!

Have you ever been stuck in a fashion rut?  How did you get out of it?