Instagram Roundup, Some FAQs and the Apps I Use

February 1, 2018

Happy Thursday! I have three things for you today: an Instagram roundup with some FAQ, a list of the 3 Instagram apps I use and a spring cleaning closet blog sale! I get a lot of questions about my Instagram posts @beautylookbook. Often times the images are snippets from the blog to alert readers a new post is up, other times it’s more of what’s inspiring me. I don’t have a consistent plan or schedule for content – I’d like to be more active and organized and hope to do more this year. First some FAQs:

What cameras do you use to take your photos?
- I have used a few cameras over the years, these days I alternate between my iPhone 6S and Sony a7R II with a FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens. I have an iPhone X which I’m trying to set up as well but I have a long list of things to do and haven’t gotten around to it, but I’m excited to try it! So many of you ask about all the cameras I’ve tried – I did a roundup a few years ago, I’ll try to put together an updated one in the next month or so. For now I’ve started to put together an Amazon Shop Page and I’ll be adding more of the equipment and tools I use that you can refer to. My equipment is usually bought from Amazon or B&H Photo.
What apps do you use for Instagram?
- Scroll to the bottom for more details the three I use. I mainly use Afterlight, Snapseed and Planoly.
Can you tell me about (insert product name) in this photo?
- I get lots of questions about certain products in my photos, I’ll round up my recent ones and go through them below 🙂

Instagram Roundup

We’ve been in our new place for a couple weeks now and yes I’m thrilled we don’t have to move for a while! I’ve been slowly unpacking things and it’s like Christmas as I rediscover things. We’re in the process of ordering furniture, I always forget that delivery can sometimes take a while. For this photo, a lot of you ask about the mirror I have. It’s the Gleaming Primose Mirror in the smallest size. I also recently bought the Byredo Tree House Candle which is a beautiful smoky scent. I smelled this in the Byredo store in Soho last spring and have been dreaming about it ever since. Some of you have noticed the larger sizes of Louis Vuitton perfumes! The Louis Vuitton team sent over an amazing surprise package with a full size of the Apogee and a travel atomizer set of Dans La Peau *. Both are beautiful for spring. I can definitely update you on these. For now you can read my review on all 7 scents in the Les Parfums Miniature Set review. There’s also a new one launching in the spring and I’m dying to smell it!

Everyone has been asking about that pink nail polish, it’s Chanel Nuvola Rosa from the Spring-Summer 2018 Collection. And yes, it’s lovely! The pale pink makeup bag is the Louis Vuitton Cosmetic Case in the Epi material in Dune. It’s held up remarkably well over the years. Some other more affordable options can be found from The Daily Edited.

Bag spill shot on my iPhone with a little editing using the Snapseed and Afterlight apps. On the nails is Dior Love for spring. I’m going to try and find you a dupe as it’s sold out and only available online at Dior.com. Handbag favorites are the Chanel La Creme Main * because it has a lovely light scent and an amazing velvety drydown, Sisley Lip Treatment because it has no scent and is lighter in finish than the By Terry Baume de Rose, Tom Ford Lipstick in Lara, Tom Ford Soleil Blanc (in the travel atomizer), and Glossier Lip Gloss (this referral link will get you 10% off your first Glossier order). The Louis Vuitton Tote I have is the Neverfull MM size. It has quite a bit of patina on the leather as it’s been through quite a few rain storms. I find the darker leather or bags like the ones from Goyard hold up better in terms of color in wet rainy areas.

For the flatlays so may of you ask where I get the sheepskin rug. I’ve had a few from Pottery Barn. They’re on the expensive side but so soft and fluffy! One got ruined from our pets chewing their dog treats on it. I try to keep them in places where the dogs don’t go. It’s pretty much the only way to keep them clean. Flats are my favorite flats of all time which are the Chloe Scalloped Flats. I’ve had a black pair for a few years now and they’re the most comfortable ones I’ve bought. Also shown is the NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette * (still obsessed), Tom Ford Cheek Duo in Lavender Lure * (so pretty), NARS Lip Cover in Summer Fire *, NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Moritz, MAC Dazzleglass in Sugarrimmed, L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara in Blackest Black, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist #2 and Louis Vuitton Perfume in Apogee *.

I have received so many questions about my shelfie! The only place in our house that is put together because right now I’m going through tons of boxes trying to find clothes, shoes, skincare etc. If you have more questions let me know. I’ll do a makeup storage post once our house is more put together and I figure out how to organize everything. Details row by row below:

Top Row 1

Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow (originally reviewed here, I’ve used up 2 of these since then!) and the new Brightening Youth Glow (review to come soon)
Cle de Peau Beaute Radiant Lip Glosses in #1, 2, 3 and 4 (review on all the colors here)
Bobbi Brown Extra Glow * (review + swatches here)
Diptyque Chene Candle recycled, how I clean out my candles in this post here also tips on how to burn properly here (I think it’s time for me to do an update?)
Louboutin Loubilaque (among the best in lipgloss for me, swatches here)

Middle Row 2

MAC Fix+ Mini Scented, now available in full sizes in Coconut, Lavender and Rose!
Sisley miniature toners from their Beauty Subscription Program reviewed in depth here (definitely worth the price because you’re basically just paying for shipping!)
Sisley Radiant Glow Express Mask, one of my favorites for a soothing glow
NARS Natural Radiant Foundation in Vanuatu * (all the colors swatched here)
Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude and Double Wear Foundation, both in 3W1 Tawny (review soon)
Dior Addict Lip Glow swatches here and new shades here (OBSESSED!)
Chanel No 5 L’Eau (this is my second bottle)
Louis Vuitton Apogee * (review in this post here)

Bottom Row 3

Sisley Confort Extreme Levres Lip Balm
Byredo Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum
L’Artisan Mure et Musc, probably one of the prettiest feminine perfumes I’ve ever tried
Chanel Nuvola Rosa swatched here, Organdi swatched here and here
111SKIN Space Aqua Booster *
Bobbi Brown Lip Tints * (new shades for spring reviewed here)

Where do you get your trays? I shop around for different ones – they keep me organized! This one above is the Fishs Eddy Gilded Cafe Mirror Tray. I also like the Acrylic ones and White Lacquered squares from West Elm. CB2 also has some cute options. My rectangular marble tray was from Restoration Hardware.

Photo Editing Apps for Instagram

Most everything on the blog is edited in Photoshop. For the phone, the three Instagram Apps I use include Afterlight, Snapseed and Planoly. In my recent survey most of you said you were not interested in blogging tips but some mentioned questions about photography, Instagram and editing. If you want a more detailed post on this let me know in the comments. You can download all of these on the App Store on your phone.

Afterlight and Snapseed are my main go-to’s for image editing. I like the functions on Afterlight to change tone, brightness, sharpness and contrast. Snapseed has a lot of tools to edit the perspective if an image has any distortion. It also has a healing function to fill in gaps along the side. The selective tool is amazing for brightening a specific part of the photo you tap, such as a corner or brighten a shadow – this allows you to brighten one part without changing the entire image.

Afterlight

Snapseed

Before and After

Here are a few before and afters, this is just editing for my iPhone photos, blog photos go through a different editing process:

Planoly

Planoly is an Instagram planning tool. It allows me to see how things are going to look from a feed perspective and also helps me plan content. It lets you move unplanned content around so your feed looks a bit more cohesive. If you purchase the paid version you can also see a history of your posts with the times you published them and engagement. The calendar helps give you a bigger picture of how often you’ve posted, what times and historical engagement.

Spring Cleaning Blog Sale

Last but not least, I’m doing some spring cleaning for my closet. I’m selling a bunch of bags, wallets and other leather goods to make way for new items. You can check out my Blog Sale Page here (US only).