Life Through a Gif

Bit of a random post tonight.

Late to the party as always, I have fallen a little bit in love with the animated gif.  

More than one of these endless "50 questions" type quizzes that go around and that I have completed in the past, a gif can perfectly express who you are and what you are feeling.  They say a picture can tell a thousand words, so I am having a go with a gif series!

I decided to share a little story that takes me from before I started blogging to now.  If anyone else wants to join in with this, feel free!

Before I started blogging

How I felt wearing anything other than black

When I read my first plus size fashion blog 
and realised that fat people are allowed to be happy too

Accepting a compliment

The Exact Moment I realised that I was now happy in my own skin

What I do now when someone tries to put me down
(because no one does it like The Rock)

I  put a shout out on my Facebook page and Twitter recently asking for people to guest post and share their own stories and perspectives,  First one up tomorrow!

Vicky xx

What's in My Handbag

I recently bought a new handbag from +Very.co.uk the Carvela Evelin bucket bag which I managed to get on sale for £53.00.

I chose this particular bag as it is neither too big, nor too small.  It is the perfect size for those of us who carry along a lot of things, but do not want a suitcase size handbag to drag around.  With its sizing at H21 W28 D16 (cm) this is a bag that you can take to the office or on a night out with the girls (or indeed to both) as it works well for either.

When it comes to changing handbags however, there is one thing that we all dread.  Clearing out the old handbag.  Old receipts, bills we have forgotten about, ten half empty chewing gum packets, makeup that has fallen to the bottom; it is all there.

I now start afresh, with good intentions and a vow that this bag will be different.  I will not treat you so badly.  So with that in mind, here is what is in my new handbag!

London Retro sunglasses and case
Umbrella (From M&S)
Happy Jackson earphones case



We all have these:
Purse from Fossil (but found in a charity shop!)
Pen, phone charger & small face powder brush
Phone



Mini brush
Hairband & compact mirror
Vaseline to keep my lips soft in summer
Notebook
Business card holder which holds work business cards and my blog card



Finally:
Mini makeup bag containing:
Two red lipsticks, one dark one light
One dark pink lipstick
MUA mascara & eyeliner for emergency touch ups
Rimmel Stay Matte Face Powder

I am not kidding myself to the fact that within a week that makeup bag will also include another five lipsticks and chewing gum pills will no doubt again multiple; but I am hopefully of maintaining some kind of order with my new lovely.

What do you carry round in your handbag?

Changes at The Curved Opinion

One thing that I think most people struggle with when starting a blog is choosing the name.

Whether you want a catchy title, something descriptive or a play on words that reflects what you are about; we all start out with a idea as to the way forward in which we wish to take with our blogs and the name reflects that.

Source

When I started The Curved Opinion a few years ago it was with the intention of featuring plus size fashion and recording my journey into body confidence.  As you can see from my post last week, that journey is not yet at an end.

What I did not expect when I started this journey is that I would change so much from the person that I was.  Confidence has brought so many amazing things into my life and with them, my personality has changed so much. I am no longer scared to say what I think on a subject.  I always had "an opinion", hence the name of my blog; but I have never been able to voice it clearly or sometimes at all.

To be honest, if I was to bump into myself from a few years ago, I do not think that I would recognize myself; more on a personal level than a physical.  The outside has changed in so far as I now wear colour, but the inside is unrecognizable from whom I was.

Along with the changes in myself, this blog has evolved along with me.  I want to write.  Not just about fashion, but about anything, and everything.

I have found myself worrying over the past few weeks that my "plus size fashion" blog, had not had much fashion involved much recently and certainly nowhere near to the extent that I used to.  As my style has evolved into essentially lots and lots of patterned dresses, I cannot afford to always have new ones.

I also worry that I write too many "talky" kind posts (and here I am again) and that people will call me a sell out for writing the odd sponsored post.

I still want to write about fashion and will always blogs the new clothes that I buy and take part in group challenges, but there are so many other directions I want to take with this blog too.  I want to do a monthly charity feature post, I want to do a weekly "Thoughts of the Week" post on current events.  I want to do so many things now that I wonder, can I still call myself a plus size fashion blogger?

All the blogs I read are from plus size fashion bloggers and this will not change.  I worry that if I change my blog to being "all things under one umbrella" will people even still be interested in what I have to say?

I know we all say and I know I have certainly said to others that your blog is your own, to do with what you wish.    But admitting that in my current mindset I am more lifestyle and opinions than fashion feels a lot like leaving a safe cocoon that I love.  The thought of not calling myself a plus fashion blogger somehow terrifies me.  Except I am not leaving, I'm just branching out.

I don't even know if this makes any sense to anyone reading it, but these are thoughts and worries that have been spinning around in my head.  The meme below is essentially what I keep thinking about the changes I want to make.

In short:  I am not going to be writing about fashion as much as I used to, I am excited about also writing new things, I hope that no one thinks that I am sticking two fingers up at the plus size blogging community which I love beyond anything or that I am a sell out.

My confidence may have changed but I am, it seems, still a worrier!

In Your Eyes

When it comes to maintaining our heath and keeping up our appearances, most of us have a set routine that we follow.

We visit the dentist twice a year for check ups and cleaning, we get our hair cut every 6-8 weeks; we go for regular beauty treatments and we visit our doctor for any medication we may need.  All of these things are set features in our lives, things that we know need to be done and yet; there is one essential appointment that we always forget.

Getting our eyes tested.

For something as vital as ensuring that our eyesight is maintained, many of us are quite lackadaisical about getting them checked.

 Source

The College of Optometrists recommends that everyone over the age of 16 should be having an eye test every two years.  Personally, I am ashamed to admit that I have not had an eye sight examination in around ten years.  Considering that I work with computer screens 5 days a week and therefore my sight is more at risk, you would think that this would make me more careful.

Eye tests do not only examine your sight, they can also pick up other problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.  There is also research currently being carried out in order to discover whether an eye test could also spot early Alzheimer's Disease, being symptoms have presented. 

Having decided that it is high time I did so, I am now going to be arranging an eye test.  Having done my research I have decided to go with Optical Express as I like the charity work that they do and the projects they work with; particularly Vision Aid Overseas and Lightforce International.

Many businesses have plans in place with opticians in order to offer employees eye test for free or alternatively offer recompense when presented with a receipt.   You can arrange an eye test for around £30.00 and depending on your circumstances, you may be able to arrange this for free through the NHS.

Our eye sight is so important and is something that we should no neglect.  So if you have, like me, been forgetful about your appointments, arrange one today! 

* This post is in collaboration with Optical Express but all opinions are my own

I Won't Dance (But Still Ask Me)

I LOVE to dance.  Always did.  When I was in my early teens I used to have dancing lessons, learning the Latin American dances of the cha-cha and the tango and the classics like the waltz and foxtrot. I got up to my second Gold Bar before I stopped.  Looking back, I cannot actually pinpoint why or when I decided to end my lessons.

I started to go out to clubs when I was 16 and loved dancing with my friends.  We would stay out way into the small hours, dancing until our feet hurt.   We all had an active social life at the weekends for many years, but gradually, my participation on the dance floor lessened.  Again, I cannot pinpoint the exact time that I stopped, around my mid twenties I think, but this time I do know why; I got scared.  

The stares, the laughs; the comments, the ridicule at the fat girl dancing.  It did not happen all the time but regularly enough that on each night out I started to wait for it to happen.  

The fear of other people's ridicule grew greater than my love to dance.  

I stopped dancing and instead, I was the one stood on the sidelines, watching my friends happily dancing away.  Occasionally, fueled by enough alcohol and the combination of a brilliant song, I would join them; only for the fear to return and I would be back to standing at the side.

I do not want to be this way.  I have improved every aspect of my life through my growing confidence; yet my ability to go on to a dance floor still eludes me.  

The "dancing man" was recently in the headlines.  Ridiculed on Reddit for daring to dance whilst being fat (typical for the cretins on Reddit) his story went viral and only a couple of weeks ago he was thrown a party with thousands of people in attendance and with Moby as the DJ.    He has since been on numerous TV shows and appeared at a LA Dodgers game.

Would this happen to a woman?  It is perhaps a controversial question but somehow, I doubt it.  I have been fat shamed by many a fat man who does not seem to see the irony in this.  For some reason, it is more "wrong" for a woman to be fat than a man, in society's view in any case.

That said, the experiences of the dancing man warmed my heart.  It gave me courage that not all people in this world are horrible people,  That, with my new found confidence, it may be safe to once again go back onto the dance floor.

That is my mission to myself this summer.  Dance.  Without a care of who is watching. 

A Rail Affair

Many years ago, I got a new wardrobe for my room.  Looking back now, it was always going to be too big.  Like Alice in Wonderland, the furniture all seemed to be huge in a small room with me, like Alice, sat in the middle.

The wardrobe was so large that I could not even open one of the doors properly.  Sitting at the end of my bed, the only place that it would fit, I was able to open one door fully but the other only slightly.  Gaining access to everything was somewhat problematic to say the least.

The danger of building flat pack furniture is that by the time you have built it up, there is no way you are taking that sucker down again!

The thing is though, back then and until recently the past couple of years; it did not matter.  Why do you need to search through clothes to wear when everything is black?  When your work clothes are the standard black trousers, black top and your evening consists of a couple of black dresses and black evening tops?  It did not matter therefore that only half of my wardrobe was accessible to me, as all my clothes were the same.

Fast forward a few years and my wardrobe is full of colour, prettiness and wonderment.  No longer did I want to hide my clothes away in disgust.  I decided to do away with my wardrobe and have a rail put up instead.  More room and some of my dresses would be on view.

This view makes me smile every morning when I wake up.  Not because I am thinking "Look how many dresses I have" but instead "Look how far I have come".

When you have limited space in a bedroom it is always better to look for clever storage and units that do not take up much room 

Say It With Flowers

I was recently contacted by an international flower delivery website called FloraQueen International and asked if I would like to choose a bouquet of flowers from their large online selection to send to someone.

I love flowers.  If I had my way, we would have a big bouquet of colourful flowers in the house permanently.  They brighten up any room, can lift your mood and come in so many varieties that you can always have a different combination whenever you wish.

I chose to send flowers to my mum as a surprise to her and as an added bonus, given that I am living with her, I get to enjoy them too!

The website is very simple to use.  You choose the country where you wish to send the flowers and then pick the bouquet that is perfect for you.  I choose the Intensity Bouquet which is priced at £39.00 and here is what I received:

The flower order is outsourced by FloraQueen to a florist local to the delivery address and in my case, this turned out to be a florist only five minutes down the road from me.  

We received the flowers exactly one week ago as I write this post and the bouquet is still going strong and looking just as beautiful.  The lillies which were included were a nice surprise (I love lillies) and opened up yesterday so I will still be enjoying them for some days to come.

Do you love having fresh flowers in your home?

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*These flowers were gifted to me but all opinions are my own

Charity Challenge

Hello all,

I have a question for you today.  I have promoted charities on this blog before such as Ugly Mugs and Capes for Heroes and would like it to become a monthly feature.  I have a passion for promoting smaller charities, the kind that people generally do not know about but also sharing people's stories on how they cope with potentially life threatening illnesses.

What I was wondering was whether anyone else would like to join me in this monthly feature.  The idea would be to each month promote a different charity, either one which is close to your heart, a smaller one that does amazing work or promoting a blog/website that aids, supports or provides help to people.

If you are promoting a charity, the idea would be to provide at the end of your blog the ways in which people can donate.

If anyone wishes to do this monthly challenge. please comment with your blog address and email or alternatively email me on vicky@thecurvedopinion.com and I will get in touch with the date for posting and everyone's details.

Vicky xx

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MayBeauty Incredible Face Mask Review

I have said it once and I will say it again.  I am not a beauty blogger.

My make up skills are adequate rather than expert, my nail painting skills are the "hope for the best" method (seriously though, how do they draw pictures on their nails with varnish, I'm convinced it's witchcraft) and my product applying skills are none existent.

I recently talked about my Lazy Girl Face Mask routine and after this, I was offered the opportunity to try out the Maybeauty Incredible Face Mask starter kit which includes 5 face masks and a brush as pictured below.

The face mask promises to:

The Mask removes dirt from your face while the guide prevents your skin to produce excess fat and dead skin cells, which are the cause of acne, blackheads and inflamed skin.

Given the approaching summer months and the need to give my skin a good overhaul I decided to give it a go.  The mask is black in colour and goes on easily with the brush.  You apply, leave it on for 30-45 minutes and then peel off.

Now, this is how the mask is supposed to look when applied:

This is how it actually turns out the clumsy girl way:

As it suggests in the guide they provide to you, ensure that you do not get the mask anywhere near your eyebrows or eyelashes as the mask will stick to them (note how I did not read the instructions properly from the picture above.)

One tip that I would definately recommend when removing the face mask is to have a damp cloth to hand.  You can peel the mask off however there is a definate sting to it, proof that it does actually remove everything that it promises, but water to the edges helps.

After removing the mask my face felt wonderfully soft, the few blackheads that had appeared on my nose had been removed and my skin felt refreshed and rejuvenated.  I intend to use the mask once a week in order to keep on top on it maintaining a healthy look.

The face mask is not tested on animals and is safe to use when pregnant.

You can buy the starter kit from Maybeauty for 19 pounds and if you use my code VickyFace30 you will save a huge 30%.

I would recommend the face mask to others and will continue to use it myself.

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*This item was gifted to me, however all views, as you can probably tell, are my own!

Your Work Life Balance

I love blogging.  It is the best thing that I have ever done.  It has brought my love of writing to the forefront, I have met amazing people; grown in confidence and had fantastic opportunities and experiences.

Having a blog however takes a lot of juggling.  We all know this.  Whether you have a full time job, are a stay at home mum or do a combination of both; I think we all end in the same position. Squeezing what we want to do in when we have the time and writing blog posts, as I am now, at 11.00pm.

So when you have a busy work/home life, a blog and a need to do the ordinary day to day things as well as having a semblance of a social life, the question is: how do we balance it all?

I recently completed a work life balance quiz which asks you 10 questions in order to find out if to find out whether you are a separator (distinct boundaries between work and life), an integrator (blurred lines where you do a bit of everything everywhere) or a volleyer (good at prioritizing).

I am an integrator.  My bus journeys to work are filled with research and scheduling blog posts, my lunch hours are note writing and my late evenings are usually reading, as well as thinking about what I need to get done in my job the next day.  This system works well for me, although sometimes you feel like you never leave the merry go round.

However we choose to balance our work and life should be the way which works best for each of us. I think that the hard and fast rules have to be:

• Do not take on more than you can handle.
• Organise, organise and organise again.
• Free time is not a myth, you need it.
• If the system falls apart for one day, chicken licken, the sky will not fall in.

How do you juggle your work life balance?

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*In collaboration with Joes Bloggers

Charity Shop Bargains

One thing that I love to do at the weekends is have a look around our local +Barnardo's   I have written about my local Barnardos in my post here 

We donate regularly to the charity shop with various clothing items and so I love to have a look around and see what bargains I can find.

Here are some of my recent purchases:

All of the necklaces were bought ranging from £1.50 to £3.50, one  of which was brand new and still had the shop tags on it.  

I am love with the turquoise Fossil purchase which I picked up, in perfect condition for the sum of £4.00.  Having had a look online, knowing that Fossil purses are expensive, I found the same purse retailing for £65.00 at Rainbows Accessories so I had gotten myself a real bargain there.

What great finds have you come across in charity shops?

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

I love to wear costume jewellery.  It is inexpensive and can really change and enhance an outfit.  A bright statement necklace to jazz up a simple black dress or that elegant black jet bead necklace that goes with everything.

If I could wear one type of jewellery for the rest of my life however, it would have to be diamonds.  I do not know what it is exactly that draws me to diamonds, their sparkle, their durability, their classic elegant looks; but frequently I find myself looking at jewellery websites and dreaming of the pieces I wish I owned.

When talking about jewellery on the blog I usually feature necklaces, but for this post I wanted to show you some diamond bracelet designs. If you are going to invest in diamonds, I love the idea of wearing a diamond bracelet as it can be a sparkling luxurious feature on your wrist that you get to see every time you look down.

Here are some of my favourites:

The bracelets that I have shown you today range from £900 all the way up to £4,000.00.  Diamonds are not something that you buy every day, but their classic looks will last you a lifetime.

I aim to own a piece like this before I am 40.  That gives me three years to save for a present that I will cherish forever.

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*This post is in collaboration with Anjolee however all views are my mind

Coco Chanel Quotes

Sometimes I think that I may live my life according to quotes from Coco Chanel.  She said so many things that are true in life that you need to always remember.  My favourite quotes from Coco are those about being self confident in who you are:

"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself"

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.  Aloud"

"I don't care what you think about me.  I don't think about you at all."

Being "fierce" didn't start with Beyonce.  It started with this lady.

One other quote I love from Coco Chanel is this one:

"The best things in life are free.  The second best things are very expensive"

The best things in life are free, this is true.   Love, friendship and loyalty all come for free, but you have to work hard in order to attain and maintain them.  I believe that you get out of life what you put into it and what you receive in return is of a far greater value than anything you can buy.

Love, friendship and loyalty are in my eyes the most valuable things in the world and without them the world would not shine as bright.  If you have all of these things in your life then you are winning.

The second best things in life are all things that we could do without, that we do not need, but add a little sparkle.  With that in mind, tomorrow's post is about diamonds!

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Plus Size Separates

I recently bought and shared on the blog a gorgeous organza check skirt from +Simply Be which you can read about here 

My style over the past couple of years has evolved to the point now where I wear a dress every day, usually with some sort of print and frequently floral.  Feminine with a nod to 50's styling is my thing and I do not stray from it often.

My purchase of this skirt was an impulse buy as I fell in love with it immediately, however I did not really know how to style it, with the skirt being out of my usual comfort zone.  Straight edges, black and a separate; not my usual wardrobe choice at all.

As such, I ended up styling the skirt in my usual feminine way with sandals, a v neck and pretty necklace as you can see below.

I was going out for a meal today and came across the skirt in my wardrobe and decided that today, I wanted to do it justice.  Channeling the fabulous style of MrsBeBe and using pieces from my wardrobe (and my new fringe), I went with the below.  

Black jumper (past season)
Neon necklace - charity shop
Organza check skirt
Black ankle boots - previously reviewed here

I believe that it is important that we always challenge ourselves when it comes to fashion.  Try things that you ordinarily would not and in my case, returning to colours like black that I had previously banished.

One thing that I will still maintain is that I am no longer a pants and top kinda gal.  I wore trousers and a top for a full day last week and I was so uncomfortable!  Long life the dress (and the separates on occasions).

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We Are The They

I am very late in writing this post.  I have been off social media for a while for personal reasons but this half finished blog post has been languishing in my drafts for a while now.  I can stop tweeting, stop using Facebook and checking my emails; but the urge to write stays with me so here you have my thoughts today.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will no doubt have seen on Twitter the explosion that has been the #WeAreTheThey hashtag.  It started from a wonderful idea of Debz at WannaBe Princess after the comments of the professional rent-a-gob, sorry, "singer" Jamelia and later, Fiona "my career is so shit I now have to advertise the postcode lottery" Phillips.

They are both in agreement that people under and over a certain weight (qualified as under a 6 and above a 20 by way of an "apology" from said rent-a-gob) should have to shop at specialty shops rather than the high street as:

They should be made to feel uncomfortable when they can't go in and find a size

I am tired.  Tired of fat people being the last socially allowed prejudice in society.  The problem is that it is not just the atypical prejudiced people; those who used to be openly racist and homophobic (and whom probably still are behind closed doors) who fat shame, insult, criticize and attempt to humiliate others, it is society as a whole.  

Hate against fat people is an epidemic which will not go away overnight and will not unless the subject is discussed more and hashtags like #WeAreTheThey are publicized.

As a fat women I am told that I can have a pretty face but my body "ruins it".  I am presumed to be stupid, have ill health, be lazy and be an out of work "benefit scrounger".  I am none of these things but it should not matter if I was.  I am a person, deserving of the same respect that everyone gets.  I am not a sub species.

I am tired of the number of your dress size being the way in which you are defined and treated.


I am tired of people telling a fat woman that she is "brave" for wearing a sleeveless dress, a shorter hemline or brighter colours.  She is not brave, she is merely confident in how she looks.  She has a good body image.  If you cannot do the same, find your confidence; do not disparage others for something that you wished you possessed, but do not.

That, in so many ways is what fat shaming really boils down to.  Why some many people are angry about something that effects them in no way, shape or form.  Why other people's bodies are allowed to be insulted open season.  It is jealousy.  Not because they wish they looked like you or had the same body shape, but because they wish they had your confidence.  Your positive body image.  Your happiness.

How many people do you know who own the body they have?  Who does not want to change their body/face/shape/weight.  Our bodies are constantly being compared, both by ourselves and by others to what is termed as the perfect body or as Protein World might put it "Beach Body Ready".

Time and again I see wonderful things happening in the plus size blogging world.  I see readers who (like me once) read plus size blogs and want that confidence for themselves.  The over time the comments of "I wish I had the confidence in myself to wear that" become "here is a picture of me wearing what I never thought I could".

I see women who have previously let society define who they are and how happy they are allowed to be, emerge like a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis into happy, confident women.  It is inspiring and beautiful to watch.

#WeAreTheThey is not just about women under a size 6 and over a size 20, it has been become about all women, taking a stand and refusing to let others tell them that the way that they look is wrong.  You are entitled to your own happiness.  Do not EVER let someone tell you that you aren't.

A Hiatus

I am having a break from my blog and Twitter account.

After going into hospital some seven months ago, my wonderful, loving step dad died yesterday.  I will not be answering tweets, blog comments or emails to my blog account for a time as I am sure you can well understand.

My writing right now is limited to (trying to) compose a fitting goodbye to a man who has been part of my life for the last twenty eight years.

Summer Nights With Curvissa

Despite the current cold snap we are having, my thoughts at this time of the year always turn to Summer holidays.

Being a woman that likes to dress up, my favourite time of day whilst on holiday is when you have finished with a day of sunning yourself by the pool and you get ready for a perfect Summer night evening with a cocktail whilst the sun sets.

Curvissa challenged myself and four other bloggers to choose an evening maxi dress to style and I chose the Buckle Waist Maxi Dress *  which is available in a fantastic sizing range of  10 - 32.

When it comes to choosing a maxi dress for the holiday season I look for a bold print with breathable fabric and a nice length that will enable me to wear either heels or sandals depending on where I wish to wear it.  

The bold green print (also available in coral) is a real winner for me and the gold buckle detail adds an additional elegant touch to the dress.  Happily the dress also comes with pockets which is a particular favourite of mine, especially when you do not want to be laden down with a cumbersome bag.   

I have worn the dress today as I would wear it for an evening out.  I have added a crochet shrug (perfect for when the sun sets and the nights can turn a little chilly), a red crystal necklace to give a contrast colour and some black peep toe heels.

Having worn Curvissa pieces before I knew to size up with this maxi dress.  The buckle waist maxi dress is available in split sizes and I would advise you to go with one size up. 

I love the beautiful print of this dress and the length. I have given the dress a 4.5 rating as the sizing was a little bit off, but once you have the fit as you like it, this maxi dress will fit into your Summer wardrobe perfectly.

Check out the other bloggers who have been trying out Summer evening maxi dresses:

She Might Be Loved

Nerd About Town

Just Me Leah

Sarah Is Smiley

Vicky x
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* This item was gifted to me but all opinions are my own

Are You PR Friendly?

I was recently speaking to Laura from Six Out of Ten when she offered to do a guest post for me about how to be PR friendly.

Here is a bit about her:

Laura works half in PR, half in marketing, and spends the rest of her free time writing about London and lifestyle in her online magazine. She has a cat, a boy, and loves Revels a little too much (don't we all!).

Here is what she had to say:

Although I think calling yourself PR Friendly is redundant (as most bloggers are lovely and wouldn't dream of being unfriendly) as well a waste of precious character space on your Twitter bio and blog, being PR friendly is another matter entirely.

You see, bloggers have seen a few people add it to their accounts, and everyone has followed suit. It's almost the same as adding clichéd phrases such as 'works well in a team' and 'hard-working' and 'works well under pressure' to your CV. They don't really mean anything until you see them in action.

To PRs, just saying you're PR Friendly isn't enough. So what can you do to demonstrate that you can be a PR's best friend? Here are four really easy ways to get PRs on side.

1. Remove PR Friendly from your blog and social channels 

As soon as you mention PR Friendly, you're immediately classified as a review blogger. As in, you only care about working with me and my client for what you can get out of it - a new lipstick here or a press trip there. 

I want to work with bloggers who love my brand and all that it stands for, regardless of whether I might be able to offer a comped meal or sample. I want them to be discerning and strict about who they feature, to not cheapen my client's name by lumping their brand in the middle of fifty others.

I'll avoid PR Friendly bloggers as the reputation behind the phrase, unfortunately, isn't a good one.

2. Have an up-to-date, well-written about page

The first think I look at when scoping out bloggers is their about page. I'll usually look at this before their posts. Why? Because this is where I find out about your story. Why you blog. How you started. Who you've worked with.

You should include the following:

a. Your name (use a blogger alias if you don't want to reveal your full name)

b. Where in the country you live

c. Why you started your blog and how it came about

d. Your perceived successes and a few brands you've worked with

e. Your future plans and targets

f. Your link to contact information and a media kit (if this isn't visible from the homepage)

3. Your contact information

It's amazing how many bloggers have a PR Friendly badge in their sidebar and then literally no contact information available. How can that be considered friendly? How am I mean to get in touch with you? Through an easily-missed public comment on one of your posts that'll head straight into your spam folder? 

No. Have a contact page set up, or be sure to include this in your about page, as above. If you want to include a number you can, but at the very least a text-based email address I can actually add to my address book. Include a contact form too, but your actual email address is the most valuable part.

4. Make your site easy to use

Nothing puts me off more than a cluttered site where I can't find anything. If you're not the best at HTML or CSS then hire a designer to install a clean, easy-to-use template. And make sure it's responsive and mobile-friendly. In case you don't know, Google will be penalising non-mobile-friendly sites from now on. There's no point spending time on SEO if there's no chance 40-50% of your mobile readers won't see it.

If your site is easy to use it means your readers will be able to find my client too. 

By following these really simple steps, you'll ensure you go from saying you're PR friendly, to being PR friendly. And I'll love you just a little bit too.