Zaras Blog - Lifestyle || Fashion || Blogging

10 Tips To Gaining Instagram Followers

July 17, 2019 5 Comments

I basically grew up on the internet, at the young age of thirteen I made a Tumblr blog and instantly gained a ton of attention on there. I went from 100 followers to 10,000 to 70,000+ followers, and then decided it was time to move onto Instagram. After 5+ years on Instagram and 8+ on Tumblr, I would like to think I have racked up some useful tips to help you gain more followers! Most of these tips are aimed at Instagram and Tumblr, but I’m sure they can work for any social media site! Those are just the sites I consider myself to have the most experience in. So, If you want to know how to increase your following just keep reading.

#1. Find your niche
What do you like taking pictures of or blogging about? There are a ton of niches to choose from, but a few examples would be fashion, food, fitness, lifestyle, and travel. I would consider myself a lifestyle blogger because I post a little bit of everything. For example, I have fashion posts like this some skin care flat lays here and a lifestyle shot like this. So find what you enjoy posting about and make that your focus!

#2. Have a good quality camera
No one likes seeing a low quality, dim lit pictures, it just isn’t eye-catching so make sure your area is well lit and high quality! I use my iPhone X for all my photos, so you don’t need a DSLR or anything, iPhone quality is pretty good, and natural sunlight is my favorite way to shoot.

#3. Use filters
Filter are great because if you use the right one you can dramatically make your posts more appealing! Once you find a filter you like make sure to use the same one for all your photos so your feed has a theme going on. For my Instagram, I like a clean, bright and airy look, so I mostly use Lightroom now, but for my old posts, I used VSCO filter A6. Also remember to edit all your photos (temperature, exposure, contrast, etc.) because most likely your pictures are shot in different backgrounds and lighting so the filter will look slightly different on each picture, but with a little editing, you can make them all look identical. (If you guys would like a seperate blog post all about editing pictures and what all those settings mean, let me know!)

#4. Utilize hashtags
This is so important for Instagram and even for Twitter. If you have a business account, you’re able to see how many people have seen your post just through hashtags. My trick for Instagram is to use about ten hashtags, sometimes more sometimes less it just depends on the photo. So the trick to being successful with hashtags is to go through and find hashtags that are relevant to your post. What I do is I choose half my hashtags that are popular, these would include posts that have over 1million posts under that hashtag. Then, I try to include ones with less than 100k, this way my post is more likely to be visible since there’s less content under those hashtags. For Twitter, just 1-3 relevant hashtags are enough since there’s a word count limit and you don’t want your tweet to look too crowded and long.

#5. Have a public account
It might not sound like that makes a huge difference, but people like seeing your content before they choose to follow you. Also, hashtags won’t show up if you’re a private account and you won’t show up on the discovery page either if your account is private.

#6. Attach a face to your social media
Just post some selfies every once in a while! People are more likely to remember you and your content if they recognize you, that’s basically how I gained such a huge following on Tumblr. I also found that when I post pictures of myself on Instagram, I gain a bunch of new followers as well, so give it a try!

#7. Tag all relevant brands
If you post outfit pictures or pictures of any products make sure to tag all the brands shown in the post. That way, your post will show up under that brand’s profile under their tagged pictures which will reach a wider audience and potential new followers. If you’re really lucky and the brand sees your content and likes it, they might even repost and give you credit which will be a huge win for you.

#8. Make genuine friendships and collaborate with others
If you’re an influencer or blogger find people in your niche and interact with them. Don’t do this in an “I’m using you for exposure” sort of way, of course, but if you’re a beauty blogger then find other beauty bloggers to talk to and interact with. You can take it a step further and if both parties are interested you guys can collaborate together by giving each other shoutouts. This is a great way to gain some new followers because chances are their followers will be interested in your content as well if you both are in the same niche.

#9. Host a giveaway
Either by yourself or split the cost with a few other people, so the prize is bigger and more people are likely to enter. I did this about a month ago with a handful of other bloggers and influencers on Instagram and it was a huge success!

#10. Interact with your followers
No one likes bloggers or influencers who don’t talk to the people who support them. Simply like comments, reply to some and try to answer DMs. Also posting polls and interactive activities on Instagram stories is a great way to gain peoples attention. One thing I always used to do on Tumblr back in the day was host question or story hours and my followers really seemed to enjoy that and so did I.

Those are my 10 most important tips on how to gain followers on social media! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed. Got any of your own tips on how to be successful on social media? Comment them down below!

Fitness

What I eat in a day // CLEAN AND HEALTHY

June 28, 2019 4 Comments

Hey, guys, this blog post is going to be a little shorter than the rest since it’s pretty straight forward! It’s a good idea of what I usually eat in a day, but of course, it varies depending on my schedule.

Breakfast:
Acai Bowl- blend up strawberries, bananas, acai, and some milk (I usually use vanilla flavored almond milk). Top with granola, peanut butter, crushed almonds and more strawberries and bananas (you can use other fruits, but these are my favorite)

Lunch:
Avocado Toast- (2) Panera tomato basil flavored bread with mashed up avocado (sometimes I’ll use store-bought guac if I’m out of avocado), spinach, sunny side up eggs with black pepper, garlic salt, paprika, and cumin powder. Top with some hot sauce and ketchup if you’d like.

Dinner:
Rice- White rice with vegan hotdog and vegetable stir fry. The hotdogs are from the brand Lightlife and I cook everything in a random sweet & sour sauce from my local supermarket.

Snacks:
Fiber one bars- I usually eat the chocolate chip cookie or the brownie flavor. These are perfect to satisfy sweet tooth cravings and healthier options to regular sweets. I only recently found out not many people like these, but I personally eat these for fun because I genuinely think they taste so good!
Apples- Cut up apple slices with some peanut butter. Easy to put together, and if your a peanut butter fanatic like me this option is so filling and delicious.

Hope you guys enjoyed this little insight into my eating habits. Got any healthy food ideas and recommendations? Comment them below I’d love to give them a try!

School, Tips

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before College

June 5, 2019 8 Comments

Hey guys and welcome to another blog post! This upcoming fall I will be entering my senior year of college, so I feel like I’ve done this college stuff long enough to have some good insight. So here are the ten things I wish I knew before college:

You will 100% miss your mom’s homemade food. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone because some of us go to different coasts or even countries for college but for me, this was a huge thing. So if you can, try to bring as much of it back with you when you go home for breaks. Sure eating out is fun, but after four years of college, it’s going to get tedious and expensive!
Not everyone is your friend. People have their own hidden agendas, and honestly, most people I’ve met are only in it for themselves, so choose your friends very carefully.
Major in something you’re interested in and want to do, not something your parents want you to study. At the end of the day, it’s your life and you’re going to be doing this for a very long time, so might as well choose something you’re passionate about.
It’s all fun and games until you start going out too much and get caught up in that lifestyle. You need to learn to balance and focus on your school work; There will always be another party.
When people tell you not to live with your friends, listen to them! Living with your friends can get distracting and overwhelming. It’s all fun and games the first year, but after a while, you will start seeing how problems in the dorm room are beginning to affect your friendship.
It’s not “uncool” to get to know your professors and participate in class. Your professors are real humans with a lot of experience and resources in their hands! Creating strong relationships will benefit you in the future when you need recommendations or even for networking; you never know who they’ll have contacts too.
Do NOT lose sight of your mental health. Unfortunately, it happens to a lot of us in college and it’s a very dangerous place to enter. Study hard of course but always focus on yourself and your health. Don’t pull all-nighters for every test and put too much strain on yourself; it’s not going to benefit you in the long run.
The first guy that breaks your heart in college will literally feel like the end of the world. Listen to me when I tell you this, it will 100% only get better from there. Freshmen college boys are just as bad, if not worse, than high school boys. They will hurt you, you might trust the wrong people and relationships end, but I promise you will be okay again.
Most colleges are high school part two when it comes to drama and gossip. Try not to get caught up in that kind of stuff, and distance yourself from people who thrive on drama. It’s emotionally draining, and we left that stuff in high school for a reason.
Take every opportunity that you’re given. If there are networking events or internship fairs get your butt to those places! Don’t slack or say you’re only a sophomore you still have years left until graduation. No, start making moves now because no matter what field of study you’re going into, there will always be competition.

Tips

Radiating Positive Energy: How I Improved My Life

May 8, 2019 2 Comments

The Art of Positive Thinking

You probably hear it all the time, put this thought out into the universe, and it’ll make it come true, put out positive energy to get it back. Some of you are probably skeptical like I first was and might even think it’s a bunch of baloney and that’s understandable. It’s not an exact science or something you can necessarily prove to someone, but to me, it’s all about putting out into the universe what you want to get back. It makes sense to me because if you’re negative and angry all the time then that’s what you’re going to radiate off to other people around you and that’s the same type of energy you’ll attract. Here are some of the tips and tricks I’ve started incorporating into my lifestyle since 2018 and I truly haven’t been more at peace.

You Attract What You Put Out
The most important lesson I’ve learned in my 21 years of life is the saying that you attract what you put out. So if you’re someone who’s constantly negative or angry then those are the types of people and circumstances in your life you’ll be attracting. Don’t dwell on the past or circumstances you can’t change; this will cause you to always live in negativity. Take some deep breaths, understand why it happened and how you can grow from it and then slowly move on from it.

Another necessary change I’ve made to my life is controlling my temper. I have my father’s anger, which let me tell you is a nasty one! I am definitely a hot head, which is not a good thing because you continuously live in a state of uneasiness and rage. Summer of 2018, right before I started my junior year of college at a new school, I decided I would control my temper instead of letting it control me. It was a long process, it still is sometimes, but take my word for it, living a calm, in control lifestyle is so much better than an angry one. I focus on taking deep breaths and not taking actions when I’m mad because everything is much more rational when you think about it with a clear head. I also don’t let things out of my control bother me, I choose to walk away and clear my head because what’s the point in getting worked up over something you can’t change?

#Drop Them 2019
You can change yourself all you want, but the people you surround yourself with have a significant impact on your life and your mood. That’s why the summer of 2018 I decided I didn’t want anyone in my life that wasn’t contributing to my growth and success. Honestly, one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself and my mind, and you need to start doing the same! There is no reason for you to deal with someone who brings you down or is filled with negativity and finds the bad in everything when there are people out there who literally radiate happiness and support.

De-stress Your Mind
You can do a bunch of things such as blogging, journaling, meditating, or doing yoga to help deal with stress and declutter your mind. Whenever I’m either worked up or feeling less positive, I love to go to the gym and de-stress. If I’m in between classes and can’t get to the gym, I pull out my favorite notebook and start jotting away. I got into journaling when I first started college, mostly as a way to create content for my Tumblr but I’ve kept up with it ever since. I don’t even write about my feelings, but instead, I draw and find ways to distract and calm myself down. Yoga and meditating are also two amazing habits to pick up, and it’s super simple because you can do them in the comfort of your home with a youtube video.

Have any other tips and tricks on how you live a positive lifestyle? Comment them below!

Skincare

My College Skincare Routine

April 12, 2019 2 Comments

My College Skincare Routine

As college students, we get caught up with exams and presentations, trying to wake up on time for our 8 am classes and grabbing a quick coffee along the way. What most of us might forget is to focus on our skin care. I know for me personally I had so much more time, and even money, to spend on my skincare routine, and as a busy college student it’s hard to keep on top of that. So I’m here to share with you some of my favorite skin care products to help you out.

I’ve used most of these products for over a year so I would say I have a pretty good idea on how they work as well as their results. For me, this has been my skincare routine for a while now, and I don’t see myself changing it up anytime soon! These products have helped my skin go from dull and a hangout spot for pimples, to glowy and acne free.

School

How to be a Straight-A Boss Babe in College

March 24, 2019 8 Comments

How to Improve your Grades and get that 4.0 GPA

So you’ve gone through the worst of it right? Staying up studying for SAT’s, joining clubs to make your resume look top notch, and working a summer job to get that real-world experience everyone keeps talking about. Well sorry to burst that dream bubble of yours but now comes the hardest part of having to do the same thing for yet another four years, all while trying to manage that 4.0 GPA.

I feel like I’m in the perfect position to talk about maintaining a high GPA in college, considering I went from a B and C+ student to straight A’s this fall semester by following some of my favorite tips and tricks. This guide is what I would call a MAJOR life hack so keep on reading to find out how I turned it all around and you definitely can too!

Study something you’re actually passionate about
Seems super obvious and straightforward right? Of course, I’m going to spend four years of my life and thousands of dollars on a career choice I actually enjoy! Well, from my personal experience I learned your dreams and passions change as you enter into this whole new world we call college. I started as a pharmacy major and let me tell you that was not for me; biology? Gross. Organic chemistry? Snor! But that’s what my parents wanted, and I’ve only ever been exposed to health care careers; I grew up wanting to practice medicine and now two years later I find out I actually hate what I’m doing? Uh oh.

Actually, no it’s not that big of a deal, so what you tried something and it didn’t work out the first time around? You’re in your 20’s, you have a whole lifetime ahead of you, so why not take the time to change your mind while you’re young and dedicate yourself to your true passions? I ended up switching into a marketing major, with a focus in digital marketing, after being a blogger since I was thirteen and let me tell you how dramatically my work ethic changed because of that. I found myself wanting to go to school and enjoying what I would learn; I was captivated in the marketing world and had this intense passion for it, something I knew I would never have had behind a Walgreens pharmacy counter. Choosing such a dream career like marketing and having it cross over with my passion for blogging was a match made in heaven! So please take my word on this and try to find out what you enjoy, not what others want you to enjoy. Give it a go and hey if you start off as a business major but realize you want to work in a courtroom instead then at least you realized it pretty early on, and there’s always room to change your mind. You will see how dramatically your work ethic in college will change if you’re attending classes you’re genuinely interested in and a major you’re fascinated with.

Focus on a healthy lifestyle
Where do I even start with this one? Well, the gym is my new best friend and has been for months now. I know some of you totally cringed reading that, but hear me out on this. I don’t go to the gym to lose weight, however; if that is your goal and you are going to be realistic and healthy about it, by all means, strive for that! But my goal is simply to relieve stress and be healthy overall; the single ab I’ve managed to get is just a plus for me! The gym enables me to blow off steam after my business professor tells my group our financials are wrong, and we need to start our whole presentation over again, or when the girl who never shows up to class ends up having to be my partner. Aside from all the stress relieved by hitting those weights and doing my squats, I find myself wanting to eat healthy and clean and give my body nutrients rather than all that caffeine.

Keep in mind you do not have to go from one to hundred; you do what feels the most comfortable to you! Be realistic about your goals, if you want that Ben and Jerrys in the fridge then go for it, just try to do the tiniest bit of extra cardio next time you hit the gym. Just taking care of yourself on the inside with your food choices and outside with your exercise will put you in a such a healthy mindset, and finding ways to manage stress is strongly correlated with your success in school. Nourishing your body is critical not only for your health but for your mind. I found myself being way more productive and focused now; I don’t feel sluggish and lazy all the time which are usually the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

Positivity! Positivity! Positivity!
Once again some of you might read this and think it’s cliche but being positive and having a healthy mental attitude is crucial in college. You will be faced with a lot of stressful situations such as back to back exams, drama with friends, and especially that 8am you promised yourself you’d go to and now completely regret even signing up for. However, a lot of these problems that seem big are pretty small when you look at the overall picture, and it can be less stressful if you approach all your life problems with even a little bit of positivity.

For starters, I started distancing myself from anyone who was drama filled and impacted my life with negativity because I don’t need others bringing me down like that. I now have a small circle of smart and supportive friends which has truly made a difference in how I perceive myself and how I handle certain situations. I then decided if I wanted a better outcome, I needed a better attitude. So instead of saying phrases such as “I’m going to fail this test” or “I hate this course, I hate the teacher” etc. I started thinking to myself “I’m not 100% prepared for this test, so I’m going to stay in this Friday night and make sure I am ready for it.” Even if you don’t get the grade you want don’t self-pity or dwell on it, simply take it as a life lesson and better yourself for next time. The last thing I found very helpful for my mental health were podcasts. I started listening to all these podcasts about self-love and self-care, eliminating toxic relationships in your life and striving to be the best for yourself and not for others. I would even jot down my favorite quotes, and when I’m feeling down I actually read them, and it really helps put things into perspective. Just the simple and obvious task of surrounding yourself with positivity in your everyday life will enable you to reach success on your own terms.

These seemingly obvious, yet somewhat hard to implement lifestyle choices can surprisingly make a difference in your college life and your GPA. Managing your stress well and choosing not to procrastinate on your own is essential to your grades but also to your physical and mental wellbeing at one of the most critical points of your life.

Got some of your own tips to be a straight-A student in college? Leave them in the comments down below!

Fitness

My Current Workout Routine

December 27, 2018 4 Comments

Hey guys and welcome to my blog! I’ve been contemplating what I want my first blog post to be about since I want something short, helpful and of course something I’m passionate about. So I’m here to share my workout routine with you; I feel like the end of the year is the perfect time to share this since many of us have new years resolutions involving the gym, and hopefully, this gives you some new exercises to incorporate into your routine.

I know some of you totally read the title and almost clicked that little red x because the thought of working out can be so overwhelming for some people, and that’s completely fine! If sixteen year old me saw my lifestyle and health choices now, I would be so shocked because I was that girl who walked the mile, and that’s if I even showed up to gym class that day. Cardio was not my friend, and I don’t think I picked up a weight until my second semester of college. However two years later I feel like a different person; I love going to the gym and every summer I go at least six times a week! Now between classes and work, I’m only able to go 2-3 times a week, but those days are my favorite days.

So this is the routine I’ve been doing for about six months straight, and I’ve noticed actual results from this; I’m even growing some abs now. Well… one ab technically, but hey I’ll take what I can get!

Cardio:

20 minutes on the treadmill (I usually do 10 minutes running and 10 minutes fast walking on a level 8 incline)

Abs:

1-minute plank
3 sets of 30 Russian twists with a 15-pound dumbbell
3 sets of 15 toe touch crunches with an 8-pound medicine ball
3 sets of 15 side bends with a 10-pound weight

Legs & booty:

3 sets of 15 sumo squats with a 15-pound dumbbell
3 sets of 10 side leg lifts with a 10-pound weight
3 sets of 20 on the leg press machine set to 100-pound weight
3 sets of 12 on the hip abduction and adduction machine set to 30-pound weight (optional, I only do these If I have time/my legs aren’t completely dead)

There you have my college workout routine! Also please keep in mind I didn’t start off at these weights in the beginning. I started at 10 pounds for some of them and made my way up, so only do what you are comfortable with so you don’t hurt yourself. Also, I am obviously not a personal trainer or professional in any way I’m just sharing with you the exercises I do that work for my body! My gym goals are more towards gaining muscle rather than losing weight, so if you’re someone who wants to lose more weight I would add a lot more cardio and focus mainly on that. If you don’t know how to do any of these workouts you can go on YouTube or google images and just search the name of the exercise and tons of videos and pictures will be able to help you out. So I hope you guys gained some sort of value from reading my workout routine, and let me know if you’re going to incorporate any of these into your next workout or if you have any other workout suggestions!