My blogging journey so far & goals 2018

Okay, I feel like the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is officially over 😦 well… at least where I live. Everyone’s going back to school and work and starting the new year. I for one, am still in the holiday spirit and feel like Christmas has gone way too fast. But even though I still wanna lay out in the sun on the beach and read a book, I also can’t wait for the adventures and opportunities this new year has to offer!

But before I continue with it all, I just wanna do a quick recap of my blogging experience and journey so far and also what goals I set out for myself for my blog for this year.

Okay, so I started my blog somewhere in August last year and it was just a very spontaneous move I made, but I definitely don’t regret it. I really enjoy writing about things that genuinely makes me feel bliss (hence my blog’s name) and it really puts a smile on my face when other people enjoy my blog and the things I write about.

My blogging experience so far has mostly been positive and it’s definitely something I’d want to continue with. I’ve gathered a few points on what stands out for me in the whole blogging journey and also somethings’ I struggle with.

The blogging community —

My experience with fellow bloggers and just the blogging community in general has been really positive so far. Everyone’s really supportive of one another’s blogs and genuinely kind. I think having a positive blog community plays a huge role in whether or not you want to continue with blogging and also affects the things you post and your general attitude while blogging or replying to comments – luckily I haven’t had any bad experiences yet and I doubt that I will have any, because bloggers truly are supportive of other peoples’ blogs, especially when you’re first starting out!

Interaction —

I love reading other bloggers posts and if it’s something I genuinely enjoyed or are interested in, I’d sometimes leave a comment and interact with the other blogger and I always appreciate it when they reply back to me or just even like my comment, because it makes me feel like they also want to interact back. I just think it’s always good to interact as much as possible with the people who read your blog and for me personally, that is one of the things I have enjoyed about blogging, being able to communicate with others.

Coming up with new ideas & getting creative —

This one has to be something I enjoy, but also something I struggle with. I love coming up with new blog post ideas and if it’s something I can take beautiful photographs of, I get really excited, because I love photography and I can play around and get creative.

BUT… as much as I enjoy it, this is also something I struggle with a lot of times – coming up with new blog post ideas. There are times where I have loads of ideas and I want to write them all and post them and then there comes days where I have absolutely NO clue what to write about and no inspo, but I’m sure I am not the only one struggling.

I have set out a few goals for my blog for this year, and I am gonna try my best to try and stick with ’em and to accomplish them 🙂

Posting more consistently & regularly —

So I am very aware that my consistent posting game has been very off this past two months… and there are reasons for that. I was busy studying and tried to focus more on my studies aaaannndd let’s be real, the holiday season can get really busy and crazy and I just struggled to find time to post, because I do take my time when I write a blog post…

So I therefore I have made it one of my goals, to improve on my consistency of posting. And I am actually starting college at the end of January and I’ll probably be very busy, but I really do want to continue blogging and keep on improving. Planning is key! Right?

Finish my blog’s “logo” —

I am not sure if you can call it a logo, that sounds too corporate, but I guess that’s the right word. I already have an idea of what I want it to look like, I just need to design it and finalize it.

Seeking more inspiration —

Like I said, I have a lot of days where I really have no idea what to post, I think what really happens is that I actually do have many ideas, I just think it’s too much that it then feels like I have nothing to write about, but actually I just can’t choose what to write about? Anyway, I am gonna try and cancel out these days by planning ahead, once again, and also to look for inspo around me or from other people.

 

So there you have it guys! This was just a quick overview of what I have experienced with blogging so far and what I want to achieve this year with my blog.

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Blissful Boho

X

 

 

 

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#LiftYourCommunityWithNaya challenge! 5 GREEK Instagramers I love.

Hello guys. As my last post of 2017 I wanted to do something that was fun but would also lift up my community. Thus, I decided to do a roundup of the 5 Instagramers I love from my beautiful country Greece. I think that this is a nice idea not only because people from my own community can gain more well deserved exposure but also you guys get to find out great Greek Instagramers that you probably would not come across otherwise.

I hope that you will enjoy it and do the same for your local Instagramers. So here they are!

Daphnia Neofytou

Not only Instagram goals but also really helpful. She provides great (and realistic)  styling tips. Another unique feature of her account is ”Instagram Telemarketing” where she uses her stories to share the beautiful packages she receives.

I Forgot My Crown

In addition to her never ending supply of beauty products in her profile you can find everyday moments that usually include her cute dog  Vida. (I guess she is the real celebrity in the family )

Morfoula Zyga

Her Instagram gives me all the vintage vibes. The earthly tones, the vintage filters and an eye for classic beauty make her account incredibly unique.

Pinelopi Apostolelis

A brand ambassador that shares with us everyday new products worth trying. Scrolling through her feed you will find that she loves  minimalistic and bright photos that showcase beautifully the new products she gets to try.

Vasiliki Karanzogianni

Last but by no means least is Vasiliki. She produces quality content while taking us along in her life as a Beauty Editor. Traveling, having fun and of course beauty is just some of the stuff you will find at her profile.

All in all, they are all amazing Instagramers who definitely deserve a follow.

Will you be doing this challenge with me? If so tag me on Instagram along with the hashtag #LiftYourCommunitywithNaya

Hope you have a happy New Year ✨

Naya

Greatest purchase of the year? Estée Lauder Color Portfolio Review

I just bought the Estée Lauder 2017 color portfolio for 60 euros. For that price I got 30 eyeshadows, 6 lipsticks, 2 blushes, 2 highlighters and 2 bronzers. This translates to less than 2 euros for each individual pan which is a bargain considering it still is Estée Lauder.

The eyeshadows are all gorgeous, blendable and the selection is great from matte to simmer and from nudes to darks.

The lipsticks are also pigmented and lightweight and fade out to a nice stain.

The bronzers are really creamy and natural.

The only things that are okay but not great are the two highlighters and the two blushes. They are not by any means bad but not too pigmented and buildable. They are quite nice for a natural look but definitely not great for a night out. Other than that the palette at this price is a huge bargain and if you find it anywhere I would definitely recommend it.

PS. Not the most sturdy packaging but it gets the job done.

What do you guys think about this palette? Let me know in the comments below.

Want to chat? Follow me on Instagram.

The perfect Christmas outfit

Since the 1st of December hit the calendar an abundance of Christmassy/festive season posts came streaming in and it’s still going of course. Some get excited like a little kid in a candy shop, while others try to avoid these joyous posts about this festive season, but let’s just say I am part of the group of people that jump up and down, because for me, this is the best time of the year.

We all want to look great on Christmas day, right? Whether it be glam or just comfy, Christmas just is one of those days where you put a little more effort into putting an outfit together. And if you’re looking for some inspo, I got you covered 🙂

Classic & Sophisticated

If you’re going to some fancy Christmas dinner, this outfit will surely be perfect for such an occasion.

Pairing this white tulle skirt with the dark red wine coloured long sleeve cropped velvet top (what a mouthful) – GORGEOUS! I think it would look even more gorgeous if the top has an open back. You can go a little shorter with the tulle skirt, but I think the knee length adds to the classiness.

These black chunky heels with a strap and slightly pointed toe along with the silver teardrop earrings would compliment the skirt and top and definitely adds to the elegant factor.

Of course the outfit would not be complete without a gorgeous golden smokey eye and dark lip look and a sleek high bun – this really ties the whole look together.

This whole look screams sophistication!

Cute & Quirky

If you’re looking for something that’s a bit more chill, but can still classify as a night or day out outfit, then you should definitely have a look at this one. I think this might be my favourite one.

So you guys have probably figured out by now that I love dark reddish kinda colours and I mean they are also Christmassy colours. For the bottoms of this look you can either choose between this burgundy velvet skirt with black buttons or the dark red skirt to go with this ivory/off white cropped sweater and black tights – plain or polka dots!

For the accessories you gotta have this black tie up choker (I don’t really know what it’s called?) and these amazing ankle boots that I wish would just magically appear in my closet. (hopefully Santa sees this haha)

Of course you can mix and match with different chokers or any accessories for that matter. It’s called quirky after all, right?

We’ll finish off the look with a subtle smokey eye and the perfect nude coloured lip – you can do a dark lip with this outfit too! And gorgeous soft, but messy, wavy hair.

This is definitely my favourite look, it is so up my street.

Comfy & Casual

Most of us want to look stylish this time of year, but still feel comfy. This next outfit does both and it’s definitely the easiest to put together!

I wouldn’t mind owning both of these sweaters, but some people prefer not to wear the cliché Christmas sweater, so they might lean towards a different sweater like this off white one with mini pom poms – so cute and it’s still kinda festive! And it’s so easy to pair with black skinny jeans (or any jeans of your choice) or even some black leggings. The goal is to be as comfy as possible, but still look stylish.

Throw in some combat boots with long comfy socks and this adorable beanie and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome outfit!

For makeup you can do a very subtle and natural look or you don’t have to wear any makeup, it’s totally up to you. I think this subtle glowy makeup look will be perfect and some boxer braids will be great with that beanie!

♥ ♥ ♥

I’m really into all three of these outfits – they’re so Christmassy and they’re also really easy to mix and match and pair with other colours or accessories – go ahead and be creative and do your own thing with it.

I got these ideas from Pinterest, of course, cause Pinterest is the best place to go to for inspiration and ideas.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what’s your favourite look out of these three?

Blissful Boho

X

What to get for the watch obsessed!

Who here has a person in their lives that are obsessed with watches?? I personally can think of a couple. So naturally since it’s the Holidays the first thing I thought I would get them was a watch. But because those who love watches already have quite the collection already finding a unique watch they would like without paying a fortune is pretty difficult. That’s where the Monthly Watch Club comes in. You can actually gift a monthly watch subscription! You can pay for just one month (one watch) or go all out and get them a full year.

Every watch individually always costs a lot more than you pay for the subscription so it’s definitely value for money since you can get a 90 dollar watch for just 25.

All of the watches are of good quality. Of course they are not high end but they have nice designs as well as sturdy materials. Plus it’s very nice having a new watch delivered at your door every month. Would definitely recommend for all the people who love watches.

Do you have friends that are OBSESSED with watches? Let me know in the comments below.

Want to chat? Follow me on Instagram

* Post contains PR samples.

Fun things to do this festive season

Oh wow, I haven’t posted in a while. I do apologize for being MIA these past few weeks, I just wanted to take a break from blogging for a while ’cause I had to focus on my studies  for a bit and finish my assignments.

But, I am back again, and I am so excited to continue with my blogging. Especially with the festive season now in action. Can you guys believe that the year is coming to an end? Somebody must have kept their finger on the fast forward button, because this year has flown by wayyy too fast!

So, because I haven’t posted in quite some time, I have decided that I will be posting three times in a row this week – today, tomorrow & Wednesday. It’s kinda like a mini, mini blogmas, but not really. Maybe I’ll do blogmas next year.

I have made a little list of a few fun things you can do this festive season for those days when you are not entirely sure what to do or if you are planning a festive season full of fun and some of these things you can do in the summer too, because not all of us have a winter wonderland festive season 🙂

1. This is a classic must for every festive season – driving around with the family or      friends and looking at Christmas lights and decorations. I love doing this and it’s always so fun to see how every house is decorated differently and the lights on the streets.

2. Baking some delicious cookies or whatever traditional thing you like to bake each year. You can make it even more fun by turning it into a little competition – who can decorate the best Christmas cookie or who makes the yummiest apple pie!

3. Hold a Christmas movies marathon! You can either cuddle up in your fluffy blanket by yourself or invite a few friends over for some hot cocoa and festive movies. A few of my favourite Christmas movies are, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, Polar Express, Elf and a few others.

4. Host or go to a bonfire – either somewhere in the woods with some marshmallows or even on the beach on those summer nights!

5. Get creative and create your own customized Christmas cards – your loved ones will really appreciate the extra effort.

6. You can even save some money and make DIY Christmas gifts this year (P.S. I might do a post on this for some ideas!)

7. Do a Christmas gifts, decorations, treats, etc. swap with a foreign friend. I actually got this from Zoella’s one YouTube video where she and other YouTubers sent each other a box full of Halloween goodies that you get in England, but not in America and of course the other way around.

8. Get to know how other people celebrate their holidays and what their traditions are.

9. Make yourself a Christmas song playlist – you can even use the songs for a fun karaoke night!

10. Do you wanna build a snowman? Then go outside and playyyy! (see what I did there? haha) Or make a snowman or have a snowball fight. There is so much you can do and it’ll be so much fun you’ll forget about freezing your socks off!

11. Go to a festive play or concert in your town or close by.

12. Go ice skating or watch an ice skating show!

13. Read a book on da beach or when you’re snuggled up in your blankets.

14. Go on a roadtrip to some place you’ve always wanted to visit and invite close friends or family. You can even check out their Christmas lights and decorations!

15. Sit by the cozy fire and have a storytelling time.

16. Hold a competition to see who can get their hands on the ugliest sweater ever!

17. Do a Christmas gifts scavenger hunt.

18. Go through your house and clear out some things that you don’t use or wear and turn them into Christmas gifts to give to an orphanage or any charity.

19. Go all out and bake and cook some delicious traditional Christmas goodies that you would not usually make.

20. And last, but not least, spend loads of time with your loved ones. This is a special time of the year and what better way than to spend it with those who love you.

♥ ♥ ♥

Thank you guys for taking the time to read – hope you liked it!

What is your favourite festive season tradition?

 

– Blissful Boho 

X

 

(I found the images on Google)

Travel Wishlist – USA road trippin

Hey guys!

Hope you are all doing good. Before I start with the post, I just quickly want to thank you every one who has clicked on that “follow Blissful Boho blog” button! I woke up this morning with a notification saying that I have 100 followers! What?! So awesome! I am so happy you guys enjoy my blog 🙂 thanks so much once again.

Okay, so today we are in the United States of America, specifically in the states of  California, Arizona and Utah. We are going on a road trip to the beautiful desert landscapes and camping in the wilderness – yes please!

So I would love to do a road trip throughout the entire USA, but that would take quite some time, but if I had to choose one area of the vast landscapes USA has to offer, I’d probably pick the desert landscapes of California, Arizona and Utah.

This road trip would be perfect with a few close friends and camping out in the wilderness.

Since there are so many breathtaking places you can visit in these different states, it’s difficult to choose, but I decided on a top 3 which would include Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Park. There’s so many national parks!

Oh and another thing, all the photos in this post are not my photos, obviously – I’ve never been there. I just got them off from Google Images and I don’t know who the original owners of the photos are, but they sure know how to take amazing photos! If you know who the real people were behind the lens of the photos, please tell me, so I can add it to the photos.

First we’ll start our trip at Joshua Tree National Park:

Guys, make yourself ready for some reallllyyy beautiful pictures. Joshua Tree NP is so unique and it’s called Joshua Tree, because of well, all the trees haha. Just imagine the stargazing you can do.

One word – breathtaking.

There’s so much you can do here. You can choose to have a day fun packed with so many outdoor adventures like hiking, swimming in Barker Dam, going to the famous Arch Rock, rock climbing – it may look like there’s not much to do, but there is. And at nighttime you can sit by the fire with some s’mores and watch the stars. Ahh it sounds so amazing! Of course we’ll have to pay a visit to where the Coachella Music Festival is held.

From Joshua Tree NP to the Grand Canyon NP – quite a long ride I imagine, but I think the gorgeous views makes all the back aches and pins and needles feelings worth it!

We all know the Grand Canyon is one of the biggest canyons in the world and covers an area of 4,926 km² – that is outstanding!

Just look at that view. I really wish I could be standing there now for real. So once again, this national park also has some great attractions and activities on offer. I’d love to the the Skywalk, Colorado River Rafting, go on the Bright Angel Trail and see the Havasu Falls. The Grand Canyon is huge so there is endless places you can see!

It’s like an oasis. I would not mind going for a dip in there after a nice hike.

Monument Valley is next on the list. Another very unique landscape. All of these locations are so similar, but also so unique in their own different way. The Monument Valley NP lies between the borders of Utah and Arizona and it has so many other parks and attractions around it.

The red sandstone formations in this area is out of this world. It just blows my mind how these big rocks with different shapes and sizes have been there for so long and how they formed over time. 

They look very similar to some sandstone formations we have here, except the ones in Monument Valley is a lot bigger and there’s an entire valley of them! What really interests me is that this is the home of the Navajo tribe. Each formation, or butte, has their own name and a lot of them are of course very Native American. Oh man, I so hope to visit this place one day.

It just looks like such a nice place to wind down and learn more about the history of this special place. Just like Joshua Tree NP and the Grand Canyon, you can go hiking, stargazing, helicopter rides, off road tours and you can even go horseback riding with a native Navajo. Oh and hot air ballooning is a definite must! I am a real sucker for fun outdoor/nature adventures!

UNBELIEVABLE!

I know there are millions of other places you can visit in these specific states that are part of the desert and true wilderness landscapes and I would definitely love to see all the places!

I just feel like taking a road trip through these areas with some friends and just exploring and being in nature and getting to know the history of these locations would be so fulfilling, relaxing and just plain amazing, it is definitely on my travel wishlist and has been for a very long time now. It is so so so beautiful and I don’t know why, but these locations just really speak to me and interests me so much.

So uhm if you and your friends are planning a trip like this and you need an extra person, I would make great company 🙂

♥ ♥ ♥

Thank you for taking some time to read my post – I hope you guys like it!

Have you been to these locations before? Where would you love to travel to in the USA? Tell me in the comments!

– Blissful Boho

X

(feature/cover image by Albert Dros. Rest of the photos I do not know who the owners are – feel free to help me out in the comments!)

Positive vibes only

Hey guys,

It’s the start of a new week and I thought I might start it off with a positive/uplifting quotes blog post. You guys seem to like the last one about motivational quotes 🙂

So not only am I writing this post because I want to give some of you a positive start to the week, maybe you’re not looking forward to this week or your Monday hasn’t been the best so far, but I am also writing this post because I myself need some positive quotes to just get me going again, especially on this day, where a certain event is taking place that is close to my heart…

The world has so much negativity going on every where and I know that just by posting some positive quotes won’t make it any better, but at least it’s some positivity some where.

 

So there you guys have it! I hope you guys like the quotes and that they bring you some sunshine and happiness!

What’s your favourite positivity quote?

– Blissful Boho

X

(all the images are from Pinterest)

Go-to YouTube channels for Fitness

Hey everyone!

Do you guys sometimes feel like you want to exercise and start being more healthy and achieve that beach ready body, but you just don’t know where to start or what to do. I find myself in that position quite often, too often actually. I love working out and healthy stuff, but a lot of times I find myself being too lazy to follow a proper exercise schedule or program (even though I have made hundreds of them for myself) and I know it’s actually really important, especially if you have specific goals you want to achieve.

So on these lazy days I tend to reach for my computer and go on YouTube and search for a workout I feel like doing and that is within my fitness level (which is not very advanced at the moment haha) and that would meet my personal goals. Let me just give some clarification; it is not always about the laziness, but it is just much easier to do your workouts off of YouTube videos cause it’s quicker, you don’t have to wonder about what workout to do today and you’re getting a workout from someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

I have a few fitness YouTube channels that I usually go to and I thought I’d share them with you guys:

POPSUGAR Fitness

This comes as no surprise cause I’m pretty sure a lot of people love them some POPSUGAR Fitness videos. They have so many different workouts to choose from and what I love about their workouts is that they are so simple and the instructors get right to the point, they don’t ramble about things you don’t really listen to anyway before getting on to the actual workout. They are really professional but yet fun and quirky!

Rebecca-Louise

You guys might recognize this name from XHIT Daily. Rebecca-Louise has her own YouTube channel where she uploads a new workout video every Sunday. On her channel you will find a huge variety of workouts to do. I really like the way she presents her workouts – with a lot of upliftment and motivation!

Boho Beautiful

My all time favourite channel to go to for amazing yoga sequences! Juliana has such a beautiful humble soul and she really knows how to make everyone want to participate in this mindful exercise. She also gives pilates classes as well as some other fitness workouts.

Blogilates

Everyone knows the famous fitness girl Casey Ho and for good reason! She provides her fellow fitness lovers with videos filled with excitement and of course some great moves to get those beach ready bodies! From pilates to HIIT workouts – she’s got them all!

Yoga With Adriene

When I first started doing yoga I would go to Adriene’s channel for some guidance, cause I had zero knowledge of what to do and she really guides you through each sequence with ease. And with her gentle soothing voice you’ll feel super relaxed after doing one of her yoga workouts. What I really like about her content is that not only does she focus on the yoga part, but she also makes a lot videos where it’s a yoga sequence specifically for back pain or to help with headaches, so it’s like a 2-in-1.

Tone It Up

Ahhh the girls that I have followed since day one (kinda). I love their workouts so much, especially their ones from a few years back. They’re so fun and quirky and that shows in their workouts. Karena and Katrina offers a wide range of workouts including yoga, HIIT, toning moves and so much more. So, you really do not have an excuse for not getting a few workouts in.

All of these channels have their own websites as well where you can find more info regarding workouts, meal plans, tips & tricks and a whole lot more fun goodies!

There are many other great fitness girls out there like Kayla Itsines BBG program, but unfortunately you have to pay a monthly subscription to have access to most of their workouts and meal plans and there are people who can’t do it and why pay a monthly subscription if you can just go to one of these YouTube channels and have access to TONS of workouts!

Hope you guys check them out!

Till next time 🙂

– Blissful Boho

X

 

(Images used are from Google)