Tag: home

100 Prompts for When You’re Suffering Writers Block!

26 Comments

Hey y’all!

So — writers block. As bloggers, we’ve all been there. There’s absolutely nothing more frustrating than wanting to write, or trying to meet deadlines, but having absolutely no idea where to start. Since last year, when COVID hit, I started experiencing writers block WAY harder than I ever had in the past. Pre-2020, while I had rough weeks here and there, I was always able to find SOMETHING to share for each of my Sunday blog posts. However, as a lifestyle blogger, it got challenging to find inspirations when life came to a stop. Many of my posts felt straight up monotonous, and many weeks I felt as though I couldn’t come up with anything at all.

We can all agree that the frustration that writers block creates is just about the worst feeling ever. However, no matter what’s going on in your life in the moment, the reality is as a lifestyle blogger you always have a wealth of source material waiting to be tapped into. Life isn’t just what’s happening in the moment, after all — it can be past lessons learned, goals for the future, little things that make you happy or the hobbies and interests that make you who you are.

That’s why, this week, I decided to compile a list of 100 prompts for bloggers suffering writer’s block. I’ve chosen various topics, from fashion, to wellness, to budgeting or even blogging itself that pretty much covers at least one topic for every type of lifestyle blogger out there. No matter who you are and what your niche is — there’s a prompt in here that’s perfect for you. The prompts vary a little between them — some of them are more open-ended, some are meant to inspire your own fresh ideas for a post on a related topic, and some are meant to be a question that can be answered directly in a simple and concise way. However you interpret these prompts is really up to you — so I hope you enjoy reading through them and getting inspired for your future posts! Feel free to save this post for future reference, as well — so that even if you’re overflowing with ideas now, you’ll never have to worry about your creative well running dry ever again.

Media & Culture Prompts

  1. A list of the best TV shows for when you’re in a specific mood
  2. Music recommendations and playlists
  3. A list of movies that would make the best movie marathons
  4. Your take on the latest pop-culture drama
  5. TV shows/Movies/Music everyone should check out regardless of what genres they usually stick to

Fashion & Style Prompts

  1. Your favourite fashion trends for the upcoming season
  2. Your fave fashion staples that never go out of style
  3. Shoes and bags that work with any outfit
  4. Hair accessory trends for the upcoming season that you love
  5. Sharing your specific style and favourite clothing items & accessories

Skincare & Makeup Prompts

  1. What are your favourite brands and why?
  2. What is your skincare routine?
  3. What is your everyday makeup look?
  4. What secret tips do you have for completing your perfect makeup look?
  5. What’s some skincare advice you’d share with beginners?

Lifestyle and Advice Prompts

  1. How you’d plan out the perfect self care night
  2. Your favourite ways to take a break when you’re feeling overwhelmed
  3. Organization tips and tricks that helped you get your life/living space/time management under control
  4. Positive mantras and affirmations you use when you’re feeling down
  5. Activities and advice to help get out of a mental health funk

Blogging about Blogging Prompts

  1. What did you wish you knew when you started blogging?
  2. What are some of the best hidden resources for bloggers you know of?
  3. What did you do that made your blog take off?
  4. What are YOUR favourite posts to read as a blogger?
  5. How you started to monetize your blog and grow your reach

Social Media Advice Prompts

  1. Best locations in your city for Instagram posts
  2. Best poses for people who hate taking photos
  3. Best ways to utilize Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest for outreach
  4. Best apps for perfecting your Insta pics and feed
  5. How to best utilize Pinterest (seriously, someone please write this! I’ve been using Pinterest for over a year and I still don’t understand how it works)

School and Education Prompts

  1. Studying hacks that have helped you ace classes
  2. Your best advice for surviving high school/first year/university
  3. How to handle tough situations in high school/university
  4. How to take legible, organized notes
  5. Your morning routine to ensure you’re ready and organized for the day (+how you wind down at night!)

Work and Careers Prompts

  1. How did you decide what career to pursue?
  2. Advice for people joining the workforce right now
  3. Advice on how to be successful in your specific field
  4. Secrets about your field the general public doesn’t know
  5. How to perfect a resume (+anything else related to applying to jobs in your field!)

Friends and Social Situations Prompts

  1. How to meet new people (+ especially if you’re not meeting people from school, university or work!)
  2. How to deal with friendship drama
  3. How to identify toxic relationships
  4. What do you think makes someone a good friend?
  5. What are some little things your friends do for you and each other that help you feel loved?

Love and Relationships Prompts

  1. What was something you wish you knew before your first relationship?
  2. What advice would you give your 16 year old self when it comes to love?
  3. What are the best ways to prep for a first date?
  4. What are some great date ideas for long-term couples looking to try something new?
  5. How did you know when your partner was “the one”? (+do you believe in soulmates?)

Making It Through Bad Situations Prompts

  1. What’s something you’ve been through in your life that was particularly challenging? What advice would you have for others facing similar situations?
  2. What is something you knew about life when you were 16 that you learned the hard way?
  3. What is some life advice you have for others based on what you’ve experienced in life?
  4. What was a mistake you made in life that you learned from?
  5. How has the last year of your life changed who you are or how you view the world?

Self-Reflection Prompts

  1. What are some life lessons you learned that you’d like to share?
  2. What was a toxic trait you had that you reflected on and changed?
  3. How did you learn to break a bad habit?
  4. How did you become your authentic self (both in person and through your online persona?)
  5. How have you actively worked to improve yourself? What worked and what didn’t?

Cooking, Baking, and Drinks Prompts

  1. What’s your favourite recipe?
  2. How do you make the perfect menu (charcuterie, appies, drinks food or dessert).for hosting dinner parties?
  3. What are the best recipes you’ve learned since lockdowns?
  4. What are some great recipes for those with limited time/beginners/people on a budget?
  5. What are some go-to recipes that never fail you?

Travelling & The World Prompts

  1. What is your current travel Wishlist?
  2. What are your favourite places you’ve ever been to?
  3. Where are the best places for tourists to visit in your city?
  4. Think of a location you travelled to in the past. Where would you recommend someone visiting there go?
  5. Where are the best ways you’ve learned to travel on a budget?

Home & Decor Prompts

  1. How did you decide how to decorate your first apartment?
  2. How do you find your perfect design aesthetic?
  3. Where should you start when decorating on a budget?
  4. What are some cheap/easy decor additions to make your living space more homey?
  5. Share your apartment decor + specific niche style!

Budgeting Prompts

  1. What are tips they don’t teach you in school about saving money?
  2. How did you learn to manage your savings and control your spending?
  3. If you coupon — what are your best tips and tricks for finding the best deals?
  4. What is your best advice for avoiding unnecessary purchases/compulsive shopping?
  5. What are they best ways to stay stylish on a budget?

Adulting Prompts

  1. What is something you wish you knew before entering the “real world”?
  2. What advice would you give your 16-year-old self about practical, real-life adulting skills?
  3. What are some secrets about being an adult that no one tells you (or admits to — even when you’re all adults!)
  4. What are some of the best hacks you’ve discovered for handling adult life?
  5. What is the best advice you can offer for those in their early adulthood?

Lockdown 2020/2021 Prompts

  1. How has your life changed over the last year?
  2. What are your favourite COVID-safe/at home ways to keep in touch with loved ones?
  3. What are the best new hobbies for those who are looking to try something new?
  4. What new skills and hobbies have you tried over the last year? Which ones did you like best?
  5. What tips do you have for maintaining good mental health during bad times?

Organizational Prompts

  1. What are your favourite hacks to keep your living space organized?
  2. What products changed your life in terms of staying organized?
  3. How do you go about keeping your personal space clean, even when you’re at your busiest?
  4. How do you organize your planner and schedule your daily life?
  5. What routines do you maintain that help you stay on top of everything?

Health and Wellness Prompts

  1. What are your favourite quick and easy healthy recipes?
  2. What are some great exercise routines for beginners?
  3. How did you get started on your fitness journey? What did you wish you knew before you started?
  4. What are some realistic ways to stay active and motivated day to day?
  5. What are your favourite tools (ie. meditating, exercise, sleep) for mitigating stress and maintaining your health?

As always — happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you’ve all been doing well and staying safe. We’re really closing in on one year since COVID lockdowns hit now, which is absolutely insane to think about. This time last year, I was away on Mexico on vacation, life was good and I had absolutely NO idea what was about to hit me in the weeks to come. It’s been a long year, but I’m finally feeling like I’m going to make it out in one piece. How are you all feeling about the one-year anniversary of lockdowns coming up? Drop a comment below and let me know — it’s going to be an interesting and difficult time reflecting on it all, certainly. At the very least, with any luck, we’re nearing the end of the pandemic — so at least we’ll have something to celebrate sometime soon. I, personally, truly believed that lockdowns were going to last two, maybe three weeks at most — and look at us now! If I could go back a year and tell myself what was coming, there’s no way I’d ever believe it.

Much love,

Meredith

My Winter 2020 FabFitFun Unboxing!

18 Comments

Hey friends!

Happy Sunday! While it’s a little overdue, this week I’m going to be sharing my Winter FabFitFun box with you guys! FabFitFun is one of my favourite parts of the start of each season, and this box is no exception. In all honestly, retail therapy kinda kept me going throughout 2020 since receiving packages in the mail always gave me something to look forward to, and the element of surprise included in each FabFitFun box only made it all the more exciting.

This box was a little special, because it was by FAR the most add-ons I’ve ever added to one box. While I’m usually pretty impressed by FabFitFun’s add-on selections and have a pretty hard time narrowing down my choices, this time I just couldn’t — they were too good. It was a little pricey overall, but the discounts were crazy and they were just all so worth it.

Summer & Rose Cozy Robe

This is, no joke, the coziest little robe I’ve ever owned. I love robes, but the only ones I have are made of satin-like material. They’re comfy, and great for summer — but they are no where NEAR as soft and plush as this is. It feels like being wrapped in a cloud. It’s honestly been the best for lounging around in lockdowns — it just feels luxe AF. If you’ve been looking for a cozy robe to wear around the house, do yourself a favour and check this one out.

Impressions Vanity Company LED Vanity Mirror

Seeing this as an option honestly made my whole month. Back in university, I used to do my makeup at my desk — which it turns out I was really taking for granted. I had great lighting, a little vanity mirror and (most importantly) a seat. Ever since I moved, however, I’ve been doing my makeup in my bathroom — which has terrible lighting and a tiny mirror that’s also waaaay too tall for me. I’m finally getting a desk, soon, however — and I’ve been needing a good vanity mirror to go with it. (I mean, I’ll be using it for more than just makeup, but still). This mirror isn’t just well-made, it has an amazing LED system which helps to light your face evenly you can apply your makeup perfectly. After a year of doing my makeup in my subpar bathroom setting, I could NOT be happier about receiving this mirror in my box.

Lele Sadoughi Maroon Velvet Headband

I’ve been seeing cute chunky fabric hairbands around for a while now, but I haven’t ever seen good ones out in stores when I had the chance to go look. I’ve been considering trying them out for a while now, but was always on the fence about how they’d look on me. However, now I get the chance to test run the look on myself — and honestly, I think I’m pretty into it!

Flight Mode Skincare High-Altitude Hydration Mask

While I haven’t had the chance to try this mask out just yet, my dry skin is always grateful for a hydrating mask. Fabfitfun has always gifted me some pretty fantastic skincare — at best, many items they gifted became staples in my routine. At worst, they’ve gifted me with items that were just great (but not exceptional) — so I’m really not worried that this mask is going to be anything disappointing. Who knows — maybe it’ll end up being a new favourite?

Eparé Cutting Set of Four Boards

I’m kind of neutral on receiving these boards in my box — they aren’t particularly exciting or something I needed, but they’ll be of use for sure. It’s nice that they’re so thin in terms of storing them, and it’s great that they’re labelled for type of food used on them so you don’t cross-contaminate. While they aren’t the most exhilarating gift in my box, I do know they’ll come in handy in the future.

B-Low The Belt Croc Card Case

This was another surprise I receiving in my box that I was pretty pleased about. While I’m looking to get a proper wallet in the future, I’m a huge fan of card cases — I don’t carry around cash often anyway, and most of the purses I own are pretty small. I already have a similar pink card case from H&M I use often, but it’ll be nice to be able to switch up my wallet to match what I’m wearing.

Daily Concept’s Daily Facial Dry Brush

Okay, I haven’t gotten a chance to try this out yet but I’m SO curious about it. Apparently dry brushing is supposed to help exfoliate and boost circulation — in a way that’s simpler than exfoliating and crystal facial rolling. While I’m not going to use it as a complete replacement, it DOES seem like a good thing to incorporate to ensure I get a little bit of all these benefits in daily.

Aesthetica Liquid Eyeliner

While I’m more of a fan of pot and brush/felt tip liquid eyeliner, I’m always happy to receive extra liner. I haven’t had the chance to try this stuff out yet, but I’m sure it’ll be a fantastic addition to my makeup collection (and will help me save a little extra money on my next Sephora order after the next time I run out of liner!).

Add On: BOMSHBEE Sloane Champagne Flutes

Okay, bless this set. I’ve been working on adding more drink glasses to my collection (you know, in lieu of just drinking out of a mug. ~Adulting~ or whatever). These glasses are cute and modern, but also sturdy and dishwasher safe. I do have some cute Coupe-style champagne glasses for when I want something delicate, but it’s nice to have a larger set of something more practical for more frequent use.

Add On: Pure Aura Sheet Mask Trio

I figured I’d throw these into my box because I’ll never turn down a good sheet mask. I gave these a go for the first time last night, and I’m pretty impressed. My skin looked pretty glowy directly after, but the next morning I could definitely see the true results. My skin looked super clear and fresh — which was especially impressive considering I was having a pretty bad skin day the day before. However, the best part of this sheet mask (that I’ve never witnessed in a sheet mask EVER before) was that it came in two pieces — one for your nose-and-up, and one for your chin. For once, the sheet mask actually FIT my face — instead of being a sloppy, oversized-mess all over my face. I’ve always distinctly disliked sheet masks for this sole reason — they’re kind of a pain in the ass to wear regularly. The only mask I’ve ever seen to do this is Dr. Jart+’s rubber masks, which you all know I adore. Basically, these masks are a win in my books, and I’m definitely going to look into getting more masks from this brand sometime soon.

Add On: Speaqua Wireless Charger Makeup Organizer

I’m crazy about this addition to my box, for somewhat similar reasons I’m excited for the Impression Vanity Mirror. When I finally get a desk and a makeup set-up, not only will I appreciate all the cute and stylish storage space I can get my hands on — but this storage unit comes with a build in wireless phone charger (!!!). I’ve never had a wireless charger before, but I can’t even imagine how convenient it’ll be to keep my phone nearby while I’m getting ready to go out and know it’ll have a full charge by the time I leave. I’ve spent years running back and forth to check on my charging phone while doing my makeup — but it really kinda feels like the future is NOW when I can charge my phone by simply placing it on my makeup organizer. Seriously, could this BE any more convenient?

Add On: Rosy Rings White Tea & Ginger Reed Diffuser

You guys already know by now that I’m kinda obsessed with all things fragrance. Candles, Saje…you name it, I’ve tried it. A while back, I saw a reed diffuser like this in Indigo and decided to try it out. Turns out, reed diffusers are a bit of a game changer when it comes to keeping your bathroom smelling it’s best. They don’t really require any upkeep, nor do you have to worry about turning them on and off. They constantly diffuse a small amount of oil into the air, leaving your bathroom smelling fresh. However, my old one is about to run out, so when I saw this diffuser offered for such a great discount, I knew it would make a great refresher. Not only does it smell fantastic, but it’s also HUGE. Like, this thing is going to last me forever and at such a reasonable price. Fabfitfun is great, but their add-on sales are next level.

Add On: Bathorium Eucalyptus Apothecary + Sea Kelp Serenity CRUSH Duo

Once again, there’s really nothing better than Fabfitfun’s add-on deals. I’ve really been digging bath salts lately, and these two packages sounded SO fantastic. They’re absolutely massive, packed full of natural ingredients, and I’m sure they’ll last me a while (and they didn’t even cost that much for their size!). I’m looking forward to having a few good soaks with these in 2021 when I need to destress.

The only, and I mean ONLY, thing that has ever disappointed me about FabFitFun is that every time I receive a box it means I have to wait another three months to receive my next one. I’ve always made use of every product I’ve received, and even if it wasn’t the absolute best product I’ve ever tried — it’s never let me down either. I’ve made use of absolutely every gift I’ve ever received, and I always look forward to unwrapping every box and seeing what exactly I’ve been given. The element of surprise makes it all the more exciting receiving each box every season.

Stay tuned next week, when I’ll be reviewing my FIRST EVER ColourPop Cosmetics haul! I’ve been meaning to try out ColourPop for so long now, so I can’t wait to share all my thoughts with you guys!

Anyway, I hope that all of your new years have been off to a good start! And if they haven’t — well, don’t worry, we’re only two weeks into it. Either way, I hope you’re all feeling positive about the upcoming year and have been staying safe! Sending you all so much love and positive vibes.

Xox,

Meredith