01/07/2015

Blog Relaunch and Makeover

laptop.jpg-1200x800

Welcome back, kittens. You might have noticed that things are looking a little different around here. LilyKitten.com has had a little (or large) makeover and what better way to launch my new look and feel than on the 1st July – the start of a new month, the start of (true) summer and the start of a new blogging era for us!

Giveaway

As a little launch party celebration, I am also giving all of my readers the chance to win a Summer Chocolate prize bundle with a huge Hotel Chocolat giveaway. Don’t say I never treat you!

Just follow the Rafflecopter steps below for your chance to win a box each of delicious Hotel Chocolat Chocs to Chill*, Mocktail Minidomes* and Fruity Bombs*. Easy peasy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fresh Content

To celebrate, I’ve got tons of new blog posts all posted today and ever post on the homepage is brand new; a whole mix of fashion, lifestyle, beauty and Manchester. I know I update regularly anyway, but to have so many new posts all at once is kinda a big deal. Go on, grab a cuppa and a biscuit, come back and have a proper read. Take a break. Treat yo’self.

It might not effect most of you that much, but it feels so great for me to finally make this change. Hopefully it will also make your experience over here a little easier to read, share and interact with, too.

Design

The design is also pretty different to my old layout – very different in fact. I’d been wanting a cleaner, crisper, more modern look for over a year and sometimes, life just gets in the way. Finally, I couldn’t wait anymore and just went with it – I bought a standard layout design and went ahead and customised it to my heart’s content. I’ve still got my old Lily Kitten logo (can’t let go of that) but I don’t want things quite so white, I still want to get my trademark pink union jack design in there somewhere…

Development

If you’re a fellow blogger, you might be interested to know that I have switched from the Blogger/Blogspot platform to WordPress. It’s a change I’ve been wanting to make for SO long and I finally bit the bullet, with a whole blog design makeover to boot! Being self-hosted means that options are almost limitless and having used Blogger for many years I was slightly concerned it would take a while to get used to… I needn’t have worried. Instantly I felt like I had used WordPress forever. It’s so intuitive and easy to use. It’s a Digital gal’s love.

With WordPress, things are very different. I’m still playing around with the features, teaching myself about plugins, widgets and bits of CSS, but honestly I am so pleased and really enjoying the new learning curve. I always want to improve my Digital skills and this is just another challenge for myself.

What’s next?

So in short – I’ve got my blog motivation back. I hadn’t so much lost it, I was just so set in my ways. But life is about change and events recently have made me realise how short life really is… In short, now I feel like the blogosphere is my oyster and I am so excited to see where the next three years of my blog career will take me.

Won’t you join me on this journey?

37 responses to “Blog Relaunch and Makeover”

  1. Tracey Peach says:

    Congratulations on your new blog look, I think it looks FAB!.

    I love reading reviews the most xxx

    • Lily says:

      Wow Tracey, that was quick! I haven’t even shared this post yet :)

      Thanks so much for reading x

  2. janet humphrey says:

    Love reviews of products especially when they have such good photos. Cant stand the ones where you have to squint at the screen…!

  3. Fiona Paley says:

    I love reading about new products that I might not discover otherwise. I also like posts with some humour to make me smile.

  4. katie skeoch says:

    A mixture of beauty reviews & shopping bargains!

  5. ashleigh allan says:

    NEw products just out!

  6. laura banks says:

    i like reading reviews it gives me inspiration

  7. Alison says:

    I like reading about beauty reviews

  8. Alina says:

    The design and layout looks great and very user friendly! I much prefer WordPress as I found I could personally do more of what I want without too much hassle. Looks like I’m not the only one and glad it’s working out for you :) Thanks for sharing the choc love hehe x

    Alina from The Fairytale Pretty Picture

  9. Leanne Lunn says:

    Reviews I love watching vlogs aswell.

  10. Sam loughlin says:

    Loving your blog

  11. I love favourites and Top 10 posts!

  12. Alica says:

    I like to read honest reviews :)

  13. aaron broad says:

    I enjoy reading reviews

  14. Michelle Banks says:

    i love reading about new beauty products and make up ideas x

  15. ode2vogue says:

    Love the new look! X

    http://ode2vogue.blogspot.com

  16. marsha richardson says:

    I love reading reviews for products. Any products. It gives me a ‘normal’ persons perspective on the item rather than the company selling it! Great blog by the way!

  17. clair downham says:

    beauty reviews and giveaways

  18. William Gould says:

    Wife loves reading the reviews, especially on the “high-end” items – she has expensive tastes! :(

  19. Christine Caple says:

    I like reading product reviews.

  20. Katherine De Riera says:

    I love reading reviews and posts about fashion and beauty.
    Thank you for the great giveaway and congrats on your relaunch!

  21. John Russell says:

    Do you know something Lily. I look around me and see the world has changed so from when I was a young boy. some things never change like the flowers in the garden or the blue sky.
    I appreciate and get that nostalgic feeling inside when I see a woman that looks and dresses in a delicate and most feminine way as you. In the broad sense I don’t think there has been any innovative or stylish fashion for a long time. its refreshing to look on your site. take care…

  22. Sheri Darby says:

    I love reading reviews of make up

  23. lindsay chadburn says:

    i love beauty reviews

  24. Victoria Prince says:

    Love the look of the blog :)

    My favourite posts are the food and drink ones

  25. Alison says:

    Definitely reviews, particularly of products I might not have heard of yet. It’s fun to find out about what’s out there.

  26. Hannah Ingham says:

    I like reading about what people are getting up to and their photos alongside this!

  27. kim neville says:

    I like reading different reviews. Like your new design – stands out more :-)

  28. Anthea Holloway says:

    Books, recipes and beauty guides.

  29. Hannah Igoe says:

    Its so good to hear the switch was easy to wordpress, I really like reading about practical blog stuff like this and just hearing it worked or not and that others have the same kind of fears I do!

  30. david cavender says:

    Ones which do reviews of products

  31. Jordan says:

    This one :)

  32. Sammi McSporran says:

    I love reading reviews and hauls!

  33. Claire Ward says:

    Love the new look

  34. trevor linvell says:

    I like reviews of new products

  35. Kerry Locke says:

    Loving The Great New Blog look .. I love haul posts the most .. loving your June Favourite Vlog

Meet The Creator

Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.

latest vlogs