September 06, 2020
9 Apps I Use to Run My Fashion Blogging and Styling Business
Aren't mobile apps just the best? They can keep us entertained. They make it easier to stay in touch with people all over the world. And, they can organise just about any area of our lives! These 9 apps I use to run my fashion blogging and styling business make my life so much easier, plus they allow me to run my business from anywhere! Not all of the apps on this list are an essential part of running my business, but they do help with content creation and perfecting visual content for blog posts and social media. I've tried many apps for my tablet and iPhone but these are my top picks that I would highly recommend to you. 
Mosaico is an Instagram scheduling and content planning tool. It allows you to organise the images you plan to publish, rearrange to see how they will fit together on your grid before you post them. With Mosaico, you can also plan out your captions and add in your hashtags in advance to save you time. Finally, you can set times for your posts to go live. You will then receive a notification at that time because the app will not automatically post for you. I love this app. I am aware that there other Instagram scheduling tools on the market but this costs just a one-off fee instead of a monthly subscription. Occasionally the app does experience bugs and issues, in which case I would recommend Planoly as a similar alternative. However, as mentioned above, Planoly is one of the apps for which you have to sign up to a monthly subscription.
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my animated photos, such as this coffee picture, and this picture where my hair is moving. Again, there are many apps out there that do the same thing, i.e. allow you to animate your still photos. But I find this one to be the overall best. It is free to download and you can pay for additional photo effects to suit your preferences. Werble is easy to use, making it easy for you to put together a moving image in a few minutes. Since using this app, I've found that my engagement on social media has dramatically increased, which can only be a good thing. Whether you plan to use it for fun or to make your content more aesthetically-interesting, Werble is one to download!
Have you seen those flip clocks on PCs and mobile devices? Pictures of them are everywhere on social media. They are the perfect background for an Instagram-worthy picture and of course, very practical for those who need a clock in their life. Time and I do not have a great relationship! I often find myself caught between the day going by ever so slowly, or I leave everything until the last minute and minutes feel like seconds quickly passing by. I have the Fiqlo app on my phone and it is perfect for conveniently being able to look up to check the time as I'm working. Basically, you can open the app and use it as a screensaver whenever you need. Its large numbers make it easy to read so there is no need to unlock your phone to manually check the time and risk getting distracted.
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There is a huge choice of photo editing software out there. Some tools are simple to use, whereas others are more complicated and require studying tutorials before using them. I have found that VSCO is a great, easy to use photo editing tool for light adjustments, applying filters, and other minor edits. If you like the way that the Instagram editor works, you will like the layout of this one. VSCO has a similar user interface as Instagram but with more options.
I downloaded Facetune because I'd seen how it was amazing at correcting photos but then I forgot about it for a while. You've probably seen pictures of people who have smoothed out there skin, blurred the backgrounds of their photos, and somehow managed to hide unsightly objects hanging around in the background. Well, Facetune is an app that can help you with all of that and more! Yes, not everybody does the "smooth" setting justice, but don't let that put you off. If I've accidentally captured an ugly-looking bin in the background of one of my photos, I use the "patch" tool to cover over it with another part of the background. When my skin is looking particularly problematic and the camera has picked it up, I use the "smooth" option to smooth out my skin. If I want the bokeh effect, also known as narrow depth of field, I can blur the background of my image to bring the subject into focus. Whenever I have images that need "tidying up", I open Facetune and make some edits.
MAC users might be familiar with iMovie. It is available for mobile devices as well. iMovie enables you to quickly create high quality videos with ease. I really don't like using video editing software. Never before have I found a program that's met all my needs. Most of them don't allow me to do what I want to do or they make the process so slow and complicated. The only software or application that I have tried and been satisfied with the results provided has been this one.
Money. Love it. Hate it. It's a vital part of our daily lives. I've been using the Lucky Bitch Money Tracker for 3 years now and it makes tracking my expenses much more enjoyable. This app was created by Denise Duffield-Thomas, who is the author of Get Rich Lucky Bitch. It's interface is very feminine, which gives it a friendly vibe instead of feeling intimidating likes some finance tools. Whenever you earn money, you simply tap into into the app and it makes a really satisfying "ka ching" noise, which is only annoying to those who don't use the app! Set yourself financial goals each month, log your income, track your expenses, and be the financial goddess you've always wanted to be!
This app is only suitable for those with a Sony digital camera that has WiFi capabilities. I own a Sony blogging camera that I often take out and about with me. This app makes it convenient for me to transfer photos between my Sony camera and my iPhone in seconds. I've also recently discovered that you can use your phone to control the camera when using this app. The picture in this blog post is a photo taken with my camera, which was sat on my table but controlled through this app in my hand. I'd recommend both the camera and the app to up your photography game!
Like most people who run their own online businesses, I like to occasionally change my working location. The Pages app is a word processor with numerous features. In Microsoft terms, it would be similar to the Microsoft Office package. There are built-in templates for you to create word documents, CVs. spreadsheets, business cards, newspaper columns, and many more. No matter whether I choose to work from my phone while sat on the sofa, when travelling or if I'm working elsewhere, Pages makes it easy for me to write up blog posts comfortably from wherever I am at the time.
Have I missed any? I chose not to add in the standard social media apps on purpose. What apps do you use and recommend?
Mosaico
Mosaico is an Instagram scheduling and content planning tool. It allows you to organise the images you plan to publish, rearrange to see how they will fit together on your grid before you post them. With Mosaico, you can also plan out your captions and add in your hashtags in advance to save you time. Finally, you can set times for your posts to go live. You will then receive a notification at that time because the app will not automatically post for you. I love this app. I am aware that there other Instagram scheduling tools on the market but this costs just a one-off fee instead of a monthly subscription. Occasionally the app does experience bugs and issues, in which case I would recommend Planoly as a similar alternative. However, as mentioned above, Planoly is one of the apps for which you have to sign up to a monthly subscription.
Werble
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my animated photos, such as this coffee picture, and this picture where my hair is moving. Again, there are many apps out there that do the same thing, i.e. allow you to animate your still photos. But I find this one to be the overall best. It is free to download and you can pay for additional photo effects to suit your preferences. Werble is easy to use, making it easy for you to put together a moving image in a few minutes. Since using this app, I've found that my engagement on social media has dramatically increased, which can only be a good thing. Whether you plan to use it for fun or to make your content more aesthetically-interesting, Werble is one to download!
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Fiqlo
Have you seen those flip clocks on PCs and mobile devices? Pictures of them are everywhere on social media. They are the perfect background for an Instagram-worthy picture and of course, very practical for those who need a clock in their life. Time and I do not have a great relationship! I often find myself caught between the day going by ever so slowly, or I leave everything until the last minute and minutes feel like seconds quickly passing by. I have the Fiqlo app on my phone and it is perfect for conveniently being able to look up to check the time as I'm working. Basically, you can open the app and use it as a screensaver whenever you need. Its large numbers make it easy to read so there is no need to unlock your phone to manually check the time and risk getting distracted.
SHOP THE EDIT
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VSCO
There is a huge choice of photo editing software out there. Some tools are simple to use, whereas others are more complicated and require studying tutorials before using them. I have found that VSCO is a great, easy to use photo editing tool for light adjustments, applying filters, and other minor edits. If you like the way that the Instagram editor works, you will like the layout of this one. VSCO has a similar user interface as Instagram but with more options.
Facetune
I downloaded Facetune because I'd seen how it was amazing at correcting photos but then I forgot about it for a while. You've probably seen pictures of people who have smoothed out there skin, blurred the backgrounds of their photos, and somehow managed to hide unsightly objects hanging around in the background. Well, Facetune is an app that can help you with all of that and more! Yes, not everybody does the "smooth" setting justice, but don't let that put you off. If I've accidentally captured an ugly-looking bin in the background of one of my photos, I use the "patch" tool to cover over it with another part of the background. When my skin is looking particularly problematic and the camera has picked it up, I use the "smooth" option to smooth out my skin. If I want the bokeh effect, also known as narrow depth of field, I can blur the background of my image to bring the subject into focus. Whenever I have images that need "tidying up", I open Facetune and make some edits.
iMovie
MAC users might be familiar with iMovie. It is available for mobile devices as well. iMovie enables you to quickly create high quality videos with ease. I really don't like using video editing software. Never before have I found a program that's met all my needs. Most of them don't allow me to do what I want to do or they make the process so slow and complicated. The only software or application that I have tried and been satisfied with the results provided has been this one.
Lucky Bitch Money Tracker
Money. Love it. Hate it. It's a vital part of our daily lives. I've been using the Lucky Bitch Money Tracker for 3 years now and it makes tracking my expenses much more enjoyable. This app was created by Denise Duffield-Thomas, who is the author of Get Rich Lucky Bitch. It's interface is very feminine, which gives it a friendly vibe instead of feeling intimidating likes some finance tools. Whenever you earn money, you simply tap into into the app and it makes a really satisfying "ka ching" noise, which is only annoying to those who don't use the app! Set yourself financial goals each month, log your income, track your expenses, and be the financial goddess you've always wanted to be!
Sony Play Memories
This app is only suitable for those with a Sony digital camera that has WiFi capabilities. I own a Sony blogging camera that I often take out and about with me. This app makes it convenient for me to transfer photos between my Sony camera and my iPhone in seconds. I've also recently discovered that you can use your phone to control the camera when using this app. The picture in this blog post is a photo taken with my camera, which was sat on my table but controlled through this app in my hand. I'd recommend both the camera and the app to up your photography game!
Pages
Like most people who run their own online businesses, I like to occasionally change my working location. The Pages app is a word processor with numerous features. In Microsoft terms, it would be similar to the Microsoft Office package. There are built-in templates for you to create word documents, CVs. spreadsheets, business cards, newspaper columns, and many more. No matter whether I choose to work from my phone while sat on the sofa, when travelling or if I'm working elsewhere, Pages makes it easy for me to write up blog posts comfortably from wherever I am at the time.
Have I missed any? I chose not to add in the standard social media apps on purpose. What apps do you use and recommend?
