Here it is 12:37 a.m., and Makeup and Beauty Blog is playing dress-up.
I hope you like the new layout. I’ll be ironing out the kinks over the next few days (hopefully most of them tomorrow), but take a look around, and let me know what you think.
A few of the new changes…
- A much-improved search engine (thanks to Google!)
- A brand drop-down menu (I’ll be adding the links to the brand posts in it soon)
- A whole slew of galleries with ga-jillions of pictures
- And more stuff I’m sure I’m forgetting now because it’s way past my bedtime
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I love it Karen!
Really nice. Good job 🙂
Hi Line,
I’m glad you like it! Have you checked out the new galleries? They’re probably my favorite part. Them and the better search engine. 🙂
Have a good one today.
O wow, very different! The header is too big for my taste but it looks neat!
Oh that is really cool! Great Job!
Thank you, Brittany! Now with a working search engine and better navigation, hopefully specific posts are easier to find. 🙂
Ahhh!!! *helpless flailing*
The header looks nice and crisp, but I think it takes up too much space. I’m using a large Macbook and have to scroll down just to see the blogpost title. I find the ads in the right hand column interspersed with the blog sections to be confusing – perhaps it would be neater to group the ads together? The ad bar before the comments section is also very long.
Hi, Iris. Thank you for the feedback. That’s the kind of stuff I’m looking for. I’m taking everything you wrote here into account. I know that the header is large, as in huge, and I may end up shrinking it a bit, but I’m also torn because, um, I love large pictures. 🙂
For the sidebar, I do see what you mean. I may try to place that sidebar skyscraper ad, which is the tallish one in the middle, in a box with a pretty background to distinguish it better from the other stuff around it.
second this! although i am not using a mac, just a normal laptop with mozilla firefox, i seem to see the same things.
I too think that the header is too big and would love to see the ads be grouped together. You want your content to shine, not the ads (though I assume you do want people to click on them so you can earn money 🙂 )
Hi, Debbie. Thank you. I’ll try some different arrangements in the sidebar and see how that goes.
Oh, wow! I love the new layout!
Oh Karen, it looks great! I really like it. So sleek and chique 🙂
Thanks, Kiss & Make-Up! I wanted something new but didn’t want to lose the open feel that the old design had. I loved the old design, but it had some technical issues that were becoming big problems for me. It was time for a change. Have a great day.
Looking swaaaaank, Karen!! 🙂 Did you do all of the work yourself or did you have someone redesign the site?
It’s very exciting, something new for Fall!
Forgot to add – I especially love the new ‘sharing icons’. The old ones used to drive me crazy as the box would pop up anytime my cursor was nearby, and it’d hide the ‘read more’ link I was after. Yay!
It’s beautiful, especially the header! But it’s gonna be hard for me to get used to this one because I really liked the old look =/ We got a tabby in HD in here, though. Hmm..
Hi, Nina. I think I know how you feel. I loved the old design. Really loved it, and I was also very used to it. It had some annoying issues, though. The search engine was basically useless, I wasn’t entirely happy with the width of the main column, which seemed a little narrow to me over time, and I wasn’t happy with the navigation. It didn’t have a good way to find posts that were older than a few weeks.
Hopefully the new design, especially through the new galleries, which are all customizable, so that I can create new ones any time, will make it easier and more fun to dig through some of the older posts. Plus, the search engine works about a billion times better! 🙂
You have a wonderful hump day, okay? Talk to you soon.
I love the sleek yet feminine feel to the new layout – I really like the scalloped edges. Like some, I feel the header is a wee bit wide and I’d have loved for your content to be wider. Otherwise, it looks very good and I’m sure we’ll get used to it in no time 🙂
Hi, Paris. Thank you. The header is the thing I’m probably the most concerned about. I love it…but I know that it’s big. HUGE even. Might have to shrink it a tad.
The main content column is actually about 10% wider than it was on the old design, but the font size is also considerably larger (and hopefully easier to read), so it doesn’t always seem as wide. My width for images, though, increased from about 540px to 620, so that’s a pretty big jump for images.
Still got quite a few more fixes to work through… I know what I’m doin’ today, LOL! Have a nice day out there.
Ah you maybe right – the larger text does seem to take up more space and maybe the extra space around the content box gives the impression its smaller than it looks. A redesign is hard work – good job! 😀
Looks great on a 13-inch Macbook pro 🙂
http://abundanceoferica.blogspot.ca
Good to hear, Erica! Thanks. 🙂
It looks really nice but… I think I liked the old one better… However, that might be because I was used to the old one! Anyways good job 🙂
Yaaay this is so cool! Love the pictures in the header and the new font! The kitty at the bottom is cuuuuuute!
Hi, Sunny! I’m really glad you like it. The new font is cute, right? One of the things that bothered me about the old design was the font styling and size. It was very tiny and difficult for me to read. I think this new one is much easier on the eyes.
And yup, that little kitty down there in the sidebar is actually Tabs (except that he’s sucking in his tum, LOL!).
LOVE LOVE LOVE xx
Oh, I love it! Your top banner is very nice and I like the new logo/font for Makeup & Beauty Blog – sweet kitty ears. The whole layout is great. Well done! I have a feeling Tabs lobbied hard for that shadow at the bottom. 🙂
Hi, Kim. Oh, yes, he most certainly did. 🙂 He’s a tough negotiator. He was basically all, “And if you want to get even 10 minutes of sleep this week, you’re also putting an image of me down in that sidebar. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
So what do you think about the masthead/header? It’s big, right? Do you think it’s too big?
Ah, Tabs. He’s just that kind of cat. 🙂
I actually like it a lot. I know it’s personal taste but I feel like it’s very striking and the images you’re using are perfect. If this was my first visit, the visuals would make me want to read the posts. Once people start reading, the great writing and content keeps them coming back, but for first timers, I think the look is the most important. This is just gut feeling, but I think the vast majority of people interested in makeup are very influenced by visuals. So, short story made long, I like it and think it was a good choice. 🙂
Oh wow Karen, this is definitely a very big change! I love it, it looks so nice and clean!
I love the kitty feature of “&” 😀
Hi, Mojito!!! That was one of my absolute favorite things about the new design. I’m glad you like it too. 🙂
I love the new layout! It is easy to navigate and I especially like the silhouette of Tabs at the bottom. Tell him it makes him look very svelte! 🙂 Best wishes, Karen, and keep up the great work!
Looks great! It’s sleek, glam, modern, and sophisticated. Way to go!
I love it! So crisp! Good job Karen!
I really like your blog’s new layout – it’s very clean without feeling empty. 🙂 Love how it’s not cluttered, but that you still were able to pack in a lot of content and photos, too. 🙂 Keep it up, Karen!
Very nice! I like it. But I have to say that I just love your hair in that photo.
OMG LOVE! It looks great!
LOVE it, Karen! Looks amazing – I just love everything about it! 😀
I love the new layout. Its sleek, funky and suits you! Plus I love that EvRev is in your website header! That’s a nice personal touch.
I love love love it! Its cleaner and more mod! But then again, the fact that MBB is fab wont change! 🙂
Hi, Nina! Aww, you’re always so sweet. Thank you. I’m glad you like the new design.
You did an awesome job!
Karen I LOVE the new layout! So impressed!
Weee there’s a kitty on the ampersand! 😀 😀 Pretty cool that your header doubles as a feature slideshow. At first thought it felt too tall to me (like Iris above), but as a feature slideshow I like it that big.
Love the redesign! Meow~!
I’m a fan! It looks very chic. I like it better than the old one.
It’s really cute! I do agree with the others I wish I could see some of the content before the “fold,” as it were, but it’s a really cute revamp!
Hi, Christina. It should look a little different now. We removed some padding below the big header at the top to bring the content up a little more. Let me know if that helps.
It looks really good. The header is soo cute!
Sexy blog! Love it 🙂
Whoooooa nelly! It looks amazing! Great job, Karen!
Thanks, Christine!
it loads real fast! Much better than the old one I think! great job♡♡
Looks great!
Totally gorgeous! Way to go! Love it.
Woah! Your new layout is very elegant. Kudos!
Mobile site is broken 🙁 at least on my phone. I’ve actually never seen the old because I’ve always used the mobile version, but it seems to look nice!
Hi, Kathleen. The mobile site is almost there. I’m working on it. I hope to have it fixed today.
Hope your day got off to a good start.
LOL, I thought I was at the wrong blog, haha. I got really confused. 😛
It looks good, btw.
CHRIS!!! How’s it going? Yup, things sure look different, don’t they? I’m glad you like it.
Enjoy the rest of your day. 🙂
I love the new layout! It’s very sleek and sophisticated.
Love it Karen.. I’m wondering.. was it a spur of the late night moment? It looks like it took a lot more planning and time than that.
Its gorg! love the pink + black + the tabby silhouette at the bottom.
Hi, Linnea. Haha! No, it certainly wasn’t just a one-night project. I’ve been working with a developer on it for a couple months, but we’d planned to turn it on today. It was a last-minute decision to do it late last night.
Glad you like the colors, too. I wanted a new accent shade that seemed more sophisticated than bubble gum pink…but I couldn’t bring myself to stray too far away from pink.
And per usual, Tabs had to have his say over the final design. Did you also notice his influence in the new logo? 🙂
Ev Rev, Lady K and Tabs in high-def: that header ROCKS! Me likey! Not to mention the Tabs silhouette :).
Really love the new layout. It’s elegant.
I’m going to agree that the header seems too big. But I LOVE the footer. Cute! Also, the font is…something. I know, helpful, right? I think the font’s a little big. 🙂
Cute though! Yay for new layouts!
Hi, Trisha. Thank you. The header is certainly the most controversial new aspect, but I couldn’t resist the things I knew I could do with a space that size. The tendency has been to shrink headers lately, shrink logos, and move the content higher up the page along with the ads, but I wanted to buck the trend this time. We’ll see how things go. I may try something different a little down the road.
Love Love Love!
Love it, beautiful
I love the new look!!! The first thing I thought when the page loaded was “wow, this is beautiful!”. I love the size of the header as it really shows off your amazing photography skillz!
The new look is more streamlined but still funky and whimsical!
Great job!
Hi, Andrea. Funky and whimsical are two of my favorite words! 🙂 I’m glad you like it.
I love the new look, but the font needs to change. It’s too “childish” and reminds me of a lemonade stand. I like the larger header and the easiness on the eyes.
Oh my god, Karen! The new layout looks AWESOME. I really loved the old one, but this one is even better. It’s got a lot of style and also reflects your cat love! Great job, and I’m excited to read your upcoming posts with the new look.
Beautiful!! Great job, Karen! =D
This looks fantastic Karen! Wow! I really love the new look!
I love the cat ears and tail on the &! So cute!
Hi. It looks ok on laptop. But not on mobile or itouch. The actual blog posts are overlapping with sidebars and its hard to read.
It should be working on your iTouch now, Khalilah. 🙂 Have a great day.
Oh wow! This is amazing 🙂
xo
OMG! I love the new blog layout. So cool! It’s purrrfect 🙂
I love the new look, but, I agree the header may be a tad too big. I also love Tabs at the bottom, and Tabs in the header. Very creative and cute!
Hi, Tiffany. I’m glad you like it. I’m taking every bit of feedback into account, in particular about the header, so thank you. I knew that it would be the most controversial part of the new design, but I couldn’t resist the potential of what I could do with it.
Honestly, the trend in design has been to minimize the header area because of some changes Google recently made, penalizing sites that have a great deal of ads and whatnot above their posts. In this case, I decided to take a chance and just go with what I like, which is HUGE pictures, LOL!
I’ll keep an eye on it and consider the feedback. Maybe I’ll shrink the header a little down the line.
Hope you’re having a good hump day so far. Tabs says hi. 🙂
Thanks for replying! I love your site, so, whatever works best for you is fine with me! 🙂 i am glad Tabs is still playing a prominent role on the site. Lol Oscar and Maxwell (our two kitties) say hi to you and Tabs! Have a great day!
OMG KAREN!!! I love that Tabs (just a little less tubby ;D) is at the bottom of the blog and that you added cat ears and a tail in the blog’s logo. SO CUTE! Awesome new look!
Ohmygah! LOVES this. Klassy and purrrfect. ♥
The header pics are gorgeous!! I can’t stop staring at the one with the red/pink lipsticks and Evolution Revolution!
I love the new layout! The only thing I don’t love (and I don’t see that anyone else mentioned it, so I may be in the minority here) is the choice of font for the content of the blog posts and the comments. I find it to be a little blocky and harder to read than the old font.
Hi, Christie. A couple people have mentioned the font. On my end, I see it as a font called Sophia Pro, and it is a little blocky, but if the person viewing the page doesn’t have that font installed, they’ll see the closest option they have on their system. I wish I could tell from the viewer’s point of view which font they’re being shown, like if it’s Sophia Pro, like I see, or if it’s one of the alternates, because they all look quite different.
After Sophia Pro, if that’s not available on the user’s machine, they see Helvetica, and if not Helvetica, then Arial, but they all look quite different.
I may switch it up from time to time and see how I feel about things using the old font, which was called Verdana. I definitely did want it to be larger on the new design than it was. I was having a hard time reading it because it was so small on the old design.
I love the new layout! It’s sleek and beautiful!
Loving the new look!
O my! I love it! It looks so much more classy than before. Really like the new logo aswell!
Wow! Love the beautiful new look!
Well done Karen!! The bog looks fantastic after what must have been a lot of hard work!! Must go check out the galleries now!!
LOVE it Karen!
I love the new look! Especially the kitty silhouettes all around.
Good job, girl!
It’s SOOOO BEAUTIFUL, and user friendly!!! :]
I said WOW aloud when I saw this. WOW!
It looks great, Karen. I must say, I think it looked good before too (I have yet to see how much more user-friendly it is), but a change of pace is always nice, right?
Love the new design – it’s super sleek! I love the kitty in your logo, and at the bottom of the page! I agree with the other commenters that the header is quite large (on my computer, it takes up almost 3/4 of the page), and the tall ad before the comments interrupts the page flow. Also I wanted to mention that your site takes a long time to load so I usually just read your posts in Google Reader, but I’d love to come to your site more and see all the pretty things here!
GIRRRRLLLLL I’m in lurrrvve! This is perfect–clean and sophisticated, just like yourself! Thumbs up, paws up! <3
I really like the header and the clean, simplified design. My only qualm would be with the bright blueish white background, which, displayed on a computer monitor, tends to be a little overwhelming on my eyes.
Ahh! I saw the new layout this morning, but didn’t get a chance to comment!
I agree with the concerns about the header, which is sleek, but a bit big. I guess more use of the new layout will tell what other glitches us MBB visitors are experiencing, otherwise it’s so beautiful, Karen! Just promise that this new, classy vibe doesn’t detract too much from the endearing silliness I love about MBB.
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! It’s changed!!!!!! THE BLOG HAS CHANGED!!! *cue autistic breakdown*
Oh God, now what am I going to do? I need a map! *ventures out with trepidation holding Zena close to chest like Toto in The Wizard of Oz. % seconds later puts Zena on the floor because she weighs too much.*
*Five
Love it!! Great job. 🙂
Karen you hair looks GREAT!!!!!! I just had to tell you that lol you are looking good lolî—î—î—
I love the new design! Very cute 🙂
I’m feeling nostalgic (lol) about the old design! It was so cute and it had a very personal touch it but the new design is very sleek and clean! Good job with the formatting – i’m sure it’ll be just as awesome!
Hi, Amanda. I think I know how you feel about the old design. Turning on the new one was like when you move and say goodbye to your old house. I bet I spent thousands of hours having fun on those old pages and chatting with nice people like you, but you know, the old design isn’t gone. It’s actually still here (on the server), waiting perhaps for a special holiday to come out for a bit. 🙂
Have a great night.
Love the new outfit!! Way to go Karen!
Ooooh wheee! The blog is looking fantastic! Awesome job! ^__^
I think the new look is stunning! I especially love your new header.
It’ll definitely take awhile getting used to the new layout now that it’s centered but the font is awesome!!! I also love how Tabs snuck into the new MBB logo too!
I love your new design, Karen! It’s so sleek and I love the little hints of CAT LADY-NESS! 😀 I can’t get over the little ears on Makeup “&” Beauty Blog.
hi karen,
i’m a longtime reader, but first-time commenter.:) love the new design, it looks so modern and chic. thanks for your GREAT blog – it’s my favourite source of makeup-related stuff!
I like it – very clean & graphic!
Hi Karen, I’m been reading your blog for a while and I’m a really big fan. However, I am finding the new font in all the posts and comments really hard to read – it’s so wide (I use a Mac, and Firefox and Safari browsers). Is it just me?
FYI – your hair looks amazing!
Simply gorgeous!
Looks great Karen! I just got a chance to look at it on my macbook. But I thought that you for sure would use Comic Sans somewhere around here… hee hee
I miss the simplicity of the older design, but this looks great too. The only thing I would change is the size of the header, it’s really big. Other than that, great work!
I think your update has been way overdue only because there are several other bloggers that have copied your previous layout. I love the new logo too!
Hi, Annabella. I’m glad you like it. Aren’t those kitty ears cute? 🙂
What are you up to this weekend?
The new layout is pretty, but loads so slowly on my iPhone that I prefer the old version because it’s much faster.
Hi, Julia. I’m still tweaking some things that should make it faster and hope to have a full-fledged mobile theme ready soon that will be much faster on your iPhone. Hope you’re having a nice weekend so far.
Karen! I just want to comment that the new design is fab!!! So sleek and professional, I really really love it! and the photos look extra crisp this way. Great job!
Wow! It really looks great. I love how it’s a 180 from your previous design.
Personally, I think the header throws me off because the content + sidebar isn’t as wide as the main image at the top. If possible, I’d recommend making the content wider so it plus the sidebar matches the width of your header. I like big headers, especially for blogs that have a leg up on the game because your content is so consistently strong. I don’t think the concern of going “beyond the fold” is much for you to worry about. 🙂
For reference, this is what I mean: http://sandrajuto.blogspot.com/, or http://www.helloitsvalentine.fr/.