For someone who has only been blogging for a couple of years Lily Pebbles has made quite an impact. She has been featured in numerous publications and has been awarded Grazia’s Beauty Blogger of the Week and Shortlisted for Blogger Awards by Look magazine, Marie Claire and the Beautilicious Blog Awards. What I Heart Today covers beauty topics with a dash of lifestyle, product reviews, fashion shows from a beauty perspective, outfit posts, and restaurant reviews. On top of that Lily also produces great YouTube videos where she takes us through products that she is loving at the moment and her latest fashion and beauty hauls. Add that to her weekly Instagram posts and you have a pretty great view into the fabulous life of Lily Pebbles.  She took time out to tell me more about her blog.

What made you start blogging?
I’d been reading blogs for a year or so before starting my own and I always wanted to, But the final push came from my University who asked us to start one as part of my course. Noone then really knew much about blogging but I used the blogs I followed as inspiration and started working out what I wanted mine to be like.

Describe the concept behind What I Heart Today and how did you come up with the name?
When I first started my blog I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to focus on. At the time I was passionate about so many different things, so I decided to call it What I Heart Today as it was a place where I could talk about everything I loved. What I Heart Today now focuses mainly on beauty with a bit of fashion and London lifestyle thrown in. I’m sure the blog will keep evolving and change depending on my interests at the time.

Over the last few years bloggers have really made their mark in blogsphere, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
You’re right, bloggers really have made their mark and it’s amazing to be involved in such a new and exciting industry. I think the more traditional medias like magazines are starting to notice the influence bloggers have and I think it’s great that instead of seeing us as competition, come are embracing bloggers and working alongside them. I think in the future we’ll be seeing more and more bloggers being used instead of models in campaigns and instead of celebrities in new product launches. Bloggers are real and have a tight community they bring with them when working on a new project.

Your blog is very slick, how did you decide on the look?
Thank you! I’ve changed my blog layout quite a few times, it’s just about playing around with it until it feels right. I’ve always wanted quite a plain and simple layout so that the main focus can be on the content and the images. I just thought of what I look for in a blog and implemented that on my own.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
It’s pretty full-time at the moment, but when I’m not taking photos, writing posts or filming videos, I’m usually eating out with friends, shopping or hanging out with my ever expanding family.

Describe a typical day in the life of Lily.
Ok, I’d say Sunday is my most productive day (strangely) so let me describe a typical Sunday. I wake up around 9.00am, shower with my most refreshing products and do my hair and makeup. Whilst trying to wake up I take my blog photos of the products I’ve been trying not to use all week (so I wouldn’t ruin them for the photos). I’ll then set up my tripod and camera, clean my room and film a video. By that time it’s usually lunch and I’ll probably meet up with all my family for an Italian at our favourite restaurant. After lunch I’ll come home, edit my video, edit my photos and write up my posts for the week ahead. Sunday nights are reserved for watching TV whilst using a face mask and painting my nails.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
I’ve always loved ELLE and it’s the only magazine I have a subscription too. I keep the special edition covers and frame them for my wall as the images are so gorgeous. Apart from that it’s mainly weeklies such as Company, Glamour, LOOK and Grazia. I love Company’s re-design and they’re great at supporting bloggers.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Vivianna Does Makeup, Liana Beauty, Essie Button, Gh0stparties and A Beauty Junkie in London. Wow, it’s hard to narrow it down to five, but I really do check these blogs everyday.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
I don’t really know the route my blog will take and that’s kinda what I like about it. I’m just going to keep working hard on it and see where it naturally goes. I’ll have more time to dedicate to it soon so expect to see more in-depth posts, nail tutorials and maybe even some food posts.

Check out Lily’s blog.

You can follow her on Twitter.