With the overwhelming amount of ads splattered across Instagram, it can often be hard to discern whether a blogger’s recommendation is authentic or just another sellout moment. I’ve spoken about my own “selling out” moment previously, followed by a post on why you should trust me, but I think at the end of the day, you just have to trust your gut. 

I’ve been in the industry for seven years now and it doesn’t take long to spot a fake. If you see someone posting an ad a day for every product under the sun, from toothpaste to weight loss drinks, guaranteed that person is doing it for the paycheck. I will never understand why brands continue to send those bloggers work since their endorsements are so inauthentic, but that’s a conversation for another time. 

If you’ve been following for a while, you probably have a sense of the type of products I love, along with my personal aesthetic. You’ll also have seen me promote all of the items in this post at some point. Yes, I was paid to feature them, but call me obsessed. These twelve products have turned into some of my all time favorite, go-to recs. 

I recently came across an interesting post warning bloggers not to specifically state that a recommendation is “not sponsored,” since it makes sponsored posts look less authentic, but I do feel it necessary to say that I was not paid to create this roundup.  

Let me know if any of the above products have worked for you! Always happy to hear your feedback.

xx Esther