ASOS

Getting to know me, 5 facts

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So I am totally in love with a brand called I am Gia, they offer a really cool unique almost streetwear vibe, so obviously I’d love it all, the problem with this brand is it is on the pricing side and even more pricy as I live in the UK and the items are shipped over from Australia. However on my hunt to find some black cuffed trousers like the iconic version from I am Gia, I found this most perfect dupe black cuffed trousers from Shein, they even have the cutest chain that can be added on or taken off as you see fit (I chose to remove . it with this outfit). Plus these beauts are only £23!! I have really got into Dorothy Perkins recently (in fact I’m using wearing some kind of DP item in most of my Instagram pictures!!) and how cute is this blue bag and khaki jacket both from Dorothy Perkins. You know you are getting quality, affordable items from DP and I think thats what I love about it.

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So as I have done in the past I guess I just wanted to let you guys know some more facts about me, to get to know me a little more;

1. I have quite a small family, only 1 uncle, no aunties and no cousins (lots of lovely second cousins but no first) this makes our little family so much closer, and of course I have gained a whole new family from my finances side, so it will only continue to get bigger.

2. I have the weirdest obsession with my hands and lips being dry (haha this is so weird!) I have to carry around hand cream and lip balm as this genuinely stresses me out!!

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3. I have 18 blazers..yes that is 18, and I know thats a lot, but I have some from years ago that I just can’t get rid of because they are still amazing, I feel like blazers are such a good items to purchase as they are so timeless and can we worn with some many items, my new fave combo is with joggers & trainers.

4. At the weekend I went to visit a lamb that lives in my brother kitchen! My brother and parents live on a farm, and they are currently in lambing season, unfortunately one sheep won’t take to to her baby, plus she has very little milk. So my brother is feeding him at certain times of the day to build up his strength, he is called Boris and is ridiculously cute.

5. My favourite thing in the world to do is watch Netflix’s on sofa with my fiancee & my dog Ralph, with snacks and the duvet, don’t get me wrong I do other things other than this, but if I could choose to do one thing it would be this!

Grace

Xx

Black cuffed trousers – Shein

Blue bag – Dorothy Perkins

Khaki Jacket – Dorothy Perkins 

Belt – Gucci 

Crop top – Calvin Klein

Trainers – ASOS

My best moments of 2017

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Lets do the outfit deats first loves, this faux fur jacket from Shein is so warm and cosy, I love how it is kind of cropped, I usually go for a more oversized style for a faux fur jacket, but I loved how different this is. Plus it is mega affordable as always at only £22, which is insane for a coat. The black jeans are my staple wide leg cut off jeans from Topshop, along with this white ribbed long sleeve top, that is a go to in my wardrobe for layering now the weather is colder.

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I think it is so important in life to look back on the year just passed and reminisce about the good times, the amazing moments you had and the great achievements you made, that should be remembered and celebrated. 2017 has actually been an insane year me, and my life has changed a lot, sometimes I find that we look back on the previous year and not much seems to have changed, for me this makes me feel quite uncomfortable, I like to be forever growing and developing, learning and experiencing new things.

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There is so much that I can talk about in 2017, but here are some of my highlights and things I will never ever forget;

  • January 2017 – starting to blog again, something I had intended to start doing years before but never really got the time, oh so I say 🙂
  • March 2017 – Trip to Lucca Italy with my partners family and my now future family. By the way guys, Luca is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, I really would recommend it
  • May 2017 – During a trip to Paris my boyfriend (now fiance) asked me to marry him, in a beautiful apartment we were staying in, on the Champs-Elysees, after a 3 course meal from a private chief. This was and will forever be the best night of my life. At 30 I was a little late finding the man of my dreams, but he’s here now and I can’t imagine my life without him.
  • May 2017 – I bought my first Gucci (clearly a very important development)
  • June 2017 – after 9 years in my previous job I moved to a new job at a new company, and it is one of the best moves I have ever made. I learn and develop my knowledge of digital marketing on a daily basis. Which I believe is such an important thing in any role, you must always be learning and developing, no matter how long you have been in the same job.
  • July 2017 – My fiance and I booked our wedding venue, July 27th 2019 here we come!
  • August 2017 – my fiance and I went on the holiday of lifetime where we spent 3 and a half weeks travelling across California & Nevada in America. We saw some absolutely amazing things, ate some amazing food, drove and amazing car and had quality time together that we will never ever forget
  • December 2017 – I hit 5000 followers on Instagram, this is huge for me and I want to say thank you to everyone, because I flipping love you all!

So here’s to 2018 babes, let’s have the best year ever.

Grace

Xx

Faux fur coat – Shein

Wide leg jeans – Topshop

Black leather boots – Topshop

Long sleeve white ribbed top – ASOS

Jeans styles for all body shapes

Hi babes, so the perfect style of jeans for me, are often very hard to find if not impossible! I have always had very large calves, no matter how much weight I put on or lose. I also have thighs that are on the larger side too, but I have a small waist. So I find that a lot of jeans are way to tight on my legs and too big on my waist. I’ve been on a huge hunt recently for the most perfect jeans and I’ve found 4 types that I just have to share with you;

Topshop – Jamie Jeans – best skinny jean

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The Topshop Jamie jean, in my eyes, are the perfect skinny jeans, they have just the right amount of stretch without being too jegging (ain’t nobody got time for that). The quality is also amazing, and at £40 I don’t think the price is bad at all. I used to be really into the Topshop Joni jeans, but actually I like belt hooks, and they don’t have them, trivial I know but where would the Gucci belt go? 🙂

Weekday – high waist skinny jeans – the best pale blue skinny

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I have only just discovered Weekday jeans and man are they good, like the Topshop Jamie jeans they have just the right amount of stretch, and I would actually say they are comfier than the Jamie jeans. I often find it really hard to find a good pair of pale skinny jeans as sometimes they can look cheap or unflattering on. These jeans retail at £50, which again I do not think is bad at all for a pair of jeans you will probably have for years.

ASOS – Ridley Jeans – best budget jeans

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Now the first thing I have to say about these jeans are they £25! 25 whole pounds!! Although the quality is not as good as the Weekday or the Topshop jeans, but for the price, I honestly do rate these jeans. I find that black jeans fade in the wash overtime so easily, so I’d rather buy a cheap pair, as I normally have to replace theme every 6 months or so. I’d say that the sizing for these jeans is not too generous, so if you are in-between sizes, my recommendation would be to choose the bigger size.

Levi’s 501 Jeans – Best ripped jeans

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Like jeans in general, me and ripped jeans have a very VERY bad relationship. It is very easy to get this type of jean wrong, think cheap material and rips in weird places! However there is not much that Levi’s do wrong when it comes to jeans, I mean they are the experts!! Also I don’t think you can beat the 501, such a classic style that is somewhere in between the skinny and the mom jean, which is just perfect! At the most expensive of my choices these beauts come at £85, but again for a pair of jeans you’ll wear for years I don’t think thats bad at all (especially when you get 20% off in the black Friday sales…whoop!!).

Grace

Xx

Fashion shoots – my secret

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First of all my loves lets take the time to admire this cable knit jumper of dreams, this jumper from Romwe (one of my fav fast fashion retailers). This jumper is so affordable at only £18 and its honestly so warm. I haven’t taken it off since I got it and I and I am so happy with it. Next to the cutest eye let jeans from Pimkie via ASOS, not only are the the cutest jeans ever they were also on £14 in the sale! Bargain! Finally the boots I can’t take off my feet, these Topshop black ankle boots, I love how they come that little higher up your leg than the standard ankle boot.

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So with a full time job and also as we move into winter and the light gets lower earlier, how do I have time to take all of my pictures? I post on Instagram 13 times a week, and most no more than 3 pictures of each outfit. Surely I don’t wear that many outfits during the weekend? I do not of course wear that many outfits in one weekend, that would be impossible!! So whats my secret? This is purely down to having a couple of hours at the weekend, a car and a very understanding fiancee!

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So the night before fashion shoot day I choose around 6/7 outfits, that I know I want to shoot for the coming weeks. Then the morning of the shoot I wear one of the outfits and add the rest into the boot of the car. We then drive to somewhere that we know has multiple outfit shot opportunities, also where it is slightly quieter. 1, because it can be embarrassing taking photos with lots of people watching, 2, because the car will become my changing room & ain’t nobody get time for being caught with just your bra on, haha! Then it’s as simple as changing your outfits and getting multiple shots of each outfit! Simple! Although this is such an easy thing to do, it really has revolutionised how I blog, as I used to worry about getting in as many outfits in one weekend as I could, which is just too unrealistic, now its all done in one morning! I hope this helps you babes, and good luck with your fashion shoots.

Grace

Xx

Cable knit jumper – Romwe

Eye-let jeans – Pimkie Via ASOS

Black sock boots – Sold out – Blue Version Topshop

Black bag – APC

Biker boots and setting new goals

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Pleated yellow midi skirts and lace-up biker boots, I flipping think so! I am so into this girly gone bad contrasting look, that we are seeing everywhere at the minute. This skirt and boots combo is exactly what I am talking about, a little bit girly, a little bit edgy. Plus this cut-off sweater from Zara, is an absolute staple that Zara will bring out year after year and I will (of course) keep wearing year after year.

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I love the hope of the new year, and all of the goal setting, and list writing possibilities it brings (for those of you that know me, will know that I love a list!) however this year I want to do things differently. No waiting around until New Year’s Eve, I’m setting my goals now. I am naturally a goal setter, and it really helps me to clear my mind, but I wouldn’t set that I achieve the goals I set that regularly and this frustrates me! Are my goals too unrealistic, are my milestones too unachievable? I actually think it is both of those things, but also so much more, so what am I going to do differently?

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Firstly I am going to visualise my goals, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to t end goal if you can’t see visualise what you are trying to achieve. So if you are trying to lose weight, cut a picture out of a magazine to motivate yourself on your journey. Making yourself accountable in my experience is hugely important. So I want to get fitter, and the best way for me to do this as a blogger & Instagrammer is to make myself accountable on my Instagram stories, tell my followers what I will be doing, and ask them for encouragement when I am struggling. Make yourself accountable to your friends and family, when you tell people, they will do all they can to help & encourage you. The next step is to break your goals down, of course as a blogger I want to grow and develop my blog, but getting to my end goal may seem massive and unachievable, so what should I do? Break this goal down to manageable bite sized pieces and set milestones. It is so much easier to visualise where you need to go and what you need to achieve, if you can see the steps in between, and also the sense of achievement when you hit each milestone. I hope this helps & I am now genuinely off to write my new goals, wish me luck!

Grace

Xx

Yellow pleated midi skirt – Mango

Cropped black sweater – sold out – similar Zara

Lace-up Boots – Pretty Little Thing

My favourite coats for autumn/winter

I always get really excited when it gets to autumn/winter, and I can really start thinking about what winter coats I want to wear. Although when the cold weather drops I then realise how much I really need the warm weather again, can’t win lol!! However right now I’m still in the excitement period, so I just wanted to share with you guys some of, what I think, are the key styles of coats for this season. With of course, you know I’ll be getting one of each :);

  1. The checked maxi coat

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I loved the camel maxi coats we saw all over the high street last year, but this year its all about the checked maxi and I flipping love it, this version from Topshop is a little bit pricey at £125 but I honestly think that its worth it as you’ll we wearing it all season.

2. Coloured faux fur

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No surprise on the fur coats for this season, but what I love about them this year is it is all about the colours. So not your average browns and muted creams, its all about pinks, blues, yellows. I actually have the above pink version from Topshop, and its so insanely warm, plus I don’t think its a bad price at £79.

3. The aviator

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Again I know we saw this style last year, but I think last year veered more towards the faux suede style, where as this year we are looking more of the faux leather styles, which I love so much more. The distinction between the faux leather and the fur is so much easier to see, rather than with the faux suede (if you can understand what I am going on about!).  I love this version from Zara however there are so many cheaper versions on sites such as New Look, PLT and Missguided that are just as nice.

4. Borg/sherling coat

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So to my last (and definitely not final, I could go on all day) pick of this seasons coats is the sherling/borg coat. I loveeeeee this style of coat, so warm and comfy, and again although there are lots of neutral coloured borg jackets around, I really am veering towards the coloured brighter versions. This red version from I am Gia a brand I have just discovered and am now obsessed with, is so perfect that I am definitely going to go out and buy this one, I love it!

Grace

Xx

Knits, silk & being hard on yourself

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I’ve been on a mission to buy as many jumpers as I can recently, in time for the cold weather, and this grey one from Shein is one of my favourites. It is amazing quality, I can’t wait to wear it with some wide legged trousers and heels, it’s also under £16, so great value for money. I love paring a top & bottom piece of a similar colour/tone.  Along with combinations of textures, so this knit grey knit and silk silver skirt are just the perfect combination for me. The skirt gives more of a lux feel to quite an everyday outfit. I don’t need to tell you guys how much of a staple a leather jacket is. I am actually on the lookout for an oversized version as we speak.

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I can be the queen of being hard on myself, its unfortunately a trait that has followed me since school. I feel I need to try as hard as I can and do the best I can, great you say? With this often comes the side effect of then beating yourself up (mentally) when you don’t achieve quite what you thought you would. Especially as you start to do well, whether that is in your job/hobby/family life, I find the better you get at something, and the more it starts to pay off, the harder you are on yourself and the more critical you become of your work.

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I am actually the hardest on myself when it comes to blogging, more than any other aspect of my life. I often look at my bank of pictures, ready to put on Instagram, and I can tear them apart in a matter of minutes. I have to remind myself on a daily basis that blogging is my hobby and it’s supposed to be fun, 90% of the time it is tremendous fun, the 10% of the time it’s not is purely down to me putting pressure on myself and overanalysing everything I do. My aim over the next few weeks is to just try to enjoy it more, it’s not my full-time job, it’s my hobby and I am blessed to be in the position to be able to put so much energy into it. So, my advice to any bloggers out there who are probably being too hard on themselves, remember to enjoy it. Who cares if you get 800 likes or 100 likes on a photo, if you love it then you’ve achieved something, do this for you, nobody else, and if other people appreciate what you do then that’s just a bonus.

Grace

Xx

Grey knitted jumper – Shein

Silky silver midi skirt – ASOS

Black leather jacket – Sold out – similar Zara

Black ring ankle boots – Zara

Black ‘Marmont’ bag – Gucci

 

Red knits and losing my fashion way

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This red jumper from Romwe is exactly what I have been looking for. Its honestly so warm and I love the length of it, not too cropped, or too long, meaning you can tuck the front into a skirt/pair of high-waisted trousers (it’s also a mega bargain). I love how both this autumn and last autumn, we saw the rise of the patent fabrics, not quite leather, not quite plastic. I love this type of skirt look so amazing paired with a knit, it dresses it down and brings it all together. Finally, the maxi trench, seriously everybody needs a trench like this, it’s just so versatile and it goes with everything.

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On the to the juicy bit!! I’d started feeling like I’d lost my sense of style a few weeks ago, this has come from putting on a bit of weight, the change of season & in a fashion sense I’ve just really felt a little lost. I’d seen so many amazing bloggers on Instagram wearing so many amazing styles that really just looked pants on me. So how have I got out of this rut? If I am honest I’m still getting out of it, but I’m feeling a lot better. Every couple of months, I find it very cathartic to just clear out my wardrobe and get rid of lots of things, that then enables me to see exactly what I have left in my wardrobe, and importantly what I still need.

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I try to make sure that what I am left with I absolutely love, rather than just keeping the things that I kind of like. I’ve also been doing sooooo much Instagram research into lots of outfits and styles on other blogger that I love, and that I know I would feel good in. Of course, that meant a couple of mini shopping sprees, but sometimes you just need a good shop! As a woman (and even more so a blogger) it’s a rubbish feeling looking in your wardrobe & thinking I hate it all! Therefore this week I intend to clear out, find old favourite items and get inspired.

Grace

Xx

Red knitted jumper – Romwe

Zip up black patent skirt – Pretty Little Thing via ASOS

Black western style ankle boots – Topshop

Trench coat – Topshop

Black backpack – Kendall & Kylie

Stripped Trousers & Body Confidence

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If you guys have not got into the stripped trouser trend then don’t worry lovelies there is still time! I love the sightly cropped element of these stripped versions from Shein, as I love wide leg trousers paired with trainers. This nude/pink hoody is crazy comfortable and  love it with these type of trousers. This outfit is the perfect weekend comfy outfit for me, pretty much one step up from PJs!

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I decided recently that I would love my readers to really get to know me, and for me to share some person things about me and my life. I think that as women we can learn from each other, by reading about our experiences and knowing that we can relate, and most of that time knowing that we are not crazy! So what I’d like to talk to you guys about today is body confidence, and what that means. For years I’ve had a constant battle with keeping my weight stable. I am by no means saying that I am overweight (I know thats not the case) but its always frustrated me that my weight can fluctuate so rapidly and I can start to very easily feel out of control.

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Right now is definitely one of those times, I call it my happy weight, because really for the first time in my life I’m very staple, the most perfect fiancee ever and my dream job. I often find it hard to really focus on too many things at a time and it is important that I focus on my relationship & family, my job & my blogging. However I am determined to get back to the gym and start looking after myself. Not because I want to lose weight, but because I finally want it to be staple and to feel confident about my body! I hope lots of you can relate to this lovelies, and I know that weight is not important, but how we feel about ourselves really really is ❤

Grace

Xx

Stripped wide leg trousers – Shein

Pink nude hoody – ASOS

Black trainers – Vans

Red Floral Body’s and the Wide Leg Jeans

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Welcome again to the most perfect Topshop jeans of the season. I have this pair in a black and also a washed blue and they are so flipping good!

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To this read floral body, if you are anything like me then you will love a body as much as I do, I think with a high-waisted jeans or high-waisted trousers they look so good. You guys know I love a red floral so was instantly drawn to this version.

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I’ve written about these black Topshop slingback ankle boots on the blog before and I honestly think everyone should own a pair. The slingback detail just gives that little bit of edge to the classic ankle boot which I love.

Grace

Xx

Black Wide Leg Jeans – Topshop

Red Floral Body – Sold Out – Similar Topshop

Black Slingback Ankle Boots – Sold Out – Similar Topshop