blogger style

What camera I use and how I edit my pictures

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Soooo many brands and amazing pieces of clothes to talk about here, first lets talk about this gorgeous tee from The Lucky Club 1, you guys know that I have been into streetwear since the dawn of time 2, this nude colour is actually my fav colour at the minute and I think around 50% of my current wardrobe is actually this colour 3, I am obsessed with the quote on the back, I genuinely think that with a positive mindset you can do anything! Check the guys out at The Lucky Club because its such a cool brand, plus this tee was only £25 which is a mega bargain.

Then to this beaut of a basket bag from an awesome brand called Hers Wave, so so so into anything straw or wicker at the minute as we move into spring/summer, and the circular shape of this bag is so good. I have the Cinque Terre bag in the large size, with the white strap. I actually took it to Marrakech last month, and its so easy to carry around, and actually fits in way more than you think. Hers Wave have so many other different varieties of basket bag that I am so desperate to try, to check them out loves.

Well did you ever see such a perfect suit? Absolutely flipping not! This gorgeous thing is from Dorothy Perkins & you guys know I have a real love for DP at the minute. The colour is so perfect for spring/summer and the fit of both the jacket and the trousers are amazing. I have this in a size 10 too babes and its perfect, I possibly could have sized down on the trousers, but I’ve certainly not got time for tight trousers!!! Remember loves all items are directly linked at the bottom of this post.

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So in yesterdays Instagram story I asked my lovely followers to send me over some questions that they would like me to answer, and I would do a Q&A blog post. But actually most questions I got were what camera I use, and how I edit my pictures, so I have changed by blog post to reflect this.

  1. What camera do you use for your amazing pics

Firstly thanks so much lovely, I find as a blogger it can be very hard to find good backgrounds and make your pictures as ‘good’ as you possibly can. A decent camera does help, but I do also use my iPhone 8 plus camera for some of my pictures, as it really does create quite decent quality images, especially in low light where some cameras might struggle. The camera I currently use is a Canon EOS M10 the images this camera produces are really good, but I think the best thing about it is it really is quite compact, and you still have the ability to change the lens like a DLSR if you want something different. Its also pretty affordable at around £350, unlike a DLSR which can be £650- £950.

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2. How do you edit your pictures and what apps do you use

So I have been using VSCO for years and I absolutely love it. I am not always the most technical of people and when I first started using the filters on the VSCO app I didn’t realise that you had the ability to turn down the intensity of the filter, so for a few months I had the very strong filter that make everything look SO white, luckily I fake tan, but when there was pic of me and my fiancee against a white wall, blink and you’d miss him (we remembered this the other day and laughed for about half an hour)!! So currently I use the filter J1 and turn it down to around 3.6, and the I often use the affects on the app Afterlight, such as the light leak and the dusty affect. I have soooo much to learn on editing pics as I wouldn’t say it is my strong point. however that is why I love reading posts like this from other bloggers.

Grace

Xx

Nude graphic tee – The Lucky Club 

Wicker round bag – Hers Wave

Rose suit trousers – Dorothy Perkins 

Rose suit jacket – Dorothy Perkins 

Platform trainers – Fila C/O Office

 

Fashion inspiration or outright copying?

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Firstly outfit details loves, not going to tell any fibs, I am completely and utterly in love with this checked midi skirt from Shein, I mean look at it!! The fit is perfect and its only £19.00! Just remember though babes the sizing is pretty small, I have this in a medium, and I am usually a size 10. You guys know that I love a beret, and I am so obsessed with this cream version from ASOS, I think I actually have 6 berets now, shhh don’t tell anyone!! Then to this white cream roll neck from Nasty Gal that I don’t think I have had off my body since I got it, if you didn’t think you need white ribbed roll neck, then I promise if you get one, you’ll know you did, lol! Finally the most perfect basket bag and white boots.

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So I keep seeing a lot of posts about bloggers copying other bloggers and it causing lots of upset, this topic really does seem to be a topic of interest in the world of Instagram, and fashion blogging at the minute. Online I have seen bloggers not only copying exact outfits, but also down to the exact poses, locations and even captions. I mean don’t get me wrong this is fundamentally not right, as a blogger f you have spent your time and energy building up your style, brand and blog then this should not be copied so obviously as I have seen it done by some.

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The thing is because of all of the stories in the media around blogging and copying, it can make you so fearful and honestly take the fun out of fashion blogging, worried that because you saw this shirt or trousers on someone else that you are copying! Blogging is supposed to be fun, nothing is truly unique or new anyway, so don’t beat yourself up for taking inspiration from other stylish gals. Surely this is part of what Instagram is here for? I love it when I get contacted by girls who tell me that are buying something because they saw me wearing it, surely for me (and the brands I represent) that is a job well done! Don’t take yourself too seriously, if you are a blogger or not, don’t let others scare you into worrying you are copying (unless you are the second paragraph of this blog post – then you probably are!). Do what you need to do, take inspiration and have fun!

Grace

Xx

Cream roll neck top – Nasty Gal

Checked button side midi skirt – Shein

Cream beret – ASOS

White boots – sold out – similar Public Desire 

Basket bag – sold out – similar Topshop

 

5 reasons why I fashion blog

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Sooooo Nasty Gal may actually be my new fave brand, how beaut is this rust coloured two piece, even though it is cropped I think it is so flattering on, oh and also just so you know, it is only £25….yes £25, thats like £12.50 per item! Clearly in the UK we are going through a cold spell again, so this aviator coat from Monki is an absolute god send, plus it is currently in the sale (which is always a bonus). One thing I would say is be careful on the sizing, I have this in a XS and its fits really oversized on me, which you wouldn’t usually expect as I am a size 10.

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So I just wanted to share with you guys the 5 reasons why I fashion blog and why I love doing it, even though on some days its can very hard, especially with a full time job;

1. I adore fashion, always have, as I never went into it early enough in life, I could never take the wage cut (as I got my first mortgage at 24) by starting a new career. So blogging has given me the platform I crave so much, to write and talk to you guys about fashion

2. In my full time time job I work in digital as a project manager, having blogging as something I do in my spare time is certainly an asset to my day job.

3. Blogging allows me to express myself in anyway I want to, I can be who I want to be, and if people like my style and are inspired by my looks then thats literally all I could ever want

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4. I can buy lots of clothes, I’m not even going to lie, fashion blogging genuinely gives me an excuse to buy lots of clothes and regularly, and I can’t even be told off for it, haha!

5. I get to find out about and work with some absolutely amazing brands, such as Nasty Gal, Hers Wave, The Lucky Club, Elle Est Femme, and the people have met through blogging have honestly only ever been so lovely. I feel very lucky to be at the point where brands want to work with me and its so exciting.

Grace

Xx

Rust ribbed two piece – Nasty Gal

Aviator Coat – Monki

Boots – Sold out – Similar Dorothy Perkins

March 2018 – Spring Haul

Hi Babes,
I have been away from Youtube for a while, but I’m back! And ready to show you all of the amazing things I have been buying recently.
I really hope you enjoy this spring haul and all of the items in the video are linked below.
Topshop;
H&M;
Dorothy Perkins;
Nasty Gal;
Hers Wave;
Grace
Xx

 

My huge spring wardrobe clear-out

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Can you honestly beat a cropped jumper? I actually don’t think so, this type of jumper just seems to go with everything! This grey cropped jumper from Shein is so cute (oh and only £16.00!!) and I love it worn with the white wide leg trousers, which are a complete wardrobe staple going into spring. Oh and the tiny sunglasses trend, I thought I couldn’t be swayed, but I really am, I adore these tiny little sunglasses so much, so 90’s.

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I am actually really excited to talk to you about this and actually it goes hand in hand with my last post my style rut and what I intend to do about it.  At the start over every season I love to have a massive clear out, put away the mega wintery items and go back through my spring items, what do I still love and what will I wear again.

I spoke in my last post about how I am having a slight crisis in the fact that I have been eating too many creams eggs and am struggling to squeeze into some of my fav items, I will show you how to deal with that below.

So first of all I’m going to take ALL of my clothes (I know this is scary, and I by my means said this is a small task) and dump them into big piles of jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, coats, jackets, shorts, t-shirts, summer tops, shirts & blouses, going out clothes. Then go for the biggest pile first (as clearly I have too many of these types of items) then separate into ‘still love and fits well’, ‘too tight but love’, ‘sell’, ‘throw away’, ‘out of season’, ‘not sure’. Just to note that while doing this the only pile that still needs to be separated out into the different types of clothing is the still love and fits well, the reason for this is when you have got to the end of this process, you will be able to see any items missing from your wardrobe. Everything else can be put into their separate piles together, so ‘too tight but love’ in one pile, ‘sell’ in another, ‘throw away’ in another, ‘out of season’ in another, ‘not sure’ in another.

The next thing to do is take your ‘too tight but love’ pile and hang it up in plain site, I want to be reminded everyday, that if I just resisted that chocolate bar I’d be wearing my fave white jeans again.

Next the ‘not sure’ pile, why are you not sure? It is past it’s best, if so throw it away, but if it is a previously loved and well-worn item then note it down you, as you will need to add this to the to buy list that we will create later. Is it uncomfortable when you wear it? Not because it’s too small, but because it’s always been that way? If so, sell it, have you never worn it because it doesn’t suit you and doesn’t go with anything in your wardrobe? Then sell it (you catch my drift).

Now to put your ‘out of season’ items in a box out of the way, so they are not cluttering up your wardrobe. Then put away your ‘sell’ clothes for another day and the ‘throw away’ clothes go off to the bin, now we can see the wood for the trees.

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Finally we need to look at your ‘still love and fits’ well pile, you know the list you started earlier with the items that are passed their best that you need to replace, add to that list and and work out the holes in your current wardrobe, do you need more tops because you have lots of trousers and nothing to go with them? Do you need more basic items to tie your wardrobe together, white tees, thin layering jumpers, a good pair of black trousers, a white shirt? Stick to this list over the next couple of months and see if you wardrobe is way more flexible, you get loads more use out of items and you shop more wisely. Also having your slightly too small clothes on display will remind you that you don’t need to spend more money on new things, just be good and try to fit into your old beloved items!

So to recap, here’s what to do;

  1. Dump all clothes into a big pile
  2. Sort into types – jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, coats, jackets, shorts, t-shirts, summer tops, shirts & blouses, going out clothes
  3. Start with your biggest pile and sort into ‘still love and fits well’, ‘too tight but love’, ‘sell’, ‘throw away’, ‘out of season’, ‘not sure’
  4. Keep your types (skirts, dresses, trousers etc) separate in the ‘still love fits well’ pile
  5. Hang up in plain sight your ‘too small but love’ pile
  6. Go through your ‘not sure’ pile and separate out
  7. Anything that is past its best but you’ve worn loads, write down on your to buy list
  8. Package away the ‘out of season’ items
  9. Tidy up and put away you’re to ‘sell’ items
  10. Go through your ‘still love and fits well’ piles and workout what you are missing, add to your to buy list

Happy organising babes.

Grace

Xx

Grey cropped jumper – Shein

White wide leg trousers – LOTD

Black ankle boots – sold out – similar Dorothy Perkins 

Bag – Kozha Numbers

Micro sunglasses – sold out – similar Pretty Little Thing

My So Shape diet challenge

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Hi babes, so I recently had the opportunity to work with So Shape which offer a diet plan (you guys can get 10% off both the 14 day and 28 day plan with my discount code Grace10), which consists of replacing both your breakfast and your evening meal with a So Shape smart meal. I tired the 28 day plan and got so many many amazing flavours sent through the post, from white chocolate and cookies shakes, to mushroom risotto and pesto pasta, the variety of flavours that are on offer is actually insane, and so important if you are not going to get bored during the plan. What I absolutely love about this plan is there is no calorie counting what so ever, which honestly is a breath of fresh air for me. Also due to the set morning and evening meals, it really does mean that you have a clear plan of how your diet is going to look, and what you are going to eat on a daily basis.

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But first lets talk about the shakes, I have tried so many diet/protein shakes in my time, and honestly these are the best tasting shakes I have ever had, and I 100% woke up everyday looking forward to my morning shake. So to what you are really here for…my results! So what I want to tell you guys first is that I was most definitely less bloated, and that in itself was such a nice feeling. The area I did struggle in was the meals at night, I was finding that I’d come home a night so hungry that the smart meal was often not quite enough. The good thing is So Shape gave you a list of guilt free foods that you can eat if you are feeling peckish, so there always options there if you are struggling.

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As with any diet 100% commitment is always needed, and in terms of my performance over the last 28 days I could certainly have done better. I could give you all of the excuses in the world, but any diet is down to how much you commit to it, and how motivated you are. So Shape really do give you all the tools you need to succeed, you just have to want to succeed enough not to pick up that McDonalds for the second time in two days (I didn’t do that badly I promise). My battle with healthy eating and weight less I am sure will be a long one, and it always seem to come last in my list of priorities, but with the kick start I have had from So Shape, I intend it no longer be last on the ‘to do’ list.

For 10% off the 14 and 28 day plans use my cost ‘Grace10’

Grace

Xx

Diet plan – So Shape

Pink jumper- sold out – similar H&M

Raw hem wide leg jeans – Topshop

Trainers – Fila Disruptors

 

 

 

My top three designer fashion houses

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Ermmmm can we talk about this teddy coat of dreams please, this beaut is from Nasty Gal and it is genuinely the best thing I own at the minute. I actually chose this in a large which was such a good call, because I absolutely afore the way it looks oversized, plus babes its £50…and its crazy warm, honestly the best thing I own!! I am so happy that we are seeing checks move from winter into spring/summer this year. Although the winter style checks will change, we’ll be seeing loads more colour, which I am so excited about. These beaut trousers from Romwe are my transitional piece of choice, plus they are only £16, mad right? Then the ugly, ugly Dad trainers the Fila Disruptors, that I have not had off my feet since I bought them, they are so ugly but so amazing at the same time! I need them in all colours!! Coat & trousers are linked in the text above, and everything linked is also linked at the bottom of the post, for any of you gals who need to do a little shop :).

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So I wanted to talk to you guys about my favourite designer fashion houses, and explain to you why I love them so much, although I don’t buy too much clothing from high end designers (we all have to buy food and live right) I love to take inspiration from their work, in terms of styling and finding similar pieces on the high street;

  1. Celine

Celine, Celine, Celine always my number one, honestly if I had all the money in the world, this would be the one and only place I would shop. I adore the androgynous suits, the oversized midi dresses and the pastels we are seeing this season. Give me a white Celine oversized suit any day and I would be a very happy girl!

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  1. Isabel Marant

From the perfect leather skinnies to the most amazing double breasted checked blazer. Isabel Marant for me gives off a kind of carefree boho style, and don’t get me started on the knits. I find I spend a lot of my time looking for dupes on the high street. Apparently Isabel herself tries on her entire collection before it leaves the studio. I mean if it was your collection, and it was this good, you really would do the same.

  1. Jil Sander

Tailoring at its absolute best (and you guys know I love a good bit of tailoring) sleek, clean lines and mega figures flattering styles. I am in love with the camel trousers and the oversized white shirts. Plus you know that the fabric is so luxe, it will all feel so good on.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this post babes and thank you for reading.

Grace

Xx

Oversized teddy coat – Nasty Gal (I have this in a large)

Checked trousers – Romwe

Black polo neck – ASOS

Trainers – Fila Disrupter – Size

Gold necklaces – ebay, here, here, and here

 

Where I get my fashion inspiration

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Right now I am so obsessed with nudes, whether that is in the form of a t-shirt/jumper or trousers, in fact if you guys follow me on Instagram you’ll see my perfect nude flared trousers from Mango. When I first saw this draped nude top from Romwe I loved it, and knew instantly that I wanted to pair it with a pair of trousers with a similar tone. It is also quite a dressy outfit, so I dressed everything down with pair good old Stan Smith trainers & a fluffy white jacket from Topshop.

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So I just wanted to let you know how and where I get my weekly (often daily) dose of fashion inspiration. Of course there is no surprise that my absolute favourite place to find inspo is Instagram. I have go to accounts that I will check usually on a daily basis such as @deborarosa who really is my number one style icon, @pepamack giving me all of the minimalist inspo I need & @wethepeoplestyle who is never predictable in her style and I absolutely adore that.

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I travel down to London on the train quite a bit for work, and I love to buy a Vogue magazine (and this is getting really old school now) and a pen and mark all of the bits in the magazine that really make me excited. What I love about this is it can be anything, hair styles, make-up, and when you really feel like you have no idea what to wear it’s great to revisit the magazines.

Grace

Xx

Nude wrap over blouse – Romwe

Nude wide leg trousers – in the sale – H&M

White trainers – Adidas Stan Smith

White shearling jacket – Topshop