Nicole
For today's post I've got 4 of my girlfriends involved. I thought it would be fun to hear from them where their favourite places are to go shopping! To start off I'll chat a little bit about mine then scroll down to see some of my lovely friends.
'I love Topshop, I think it was one of the first places I shopped in when I could finally fit into adult clothes. Topshop offer an amazing range of fashion focused pieces but also some more classic pieces that will last in your wardrobe for a really long time. Last year they had some fab prints on offer and I brought quite a few of them...but they are all such good quality that I will continue to wear them this year. My favourite classic piece has to be my leather look jacket. I've had a couple now but both have lasted a super long time.'
Victoria
'I have always been a lover of Zara and enjoy browsing the new in section of their website and in store. I think their clothes can look expensive and effortless whilst still being affordable. I have a lot of key pieces from Zara that don't date and are staples for my wardrobe. Smart black dresses, winter coats, lightweight summer dresses and blouses are just a few of the bits that I've had in my wardrobe for a while. I also love their more fashionable clothing and love looking through Instagram and Pinterest to see how people have styled them!'
Maddi
'I LOVE to do my shopping at H&M. Mainly because I love how sustainable their clothing is and how quirky their clothing can be whilst staying in-line with trends. I’m a sucker for a unique pattern and I think H&M nail this, whilst not breaking my bank account, bonus!'
Charlotte
I wouldn't necessarily say I have a favourite shop overall but rather a favourite go-to for particular pieces. For example, I love the wide selection of jeans that brands such as Topshop and River Island offer all body types as being pretty tall (5'9"), it's hard to find the perfect outfit staple in the right length for me. If I want to add a little edge to my style but still want to keep it casual, Zara have some cute options that really make an outfit stand out. I love how quick they are to keep up with the current trends and you can pay a lot less for something that looks a lot more expensive. For casual sweatshirts and jersey pieces, I like to shop in Urban Outfitters. Although I find that they are on the pricier side, when I have a little more money to spend on the basics it's a nice treat. And I'm all about treating yourself.
Lana
'At the moment I'm loving online boutiques like Never Fully Dressed and NastyGal, to find items at great prices. I've shopped with NFD for may years now and still love the pieces I bought from them years ago - they're definitely worth investing in, but have great sales too! I also enjoy shops like Mint Velvet and White company for quality key pieces which will last a long time; and Anthropologie for unique and quirky dresses! A mix of high street and high end goes a long way - I try to be sustainable with fashion; if I need to purchase items which I know will only last a season I do so from more budget friendly chains and once they have served their purpose the clothes either get sold at our local car boot sales or go to charity shops.'
I had a lot of fun putting together this post, thanks to my lovely girlfriends for their help! I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Let me know in the comments you're favourite places to shop. You can read all my latest fashion posts here.
Love
Nicole
xx
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Zoe is a personal trainer and dancer who brings so much energy to life! I met her back in October when I first started going to Kobox classes. After a long time of not doing any fitness, I really got into boxing classes. I think the main thing that keeps me going when I really want to stop is the positive vibes and great music. I know that Zoe is the perfect person to interview about fitness as she has made me love it. And it's so true what they say you never regret doing a workout.
1. Hey Zoe, can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey and how you got into it?
I've been into sports since I was a kid growing up I had lots of hobbies but my two passions were horses and dancing which took over my life!! At 18 I went off to dance college so originally started my career as dancer! I've been dancing professionally for 14 years, then about 4 years ago I really got into fitness and decided I wanted to go down the fitness trainer route. I also found a love of boxing and 10 months ago I became a Kobox instructor.
2. Do you have a structure to your day now we are in isolation, if so what is it?
Yes I need structure! So the night before I write down or make a schedule of all the things I want to achieve the next day it really helps to keep me on track, also I get dressed every morning I find sitting in my pjs doesn't motivate me to get the ball rolling! I try to workout early so I'm ready for the day and it makes me feel better. Afternoons are more for learning something new or doing something I've wanted to do and not got round to!
3. How do you keep motivated on the days you don't feel like working out? Although we all have so much time at the moment, I know it can sometimes still be a struggle for people to workout.
So I try to be as motivated as I can, having set days to workout can help as you then have your workout days and your rest days also every workout counts if it's not as long as you would have liked it to be it still makes a difference, don't beat yourself up if you're not feeling it just do what you can. There are days I just don't feel like it and rather than force myself I just have a down day. We all have them and it's ok to not be motivated all of the time!
4. What are your top tips for beginners who are wanting to get into exercise?
So for people just getting into exercise it can be intimidating I think the key is to choose something you enjoy whether it be yoga, dance, boxing, cycling, skipping or HIIT, if you enjoy it you're more likely to want to do it!! Also start small even it it's just 5 minutes it will change the way you feel and your mindset. Start off with one press-up or one squat or 5 minutes of your favourite exercise then add on every day before you know it you'll be at 20 minute. Lastly finding a trainer that you like and that inspires and motivates you during your workout can really help you to achieve way more than you thought was possible.
5. Where can we find your fitness videos?
5. Where can we find your fitness videos?
You can find my workouts on my
Instagram @zoe1louise
Youtube user/zoe1louise
And real-time videos and live workouts on Move Home Studio here on here you can rent my videos for 72 hours or buy them so you have them for life or pay a monthly subscription and then you will get all videos and live workouts included.
6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What one piece of advice would you give to remain positive?
I hope you love this interview as much as I do! You can read my last interview with Hayley all about The Kindness Foundation here.
Have a lovely day
Love
Nicole
xx
6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What one piece of advice would you give to remain positive?
Write down all the things you're grateful for or that are good at the moment it'll make you smile and remember nothing lasts forever it may seem like this is a dark cloud but it will pass and when we come out of it it's going to be amazing.
I hope you love this interview as much as I do! You can read my last interview with Hayley all about The Kindness Foundation here.
Have a lovely day
Love
Nicole
xx
'The best colour in the whole world is one that looks good on you.'- CoCo Channel
If you know me well you will know I love wearing colour. Colour brings me joy and happiness if I wake up in a bad mood adding colour to my outfit makes me feel so much better. Here are my 5 top tips on how to add colour to your outfit.
1. Bags
Bags are probably the easiest thing to start with if you do not normally add much colour to your outfits. I have many bright coloured bags and it's surprising how many outfits they go with. If your buying your first coloured bag I'd opt for something like blue (the one above is from Aspinal of London) this will go with denim which most people have in their wardrobe. And you will find something like blue will also go with most other colours so you will get loads of wear out of it. I think people shy away from bright coloured bags and stick with more neutral tones because they are worried they will not get much wear out of them. So before you buy a bright coloured bag think about what you already have you in wardrobe that will go with it. You will probably be surprised just how many things you can wear it with.
2. Use Monochrome colours as a base
People tend to overthink things when when trying out new styles, which is totally normal. If you get the base of your outfit sorted then you can work around that. Pretty much any colour will go with a white or black base. And if you don't already have much colour in your wardrobe you are bound to have a plain white or black tee. Add a basic tee with a pair of denim jeans (again another item most of us have in our wardrobes.) Then try mixing things up with a blazer, you do not have to go as bright as the pink one in my photo above, you can start off with a lighter colour that isn't so bold. But this style is super easy to put together and a blazer can completely transform your whole outfit.
3. Patterns
I love patterns and one of the best is florals, simply because they will always be on trend season after season. And they are available in most shops, I actually got the one above in a local charity shop. (I can do another post on second hand shopping if anyone is interested?) You can also find patterns that have the base of monochrome colours which can be easier to wear if you don't normally wear many patterns.
4. Layering
I love layering and a light weight jacket is the perfect way to add layers to your outfit during Spring/Summer. I got the above denim jacket from Ebay but it was originally from Topshop, but again it is another item that is sold in most high street stores. Adding a layer which is a more neutral colour against a brighter one will help to introduce more colour into your wardrobe if you do not feel very confident wearing colours as it adds a balance between the two.
5. Make-Up
I couldn't write this post without talking about make-up. Something I've always loved to wear is bright lipstick. I hear so many people say that they are worried that bright lipstick will not suit them. I think the perfect way to become more confident wearing bright lipstick is to simply buy one. (Maybe from a high street brand to start off with so you're not spending too much money if you do not like it.) Then wear it at home first so you get used to wearing it, then maybe style a bright lip with a really simple outfit when you feel more confident to wear it out of the house. A bold lip will completely brighten up your whole face. I love the Sephora liquid lipsticks because you do not need to top it up too often and you can go all day without worrying about it smudging. (I've tested them out a millions times after eating food etc so you can trust me!)
But most importantly have fun with it and do not worry about what other people think. That's the most important thing with clothes. And if someone doesn't like your outfit who cares as there will be many people who will love it!
Hope you enjoyed this post. You may enjoy post about 5 tips for Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe here.
Love
Nicole
xx
Hayley is a travel and style blogger behind Frock Me I'm Famous and has set up a non-profit charity, The Kindness Foundation to donate clothes and products from herself, bloggers to those in need. With the aim to spread more kindness!
1. Firstly thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. Can you tell us a little bit about The Kindness Foundation and how it all started?
I set up #ShareThisChristmas nearly five years ago, a campaign to help people in need. As a blogger I've seen first hand the amount of samples and lovely products we receive, I also knew that I didn't need them, so I started to put items to one side and build up a collection to donate. I then decided to reach out to PR's that I had built a relationship with over the last 6 years, to see if they had any spare products they could donate, I didn't really have any expectations but was absolutely blown away when boxes of products started arriving (safe to say my mum wasn't overly thrilled haha). I bagged everything up into Christmas sacks and donated them to my local Women's refuges, Age UK, Little Havens and homeless shelter. This Christmas just gone, I was thinking about how I'd like to develop my #ShareThisChristmas campaign, the main way being that I didn't want to only help people at Christmas, but year round too - which led me to set up The Kindness Foundation!
2. What can readers do if they would like to get involved in the charity?
There are a couple of ways that I'd love readers support with The Kindness Foundation! The first being to follow us on social media (@TheKindnessFoundation), the more people I can reach, the more people in turn I can help! If anyone knows of any PR's that are in the position to donate products that would be wonderful; or of any charities / causes that they'd like to put forward for donations then I'd love to hear! I've mostly helped people in the surrounding areas to where I live, but I'd love to branch out and help more! :)
3. Do you have any exciting future plans for The Kindness Foundation?
The one goal I really have is just to help as many people as I can, so I'd love to continue to raise awareness, and grow to help more people in need!
4. I'm sure most people reading my blog love fashion/beauty products and we all are guilty of over indulging in it at times. I know I own more things that I need. What tip would you give for being able to enjoy these things but also having the right balance and not buying too much?
I think it's about knowing what you need / will use! I've kindly been gifted fashion and beauty products in the past that I couldn't keep due to storage or knowing I'd never get through them, so I started passing them onto friends and family members once I'd written about them. That's where the idea for #ShareThisChristmas came from!
5. What's the been the best thing about running your Christmas campaigns over the last four years?
Knowing that I'm helping people is the best gift at Christmas! I know that giving people presents won't change someone's life, but if it puts a smile on their faces or let them know that people care for them, then that's what I do it for, to help those in need - you really can't put a price on that feeling!
6. I'll be asking everyone this question. What piece of advice would you give to remain positive?
Trying to keep my days as normal as possible! Get up, shower, get dressed and pop some makeup on (it makes me feel like I'm ready for the day!). I'm using this time to work on myself, read more, do some yoga, learn the piano - I really want to look back on this time and say that I've learnt something / done something productive, so I'm setting myself one task a day, something that will make me happy and just focusing on that. Take each day at a time and don't put too much pressure on yourself - if you're having a bad day, just feel it and know that tomorrow is a new day.
I hope you love this interview as much as I do! Come back next Sunday for the next one and you can read my last interview with Mary-Anne creator of HeartyNotes here.
Have a lovely day
Love
Nicole
xx
Opening up your wardrobe should be like arriving at a really good party where everyone you see is someone you like. - Amy Collins
I don't know about you but I always feel a million times better about my life after a good wardrobe clear out. I tend to do this twice a year at the start of Spring and the start of Autumn. I've got pretty good at it now so wanted to share my 5 top tips. So put aside a couple of hours, listen to some of your favourite music and get ready to spring clean your wardrobe!
1. Take Everything Out And Lay It All On Your Bed
This makes you go through every item in your wardrobe and just makes the whole process generally a lot easier.
2. 'Does This Bring Me Joy.'
I love Marie Kondo's advice, to look at each item of clothing and ask yourself 'does this bring me joy' and if the answer is no then don't keep it! You could also ask yourself another question if you saw that item in the shops now would you buy it? Again if the answer is no then don't keep it. Then with these unwanted clothes make a pile to go to the charity shop or give to friends because what you may no longer love someone else will.
3. What Is Your Wardrobe Now Missing
This is the perfect time to take note of what you're missing in your wardrobe. I'm sure you have all purchased clothes before that are very similar/nearly identical to those that you already own. To avoid this wastefulness (both money and environmental wise) look at what it is you need/would like that will enhance the wardrobe you already have. This will help you going forwards when shopping to ensure you are making the right purchases.
4. Put Away Last Seasons Clothes
To create more space in your wardrobe and to stop it from being over crowded take out all of your clothes from the pervious season. So for now take out any Autumn/Winter clothes and store these somewhere else. I've never used vacuum bags before but I've heard they are pretty good. At the moment I store my clothes in suitcases
5. Organise Into Colour or Item Category
When putting clothes back into your wardrobe make sure they go back in some sort of order. I find the best way to do this is by colour. I find this is the easiest way to find the clothes I want to wear in the mornings. I'm very much drawn to colours when it comes to clothes so this is perfect for me. However you could also organise your clothes by item category so putting all of your t-shirts, dresses and jeans together etc.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Love
Nicole
xx
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