BLOG        ABOUT        CONTACT                                

Colour The World

I'm soaring now, painting the world with my colours.
READ HERE


Monday, 26 October 2015

HEAD ABOVE THE WATER.



“Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves that you forget, truly forget, how much you have always loved to swim.” 





It’s safe to say that lately I’ve struggled to do even that. Keep my head above the water, I mean. 

Leaving my steady, reasonably well paid job to blog full-time, creating my own routine, managing my money, managing expectations of clients, managing my own capabilities with a heavier workload, adjusting to the extra pressure I've found I'm putting on myself for my work, moving back in with my parents, venturing in to a new relationship, dealing with feelings from my last and trying to work through the significance that each of those points hold individually in my life, has been overwhelming to say the least. 

Needless to say, each of these changes independently bring me so much joy - they have been, without doubt, the best decisions I could’ve made. But all together? I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel like I was drowning sometimes…most of the time, actually. And with that feeling comes guilt, because I’m so happy. I feel full to the brim with it, so when the sadness trickles over the edges of a bursting pot of greatness I’m not sure if that’s really okay. I mean, how can you be both happy and sad at the same time?

If I took each change, one at a time, I feel like I’d be able to address them in a far more constructive, healthy way. But in reality, that’s not how life works - they’re all happening now and I don’t want any of them to go away. So, I’m just going to have to take each day as it comes - baby steps, until I find a moment of calm and clarity in my brain that I can apply to each situation and move forward with more purpose than the day before. 

It’s been hard and it will continue to be.

There is a silver lining though, in the re-design of this website. I mean, the internet basically holds my future in its fickle, ever changing, but ever incredible hands. So making this a place I feel inspired and happy is key. Focusing my mind, being asked the question: ‘What do you want from this?’ has helped me see where I envisage this part of my life taking me. It’s given me drive. 

And I love to swim. 

I’d been swimming for years in a calm, serene pool of love for blogging. And I guess I’d just forgotten how good it felt to let myself move forward, I’d let myself tread water with a tired body and a stressed-out mind for a little too long. 

After all, we are only human. It’s okay to admit that sometimes life can be too much. That you don't have all the answers and you can’t always do everything. 

But what I do know is this - that I love to get wrapped up in the beauty of this world - and how my blog lets me express that through my words and photos and videos is something I’m so grateful for.

And now, for the first time in months I feel excited to share content with you. 

The huge changes I’ve made to my life are going to take a while to adjust to. And I think being at peace with that is the first step to moving forward in a positive way. 

But for now, baby steps is what I’ll take, and I’ll make sure I look back on these photos and this new blog design in days of self-doubt to remind myself how much I really do love to swim.
Photography by


Follow

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

SKY HIGH.

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes

Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes
Fashion Blogger Wonderful You wears In the style black stripey culottes
Finding new locations to take my outfit photos is part of the fun…except when you live in a bit of a rubbishy town and there isn’t really anywhere new to discover after 3 years of blogging *face palm*.

But then there's a glorious moment where you park up your car in the local multi-story in town and have a light bulb moment.

WHAT ABOUT THE TOP!?

and I headed up the (gazillion) flights of stairs and low and behold the top floor was empty.

Now obviously the purpose of this post is to discuss how much I’m in love with these culottes specifically. But actually it was so nice to be up in that open space, high above the noise of a busy town and amongst the quiet in the air. Sometimes it’s hard to find a moments peace in such a busy world, but it certainly let us both escape, even if just for that short time.

In The Style are a new discovery for me but when they make culottes like these it’s safe to say they’ve got my attention for the foreseeable future. They’re a really nice fit and the pinstripe pattern gives a slightly different take on my new go-to trousers of the moment. If you like them too, you can get 10% off (and anything else on the site, actually) using my discount code WYOU10 at checkout.

Paired with my American Apparel bodysuit and some seriously lovely lace-ups from Topshop my masculine wardrobe is expanding nicely…

Photos by my lady 

Shop my look here:


Follow

Sunday, 18 October 2015

LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL.

As you may or may not know, this week H&M launched their new range of Halloween costumes. I KNOW, I was mega excited to hear the news too.

H&M are a go-to to for millions of us to get our hands on high-street fashion at the best possible price without comprising on quality. So it’s safe to say that their new Halloween range was going to be nothing short of amazing too. From a winged bat suit to an on-trend, grunge inspired spider there’s certainly something for all of us.

I picked out the leopard jumpsuit @ £14.99, because: hello bargain and feline fabulousness. It’s definitely on the more sexy scale of all hallows eve attire, but I felt surprisingly comfortable wearing something so tight and couldn't wait to put a face on to match!

When it comes to YouTube I would say Halloween is probably one of the most searched for keywords. We all love googling our most desired Halloween costumes in the hope that the perfect makeup tutorial will come up and all our ghoulish prayers will be answered. Now I don't know about you but I am an amateur when it comes to my daily make-up, let alone anything that requires a bit of skill for Halloween. So the idea of this tutorial is to keep it super simple. If I can do it, you definitely can. Heck, I bet your goldfish could if you let it try. With that in mind, let’s get down to the good stuff..how did I do it?
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M

First up I applied my base of usual makeup. I’m always super last minute with Halloween prep and face paint is the one thing I always forget to buy. Instead, I wanted to make the most of the makeup in my current stash, rather than splurging on things I wont use again for another year.

I went for a medium to full coverage on foundation, a little contouring for my cheekbones and a peachy, orange blush for the apples of my cheeks as I think it compliments the skin tone of a leopard a little more than a standard pink.

For the eyes I opted for a subtle smokey look with a bronze shadow for the base and a red for the crease. I wanted to go for a cat-eye, using a standard black liquid liner, keeping it reasonably subtle as my eyes are quite small I didn't want to over do it and lose them under too much heavy makeup.

I did this by popping on my usual flick, running a line across the lid and angling it out towards the eyebrow. To create the cat-eye I simply ran the liner down at an angle away from the inner corner of my eye and down towards my nose, I then created a triangle by leading it back up to join my eye and filled it in.

For the nose I carried on using the liquid liner and simply drew a line across the base of my nose, filled it in and brought it down in to a point to meet just above my cupids bow. I placed a few dots around the nose area and hey presto, your feline face is almost complete.

BUT

A leopard aint no leopard without her spots.

Probably the simplest and quickest part of the entire routine. I grabbed a small glass of water a small, pointy, flat brush and a couple of shades of eyeshadow - focusing on yellowy and bronzed golds. Dipping the brush in to the water and applying eyeshadow wet on to the skin means the pigment of the shadow is much stronger and stands out on the skin more effectively than applying the shadow dry as you usually would.

Opting for black liquid liner again, this time I used a pen style nib, meaning I could be far more accurate and work with a delicate hand to circle around the spots. This doesn't need to be neat or carried out in any particular way guys, just freehand and see what happens!

Lastly I used the same pen to apply the whiskers - I did these last to save smudging them whilst I was colouring in my spots and just flicked them out fast and smooth. With a lashing of bright red lippy applied, I ran the straighteners through my hair, backcombed and spritzed it with hairspray to finish off with a messy bob.

I whipped on my leopard print suit, some ears to match and applied (just one !!!!) layer of H&M’s nail varnish in shade neo noir from their new beauty range and VOILA…
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M
LEOPARD HALLOWEEN MAKEUP TUTORIAL WITH H&M

What do you think? You can watch the whole thing in full over on my YouTube channel, linked below. Being my first ever Halloween inspired tutorial I really hope you like it and I’d love to know your thoughts. I had so much fun filming it, so please let me know if you’d like to see anything else like it. If you like this look and re-create it with the new H&M pieces you can share them on your social using #HMHalloween + #HMBloggers + @HM - I’d love to see your looks if you do, so don't forget to tag me too!

Share your own spooky selfie this Halloween for the chance to win a H&M shopping spree! Simply upload it to instagram tagging @HM and #HMSpookySelfie!

To create your own Halloween look head to your nearest H&M store, or shop online at http://www.hm.com/gb/products/ladies/divided

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by H&M via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of H&M.


Follow

Wednesday, 14 October 2015

THE BOMBER JACKET.

I feel like lately my feet haven't touched the ground, so I was so grateful when my main gal pal brought me back down to earth with a 'ohmygod I've missed you so much' girl-time thud. We spent the day shopping in Birmingham (basically, it's all we ever do together), had all the fun times and I picked up this jacket whilst we were at it.
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Urban Outfitters Bomber Jacket styled by fashion blogger Wonderful You
Photos by 
Because: Ally said I deserve it.

So there.

Bomber jackets are creeping their way in to my wardrobe and I'm not sad about it. Especially when it comes in the form of real suede leather from my faves at Urban Outfitters. I couldn't find this exact one online, but they do have a similar, collarless one which is just as awesome that I've linked below for you.

It's the perfect addition to my autumn wardrobe. With the softest of leather it's pretty darn heavy and screams 'I'm really good looking and will go well with everything in your wardrobe so buy me now'. I mean, with that kind of a statement, I had to, right?

Shop my look:
JACKET (similar) | BOOTS (similar) | TOP | JEANS | WATCH



Follow

Monday, 12 October 2015

CITY GUIDE | HOW TO: SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM.

Birmingham is one of the closest cities to where I live and naturally it's where I spend most of my time money. So when Premier Inn got in touch and asked if I'd be up for putting together a Birmingham City Guide for them, my initial thought was 'HELLYES' - what a great idea! So today, I'll be sharing my favourite places with you - and if you ever decide to visit, you'll at least have an idea of what you can expect to find (SPOILER: it's a lot, Birmingham is great). 

Breakfast…:
Boasting reclaimed and up-cycled furniture, this British cafe feels like it’s been picked up from central London and dropped in the heart of Birmingham's city centre. It’s completely different to anything else you’ll find here and is 100% worth a visit if you’re looking for a traditional, but friendly way to eat breakfast. From strawberry cheesecake milkshakes to Portobello Mushrooms on Sourdough Toast you’d be pretty foolish not to give it a try.

Lunch…:
Okay so guys, this is the best place in the world, not just in Birmingham. Placed precisely in the middle of the food court of Selfridges is Ekachai, an asian fast-food restaurant. Now, I don’t mean fast-food in terms of a service like McDonalds, it’s fast in a whole other aspect. This place is always super busy, but you’ll never be waiting in line for more than 10 minutes. You’ll be seated around an island that looks over the cooking theatre and the idea is, you eat, you leave. The service is top knotch and the food is insane - you’ll never feel rushed but it does what it needs to do, when you’ve got the whole of Selfridges to surf around, you don't want to be spending hours in a restaurant. I always have the crispy duck salad and it’s without doubt the most fabulous way to get in a few greens. I’ve been going since I was 14 (dedication or obsession you decide) and I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve managed to convert every one I’ve taken to visit and I’m sure you’ll love it too!
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM
Shopping…
When I think of Birmingham the first thing that will enter my head is the . A one-stop destination for all things shopping. Hosting (what I believe to be) 140 stores, including one of only 4 Selfridges and the fourth largest Debenhams it’s a beautiful beast in the centre of the city.

When visiting you’ll need to stop by…

(obviously):
There are either 3 or 4 floors, I cant remember. But it doesn't matter. IT’S FILLED WITH GREATNESS. Each floor is wonderful in it’s own way but my favourite place to visit is the beauty hall. Jo Malone’s displays are always beautiful and I’ll spend at least half an hour swooning over all the prettiness at Charlotte Tilbury, because: c’mon, that ladies make-up is the bomb diggity. And of course not forgetting the food-hall where you can get your hands on some Krispy Kremes after visiting Ekachai ;-)
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM



:
It’s one of my favourite stores for fashion. Filled with basics beautiful enough to give you heart palpitations the Bull Ring store is huge, it’s neatly displayed and easy to navigate (plus they have a personal shopper service, so you can pick up some styling tips whilst you’re there!)

:
Situated on Corporation Street, just a short walk from the Bull Ring, is my favourite high-street store in the world: Urban Outfitters. Sitting two stories high the bottom floor caters for the men whilst (the much larger) top floor features all of my dreams realised. It’s my favourite of all the UO stores, with a large section for all of their best bits: Footwear, Lingerie, Urban Renewal, Homeware and all their usual lines. There’s also a handy Photo Booth which everyones a sucker for, right?
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM

A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM





:
Mixing high-street with vintage fashion is my absolute favourite - and Birmingham allows you to do the two seamlessly. Once you've shopped out the centre, head on down to Digbeth to take in all COW Vintage has to offer. With one off, hand-picked vintage items this store offers you an on-trend but personal style service. They have original items and a re-work team so everything is super high quality, but affordable too. Digbeth also hosts regular vintage fairs, so keep your eyes peeled for those as they’re always amazing.
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM

A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM

Dinner…:
Having been only open a week or so, the new and improved Birmingham New Street station has been re-opened as Grand Central. Boasting all of the restaurants, bars and shops it’s going to have something for literally everyone. I stopped by Carluccio’s for my favourite chocolate bread and butter pudding - I know, the title isn't all that arousing and I hate normal b&b pud, but oh my god. Plus they have Kiehl’s, Oliver Bonas, a massive John Lewis and loads more still yet to open if the Bull Ring wasn't quite enough.
A CITY GUIDE TO BIRMINGHAM. HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BIRMINGHAM



Stay…Premier Inn:
I don’t know about you but when booking a hotel for a weekend away, I’ll mostly opt for a great, affordable price so that I can spend all of the money on clothes instead. I mean, surely thats a no-brainer? Situated slap bang next to Grand Central and only a few minutes walk to the Bull Ring is Premier Inn. The perfect place to rest your weary head (/shopped out feet) - if you’re catching the train in to Birmingham you can simply turn a corner, drop your bags off and head back out and if you’re finishing the day off with some dinner in Grand Central you’re right back where you started and a matter of seconds away from your bed. Perfect.

And that's a wrap!

My top places to eat, sleep, shop and repeat in Birmingham. I hope you find it useful if you've never visited before and are planning on it, I'd love to know what you think of the places I've recommended if you do ever swing by. And for anyone that's already been/lives there, please do leave suggestions in the comments below of your favourite places too!

I've really enjoyed putting this together, so if you'd like to see more of these, please let me know! I'm thinking maybe Oxford next?

This post is in collaboration with Premier Inn - however as you know, all views are my own and putting this together was SO much fun :-)

Follow