LYDIA ROSE X F21

Coat | Flares (similar) | Headband | Necklace all c/o Forever21

This outfit makes me feel like a Woodstock throwback and I love it.  I can never put a definition on my style, but boho is something I always seem to come back to. Flares are definitely a brave statement piece but if you're happy looking like a walking 70s time warp then they make you feel pretty amazing.

What do you think of this outfit?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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5 Ways To Grow Your Blog

Twitter Chats
When I first started my blog the Twitter chats were the main way I gained followers. It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and become involved in the community. If you’re regular to the chats, people start to follow without you having to harass them and you’ll begin to form friendships with other bloggers. This is a far more successful way to network than constantly spammng ‘HEY, FOLLOW MY BLOG! I’LL FOLLOW BACK!’ At the end of the chats there is a link swap where everyone exchanges links and then checks the blogs out. Way less spammy that begging people to follow you!

Advertising on Other Blogs
In the past I have advertised with some of my favourite bloggers. If a blog you read that has similar content to yours and offers advertising it’s worth considering advertising with them. My general experience of this, though, has been a bit hit and miss. I’ve personally found that spending your money on the more expensive packages pays off more than buying the smaller adverts which end up featured right at the bottom of the page and don’t get you much traffic. Make sure you have a really eye catching button which sums you up and your site to make sure you get peoples’ attention.

Writing Helpful Content
Funnily enough, like the post I’m writing right now! I think over the past year or so there has been a real shift in blogging. Sharing your daily outfits and basic reviews just aren’t enough to get you noticed in the blogosphere anymore as it’s just so saturated. I always find that my post popular posts are ones which are either helpful to people, opinion pieces or just generally personal. When it comes to deciding a topic for these kinds of posts, take inspiration from the blogs you like to read and put your own spin on them. Basically, just write the blog you’d want to read and it all comes easily.

Basic SEO / Naming Photos
This is something that I have only got the hang of in recent months and it makes a HUGE difference. Search engines look for keywords, so for example, my NARS Foundation review is one of my most viewed because I’ve used keywords well so that it ranks highly in a google search. Also, always name your images with keywords so that when people are typing, for example, ‘Missguided Valentina Heels’, they will be more likely to come across your image through Google and then may check out your blog.

Having a Strong Social Media Presence
This may sound self explanatory, but having a strong social media presence means being active online more than just spamming out links to your latest posts. Instagram is one of the most useful ones for bloggers as you can treat it like a micro expression of your blog, and bloggers always seem to have quite a lot of followers on there. Use every social networking site going but actually make sure you’re using them enough to be worth having.

What are the main things that have grown your blog?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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WHAT I WORE | LACE UP LEGGINGS

Jumper | Forever21 Fur Gilet *| Leggings | Shoes | Bag

Just a quick post of what I wore for a shopping day in Manchester!

What do you think of this outfit?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Forever21 Lace Dress* | Missguided Valentina Heels*

Happy Valentine's Day, loves! 

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

A Valentine's Make Up Look

Valentine's Day. Is it just me or does this holiday always bring back a heap of awkward High School memories?! Crazy stalker boy leaving me Valentine's cards 3 years on the go with ever increasing awful messages, check. Wishing that the cute boy in my Art class would send me a love-heart shaped pizza rather than just getting stalked by crazies, check. Watching A Cinderella Story and crying about the fact that there was NOT ONE Chad Michael-Murray lookalike in my school, check check check. Now that I'm in a relationship I tend to pass up on Valentine's, we can show the person we love them whenever, right?! Plus, random surprises and someone doing something genuinely special for you counts so much more. But either way, I'm a sucker for all the roses and the novelties at this time of year, and even more of a sucker for a Valentine's inspired make-up look, so here's what I'll be wearing this V-Day weekend...

For the base I went for two of my all time favourite drug store products, the L'Oreal True Match Foundation (which I'm getting on with a lot more than my MAC Mineralize, tbh) and the Collection 2000 Concealer which we all know is just a winner when it comes to a budget concealer. For cheeks,  I used a combination of Benefit 'High Beam' mixed with 'Lollitint'* for as a really pretty base highlight for blush and contour. I just can't get enough of my NARS Virtual Domination palette at the minute which is just the palette of my dreams. I bronzed my face with 'Laguna', darkened it up with MAC 'Harmony' for contour and then went in with a little bit of 'Sex Fantasy' blush. Not forgetting the 'Miss Liberty' highlight for that little bit of glitter, duh.

Moving onto eyes, I used my Maybelline Colour Drama 24 Hour Cream Shadow pot in 'Permanent Taupe' which has to be one of my favourite cream shadow products of all time. It's perfect for patting on for minimal make-up days or using as a base to bring out the glitter in shimmer shadows. I used 'Star Violet' from my MAC palette which looks like a deep purple shade in the pan but actually blends out to this gorgeous purple-bronze because of its deep red-brown undertones. I took that in the outer corners and slightly in the inner, then patted 'Woodwinked' on the middle of the lid for a pop of gold. With 'Permanent Taupe' patted over 'Woodwinked' it creates this beautiful gold foil effect which is really hard to capture on camera but gives a whole extra dimension to the eyes IRL. I then deepened the look by blending a super dark brown matte shade 'Embark' in the outer corners. This look could easily be replicated using the NAKED palettes if you don't have any MAC shades! Finally for the lips I used the super cute baby pink lipstick 'Snob' by MAC, a much easier alternative to a classic Valentine's red if you plan on eating, drinking and kissing!

What do you think of this look? Do you have any plans fo Valentine's or awkward memories?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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My Favourite Fashion Blogs

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty sure I spend about 30% of my life reading blogs. There are so many that I read daily that are constant sources of inspiration. I've never written a post on the ones I love, so I thought it was about time that I did a round-up of all the bloggers who inspire me and who I think you'll love, too.

ZOE LONDON
Zoe was without a doubt my favourite blogger of 2014. Last year saw the re-launch of her website which has taken her from strength to strength. I love sitting down with a cup of herbal tea for a catch up on her latest posts. Following her dream trip to New York and her honest musings on being an "unconventional" blogger are just some of the posts that really made her stand out to me. I feel like she's a blogger who takes you on a journey through her life.  I was a goth girl in school, and will always be a goth girl at heart, and seeing this blue haired blogger kick ass in the industry and navigate fashion in her own way is a triumph for weird teen girls everywhere. I like anyone who goes against the grain and Zoe definitely does that.

QUEEN OF JET LAGS
Hi Noor. Life swap, please? Queen of Jetlags is an amazing style blog which follows Noor jetting across the planet alongside her DJ boyfriend and blogging her amazing outfits along the way. She gives me a serious case of wanderlust, as you can browse her outfits from all the different countries she's visited whilst she's been blogging. One day she might be road tripping across America, the next she's wandering the beaches of Dubai, creating art with every post she publishes. Dream life, right?!

I HATE BLONDE
I have been following Rachel Lynch for years now and fall more and more in love with her blog everyday. She's a powerhouse and I'm so inspired by how she puts things together and motivated by her positive energy. Her blog is this constant overflow of creativity where she not only models her insane wardrobe of sky high platforms and fur coats but tells a story through every blog post. She makes me wish I could spend my days wandering around New York City in Jeffrey Campbells and Wildfox jumpers.

LULUTRIXABELLE
 I started following Lucy back in the day when I became obsessed with her Jeffrey Campbell collection and Youtube channel. I love her thrifty finds, carboot-sale chic style and her colourful crazy outfits. She shows how you can do fashion on a budget rather than making you weep into your laptop about all the things you can't afford. She took a hiatus for her final year of Uni and it's been so awesome seeing her back in the blogging world!

So these are just a few of the bloggers who I'm in love with! Do you read any of these? Who are your favourites?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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The Tools Every Beauty Blogger Needs!

When it comes to advice on starting a beauty blog, my usual response is JUST FREAKING DO IT. But there's no denying that there are tools and tricks out there which make writing your beauty posts that little bit easier. Here are the tools you need to get started...

For Keeping Notes: The key to running a blog is staying organised. I invested in this beautiful Kate Spade planner which I take with me everywhere and use to plan out the week, schedule posts and write to-do lists. If you're not one for writing things down, then using the 'Notes' section on your phone is the perfect way to keep tabs on your ideas on the go.

For Taking Selfies: If there's one thing I wish I invested in sooner, it's a remote. Swatches are vital to any review, but most people prefer to see how make-up looks when it's applied. This makes the whole process of taking a selfie SO MUCH EASIER. I bought mine here.

For That Perfect Photo Composition: If you rummage through my make-up bag, then no doubt you will find little pieces of blu-tack stuck to most of the products. It's the ultimate blogger life hack and makes shooting so much easier. Ain't nobody got time for products rolling around when you've just got the perfect composition.

For Swatches: Unless you want to be covered in swatches, make-up remover is an essential. I always give my products a wipe down so they look nice and clean in photos and having cotton pads on hand is super helpful when you're bulk taking photos.

For Photography: If you're wanting to up your photography game, then you might want to consider buying a good lens. A 50mm lens tends to be a bloggers' favourite as it gives you a really pretty blurry background. I bought mine here.

For Staying Connected: It's easy to take having an iPhone for granted, but I really don't know where I would be without it! It's so important to stay connected and tweet, Instagram and Facebook your heart away as a blogger.

What are your essential tools for blogging? 

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

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Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Brush Set | Review

Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Brush Set - £55.00

Praise the make-up gods, these brushes have changed my life. Besides how perfect the rose gold handles look on my dressing table, these brushes definitely live up to the hype and are the best I've used so far.  Since using this kit, my make-up has seriously taken a step up. I feel like I have so much more control over my products now and can get a finish with them which I was never able to before. Real Techniques are a great introduction to using make-up brushes, but Zoeva give you the tools to do much more complex make-up looks. You get 8 brushes which include everything you need for the perfect starter kit:
106 Powder, 102 Silk Finish, 110 Face Shape, 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek, 142 Concealer Buffer, 227 Soft Definer, 231 Petit Crease, 317 Wing Liner.

To give you a quick low down on the eyeshadow brushes, I've been reaching for the 227 Soft Definer brush over the hyped MAC 217 - lately I've grown to prefer it because of the softer bristles and how effortlessly it makes blending product. The 231 Petite Crease seems to be a bit hit and miss amongst bloggers, at first I wasn't sure how to use it, but since watching Batalash tutorials religiously I've realised how essential this brush is. It's perfect for patting the product in the outer corner of the lid to get a much more defined and controlled final look.

As for face brushes, the 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek brush is what contour dreams are made of. The angled edge sinks right into the cheekbones to make it super easy to give definition to your face. The 102 Silk Finish is a huge step up from my Real Techniques Buffing brush, it buffs the product into the skin to give a truly flawless finish. The only brush I haven't 100% fallen in love with is the 317 Wing Liner, mainly because my liquid liner game really isn't that strong. But I'm sure that liner pros out there might be more impressed, but this is one isn't getting much love from me.

Overall, I am IN LOVE with these brushes and couldn't recommend them more. They work out to less than £8 per brush which is an absolute bargain for such high quality brushes and they definitely deserve all of the hype they're getting from beauty bloggers at the moment! They seem to have sold out on most websites, but you can still order them from the Zoeva website with £7.50 shipping.

What do you think of Zoeva brushes? What make up brushes do you use?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo