HOW TO: MARCHESA SS15 INSPIRED WAVES

If you were following the #LFW madness, then you'll know that Toni & Guy were the sponsors, working behind the scenes at the key shows. One of my favourite shows this year was Marchesa and I loved the 'woodstock waves' seen on the models. Styling hair is definitely not my main talent, so if you love watching the catwalk shows but never think that you could recreate the looks, then this one is for you! Here are the three steps to catwalk hair...

1) Apply a thickening product like this plumping whip from Toni & Guy to add volume to your hair. Take a walnut sized amount and work from your roots to the ends. This creme product is the perfect consistency, it leaves your hair feeling light-weight and bouncy, without weighing it down with grease.
2) Using a diffuser, twist your hair into sections, then tousle and scrunch whilst blow drying for textured, volumised hair. Diffusers can be a little tricky to use, but after a few Youtube tutorials I think I (kind of) got the knack! What I like about this one by Toni & Guy is that it's collapsible, so perfect for popping in your bag if you're heading away.
3) You will now be left with messy, boho hair, so now it's time to go in with your straightener and tidy things up. This is a kind of 'fancy festival' style, so glossy, undone waves are what you're going for. Wrap your hair around the straightener and then pull down to create loose, undone looking curls.

Products used:
Toni & Guy Volumising Plumping Whip*
Toni & Guy Salon Professional Diffuser*
Toni & Guy Salon Professional Hair Dryer*
Toni & Guy Salon Professional Straightener*

Overall, I have been really impressed with the Salon Professional range. Toni & Guy are a brand I have trusted for a long time and I feel that you can definitely rely on them for high quality electrical products. The straighteners in particular are a dream to use, the ceramic plates have built in 'colour-lock' technology which is designed to enhance shine. This sets them apart from straighteners I've used in the past which have felt incredibly harsh on the hair. They heat up extremely quickly and have all of the features you would expect from a professional brand including adjustable heat and auto turn-off. The hair-dryer is powerful, styles quickly and is nice and light. I felt that I could've skipped out the diffuser from this look but wanted to see what results I could get with it. It was my least favourite product from the range, mainly because I struggled to use it and found it quite time consuming. I try to use as little heat as possible, so if I could've achieved a look I was satisfied with using just the diffuser on its own I would've been far happier. But if you're confident with a diffuser or determined to learn, this one is used by stylists at London Fashion Week and has been receiving great reviews. The fact that it's silicone means you can collapse it easily, which is perfect for storing away or taking away with you. Finally, all of the electricals come with a 5 year warranty, so if you need to update your electricals then this is definitely a brand to consider!
Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win one of the products for yourself!

What do you think of this look? Have you tried out the Toni & Guy electrical range? 

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS. I've also teamed up with Toni & Guy where you can win yourself £80 worth of their electronic product! All of these are currently being used backstage at LFW so make sure you enter!

PPS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

  

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Blogging "Rules" You Should Ignore

This summer has given me a lot of time to really think about blogging, to try out new things and figure out what works. This time last year, I never anticipated that I would become as hooked on blogging as I am now. I'm constantly pushing myself to think outside the box, consequently getting as far away from the "rules" as possible.
Unless you've had your head under a rock, you'll have noticed that there's been a major trend in 'advice' style posts. I put this down to a shift in the blogosphere that has been coming for a while now. In the year that I've been blogging, I've noticed a lot of changes. To put it simply, we're beginning to realise our blogs are something to be branded and can actually take us somewhere. Everyone is looking for ways to up their blogging game; be it through huge collaborations with brands, their photography or changing up their content.
Creating content which is shareable and useful to your readers is becoming wildly popular. As much as I love a good blog tips post, sometimes I think we can over absorb and pay too much attention to these "rules", whether spoken or unspoken. So here are the ones I've learnt to ignore...

STICKING TO A NICHE 

Time and time again I hear bloggers telling other bloggers to stick to a "niche". For me personally, niche has always been one of those 'WTF' useless words that just don't do anything for me at all. Sticking to a niche, I feel, stints creativity, imagination and restricts any room for growth or reinvention. I think it's really important and exciting to be constantly reinventing yourself through your content. I love blogs which incorporate beauty, lifestyle, food, fashion and even opinionated, personal posts which let me get to know what the blogger really thinks and feels. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone; some people know how to find their niche and really nail it. If it works for you and inspires you, keep at it. But don't feel as though you have to stick to a "niche" in order for your blog to be successful.

FOLLOWING BLOG TRENDS

I think of blog trends a lot like fashion trends; we all follow them in some way, what makes them interesting is the spin we put on them. I always pay attention to what's trending in the blogosphere, whether I choose to respond to it or not. I don't see anything wrong with looking to others for inspiration but this does not mean you should rip people off and be a carbon copy. It's too easy to click on the Bloglovin' popular page, see a post has done well and create your own watered down version of it. But your readers will be quick to notice - and what's the fun in that? If you notice a trend in blogging - why not think of how you can bring something new to the table by putting your own unique spin on it?

WRITING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE 

One of the best pieces of blog advice I've heard is "write the blog you would want to read". The reason most people give for why they started blogging was because they wanted their own space to share their thoughts. With this shift towards branding and business, it's easy to lose sight of that and to become overly focused on creating the content you expect will do well. As selfish as it might sound, I write the content that I would want to read. Personally, this is the way I stay authentic to myself and passionate about what I'm writing. Have you ever felt that sense of disappointment when you think you've done a post that will go down well, for it to not have the reaction you'd anticipated? I've realised that this only happens when I don't write with myself in mind and overestimate what others would want to read rather than what I want to write. So although we all take our audience into account, ask yourself who you're writing for next time you pen a post. If the answer isn't for yourself, it might be worth thinking about.

POST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE 

I've learnt that when it comes to blogging, it's quality over quantity, every time. My goal is to post three times a week and given that I'm a full time student, this already stretches my time time and can quickly become a pressure when I have more important things to do. I tried blogging every day and although my traffic and interaction soared, I quickly burnt myself out, got into a serious blogging rut and didn't blog for a week because of it. Totally counterproductive, right?! Don't feel guilty, or down on yourself, if you don't post every day. For most bloggers this is just not feasible and it's far better to create something high quality once a week than put out daily blogs that you're not 100% proud of.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with any of these? What are the "rules" of blogging that you ignore, or follow?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

PPS. I've also teamed up with Toni & Guy where you can win yourself £80 worth of their electronic product! All of these are currently being used backstage at LFW so make sure you enter!

  

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LONDON FASHION WEEK | DAY TWO

Coat - Cage City | Bag - Vivienne Westwood | Shoes* - F21 | Sunglasses - Quay
Photography by UnlimitedbyJK

After such a busy day on Friday, my second and final day at London Fashion Week was much easier. Thankfully I woke up to coat weather which was a total relief after baking the day before. I was glad to have gone for a pair of lower heeled shoes as the day before was a bit of a battle.  I'm just not a girl who feels comfortable in flats, so a little heel is a must. I love the pop of red against this white mesh coat - red and cobalt are fast taking over my wardrobe for the new season.
As you have to do when you stop in a hotel, I went all out on the Premier Inn breakfast (does anybody else lose all self control when faced with a buffet?) then headed over to Fashion Scout for Zeynep Kartal which was the perfect start to the day. The collection was inspired by the novel 'The Secret Garden' and the concept of 'flowering out', the catwalk was blooming with delicate floral embellishment, pearlescent beading and a dreamy rose palette. One of my favourite looks was the boxy, silk capes - the models just looked ethereal in them and I'm definitely on the look out for one now.
I had a bit of time to kill so headed over to Somerset House to soak up all the street style and got lambasted by photographers which is really quite overwhelming but flattering at the same time. I met up with Joseph who took these awesome photos - he really is so talented and seems to shoot the image I have in my head. It's a fashion bloggers dream to have someone who seems to just "get it" take their photos. Definitely check out his blog and contact him if you're ever in need of photography!
Next up was Bernard Chandran who I loved when interning last season. The collection was titled 'Venus in The Daytime' and seemed to channel a hip-hop, "bad bitch" modern day kind of goddess. There was a fascinating contrast of the grecian gowns with modern panelling and mesh as the models walked to "bad bitch, bad bitch do your thing". To finish the day was Dora Abodi who I had been really excited about after reading up about the designer. Her work is dark and futuristic and inspired by baroque art which I'm obsessed with. The collection was a futuristic, gothic cult brought to life with a sci-fi edge and definitely appealed to my inner goth girl.
So after an amazing day, I headed back to Birmingham to see my boyfriend but didn't want the fashion chaos to end. Hopefully next time I'll be able to do the full five days!

Did you go to LFW? What do you think of this outfit?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

PPS. I've also teamed up with Toni & Guy where you can win yourself £80 worth of their electronic product! All of these are currently being used backstage at LFW so make sure you enter!

  

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LONDON FASHION WEEK | DAY ONE

Top - Cow Vintage | Shorts - Zara (similar) | Bag - ASOS | Shoes - Chicwish | Ring - Gypsy Warrior | Head piece - ASOS
Thank you so much to Unlimitedbyjk for the photos!

So, this was my first season at Fashion Week not as an intern.  If there's anything I learnt from my first day there, it's that it's really important to plan everything out to the finest detail. The day started really well with Jamie Wei Huang at FashionScout and the Ones To Watch showcase which is always really exciting to see. I then trecked over to Waterloo, got completely lost and then finally found the venue for Fyodor Golan which was tucked away under a bridge. It looked like it was going to be amazing but the last 100 or so people got turned away which was so frustrating. So feeling pretty disappointed, especially as I'd missed Ong and the Amanda Wakeley presentation for Fyodor Golan, I headed back over to Freemason's Hall for Hema Kaul and Ashley Isham. Hema Kaul's collection was absolutely breathtaking last season but I have to say, her SS15 collection didn't live up to expectations. I loved Ashley Isham and the contrast of East and West in his aesthetic. There was an amazing performance element to the show which really brought the clothes to life, the models had this warrior vibe which I just loved.
So overall, my first day at LFW didn't really go to plan. But that didn't stop it from being a pretty amazing day, anyway. It's so surreal to be able to experience Fashion Week as a blogger and call my own shots But I did kind of find myself missing the chaos of being an intern, running from show to show and covering the backstage! It's all a learning experience, figuring out how everything works, and developing a new kind of pain tolerance for aching feet. Come back tomorrow to find out what I got up to on Day 2!

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

PPS. I've also teamed up with Toni & Guy where you can win yourself £80 worth of their electronic product! All of these are currently being used backstage at LFW so make sure you enter!

  

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GIVEAWAY: WIN A SURPRISE PRODUCT FROM TONI & GUY'S SALON PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION!

Hey everyone! I have an exciting giveaway for you today. I've teamed up with Toni & Guy for you to win a surprise product from their Salon Professional collection worth £80! Toni & Guy are the official sponsors of London Fashion Week so you'll be winning one of the products used backstage at the shows - exciting, right?!
To enter, make sure you like Toni & Guy's Hair Meets Wardrobe Facebook page and follow me on Bloglovin!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HOW BLOGGING HAS CHANGED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH BEAUTY

August marked the one year anniversary of this blog, and in that time, my relationship with beauty has definitely changed. When I first started blogging, I really didn't have any idea what I was doing. And let me tell you a little secret, I didn't know a whole lot about beauty, either. Besides a make-up addiction, I was just a girl with a blog and a camera trying to figure out what to do with her little space on the internet. Fast track a year of passionately reading blogs and striving to create original content, I've learnt a whole lot from beauty blogging. So here's how blogging has changed my relationship with beauty...

A good skincare routine really does work wonders. 
My days of being a face wipes kinda girl are well and truly dead and buried. Gone are the days of laziness and stocking up on Primark face wipes. These days, even if I stumble in drunk as hell and fall asleep fully clothed - you better believe that I will have managed to cleanse, tone, moisturise and sometimes even apply a face oil before falling asleep. I've learnt a lot about skincare and since sticking to a routine it's worked wonders for my skin. I owe it to beauty bloggers for sharing their skincare favourites and teaching me the wonders of things like double cleansing and that oily products and oily skin aren't necessarily incompatible.

Beauty blogging will make you buy more products, but you will end up a pro at not giving into the hype. Eventually.
Okay. Guilt as charged. If you haven't ever gone out and bought a hyped up product because you saw it plastered all over the blogosphere, then you're probably lying. I'm sure most bloggers will be with me when I say that I've done my fair share of giving into the hype. But in a year of blogging, I've realised that spending all of your money on the latest MAC release is kind of dumb. I've worked out what works for me, the products I'll get the use out of and when an investment is due. After all, nothing is worse than giving into the hype for it to just gather dust in your make-up drawer.

Beauty blogging gives you a whole new language.
The beauty jargon is endless; double-cleanse, dupe, swatch, haul, FOTD/LOTD/EOTD/NOTD, "holy grail", cut-crease. You will never be able to describe something as "pigmented" without slightly impersonating your favourite beauty vlogger. And don't even get me started on how NARS' tasteful blush names have made things a little awkward.

You will have a new sense of colour. 
A lipstick is no longer red, it's blue-toned, orange-red, classic-red, or fuschia-toned.  It also becomes necessary to own 15 slightly varying brown eye shadows. After a year of beauty blogging, the entire colour palette opens itself up to a new dimensions of nuances, under-tones and finishes.

WTF was life before make-up brushes?! 
My initiation into make-up brushes began with the so hyped Real Techniques buffing brush and since then I've never looked back. I literally wouldn't even know where to begin with putting on my make-up without my brushes! 

Matte eyeshadows are actually worth buying. 
Before I started blogging, the matte shades in my NAKED palettes were the most untouched. I mean, why go matte when you can have shimmer?! But these days I'm hitting pan. I truly overestimated the importance of neutral, matte shades when applying my eyeshadow. They give a whole new dimension to the eye and immediately up your eyeshadow application skills. Blending out a matte shade through a shimmery eye-look makes it look so much more put together. I'm also absolutely in love with an all-over matte brown and 

How to be braver with make-up.
I used to stick to the same make-up looks for night, day and special occasions. These days I'm adding fuchsias and cranberries to my make-up palettes. I'm getting braver with contouring. I stray away from my fool-proof red lipsticks. There's a lot of fun to be had with make-up as soon as you step out of your comfort zone. Funnily enough, since starting my beauty blog I'm far more at ease with my own face and going natural.

Has blogging changed your relationship with beauty? What has beauty blogging taught you?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

  

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WHAT I WORE | CREAM KNITS IN WINDERMERE

Dress - Motel | Cream Knit Crop Top - Missguided | Handbag & Necklace - Vivienne Westwood | Sandals (similar here)

SHOP THE POST

 Last weekend I headed up to Windermere with my best friends. Moving to London is the dream but nothing beats living up North. A month in the city registered for me just how lucky I am to have The Lake District on my door step, the scenery is so green that it doesn't look real. We had a fun day wandering around Windermere, got lunch, and searched for bargains in charity shops.
The transitional period between Summer / Autumn is the worst! Some days it's kimono weather and others I'm getting out my furry jumpers, wanting to burn Yankee candles and start counting down the days to Halloween! This leather dress from Motel is quickly becoming my A/W staple. It's perfect for mixing and matching and can make your old clothes feel new. I paired it with my cropped cream knit from my Missguided two piece which is just perfect for layering and super cheap in the sale! Mixy matchy.
On that note, I've spent all day clearing out my closet and dreaming about my A/W wardrobe so head over to my depop if you want a bargain! My username is @LydiaRoseS

Do you like this outfit? What are your A/W staples? How do you mix up your clothes so they feel new?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win yourself a pair of Ray-Bans!

  

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