2020 Blogging Bucket List

Recently I have fallen back in love with blogging. As we start a new year, and a whole new decade, there a few things I would really like to achieve.

REACH 1,000+ FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM
This is quite an ambitious goal, considering I've got a very long way to go (972, to be exact) but you've got to start start somewhere!

GET A DECENT CAMERA (+ LIGHT)
Although I believe writing is everything when it comes to blogging, you can't have an amazing, successful blog without decent photography. I'm also hoping to get a soft box, an affordable one of course.

BECOME SELF HOSTED
I'm planning to make the jump from blogger to wordpress (Sorry blogger, it's not you, it's me, it's time to move on) It makes me so happy to be the owner of thefashionfemmeblog.com, so becoming self hosted is something I am working on, it will defintely be worth it! Also if anyone has any advice for doing this it would be very appreciated.

SHOW OTHER BLOGGERS SOME MORE LOVE
I read a LOT of blog posts, however, remembering to leave a comment is something that I find quite hard. Plus when you show other bloggers some love, they are way more likely to return the favour, which is lovely for everyone!

GROW MY FOLLOWING ON PINTEREST
I LOVE pinterest. I spend wayy too much of my free time on there. It's great- you can find anything on there. But in 2020 I'm planning to spend a little less time pinning ideas for my dream home and a little more time promoting my little blog.

POST EVERY WEEK
Ok, I know I did say that I wasn't going to promise weekly blog posts, as I don't want to make promises I can't keep. However, I've had a change of heart. When I think about it at the end of 2020 if I've written and published 52 high quality blog posts (or even more) I'd be hugely proud of myself.

WORK WITH A BRAND I LOVE
Working with brands is a huge dream of mine, studying fashion business at university has given me an interest in doing this.

HAVE MORE CONSISTENT BRANDING
As I've mentioned before, I study fashion, this has made me realise the importance of having good branding. Having a consistent colour palette, using the same fonts and having a clear aesthetic is crucial for businesses, so this is something that I want to work towards.

5 Last Minute NYE Dresses For £30 Or Under

2019 has gone so quickly, can you believe NYE is really less than 2 weeks away? I'm sure it was Halloween like last week, but I can't be too sure. If you're still searching for a new, cute, but still affordable dress for the big night I've set myself a budget of £30, done my research, and found some
gorgeous dress options. Sparkles, sequins are perfect for NYE, if you can't do it then, when can you?!

Pretty Little Thing blue glitter metallic bodycon dress - £20.00
Currently available in sizes 4-16

Missguided pink pearl cut out stretch satin dress - £15.00
Currently available in sizes 8, 10 and 14

Motel Rocks v neckline sequin dress - £18
Currently available in sizes XS- L

Pretty Little Thing silver glitter bodycon dress - £15.00
Currently available in sizes 4-16
Selling out

Hayden Williams X Missguided pink glitter dress - £28.00
Currently available in sizes 10-16

Hope all your dreams come true in the new year,
I'm so excited to have a year of fun, creative content !!

Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020

From @LittleMix on instagram; Manchester Arena concert 14/11/19. I was there !!!

2019... I'm not going to lie, I'm so glad to see the back of this year. Not a lot went my way this year, some of it out of my control and some of it not so much. I thought I would write a blog post about my feelings because I've got a lot of them. Looking back at my 2019 goals I came across these wonderful and accurate lines;

Oh honey, you've got a big storm coming.

But you know what, I just need to pick myself up and keep going. I think sometimes I forget that 21 is actually very young, I've got plenty of time and it's never too late.

A new year is a fresh start, I know some people absolutely hate that saying but it's a positive way of looking at the new year.

2020 feels like a fresh white page in a new sketchbook.

I've struggled with stress and anxiety and it's really held me back. I need to stop comparing myself to my peers and wondering why I'm not doing everything they are doing. Does anyone else feel the same way? Comparison really is the thief of joy. I don't think that certain things in life, like graduating from university, getting a good job, travelling the world, have time or age restrictions. You can do everything in your own time, as long as you are doing your own personal best. Going forward into 2020, I'm going to be doing what's best for me, I'm not going to worry too much about what other people think.

Something amazing did happen this year though- I met my lovely girlfriend who has made me the happiest I've been in a long while. She's called Abbie and she's a really good egg!

As I'm trying to focus on the positives, I'm going to write a bucket list for the coming year. I'm not setting new year resolutions any more cause it's just not gonna happen. I also think it's quite negative; if you break a resolution, you feel bad about yourself. I do really want to improve my mental health but there's no pressure, like I say, I don't want to put time limits on myself.

1) Start a scrapbook - good way to channel my creative energy and it's also quite an easy way to ease myself back into making art.

2) Start an etsy shop - my mum has always said I should do this, and that I'm good at making things. If your mum supports you, well at least that's a good start. I may as well try!

3) Make a new CV and linked in account- 2020 is the year of being a very boring adult, I'm already so excited.

After all these years of blogging I've realised I can't promise regular blog posts but I do have some quite good content planned so please try and stick around for that.

See you soon. Hopefully 2020 isn't the worst?

Advice For University Freshers 2019

A picture of me in first year back in my pink hair days, awfully tragic I know.
Hi babes, today I thought I would share a bit of advice for those starting university in September. Having been at university for what feels like 9 years and have experienced both living in halls, commuting from home and living in a flat, I feel like I can impart some pretty good wisdom to you soon to be freshers.

- Don't buy a freshers wristband
This especially relevant if you're going to uni in a big city like Manchester, you may find that half the events your flatmates or the people you make friends with don't want to go to, or you want to go to other places that aren't on the wristband. Honestly as someone going into their fourth (gulp) year of university overall, I have found that many freshers events are over hyped and you and your friends will probably find other fun nights to go to that aren't as expensive.

- Join a sports team or society
I know some of you may feel like you are the least sporty person in the world so this might not be relevant to you, but genuinely you will make amazing friends on a sports team and most unis have something for everyone such as cheerleading, pole dance, water polo, netball, martial arts and equestrian. I joined Women's Football and it's probably the best decision I made while at uni. And sign up for tour!! This is where you go on holiday with all the other sports teams at uni (best week of your life trust me)

- Don't feel like you need to be having loads of sex
Not to sound like your mum or anything, but this one is important. It may seem like every single person at uni and their cat is having sex 24/7 and it's easy to feel inexperienced but this isn't always the case, be your own person. Genuinely not everyone is having 5 one night stands a week.
But it's okay if you want to!! Make yourself aware of the nearest sexual health clinic and get tested regularly. Use condoms if you're having sex with boys (some people do it, apparently)

- Download the uber app and local taxi company apps
This makes it easy and safe to get yourself home on nights out. You can set up uber to paypal or your bank card so you don't have to worry about saving money for a taxi or having to go to a cash machine at 3am. If you end up losing your friends (or your friend decides to pull) you can easily get yourself home without having to worry.

- Bring fancy dress
As I mentioned before, If you join a society and go to a lot of socials you will need a lot of fancy dress as there probably will be a new theme almost every week. To avoid spending ridiculous amounts of money, be sure to pack things from home that you can use, i.e- tutu, face paints, glitter, school tie, headbands, army style top. You can easily DIY really cool costumes as well.

- Download the unidays app and make the most of student discounts
If you've read my blog before you'll know that I have a fair few missguided parcels delivered which can become very pricey so if this is you, always make sure to get student discount, the best way to do this is through the unidays app. There are loads of great discounts for retailers such as Topshop (10% off) Asos (up to 70% off) and even Virgin Trains (34% off)

- You don't have to drink if you don't want to
I know this may be slightly out of character advice for me, if you don't want to drink you really don't have to. There are actually a lot more non-drinkers than you would think at uni and not drinking definitely doesn't have to stop you make you making friends. If you want to drink do it, but it's no problem if you don't.

What's New In My Summer Wardrobe

Summer is undoubtedly my favourite season. I love sunbathing, drinking cocktails in the sun, going for walks, ice cream, getting a tan, longer days blue skies. And not forgetting fashion. Buying new clothes is one of my favourite things about the season. My summer fashion essentials are mini skirts, crop tops and shorts. I like adding my sense of style to summer fashion which includes pops of bright colour, pink, sequins, glitter and lace.

Whilst I'm not super body confident, that always improves in the summer and I'm happier to show some more skin. The weather makes me much happier and more confident. Pretty, well fitting clothes are often a great way to feel more body confident. Sadly I'm not going on another holiday this year but I've got quite a few nights out and also Manchester Pride to look forward to, which means new clothes, yay!

- Missguided Leopard Print Skirt, Pink.
Strange to think that I once absolutely hated animal print, now I want it on everything! This skirt is a more quirky take on a typical pink mini skirt, and it's one of

- New Look Unicorn Cross Body bag

As you may know I love collecting cute bags, I literally can't resist buying them! This one is pink and glittery and has unicorns on, so couldn't be anymore me! My only complaint is that it's quite small, doesn't fit very much inside.

- Pretty Little Thing Pink Vinyl Crop Top
At first I was a bit put off by how bright this is, even as someone who likes pink as much as me, but it looks amazing on, and fits like a glove. It especially looks good paired with a simply coloured skirt of pair of jeans to balance it out. 

- New Look Animal Print Crop Top
Another gorgeous animal print piece, one of the stand out pieces in my wardrobe and great way to add animal print to your look in a more subtle way.

- Missguided White Lace Cami Crop Top
White crop tops look perfect with a tan, and this has such stunning lace detailing. Goes with skirts, shorts, jeans, anything really!

- Missguided 2 Way Sequin Mini Skirt
Unfortuntely I couldn't get any pictures of this beautiful skirt to do it justice, the pink, lilac and white sequins look stunning and I have had loads of compliments on it.

- Black Stripe High Neck Cami Top (exact top is out of stock, this one is in a different colourway)
It's always good to have a few basic but cute tops you can throw on in the summer with minimal fuss. This cute cami top was just £5.99 from New Look.

What have you been wearing this summer? Let me know in the comments below xx

What's In My Pared Down Makeup Bag?

Hi babes,
I have recently a big spring clean in my room (I know it's June, but it's hardly sunbathing weather so I've decided it's actually Spring still.) In the process I've deluttered my makeup collection so I've only got more essential makeup items. Here is a look into my new pared down makeup bag, please let me know what

Eyeshadow Palette
NYX Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette - Brights
If you love creating bright eyeshadow looks, this palette is perfect. The shades are so vivid and gorgeous. There is a lovely mix of matte and shimmery shades which are very easy to blend into each other. NYX makeup is always very pigmented and the eyeshadows in particular and are very high quality so you can't go wrong.

Make-up Brushes
H&M Multi-coloured makeup brushes, £9.99
After 21 years on this planet, it came to my attention that I should probably have a decent collection of makeup brushes, and applying eyeshadow with my finger doesn't really create a great look. (Obviously I still do it though. I would never make it as a beauty guru, let's face it.) I'm a huge sucker for anything mermaid themed or shiny, I literally can't not buy these things. These brushes are not only super pretty but great for every day use, just as good as more expensive brands.

Foundation, Powder and Concealer
MUA Pro Base Concealer, £2.50
NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation, £15.00
NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder, £5.50
A strong base is very important. I normally start my makeup with concealer to cover up the marks on my face and my occasional pimples. Plus I look permanently tired, so I use a decent amount of concealer on my dark under eye circles. (if you saw me at my work you'd understand.) then apply foundation and powder to complete the base.

Lip Product

Nyx Soft Matte lip cream, Milan, £6.00

I'm not really big on lipstick and normally just stick to lip balm apart from special occasions. But it's always good to have one good lip product in your makeup bag. Shockingly, this product is also from NYX!! Can someone please tell me there are other makeup brands out there. 

I almost forgot to mention, my makeup bag is part of the Triple Glammy bag set from Soap and Glory. This is personally my favourite one from the collection.

Things I Learnt In My Second Year Of Uni

Hi babes,
So my second year is over and I feel like it has gone way too fast! It feels like not long ago I was in college, looking around universities during the open days and being so nervous and worrying about personal statement. Now I'll be graduating in just over a year... eek! It really does go quicker than first year!

Here is everything I learnt...

• A degree is seriously hard work

The first year of your degree normally doesn't count, so when second year rolls around you realise just how much work to put in to complete a degree, it really freaks you out at first! You get so much coursework and so much to learn and revise if you're doing exams. If you miss too many lectures it can be so hard to catch up, and you can get stuck in a vicious cycle of missing uni to catch up on uni, which, take it from me, it EXTREMELY stressful. I'm not saying you need to have 100% perfect attendance (I would be a huge hypocrite if I said that.) Just try and attend as much as you can, escpically lectures for modules you find difficult, and ask your lecturers for help, something I definitely should have done more of this year. Try and get in the library as much as you can, but have breaks and take time out for yourself, too.

A trend board I did as part of a portfolio assignment

• Say yes to things more, make the most of opportunities

When your at uni there are just so many opportunities offered to you, such as volunteering, being part of societies and sports teams, being a course rep, going on trips, and a lot more. I definitely wish I would have taken up more of these opportunities, uni is all about making new experiences that may not be offered to you later on in life. Just remember not to take on too much or you may not be able to fit it in to your timetable. You don't to overwhelm yourself, or have so many responsibilities that your grades suffer. The best things I did were joining the Women's Football team, and going on tour to Croatia. Wish I'd have done some non football related things though!

Pool party in Porec, Croatia on sports club tour

• You won't be able to go out as much as you did in first year

In all honestly I wasn't out all the time in first year, because I wasn't close with my flatmates and I'm quite a socially shy person so I didn't make that many friends. However, I had to say no to a lot of nights out in the last year (probably should have said no to more, tbh.) It sucks to see your friends posting on their stories about how much fun they're having, but you have to remember that when you've got your degree everything will be worth it in the end.

• Apply for internships and work experience

This is a big one. It's good to get some experience on your CV before you graduate, so get applying and find some experience during the summer or for a full year if your course offers a placement year. (This is an indirect to me. Melissa get some work experience)

• Take time out for things you enjoy

This is something I definitely need to work on, I'm very passionate about photography, sewing, styling and blogging and other creative things outside my course but I've not really been putting in enough time for those things. It's hugely important to make time for the things you love, a lot of this is just time management and getting your assignments done in plenty of time so you've got more time for hobbies. Then I can spend more time with my little baby (this blog)

Hope you enjoyed this post, let me know what you thought! Are you at university, or will you be starting in September? I'm spending a lot of time at the moment watching the women's world cup games so do follow me on twitter (@melissajordank) for my hilarious and sassy commentary. See you next time,

Things People Say To Female Footballers & Fans

Good evening, this is a slightly different post, in the football world there is unfortunately a lot of misogyny and homophobia, and a lot of people with outdated views towards women. Luckily women's football is a slightly more accepting and inclusive place. Twitter as an absolute gold mine for this sort of thing, just do a simple twitter search for 'women's football' if you fancy a good laugh, it's like a time machine to the 1970's. As a woman who plays football and is hugely passionate about the game, I have a lot to say on this subject, In this post I give my take some sexist arguments, enjoy xoxoxo (just a warning I'm extremely sarcastic)

"Women's football is boring"

People have watched a 2 minute video on twitter from a match and have now come to conclusion that the whole women's game is boring. You don't even pay any attention to it... It's far from boring to me, the Women's FA Cup final on Sunday literally gave me so much life more than any football game ever. Let's be real the first half wasn't great, but city getting those 3 goals in the second have was beautiful, made me realise how much I love football.

"You only say you like football for men's attention."

This is just hilarious, something I heard a lot of during the world cup last year. Believe it or not, women can have hobbies and interests that have nothing to do with men. I know, it's crazy! A lot of girls and women grew up with football, and another shocking revelation is that gay women exist, MIND BLOWN. It is very misogynistic to assume that because a woman likes what is traditionally considered a male sport, they are doing it to appease men, rather than just existing for themselves. 

"You're all lesbians."

And what about it? In all seriousness, I might be lesbian, there are a few lesbians on my team, but there are a lot of girls on my team that are straight. Plenty of professional female footballers have long term boyfriends or are married to men. Some are gay and have girlfriends. But that's not the point, sexuality is not in any way relevant when playing football, even if the whole team were raging lesbians that were dating each other that wouldn't matter, how they play is what we should be focusing on!

On another note, it seems as though same sex relationships are very accepted in women's football circles. A lot of gay players these days are very open about it, which I think is wonderful!

"Get back to the kitchen."

Genuinely find it hilarious that people still say this in the year of 2019, honestly laughable. Believe it or not women have been allowed to work and play sports for some time now, they even let us vote now! Can you believe that? 

Support women's sport, the Women's World Cup starts next month and also the netball world cup is this summer. Anyway enjoy this picture of Man City celebrating their FA Cup win because I love them very much.

The Fashion Femme Summer Wishlist

Hi Babes,
If you still remember who I am, great! Second year of uni has been taking over everything at the moment. Studying a fashion degree the workload is pretty tough, so unfortunately I've had to abandon my little blog which has been such a shame, a lot of things haven't gone things haven't gone this year how I had planned them to go but hey ho.

I've made a little wishlist for summer, okay, it's technically still April, but it's definitely not too early to start getting excited for summer! I have a feeling Summer 2019 is going to be a good one.

- Missguided Honey Bunny Top
I'm currently obsessed with anything with stripes. I love the pink and white stripes on this top, whilst it's a crop top and would look in sunny days, you can add layers too it for chillier days.

- Missguided Light Wash Blue Skirt
Denim skirts are an ESSENTIAL for summer, and I definitely don't have enough of them! I love light wash blue denim and the moment, it looks amazing with a summer tan.

- England Women's Away Kit Shirt
As you may know if you follow me on twitter, I'm a huge supporter of women's football, and the women's world cup is coming up this summer! When the world cup away kit (the first kit specially designed for the women's team, fyi.) was announced, I wasn't sure of it at first, but now I'm obsessed. I love the pretty subtle roses design. I think once I'd seen Lucy Bronze in this shirt, I realised it was actually cute. Side note, I will be getting this in a children's size, the adults sizes are way too expensive!

- NYX Ultimate Edit Eye shadow Palette
I'm on the look out for a new eyeshadow palette, and you can't really go wrong with NYX, all their eyeshadows are so pigmented and very high quality. And their stuff is so reasonably priced as well, can't recommend them enough. This is simple palette but all the shades are so bright and pretty!

- Pretty Little Thing Pink Holographic Rain Mac
I've wanted one of these for ages, the colours are just so shiny and pretty! You can never rely on the British weather, so it's always handy to have a rain mac, too.

- Simple Biodegradable Face Wipes
As someone who has very sensitive skin, Simple products are basically the only skincare products I can use at the moment. Recently I have become a lot more conscious of the environment and how face wipes are actually very damaging to the environment. I'm hoping to test these out as they are made from more sustainable materials.

- Boohoo Holographic Scrunchie
I love pretty scrunchies, and as you can probably tell I'm a sucker for anything holographic.

How To Style The Top Trends Of 2019

Colourful tailoring is going to be huge for Spring/Summer 2019, get on the trend early by getting a bright and bold blazer from Zara. The main colours of this trend are vibrant shades, of pink, red, orange and yellow along with light neutrals. Make your look more casual by pairing with a relaxed white t-shirt and converse and vans, or be more dressed a risque by wearing a lace bralet underneath. 

Why save pretty lace and satin for under your clothes? Underwear as outerwear will continue to be everywhere in 2019. In spring and summer, lace, intricate embroidery, silk and satin will be the key materials of the season. The colour palette is pretty, delicate and fresh; think light shades of pink, lilac, white, balanced out with black. To incorporate this trend go for lace bodysuits and bralets (there is a huge selection at Missguided and Pretty Little Thing at the moment) and pair with jeans or a skirt. For a more subtle feminine take, get a lace or satin dress with delicate embroidery or embellishments. It's all about the details with this trend.

So, it looks like tie dye prints will be back again in Spring/Summer 2019. Welcome to 2013! All jokes aside, the trend this time around will have more of a faded, ombre, grungey feel, with a lighter colour palette of blues, yellows and pinks. This trend will be especially prominent in swimwear, with iconic swimwear brand Triangl leading the way, plenty of high street brands are likely to follow suit. Asos have a big selection of the print already, go for t-shirts and denim for effortless cool.

Sequins, thankfully for all of us, never seem to go out of fashion, and are appearing on catwalks season upon season. Right now many retailers such as Motel Rocks, Missguided and Topshop have plenty of sequinned partywear to choose from. Around Spring/Summer rainbow sequins will be everywhere, inspired by Ashish at London fashion week.

What trends are you going to be trying in 2019? How would you style them? Let me know,

My Favourite Things Of 2018

My Favourite songs:
Little Mix- Only you, Think About Us, Woman Like Me, The Cure.
Hayley Kiyoko- Curious, What I Need, He'll Never Love You
Camila Cabello- Never Be The Same and She Loves Control
Ariana Grande- The whole Sweetner album and Thank u, Next
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan- 1999
Anne-Marie- 2002 and Bad Girlfriend
The 1975- Love it if We Made it

A Star Is Born soundtrack

Favourite beauty product:

Spectrum makeup brushes: mean girls collection.

Favourite makeup brands:
Collection: They have not got the appreciation they deserve for having really high pigmented eye shadows, highlighter and good mascaras. Their eyeshadow palettes are literally £4 and have such quality long lasting shades, much better than some expensive brands.

Soap and Glory: Their Supercat eyeliner is a product I will always repurchase, I've tried so many other so many eyeliners but this year I decided to stick with this one.

Favourite TV and film:

Killing Eve: It's got Jodie Comer in it. Think that's enough to convince anyone to watch it. I challenge you to get through the whole series and not fall in with her. But seriously, very addictive TV, cannot wait to see series 2. Sandra Oh is an angel.

Ocean's 8: This is the year I realised it is definitely okay for me to fancy Sarah Paulson.                        Queer Eye

A Star Is Born: Think it might be impossible to watch this film and not cry. I would like to announce it as the best film of the year. Just so heartbreaking in parts along with a beautiful soundtrack, a lovely story and Lady Gaga as a ginger. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are such good actors.

Favourite book:
As I mentioned in my 2019 Goals post, I've not read many books in 2018 and I want to read a lot more over the coming year. However, I really enjoyed this book as I think Rose and Rosie are very genuine people and I think they unlike some youtubers putting out a book just because they can. It is full of stories and advice and a great read for anyone, whether they identify as LGBTQ or not.

Woman of the year:
Literally no caption necessary. What a woman. Probably will win this next year as well, and the year after that. Thank u, next bitch x

What were some of your favourite things from last year? Please let me know!