What I've Learnt About Fashion Blogging

I first discovered fashion blogging when I was 12. I've had a few different blogs (Most of them pretty terrible) and thankfully long deleted. At 22, although I still have a lot to learn, I think I have picked up some knowledge of blogging along the way.

DON'T JUST WRITE ABOUT FASHION

Fashion doesn't exist in a vacuum. People reading fashion blogs these days want to see more than just clothes, write about lifestyle, culture, travel, beauty and anything that inspires you. However, try and stick to a niche.

PINTEREST IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

This website is amazing, I can't rave about it enough. Not only is it a great place to gather visual inspiration (and save recipes that you'll never make.) It is one of the most effective websites for promoting your blog. Some of the best blog posts to promote are blogging advice, recipes, DIY's and how to's and list posts. I think in the future I will do a post on how to increase your blog views with Pinterest.

INVEST IN A GOOD THEME

If your design is messy or you are using a free layout from blogger or WordPress, this can put people off, and they may not want to click on your blog again. It's definitely worth spending a bit on a good theme. 

CREATE A VISION BOARD

It may sound a little cheesy but this can help get you focused and give you a visual idea of the direction you want your blog to go in. I use Adobe illustrator for  mood boards but free websites like Canva and Adobe Spark are great too.

WORK ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

All bloggers these days have Instagram, twitter and Pinterest. With Instagram and Twitter, people want to see the interesting parts of your life and personality. Try and stick to the same theme and branding of your blog, for example, I try to post mostly pink and quirky images with the occasional snapshot of my daily life. Create separate accounts from your personal accounts. Don't aggressively promote your blog, talk about your interests and life and support other bloggers.

HAVE A LIST OF BLOG POST IDEAS FOR WHEN YOUR FEELING UNINSPIRED 

There are always times where we struggle for ideas but still want to try and write something. Keeping a list can help you get 

DON'T WORRY ABOUT PAGEVIEWS

When I first started blogging I used to worry that no one was reading my blog. I think that all bloggers can get this feeling from time to time, however you need to push past it. Very few bloggers are overnight successes, it takes years to build a following.

DON'T GIVE UP

Remind yourself why you started in the first place, and why you've kept going for this long. You need to have patience. I believe that if you work hard, your time will come.

What other advice would you add to the list?

Self Isolation To Do List

This post was written on 30/03/2020

Like many people I’ve been finding it hard to stay motivated during this time. When you are at home all day every day it can be very easy to spend hours watching Netflix, playing the sims and wearing only pyjamas. That is fine some days, at the moment it is important to care of ourselves. That’s also mostly what I’ve been doing.

We may never this much time to be creative, so this is this perfect opportunity to make the most of it. Starting a creative project can also give you some normality and help you cope mentally.

To help myself (and you) stay busy I’ve decided to write a list of things that would be useful to do during the lockdown. 

WASH MAKEUP BRUSHES AND BEAUTY BLENDERS

Seems like an easy task, however, it needs to be done right? It’s not something I do often enough. So this is your official reminder to do it now.

START A BLOG AND WRITE BLOG POSTS

If you don’t already have a blog, what a more perfect time to start one? It’s a great way to practice writing, share your point of view, be creative and make friends and join a new community.

DO SOME BAKING

This is not something I’m very good at, however, I’m very good at eating them. I think I’ll probably stick to making fairy cakes from a paw patrol mix. Hopefully, you’ll be able to make something better than me.

WORK ON PINTEREST

As a highly visual person, I love Pinterest. It can help to get creative juices flowing. You can also share your own photos and use it to get more traffic on to your blog.

DRAW AND PAINT (DIGITAL AND TRADITIONAL)

I have so many sketchbooks lying around that aren’t being used from previously studying art. Although I’m not very good at drawing I do find it very therapeutic. There a lot of programmes and apps to work on digital drawing. Personally, I use adobe illustrator, but sketchpad is a great free website. 

HAVE A SPRING CLEAN

Not to sound like your mum, but this is the perfect time to tidy your room. If you don’t do it now when will you?

WRITE A DIARY

As we are living through a major historical event, it may be useful to write a diary of your daily life. In the future, people might find it interesting.

WORK ON PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography isn’t my strong point, so I’m going to get some practice in. You can take pictures of flatlays, products, plants, pets and other things around your home.

READ SOME NEW BOOKS AND REVIEW THEM

You can do this on Instagram, twitter, YouTube or a blog. I love discovering new books to read.

How To Stay Sane During Social Distancing

Picture credit: @sophierosebrampton
Hello. I am, like many other people am feeling very anxious at the moment due to the outbreak of Covid-19. We have no idea how bad this virus is going to get and it's normal to feel worried. It is also making people feel lonely and isolated. Festivals, concerts, holidays and sports are being cancelled. Although it may seem difficult, it is hugely important right now to practice social distancing to stop to spread of the virus.

- Channel your creative energy
I personally am going to be throwing myself into blogging, as it is a creative outlet and a portfolio of my writing. Some other ideas are scrapbooking, painting and sewing. What you make doesn't have to be amazing, as long as you enjoy it.

- Spend time with a pet
Pet owners on average have lower stress levels, plus dogs and cats can't catch or spread the coronavirus so you can spend as much time with them as you like!

- Clean your room
This isn't the most fun thing on this list, I won't lie, however cleaning can be very therapeutic. A tidy space equals a tidy mind. To make it less overwhelming try breaking up the different small tasks, e.g, making your bed, sorting out your wardrobe, cleaning make up brushes, hoovering etc.

- Read books
I've been trying to read more and social distancing is the perfect excuse. Books can provide escapism and can get you away from constantly looking at screens.

- Have a social media break
Reading too much on social media can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, especially with a lot of false and misleading information around. The news about the virus is everywhere, it can feel difficult to escape from it. However, staying off social media for a couple of hours each day can ease the anxiety.

- Make a to do list
This can make you feel productive, even if you aren't actually being that productive.

- Talk to friends/family (digitally)
Reach out to someone if your feeling lonely, especially elderly family members and family members you don't see very often.

- Think about the exciting things you can do when this is all over
Things may not be great now, but hopefully soon, things will be back to normal. We will go on nights out again, festivals will happen again. Football will be back, weddings will happen, we will go out freely. Things that we used to take for granted before.

Stay safe everyone,

For advice on the coronavirus from the NHS, follow this link.

Lesbian 101: Dating

Attempting to date people when your a girl who likes girls seems like a completely impossible task. As a former baby gay, I have made a lot of mistakes on the journey to search for love, most of them occurring on tinder. Basically, prior to my current relationship my dating life was a complete disaster and a joke. I suppose I am now slightly qualified to be giving advice on this subject, since I now in a lovely relationship with a girl, somehow. I don't know how this has happened, it definitely must be a fluke. I am also massively punching. This is everything that I know about lesbian dating, and everything a baby gay could wish to know.

DATING APPS

Even though they seem like a complete an utter nightmare, a lot of people have actually met their partners on dating apps. When I was single I did use tinder and had quite a few dates from it, but this was after A LOT of searching! I would definitely recommend downloading tinder for finding a date,  however you may find that many people on there are more looking for something casual rather than a relationship. It is the most popular dating app however, so obviously, there is a better success rate. Another thing Tinder is really good for is meeting up with people at festivals and prides. Make sure you put a picture of a dog on your profile, people like dogs.

ON NIGHTS OUT / PRIDE

Another great way to meet lesbians is on nights out. Obviously gay bars are the best places to do this. Many large cities like Manchester and Liverpool have LGBT venues (obvs only go if your over 18) Unfortunately, it is still unlikely you will meet your future wife that you will adopt dogs with on a Thursday night in G-A-Y. Let's be honest, most people are drunkenly looking for something casual, and that's putting it very politely. I am probably the exception to this as a met my girlfriend on a night out, not at a gay bar however! And if you don't meet your wife, you can still have a dance to Kylie. And get cheap double vodkas. So no downside.

Pride events happen all over the world, mostly in the month of June. Not only is it a great chance to be proud and have fun with your friends, it's also a great place to meet girls. Just stay away from the portaloos.

FIRST DATE

So a miracle has happened, the stars have aligned and you have got yourself a date. Amazing. I'm very proud. So where do you go? I think it's totally up to you, I think an adventurous date like junkyard golf and then some drinks after is a great option.

Who pays on a lesbian date? Sounds like a stupid question, but a lot of people would genuinely wonder. In my opinion, the person who's doing the asking out generally should pay.

BEYOND

Very over dramatic subtitle. I'm sorry that was unnecessary. After the date, send a quick text saying you had a good time. (That is, if you, er, went back to your own house.) If the first date went well, lesbian relationships normally move quite quick, so you'll probably be moving in soon. Congrats.

GIRLS STILL IN LOVE WITH THEIR EX

No. I mean it, no. We both know it will end in tears. But seriously, why do so many lesbians still have feelings for an ex? I think this is one of the great lesbian mysteries of the world. I don't understand it, and if any of you find out, please tell me.

So now you baby gays have all the knowledge you need to go into the big bad horrible world of lesbian dating. Hope you all enjoy. It's great.

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?