Autumn Wishlist | Clothes

As far as I'm concerned, the end of August marks the beginning of Autumn. England barely has a summer anyway, so I am super excited for cozy knits, fluffy socks, and going to college in my pyjamas (not really, but you get my excitement!). I've decided to create a wishlist of clothes, makeup, skincare and autumn essentials that I would love to have this year in separate blog posts which I'll be posting over the next couple of days. Let me know your autumn wishlist favourites in the comments below! 

Shoes

(From left to right)

1. Red Suedette Heeled Chelsea Boot

2. Black Zip Front Suedette Brogues

3.Tan Shearling Trim Lace Up Boots

4. Black Western Ankle Boot

You can never go wrong with boots when it comes to autumn - they look gorgeous with practically every outfit and keep your tootsies warm! I always find it hard to find flat shoes which are good for the autumnal period but the brogues from New Look are super cute and would look amazing with jeans or a floaty dress and coloured tights. The red boots I would pair with black skinny jeans and an oversized burgundy jumper. It would be a very simple outfit which would allow for statement jewellery and lots of accessories! I think the tan boots would look amazing with plain black leggings, a patterned top and a chunky nude or brown cardigan, and the black ankle boots would pair nicely with an a-line skirt and long sleeved top and knee high socks.

Dresses/Skirts

(From left to right)

1. Black Button Up A-Line Skirt

2. Grey Fine Knit Zip Front Swing Dress

3. Floaty A-Line Dress

4. Burgundy Jersey Chevron Skater Skirt 

5. Orange Sunflower Jacquard Skater Dress

6. Brown Panelled A-Line Zip Front Skirt

7. Red Bird Print Shirred Waist Mini Dress

I love the granny patterns and mixture of browns and reds this year, which you can clearly see through my choices of dresses and skirts. Just because it gets colder doesn't mean you can't style dresses and skirts with coloured tights, ankle boots and chunky knit cardigans. The black button up skirt would look great with knee high boots or ankle boots and cute socks and a casual shirt with elegant accessories. I love the grey knit dress I though was lovely for autumn because it's still girly and has the fun of a dress, but the knit material and long sleeves would keep you warm, but I'm not sure how I would style it, what do you think? The floaty dress is something I'd wear on a warmer winter day with kitten heels, or with a simple cardigan, tights, and ballet flats on a chilly day. The chevron skater skirt would look really on style with a plain black turtleneck, black tights and flat ankle boots, paired with chunky but simple jewellery. The jacquard dress is something I'd wear of an evening with black or nude heels and a matching clutch bag. The dress does all the talking so I'd wear minimal jewellery and subtle makeup. I love the zip front skirt as it is really chic and on trend, incorporating the classic autumnal colours. A plain black v-neck sweater and brown boots would be my ideal outfit for this skirt. Lastly, my personal favourite of the skirts and dresses, the bird print dress can be styled with any kind of shoe and bag for a casual or a more dressy outfit.

Jumpers

(From left to right)

1.Camel Roll Neck Short Sleeve Jumper

2. Navy Jersey Knit Waterfall Blazer

3. Burgundy Plain Blazer

4. Ribbed Side Split Jumper

The camel jumper and the side split jumper would look really elegant styled with jeans and any kind of shoe as they're too thick to tuck into skirts but would be gorgeous over sized. The waterfall blazer would top off an elegant outfit of a white shirt and navy blue heels, and I'd pair the burgundy blazer with a monochrome turtleneck top, high waisted jeans, and boots.

 Tops

(From left to right)

1. Shell Pink Fine Knit Crotchet Hem Top

2. Red Pocket Check Shirt

3. White Longsleeve Pussybow Shirt 

4. Rust Ribbed High Neck Striped Vest

5. Fluted Sleeve Blouse

6. Mustard 2in1 Zip Back Jumper

I always find it really difficult to shop for tops, but I think these ones are perfect for the upcoming months. I think all of them would look amazing with jeans and loafers, changed to heels for evening events. I basically live in skinny jeans so it would be a dream to have a selection of gorgeous tops for all different weathers and occasions, like these ones!

Accessories 

(From left to right)

1. Camilla Check Blanket Scarf

2. Purse Pocket Across Body Bag

3. Zig Zag Metallic Snood

4. Soft Tassle Duffle Bag

I think these scarves and bags are really cute and use the basic autumnal colours, and would add a seasonal flare to any outfit, whether it be plain black or something a little more extravagant.

I hope you liked my wishlist, and let me know if you want anything that I've shown here!

See you soon!

Katie xo

I Made a Youtube!

After months, weeks, of thinking and umming and ahhing, I finally decided to take the plunge and create a youtube channel. Of course, I suck at editing videos and I don't have any amazing equipment, but hopefully as I make more videos it will start to come more naturally to me. If you wanted to subscribe, that would mean the world to me, and if you have Youtube channels too, comment with the URL below and I'll check them out!

This first video did not come naturally to me at all. I kept looking at the screen rather than the actual camera, and there are a few silly bloopers at the end. I'm not usually a camera shy person and I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself, so it will definitely be a lot less weird for me once I know what I'm doing a bit more.

If you guys have any requests for videos, comment on my Lush Haul video, or on this post and I'll be sure to write it in my planner! I really hope you like it guys!

TTFN!
Katie xo

Recent Beauty Buys

Yesterday I went for a little venture into town and ended up coming home with a few new bits and bobs of makeup, none of which I have used yet, but I thought I would show you guys anyway!

The only high end makeup I own is a Benefit Foundation, so I was really excited to pick up a few of my first ever MAC pieces. Firstly, a MAC eyeshadow in Chrome Yellow. This shadow is a gorgeous golden yellow colour which will look amazing all year round, and I really love wearing gold on my eyes as it makes them stand out a bit more, so I'm super excited to use this. MAC eyeshadows are really pigmented and finely milled so they're amazing for blending, bring it on!

I also picked up the Haute and Naughty Lash/Mascara Double Effect, which is a double wanded mascara. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this so I'm interested to see how it will work out. 

The last MAC piece I got was a Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Ruby Woo, a gorgeous pink toned red. My lipstick collection is ever growing and this is the first high end lipstick in that collection, so it had better be good!

I picked up 4 little drugstore makeup items, including another mascara - the Rimmel Wake Me Up mascara. I have actually tried this one and was quite impressed with it. It separates my lashes and makes them look really long, just what you need in a mascara!

Also from Rimmel, I picked up the Brow This Way brow gel. I'm not going to lie, I have never used a brow gel in my life. However, I am going to get my eyebrows shaped today and I'm hoping my eyebrows will look fabulous. I have actually tried to find something other than a pencil to fill my eyebrows in, but everything I come across is too dark. If you have any recommendations for lighter eyebrows, let me know!

The last two items are from Collection. I picked up another Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade fair 1, as my current tube is coming to it's end. I am in love with the concealer and thoroughly recommend it to everyone!

Last, but not least, the Little Mix All About the Eyes palette. This palette features 6 different shadows,in a gorgeous range of golds and browns, right up my street! I have heard good things about this palette, and it was only £2.99, so I'm not complaining!

What have you been buying recently?

TTFN!
Katie xo

Should I Start a Youtube?

I've wanted to start a youtube channel for a long time. Longer than I've wanted to blog, but I don't know whether I have the confidence to do it. Rest assured, I cannot use an editing programme and I do not look good in front of a camera.

Obviously I know my channel would never get 'big', like Zoella, or Gracie Francesca, or any of the other big youtubers, but I feel that it would give me a chance to expand my creative outlet. Sometimes, I'm just really not in the mood to blog or sit for ages trying to think of how to word something. It would be so much easier to just chat to you guys in front of a camera. My brother even suggested I started vlogging and he doesn't even know what that is.

Of course, it would be a beauty/fashion/lifestyle based thing, similarly to Tanya Burr, Zoella, Fleur De Force etc. I just feel like it would be a better way of showing you guys who I am.

What do you guys think? Is it something you would consider watching? I'm really stuck in a rut with what to do. Let me know in the comments or on twitter!

Katie xo

P.S. *not my images*

Liebster Award

Go me, I was nominated for the Liebster award. Thank you very much to Mary Veronica from Beautilicious Freaks. I love the whole idea of nominating people for awards in the blogging community as it shows your followers who you're loving and helps to introduce blogs to people, like one massive shoutout!

Mary's Questions and my answers!

1. If you organize a fashion show what theme would it be? My theme would obviously be like fairy tale. Because I'm generic like that.

2. What do you enjoy the most shopping or blogging?I really love shopping but I really hate spending money, and blogging makes me really proud of myself, so I'm going to say blogging.
3. What would be your favorite outfit pick for a dinner date? Something cute and classy, perhaps a midi dress, loose curls, and a pink lip.

4. If made the fashion editor for a popular magazine what would you love to change in the fashion industry or write about? I'd really want to see more plus size models featured in magazines and on the television. It's not fair for us larger girls to have to imagine what a certain outfit would look like on us and be disappointed because it would look nothing like the thinner model. Equal representation of bodies and ethnicities yo.

5. What advice would you like to give to fellow bloggers? Have fun! It's all very well wanting to get something out of your blog but if you aren't enjoying it, what's the point? When it starts to feel like a chore, take a step back and breathe, think about why you started blogging in the first place.

I nominate any of my followers who want to get involved with this, you're all nominated! My questions for you are:

 

1) If you could decorate your bedroom however you wanted, what would you do to it?

2) What do you do when you feel down?

3) What is your staple makeup/fashion item for the upcoming autumn?

4) Why did you start blogging?

5) Who is your biggest inspiration?

Let me know on Twitter if you've answered my questions, or even just comment if you don't want to write a post!

See you soon!

Katie xo

Confidence

I was really excited this morning. I planned to do my first ever OOTD and FOTD post. I thought I looked really great and was flaunting it to no end in front of my mirror. And then came out the camera. I set up my tripod and put the camera on the right setting, spent 20 minutes trying to find the best place for the photo and then decided that everything was wrong. My bun was too high on my head. I have the wrong shade of lipstick on. My legs are too fat for this dress. 

So here we are. No OOTD. No FOTD. No more excited Katie.

Confidence is a really tricky thing. Sometimes I have so much of it that I think I'm queen of the world, and sometimes I have absolutely none so I stay in my pyjamas all day because there's no point in me even trying to make myself look good. I don't like the way I look, I don't have amazing hair and makeup skills, and I have a very unflattering wardrobe. 

Recently, I have had very little confidence in most things I do. I desperately want to start a youtube channel but I don't think I'm interesting or pretty enough, I feel like my blog will go nowhere, I have no confidence in my college work so I haven't been concentrating on my summer assignments, and I have completely given up with dieting because, at the end of the day, I'm still going to be me. 

It's a very sad thing that this happens to me, and millions of other people all over the world for millions of different reasons. It's so easy to get wrapped up in other people's success that you lose sight of your own, so I'm making a list of everything that I have achieved that I've lost confidence in.

1) I successfully put lipstick on today, for once. I'm really cack handed so lipstick usually just doesn't work, but I took extra care and did it really well.

2) I'm wearing an outfit that is very daring for me. Or I was, until I lost confidence in it and took it off. But the fact that I considered wearing it was quite a big step for me.

3) I took some beautiful photos in the woods recently, which has boosted my confidence for my A-Level photography course. I'm nowhere near as good as other people in my class, but I'm getting there.

4) I've been exercising. And enjoying it. Going to exercise classes 4 times a week has really boosted my confidence with exercising in front of people, and I'm pretty sure that I don't care what people think of me when I exercise now. At the end of the day, everyone is there for the same reason - to better their body. Whether that be to lose weight, gain muscle, or just keep fit. 

5) I've started being quite independent with my cooking. Usually my mum would cook for me, but recently I've been making lots of super easy meals such as gnocchi or pasta parcels, breakfast bagels, tasty smoothies, and even just tins of soup. I'm finally taking the initiative to make myself nice meals, instead of eating the same thing everyday.

These are tiny little things, and I'm sure that plenty of you guys do all of these things easily and amazingly, but for me, they're big things to becoming a happier person. If you struggle with confidence or self esteem like me, take a look at these little tips to see if they improve your mindset.

• Make a list like I did of all the things you've achieved that you thought you were bad at or had lost confidence in. You may surprise yourself. If you find it hard to make the list by yourself, ask your friends or family who know you best.
• At the end of each day, think about all the good things you did, or inspiring things you saw, and write them down. Take them into account the next day, and actively try to improve on the previous day. That way, you'll be taking into account your accomplishments, while bettering yourself at the same time.
• Make a playlist of songs that make you feel big and important. My favourite song to make me feel happy and cool is Sail by AWOLNATION. I don't know, it's just fun to make stupid faces to and feel kind of like an alien. I'm not making sense. 
• Try something new. If you don't have any body confidence, try a completely different style when you try clothes on. Pick up a lipstick colour you wouldn't usually take notice of. Maybe you just need a change and don't know where to start. Little things make a difference.

I hope these little tips help, and there's plenty of other really lovely tips on the internet, so if you're feeling down, just look some up!

Sorry for the word heavy post! Happier posts to come.

See you soon!
Katie xo