Bliss Magazine work experience

Firstly - huge apologies for my lack of posts recently. I've been super busy doing exciting career things, and I have neglected my poor blog far too much.

Since graduating last year, I've had a bit of a rough time deciding what I actually want to do, and landing that dream job (as many graduates do!) About six months ago, I decided that I wanted to do something that I'd always thought was impossible for me - I wanted to work in magazines. I know that so many girls want to do this job, and that that it will be super competitive. But who says graduating is the end of your learning curve anyway?!

Still, Let me make this clear before we go any further - you will not get a job in magazine journalism without experience. Fine. Good, in fact. It sorts out who really wants the role and who just thinks it'll be a bit of glamour. However, getting that work experience is probably a lot harder than getting many jobs. It took me months of trying to land my first placement at Bliss Magazine, but it was worth it to get that confirmation that this is the career for me.

So, I got my acceptance letter, packed my bags and headed to Kent (a bit of an expensive shock, since I'd naively assumed the placement would be in London!) for my week at Bliss.

I won't go through every day in detail, but I will say that Bliss was a perfect first step for me. This placement was basically testing the water - making sure that this was actually my dream career. Luckily, I was introduced to the world of magazine journalism excellently. At the end of my week, I left knowing that this was now the only career for me!

I've done placements in the past where it's been hard to get anyone to give you any task, let alone something which may be helpful to the company. However, Bliss trusted me from the beginning, and during the week I was given transcriptions, research, horoscopes and short online stories to write. I consistently asked if they needed any help, and was never met with: "Errr...no not really". They understood that it was important for me to get as much out of my time there as possible, and as a journalism graduate - I could actually be of some use to them! 

As Bliss is such a small team (just five of them) I got to know each co-worker fairly well, and they were all lovely and gave me some great advice. I got a great experience and a bag of beauty of beauty goodies out of my week - but most importantly, I got confirmation that this is the industry I should be in, and a renewed determination to do well.

I'm now on an online internship at Woman & Home, and I truly think that my week at Bliss helped me immensely. Woman & Home is much bigger, but I went in with confidence knowing that I could do well here. I'm now loving my time at W&H - but more on that in a later post!

About to do your first work experience placement? 

Here are some tips for impressing your new peers, collated after being tried and tested by me!

Always learn your new co-workers names, and use them when talking to them.

Don't ever be afraid to ask if they need any more help. No-one wants you sitting in silence not doing anything. 

Take the initiative occasionally. It's great to offer your ideas, but just pick your times wisely. These people are hella busy - sometimes they don't want to have to massage your ego!

Introduce yourself to everyone. Yes, sometimes you will be rudely brushed-off, but the majority of people will be impressed. You're also more likely to get advice that way.

Of course - do everything with enthusiasm. Even if it's making the tea (which I have never been asked to do, but I always offer).

Keep hold of any work you do there. It's useful to show to future employees, and builds up your portfolio a little.

Good luck to any of you in the same boat as me. I know that, with a lot of determination, we will get there!

OOTD: Brown cut out jumpsuit

JUMPSUIT: Topshop

SANDALS: Topshop

BAG: Miss Selfridge

Jumpsuits are my new obsession. Anyone who knows me will understand how weird this is because I hate trousers (not on others - just me). All of a sudden though, I can't get enough of all-in-ones. For a start, they're super-comfy. Literally like pyjamas. It's just a bonus that they're totally on-trend and look super-cool.

This jumpsuit is actually one that I bought about three years ago but have never worn. Don't you just love it when you find old gems at the back of the wardrobe?!

My favourite part of this outfit, though, is this gorgeous suede fringed bag. Bought years ago, it has been a godsend through summer holidays and festivals. I'm slowly bringing back my summer wardrobe, and starting with the bag and these sandals. So, er, how long until I can go full-on summer fabulous?!

Something big is happening.

Every once in a while, life deals you a hard blow. I think I'm currently receiving mine.

Don't worry: this isn't a 'woe is me' type of a post. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately, about what to do when life doesn't do what you expected it to. And I've come to the conclusion that we all get things we're not prepared for thrown our way, but it's the way we react to these that carves out the beginnings of the rest of our path.

I graduated last year, from a degree I loved every minute of. I never expected to get a job in the industry right away, but I really hoped I wouldn't be where I am right now nearly a year on. Which is, in a nutshell, not making any money (ok, that's a lie - not making much money).

I'm lucky enough to have been given two great opportunities, both of which I'm sure will advance my career, but both of which are unpaid. That's fine - these things happen in the industry, I love the jobs I'm doing, and my chosen career path is competitive. Anything I can do to show my commitment is a bonus, even if it does mean working non-stop. But my fall back job, my comfortable been-there-since-I-was-sixteen job, is currently cutting back hours. Which means much less money for me. Which brings me to the point of this post.

I am currently trying to save. For what, I'm not sure. Perhaps to go travelling, perhaps to move to London if my big break comes and I manage to get my dream job. All I know is, I need something to fall back on as I'm getting older. Anything could happen - I'm applying for jobs anywhere and everywhere, and would happily move for a great role.

I've been earning my own wages for five years now, and I've been wearing my wages for five years too. Since starting my role aged sixteen, almost all of my wages have gone on new clothes. I know that I'm probably addicted to shopping, but aren't all bloggers?! So for the first time, ever, I'm making a vow - to not buy new clothes.

For all of about five minutes, I was so determined. But honestly, I don't think I could go completely cold turkey. I will, however, be cutting back on the percentage of my wage that goes onto new clothes dramatically. If I buy something, it will be something that I truly love and can't stop thinking about. The funny thing is, I have a wardrobe full of clothes that are so appropriate for this season anyway (pastels are so me) so it shouldn't be that hard, right?

I'm so kidding myself. This going to be hell - so I need some support. Have any of you guys cut back on your shopping habits before? I would appreciate any advice, or support, you could give! I'm determined to save, and honestly? My career is about the only thing that could make me give up shopping.

OOTD: Summertime happiness

DRESS: Miss Selfridge (past season)

KIMONO: River Island (past season)

BALLET PUMPS: Primark (past season)

BAG: Cambridge Satchel Company

SUNGLASSES: Prada

The sun-seeker wears Prada? I've been looking for an excuse to wear my Christmas present for ages now, and this gorgeous weather is the perfect reason to rock the sunnies.

You may be able to tell that I had a lot of fun taking these pictures. Anyone who knows me is fully aware that I'm completely in my element when I can wear a pretty dress. The arrival of the sun over the past couple of days has made me so happy, and I'm sure this is the first of many summery dress outfit posts. 

Pastels have always appealed to me, so I'm loving everything available this S/S. Unfortunately, I'm also saving like crazy, so many of my outfits this year will be past season ones - hopefully I can still give you guys some summertime inspo. My personal inspiration at the moment is this gorgeous kimono - something I've had lurking at the back of my wardrobe for a couple of years now. Kimonos are a great, comfortable cover-up and this one looks fahbulous teamed with a pastel pallete. A super comfortable, easy to throw on, stylish outfit? Yes please!

OOTD: Bringing back the GAP Jumper!

JUMPER: GAP (past season)

SKIRT: Miss Selfridge (past season)

SHOES: Topshop (past season)

Remember when these bad boys were all the rage? Well, er, I never really stopped wearing my GAP jumper. It's super warm and cosy ok? But now jumpers are just about everywhere, it seems like the perfect time to rock it in public, as an attempt to wear it as an actual fashion item. It's going well so far.

This skirt has been a useful part of my wardrobe for a few years now. Midi is definitely the length for me, and of course black never fails. The pleats make it that little bit more interesting. But the shoes - the shoes are my bargains <3 just £15 a few months ago, they're now totally on trend thanks to the chunky white sole. Plus they're comfy and go with everything - don't we all just love shoes like that?!

LFW - what's it really like for a first-timer?

On a list of all the things I want to do at some point in my life, going to London Fashion Week would be very near the top.

Well, call me the luckiest girl in the world, because this week - I actually got to do it. I KNOW.

Having dreamed of going to LFW for years, I was slightly worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype. Thankfully, my worries were unfounded - I had the best time, met some lovely people and learned a hell of a lot in the process.

We've all seen the blog posts about London Fashion Week - the endless streams of catwalk and street style images. Well I have those, but I know that if I was a reader, the only question I'd really want answering is this: what's it actually like?!

Firstly, let me start by saying that I wasn't there for the whole week, just the last two days. I also only managed to go to one show (which was actually a presentation) so by no means did I have the full LFW experience because, sadly, I am not a fashion mover and shaker. Not yet at least. But I did network with fashionistas, have my picture taken a billion times (heyyy feeling like a celeb) and run around the city like crazy lady (so Devil Wears Prada)

Day 1 for me was actually Day 4 of LFW (Monday 17th). Hanging at Somerset House was really cool, I got some great street style images. Next I headed of to Selfridges to help our photographer take some pictures before the Erdem show. This was the first time had witnessed the photographer scramble, and it was madness. As soon as someone well-known arrived, everyone would run to get the best picture. I kind of took a back seat here and just watched - I'm no photographer! Next we headed to the Burberry show for more of the same, but I was just so excited to even be in the vicinity of a Burberry show that it was all a blur. I only stayed for 10 mins as I had to head back to Somerset house, but even in this short time I saw Carine Roitfeld, Tinie Tempah and Greg James. No Harry Styles though, although wedid see a lot of teenage girls running and a mop of curls - a great indicator, obvs!

By this time, thanks to regular social media updating, my phone was completely out of battery. Thankfully, I was able to charge my phone back at Somerset House. I also sat down and had my first drink of the day, which was again provided by the lovely LFW organisers. It struck me how well-planned the event was - they really had thought of everything. Finally, I grabbed my phone, met with Andreea and headed out onto the cobbles to take some street style images. This was by far my favourite part of the day - fashion people are actually really lovely and I made some great contacts. Amazingly, some of my favourite bloggers actually noticed me and came over to chat. This was an incredible ego boost, and for the first time I felt truly involved in the fashion industry. Sore feet and hunger were a small price to pay for this incredible day.

Day 2 was the final day, so I started by heading over to the Tate Modern. Sadly, my slightly achey feet (already - it was only 9am) couldn't carry me quick enough, and I missed the start of the show. I decided the best option would be to trek over to Anya Hindmarch. I got some great pictures here, including one of the lovely Poppy Delevigne, and also had my photo taken a few times - it never gets old.

Now the exciting bit - my first ever fashion presentation by Zoe Jordan. I actually really enjoyed the experience of a presentation. We were close enough to the models to really capture the texture of the fabrics in images, and could move around freely to get different angles. Again, I managed to do some networking here and met some really cool people. I also got a glass of wine and some health juice, so basically a winner!

My days at LFW were two of the most exciting, testing, crazy ones of my life. There were times when I felt like the only one without a high flying job or thousands of blog readers, and times when my feet hurt so badly that I actually wanted to cry. I felt job envy for almost everyone I saw, but in the end, I know that I have a great role myself, and to have this opportunity less than a year after graduation is something I never expected.

LFW is every bit as glamourous as I imagined it would be. To be in a place where EVERYONE wears amazing clothes is possibly the coolest thing ever. I met some amazing people, and I feel so privileged to have had this experience. I can't wait for SS15 - and I'll actually know what I'm doing next time!

Visit back later this week for more LFW posts

LFW AW14 STREET STYLE

 

One of the best things about being at London Fashion Week is the inspiration you get from everyone else. Literally everyone there is dressed amazingly, and it's impossible not to come away with a billion new styling ideas.

Of course, I wanted to capture this for you guys to see. Although my images aren't up to photographer standard, there are some pretty cool ones (oh hey, Carine Roitfeld!) 

OOTD: Valentines quirk

DRESS: Topshop

SHOES: Primark

BAG: H! By Henry Holland at Debenhams

Those who know me will be aware of my love for all things just a little bit cutesy. A big holiday = a reason to dress up. So, Christmas means a jumper, a royal celebration means a fancy dress and Valentines Day, of course, means lips, hearts and lots of red. 

The thing is, red isn't even my colour - but I couldn't resist this dress a couple of years ago and it has received a fair few compliments. And they weren't all from men glad of a reason to gawp at my boobs thanks to the hearts, ok?

Strangely enough, I don't feel self-conscious in this dress, despite the placement of the hearts. It's comfortable, and - hello sheer panels - on trend. I'll be wearing it tomorrow with black tights - I love the cute socks but they're not practical for all-day wear!

And ahh, the bloggers staple - the holographic bag. A Lulu Guinness lips clutch is on my covet list, so when I saw this cute bag with 70% OFF in Debenhams, it was a no brainer. It'll go with lots, and is quirky enough to make me happy. Speaking of quirky - do you like my Valentines-themed nails? A holiday is not just a reason to dress up, it's a great opportunity to show off some stand-out nail art!

Whether you're coupled up or not, I hope you have a great Valentines Day tomorrow. But more importantly, a very well-dressed one!

OOTD: The perfect Co-ord

SKIRT: Topshop

TOP: Topshop

SHOES: Primark

BAG: Bought on holiday

A midi skirt is my absolute go-to item, so how cool for me that they're totally on trend at the moment?! But I do have to wonder, how do petite girls go on? I'm tall (5'8") and most midi skirts are the perfect length for me. Do they just make them super long?

Anyway, I've been coveting this co-ord for months now, although originally I wanted the ballet pink colour. Sadly, that went into the sale and I missed out, but when I spotted this in my size I didn't hesitate to order. The skirt just doesn't look quite as amazing in pictures as it does in real life, even the Topshop web images make it look like your average midi. The satin is gorgeously thick, and the pleats around the waistband (as seen in the bottom picture) make it look much more high-end than it actually is. At just £30, perhaps this is the most bargainous skirt in existence? (an exaggeration - but I am pretty chuffed.)

I'm actually pretty glad that I couldn't get my hands on the pink set. Although I could have worked it with the pastel trend this season, I think it may have washed me out. This colour is a definite stand-out.

So this is my first ever proper OOTD post - I'm feeling a little nervous, but also like a proper blogger. Hope you guys enjoy the read, and feel free to pop a comment below. Feedback is the way forward, yes?

Max Factor Lashfinity 3 Day Mascara review

When I received this Max Factor mascara for Christmas, the first thing I thought was that it'd be perfect for a lazy girl like me. Don't get me wrong, I love make-up, but the last thing I want is to wake up early in the morning to apply it. I've been meaning to test this product since Christmas, but for one reason or the other have only just got round to it. 

I don't usually 'do' beauty (all I know is that I love lipstick) but with this type of product I think it really helps to see pictures. Hopefully seeing the progression over 3 days will give you guys a good idea of how the mascara works (please note: the only eye make up worn in these images is the 3 Day Lashfinity Mascara.)

DAY 1

 The mascara applies clumpier than I would usually like, but I guess that could be down to it being new. However, you can't deny that it adds length and volume from looking at the before and after pictures. Tip: if you generally apply more than one coat, do one straight after the other. The mascara dries very quickly and is much less flexible than a usual one (the consistency is a little strange - it makes your eyelashes extremely stiff.) I think my downfall was in letting my first coat dry before applying the second - it seemed to cause a lot of clumping. Overall I quite liked the mascara at first application, although I wouldn't choose it over my other every day products (this is nothing against Max Factor as I tend to use their mascaras for day wear anyway.)

DAY 2

Considering I had been wearing the mascara for over 24 hours now, I think it looks pretty good - however, you can tell by the last photo that my right eyelashes have started to clump a little. I also woke up with some black marks under my eyes, although thankfully these washed off. The little mascara that I used on my bottom lashes has gone almost completely, but my main concern is the lack of curl. My eyelashes are very straight naturally, so I tend to use an eyelash curler before applying mascara. Obviously this isn't an option when using the 3 day mascara, so looking straight on my eyelashes look completely not dramatic. The image from above shows that the length is still good, though.

DAY 3

By day 3, my right eyelashes were clumped to high heaven, pointing in all directions and basically, a bit of a disaster, as you can see in the last photo. Even my left eye had began to clump. To be perfectly honest, I took the mascara off as soon as shot as I'd shot these images in the morning, and even that was a bit of a disaster - there was a moment when I thought the remover wasn't going to work at all.

However, despite my somewhat negative review, I don't actually think Lashfinity 3 day Mascara a bad mascara at all, because I don't think my application was the best. The worst thing about it is the concept - in reality, wearing the same mascara for 3 days isn't nice (even if that is the purpose). I know it's a terrible habit, but I'm a picker anyway - I love to pull my mascara off at the end of the day. I also like waking up, having a nice wash and applying it fresh - I just don't think I appreciated it before! Sadly, I'm not sure I will be using this product again - when you're desperate to take your make up off, there's something not quite right. However, if your job doesn't require much make up, and you would relish an extra 5 minutes in bed in the morning, I say go for it!