#3 50s femininity
29 May 2015
Boots ASOS | Dress Vintage c/o Style Yard | Bucket bag Primark
It's finally Friday again and with it comes the last of my three looks for my special vintage week on Halcyon Velvet – hope you've all enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below if you would like to see more week's like this every now and then! I've enjoyed spending a bit more time on my look and mixing the old with the new.
Onto my third and final look then, a 1950s gorgeous midi-length dress was sent to me by the lovely ladies at Style Yard but I wasn't too sure about it…until I put it on. The fabric is thin and light-weight, making it perfect for the Summer heat and I love the skinny brown belt that came with it to cinch you in at the waist. Button up detailing at the bust and gorgeous stitch detailing to the shoulders – of course there are some shoulder pads in there too which gives the whole dress more shape. I decided to add black detailing though to make it a little edgier and bring it into this world. Some people say not to wear brown and black together – but who made up this rule? I think my ASOS chelsea boots and Primark bucket bag go really well with the dress and belt. I feel sort of like if I added a small white apron I wouldn't look out of place in an American diner, but I guess that's the beauty of vintage clothing – it transports you back to another time and you start to think differently about your clothing.
Have a lovely weekend and see you Monday for a less-vintage outfit of the day!
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#2 Summer holiday
27 May 2015
As promised, here's my second look using vintage fashion – this time styling up this gorgeous, ditsy floral print top and adding a modern twist. I have never really been drawn to peter pan collared tops before but when I saw this one on the Style Yard website I knew I had to have it. The perfect fit, pretty pattern and I love the fact that it conceals the buttons with a front strip of fabric so now gaping holes like I normally get with shirts and blouses! I've rolled the sleeves up to keep this look casual – plus it was actually really warm on the day I shot this despite what the gloomy clouds in the distance are saying.
Teamed with these fab white jeans from ASOS, my always-with-me suede Mango jacket and Primark sandals I seem to be channeling a 'Barbara Windsor in Carry on Camping" sort of look, though a tad more covered up than ol' Babs, perhaps. I love that this is a look you could wear throughout the year, simply by changing the jeans to a darker colour and adding boots this will see you through to Autumn/ Winter too!
See you Friday for the third and final look of my vintage week…
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#1 Seeing spots
25 May 2015
Dress Vintage c/o Style Yard | Shoes New Look (old) | Bag Vintage | Blazer Topshop (old)
It's a new week and, like every new week there comes a flash of inspiration on what I can do on Halcyon Velvet to keep you guys interested and coming back for more! This week I've decided to do a vintage special, as you probably know if you've followed my blogging journey for a while now I am a huge fan of all things vintage, particularly the styles of the 1950s and 60s. I was also lucky enough to be contacted by the lovely ladies of online buying and selling fashion boutique Style Yard to style up some pieces from them – they are currently renovating their website meaning only more exciting things to come from them! They've given me a couple of bits that you will see over the course of this week that I've paired with modern pieces to make it fit into the 21st Century – hair and make-up though, I wanted to keep retro as you can see.
This is outfit one of three and shows just how well vintage fashion ages – it was made with more love and care than our clothing today has been produced, our clothing is mainly mass produced whereas then they were all handmade and not really made for the masses. The pleated skirt and fitted waist of this 50s dress is exactly the right silhouette for that time, Christian Dior's 'New Look' had come in after the rations of the Second World War and women were once again able to afford gorgeous pieces of clothing. I love the polkadot print of this dress and decided to contrast that with my favourite burgundy heels from New Look, vintage handbag (that still has a purse and mirror inside, what?) I bought from a rag fair a while ago and my white blazer I've had in my wardrobe for a reaaaallllly long time. It's a staple, that's for sure! This look could take you anywhere, from a day at the races to lunch with the girls. It's charismatic and feminine and I really love it, hope you do too!
See you Wednesday for look two…
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Floral dream
22 May 2015
Well it must be Summer because here I am again with another pretty floral background – if only my Winter photo's could be this nice! I'm well and truly making the most of this lovely (albeit, slightly temperamental) weather we're having at the moment and getting the legs out for all to see. This weekend I'm off to London to see a friend who jetted off to Australia over a year ago and is finally back and two of my other best ones and I'm so excited that the sun is going to have its hat on – hoping Apple weather app is on point for once. Anyway, enough of that let's talk about this dress and my, oh my what a dress it is. It had been in my 'save for later' basket on ASOS for a while and when the price finally dropped (ASOS drop prices a lot, FYI) I nabbed it right there and then.
I love everything about this skater-style dress. From the long sleeves to the floral design and the material to the tight then flowing fit it's an absolute dream to wear and above all it's so comfortable and EASY to wear too. I've had it for a while so had been wearing it with tights, boots and a jacket but as you can see here it's a really versatile piece that clearly looks great in every season! Teamed with my Converse daps and ASOS bag I'm set for the gorgeous weather – the long sleeves are great for me even throughout Summer as I feel the cold so easily.
Hope you all have a lovely bank holiday, so sad this is our last one until August now! Make the most of it and the sunshine...
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Blogging & working
20 May 2015
(Images by me)
A month at my new job has flown by, it's actually quite scary how quickly it's gone! With that, I thought it would now be an apt time to share with you how I've been coping with blogging and working full time – while also sharing a few helpful tips I've found to really work for me (you might find it a load of ol' nonsense, nonetheless). First and foremost, getting up at 6.30am everyday has been one helluva shock to the system let me tell you! I also don't get home until 6pm most days so it's super tiring and to come home and have to do blogging when really it's just a hobby for me can get a bit too much.
HOWEVER – I LOVE blogging and it's the only hobby I've stuck with for such a long amount of time (woo!), it's something I'm passionate about and not just 'in it for the free things.' It's a rare occurrence that I get given things from brands and companies, more often than not I'm turning them down, but anyway back to my point – if I didn't have the energy and will to blog, Halcyon Velvet would have stopped a long time ago! Passion and drive are the two main things you need to be in this blogging game but here are some things I've done more of/ upped my game with to help me still enjoy blogging while working full time:
HOWEVER – I LOVE blogging and it's the only hobby I've stuck with for such a long amount of time (woo!), it's something I'm passionate about and not just 'in it for the free things.' It's a rare occurrence that I get given things from brands and companies, more often than not I'm turning them down, but anyway back to my point – if I didn't have the energy and will to blog, Halcyon Velvet would have stopped a long time ago! Passion and drive are the two main things you need to be in this blogging game but here are some things I've done more of/ upped my game with to help me still enjoy blogging while working full time:
Get organised
Yup, that old chestnut! Every blogger and their mum has written this simple piece of advice somewhere on their blog before – but it's honestly the most important thing you need. If you're disorganised then it shows on your blog. You're broadcasting this page to thousands (lucky you!) of people everyday so it's only right they've got well thought out, interesting and engaging copy to read. I always have a notebook on me and have a note made up on my phone in case inspiration suddenly strikes, be that at the supermarket or when I'm out for a stroll with Daisy dog. I like to plan my content 2-4 weeks in advance – this can obviously alter as and when you buy new things/ have a sudden brainwave for a topical/ timely piece of content or just simply change your mind. Hey, it happens. I then shoot, edit, write and schedule all my posts at the weekend so I don't have to stress about it during the week. I try to do it only one out of the two days I get off (weather permitting, of course) and then it's cleared from my mind and I feel like I'm top of it all.
Hootsuite is your best friend
I write my content on a weekly basis – I may shoot 2-3 weeks worth of posts all at once but choosing to write content weekly is simply because…my mood can change. What you write 2-3 weeks beforehand can seem stupid/ irrelevant to when you next come to it so weekly writing seems to work best for me (I'm basically a moody bitch). Once all my content is written I use Hootsuite to schedule social media posts about my brand-spanking new post on that particular day. I realise I could use Hootsuite a lot more but for now it's predominantly Twitter that gets all the Hootsuite action! I schedule my three posts every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8am as people are mostly on their way to work, absorbed in their phones. I then write another scheduled tweet for 1pm when, of course, most people are having lunch! Simple really. I have my own Facebook page and now schedule those posts separately on there using the 'permalink' you can find on the side of blogger, always including images for people to look at straight away. Instagram is the only social media tool that I can't schedule on – here's hoping they join the modern age soon!
Stay inspired
I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay inspired, if you don't your posts will become mundane and 'samesy' and your blog will suffer in the long run. I use a number of things to get the tired, old clogs in my head turning when it comes to brainstorming ideas. The first would be noticing the new trends from various fashion weeks: being a predominantly fashion-based blogger this is where all my ideas come from, everything you wear started somewhere and it's here on the catwalk that we get to see it come to life – that inspires me so much! Next, I use fashion brands' lookbooks, campaigns and imagery to come up with my own photoshoots – it's not copying as I always put my own stamp on things, as you can probably tell, plus I definitely don't have the time/ budget/ professional workers they have to make it look that good.
Thirdly, other bloggers. They keep me on my toes. This isn't a bad thing, the blogging world is a competitive one no matter what other bloggers may say to you and there's always some girl out there trying to steal your ideas, don't be THAT girl! I take inspiration from the likes of Ghost Parties, The Little Magpie and What Olivia Did because they all started where I am starting now and that's pretty damn inspiring (plus their style is always on point, duh). Lastly (though I could ramble on for hours about this particular point) my own life inspires me, jeez: walking the dog, family and friends, my surroundings, the music I choose to listen to, the books and magazines I read and the make-up I choose to wear all play a part in my inspiration process and that's what keeps my blog totally unique!
Stay inspired
I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay inspired, if you don't your posts will become mundane and 'samesy' and your blog will suffer in the long run. I use a number of things to get the tired, old clogs in my head turning when it comes to brainstorming ideas. The first would be noticing the new trends from various fashion weeks: being a predominantly fashion-based blogger this is where all my ideas come from, everything you wear started somewhere and it's here on the catwalk that we get to see it come to life – that inspires me so much! Next, I use fashion brands' lookbooks, campaigns and imagery to come up with my own photoshoots – it's not copying as I always put my own stamp on things, as you can probably tell, plus I definitely don't have the time/ budget/ professional workers they have to make it look that good.
Thirdly, other bloggers. They keep me on my toes. This isn't a bad thing, the blogging world is a competitive one no matter what other bloggers may say to you and there's always some girl out there trying to steal your ideas, don't be THAT girl! I take inspiration from the likes of Ghost Parties, The Little Magpie and What Olivia Did because they all started where I am starting now and that's pretty damn inspiring (plus their style is always on point, duh). Lastly (though I could ramble on for hours about this particular point) my own life inspires me, jeez: walking the dog, family and friends, my surroundings, the music I choose to listen to, the books and magazines I read and the make-up I choose to wear all play a part in my inspiration process and that's what keeps my blog totally unique!
Socialise
GET OUT OF THE INTERNET! I cannot stress this enough, having a few hours a day with no internet near you – phone, laptop, iPad etc are all off and you can just settle down (preferably with a cup of tea) and get back to reality. Because, let's face it blogging is one weird concept and it's nice to have time to switch off once and a while.
Hope you liked this post, if you made it all the way to the end then you deserve a gold star, see you Friday for another outfit of the day post!
Hope you liked this post, if you made it all the way to the end then you deserve a gold star, see you Friday for another outfit of the day post!
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Pink blooms
18 May 2015
Coat George at ASDA (not online) | Shoes Primark | Dress Topshop | Sunglasses ASOS (not available similar here)
I'm really starting to get into this Summer thing – this weekend was fabulous weather-wise so I took full advantage and shot a couple of looks for you guys (well my photographer did, thanks mum)! It also meant I could finally show off a thinner, more Summer-friendly coat – this babe of a mac I bought a little while ago from ASDA. It was also a 'friggin steal' at only £28, I think it looks so much more expensive than that and you could walk into Topshop or River Island and pay double/ triple that for the same thing. I love the blush pink colouring of it so, of course, I matched my background accordingly, and the fact this mac doesn't have annoying buttons but effortless poppers and belt instead means it's perfect to whip on and off as the weather no doubt changes.
Underneath this beautiful mac is another beautiful thing, this dress from Topshop – though it's quite see-through on the top half of my body it isn't on the bottom so I can live with that. If it was the other way around that would be a very different story and it would be Royally returned ASAP! The fit of it is really great and the shortness of the skater skirt contrasts with the high neckline so you're not showing too much skin - phew! The shoes I nabbed (I say nabbed, I definitely bought them) from Primark a little while ago (so they may still be in stores) and the sunglasses that all my family hate from ASOS have come out to play again, adding a little bit of print to a simple outfit.
Hope you liked my outfit of the day, I think it might be one of my favourites so far! Let me know what you think in the comments below…
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Retro red
15 May 2015
Striped top Primark (recent) | Jeans Vintage Levis Sobey's | Shoes Converse | Jacket Mango | Belt ASOS (old, similar here)
I wish wish wish I lived closer to more vintage stores – if there's one thing I love it's vintage and having clothes with a little bit of a back story is amazing. But, I don't live in a place with hundreds of vintage stores at my beck and call so when I visit Bristol (about a half an hour train ride from me) I always head to Sobey's vintage store and normally end up buying one or two things…maybe more. When I went there last I knew I wanted a pair of mom jeans, I already have a pair from Topshop but I wanted the vintage Levi's as I know they fit soooooooo well. And voila! Of course they had some I would love and that fitted me just right, all 5' 11 of me that is! Perfect for those English Summer days when all it does is rain.
To complete my 'retro red' feel I added my fab buy from Primark – this high-neck stripes vest top completely nails the Summer nautical trend and the no-sleeve trend all in one! Add some converse, my trusty suede jacket (what else?), a simple, thin black belt from ASOS and I'm good to go. I love the effortlessness of this look and how you can chuck a few key pieces together and make one hell of a statement with your outfit!
Have a fab weekend, see you for Monday's post with hopefully a little more sunshine…
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Night time routine
13 May 2015
Cleaning brush Amazon | Brilliant Brunette shampoo & conditioner John Frieda | Face wash and Moisturiser Simple | Micellar water Garnier | Liz Earle cleanse and polish here
It's only recently that I've created a night time skincare and haircare routine that seems to really work for me. My skin type is a combination of oily and dry making it ten times harder to find products to suit it and my hair get greasy quickly (so dry shampoo is my best friend). I thought I'd share with you a few products I seem to be using a lot of at the moment – the most recent purchase is the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette shampoo and conditioner purely bought because Superdrug had it on offer for under £3 each. I'm now worried that because it's so good, I'll be repurchasing and spending £10 on just two bottles of liquid – I'm stingy when it comes to beauty but this product may just be worth it! It's keeping my hair shiny and smooth even after day two of not washing it! The only expensive thing I have here is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and it is going to be in my life forever and always! I've just finished the travel size version (it was my mum's and I nabbed it) and loved it so much I've ordered the 100ml bottle. It really feels like I've taken every inch of makeup off after a long day and leaves my face super cleansed...and polished.
Before I cleanse though I, of course, take my makeup off (most of it anyway). I'm yet to find something that will get rid of it all (before cleansing) but for now the product I'm buying again and again is the Garnier micellar water and simply using a round cotton wipe to get into every single bit of my face. After I'm sure the majority is off, once or twice a week I will use an exfoliating cleaning brush and Simple face wash to give my skin a gentle refresh and get rid of all the toxins and skin that accumulate and build up after a few days. For moisturiser I turn to Simple again and a cotton pad wiping my whole face, especially the eye area for stubborn mascara marks, and it's left feeling clean and soft.
Hope this helped those of you who, like me, don't like spending a fortune on makeup (clothes are more ma thang as you know) and gave you some inspiration for your own night time skin and hair routine!
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