From Day ...
Layering up in the cold winter's frost is crucial and, when wearing such an elegant dress like this one, I think it is equally important to choose the right layers. For this look, it meant that a fitted overcoat would perfectly complement the wrap dress. The coat, from M&S, is new to my wardrobe this year and, as I'm always a sucker for sophisticated Winter coats, it's barely off my back (and, as an added bonus, it's super soft).
With this, I went for a neutral scarf, a bobble hat that's been keeping my ears safe from frost for a few years now, and THE New Look boots that just about everyone has or wants. The boots themselves are super comfy and will definitely be worth the small dollar as soon as the snow starts to come down.
... To Night
Moving through to the night, whether on the same day or not, it always going to require a little bit more of a glow up. From drinks with friends, a dinner party, or even the actual Christmas Day (!!), it could mean adding accessories, makeup, heeled shoes, or all of the above. This is what I did here.
My makeup stepped up a little bit; adding a darker-nude lip and red/burgundy eyeshadow tones to match with the dress (careful, don't go too heavy with matching colours). What's hiding beneath my hooded eyes is the glittering eye pigment, which I would consider only mandatory for a Christmas party look, by the way.
For accessorising, I repped a fair amount of Oasis here. I've always loved the idea of earrings but, as something that has baffled many others before, I don't have my ears pierced and just don't want to. Lovisa's clip-on adaptors gave me a new lease of life, though, so I was delighted to be able to wear these beautiful heart-shaped ones from Oasis (even despite the numb ear lobes - the clip-ons look good but OUCH). As well as this, I added my trusty, simple H&M gold rings and a Pearl Hairclip.
With the addition of 3 simple things: glam makeup, jewellery, and hair accessories, this dress quickly flashes from a day to night look just like that.
Which festive look will you be choosing this year?
As bloggers, we too often set our sights on working with the big shots and, far too rarely want to really showcase what the local community around us has to offer. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, every place has its quirks and unique areas or businesses and I think it's about time we show them off. Here's why you should be sharing more about your local life...
Rekindle your own desire
Since starting to blog more about what is around me in Newcastle, it’s enabling me to discover exactly that. I would have had no idea about half of the places on offer in the city centre if it wasn’t for other bloggers pointing them out on their feeds. Similarly, as I yearn to blog more and more about places in Newcastle, I’ve found myself researching the next place to go, opening my eyes to places that I probably would’ve walked past beforehand.
SEO reasons
It’s often forgotten about just how powerful local searching can be in terms of blog engagement. I mean, see it from your own point of view; if you’re the kind of person to Google search ‘Place to eat in Edinburgh’ you’re most likely going to come across a blog post. As a local, especially, people may trust you better, ultimately retreating back to your content for more ideas. So, next time you’ve found some great brunch spots in your area, don’t forget that that info could be helping others too, potentially resulting in a healthy handful of page views for you.
Giving Back
We’ve heard it all before; ‘support local businesses’ and ‘give back to the community’. With the likes of Brexit looming over, local businesses really do need your help to not only keep them running but helping to earn livings. For me, whenever I’m invited to check out a new venue in Newcastle, the thing that warms my heart the most is when I hear about how the artwork is local, the food is locally sourced, or the bar celebrates brewers from nearby. If you can help support these kinds of institutes, you’re not only helping one local business, but you’re creating a domino effect; aiding in the upkeep of many small and growing businesses all around you.
We’ve heard it all before; ‘support local businesses’ and ‘give back to the community’. With the likes of Brexit looming over, local businesses really do need your help to not only keep them running but helping to earn livings. For me, whenever I’m invited to check out a new venue in Newcastle, the thing that warms my heart the most is when I hear about how the artwork is local, the food is locally sourced, or the bar celebrates brewers from nearby. If you can help support these kinds of institutes, you’re not only helping one local business, but you’re creating a domino effect; aiding in the upkeep of many small and growing businesses all around you.
Making yourself seen
I often get asked ‘How do you get invited to these blogger events?’ And, a lot of the time, my answer is that I make it seen and heard where I am. The PR companies aren’t going to invite you along if they don’t think you are actually able to get there. Publishing blog posts, tagging Insta locations, and adding local hashtags is just 3 ways of how you can make it obvious that you are interested in joining local events and, believe me, a lot of the time these events are very fun so you’d be treating yourself by doing these simple things.
Don’t let yourself believe that you are closing your audience demographic simply by publishing a blog post about a nearby restaurant. You are widening your repertoire, broadening your portfolio, supporting your town, and falling back in love with what is on your doorstep. We should all be excited by the thought of bloggers sharing the excitement of what their town has to offer, I know I certainly am.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons