My 2016 Blog Goals

I'm not usually one to set myself New Year Resolutions. I often find them a little clique and it almost feels like I'm setting myself up for failure when I do. With that being said, I may not set myself personal goals out loud, but I would like to set myself some blog goals to help keep me on track; I feel 2016 is the year for me and my blog.

When I started my blog back when I was at university, it was purely a hobby and a way to bu8ld my writing skills and experience for my course. But over the years, despite nothing major coming of it, I definitely feel like I've grown with my blog and it's slowly becoming something I'm extremely proud of. While I do now have a full time job, I am determined this year to make my blog a priority when I can and not let it slip back into what it did in the latter part of 2015. After all, my job is social media/writing so if I  can manage that I can certainly stick to my blog!

So with that in mind, I'm going into 2016 with every intention of putting everything I can into my little blog, with regular posting and great content and imagery. I'm going for the quality over quantity approach this year.

So with that in mind, onto my blogging goals/resolutions for 2016!

#1 Join The Community

When I started blogging, I loved talking with people, engaging in weekly blogger chats and of course making new friends. Now while I do still engage and try to be involved where I can, I definitely don't do it enough. So in 2016 I want to get more involved with the blogging community as a whole, both online (I'm looking at you Twitter/Instagram) and in real life.

#Photography and Imagery

One of the things I love most about blogging is the imagery it creates alongside the written word. I love all aspects of photography and while my photos aren't nearly as good as I would like them to be, I'm definitely planning on learning and developing my skills in 2016 to make them just that. In 2016 I want to push myself even further and really up my photography here on iamemmawilde.com, as well as on my social channels as that is a huge part of what I love doing too. Don't forget to follow my social media to keep updated, links to the right...

#3 Quality Over Quantity

As mentioned, I'm opting for the quality over quantity approach this year. I've always strived to post everyday, feeling like my blog wouldn't thrive if I didn't when in actual fact, that isn't the case at all. I want to feel proud of each and every post I put up and so I'm really going to be focusing on my photography and written content and put thought into what I put out there. I hate feeling so proud of a post and then the next day it being overshadowed/pushed down by another, possibly rushed post. The plan is to post around 5 days a week with quality, varied content.

#4 More Fashion-Focused

Although my blog is very beauty-focused, my passion is fashion and I'd like to inject this more into my blog with regular outfit and polyvore-type styling posts. I did do this mid last year but it sort of dropped off as beauty posts are far easier to put together for me but I'm going to put a lot more effort into the fashion aspect and really thing about tips, tricks and styling while doing so.

I'd love to know your thoughts on my blogging goals for 2016. Do you prefer daily updates or is it a case of quality over quantity for you too?

I'm Back/Where Have I Been?!

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you may have noticed that I've been rather MIA lately with the odd sporadic post here and there but nothing compared to how much I used to post. Now honestly, I sort of lost my blogging mojo a few months ago and I decide that I'd rather post nothing at all, than post regular terrible content. It also came down to the fact that I started a new job working 12 hours days, getting home and then just wanting to sleep and that really left little time to blog. I'm now much happier in my job situation (as of last week) and so I've been busy writing up and planning a tonne of posts this bank holiday weekend ready to start back up with regular blogging. 

My schedule is going to change slightly as there won't be any outfit posts for a while - I'm working on rectifying that - but I'm hoping to mix it up with a few wishlists and styling posts, as well as the usual beauty content. I may also throw in a few television/book related bits just for good measure but you'll see them if I do. My youtube channel will also hopefully start up again from it's rather long hiatus so keep a look out over there and subscribe if you want to keep up to date!  Hopefully my blogging mojo is back for the foreseeable future now and hopefully I'll be able to produce some of the best content iamemmawilde has ever seen! I hate to fail, especially when it comes to blogging so it's time to take it more seriously...

Until tomorrow! 

#Instagram Week(s)

Here's a little roundup of the past few weeks over on my instagram and if you aren't following me already (you should here) then you too can get a glimpse into my daily life! 

It was actually my birthday at the weekend and I had a double whammy present of going to the races/seeing Kylie Minogue live (full post here) and going to see Idina Menzel, who was absolutely incredible and exceeded all expectations I had. That took up the bulk of the weekend/this week on instagram but in-between I drank a lot of caramel latte coolers, watched a couple of beautiful sunsets from my bedroom window and wore some of my favourite accessories - I'm looking at you neon trainers and Alexander McQueen inspired scarf. 

Don't forget to following my isnatgram @iamemmawilde to see all of my daily snaps and let me know if you like this type of post! 

A Day at the Races & Kylie Minogue Live!

Saturday was my 22nd birthday and along with some lovely gifts and lots of chocolate cake, my mum and dad took me on a surprise trip to what I thought was a going to be a fancy meal, as I was told to dress up. So off we headed down the motorway, still non-the-wiser as to where we were going, only for us to pull up outside Haydock Park racecourse. At first I was confused but then it all became clear when I was handed my ticket to Harry's Bistro (the fancy meal part of the day) and to see Kylie Minogue sing live later in the evening!

Now it may come as a surprise to some but I've never actually seen anyone sing live before but have always hoped to someday see Kylie as I love her music and her concerts always seem so much fun, so it was a huge shock and of course a surprise that she was playing on my birthday and that my parents got us tickets to see her. So first we headed to Harry's Bistro where we were seated at our table for the rest of the day and asked to choose what we'd like to eat from the menu. Now anyone who knows me well will know that I'm not exactly adventurous when it comes to food, I usually stay safe and opt for a burger or chicken but I decided to have a change and I chose the peppered steak and potato, which I actually thoroughly enjoyed. The came dessert and normally if there's chocolate on ten menu I'll choose that but once again, I opted for something different and went for Eton Mess and I have to say, it really did taste as good as it looked. 

Once the meal was over it was time to place our bets for the upcoming six horse races and having never betted before, I used the skilled tactic of choosing the name/jockey's outfit I liked the best - who really needs to look at the odds anyway!? On reflection, maybe choosing a horse with a 20-1 odds isn't the best idea but it was fun cheering my horses on, despite them coming last in pretty much all of the races. I did however end up winning £70 on one of the races and experiencing the exhilarating feeling that comes with that, as well as the disappointment that comes when your horse runs first all the way round and then gets pipped at the post. But it's all just a bit of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed this whole part of the day. 

The final part of the day and probably the part I was most looking forward to was seeing Kylie Minogue live and she really overtook all expectations I had. After pushing through the crowds (we got a lot closer than in the photo above) we ended up with a great view and could take in the outdoor concert atmosphere while listening to Kylie sing some of my favourite hits and even add in a few unexpected acapella numbers! I thought I'd include a few of the clips I managed to film just for good measure.

I had such a fantastic day, it was filled with things I've never done before and it was such a great surprise, which I'm so so grateful for from my parents. Kylie was fab, I had fun cheering on the horses and the food was yummy, what more could I have asked for? Part two of my birthday outings comes on Tuesday when I'm going to another concert to see Idina Menzel. I've gone from seeing no one live to seeing two people over a few days! Crazy! 

25 Before 25

I turn 22 next month (exactly!) and it has me thinking a lot about where I want my life to be in a few years and what I want to have achieved, both big and small. With that being said, I like most people, have a tonne of things I'd love to do (one includes becoming a millionaire, one can dream right?) but in particular, there's some things I really want to say I've done before I reach the grand old age of 25 and I'd thought I'd let you in on these...

1. Work for a fashion magazine. During university it became obvious to me that my passion was magazine design and it is my absolute dream to work for a magazine like Elle or Harper's Bazaar as part of the art team. I've basically got three years to get enough experience and save enough money to move to London...

Reading List #1

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an avid reader in the literature sense. I like to read books but it usually takes me several weeks (or months) to finish one, so in-between I like to read various other mediums like blogs, new websites and of course, magazines. I thought I'd start this little series, which could sort of go along with my monthly favourites posts/videos but instead of including beauty and fashion pieces I've been loving, it will include all the things I've been reading that month - or couple of months. Enjoy!

My Graduation 2014

Dress - Marks & Spencer | Shoes - Red Herring at Debenhams | Bracelets - Pandora, Tiffanys & Swarovski

For those of you who are new to my blog or simply weren't aware, I've been at university for the past three years studying Fashion Journalism. The past three years have actually flown by and last weekend I headed back up to Sunderland, for what will probably be the last time, for my graduation. I had a really lovely day with my family, the ceremony itself was good and then afterwards we had a meal and I basically sat and let it all sink in that I'm no longer a student! It's a really strange feeling.

Anyway, I thought it'd be nice to show you all what I wore on the day as I absolutely loved my dress, it was the perfect dress for me. I actually got it from Marks & Spencer of all places, which I was really surprised about but I saw it and knew I had to have it. For shoes I wanted to tie in the silver from the jewelled neckline of the dress and so I found these simple strappy sandals from Red Herring that I thought matched really well. I kept jewellery simple and just wore my everyday 'special' bracelets and no necklace was needed for obvious reasons. 

My graduation is definitely a day I'll remember forever and it perfectly marked the end of one chapter in my life and the start of another...

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

You've probably noticed that I've been more or less MIA these past few months and that's because I've been busy finishing my final project and assignments for my final year at university! Much to my relief I've now handed in my last assignment and finished university; I can finally have a rest and get back to what I love doing - blogging. 

During my little hiatus away from blogging it made me realise just how much I love my little corner of the internet and I've really missed it and so, with that being said, I've decided to start blogging much more regularly than I used to (we're talking at least five times a week - schedule to be determined), with much better content.

You may also notice that my blog has had a bit of a makeover thanks to the lovely Abby over at beautyfullhomes.com.  I was tired of my old, typical blogger layout and thought if I'm going to start doing this thing properly then I definitely need to make my blog look the part and now I think it really does. I've also had a shuffle of my sidebar and there is now a section entitled YouTube and yep, you've guessed it, I'm going to be starting my own channel (which is already live at iamemmawilde) that will feature all things fashion and beauty, much like my blog. I want my channel to be an extension of my blog, rather than a completely separate thing, so I hope you will all journey over to the 'tube with me. 

I hope that my blog will develop into a place where I can share my love of all things fashion and beauty and one that will feature so many more outfit, reviews and lifestyle-type posts. The same goes to say for my YouTube channel. 

So yes, that is where I've been for the past couple of months and also what my hopes are going forward. What will happen from this point on I don't know, but what I do know is that blogging is something I love doing and I intend on doing it for as long as I can. 

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life | two weeks at fabulous magazine

Some of you may be aware that I have just finished up a two week internship at Fabulous Magazine and I can honestly say it's one of the best experiences I've had. There were days when I was tired, exhausted even, but I pushed through and got to see how the industry that I hope to someday be a part of works. So, pull up a chair, get a cup of tea and prepare yourselves, this is going to be a long one!

I spent my two weeks on the fashion team and that gave me a massive insight into fashion styling as well as how a weekly magazine is run. It just made certain in my mind that fashion is definitely the career I want. It feels odd not going back this week though, not making the long and some days stressful tube journey into central London. It kind of became routine. Something I could definitely get used to; London life is so different to anything I've experienced before but I enjoyed it so much and could see myself as a London commuter.

I started my internship with an introduction to the fashion cupboard, let me just say, I have never seen that many shoes, clothes and accessories in one room, never mind a room as small as a fashion cupboard. Then I got the lucky task of tidying the cupboard, which was so fun (yes, tidying was fun) and also left me with a mile long list of things I want to buy for myself. Not so fun. Fashion cupboard duties aside, as an intern I was responsible for going to the gate several times a day to collect all the deliveries. I'm talking, wheeling a huge, fully packed cage up and down ramps, into lifts and through the office, handing all the packages out and then returning the cage back downstairs. Not for the unfit. If if you were unfit, you definitely wouldn't be after doing that several times a day for two weeks! 

Outside o the everyday things I've mentioned, I also got the chance to assist on two shoots; one focused on still life images of products for the magazines weekly feature 'Lust List' and the other was a shoot for the 'MF' side of Fabulous, the men's section, with Made in Chelsea's Louise Thompson. The first shoot was in Shoreditch, which is not a place I'd ever like to return to in a hurry, and this was a huge selection of clothes, jewellery, beauty and home ware all shot in various places around the studio. It was a very relaxed day my duties were basically to unpack all the items, steam the clothes and then assist by helping the model and helping to document all items used for the credits. It was a fun day and gave me an insight into a different side of fashion styling. 

The second shoot was a lot closer to the office and was a lingerie shoot with Louise Thompson for the MF side of the magazine in November. It was a very different experience to say the least and not at all what I expected to be doing. I got to meet Louise, who by the way is not at all like she is portrayed in the show. she was really lovely and that made the whole morning so much more relaxed. On this shoot I assisted the stylist unpacking and in laying out the pieces. I then got to watch the shoot which was a great experience. This day showed me how a stylist works on set, even if this wasn't a full blown, styled shoot. 

My last day at Fabulous was quite a quiet one really. I finished off any returns I hadn't managed to do the day before, collected deliveries (more times than I had expected!) and then left, off to catch a train home. I was quite sad to leave really, everyone was so nice and seeing how a magazine fashion team runs was quite the experience and one I'd definitely like to be a part of in the future! I've got so much more I could mention but I'll leave it here as I've rambled enough for one post. Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience and hopefully it'll be the first of many. 

Emma xo

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purchases | london

On Saturday I took a trip to London to meet a friend and to do a spot of Oxford Street shopping. I haven't bought any clothes in a long while so it was nice to finally find a few pieces that I loved as I really needed wanted some 'basic' tops. I found the two white tops in Topshop and instantly fell in love with both; especially the daisy print as the fit is just perfectly over-sized and slouchy without looking like a sack. The other two tops I bought are both from H&M, the green is a basic tee with embellished sleeves that make it a little more interesting and the grey top was a rather unusual buy for me, I was just really attracted to the Star Wars print and the lightweight material. Accessory-wise I spotted these two necklaces in the Topshop sale and knew they had to be mine; I love the neon pendant with the rose gold chain, so unusual. 

Probably the best part of my day was finally visiting the Victoria's Secret store on Bond Street. I have been wanting to go for so long now but London is far away from where I live and this was the first opportunity I've had; it was totally worth the wait though! I knew I couldn't leave without buying something and the minute I smelt this fragrance I knew I needed it in my collection so I quickly rushed to buy it before the realisation came over me that I don't actually need any more perfumes! Review to come soon. 

I had a really great time in London, it was such a long and tiring day but it was worth it to come away with these great buys. I'd love to know what you've been buying lately...

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Money Supermarket's Charcoal Challenge | Budget BBQ

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Money Supermarket to take part in their summer 'Charcoal Challenge'. They very very kindly gave me £50 with the task to then have a BBQ to show that it is possible to do so on a budget. As I live in England and the weather is, lets just say, unpredictable, it's taken until now for it to be warm enough to actually have a BBQ but finally, the sun shined and me and my mum ventured to the supermarket to buy all the food and other things we needed; y'know, burgers, buns, snacks and of course sweet goodies too! We also got two mini 'one-time' BBQ's, which were perfect to cook the amount of food we got and were surprisingly easy to use as well - although word of warning, use them on a brick surface and not on wood like we did...lets just say we nearly ended up with a garden fire!

As you can see I bought a good amount of food and it definitely did not go to waste - especially the  chicken skewers and chocolate fingers! We had a lovely little BBQ and this just proves that you can have a really great time, with really nice food, all for under £50. Thank you Money Supermarket! 

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London's Calling!

Super exciting news; last week I found out I'd won a trip to London! After winning Money Supermarket's Passion For Fashion competition last year I never thought I'd win anything else and now I win this, I couldn't be more excited. 

A while back I entered the Worldwide Wardrobe competition run by Travel Supermarket posting my shopping in  London outfit here. Much to my surprise, I won...three nights in London in a 5* hotel for two people! I love the city of London and staying in a 5* hotel seemed like only a dream to me until now. 

I want to say a massive thank you to Lily (LLYMLRS) for choosing my entry as the winning look and also for her really lovely comments. Also a great big thank you to Travel Supermarket for my prize, I'm so excited to go!

LOUIS VUITTON NEVERFULL GM | DAMIER EBENE

Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM in Damier Ebene

This weekend I came home from university for a few days and today took a trip to Manchester with the plan to head to Selfridges and have a look at the Louis Vuitton store there. I have actually been counting down to this day for a week now - exciting! Anyway, as you can probably tell, I did end up making a purchase and came away with this beautiful bag that I just love. 

I originally had my heart set on the Speedy 35 which has been my dream bag for such a long time but when I got to the store, they showed me that and then this one and I chose this one straight away, its funny how things work out. I definitely would say go in store if you're going to get a bag, or anything really, because they can look so different online to in real life. 

I went for the dark print because it isn't as in your face as the traditional tan colour and the red inside was a big selling point too! Another thing that made me choose this bag was the way it can change to two different shapes for a bigger or smaller look, it is a huge bag - which works well because of my height - but being able to take it in at the sides is such a plus for days when you don't want to carry as much. Ahhh I'm just too excited right now! Sadly this bag won't be coming back with me to university for a while, I'll have to wait until Christmas when I drive home to take it back there with me...

Emma xo

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I ACTUALLY WON SOMETHING?

So, if you remember a week or so ago, I posted my entry on this here blog for the Money Supermarket #PassionForFashion competition. There was five categories: casual, office, outdoors, party and first date and the aim was to create five different outfit looks for each of these categories for under the budget of £200. The winner of each category would receive £200 and the overall winner would receive £1000 and an iPad. 

Now onto the exciting part. Yesterday on my way to class, I opened my emails only to find that I head been chosen as the overall winner! I was and still am so overwhelmed. I was that surprised that I even phoned my dad and Money Supermarket themselves to check it wasn't just a span email - I mean, I don't know about you but I get a tonne of spam each day! Anyway, it wasn't spam after all and a little while later they announced it properly - actually over the moon! 

I've also been given this lovely badge to display on my blog sidebar which is just a little reminder to myself I suppose...

Emma xo

my entry | passion for fashion webpage

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