What Elles Did Next...

I LIKE MY MONEY RIGHT WHERE I CAN SEE IT, IN MY CLOSET - 

CARRIE BRADSHAW

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Mine was very relaxed, ate too much and drank just enough! Now the madness of Christmas is over, I thought I'd get back into writing and post a little outfit blog for you all. Boxing Day sales are massive over here in the UK, but instead of stressing myself out, I hit the sales online. Because let's face it, sipping Prosecco in your PJ's while buying presents for yourself is so much more appealing then people shoving and standing in never ending queue. ZARA always do amazing sales, especially on Boxing Day. I purchased a few items and thought I'd put an outfit together for my blog. 

I have always loved taken photos. Whether it's taking photos of my friends or the scenery around me I just can't help but try to capture every moment.

In the new digital age, social media has played a bit part in helping my passion grow and develop, sites like Instagram and Tumblr being my main source of inspiration. One day I thought to myself, why not try and make my hobby a "thing". Why not offer to take photographs for people who need them for their personal use? ie, for their blogs or small business'? I've decided to try this venture and really put my heart and soul into it.

If you're someone maybe starting out blogging or running a business and want some professional type photographs then please feel free to get in touch with me! I can tell you, hand on my heart that my rates will not be hundreds of pounds because 1) Who do I think I am? 2) I'm looking for start-up clients and understand that their budgets aren't massive!

I am willing to do the following with my Canon Powershot Camera:

- Outside shoots (Eg, outfit shoots for blogs location fully negotiable in the London area, or scenic shots)

- Portrait shoots (Eg, maybe for someone specialising in makeup, or modeling)

- Small events (A social event that you would like documented, a party, small get together)

- I am also more than happy to do some "behind the scenes" shots if that's something you might require.

We can discuss what you would require and if you would like any of the images edited slightly, or I can just send the originals over to you for you to get creative with. It's all on your terms, I'm trying to be as flexible as possible so you are happy with the end results!

If you have any other preferences, I am open to talk so please feel free to send me an email. 

whatellesdidnext@gmail.com 

I suppose all that's left is to show you some samples of my work...enjoy!

I love fashion week, especially when it comes to London. I feel like the City is filled with a bigger buzz than normal. I've never been apart of it before however I always tune into the Topshop show as they stream it through a live feed. (Thanks technology!). 

As much as I love looking at the clothes on the runway, I'm also really interested as to what the people on the front row are wearing. (FROW if we're using fashion week terminology...lol). I think it's easier to get inspiration from the people watching the show as you can see their own personal way of styling the clothes. Women of different colour, shapes and sizes. 

I've put together some of my favourite looks from the weekend, covering some of the tops shows from Topshop to Henry Holland. 

Actress Sarah Ellen & Blogger Caroline Daur at the Topshop Unique Show I follow both Caroline and Sarah on Instagram and love their sense of style. Apart from both being completely gorgeous, I'm inspired by their style. I love short skirts paired with a pointed shoe. Bomber jackets will never go out of style and I love that Caroline is wearing a plain white tshirt with a cool choker. Accessories can always jazz up an outfit and make it more dressy!

Why is it so hard to talk about yourself? It's like sometimes we feel embarrassed to admit what we are actually like and what are interests are. Why do we feel like that? It's such a strange feeling. I have no idea why I thought writing this blog post would so easy to write, because as I've just explained, it's bloody difficult to talk about myself! BUT! I'm going to give it a go. A challenge for me, and for you reading, an insight into who I am and what I'm like...

1. I can be really indecisive when it comes to making group decisions. "What do you want to do?" My classic response is "I'm not fussy AT ALL, I'll do whatever you guys decide to do"...I just can't help myself.

2. I have a real passion for all things creative. I truly believe that I was meant to be working in a creative industry. I'm crap with numbers, I hate sitting in an office all day doing administrative tasks and just hope that one day I'll have a career that I can enjoy.

3. I'm obsessed with both documentaries and reality TV. Documentaries about crime & conspiracy theories fascinate me, but on the flip side I love reality TV like Love Island and Made in Chelsea. I enjoy TV that is different from what I consider "the norm" as I love to see how other people live their lives. 

4. I love to visit new places. I would hate to stay in one place my whole life knowing the world is so big, why would you want to not explore it?!

5. I'm very independent. I like doing things for myself. I think it's important for a woman to be able to say "Yeah, I can do this, I don't need someone by my side telling me how to do this." #IndependentWomenSayWhaaaaat

6. I can be really goofy and get carried away with a joke. In my friendship group I would be classed as the "funny one". I'm happy go lucky and love making people laugh, but I'll be the first to admit I sometimes take the joke too far...oops.

7. Autumn/Fall is my favourite season of the year. I love blue skies and cold mornings. I love the colour change of the leaves and how they fall off the trees. Some of my earliest memories are of me in a massive puffer jacket running through crisp leaves, collecting conkers in the park, how cute haha!

8. I care about what people think, but only to a certain extent. I don't care if people don't like the clothes that I wear or don't like my general appearance. But I do care if people have an opinion on me as a person. I care about first impressions so I don't like to disappoint.

9. I love shopping by myself. As much as I do enjoy shopping with my friends, sometimes if I'm not in the mood I just prefer to wake up early, head out, spend all my money in ZARA and call it a day.

10. As much as I've always said I want to move out of London, I think I'll always call it home. I love London and maybe having my own place here will be what I need...even though I probably won't be able to afford it...(cries).

Love Elle 

x

I finally found the courage to press send...weeks of internal debate, weighing up the pros and cons. I have just handed in my resignation. No future job in place, no source of steady income, yet I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

This is going to sound really strange, but I was leaving V Festival two weekends ago and passed the stage Kaiser Chiefs were performing on. Ricky, the lead singer, was in the middle of a speech and said "If you're not happy, GET HAPPY!" It's almost as if that statement validated my decision to just get out of my funk I've been in for the past 6 months....It sounds so silly, of course you can't just trick your brain into "being happy", but you certainly can take small steps to happiness.

I've decided to pursue a career, start from the bottom and work my way up. The job I was doing was convenient at the time, it gave me the freedom to go places, experience the world and what it has to offer. I would go on mini trips and return to a dead end. Quite honestly, it was depressing coming back to work and living in the "real world"...Then I thought, "fuck it!". I'm twenty, why the hell am I settling for this?! I want to travel, I want a career, I want to LIVE! I don't want to be having "serious" meetings about Stationery usage...yes, really...

So that's what I've decided to do. Not everyone around me is supportive of this decision and I understand that, but if I carried on doing that same crap job I'm pretty convinced I was one breakdown away to a complete melt down! 

This change in my life seems perfectly timed. Summer is over, (did it really begin?), Autumn is approaching which is the epitome of new beginnings. I feel happiest in the autumnal months, in the words of Fitzgerald: "Life starts all over when the leaves get crisp in the fall..."

I feel optimistic, if all fails I'll know that my decision felt right at the time and that it's only up from here.

Elle x

Being a self-confessed bargain queen, I hit the high street to find reasonable priced products that look and feel amazing.

The makeup brand "Sleek" have the most amazing matte lipstick collection and I stumbled upon these by accident. They are super affordable and look pretty good! Sleek is a brand that isn't that well known, in comparison to high street brands like L'Oreal or Rimmel, however is doesn't mean they're not as good. I swatched a lot of different mattes in Superdrug and Sleek impressed me the most. The product is really pigmented and drys super quick, which I really appreciated!

I thought it would be an idea to swatch each product that I have bought on my hand and then show you what they look like on my lips;