Style Crush: Lauren Conrad
30 September 2015
Lauren Conrad has remained one of my favourite celebrities from the beginning of Laguna Beach back in 2004. Despite only being 8 years old, I was still drawn to Lauren for her down-to-earth attitude and growing personal style. As she showed more interest in fashion, even studying this during her time on The Hills from 2006 onwards, Lauren's street and social style has developed into an inspirational wardrobe and created closet envy worldwide. She has studied at an elite fashion school (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) and working with some of the most iconic names in the modern fashion industry (Teen Vogue, Kelly Cutrone and Kohl's). I think Lauren's experiences and amazing sense of style inspire many, including herself, as she continues to build her empire.
Lauren's style has always had a girly element to it, which is why we often find her in dresses and skirts when out in the public eye. I think her feminine touch was visible from early stages while on The Hills and has continued to influence the way she dresses. She usually pics a basic shoe, making her clothing items the staple pieces and centre of her look. One thing I've noticed is that Lauren never overly-accessorizes and is perfectly happy with a simple colour scheme. She never collides a wild variety of colour to create something extraordinary, but her sense of confidence and happiness also show through in each look she pulls off. I'm drawn to Lauren's wardrobe because of it's naturally girly quirk and ability to look chic no matter the occasion. Whether it's an outfit for a photoshoot or pop culture appearance, Lauren has continued to stay one of my number one style crushes.
My Blogging Process
28 September 2015
After reading over a few different posts from bloggers I admire, I thought it would be nice to share my own blogging steps on Anika May. Blogging is a hobby that's brought out the routine-loving, schedule fanatic in me which has affected my process in creating a blog post and promoting it. Although I don't always stick to the plan, and can become easily distracted, there is a set process that has developed, especially as I begin to fall further in love with blogging.
This isn't difficult for me to do. I read a shocking amount of magazines and could spend hours browsing Tumblr and Pinterest, a habit I'm trying to relax. For me, inspiration can be found in so many different ways. Sometimes it can be motivation after a rubbish day at work or an amazing photography job found through another blog. I carry an ideas notebook with me to jot down anything I may come up with.
After creating an idea in my mind, the best thing to do is create a draft post, even if I never touch it again. I type in everything, from phrases to use and the type of photos I will take. If I already have pictures, I can write around this but I prefer to actually create the text first.
When I work on a post, it's really important that I take the time to focus rather than string together whatever ideas remain in my mind. Because I'm so busy with work at the moment, I use my day planner and multiple calendars to basically timetable my free time between blogging and relaxing. This stops me from panicking about a lack of posts or the frequency of my presence online.
On occasion, I have photos just sitting in folders on my computer, waiting to have a post attached to them. However, most of the time, I will take photos to match ideas that I already have. This is one of the most important steps in my blogging process because I love nothing more than beginning a post on Anika May with a great photo. The type of photo varies, if I have a new outfit, I'll shoot it immediately; or if I come up with a new lifestyle post, I'll find the relevant objects to shoot.
This could be the hardest and easiest part of blogging. It's really important to me that my writing style develops and grows as my blog does; writing is the reason I began blogging in the first place. I always like the have an element of my voice or personality in whatever I write, whether it's through brackets for side comments (a habit I struggle to break) or my typical Northern dialect as a good ol' Yorkshire lass.
EDIT, EDIT AND EDIT
After taking photos and writing the post, I edit everything. I usually insert photos at the very last minute, partially because they're enormous and can be difficult to navigate around. This is also because I like to change photos to suit the tone of the post. I'm also a little bit of a perfectionist, meaning the editing process is incredibly vital and valuable.
Before pressing 'Publish', I check everything. Re-reading text, over-analysing photographs and taking an overall look at the preview. It's common for me to include spelling
Finally, once all my perfectionist tendencies are settled, I publish the post. Sometimes this will be published automatically which is more common for off-the-cuff or spontaneous posts. However, because I work full time, I'm not always at home to work, so I will prepare a post before and schedule this. Once a post is up on my blog (usually from around 6am) I promote this throughout the day. This could be through my social networks or by leaving a little link at the end of a comment when I visit other blogs.
Now that the colder weather is here, there's nothing I enjoy more that curling up in bed with my laptop and creating a product for Anika May. My process seems pretty complex when laid out but is actually quite simple and effective enough for me. Do you have a blogging process? Is it any similar to mine?
Kaftan Magic
26 September 2015
I think it's at the point now where I'm really struggling to let go of summer. For someone who infamously hates the warmer season, I strangely loved this summer and became obsessed with the variety of outfits I was able to wear. One piece I found difficult to part with is this bold print kaftan bought during the spring sales. I was immediately drawn to the pattern as my number one goal was to incorporate more colour into my wardrobe. This staple piece is the best tool to do so. The blend of summer tones make it really easy to pair with plenty of other colours without becoming too busy at first glance. It's incredibly easy to dress around this piece as I think it speaks for itself. The length means it can be easily worn during the day (it was ideal for my festival style) or for evening drinks in the summer heat. The kaftan is cool and light which means it's never a burden to wear. I love that it can be worn with black (my favourite colour to wear) and still look bright. It's magic!
Katfan - Matalan // Dress - Primark // Boots - Next // Watch - M&S // Jewellery - gifts & charity shops
Anika May Needs You!
23 September 2015
So something very exciting has happened. Anika May has been nominated for the Insider's Tip competition by stylefruits.co.uk, an amazingly trendy website showcasing outfits for women, by women. I'm so excited to be nominated and would definintely class this as something to tick off my blogging bucket list!
If you have a few spare minutes, it would mean a huge amount to me if you voted for me! Every vote counts. You can vote by clicking HERE or following the link from my recent tweet.
The winner will receive a super stylish backpack which will be perfect for my commute into the busy working world. Feel free to tweet me when you've voted, I love hearing from followers!
Thank you so much,
Sleek MakeUp Face Form Palette Review
21 September 2015
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