Paris Photo Diary

Paris is always a good idea, hey? It was only towards the end of summer I was thinking how much I missed this special city and how it'd been way to long since my last visit – two years to be precise. Which coming from the girl who used to call it her favourite city in the world, (back then I visited four or five times a year) is quite a long time. I guess you could say I've been cheating on Paris with Bali, but I'm so glad last month brought the opportunity to visit this wonderful city and the long lost love I'd forgotten I had for it.

With some last-minute planning and panic-booking flights and Eurostar tickets, I set of for Paris with my babe Lauren Crowe on an early Gatwick Flight. A little over an hour after take off we were in our Parisian Uber en route to the apartment and meeting the rest of the girls. We stayed with the absolute queen that is Amy Sturgis who runs her own consulting agency and looks after some insanely beautiful brands that we got to play dress up and shoot with during our trip. Also staying with us were super cool fashion sisters Olivia and Alice who were also such lovely girls. It can definitely a bit daunting going on content creation/ press trips with people you haven't travelled with or even met (!) before – but fortunately this was such a good group of gals to spend a whirlwind couple of days in Paris with.

It's been a long time since I've done something so fashion-heavy, and this trip definitely reignited a once-lost love for style and clothes I (maybe) forgot was there. I said I'd been cheating on Paris with Bali, but it's also like I've been cheating on fashion with travel over the last couple of years. But there's nothing like the energy of fashion week to re-inspire, from well dressed Parisians and even better dressed show guests, stunning showroom appointments and some extremely glam pfw parties, it was the style circus I needed to remind me how much I love fashion and everything that comes with it. 

Of course, it can be a little overwhelming too – rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tezza, Olivia Culpo and Sincerely Jules (to name a few) definitely gave me a bit of imposter syndrome despite being invited to be there. Attending my first series of Revolve events was really exciting for me, I've worked with them on a gifting basis for years now but getting invited to Song of Style's gifting suite, the FWRD party and the Revolve picnic were some really memorable moments and I was so thankful to have Lauren by my side showing me the ropes! Other highlights were a dazzling cocktail reception with Swarovski and a stop by the incredible House of Sunny showroom and meeting their gorgeous team (I'm now a fan girl for lyf).

Dotted between these were many Parisian pit-stops in between, from talking about boys over café cremes, people watching in the Tuileries and spenny french dinners to leaving the party early to devour a cheese plate and a bottle of chardonnay in a bistro at midnight which I adored just as much as the glitz and glamour of the events. A jam packed couple of days that was gone in a flash, but I loved every minute and left this city feeling re-inspired and my love for Paris and for fashion rekindled. Until next time Paris, mon amour.

Watch Lauren's vlog of the trip here.

Shop my Paris looks via the links below and check out Cinta the Label / Neon Hope / Monica Nera

New in beauty: Illamsqua Loaded Lip Polish

As part of my newly found promise to start posting on here more often again, I'll be doing a weekly beauty post – sharing with you my makeup bag and beauty cupboard favourites. I'm definitely no insta-beautty-guru (far from it) but this year I've really fallen in love with beauty, skincare and makeup so I'm excited to start talking through some of my faves with you.

 This week starting something simple but a game changer for me in the lip department, is Illamasqua's Loaded Lip Polish. I received this a few weeks ago as part of a bundle from The Hut Group (owners of Look Fantastic) and though I usually shy away from anything but a matte lip, I decided to give this one a go and oh my god am I glad I did. 

This non-sticky lip lacquer is a super smooth liquid lipstick with a deliciously glossy finish. Super high quality pigmentation, gliding application and the plump shiny texture gives a finish I never knew I needed. I'm wearing shade Melba, which is the perfect peachy nude hue that has warmth a lot of other nude shades lack and I've had so many compliments on it. So, if you're looking for a lip-update have a look at the range of shades here.

I'm wearing: Illamasqua Loaded Lip Polish in Melba

5 Statement Coats You Need This Season

Though I hate to admit it, the cold weather looks like it's finally here to stay. Coming home from New York I definitely noticed an icier chill in the air, the heating's on and the fluffy socks are out. Though I'm sad to see the back of warmer days, it does also mean its coat season and that – I'm all about.

I used my time in New York as an excuse to select and shoot some key autumn winter pieces, maybe stupidly in-spite of it actually being pretty gorgeous weather over there (whoever's idea it was to walk the Brooklyn Bridge in PVC trousers and knitwear needs a word). Here's a couple of my absolute favourite new additions that I wore in NYC (warm weather and all) plus a few more I've got my eye on – happy coat shopping.

Coat: & Other Stories / Jeans: River Island / Headband: New Look / Tee + Boots: Miss Selfridge

This houndstooth A-Line beauty by & Other Stories is blue hued dream, I love how the colour is an updated version of a usually neutral-coloured style. Dressed down for the day here in jeans and a tee, but it'll also look great this season over a cream knit or your favourite party LBD.

 Coat: River Island / Tee: New Look/ Trainers: & Other Stories

Now I don't think I've ever had so many compliments on a coat as I did with this statement neon gem from River Island. Something way out of my usual comfort zone, but my NYC trip impending I was feeling brave and neon seems to be having a moment right now. It's a total outfit maker and statement staple for autumn winter.

Here's some more I am LOVE–ing right now:

Croatia on film

I'll forever remember this summer '19 as the summer I fell back in love with film. A bit dramatic you might think – I mean, we're talking about a few grainy holiday snaps here – but rediscovering this semi-lost art with a roll of 35mm on my trip to Croatia has re-ignited my love for photography and how we capture moments in time. A love that perhaps, has got a little lost in the depths of 1000's of same-y outfit photos, insta-worthy hotspots and all the crap in-between that makes up the 47,000+  photos (it's a sickening number I know) that is my iPhone library.

With film, you have one shot. One chance to capture a specific moment, a bit of a crazy notion in our digital age in which we are used to taking 50+ images of different angles, poses, and switching to fix our hair or get our good side just to get 'the shot'. There's no previews to look through, in fact you'll even have to wait until the end of your trip and then longer to get them developed before you can take a peek. But to me, that's all part of the fun. It definitely shifts the focus to the moment as apposed to getting the perfect shot itself. 

Aesthetically, I love how it looks too, and I'm not the only one. In the age of digital, an enormous chunk of what's posted to Instagram (from myself included) is edited to look like it was shot on film. It's trendy to have grain, light flares, dust specks and film frames. In fact, I'm confident a lot of us pay monthly subscriptions to apps that allow us to edit in these ways. Instagram itself was originally an app to edit and post your images with a vintage feel. Because really, there is something nostalgic and special about it.

Film's been having comeback for a little while now, but it's only after being back shooting a proper roll of it I've understood why it's still so loved. And no matter how hard I try, there's no re-creating this effect on my shots in Afterlight. For my first hand back in the 35mm game, I packed the cheapest old plastic polaroid from my dad's extensive collection. Simple, easy to use and light as a feather – perfect for a week on a boat in Croatia.

And Croatia really was the perfect place for capturing some special moments on film. As you'll probably have seen form my Instagram, I spent a week on board Yacht Life with my faves, Life Before Work Travel. It's been my third Yacht Life tour with them and second time doing Croatia, LBW is practically family and truly it's a highlight of every summer. From watching the sunset over the Croatian hillside from our yacht, dancing the day away onboard our white party, taking dips in the most turquoise water and enjoying some of the most epics views in Europe – perfect moments to practice my new found love for film. I'll be writing more about LBW in an upcoming post, but if you love these images and love the sound of Yacht Life even more, you can sign up for their 2020 pre sale and even win (!) your own spot here.

Thanks for reading angels. I hope you enjoy these images and I hope I've maybe inspired you to have a play with your own roll of 35mm. I'm currently half way through my second roll and cant wait to share more with you soon, I've got a feeling this is going to be a regular feature. Until next time x