Last week I decided to have an entire wardrobe overhaul (without buying any new clothes). I'm poor at the moment because I'm waiting on about 17,839.80240 invoices lol plus I'm moving this weekend and sweet baby Jesus the deposit and fees on my new place were expensive af.
However, I've been struggling to put together any half decent outfits (turns out hoodies and leggings aren't acceptable to wear everyday) and whenever I looked through my clothes, I hated everything! I just needed some inspo but didn't want to spend any money.
I decided to take everything out and have one giant purge. I got rid of the stuff that wasn't 'me' anymore, I didn't like or didn't fit. If I decided to keep something, I had to make sure it could be worn at least 3 different ways. It took me 12 hours and I still haven't done my dresses but nonetheless, I have a more interchangeable wardrobe and I know that everything fits and looks the way I'd like it too. Its given me more time in the mornings, less stress when I have a last minute thaaaang to do AND, choosing outfits to shoot for my blog is a much more pleasurable experience.
(shall I do a full post on my wardrobe overhaul?)
So with all that being said, there is going to be even more fashion/personal style content on my site, starting with a post all about this amazing gingham skirt from ASOS.
Isn't it a dreaaaaaam? The gingham trend is SO hot this season, with all the high street & online stores like Boohoo, Topshop & New Look producing some amazing pieces. This gingham skirt in particular is deconstructed with a slight paperbag waist and I am o b s e s s e d. Its so flattering and the ruffles fall in such a nice way - sort of like a waterfall. I paired it with this denim bardot top that also has ruffles and although it might be a bit too much for some, its just enough sass for me lol.
In terms of footwear, I reckon you can wear pretty much anything. From plimsols to Vans, from Stan Smith's to boots - and on this occasion I've opted for boots. I like the height these platforms give me, plus they're really easy to walk in and they're super comfortable.
When it comes to beauty, I tend to stick to what I know and use those products until the day I die. Although I enjoy taking care of my skin, I much prefer spending money on a bangin' new ASOS dress than a new face cream. I am lucky enough to get sent quite a few products through the post, but getting around to trying them all can literally take months and my skin is SO sensitive that I have to be really careful with what I use.
But during the last 4/5 months I've found a few products that I really enjoy using, so much so they have become favourites.
My go to product when my skin needs a pick me up. This bad boy helps to resurface the skin whilst also leaving it feeling soft and plump and looking radiant and fresh. Its marketed as an at home overnight facial & thats it exactly what it does. It minimises pores and keeps my annoying redness to a minimum. I also reach for this if I'm having continuous breakouts as the glycolic acid really helps to clear my blemishes and spots. I swipe this serum all over my face with a cotton pad before applying moisturiser. Its honestly amazing and transforms my skin whilst I sleep. Available at Cult Beauty.
I'm usually just a bit 'meh' when it comes to lip care. In the past I've used any old lip balm from Carmex, to Vaseline and anything else in between. I picked up this one in store on a bit of a whim and I've replaced it twice since. Not only does it smell incredible, it also really hydrates and moisturises my lips. The packaging is aesthetically pleasing too! There isn't much to say about this as its just a lip balm lol, but its my favourite and if its not in my handbag or with my daily makeup, its next to my bed. I love love love it!
When it comes to Jo Malone, I really am a huge fan. From bath oils to candles - my collection is pretty hefty and I'm noooootttt ashamed (although my bank account will say otherwise). Over the past few years I've tried lots of different scents but one of my all time faves is Blackberry & Bay. Not only do I love the cologne, I also love the candle too which is packed away neatly, ready to use in my new apartment woop woop. It just smells heavenly and can be used all year round. Its light, vibrant and fresh. Go and give it a sniff and I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
When it comes to Queen CT, I'm such a massive fan that I think everything she touches turns to gold (except her magic foundation that for some reason separates on my skin). Her clay mask is pretty amazing if your skin is in need of some plumping & repairing. Its nourishing and enriching and whenever I use it, I see a great improvement in my skin literally straight after use. Face masks rarely impress me but this very much does!
All my life I've had a love and hate relationship with denim. On one hand, it looks bloody amazing and is practically a l w a y s on trend. On the other hand I find sizing for my body type super difficult and denim is usually uncomfortable too (which I loathe because comfort is key for me).
I'm just super particular about the denim I buy & wear. If its cheap, it usually looks cheap and I'm not about to spend £200 on a pair of jeans because who the hell has that kinda money lol? So when buying denim pieces, I really try to get affordable but good quality items, whether thats jackets, jeans or dresses.
Over the past month or so, I've found myself gravitating towards more denim. I've been inspired by other bloggers, gorgeous fashionista's on Instagram & some of my most stylish friends to up my outfit game and experiment with denim pieces a bit more.
Denim jackets are an easy way to in-corperate denim into your wardrobe, and this sassy number from Boohoo+ and I cannot get enough of it. Its that really nice rich blue colour which I find is a little more modern and versatile, compared to your usual light wash denim. The black lace up detail makes the jacket on trend for this season too and is just a downright must have imo.
Other than this amazing jacket, I've also purchased some of the ASOSRidley Jeans & this ruffle denim top that will be shared on the blog soon. I obviously have my eye on a few other denim pieces that I reckon so many of you will love so I've linked them down below.
Back in 2013, I was the lightest I think I've ever been. On the outside I was happy & healthy but on the inside I was screaming and terribly miserable. To get down to the weight I was, I restricted most food groups, exercised 3/4x a week and chose to stay in instead of going out, because the fear of socialising with my friends and eating something I deemed 'unsafe' was just unbearable.
The pressure to conform inevitably resulted in me pinning my self worth and beauty on being thinner, and everyday up until last year, I was desperately trying to drop a few pounds. I thought losing weight and getting to my 'goal weight' would solve all of my problems and make me the happiest woman EVER, but upon reflection - how bloody naive was I?!
Its now 2016 and I have gained a lot of weight. Yes its down to PSTD and an eating disorder, but the reasoning behind weight gain doesn't matter. When gaining weight, the world literally loses its shit. All of a sudden you become a total failure. 'How dare you gain back the weight you lost'. 'Do you realise you've put on weight'?. 'You've gained weight, whats wrong?'. 'You look absolutely disgusting'. 'You should lose weight'. 'You've ruined yourself'. (actual comments I've received). I was deemed lazy & vile and it amazed me (but did not surprise me) how many people I appeared to disappoint.
It has been a very long journey with learning to accept the weight I've gained. I've had to re-learn to love my body the way it is now and I'd be lying if I said it was easy. Thankfully I now have the language to execute a few important things that gaining weight has taught me.
It isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although the way society is setup you'd think gaining weight is the worst thing ever wouldn't you? Although gaining weight for me was a sign of binge eating disorder, it was also a sign that I was ready to ditch diet culture and fad diets that were damaging my relationship with food. You can lose all the weight in the world, but if your mind is not healthy, it really isn't worth it. Some people gain weight due to medication, recovery from exercise addiction and a bunch of other things too - it doesn't automatically mean that gaining weight equals a lack of self care and self control. Bollocks to that!
It doesn't always mean you're unhealthy. There is a misconception that gaining weight or being overweight means you lack general good health, but that isn't always the case. Mental health is just as important (if not more important) than physical health and sometimes people are naturally heavier than others. What's so wrong with that? I don't smoke and I rarely drink and some of my slim friends do, so why am I the unhealthy one because I have rolls?
You are more than what you look like. Until I lost weight and then gained it back, I didn't realise just how much a women's worth is based on her outer exterior. Joining the body positive community and going to therapy opened my eyes to how cruel and unfair society really is, especially when it comes to a women's body. You can never please anyone and no matter what you look like or what you weigh, someone somewhere will deem it 'unacceptable'. Fuck that and fuck them!
It's empowering to eat intuitively. Which is something I am learning more and more each day. Before being admitted to The Recover Clinic, I didn't even realise intuitive eating was a thing. I lived my life with thoughts like; 'I should eat this so I lose a bit of weight' orrrrrrr 'I'm going to eat this because I don't deserve what I really want'. So uncovering a world where you eat what you fancy and what your body is telling you it needs literally blew my damn mind. With every meal, I try to simply eat what my body is craving and what will make me happy. Lately my favourite foods have been caesar salads, frosties & mini eggs!
It doesn't change you as a person. That goes for losing weight too! Being thin doesn't mean you are better than anyone and being big doesn't mean you are any less of a person. What really matters is who you are as a person and your weight shouldn't play a part in that. Be kind, loyal, honest, trust worthy, empowering, supportive, patient & compassionate. Ain't nothing more beautiful than a pure heart.
Dieting is FUCKING boring. So fucking boring it makes me question my entire life lol. Calorie counting, syn'ing, calculating points, planning every single meal, restricting what you really want to eat in favour over what you think you should eat. Its mundane and slightly soul destroying and life is far too short to constantly worry about everything that passes your lips. Our bodies (no matter what size) are incredible things. Trust them to tell you what you need to eat.
I know my body will change when I am in full recovery from my trauma and eating disorder. I am already mentally preparing for that and looking forward to my body finding its natural weight but for now, this is the weight I am and that's ok. (more than ok actually because I'm fucking buff lol)
I joined the blogging scene back in 2011. I started out on Youtube predominately as a beauty & fashion blogger, later incorporating mental health and advice content. I then launched this blog in 2012/2013 as a place to do more impromptu stuff, in depth reviews and a general bubble to talk about anything and everything.
Fast forward 4 years and I'm now a 26yr old full-time blogger, girl bossing her way in making her dreams come true. Its been one hell of a journey. I've laughed, I've cried, I've wanted to give up, I've travelled to lots of different countries, I've even made documentaries and I'm a soon to be published author.
But in all honesty, I've only really found my place within the blogging community in the last 12-18 months. Its taken me a long while to have the courage to talk about the stuff that matters to me, but also to gain the knowledge and talent in how to execute my thoughts and ideas, in a way that people would want to click 'watch' or 'read more'.
Gone are boring beauty reviews that I felt I had to do, because everyone else was. Gone are low quality imagery and bashing out daily posts for the sake of views and consistency. The list goes on.
Since summer 16', I've really worked on bringing my blog to life and elevating it in a way that makes me feel v. proud. I've worked on my direction and branding and thought long and hard about what I wanted people to get from visiting graciefrancesca.com. You've probably noticed a change in my content too and by the engagement and growth I've had, you all appear to like it.
I think I've moved away from certain blogger cliche's and I've created a unique space that stands out in an oversaturated market. My main focus point is advice and making my readers feel something when they flick through the archives of this space. My passion is social taboos and women's issues and I finally feel like my blog reflects that.
I've tried to care less about what others think of me and more about how my experiences can help people. As I've grown as Grace, graciefrancesca.com has too - and thats something I'm forever grateful for. I don't want to be stagnant and lost, or bored and uninspired and for the most part, I'm not.
I guess I'm just focused on me and slaying in my own lane. Don't get me wrong, I do have days where everything is just a pile of fucking shit but thats life. Im finally in a place where I genuinely love where my blogging business is heading and that makes me happy.
But what that being said, I want to take things up a notch and develop my site into something thats even more 'me'. I change a lot as it is, but my personal growth in the last 6 months has been ridiculous and I feel it needs to reflect through my posts.
So here's where we're at with how things are *slightly* changing for the foreseeable future.
I actually did this back in 2016 but I'm going to be doing it even more over the period of my blog relaunch. I'm doing this to enable easier navigation through my content for you guys, as well as more identifiable branding for companies who want to work with me. If I have a smaller amount of categories, I think I'll be able to create more content that I love and have a passion for.
I'm going to be ditching beauty & makeup but creating an entire new category for self care. I won't give everything away but things will be EVEN more advice based and I'm bloody excited.
More outfit posts.
For a long while I couldn't decide how I wanted to dress. My style was evolving but I was also confused with where it was going. My weight also fluctuates quite a bit too so trying to put outfits together when you're bigger one month and smaller the next is difficult. However, I'm in a better place with my personal style now and I'm excited to shoot with my photographer Jade and share some looks with you.
An open diary forum.
When trying to decide where I'm taking this blog, the best way to describe it is 'a public diary'. I want to share my secrets and my experiences, as well as touch upon self love and my eating disorder. I've been inspired by music and friends to be even more honest and share my opinion on things I've previously shy'd away from. Religion/spirituality being one of them.
An 'old school' blogging vibe
Although the blogging world has changed and its important we go with it, I personally want to go back to basics. I don't mean taking selfies on a 2006 webcam, but I do mean shorter blog posts and not being afraid to self shoot in my bedroom. I want to share things I've done or want to do & chat to you about things I've been loving or hating. Although my new blog design and relaunch will be glossy, the root of my content will be raw and not overly edited.
How does that all sound?
I'm basically just get excited to become the person I'm meant to be and take you all on the journey with me.
Being jealous will get you nowhere. I'm not too proud to admit that I definitely have a jealousy streak inside of me. Its not often that it comes out these days, but when I was younger it would completely take over. I would be jealous of someone's body, materialistic items & even their family situation. I guess my childhood was so difficult that I became bitter towards anyone who I viewed had a better life than me. All jealousy does is make you feel miserable and sad. Being bitter is not cute boo.
Just cause he wants to have sex with you, that doesn't mean he cares about you or loves you. Hands up who didn't really know the difference between lust or love? Damn it lol. There were many occasions after losing my virginity and becoming sexually active that I was left heartbroken, confused & feeling like 'wtf did he just use me'. Sex ed in schools does not prepare you for the policies around sex and I definitely fell short because of that.
Everything about you is beautiful.Yes bitch that includes your rolls, stretch marks, uneven skin and your gigantic delicious chunky thighs. Don't pay attention to anyone or anything that makes you question your self worth.
When you're sad, scared or angry - tell someone (anyone). Otherwise you'll end up in therapy at 26 re-learning everything you thought you knew about the world lol. Growing up I pretty much internalised everything I felt, or I'd have random outbursts because 'we've ran out of fucking squash Mum, why didn't you buy any', when I was actually angry about something else - I just didn't want to or know how to talk about. Telling someone what I was feeling would have made my childhood a little easier.
Self care is SO important. Now that I'm 26 self care is a HUGE part of my life and back when I was a teen, I didn't even know it was a thing. Looking after yourself? Nurturing yourself? Listening to your body and mind? What the fuck is that lol? I neglected who I was because I didn't like myself and when I was sad or lonely or scared, I self harmed or punished myself with food or went out with my mates and drank a bottle of WKD (just me?). I should have really been going for walks, taking baths & talking to someone about how I felt. Self care makes me feel a whole lot better & I wish little Grace knew just how important it is.
Do more of what makes you happy. Dancing, singing, drawing, acting - do more of it. Life is too short not to be doing the things you love.
What important things do you wish you knew as a teen?
