Category: Life

October & Halloween

Just when I thought that this year couldn’t be going any quicker, BAM, November is here. Soon the countdown to Christmas will begin (for those whom it hasn’t already) and many of us will begin to think about those ever self improving, New Years Resolutions. Before I get carried away with myself and start prepping for 2015 (that’s right it’s nearly here), I think about this month, how fast it has gone and how much has changed in such a short period of time.

For me, what started out as a seemingly disappointing month after some bad (although not overly catastrophic) news, soon turned into a fun packed month filled with exciting future plans. This month has just added to my belief that most things, if not everything, happens for a reason.

To end a great month I headed out for Halloween celebrations with Nicole and Jazmine. My outfit planning was a little last minute I must admit but after an early morning of sifting through all of my black clothes and a quick whip around the shops for a hat and some eye contacts, I ended up as a witch. I wore one of my old dress up wigs to complete the look and the most spooky thing about my outfit was that I didn’t look much like myself. Okay, so I didn’t look scary, however as always I had lots of fun dressing up. Here are some picture from our night…

Samio x

November 2, 2014
Nemesis Model Party

It’s not often that I blog about my nights out, usually due to the fact that there’s nothing flattering about drinking too many cocktails, dancing like an idiot and occasionally falling over (yes I am often that person). However for last Friday’s night out I decided to make an exception. No, unfortunately I can’t say I didn’t get up to my usual night out antic, however I decided it’s one night out I would actually blog about.

Last Friday night saw my mother agency, Nemesis, throw their biggest party to date for their website re-launch. Being the camera whore I am, I managed to get a in a few decent photos on the night (as well as some not so decent ones that fortunately won’t be on this blog). It was a free bar all night so it wasn’t long until clients and models alike were mingling and showing their best moves on the dance floor. Needless to say we had a brilliant night and there were lots of funny moments. Here are some of the official pictures from the night…

You can check out the new Nemesis agency website here.

Samio x

October 17, 2014
1940’s Style

Yesterday the boyfriend and I had another day off together and so we spent it doing what we do best, shopping, eating and drinking. Well maybe the shopping part is what I do best but the eating and drinking is definitely a joint effort as we are both big foodies and also partial to the odd cocktail… Or five.

Shopping turned out to be more successful for my boyfriend than it did for me, however I did manage to purchase a big cosy scarf and my second pair of winter boots, which I love!

I wore this vintage dress that I’ve had for about a year but never actually worn until yesterday. I’d bought the dress off eBay and it is slightly on the large size, (probably the reason I’d never previously got round to wearing it). Thanks to the large waist belt (which also came with the dress) I was able to really nip it in at the wait and also roll up the sleeves to give the dress a more fitted look. I decided to team the dress with a faux fur shrug I’ve had for a while from Asos and together it gave it gave the outfit a kind of 1940s look, although the dress is most likely from the 80s.

The afternoon soon crept in and so we sampled a couple of yummy cocktails at the Botanist before heading to Evuna in The Northern Quater, for a late lunch of tapas.

After lunch we went to Hard Rock Cafe for more tasty cocktails, starting with milkshake cocktails, me opting for the one with bacon bits on top, which was surprisingly delicious. And after drinking our way into the evening it was then time for dinner, so we decided to go to one of our favourite burger joints, Almost Famous. I went for the Smokey and The Bandit burger and we shared morning after fries and suicide wings. As usual, it did not disappoint.

What I Wore:
Dress & Belt – Vintage (80’s)
Fur shrug – Asos
Shoes – River Island
Bag – Zara

Samio x

October 9, 2014
Faux Fur Coat Weather

Today I purchased my first pair of boots for the winter and it was also the first time I was able to wear my new faux fur coat. Yes, it looks like Autumn is finally here.

My boyfriend and I had the full day together and after a long relaxing lunch we headed to the shops and joined the rush of people all hunting for winter clothes. For a Monday I was surprised how busy the shops were but I guess everyone had the same idea and winter wardrobe shopping was on most people’s agenda.

I bought this grey Vero Moda faux fur coat a few weeks ago off Asos. Always one for a bargain I managed to nab this one in the sale before my size sold out. I like to be prepared, so I was glad I had this snug coat to hand today when the cold weather set in. I’m still on the look out for another winter coat though, as although I love faux fur, it’s not always the most practical.

Speaking of bargains, I got this mock croc patent bag last week in the sale from Urban Outfitters. I love it and it’s the perfect size for on the go when I just need to carry the essentials.

These patent loafers are also a new purchase from F&F. That’s the second supermarket brand item I’ve bought in a month, this time from Tesco. They are really comfy, I love the colour and at only £15 they were a complete bargain too.

What I Wore:
Coat: Vero Moda
Top: H&M
Jeans: Topshop
Loafers: F&F at Tesco
Bag: Urban Outfitters

Lunch was delicious. We went to Rosylee Tea Rooms and enjoyed a tasty three course lunch. I opted for the baked crab to start, the wild rabbit for main (with a side of chips of course) and the dark chocolate tart for dessert. Each course was gorgeous but I have to say that the dessert was an especially scrumptious treat, each mouthful was heaven! It certainly kept us going for the rest of the day, although I could have easily gone for a nap after it.

Samio x

October 6, 2014
50’s Style in The Black Midi Skirt

Last Thursday was the second day into October and yet it still felt like summer. I do not know what is going on with the weather here in England but it makes the task of dressing even more of a challenge when you don’t know if you’re stepping out to a day of sunshine one day or rain the next. Thursdsday was certainly a warm day and I luckily dressed appropriately for the weather for once.

I picked out some recently purchased items from my wardrobe and went for this black midi skirt I bought last week on Asos and this short sleeved shirt I got not too long ago from H&M. I decided on comfortable footwear and went for these ballet flats I picked up in Asda. That’s right, Asda, there’s nothing like the convenience of doing a grocery shop and picking up a pair of shoes in the process… The bag is one I bought from Zara whilst I was in Barcelona over the summer and I decided red would add a pop of colour to this otherwise monochrome outfit. I went for some faux pearls and a red lip to finish of this outfit, giving it an almost 1950’s style look.

In the evening I met up with my friend Dale and we headed to Hard Rock Cafe to stuff our faces. To start we shared some fried chicken strips and for our mains we both went for the Tango Burger, finishing with a tasty hot fudge brownie with ice cream and whiped cream. As if that wasn’t all filling enough, I managed to get through an impressive eight Pepsi colas. They were refillable so it would have been rude not to. Needless to say, I left feeling more than satisfied.

What I Wore:
Midi Skirt – Asos
Shirt – H&M
Shoes – George at Asda
Bag – Zara
Hair Bow – Vintage head scarf

Samio x

October 5, 2014
Something Old, Something Blue

Again we’ve been experiencing this unexpected sunny weather here in England and so my wardrobe is back to front. Just as I was about to start shopping for faux furs and winter boots, the sun has decided to stay a little longer and so I’m pulling out crop tops and light fabrics to keep up with the weather.

I feel really unprepared for this sunny September and as I feel I’ve exhausted my summer wardrobe already, I’ve been forced to rummage a little deeper through my wardrobe and by doing so have found garments I forgot I even owned.

I absolutely love these culottes but although I’ve had them a while, I’ve very rarely worn them due to the colour, as I often finding that they clash with most of my other clothes. Yesterday however, it was finally time to pull them out of the closet.

I decided to team the culottes with a white crop top that I bought earlier this year, from Forever 21. I thought that the culottes and the crop top looked so cute together but this is where I had the dilemma of finding a jacket that went with the whole look. As I knew it would get a little chilly in the evening I was adamant I needed a jacket. Then voila, I found this little leopard print number that I’ve had since forever. With my brown bag and flats, I thought the jacket teamed the whole look together rather well. Not bad for an outfit that was literally thrown on.

It was date night, so my boyfriend and I headed out for pizza and wine (my favourite), before going to the cinema to watch The Guest. If you were wondering, I thought that the film was unusual but I rather liked it. I don’t think that it will be everyone’s cup of tea but then I always seem to like strange films. I was most fascinated watching Dan Stevens playing a convincing psychotic American guy, long gone is Mr Crawly!

What I Wore:
Culottes: Rare London (Last year?)
Crop Top: Forever 21
Cropped jacket: Ebay (old)
Ballet Flats: Topshop
Bag: Zara

Cons of wearing a white top to the cinema – accidentally spilling your Ice Blast down your front. Oops.

Samio x

September 11, 2014
Girls with Curls

Yesterday I was in London. I was up bright and early (5am if you must know) as I had a shoot for Speedo in the morning. Then in the afternoon I made my way into central London to meet up with fellow blogger Fro Girl Ginny. It was mine and Ginny’s first time meeting and the pros of meeting up with a fellow curly girl is that I’m able to spot her fabulous curly mane from across the station. Straight off we began chatting away and it was nice to see that Ginny is just as lovely in person as she appeared over email.

Together Ginny and I headed to The Breakfast Club for a bite to eat and even though I wasn’t actually very hungry, as it was my first time eating there, I couldn’t help but opt for The All American. This is a dish that consists of sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, crispy bacon, pancakes and maple syrup. Considering I ‘wasn’t very hungry’ I soon managed to finish it all of course and it certainly pleased the tastebuds and set me up for the day.

The rest of the afternoon we spent wondering around London, popping in some shops and stopping for drinks to chat more. Obviously when two bloggers meet there is rarely a moment that the cameras are away and so we spent plenty of time getting ‘snap happy’ and capturing plenty of shameless double selfies too.

These are my first shots of my newly cut fro. As I mentioned in my previous post, my hair had some seriously damaged ends and so I had two inches cut off. I’m still slightly mourning the loss but my hair is feeling so much better for it and anyway, it will grow. Today I was rocking a braid out and embracing the frizz but it will be interesting to see how it looks after a wash and go when my curls are in their natural coils, as I can see I’m going to have some major shrinkage but we shall see.

What I Wore:
Biker Jacket – Zara
Vest top – Forever 21
Skirt – H&M
Shoes – Office

After lots of fro snaps and a fun day with Ginny, it was eventually time for me to make my way to the station and head home back home to Manchester.

If you haven’t already then go check out Ginny’s blog and YouTube channel:
Blog: http://frogirlginny.weebly.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/frogirlginny
Instagram & Twitter: @FroGirlGinny

Samio x

September 2, 2014
Feeling Free – My Week Away From Social Media

It was Sunday 10th August at 23:29, we’d finally turned out the lights ready to sleep but I just had to have one last check on Facebook (incase one of my friends had messaged me of course). I was then ready to finally put my device down for the night but not before sending one last Tweet and then having a quick final swoop through Instagram. Okay I was done… Oh wait, it dawned on me that I hadn’t checked my Tumblr in ages (yes I even have a Tumblr account). So after one last brows through my Tumblr feed, I was ready, ready to switch off and start my week long social media free detox.

I’ll admit it, I am a social media addict. This will come as no surprise to most people, especially my boyfriend who bares the biggest brunt to this self confessed addiction. Other than the times when I go on holiday, there’s rarely a day that goes by that I don’t interact, browse or post something out on social media of some form. So I decided to do a little self experiment and give myself a seven day ban from all forms of social media and remove all the apps from my iPad and phone.

I didn’t really give myself the ban for any particular reason other than to show myself that I could and that my life wasn’t so consumed by social networking that I wouldn’t be able to cope. In the end it wasn’t so bad after all. In fact strangely enough, it actually felt like a relief. In the spaces I’d usually spend killing time on social media, I read, I wrote, I talked, all without the distraction of the electronic devices that usually rule my life. It was strange, after a week away I actually felt nervous when I was re-downloading my apps from the cloud. ‘Should I do it?’ I thought to myself and to be honest I probably would have stayed away longer if it wasn’t for my blogging and networking that I do for work.

Now it’s all back, I’m reconnected, everything is the same and nothing changed in my online world during my week offline. I’m not saying that a week is an extraordinarily long time, however, a lot can happen in such a short period. If we can put down our devices and spend more minutes, hours, days, looking around and experience life a little less distracted we might be able to live it to a greater potential.

Remember you control your social media, don’t let it control you.

Enjoy your week,
Samio x

August 18, 2014
7 Reasons To Not Rush A Relationship

Earlier I read an article titled ‘99 Things You Learn As A Single In Your 20s‘. The first paragraph reads “Despite what many people think, your twenties are honestly the perfect time to be single. These are the years you are growing into your own person, adjusting to the new world of adulthood and being exposed to things you never have been exposed to before.” Followed by “(you are) exploring new cities, interacting with all different types of people — all while gaining new experiences”

I read this and thought, wait a second, I’m in my 20s, I’m in a long term relationship and I do all those things, with and without my boyfriend and completely monogamously. Many of the points in this article I do actually agree with and if you are in your 20s and single then I also agree, it’s probably the best time to be so. However if you do fall in love and find someone who feels completely and perfectly right for you, as I have, then I don’t believe anyone would prefer being single over that. Although with that sentence I must quote point 41 in the article ‘Not every relationship you get involved in is going to be “the relationship”’. I couldn’t agree with this point more and it is exactly why it helps not to rush your relationship and the reason it is good to still allow yourself the fun and independence whilst you are young.

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April 24, 2014
My March In Pictures

March has been a super busy month for me. With lots of early mornings, late nights and plenty of travelling (which I mostly utilized as nap time), I’ve had no time at all for blogging. However, as always I managed to capture many of my moments on camera and so here is a look at some of my month (March) in pictures.

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April 1, 2014