Tag: Causal

A New Year, A New Pace

It’s two and half weeks (and a bit) into the year already and I’ll start by saying overall, so far, so good. I kicked off my year (as usual) feeling incredibly hungover but with little regret, as we’d once again achieved the success of an epic new year’s eve party, with lots of our close friends round at ours to celebrate.

Due to these spirited (in more ways than one) New Year’s Eve celebrations, I tend to officially start my new year on the second day of January, when my brain is no longer rattling in its scull, we’ve swept up any lingering glitter and any traces of Christmas have been tidied away.

This year however, my body had another idea and I woke up on the second of January with a cold, or as I’ll refer to it, my very own bout of severe level Man flu. It was annoying, to say the least and I must admit that by week two I was feeling a tad stir crazy, which led me to feeling quite sorry for myself – poor Damien bore the brunt of it each day when he’d return home from work and I’d be vying for attention like a puppy who’d been left alone at home all day.

In the grand scheme of things it’s not the worse thing that could happen and a cold is just a fleeing setback that most of us have to deal with around this time of year. Plus, whilst being sofa residing for the most part of two weeks, I did in fact still manage to get some work done. I even managed to drag myself away from my snotty tissue ridden hovel that I’d nested myself into on the sofa, put on some makeup and shoot some collaborations in time for their deadlines – go me!

So as I said, cold aside, not a bad start to the year. Now I’m 3 days post cold and feeling enthusiastic to officially get into my year properly.

I always tend to have my positive and optimistic head on around this time of year. I think a lot of us are still feeling driven and that motivation can be quite infectious at times. However, as we move towards the end of the month, I do find there is a tendency for things to all slowly go downhill from there. The January blues creep in and the reality that we’ve not even reach the coldest and gloomiest part of winter hits. It’s like the glum slog between Christmas and Spring that feels never ending. Between that and the emphasis on ‘keeping up with those goals’, there can be an overwhelming pressure to be living our best lives, when all we really want to do is go into hibernate until it’s summer.

I feel different this year though, still eager for summer yes, but just a lot less pressured. Even whilst snivelling my way through the first two weeks of this year, I was still feeling (albeit a little tired) content and calm mentally.

I think the main thing that’s helped my mindset has been my shift in focus this year. I already spoke in my last post about ‘things I’d like to do more of in 2019’, and wanting to have more me time was a big overriding theme there. I’ve been abiding by my own ‘rules’ and allowing myself to switch off, guilt free. I’ve got lost in the pages of a good book, wrote for the sake of writing and switched off from social media. It’s really done me the world of good. It’s also shown me that things don’t all just crumble when I stop. Just because the whole world feels like it’s going at 110mph, it doesn’t mean I have to.

We’re still only two weeks into this year, yes, but so far I’m finding a nice balance between work, me time and socialising (more emphasis can go on the socialising now that I’m lurgy free). I’ve started as I mean to go on, set things in motion that will help me in the long run, started to form new habits that are allowing me to relax and given myself the permission to go at my own pace, which is a lot slower than previously.

Samio x

#SamiosSelfPortraits

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January 17, 2019
3 Happiness Habits

Shots by Rosie Butcher

When we think of happiness it’s easy to think of what it is to be happy in a particular moment. For example, right now I think what would really make me happy is a large Dominos veggie volcano pizza (hmmm pizza). Or someone else’s idea of a happy moment might be buying those designer shoes they’ve had their eye on for ages! The reality though, is that however nice that slice of pizza tastes (still drooling at the thought to be honest), or however beautiful those shoes are, this type of happiness is short lived. If we don’t feel good in other aspects of our life it doesn’t matter how good the pizza tastes, or how dreamy the shoes are, they just aren’t going to fix it. The reality is that (queue the cheesy cliche line) happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Now when I speak of happiness, I’m talking overall happiness. No matter how seemingly good someone’s life is, it’s impossible to skip around cheery and smiley all day, everyday, don’t let social media fool you. Overall happiness however, goes deeper than what’s on the exterior and it’s something that can take work and I’m not talking a quick five minute fix.

Trainers – Converse | Jeans – Me & Em | Striped Tee – Cos | Cardigan – Me and Em | Watch – Cluse | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon

Spend Time With People You Love

Personally, nothing makes me feel more uplifted than surrounding myself with people I love. I’m lucky to have an amazing bunch of people in my life and to be quite honest I can’t get enough of them. Be it a long distant phone call, a coffee catch up, or even a sleepover with my besties (yes I’m a grown woman who still has sleepovers), I’m always left feeling in high spirits after catching up and spending time with some of my favourite people.

Aside from friends, family and partners, it doesn’t always have to mean spending time with people you’re close with. Obviously I’d recommend you do that as much as possible but sometimes you can find the type of people you love to be around in other situations as well. Finding like minded people is especially important. That feeling of being able to relate and share common ground/interests with someone can be just what you need. I love the buzz I get after having chats with like minded people about things that we are equally passionate about. And if you’re not sure about where to find these like minded people then think about what your main interests are and seek out clubs, groups and events where you connect with them. Be it through hashtags or even a quick google search, it’s easier than you think to ‘find your tribe’, so go for it.

Practice Gratitude

I’ve spoken about this before (particularly in this post here) and no doubt I’ll speak about it again, but practicing gratitude on a daily basis can do wonders for your happiness levels. When I wake up I like to take five minutes or so before jumping out of bed or grabbing for my phone, to just think about the things I’m grateful for in that moment. It can be as simple as being grateful for having such a comfy bed to go to sleep and wake up in, to being happy that you get to head out to a job you love, or maybe you’re even just grateful for the coffee you’ll soon be drinking. Whatever it is, take a mental note, or write actual notes if you’d rather. It can be whenever you like, not just in the morning. Just thinking about all the things that you’re grateful for can really help you to re-evaluate things and in turn, help to lift your mood. Do this on a daily basis and believe me you’ll see a difference.

Find Fulfilment

This is a weird one, as fulfilment can come is different forms for different people. You may find fulfilment in your children, you may find fulfilment in your job, or you may even find it in helping others. Sometimes the trickiest part is finding what brings you these feelings of fulfilment in the first place…but once you know what that thing is, you’ll know what to pursue in life in order to help bring you happiness. Of course fulfilment can come from a number of places, I know for me personally I find it in being able to use my creativity, in helping others, in spending time with loves ones and exploring different countries (quite a list there). For you it could be a similar combination, or something entirely different. Whatever it is, make time to work on or work towards the things that personally bring you fulfilment because quite often those are some of the things that will bring you the most joy in your life.

Those are my three happiness habits and just a few things that I find help me…Of course it’s normal to have down days here and there, we can’t be feeling super happy all of the time, but if you do find yourself constantly feeling down, then it’s always important to reach out and speak to someone about it. Here’s a link to some helplines if you do need more information – click here – or if you just feel like you need someone to chat to, I found out about a great little website where you can chat with trained listeners anonymously online, which you can find here.

Samio x

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April 6, 2018
Shooting In An Ugly Space & The Golden Hour

Making The Most Out Of A Space

I remember before Damien and I moved into our house, I used to get frustrated with the space I had to work in. When it came to shooting content for my blog, I would often have ideas in mind of the images I wanted to create and that didn’t quite seem to fit with my surroundings. Obviously doing street style shots has always been an option and something that I still love to do today, but when the weather doesn’t permit (which can be more often than not here in England), shooting indoors becomes the only option.

In my last blog post I talked about how I’ve been getting back into shooting self portraits, in order to improve my photography and editing skills and it’s something that I have been well and truly getting stuck into. I’ve been shooting almost daily in fact, when I can fit in the time and it’s true what they say, that practice makes perfect. I’m seeing my skills improving with each shoot and edit.

The problem with constantly using my space to shoot in however, is the fact that I’m running out of it. The idea of this ‘accidental project’, let’s call it, is that I want to push myself creatively and improve my skills when it comes to shooting and editing images for my blog and so I don’t want to repeat the same type of image over and over.

Whilst our living room and kitchen space have been come together quite nicely, as we near the end of our house renovation, the rest of our house is still somewhat more of a work in progress. That being said, it actually occurred to me that it’s still possible to make the most out of any space. With this also being about me getting creating, working with the unfinished, or ‘ugly spaces’, pushes me to do just that.

I guess it’s easy to capture pretty or aesthetically pleasing shots, when the location does most of the hard work for you but when working in a space that is a down right shambles (like my current hallway situation for example), it forces you to get a bit more creative.

I really managed to utilise the golden hour for these shots and as the sun shone through into my hallway, the lighting was just beautiful. As I’m someone who is still very much practicing here, I’m not a pro when it comes to lighting and how best to capture it, but I know that as a simple rule, natural lighting is great and during the golden hour (just before the sun sets). It’s a prime time for that gorgeous golden lighting.

Tripod to the ready and I quickly set myself up ready to capture my shots in the brief window I had before the perfect sunlight finally set. Whilst capturing my outfit and working with the stairs, I also had to capture a few close up beauty shots because the lighting was just too juicy not to take advantage of. The way the lighting and shadows fell, it really framed the shots nicely and considering this is an ugly space, I’m really happy with how these shots turned out.

As for my outfit, because it would be rude not to talk a bit about it whilst I’m here (this is primarily a style blog after all), I’ve pretty much been living in the same old favourites recently. I guess that’s why they call them staple pieces, because they are the items in your wardrobe that bring all the pieces together and that you wear the most. Well this is an entire outfit of staple pieces right here. The roll neck I purchased last winter from Tesco. I was doing a food shop when I spotted it and it’s been a go to item in my winter wardrobe ever since. The jeans need no introduction because they are a pair of my most loved and most worn (frequently featured here on the blog), from & Other Stories…and Converse, well they need no explanation really do they.

Oh and if you’re interested, this is a hair and makeup look I’ve been wearing a lot recently (mainly to protect my hair during the Winter months) and I’ve just done a get ready with me video on it, which you can watch here. Anyway, that’s all for today. Ciao for now!

Samio x

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Check out the hashtag #SamiosSelfPortraits on Instagram to see more of my recent self portraits. 🙂

December 13, 2017
What I Wore In Eindhoven

interchangeable pieces

I’m coming at you with a bit of an epic outfit post today, as I’m sharing not one but four outfits in today’s post. I’ve been a bit awol over the past couple of weeks here on my blog but if you follow my instagram you’ll know it’s because I’ve been super busy, as last week I was abroad twice: At the start of the week shooting for a job in Portugal and at the end of the week/over the weekend in Eindhoven for a bit of a different city break. A photo heavy travel guide on Eindhoven will be coming very soon but I thought that first I would share what I actually wore on my trip to the city.

Damien and I were in Eindhoven from Friday to Monday and I seem to have mastered the art of travelling light, as once again we managed to take one carry on case between us – the joys of having an interchangeable wardrobe means that you don’t actually take up that much luggage space.

I hadn’t expect Eindhoven to be quite the little shopping destination it was, with a few stores that were right up my street, including Hotspot which is now a new found favourite and I only wish they had one of these in Manchester!

Being one to keep my shopping to a minimal, I only purchased a couple of things whilst browsing round the shops, which included the stripe T-shirt featured further down in the post (which I bought at Hotspot) and the polka dot trousers (also in this post) from Monki.

As I steer away from wearing jeans quite so much I’m constantly finding myself on the look out for trouser alternatives. I spotted the polka dot trousers in Monki and had to try them on right away and I have to say that I am in love with them, so much so that I’ve barely stopped wearing them and am in fact currently wearing them as I write this post.

Anyway, I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking before I risk waffling on too much, so scroll down to see what I wore last weekend whilst in Eindhoven.

Samio x

Outfit 1

Trainers – Converse | Jeans – Asos | T-shirt – Cos | Biker Jacket – Zara, old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

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Outfit 2

Trainers – Pinko | Trousers – Monki | Top – Topshop | Biker Jacket – Zara, old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade

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Outfit 3

Trainers – Pinko | Trousers – Topshop | T-shirt – Selected Cotton | Denim Jacket – Old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

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Outfit 4

Trainers – Converse | Trousers – Monki | T-shirt – Rock On Ruby | Denim Jacket – Old (similar here) | Belt – Asos (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

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May 19, 2017
Casual & Comfortable But Never Badly Styled

In today’s post I want to talk about looking well styled even on those super causal days when you want nothing more than to just be comfortable. Of course by ‘well styled’, I’m not talking about anything fancy here, if you know my blog, then you’ll know I like to keep it simple…We all have those days where looking good may be our last priority until we step out of the house and wish we’d made a little more effort. So, for those days, I’m sharing my three tips to help you avoid the style disaster and still keep it cool whilst being casual and comfortable.

Remove The ‘House Clothes’ From Your Everyday Wardrobe

If you have no intention of going out in your ‘round the house’ sweat pants, then don’t risk the temptation of throwing them on before quickly nipping out to run errands, by storing them with your jeans (and other outdoor bottoms). You know it’s always the day that you decide to wear these things that you bump into an old school friend that you haven’t seen in years or you end up in a situation where you really wish you’d made the slightest bit more effort, but alas, we’ve all been there. By taking the things we don’t intend to wear out and about, out of our wardrobe, we don’t run the risk of wearing them, simple.

Shop Strategically

When shopping it’s always important to think about function as well as style. Even if you’re quite a dressy person, there are still likely days where you want to just be comfy and casual and if you don’t have the right pieces in your wardrobe, these will likely be the times you’ll find yourself reaching for those sweat pants! *Don’t do it girl!*…Whether your style is dressy, causal, or a bit of both, it’s always good to take into consideration your surroundings and day to day life when you shop. If you walk a lot then maybe invest in a decent pair of trainers that are both comfortable and look good. If you live somewhere cold think about the kind of layers you can style and wear on a regular basis. Practicality planning really does help and that way you’ll know you have pieces in your wardrobe that are perfect for those minimal effort days.

Create A Lazy Day Uniform

Comfortable doesn’t have to mean ‘ugly’ or ‘unstylish’. My comfiest jeans for instance are actually my most worn, easy to style and most complimented jeans (you will have seen me praise and wear my Asos farleigh jeans in plenty of blog posts)…I think what helps most is knowing what to wear and when, so that on days when you don’t feel like putting any effort whatsoever into an outfit, you’re still able to throw on that comfortable yet previously thought out look. That way you can still feel comfortable and happy with how you’re dressed even on the laziest of days.

Jeans – Topshop | Jumper – Asos (similar here) | Denim Jacket – Pieces via Dizen Clothing (similar here) | Trainers – Converse | Bag – Whistles (similar here)

So those are my three tips for keeping it well styled whilst still being casual and comfortable. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any tips add, feel free to comment down below.

Samio x

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November 1, 2016