samio.co.uk

Tag: Party Wear

  • Improving My Craft & Shooting Myself

    Improving My Craft & Shooting Myself

    Back To Beginnings

    In my earlier days of blogging I used to take quite a lot of my photos myself. Of course this was nothing new and I’m pretty sure you’d be hard pressed to find a fashion/beauty blogger who hasn’t (at least at one point), resorted to shooting themselves. The blogging life isn’t always as straight forward as it may appear and back in the days when I didn’t even have a tripod, I remember precariously balancing my camera on piles of shoe boxes and books, before hitting the self timer button, just to get the shot.

    Obviously things have moved on a lot since then, for myself and for other bloggers alike. Photography equipment has improved, (I’ve since invested in a tripod, thankfully) and everyone seems to have massively upped their game.

    These days many fashion, lifestyle and beauty blogs are just as much about the beautiful imagery as they are the written content/information. I myself enjoy both. As much as I love a good piece of written content, or an informative piece, I do love the impact certain imagery can make within a blog post too.

    Earlier this year I made it an aim of mine to learn how to edit photos and become better acquainted with my camera settings. I’m going to be honest, I went years using SLRs, not really knowing what I was doing with them (oh hey there auto function).

    Damien has always known how to use a camera and so adopted the role of my street style photographer (aka Instagram husband) early on and when I’m out with friends and decide to shoot my outfit, I’ll often just (now I know how), get the settings right, then pass them the camera and direct them where to shoot.

    Whilst their help has been invaluable, especially as blogging has evolved into a job for me, I’ve recently been drawn to the idea of getting back into the habit of shooting myself again. I think this comes down to an amalgamation of things; One being the limited hours of daylight now it’s winter, leaving only the weekends available for Damien to take my shots, which hasn’t been happening much because we’re currently having the busiest weekends ever. Two, wanting to continuously improve on my editing skills but not having enough photos to edit. Three, being inspired by my super talented friend Onyi who takes self portraits of herself and her husband Craig, every single day (check out her daily photos here, they are seriously amazing). Four, as I mentioned in my previous post ‘Inspired by home’, I am continuously inspired by my home at the moment and I’m constantly seeing different areas that I think would be cool to shoot in.

    This beautiful Free People dress arrived in the post on Saturday morning and whilst Damien was busy painting, I took the opportunity to do a quick shoot in our living room. For these shots I set the tripod up super high and angled the camera downwards to get a more aerial style shot. I really wanted to show the elegance of the dress and I think I managed to capture it quite well.

    So right now I’m really finding enjoyment in taking self portraits and improving my photography skills. I’ve started using the hashtag #SamiosSelfPortraits on Instagram, so if you’re interested in seeing more of the photos I shot of myself, you can check them out all in one place there.

    Samio x

    Free People Queen Ann Maxi Dress Samio Self Portrait Photography
    Samiorenelda
     
    Samio Blogger Self Portrait
    Free People Queen Ann Maxi Dress In Liberty Print
     
    Floral Free People Maxi Dress
    Free People Queen Ann Maxi Dress
     

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  • The Party Wear Challenge

    The Party Wear Challenge

    Prepping For The Season

    The party season is definitely one of my favourite times of the year. Aside from the weather getting considerably colder and the urge to hibernate being somewhat tempting at times, I can say that the one thing that does get me in the mood to head out during the colder season is the excuse to get dressed up and get into party mode.

    If you’re a regular to my blog you’ll know I love finding good quality pieces that I can get plenty of wear out of and the same goes when I’m shopping for party wear too. Right now there is an extra big delivery of party wear pieces in store and online at TK Maxx, so when TK Maxx set the challenge for myself and a friend to head in store to find party wear outfits for under £100 each, I was excited to see what we could find.

    My friend L’Oréal and I always seem to have super busy social calendars at this time of year, which is great for us because it just means more excuses to go out and have fun together but it also means that there’s often a lot of ‘what to wear’ moments. Luckily TK Maxx has something for everyone and they also have an amazing range of designer party wear at up to 60% less than the RRP, so when we headed in store we were spoilt for choice.

    We each picked our outfits from a variety of ranges in store. I love the Gold Label section for finding great value designer items but to be honest if you take the time to look around anywhere in store you’re bound to find something you love. Whilst browsing through the trouser section I came across these fabulous velvet trousers. I seem to have developed a thing for flares and velvet at the moment, so velvet flares obviously make the perfect combination for me. I absolutely love the fit and as they are stretchy, they are really comfortable too. No doubt these will be my go to trousers of the season.

    TK Maxx Party Wear Outfit Faux Fur Jacket and Black Velvet Trousers Samio
    Samio Style Blogger
     

    The faux fur coat instantly caught my attention whilst browsing through the Gold Label section as it’s such a gorgeous yet practical piece for when heading on nights out. And I am in love with this beautiful silk collarless shirt that I got online from tkmaxx.com. It’s such an effortless yet chic item and of course it’s really versatile so I’ll be able to wear it with a number of different looks too.

    My favourite piece in L’Oréal’s outfit is this gorgeous black black blazer with a navy collar (you know I love a good blazer). She also found some amazing thigh high boots whilst looking for shoes and I love how she’s mixed tailoring with this white tassel skirt to create a smart yet sassy look.

    LOréal Blackett
    LOréal in Kooples Blazer TK Maxx Outfit
     

    Kooples Blazer TK Maxx Street Style

    Between the two of us we found such a good mix of party wear both in store and online and I love how we both found some great quality pieces and for such great value too. You’ll no doubt be seeing me rocking these pieces a lot over the party season, especially that fab furry coat! I’m looking forward to creating lots more night out outfit combos with these party pieces and you’ll likely see more of those coming up over on my Instagram @samiorenelda. And if you don’t already, you can also follow TK Maxx on Instagram @TKMaxx or become a TK Maxx fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tkmaxx.

    Samio x

    *This post was sponsored by TK Maxx

    Samio Storm and Marie TK Maxx Faux Fur Jacket
    Samio in faux fur storm and marie jacket TK Maxx outfit
     
  • Personal Shopping & A Festive Party Outfit

    Personal Shopping & A Festive Party Outfit

    On Tuesday I was invited into Manchester Arndale’s TopShop store for my first ever Personal Shopping Experience and my quest was to find a festive party wear outfit. As part of the personal shopping experience I had the luxury of my own private changing room and my personal shopper, Hannah, was on hand to show me all the jazziest and new in party wear pieces, which definitely took the hassle out of the shopping experience.

    Topshop Personal Shopping
    Topshop Shoes
     

    Topshop really do have a party wear look for every occasion and so I was spoilt for choice. You know I like my understated outfits but this time, rather than play it safe, I really wanted to jazz things up a little for the festive season. So whilst sticking to a quite simple base outfit, I decided to go for something a bit different by glamming up the look with a very bold (yet might I add fabulous), emerald green leopard print faux fur coat. I don’t think you can get much jazzier than that!

    Topshop Emerald Green Faux Fur Leopard Print Coat
    Faux fur coat and afro
     

    The coat was a piece that Hannah had actually picked out and it had been hung on my rail when I arrived at my appointment. Had I of seen the coat whilst browsing around in store, I admit I probably would have walked straight past it with my bikers on in search for something simpler, but as Hannah presented it to me styled with a selection of outfits, I instantly took a shine to it. I began to see a number of styling opportunities with the coat piece, both dressy and casual, and so before I knew it I was swanning around my changing room in it, quickly deciding that I had to have it!

    Another piece in my outfit that I absolutely feel for were these fabulous boots. Ahhh, look at them. I’d actually spotted them earlier whilst browsing around in store and after I mentioned them to Hannah, she kindly went and grabbed them for me in my size and brought them to my changing room. Not only did they fit perfectly (and look amazing) but they actually felt really comfortable too, which I think is quite important when heading out to party!

    Topshop HAVEN Electroplated Heel Sock Boot
    Green Leopard Print Faux Fur Coat

    No party wear look of mine could be complete without a bit of lipstick and yes I was enticed by Topshop’s amazing beauty selection. I had to stop myself from going for five different lipstick shades and managed to narrow it down to just one. I went for a beautiful brown shade called Muse and then I spotted their beautiful Chameleon Glow eye shadows. Just when I thought I didn’t need another eyeshadow in my life, one jumped out at me that was like nothing else I owned. It was the shade called Shuffle The Cards and it has a beautiful rose gold two tone effect that I instantly fell in love with.

    Samio in Topshop Festive Party Wear Outfit

    I left my personal shopping appointment feeling my shopping trip had been a success. It’s not often I go into a store and am able to find a full outfit I love all in one place. The best part about the Topshop Personal Shopping is that it’s completely complimentary! So if you’re in need of a wardrobe revamp or just a quick fashion fix, it’s the perfect place to go to get style advice and help you shop with ease. I’d definitely recommend it and it’s available in selected flagship stores, you can book an appointment here and if you’re planning to book in Manchester I definitely recommend Hannah Twist who was my personal shopper on the day.

    Also, if you are Manchester based, then you should check out the Get Party Ready weekend, which is taking place on the 17th and 18th December in Manchester Arndale’s Topshop store. Customers who spend £40 in store that weekend will be eligible to receive a complimentary express gel manicure, mini party makeover! Th

    Samio x

    Topshop Leopard Print Faux Fur Coat
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    This post was sponsored by Topshop, however this does not affect my opinions – check out my disclaimer for further information.