Should You Have Separate Social Media Accounts For Your Blog?

Blogging is not just about blogging anymore. With lots of people competing to become the next Zoella, social media is becoming more and more crucial to not only growing your following but also forming friendships and starting conversations. Brands also don't want bloggers with just high readership but also mass followings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anywhere that you can promote them and yourself. But the question is, when trying to turn your blog into a brand and appear professional, should you have separate social media accounts for your blog?

For a long time I pondered over whether to change the name of my Twitter and Instagram accounts to that of my blog, so people could easily find me and they'd be along the same theme as my blog. Changing my Twitter account would be easy, I already used it to participate in blogger chats but changing my instagram would require me to not only change my name but my theme from black and white personal photos but to bright white fashion, beauty and lifestyle photos. 

But I liked my personal photos, the pictures of me and my sister before a night out or those of me at various concerts or the throwback Thursday's from when I'd perform in dance shows. These were snippets of my life that I wanted to share with my family and friends (who make up the majority of my followers), and I couldn't sacrifice that. 

So after a quick Twitter poll my mind was made up. I'd keep my old Instagram and start a new Instagram account for my blog which would have a different theme, more similar to that of my favourite fashion and beauty accounts and matching the theme of my blog photos. I decided that I'd post photos from my latest blog posts so that I could use original Instagram to promote my latest posts but also other photos from my daily life. My old Instagram would also be kept up to date with lifestyle photos rather than posting about beauty and fashion that didn't interest a lot of my followers on my personal account.

While I have to say it's been tough building up a following on my new account I'm so pleased that I did it. I post more regularly on that account about the things that interest me without annoying people who only want to hear about my life, and don't confuse people who want to see blog photos with photos of me and my friends. It sounds weird but I also love how my Instagram widget looks on the side bar of my blog now as the photos are consistent with those on my blog. As for Twitter, for now I'm keeping it the same as I think people don't really care as much about what you say there. 

I don't really think there is a right or wrong answer as to whether you should have separate social media accounts for your blog, while it does look professional it is a lot more work managing double the number of accounts. If you do decide to make a separate accounts you also have to remember not to use your blog accounts for spamming links to your blog posts, remember to still maintain a personal touch by communicating with your audience and posting extra content.

What are your opinions on social media and your blog? Also feel free to leave your social media links below for me to check out!

Eleanor xx

A Grey Day

A grey day. How ironic considering it's been a lovely week weather wise and anything but grey. Grey and silver are often viewed as cold and unfriendly colours because of their cool undertone but as the weather warms I find myself venturing more into crisp whites and cool greys. Some may argue that grey is merely just a paler shade of black and perhaps that is why I love it so and have made it the focal point of my outfit today.  

GET THE LOOK | Topshop Leather Jacket (similar), Vintage Ben Sherman Shirt (similar), H&M Wrap Skirt, Office Shoes, Ebay Necklace, TK Maxx Bag

I adore wrap skirts and dresses for spring and summer and this grey H&M skirt is a perfect example of why. Drawing on the cross over detail from the skirt I paired it with my beloved lace up flats inspired by last years must have Aquazzura shoes. 
The top half of my outfit was also designed to compliment the wrap skirt through this statement coin necklace from ebay. People can never quite believe that I bought this necklace from ebay for under a fiver because it doesn't look or feel cheap. It's quite a weighty necklaces and the metal doesn't look like plastic, making it one of my favourite ever ebay purchases.

Eleanor xx

A Day In The Life Of The Girl : Record Store Day 2016

As well as having a passion for fashion and beauty, I also have a soft spot for music. When I met my boyfriend one thing we immediately bonded over was our shared taste in music and as we got to know each other he inspired my love for music even more. A passion that falls alongside loving music is collecting vinyl and we spend a lot of time together exploring independent record stores looking for vinyl to add to his collection. 

Record Store Day is a day that celebrates independent record stores by releasing exclusive and limited edition records only to those independent stores. Not all stores will get the same records from a long list of RSD exclusives and sometimes a shop may only get one or two copies of a record. This explains why on on Saturday 16th April or Record Store Day 2016 as many may know it, I started my day at 8am. 

Waking up at 8am gave me an hour to get ready before me and my boyfriend Karl walked to our favourite record stores in Birmingham: Ignite and Swordfish. Record Store Day is notorious for people queuing for hours outside record stores all over the world, so we decided to leave at 9am to try and get the right balance between not being too far back in the queue and not waiting for hours in the cold. 

The plan was that Karl would go queue outside Swordfish which opened at 9.30am and try to grab as many records off his list as he could before coming and to join me in the queue at Ignite which opened at 10am. Knowing I'd be waiting outside on my own for at least an hour I decided to make myself a hot chocolate to take with me.

After lots of waiting, panic and excitement Karl managed to pick up the majority of records off his list including The Weeknd The Hills Remixes as you can see below, there is a more in depth haul up on his blog now if you want to see what else he picked up. The atmosphere in Ignite was great and it was lovely getting to talk to other people and find out what they were hoping to get. The friends we made in the queue also managed to get most of the things that wanted and it was nice change to see people so excited and happy over something.

It was now about 11.30 and we'd worked up quite a hunger, so headed to Boston Tea Party on Corporation Street for a late brunch seeing as we were too late for a McDonald's breakfast. I've been to various branches of the Boston Tea Party and everytime received great service, drinks and food. If I ever have breakfast there I always have a bacon roll just because it is incredible and the bacon is baked not fried, making it slightly healthier and a lot less greasy than your traditional bacon roll. 

Unfortunately our afternoon was not quite as exciting as our morning because when we got back to Uni we did a couple of hours of revision. With exams looming at the beginning May, I'm trying to cram in revision any spare moment I have even if that means revising on a Saturday.

After a couple of hours of revision we popped to Tesco on campus to pick up some bits and bobs for tea and then made our way back to the flat for a very chilled evening. For my dinner I made myself a quick and easy bacon, pea and rocket risotto, which is one of my absolute favourite meals at the moment. It's a very light and summery meal despite being a rice based dish and is quite a healthy meal to have if you're craving bacon (can you tell I love bacon?).

We then sat down for a quiet night in front of the telly watching crap Saturday night games shows and reality TV, the perfect round off to a lovely day. 
I'd love to know what you guys did this weekend, did you pick up anything on Record Store Day?

P.S I'd also love to know what you think of this style of lifestyle post as it's something a bit new and different for me!

Eleanor xx

I'll Stop Wearing Black When They Invent A Darker Colour

I've never been one to plan my outfits for the weather, so when I looked outside and saw that it was an unusually beautiful sunny day here in Birmingham I didn't give a second thought to changing out of my all black ensemble. While I may have looked like the queen of darkness walking around with my black sunglasses, black shirt... well black everything, I wasn't boiling hot. I think by wearing a combination of thin layers, light materials and this gorgeous pair of strappy sandals I've cracked the age old problem of how to wear all black in these awkward transitioning months.

What I'm Wearing - Céline Sunglasses, New Look Jacket, Missguided Shirt, Missguided Lace Bralet, Topshop Jeans, Public Desire Shoes and TK Maxx Bag 

I'm also so glad I've finally got a chance to style my new heels from Public Desire as I think they're the perfect transition piece! I love how they look with jeans and trousers but they'd also look great styled with a playsuit or skirt in summer.

How do you transition your style from season to season?

Eleanor xx

How To Revive Your Old White Trainers

Having always worked in shoe shops the whole of my working life, I happen to know a thing or two about shoes. I can measure feet, check the fit of shoes, offer style advice as well as giving advice on how to care for your precious purchase. But despite this I found myself not taking my own advice and wrecking all of my favourite shoes because I'm too impatient to spray them with protector before I wear them. 

An example of this is my beloved Adidas Superstars, that after having been worn practically everyday for a couple of months and on a few nights out (sticky floors, spilt drinks and white trainers do not mix) were left looking dirty and brown. This is a far cry from the crisp white leather they were when I bought them and before buying a new pair I thought I'd try restore them to their former glory and share the process with you.

The first thing to note when cleaning leather trainers is that unlike canvas trainers (like converse) they cannot be put in the washing machine, I repeat DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE WASHING MACHINE!!! Putting leather trainers in the washing machine will ruin the leather and can result in holes, then if you try to return them to the shop because they are 'faulty' they will not give you a refund. What you can machine wash however is the laces, so your first step is to remove the laces and chuck them in the washing machine, or hand wash them in hot soapy water.

To clean the actual trainers I used a clean soft brush and Kiwi Whitener.

I then slightly wet the clean soft brush and started scrubbing the outside of the trainers to get all the dirt off of them and then wiped them down with a clean cloth. I also found that using a brush was better than using a baby wipe as the brush got in all of the nooks and crannies. As you can see from the picture above this made quite a dramatic difference on it's own but they still weren't a perfect white and there were a few grey marks around the front and on some of the stitching. 

Still with the laces removed I went onto use Kiwi's whitener white is basically a fast drying white paint for your trainers. It's just pigmented enough to brighten the trainers without looking patchy in places and the triangle sponge applicator means application is easy. Just make sure to avoid all of the black and gold details on the trainers as you don't want them ending up white. I made sure to use the whitener all over the shoe, including the tongue, front and outer sole. When your trainers and laces are dry (the whitener dries pretty much immediately) lace up your trainers and you're done!

This has made such a difference to my trainers and from the outside look practically brand new, so if you love your trainers looking white and want to save a bit of money this may be the perfect solution for you! My trainers are a bit worn on the inside at the back (I shouldn't of been so lazy and unlaced them properly everytime I took them off) so eventually I will need a new pair but they won't need throwing away just yet. I also used the same process on the white soles of my vans and it worked just as well on them so don't be hesitant to this use on other trainers.

What do you think of my revived trainers? Have you ever tried doing this with your shoes?

Eleanor xx

My Top Travel Essentials

Whether I'm going for a quiet weekend away in England, a long holiday abroad or just visiting my boyfriend there a few products that I just cannot bear to leave home without; my travel essentials. Initially this post was going to comprise all of beauty related products but I changed my mind and included a few non beauty essentials at the end for those of you wondering what else I cannot live without when traveling. 

Also just a little disclaimer, not all of the products were photographed because I just couldn't get them all to look 'pretty' together (pathetic I know) but don't worry I've included links for everything so you can see what I'm talking about.

Batiste Dry Shampoo
Let's be honest when you're traveling you don't always have time to wash your hair. I often have a jam packed schedule when I go away and with a little bit of dry shampoo spritzed on my roots I know I can hold out an extra day until I was my hair. It's not a substitute for washing your hair but a beauty aid on those days when your roots are looking a little bit greasy. I've used Batiste for years and because of their great range there is a product for everyone no matter your hair colour or type.

A Lip Balm
This may be a habit that I picked up when I was on Isotretinoin (or Roaccutane as it's more commonly known) as it made my lips incredibly dry, but I cannot leave the house without a lip balm. Whether that be a Burt's Bee's Lip Balm or just good old Vaseline, anything is better than having dry and crusty lips. Dry lips can often be caused by air conditioning when you travel, so if you remember anything on this list I beg that you remember lip balm.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade 
Even if I'm not wearing any other makeup I immediately feel more myself if I have my brows filled in as naturally my brows are quite sparse. Since trying Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade (wow that was a mouth full) I could never be converted back to my old ways of brow pencils or powders as nothing else lasts like this. When I use this product my brows never smudge or fade as it is waterproof so it will last through practically anything. This product is so worth the hype that it has to come with me everywhere I travel.

My Favourite Mascara
Like filling in my brows putting on even just a little bit of mascara will make me feel more myself even if I'm extremely tired or jet lagged. Mascara instantly brightens and widens my eyes by distracting from my sometimes terrible under eye bags and enhancing my natural features. While there are lots of excellent mascaras out there on the market my current favourite is the L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara which you can read a full review of here.

Gillette Venus Snap Portable Razor 
For me shaving is an absolute must and I cannot go away anywhere without having a razor with me. But packing a razor always used to be a nightmare, the flimsy plastic cap would fall off and I'd end up cutting myself rummaging around my wash bag searching for it, that was until I discovered Venus' Snap Portable Razor. The razor is very small, discrete and fits perfectly in it's own little travel pot that can be neatly popped into your wash bag. With 5 blades it does an excellent job and the handle interchangeable with Venus Embrace refills so you don't have to worry if it goes blunt.

Céline New Audrey Sunglasses
Since I bought these sunglasses they have practically been glued to my face and it is rare that you will spot me without them. Perfect not only for a holiday in hot, sunny country but those rare occasions we get a bit of sun in the UK. They're also the perfect way to hide your lack of sleep if you've had to set off early for your travels. If you're not convinced about my Céline sunglasses I will let my review and unboxing convince you of their perfection.

Ipad Air
As I do not currently own a car, if I'm making a long journey on my own it is most often, if not always, by train. If I'm traveling home from uni the journey is an hour and a half, or if I'm visiting my boyfriend two and a half hours long; I could not survive these long journeys without some headphones and my iPad. Not only can I use it to listen to music or do uni work, but I can download shows to watch throughout my journey even though I don't have internet access. If you're in the UK both the BBC Iplayer App and 4OD App have features to download shows for free for a certain amount of time, so I can binge watch First Dates or Eastenders to my hearts content.

I'd love to know what your travel essentials are, whether that be beauty or fashion essentials or things that ease your journey!

Eleanor xx