Everything Erin

Clothing with lace detailing is one of my favourite fashion trends at the moment. So much as a lace trim can give an item of clothing a gorgeous girly feel to it which I love.

Customising clothes is an easy and affordable way to regenerate your old clothes and give them new life as the seasons and trends change. When I bought a pair of denim shorts from Next this year only to realise they were the exact pair I bought last year, I decided to change them up a bit and customise them.

Taking some lace patches from an old top which was partly ruined, I sewed them on to my shorts to make them unique and different to my others. I was really into sewing when I was younger, however I haven't done anything in a while so I decided to give it a go and really liked the outcome. It feels so good to say you decorated your own clothes you are wearing, while also reusing parts of old clothing that is no longer wearable.


I also feel my shorts match some of the items in my wardrobe so well now. This lace top I bought in New Look last year works perfectly with it. Although they don't sell it anymore, they sell very similar items (see here and here) and it's a top I've worn a lot over the past year.


I also think the shorts will work well with a cropped top from New Look for a more casual look. I thought of this top in particular when putting together my post because the lace trim fits with my shorts really well. The top is so pretty and I feel like I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it on holiday - they do it in a huge variety of colours, I also own it in peach.

Having been a huge fan of The Vamps for a really long time, of course I was excited to hear some new music from them. Lately they have steered away from the acoustic-driven sound they are known for (and I love them for) and moved towards a more electronic sound, to fit in with what currently seems to dominate the charts. Although change can sometimes be good, do I think the new sound is a good idea?


The first two songs of the album, Middle Of The Night and All Night, both feature DJS - Martin Jensen and Matoma respectively. Although the songs have grown on me, as a fan liking The Vamps for their 'acoustic driven' sound they began with, I felt this was totally lost just to keep up with the current chart trend of electronic music.

Hands, the third track, was such a bop of a tune on tour, but although I do prefer it to the first two, by this point I was really hoping they'd finally stop working with producers. For this track, they teamed up with some guy called Mike Perry and Sabrina Carpenter who's addition to the song I don't particularly appreciate.


The fourth track, Same To You, doesn't feature a producer but is still an electronically produced track. It's alright, Brad's vocals sound great on it as usual, but I'm seriously wondering what James and Connor were doing when this track was made.

Then, five tracks into the band's album, we finally hear a GUITAR!! On tour, Paper Hearts was that song everyone got their phone lights on and swayed, and it's refreshing to finally hear some instruments. It's a really nice song and actually sounds like something we'd find one one of the other two of their albums.


Shades On was my favourite at the album showcase, and I prefer it live to the studio version. I'm just not keen on how it had been produced (the random sounds Brad makes in the bridge just don't make much sense to me) but the chorus reminds me how fun it was to dance to on tour.

Following Shades On is It's A Lie, which has some Spanish vibes to it and I actually really like it. It's not electronic, but features the fifth artist on the album, Tini, which again, it's The Vamps album, why do we need so many extra people on the tracks??


The final three songs on the album are my favourites. Beginning with Stay, a lovely acoustic track, not over produced and great lyrics. My Place, which was actually produced by Brad, Tristan and Connor would sit well with the likes of Cheater on their second album Wake Up, and it's The Vamps doing what they do best. The last song is called Sad Song, and it's anything but 'sad' as the title may suggest. The swearing makes me a little sad as I've always liked how The Vamps never needed to swear in their songs, but it is a good ending to the album and so catchy.

I do own the fan bundle from their website which came with Connor, James and Tristan editions to the album - four disks in total, which has the last two songs of the album different and they are exclusive songs to their versions.


Connor's version is probably my favourite, his song On My Way may just be my favourite song of the whole thing. It's a really feel good song and I wish Connor's vocals got to feature more on the actual album. His also came with a 'rock version' of Middle Of The Night which I love because it's Middle Of The Night but with guitars instead of the electronic sound.


James' version comes with two acoustic sounding tracks, I Love Loving You and Higher. Higher is my favourite of the two, I really like the lyrics. Tristan's version I am less keen on, his two exclusive tracks don't resemble The Vamps' sound in the slightest and I can't see myself listening to it much.


Don't get me wrong, The Vamps are one of my favourite bands and I can't recommend enough seeing them live. But why try to fit in with the rest of the chart when being yourself is far better? It's a decent album, but hasn't quite beaten their previous two for me. There are some stand out tracks, such as Stay and My Place, but I wish they would return to their indie-pop sound I loved. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

So, you want to start a blog? I can tell you now it will be one of the best decisions you've ever made. However it can seem daunting at first, so today I compiled a few tips that I wish I knew when I started blogging to help you out.

Write What You Want To Write About

You don't need a specific niche; personally I write predominately about beauty but like to throw some music or fashion posts in from time to time and don't really feel like my blog has a niche. But have a general idea of what you want your blog to focus on. Write down some ideas and take inspiration from blogs you like to read now, but make sure not to copy. You may find some blog post ideas lists like my own which can be useful.

Fancy Equipment Isn't Necessary

Sure, you see some bloggers with DSLR's and that's great for them and if you have one lying around, that's great for you too. But guess what, you don't need to have a fancy camera and tripod to be a blogger. I've been taking photos on my phone since I started three years ago and my iPhone 6S serves me well in taking blog photos. No fancy editing like photoshop is required either, if you're looking for a free editing app Snapseed is your go to.

Choose A Suitable Theme

Looking back at old screenshots of my blog very early on makes me cringe because of how awful and inaccessible my theme was. Like the equipment, I'm not saying you have to fork out loads for a good theme - yes, there are some beautiful themes at places like Pipdig if you are willing to spend a lot but if you google free themes there are plenty that in my opinion work just as well. Mine is from ThemeXpose I think and they have some of the nicest free themes out there.

Interact With Other Bloggers

You may have the best blog posts in the world, but if you don't get your name out there, no one will even know they're there. It is so important to set up Twitter and Instagram accounts dedicated to your blog and get chatting to other bloggers. Twitter chats are one of the best ways to do this, there are so many like #thegirlgang, you could even try hosting one if you feel confident enough and you will get to know so many like minded bloggers. Twitter changed the blogging game for me and it is a vital part of blogging.

Be Willing To Put In Time

Not only be willing to put in time to actually produce your posts, since writing and taking photographs can take a while sometimes, but realise you are never going to earn a thousand followers over night. Building a blog following will take time and patience, and it's something you have to be willing to stick with.


But after you've put in your time, I promise you it will be worth it! I feel like I could go on all day with tips for starting a blog so let me know if you'd like a part two, or if you have any questions you may ask away at my Twitter @everythingxerin or in the comments! Ooh and if you do start a blog, let me know because I love discovering new blogs!

My blog turned three a few days ago (can you believe it?!) and each time over the years that I have been nominated to do the Liebster Award makes me feel so happy. It always feels amazing that someone enjoys your blog enough to nominate you, so thank you so much to Rosie for nominating me!

As an end of exam treat a few weeks ago, I bought a product I had wanted to try for a really long time, a Too Faced Melted matte liquid lipstick. I had never tried anything from Too Faced but I had heard such good things about their lipstick range that I took the £19 splurge, hoping the purchase would be worth it. Spoiler alert: it most certainly was.


After oohing and aahing over the shades for a *really long* time, I settled upon the shade Child Star, a stunning dusty rose nude. The collection boasts the most beautiful nude shades that it was difficult to pick, however I felt I would get the most use of Child Star, being a light nude, perfect for everyday, and also quite different to anything I already owned. I hurried home from my local Debenhams to try it and have enjoyed wearing it many times over the past month.


Although I'm a fan of liquid lipsticks, the only ones I have ever tried are from Drugstore brands, so I was intregued to see how a high-end product would compare. I am pleased to say the Too Faced lipstick is absolutely worth the extra money - which makes my bank balance feel a bit better about it! Its applicator is half the size of my liquid lipsticks from the likes of Maybelline and NYX and has an edged tip making it so much more accurate and easy to use.


The quality is so much better than its drugstore alternatives - the lipstick dries to a matte finish straight away and it isn't going to budge after it's on. The staying power of the Too Faced lipsticks is insane!

Another reason I love the Too Faced Melted mattes has to be their packaging. Isn't it just so pretty? I love how you can see the shade of the lipstick through it and it looks and feels luxurious. I could take photos of it all day.

Swatch of the shade:

I would say on the lips, the shade Child Star appears a bit lighter than my swatch where it looks more like the next dark shade, Cool Girl. I ended up choosing Child Star over Cool Girl in the shop because Cool Girl had similarities to lipsticks I already own, such as Velvet Teddy and one of my NYX lip lingeries.


Overall I think the Too Faced Melted matte has to be my favourite liquid lipstick I have ever tried and definitely want to try more shades from their collection in the future. What do you think is the best liquid lipstick? I would love to hear in the comments!

Instagram, lately I have been trying harder to keep up with you. The app which used to be one of my favourites has become a bit of a pain due to its current algorithm which means I end up liking photos in my feed from over six days ago (who thought that was a good idea?).  Therefore, I am here to help and am sharing some of my favourite Instagram accounts I have been loving lately so you can show them some love and beat the algorithm.

@lifeastillyrose

Oh em gee, Tilly's Insta has to be one of my faves because of how beautiful her photos are together. They are all so light and airy and I love her use of blue and pink backgrounds on her flatlays! Her photos include flatlays, lifestyle and some outfit shots too. It's so pretty and you all need to go and follow.

@missleshajade

Looking through my likes, Alesha's photos pop up so often because they are just too pretty to miss! I love the aesthetic her filter creates (I'm pretty sure it's similar to my own filter but used so much better, aha) and her grams match together so well. I think I need to mention how cute her dog is here as well!

@sophie_maie

Scrolling through my feed one day I liked one of Sophie's photos, which lead to me also discovering her blog, which I love just as much! Her photos are mostly beauty and fashion orientated with a few lifestyle grams thrown in there and they are so pretty. The marble-backgrounded flatlays are stunning and I love the lifestyle touches like the flowers too.

@solangesbloggin

Solange's photography is simply amazing! The photos she posts are such good quality and she definitely has a skill for editing. Her views are absolutely stunning and really make me want to travel. Her latest grams of the flowers are also so cute.

 @rosetpics

Amelia recently restarted her theme and can I just say how pretty it is?! I love a good beauty photo which her feed mostly features and I love how she posts some really cute inspirational quotes too. She's definitely inspired me to check out colourpop because how beaut is her photo of their lipsticks? Her theme is quite pink toned which I obviously also adore.

@eleanorclaudie

Alongside being one of the lovliest bloggers I know, Eleanor's Instagram is so flawless. I love the touches of red and warm tones that pull together all her photos, her feed just seems effortless and so pleasing on the eye. She is so passionate about ethical clothing and this shines through in her Instagram.

Little over two months since The Vamps were last on tour, around UK arenas for the 'Middle Of The Night' tour, they were back on the road for a more intimate set of gigs. The 'Up Close & Personal Tour' showcased all the tracks from their new album released this Friday, and performed in smaller academies, rather than the large arenas they were used to, for a more acoustic setting.

General admission tickets were only £12 for the matinee show at Manchester Academy on Saturday, 8th July so of course I jumped at the chance to go and see them again - my sixth time seeing The Vamps, could you believe? It seemed a similar tour to their Fanfests in 2015, where they played songs from their second album Wake Up, before the album was released, so fans can hear the new music early.


Being at the Academy the concert was all standing, therefore I tried to get there as early as possible. Unfortunately because of train strikes this may not have been as early as I would have liked but two hours is a long enough queueing experience for me - especially because I had already queued four hours for the Wow Pit on the last tour.

Doors opened just after two thirty and even though I seemed quite a way down the queue I managed to be pretty much in the middle, about six or seven rows back. My view wasn't dissimilar to when I saw McFly at the academy last September, although at McFly there wasn't as many tall people in front of me and didn't seem as squished.


Their support act, an Irish group called Taken came on not much more than five minutes after I got in, which was good because I wasn't stood around waiting for ages. They didn't play instruments or anything so they weren't that exciting but they did get the crowd going with a cover of Shape Of You and some originals. Not the best support act ever, but they weren't The Tide, The Vamps' usual support, so anything other than them is a relief.

It was then time for The Vamps, who began with new song 'Hands', which the crowd knew because it was released a few weeks ago. This was followed by their single Middle Of The Night which Brad played on the piano. Being in an intimate location gave Brad a chance to have more banter with the crowd, including showing us the mug and the candle the stage was set up with.


They also treated us to some new songs that they hadn't played until this tour, such as Sad Song, which James said was 'ironic because it's not really', and It's A Lie, which I really liked because it seemed to have that classic Vamps sound their latest singles for me have been lacking.


They also played a cover of Niall Horan's Slow Hands, which got the crowd going more than anything, which was a shame because you'd expect a bunch of Vamps fans to go crazy over their songs, not Niall's. At this point I was really enjoying myself because I wasn't as squished as I had been and had room to dance around and take photos.


Then we came to Stay. The idea of Brad coming out into the middle of the crowd, while we all sat down silently watching him sing only his voice and his guitar, not even using a microphone, sounds pretty amazing on paper, but in reality?

 It's difficult to sit down when there's hardly enough room to stand - I'd either be sat on top of someone else or sat on someone's bag they decided to plonk on the floor and make less room for everyone. Then there's the shouting, swearing fans who are just down right inconsiderate of other fans and Brad who needs silence to be able to sing. Then, when I finally manage to sit down, everyone in front of me is on their knees so I can't even see Brad the whole time. James even had to step in and say if the crowd couldn't be quiet, they'd have to skip it - which finally shut everyone up. It was a lovely idea I think, just very difficult to control.


After the event that was Stay, Brad returned to the stage and the crowd returned to standing upright, although this lead to a surge of fans pushing forwards which I certainly wasn't pleased about. I knew one of my favourite new songs, Shades On, was coming up and I really wanted to enjoy it.