Faded Spring

    Father’s Day Gift Ideas Which Will Have Him Smiling From Ear To Ear

    Anyone who has read my blog knows that my relationship with my birth parents are rocky and thus might find it odd that I am compiling  a gift guide. That being said, I believe that regardless of my own personal family background, we all deserve to treat the 'special men' in our life, even if the person that you see as your 'father' is not biological. I never had a strong male presence in my life and apart from my Foster Brother, there was not a single man who I ever saw as a Father substitute figure. Despite my own family circumstances, I know that many of my readers are looking forward to spending quality time with their husbands, fathers and brothers. While it is great to carve some time ... read more

    An Ode To Manchester’s Victims

    An Ode To Manchester's Victims  8 years old. That was the age of  Saffie Roussos as she took her last breath, on what should have been the happiest day of her life. She was just a little girl at her idols concert and as Ariana Grande sang ‘one last time’ an explosion would go off that would kill her and 21 other concert goers. There were children, parents and bloggers who paid to see their idol perform, hastily sending out tweets that would mark their last minutes on earth. Can you imagine how scared they felt, knowing that they were dying? The woman who died in the homeless man’s arms, crying out for human touch in her last moments. The parents who went to pick up their children and ... read more

    10 Things That Make Me Happy

    Be Happy! In a world where hatred runs rampant, it can be hard to be grateful for what we do have. When I have been down in the dumps I have failed to appreciate what is there in front of me and I am sure I am not the only one. We spend so much of our lives complaining and making light of negative situations that we often miss the good that was there all along. I used to believe that the principle of 'positive thinking' was a load of bull crap or a method used by adults to point out our melodramatic, drama queen ways. While I must admit I am a bit of a drama queen, dealing with depression and anxiety on a regular basis can make it difficult to think positively and it is something I am ... read more

    10 Dating Terms You Need To Know In 2017

    Lets face it the dating world is rough; you meet fuckboys (or fuckgirls) at every turn, are 'ghosted' by people you date and are 'hyped' by people who use you to find the one. I have been in the dating game long enough to witness the evolution of dating trends and the difference between when I first started dating and now is quite incredible. When I first started dating, I met my boyfriends through mutual friends, school and after school clubs yet now it seems impossible to find someone outside of the 'virtual world'. I used to be so against the concept of online dating but moving to London showed me an entirely different 'dating climate'. I was so used to finding guys at work or at ... read more

    Faded Spring’s Outdoor Furniture Wishlist

    It wasn't too long ago that I was 21, sharing a beautiful 5 bedroom house with my friends in our third year of university. We had huge bedrooms, an even bigger living room and a garden that was bursting to be used. Before I went to university aged 17, I had lived at home with my foster mum who had a gorgeous garden of her own complete with flower beds, a vegetable patch and more. So reclaiming a garden space of 'our own' felt like a little piece of home and despite the hustle and bustle of 'city life' we could use our garden to recharge our batteries. That being said, when I graduated university and moved to another property, I did not have a garden of my own and things haven't changed since ... read more

    Should Faded Spring Try Fake Eyelashes Again?

    My memories of wearing false eyelashes are to this day bittersweet. Although the first and second time that I wore false lashes made me feel like a movie star, it was the third and final time that made me feel scared to give false lashes another go. Fast forward to July 2015 and I was getting ready for my graduation ceremony.  I had overslept and had 30 minutes to not only get dressed but to get my make up and hair done. I was stressed to the max and was worried that A. I was going to be late and B. I was going to be a raggedy mess. I glanced down at the fake eyelashes that lay waiting on my bed and convinced myself to give them a go again. After all how hard could it be to put on the ... read more

    Top 5 Summer Music Festivals In The UK

    I remember the first time I attended a festival in 2009; Micheal Jackson had just died and the music world collapsed into mourning. I was at Glastonbury and we all fell silent, how could we 'go on' and let the other artists take their moment in the 'spotlight' when one of the greats had passed before our own eyes? We wept and we cheered, celebrating a music legends accession into death the only way we knew how... to revel in good music of course! I might have only been sixteen at the time but in that one moment-where life and death were celebrated in equal harmony- I realized that music was going to be the 'one thing' that would help us 'feel whole again'. It might sound cheesy but music got ... read more

    Introducing The New Fashion App: Mirror Mirror

    As influencers we have seen an increase of apps that promise to monetize our content, hook us up with brands and even teach us how to 'blog'. There seems to be an app for everything and 2017 has proved to be no exception. From Reward Style ( Like To Know It approved influencers) to Tribe, it is clear that there is no shortage of apps on the market to take your 'blog to the next level'. But what if you want something a little more 'light hearted', with no pressure to have 100 K followers, where the only thing that matters is that you have fun? Introducing Mirror Mirror; Available on Google Play and Apple Store, this 'social comparison app' allows you to upload two looks side by side, thus ... read more

    Degustabox: Take Four

    Contrary to what my carefully curated 'Instagram feed' might suggest, it is not just fashion and social issues that I am passionate about but food too. From a young age I developed a love for 'good food' that 'nourished and revitalized the soul' and would spend hours flicking through recipe books hoping that some food could magically appear on my door step. Subscription boxes were a godsend during my university years but without a student loan keeping up with the payments proved too difficult to manage. Which is why I am so grateful that my blog, despite my financial instability has provided me with incredible opportunities and the chance to work with some incredible brands, over a variety ... read more

    Why Its Okay To Be Alone

    Ever since I can remember, I feared being alone. I hated the way the kids in class would point their fingers and laugh. I hated to see the look of pity on adults faces, as though my inability to make friends was all my fault. But most of all I despised how being alone made me feel... worthless, unwanted and alienated. When I was left until last to be paired with someone during P.E  I wanted to disappear and when they asked us to get into pairs I could feel my heart in my mouth. I didn't want anyone to know that I was a 'loser', that the only reason that people didn't want to get to know me was because of how different I was to the rest. I was buck toothed, wore no make up and had frizzy hair ... read more