twenty-fourteen part two

For me, 2014 has been a weird year for blogging. This is my fourth year of blogging and it feels like I've taken two steps back when everyone else is two miles ahead but that's okay. My camera broke and, to be honest, I got a bit lazy too. I'm hoping that the new year will bring new motivation and that when my camera gets fixed and I move house, I will enjoy posting more. Happy new year guys, and hope you had a great xmas! :) Thanks as always for popping by!!

September - December 2014

July - September 2014

click here to view all my outfits from twenty-fourteen

www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk

Outfits For The Festive Season!*

For me, if I'm going out out, my outfit normally has a simple formula. Dress, Clutch, Heels & Lipstick. Here are a few LBD options I've put together for some possible New Year's Eve outfits, let me know which one is your favourite!

Outfit One

 1. Rimmel Lipstick Shade #33 £5.49 | 2. Esprit.co.uk Floral Dress £45 | 3. Aldo Blue Suede Heels £30 | 4. Aldo Clutch Bag £40

I just love this pretty floral tent dress. It's more relaxed than the other dresses but still dressy enough for NYE. I think it'll look great paired with blue accessories so I chose a sparkly blue box clutch and a pair of blue platform heels. Finally, I was torn between pairing it with a red lip or a pink one, but in the end I thought the soft baby pink would bring out the pink in the flowers on the dress.

Outfit Two

1. Rimmel Lipstick in Alarm £5 | 2. Esprit.co.uk Beaded Dress £75 | 3. Aldo Studded Clutch £45 | 4. Aldo Peep Toe Heels £25

This dress is fairly simple but is guaranteed to be super flattering and the bead detailing around the collar adds that NYE touch. I decided to keep the accessories black and add a pop of colour with a bright red lipstick.

Outfit Three

1. Rimmel Lipstick in Amethyst Shimmer | 2. Esprit.co.uk Sequin Dress £99 | 3. Aldo Beaded Clutch Bag £45 | 4. Aldo Ankle Boots £80

Is this outfit too much sparkle? I think not! I adore this sequin dress and the beaded clutch is simply beautiful! I kept the shoes simple with some heeled ankle boots and went for a purple lipstick to bring out the purple tones in the clutch.

What's your forumla for the perfect NYE outfit?

www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk

Why Do You Do It

OUTFIT// Nude Tones and a Roll Neck

 

Bershka Roll Neck Knit Jumper | Boohoo Bodycon Dress | Missguided Strappy Heels

Who (with long hair) doesn't do the tuck when they're wearing a roll neck!? I made my bodycon dress from Boohoo more wearable for the cold by layering on on top this knitted roll neck from Bershka and teamed the look with my block heeled sandals from Missguided. Finally, after the hair tucking, I went for a dark brown lipstick to really bring the look into this season. It's probably too chilly to wear this now, even here in Mallorca, I took these photos a couple of weeks ago and they got lost somehow on my laptop...

My camera is still not repaired so I'm still using my phone. It's a bit harder to take photos on a phone by yo'self (a lot of balancing going on when you can't use your tripod) so I doubt I'll be blogging much over the next few weeks :( bare with me though because with the new year brings new goals and new determinations to improve this shizzle. I'm back home spending time with my boyfriend before I head back to my family for the xmas festives in the UK.

www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk

Blogging Tips: Purchasing Your Own Domain*

Image via pinterest

Purchasing your own domain can be a tricky task. So many questions arise... Where should I do it? How do it do it? What domain do I choose? Am I at that "stage" of blogging yet?

Now I just want to say a few words on my own experience with this. I've been blogging since the second year of uni, which was something like four years ago. For me it's always been a hobby and I'm not really what you call the traditional blogger you see a lot of today. I don't have a massive amount of instagram followers or magazine like photos, I don't have millions of bloglovin' followers but my follower count has be ticking nicely upwards over these past years and I have familiar people popping up frequently in my comments section. I don't keep to a weekly schedule and I don't go to events. But that's not to say I don't chat to other bloggers on twitter or read a load of blogs myself, 'cause I do. I love the blogging world but let's just say I'm not as engrossed in it as other people. I like my little blog as it is and I made the decision to have my own domain just under a year ago because I simply liked the thought of it.

How did I switch from .blogspot.com to .co.uk? I used xomisse's very helpful and simple guide!

How did I choose my domain name? My blog started off as Serendipity Style Blog, I then found a couple of other blogs with the same name so I wanted to put something in front of Serendipity that made my blog name more unique. I went through a few different options and came up with Ordaining Serendipity. Ordaining has several meanings, but my interpretation is that it means something is being predestined. So Ordaining Serendipity to me means "predestining a happy accident". Which is quite a contradiction but hey ho that's what I wanted it to be. Recently however, I changed the title of my blog to Charlotte Harvs because it's about me and well, I want my blog name to reflect that now. My url is still www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk and it will be for the remainder of this blog's life as it really doesn't bother me because the name Ordaining Serendipity is still a big part of my blog and my social media presence.

However if it bothers you that the title and url of your blog are different, then you have to make sure that the blog name you choose is one that you think can reflect you through all stages of your life (or at least your blog's life...) When in doubt, I always think that your name or nickname works best!

When should you switch to your own domain? As soon as possible! You don't want to get a good Google page ranking over the years and then change your domain so you're back on 0. The newer your blog the better because when people start linking to your blog as your blog grows, the more advantageous this is when it comes to your blog's place on the Google search pages. If you are certain of your blog name then just go for it! Don't worry if you think it looks a little pretentious if you don't consider yourself a "big" blogger (I do hate grouping people into big and small bloggers, it's all subjective really) because it doesn't. You don't have to have a certain number of followers in order to have the right to your own domain, just do it if it's something you've always fancied! It's a great way to make your blog look more professional or to develop your own brand. I've used my blog to help me get freelance writing jobs and I have it on my CV, and I think your own domain makes the best first impression.

You can purchase your domain from www.34SP.com from as little as £10 for 2 years!

Fashion Trend: Leather Skirts

Images via fashionfademagazine.co.uk

The leather trend is one I have been really loving lately. I have a faux leather skirt from ASOS which I definitely don't wear enough! It's the kind of piece which can be taken from day to night so easily and one that can spice up a simple top or jumper. If there is an item of clothing I love but don't wear enough, then I instantly head to the internet for some street style inspiration. 

>> See More Leather Skirt Street Style

Giveway! Win £80 of ASOS Vouchers PLUS £60 of MAC Cosmetics!

Head on over to FASHION FADE MAGAZINE to enter this awesome giveaway!
It's super easy to enter, simply follow them on either bloglovin, twitter, g+ or facebook
(or all four for more entries! All details can be found here)

Fashion Trend: Faux Fur

Images via fashionfademagazine.co.uk

I am loving faux fur this a/w! It's just one of those trends that's super comfortable and so stylish. It really brings a look together and adds a glamorous touch instantly. I have a faux fur coat in grey and a faux fur gillet - two items I absolutely love and have never had buyers remorse over. I wear them over and over again in the colder months with simple outfits and evening outfits. Also, a super affordable and easy way to add a bit of furriness to your outfit is with a faux fur stole.

>> See More Faux Fur Outfits

Cool Kids

OUTFIT// Snakeskin Embossed Jumper & White Boyfriend Jeans

H&M Jumper | Boohoo Ripped Boyfriend Jeans | USC Boots 

Even though this jumper is relatively simple, I really like the snakeprint embossed detailing and the leather-look trim around the neckline. It's just perfectly my style. I paired it with my white boyfriend jeans from boohoo and my studded ankle boots.

www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk

Fashion Icon: Christine Centenera

Images via fashionfademagazine.co.uk

I absolutely adore Christine Centenera's style! She always stands out from the crowd with super stylish outfits. They may not always be my taste, but I can always appreciate her creativity. I love her use of layers, and also that she doesn't always need loud prints or bold colours to make her outfits interesting. 

>> See More Of Her Style

Sporty Vibes

OUTFIT// Cropped Knit Jumper, Luxe Joggers & Silver Shoes

Oasap Cropped Knit* (£14) | Zara Luxe Joggers | Primark Metallic Slip-ons (£12)

Still having trouble with my camera charger, so these were taken with my phone! I've been a super rubbish blogger, and there are days now where I think of giving it up... you know those days when you take 100 photos and you have a double chin in 10 of them, pot belly in 70 of them and fat thighs in all of them... haha!! I know I'm being all drama queen but I'm the heaviest I've ever been at the moment and it's not fun when you see photo evidence... also doesn't help when your photography is rubbish and you don't have one of those handy photographer boyfriends... Buuut we can do this, we can get past this bloggers block, I know we can ;)


www.ordainingserendipity.co.uk