How To : Build Up Your Wardrobe

Hey everyone!
  So, Summer has officially started over here in the UK and I definitely have a few posts in store for the holidays - but today I wanted to make a post on something which I think could be useful for all seasons and something which i've doing for awhile now; building a good for all seasons, fashionable wardrobe consisting of fashion items that I 100% love. I am one of those people that can get really into organising and tidying/de-cluttering when i'm in the mood. It's a bit weird, actually. 99% of the time I am a renowned hoarder, who collects the most random of things, but get me in the right mood and a bunch of clothes and I will de-clutter away. In other words, clothes are the one thing that I will have no problem tidying up etc, because I always know what i'll wear and what I won't. That being said, I won't throw away sentimental clothes. Whoopsie.
 Okay, so the first step is to thoroughly go through your wardrobe and pick out what you like, what you don't and things you might be on the fence about. Once you've separated your clothes into these three piles, put back all the clothes in the 'yes' pile into you're wardrobe (to avoid having your room or wherever you're screening look like an absolute mess!). Next, find some sort of bag or place to keep the clothes in the 'no' pile. Usually, i'll keep these separately until a charity collection comes round and then i'll donate the clothes, unless I think they could be reused by my sister or a family friend. Finally, do another screening of the clothes in the 'maybe' pile. Think of these questions, will you wear it again? Does it still fit like it's supposed to? What would you wear it with? etc. etc. Put all the ones you've decided to keep, back in your wardrobe and the others with the ones you're giving away.
  So, if this has gone successfully - you should have lots of space for some new clothes. I tend to surf shopping websites and pick out certain types of clothing i'd like to purchase. Now, this isn't me picking out specific pieces, that's the next stage. This is me just saying, 'Oh, I quite fancy an oversized cardigan right now' etc. I make a casual list, so whenever I go shopping I have some key items to look out for. Now, here's one of my all time favourite tips - #Tip 1 Buy clothes way ahead of their season. Did that make sense? What I mean is, if it's Summer - stock up for Winter. Obviously you'll need the Summer essentials too (shorts, T-shirts etc) or you'll bake - but usually things like cardigans and Winter coats drop in their prices considerably and I always find little sale jewels by using this amazing trick. I've bought cardigans and coats that were around £60 to £70 for less than £20 ! And all of this was in Summer, who would've thought? 
  My next #Tip 2 is that you should have basic items in your wardrobe that you can use all year round. Yes, you can't necessarily walk around in a Christmas jumper in July - but have things like plain white T-shirts  and skirts etc. For Winter you can throw on a jumper or a cardigan over the T-shirt and for Summer, or hot days (since you never know with British weather) you can just leave it and wear it with shorts or the skirt.
  I think it's really important to love every piece in your wardrobe. Your clothes are a way of expressing yourself and one killer outfit can give your confidence an extra boost, so it's important you're happy and comfortable with what you're wearing. That's not me saying that you shouldn't try new things, ofcourse you should! It's so much fun going into a shop picking one wild card item and giving it a go - seeing whether you like it or not. It's just knowing that you have a trust set of fashion items that you love, and none that make you feel awkward wearing.

 Hope you enjoyed this post! I'm aware I only put 2 tips in, but if you like this kind of thing I can do more 'How To's'. Fashion is my passion, and i'm always on the look out for new clothes - so my wardrobe does often have clearouts. Anyway, have a nice Summer! And i'll get back to you all soon :)

Let's Talk : Hair Removal

Hair removal. The complete and utter bane of my existence. I hate it with a fiery passion. I mean, sure. I love not having any hairs on my legs and arms or in my armpits - but the hassle of waxing or any hair removal process is honestly the most boring,and tiring thing I've ever indulged in. And then there's this thing about which process you prefer. A question which I have been trying to answer for a couple of years now.

Personally, at the moment I have to go with my trusty shaving cream. I know many people have problems with this, saying it takes too long and that you often have to do it a couple of times (put layers of cream) in order to get results. However, it's painless which makes it a total winner, in my opinion & the brand I use always provides great, hair free results (making me only have to add another layer every now and then when I use it). Yes, the hairs grow back faster - but if you're someone who doesn't like the pain of waxing - shaving cream is the next best thing. The cream I use is called Veet Hair Removal Cream and instead of your average razor, it comes with a plastic spatula sort of thing - hence avoiding any cuts that you might receive from a sharp blade of some sort. However this is down to you and what you'd prefer.

Now, I'm not very experienced in the world of epilators. I've never used them, but from what I've heard - they're quite painful. The process is just getting the device and 'rolling' it across your skin as it individually plucks each hair out. Apparently this causes a sharp shock/ jolt of pain each time it plucks a hair out (which would be alot, if you aren't someone that does it as regular as 2-3 weeks). Whilst T.V adverts make it look painless and effortless (believe me, I have also had those first impressions), these little gadgets are seemingly far from being painless - some even saying they hurt more than waxing!

Waxing is another method of hair removal, and probably the most popular. Advantages include it being quick, effective - almost never failing to make you hair free in areas such as your legs, and long lasting . However,disadvantages include an intense amount of pain (this is subjective) ,and  red small 'swollen' spots to initially appear after a wax. I have experienced waxing, and the first time is (personally) the most brutal. If you wax regularly ,as in 1-2 weeks, (which isn't necessary)  it avoids excess pain  since if you only have a few, small hairs to remove - it won't hurt as much when you wax them as it would for long, and large amounts of hair on your legs or arms.

Finally, eyebrows. The last few techniques were mainly based on removing hair from your legs or arms - but as one weird society, we have seemingly taken to grooming our eyebrows to "perfection". I thread my eyebrows, and whilst I'm not the most experienced (as this is the only process I've tried), I personally think that it works best for me. Since my eyebrows are naturally quite thick and luckily have a natural arch/shape (or so I've been told) - threading simply tidies my eyebrows up. However I'm aware that threading can be used to create an eyebrow shape etc. Threading is an affordable process, my usual place charges only a £5 note for a tidy up. If you are someone who doesn't have thick eyebrows, and may not have dark hair (so your eyebrows don't show as well ) , microblading might be the process for you. Microblading is the technique of dyeing your eyebrows with a semi permanent ink, that fits with your natural hair and skin tone - whilst providing a slight shape. It lasts for about a year or so, yet it is not cheap. Prices are typically around £250 per treatment , however they do vary.

So, that was majority of what I have to say on hair removal. At the end of the day it is 100% your choice on whether you want to shave, or wax - or whether you'd rather just leave it - or wait till you're older. Yes, I may loathe the process, but I do like the result and that's why I do it. Don't ever feel that you have to wax just because everyone else is doing it - your body is your body & whatever you feel comfortable in is what you should do. One of my friends once said that she didn't have to look at her body, it was everyone else that would see her and "suffer" (though I think she's beautiful) so why should she care? And that's so important. At the end of the day, people have better things to than to hum and haw about your hairy (or hairless ) legs. I mean, do you analyse the legs of every stranger you come across? Probably not.

So, bye everyone! Blogtique is still under construction (its mainly the social media buttons etc .) Hope you liked today's post & I'll hopefully see you soon for some 'Summer Wardrobe Wants'.

Bye  mis amigas :)
           – The Blogtique x

Super Duper Quick Update

Hello!

So I know that this isn't a proper post, but I wanted to let any of you that care (wow, that came out insanely cynical) that my blog is undergoing a makeover. I know, I know, no more 'Beti-Online'. I guess you could say I just grew out of the name and wanted a more, day I say... sophisticatedly cute name (does that make sense?). This is a blog I want to keep going for as long as possible, and the name 'Beti- Online' just didn't reflect me anymore. 

  Okay, this sounds way more 'midlife crisis-esque' than I was going for. I can assure you that I have not experience a (and I quote) 'a loss of self-confidence and feeling of anxiety or disappointment that can occur in early middle age.'. I'm not even middle aged (far from it actually). The term 'Beti' was something my friends and family used in a joking manner, and when my mum suggested the name I was eager to use it- just because I found it a bit funny. That inside joke isn't really used anymore - and i've outgrown it. However, that doesn't mean i've outgrown the blog - and my writing style may have matured, but i'm still your local fangirl who loves Taylor Swift and Chinese food like crazy. I promise. 

   So say hello to 'Blogtique' (not going to lie, i'm really proud of this name - it fits 3 things I love most in one cute lil' name; fashion/beauty, blogging and... PUNS. I mean, who doesn't love a good pun?

   Anyway, I should probably sign off now. I'll try come up with a new brill' name to leave at the end of my posts, but for now I can just be '...' or , for the sake of using words, 'dot dot dot'. I'll see you (soon, hopefully) with a new content filled post soon, so brace yourself :)

Bye!

Dot Dot Dot xx