Work it girl!

I always find it difficult on where is best to buy my work clothes from. I am an estate agent and always need to look smart at work.

The bases of most of my outfits is to have a couple of pencil skirts and smart trousers and alternate between tops / Shirts and blaisers. I also like to wear work dresses, usually a skater style dress with tights. I swap a change between wearing dolly shoes and work heels. In the winter I always wear heeled boots.

I have put together a couple of outfits that I wear to work:

Dorothy Perkins – Polka dot, Skater dress with white collar

I love this little dress, I wear this with black tights and black heels! I got lots of compliments wearing this dress. It’s very flattering for my figure type.

Boohoo.com – grey long sleeved Peplum Top in their basic range

This cute grey top is super cheap and is in the basic boo hoo Range. It can be slightly see though but I wear a strap too under neath. I match this top with either a black pencil skirt or black smart trousers. For shoes I will either wear black dolly shoes or black heels. So simple and super comfy.

Light knit blue dress from H&M ( Bought last year)

This dress is perfect for all seasons, it’s light enough to wear in summer without tights but also great in the winter with tights.

Striped peplum from Primark

This striped peplum is super cute and again flattering for my figure type! I wear this usually with a black pencil skirt or trousers!

Floral 3/4 length sleeved top from Matalan

This top is really girly and looks really smart. My mum loved this top so much she bought herself one. It looks smart with or without a blaiser.

I hope you enjoy this post! I would love to hear your favourite places to buy work clothes!

DL 💋

What I learnt in 2016

As 2016 draws to a end, I’ve taken the time to reflect on what I have learnt. The year has been full of many ups and downs. I’m excited to for 2017, with all the new things I have learnt. 

Focous on you, yourself and I

You are the only person that you have to spend your life with, every second and every breath. If you have ever watched black mirror (first series) it shows a girl living inside of her own brain and she had to control her life with a control panel. The truth is, that’s what life is about you are in control of the panel. If your not happy, then change. 

Avoid processed food, healthy food can be fun

Courtesy of Joe wicks AKA the body coach, I have learnt that processed food is a no no. If you do not know what all the ingredients are on the packet don’t eat it. I’ve also learnt that you can eat burger and chips on a diet but you make the burgers yourself from lean turkey meat and your fries are sweet potato. Eating healthy dosent have to be boring!
You can do what you want no commitment

The start of this year I moved back home with parents and I was going to save to buy a house. Avoiding going out, so I could save became boring and I realise my heart wasn’t 100% in it. Living at home, working full time with no commitments e.g. Children, meant the world is my oyster. With this in mind I decided to save to go traveling next year ! Super excited 

Going to the gym early morning is actually easy and refreshing 

Okay, so I thought it was something I couldn’t do. After going a few times, I found it easier to go early morning before work then I did going to the gym on my way home. I actually, feel very refreshed after a morning gym session and am ready to conquer the day! 

Work with higher authority rather then being scared of them 
I used to be scared of anyone in a higher position then me. My big boses would come in, and I would say hi and avoid any further conversations. This year I learnt I am more knowledgable then I know and instead of avoiding them, I should take time to talk to them and I learnt a lot. I am now at a point of my life, that when I have a good idea I have enough confidence to put it forward to someone higher and the results have paid off.

Stop being mean to my hair no more bleach 
Looking at photos from last year to now, I’ve gone from bleach blonde hair to ombré. My hair was like straw and when I would brush my hair, it would malt everywhere. Planning to go traveling helped me realise I can’t have hair like straw out there and needs to be manageable. I went ombré and had the brown matching my roots. I stopped bleaching my hair and instead had the end toned every couple of months. My hair is so much more healthy, I don’t panic about getting my roots done and I’m not worried about it when I go traveling next year. I used to straighten my hair everyday and now I only straighten or curl my hair at weekend IF I’m going out.

Granny pants are not the end of the world

This year I’ve been in and out of hospital and nothing makes me feel better then getting into bed in my granny pants with an oversized tshirt. They are much better for us girlies and when you go to the gym FYI thongs are bad for you.

Time out = mental health 

This reflects on all of the above but the main thing is balence. Yes it’s good to push yourself at work, yes push yourself st the gym, yes have a social life and see your family. Also yes, to taking a couple of hours or a Sunday out of all of the above and taking time for you. Have a bubble bath, light some candels and read a book ( hide your phone) get into some pjs paint your nails and watch a Disney film. Honestly, you will thank me. You cannot push yourself in anything, if your mental health is not okay, your brain won’t cope or fulfil its full capacity. 

Sober times with friends 

As great it is to have a good drunken night out, I’ve realised this year how important it is to do sober things with your friends. Example, on Monday night we have girls night with my besties, we cook dinner together, get in house coats ( dressing gowns) and watch Tv / do nails ect. I also have a friend ( Rosie) that I meet once a month and we go for coffee, or lunch at pompokos. It’s so important to spend this sober time with your friends. It’s allows times for bonding and time to talk properly. 

2016 has taught me a lot about myself, my true friends and family. It’s given me confidence at work, about my weight. It’s shown me I can I get through some of my worse times. I cannot wait for 2017, with everything I have learnt!

Yay for Low tenants fees, not so happy about high rents

On the 23rd November 2016, it was announced that there would be a ban put in place for tenants fees. This means tenants would save fees paid for administration when they move into a property.

In a article published by the BBC News, chancellor Mr Hammon said “shifting costs to landlord will save 4.3 million households hundreds of pounds” 

A surgery publishing the Guardian news paper in February this year, claimed that more families rent in the UK, then own there own homes. For a lot of people this would be really good news right? Wrong. 

Landlords are mainly investors. This means purchasing a house, with a buy to let mortgage to rent out, is so that they will make money and get a good capital growth. 

They want to save as much money on outgoing e.g. Fees and earn the most they can in rent. If the cost of fees lost by tenants is shifted to the landlord, the only way for them to cover their loss is to demand higher rent for the tenants. This results in house prices rising again!

In the last few years, the government has enforced many new laws that estate agents and landlords must carry out for a move in. They now have to supply tenants with government how to rent guides, copies of has safety certificates and EPCS. They have to do immigration checks and keep up to date with government guidelines. October last year, it and law to make sure smoke alarms are fitted on every floor and that they where tested on the day of move in. If a gas safety is invalid for over one day, then landlord can not service notice. All of this, plus fully referencing tenants and all the paper work that goes with it for each move in that an estate agent does.

Where does that leave estate agents? Doing double the work that they would of done maybe ten years ago? And doing this without any payments from the tenant.

I personally believe feel this will effect small independent estate agents. As landlords will shop around for cheaper fees and the bigger companies will seem more preferable.
David Cox, director of ARLA made this statement regarding the issue.

So before we get excited about saving a couple of hundred pounds, let’s hope they find a solution to save money on higher rents. 
Dominique Lennon