An Updated Q&A – Have I Changed?

I’ve done a Q&A almost every year, sometimes less, but I thought it might be really good to see how my answers have changed during the 6 years that I’ve been blogging here on Raindrops of Sapphire. I’ve grown up a huge amount and have changed a lot, not just with my personal style, but with my mindset as well, so I thought this might be quite fun since you’ve all been on this journey with me too! I hope you enjoy it! You can read a previous Q&A here and here.

How many pairs of jeans do you own?

2010 – I currently have around 140 pairs of premium jeans. I’ve been collecting them for so long now! I have sold lots already though, if I didn’t I am sure I would have over 200!

Now – Well this answer has exploded and I didn’t realise just how much! I have around 450 pairs of jeans now… Yikes! Again though, if I didn’t sell a lot of them, I would be close to 700, I’m sure!

Do you smoke, drink or anything else?

2010 – Nope, Nope and Nope! I have never smoked in my life and don’t plan to, I hate the smell. I am completely t-total, I have never drank alcohol and I’m keeping it that way. I don’t even eat foods with it in. I wont do anything else either that’s remotely bad for you. I like to keep my body as clean as possible.

Now – Answer still remains exactly the same!

What sort of music do you like?

2010 – It varies all the time! I like a mixture. I’m happy to listen to anything if I like it. Anything from cheesy pop songs to R&B and Hip Hop, sometimes classical or rock… I like it all really.

Now – I would say that’s pretty much the same actually, however I do love dance music a lot, as well as opera too, and I’m a huge lover of country music, it’s amazing.

What movies do you watch?

2010 – My biggest love in movies is romance movies and comedies! Those are my absolute favourites! Sometimes I like action as well though. The movies I hate the most are horrors and anything that’s scary! I can’t watch them.

2016 – This is all true still, however I love to watch more action movies than I do romance now. I also really like documentaries and things you can learn a lot from.

What is your favourite thing to do in general or in your spare time?

2010 – Hmm… That’s a tough one! Probably clothes/shoe/jewellery shopping, haha! But it’s close to spending time with those I love and of course… blogging. I also love art and designing, that’s a big passion of mine. I’ve always drawn and painted since I can remember, as well as designed and made clothes.

2013 – Umm, mostly blogging lol! I love to blog so I don’t really class it as taking up my time. But other than that I love to go shopping, reading, watching TV, go to the cinema, go out for lunch… just the normal general things really. I love spending time with my boyfriend on the weekends too and spending time with animals and nature.

Now – This is pretty similar actually as I still love to do all those things, but I would say I feel a lot more grounded these days in the sense that I love to sit outside in nature and just take it all in. I really enjoy connecting with my surroundings as much as I do shopping.

What are your favourite jeans?

2010 – This is going to be a long list! In general I love skinny jeans, jeggings and boyfriend jeans but now I have branched out into flared jeans too! If I had to pick brands and specific jeans then I would go with Paige Premium Verdugo jeggings in June Lake, Stratus, Dusk and Royal and Lou Lou Tulip Jeans in Sardinia, 7 For All Mankind Gummy Denim Gweneveres in Indigo and Grey, regular Gweneveres in Soho and a new slashed knee wash, Dylan George Lucy and Joey Jeans in Czar, Diesel Matic 81M, 8CT, 89S, Nevy 8N5, Lowky 8IG, 81M, 8JQ, Blizz 61X, Cuddy 8JQ (and many more Diesel), AG Adriano Goldschmied Ex Boyfriend Jeans and Skinnys, Rich & Skinny Cargo Leggings in Aloe, J Brand 910 skinnys in Ink and Xray, Siwy cut off shorts in Lilt and White, Frankie B. cargo leggings and Prepster skinny jeans… There are really too many to list them all!

2013 – I still love all of the jeans that I listed last time but since then I have added Current/Elliott Stiletto in Canteen, 7 For All Mankind Gwenevere in Zuma Sunrise, MiH Breathless in Pinetop, Siwy Alexa shorts in Love Song, Paige Jimmy Jimmy shorts in Tigerlily, M2F Skinnies in Rose, MET Eco-Pelle leather skinnies and of course my Paige & Lorna collaboration jeans! I’m actually probably missing quite a lot of pairs but those are the ones I can think of right now.

Now – Wow my list was huge back then! Funnily enough, as that’s from 2010, none of those jeans even make it to my list anymore, even though I still own most of them! My current favourites now are my Citizens of Humanity Rocket in numerous washes, the PAIGE Transcend Verdugo, and still my older Koral Los Angeles Merlot Skinny Jeans. You can actually see my whole list of my favourite jeans on The Jeans Blog.

What brands in general do you love?

2010 – Marc Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, Miu Miu, Paige Premium, Diesel, 7 For All Mankind, Lanvin, Mike & Chris, Topshop, All Saints and I know I am probably missing some!

Now – I was wondering how much my answer would change with this one. My favourite brands now are a lot different. I still love Christian Louboutin, PAIGE, Topshop and All Saints, but I adore Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Celine, Chloe, Jimmy Choo, Giuseppe Zanotti, Valentino and more!

What colour are your eyes?

2010 – My eyes are green. They start out quite a pale green and then they go darker green during the day.

Now – *checks in the mirror* Yep! Still green! Ha ha.

What hair products do you use?

2010 – At the moment I am using Aussie products, I love their miracle moist collection. My hair can be quite unruly so the 3 minute miracle treatment does help a lot. I have incredibly thick hair and it can be a bother sometimes because it can get coarse easily!

Now – I use a mixture of Redken and Kerastase actually, sometimes Joico. I tend to prefer the more premium hair products now as I’ve noticed a huge difference with its condition. I do still use the Aussie travel sizes for going on holiday though as it’s easier.

What skincare do you use?

2010 – I have switched around a lot when it comes to skincare products, my skin can be unmanageable at times but at the moment I have found a good combination in Liz Earle products and Murad.

Now – Funnily enough, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said Jan Marini, but now I have done a full circle and am back using my Liz Earle which I adore!

How tall are you?

2010 – I am around 5ft 5″ tall.

Now – I am roughly the same, however I feel like I’m a tiny bit shorter now and am 5ft 4″ apparently.

What is your clothes and shoe size?

2010 – My clothes size in the UK is an 8 (US 4) however, depending on the store, I can sometimes be a 6 (US 2) or a 10 (US 6). My jeans size is between a 27 and 28. My shoe size is between a 39 and 40.

Now – I vary between a UK 6-8 in tops depending on the store and a UK 8-10 in bottoms. My jeans size is 26-27, but my shoe size is still the same. I’ve either lost a little bit of weight or vanity sizing has increased.

Where do you shop?

2010 – I mainly shop online on places like Topshop, Miss Selfridge, ASOS, All Saints, Net-A-Porter, The Outnet, Pam Jenkins, Matches etc but in stores in town I go to places like Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Topshop, All Saints, Miss Selfridge, H&M, New Look, House of Fraser, River Island etc.

Now – This truly depends where I am and what I’m looking for. When I’m in London I love nothing more than look around the posher areas of Bond Street, Sloane Street, Mount Street etc and looking in Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Chanel, Celine, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Burberry… All of those as I like to save up and shop there, however general shopping is done at Topshop, ASOS, Urban Outfitters, and All Saints.

Who takes your outfit photos?

2010 – Like most bloggers, my wonderful boyfriend takes my outfit pictures for me.

Now – The answer is almost the same, except now I can call Adam… my fiance!

Do you like animals?

2010 – YES! I absolutely adore animals so much! I love wildlife and I could spend all day with animals. I’m always more than willing to help out any injured ones too, I love them! I love all animals.

2016 – More than a yes, if anything my love of animals and nature is even stronger now. I actually spent about 20 minutes a month ago moving about 80 snails (no joke!) from underneath the car as they had all come out of hiding when it rained. I couldn’t live with myself knowing they would be squashed, so I moved every single one of those sweeties! I know to most of you that’s strange, but to me, I love them.

How old are you?

2010 – I just turned 22 on the 3rd August. I know, I look a lot younger, people often mistake me for a 15 year old, haha.

Now – I’m 28 now! I just turned it on the same date as before, naturally, ha ha.

What’s your favourite colour?

2010 – You probably know that already! It’s pink! I love pink so much, it’s so bright and so girly and cute! Closely followed by sunshine yellow, bright coral and medium to light purple.

2015 – My favourite colours to wear for my skin tone are definitely burgundy shades, I love them! But I also really like grey now too, mixing it with the burgundy tones, and black. Those three shades are perfect together and definitely what I’m attracted to!

Now – I feel like I’m a lot more mature now and if I pick pink, I generally choose a baby pastel tone or a deeper fuchsia. But my actual favourite colour now is burgundy for what I’m drawn to, but favourite colour on clothing is actually grey.

What has been the best part about blogging for Raindrops of Sapphire and DenimBlog?

2010 – Wow, there are a few! For DenimBlog I loved designing my own jeans for Prima Jeans, being featured in ASOS Magazine and just being featured in general, they really make me happy! Meeting so many amazing designers like Paige Adams-Geller and finding a friend in them. For my blog it’s my readers, I love to share things with you all and reading your comments you leave me really makes me happy! It’s also really nice to have a blog that’s completely my own, something to feel connected to and write what I like.

2016 – Well that’s changed now since I haven’t worked for DenimBlog since May, but there have been some incredible things. The Jeans Blog is doing so well, it’s my new denim website. I’m now number 9 in the UK for fashion bloggers. I’ve met some incredible people through my blogging. I’ve designed more jeans and collaborated with some amazing brands. I’ve been to some fantastic events. I have met people who I can call my friends, and more. The whole experience has been amazing. Most of all though, it’s you guys. I love creating content knowing that you are going to read it and hopefully enjoy it.

What do you want as a career in the future?

2010 – My main passion is designing, I would love to have my own jeans line then eventually a clothes, shoes and accessories line. Having my own brand is definitely my main goal! If it doesn’t happen then I would love to go down the route of writing for a fashion magazine, I love writing.

2016 – Interestingly now, I’m not sure. I never knew I wanted to be a blogger in the first place as it didn’t exist, so I’m not sure where the future will take me as I’m open to so many ideas. I’ve grown so much that I love the idea of creating and developing websites, I still adore design, I love social media, I love nature… I honestly couldn’t tell you. I do know I would love to stay in the same area of work though, helping and inspiring others. I would really love my blogs to grow even more. I’m a self employed blogger, so the more I can grow my websites and develop the businesses, the better.

What make up do you like to use?

2013 – Oh I love make up! For my foundation and concealer I use Bare Escentuals. I use the Medium foundation and Summer Bisque concealer. For mascara I use an Avon one, it has a treatment for the eyelashes in one end and a volumising brush on the other end. I actually also love to use the Avon purple eye shadow pencil, I line my lids by my eyelashes with the dark purple and then colour my whole eyelid with the lighter purple. For lips, I have a lot lol! I love my Topshop pink lip gloss stick, my Rimmel lip stain and balm, Lord & Berry actual lip stick in a stick and I have a collection of different coloured lip sticks.

2016 – Now I use Barbara Panagos Mineral Foundation, Benefit Mascara, Pixi Lip Colours, Illamasque Contouring & Highlighting, Benefit Brow Palette, Mally Eyeliner, and a Bourjois Paris Eye Palette. I generally stick to the same products that I know I love now.

Do you dye your hair? If so, what color?

2013 – I have actually dyed my hair so many times in the past. I have had it blonde, brown, black, plum, deep red, pink streaks, strawberry blonde… I went through a phase of dying it all the time but I kept it black for a while, during my gothy stage (I think we all have one of those at some point lol) and the trouble I went to to make it blonde again was terrible. I had my hair bleached and then it turned orange and was really ruined. It took me years to try and get it back to a reasonable colour and a healthier condition. Now it’s all my natural colour which seems to go lighter blonde in the summer and darker in the winter. I haven’t dyed it for about 4 years or so now? It naturally has lighter areas and darker areas to it. I wouldn’t know what colour to suggest though for a shade like mine. I am flattered that you like my hair colour though!

2016 – I didn’t for so long, but as you know that I recently cut my hair shoulder length, I also went for a mixture of ombre and balayage with bleach for my colouring. It’s a combination of highlighting and striping, with an ombre effect from roots to tips, all done with bleach. I then use a purple shampoo to try and keep the yellow away. I love the colour now!

What is your favourite movie?

2013 – This is really tough since I like so many! If I had to pick one favourite though, it would be Dear John. I love that movie because it’s full of emotions and it’s a beautiful story. For easy watching though I love Letters to Juliet or Wedding Date. I really like the Harry Potters too but I think I prefer the books to the movies. I also like King Arthur style movies.

2016 – I still really like everything I mentioned above, but I also really like the Captain America movies, and most of the Marvel films in general, as well as the Twilight saga and Hunger Games series. I really liked Magic Mike XXL, ha ha, and so many others actually that touched me in a very emotional way like The Notebook or The Fault In Our Stars. I’m also a huge lover of the movie What’s Your Number as well as Before We Go. Both of those are really good. When a movie leaves me with questions and plays on my mind a lot, I know it’s good. Adam’s favourite is The Shawshank Redemption, so I watched that for him, and I really liked that one too. So uplifting in a way.

What are your wardrobe staples?

2013 – I love this question! Obviously a really good fitting pair of skinny jeans is one, a leather style jacket, stilettos… Actually I might do a post on this! I will save my answers for the post.

2016 – Similar to before, but perfect skinny jeans are a must, a great fitting leather jacket, a fitted neutral coat, a neutral designer bag or if not designer, a well made, long lasting one, some classic heels like the Louboutin Pigalle, and some ankle boots.

Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?

2013 – I actually did a little video for my blogs 1 year Birthday showcasing my favourite shoes! You can see it here. But since then I have added my Kurt Geiger Eleanor nude heels, my Urban Outfitters shoe wedges, my Topshop Sugar mary jane heels and a pair of River Island wedge boots to the list. I think it’s so hard to pick a favourite though, it honestly changes all the time.

2016 – Gosh, I have a few! My Christian Louboutin Pigalle in Black, my Jimmy Choo Melba Boots, my Celtic & Co Chelsea Boots, my Giuseppe Zanotti Loafers, and my Adidas and New Balance sports shoes for comfort. Plus, a pair that just arrived today… My Chloe Susanna Boots! I cannot wait to share these!

Your bag collection has been growing lately, do you have any favourites?

2013 – Oh gosh I know! I have sort of developed a bag obsession in the past year or so! My two favourites would definitely be my Mulberry Alexa Clutch or my Marc by Marc Jacobs Karlie. I love both of those so much! But I do like my coral Topshop bag and the purple velvet box bag from Topshop too.

2016 – This is tough to answer as I love so many of them, but my favourites are my Louis Vuitton Alma BB, my Celine Nano Luggage, my Balenciaga Mini City, my Chloe Mini Drew, and my Chanel Small Boy Velvet Bag.

Do you read any other fashion/style blogs? If so, which ones?

2013 – I do! I love reading other blogs! It’s actually one of the first things I do in the morning after checking my emails. The ones I check every day are The Blonde Salad and Cupcakes and Cashmere. Chiara and Emily are my two favourites but I also check blogs like Fashion Toast, Style Scrapbook, Song of Style, Ring My Bell, Cheyenne Meets Chanel and lots more.

2016 – I do, I always keep up with other bloggers on a regular basis! I often read my friends blogs and there’s lots of those, but if I was choosing from the well known ones, there’s only about 4 that I check now. Cupcakes & Cashmere, Mariannan, Brooklyn Blonde, and Song of Style.

Do you have any interests that you don’t share with us on the blog?

2013 – Yeah, I do. I love cooking shows! I really like watching Barefoot Contessa, Gordan Ramsay or the Italian chef Gino D’Acampo. I really like Gino! I love the baking shows too and learning about foods, especially Italian foods, but the reason I don’t share it on my blog is because I can’t cook. I just tend to watch the shows instead of try to make the foods. I’m really not good at cooking at all, so I don’t often put recipes into action.

2016 – Gardening! I’m very much into nature, plants, flowers… so gardening is a huge love.

What’s your favourite country?

2013 – I haven’t, as of yet, left the United Kingdom due to a fear of flying but if I had to pick a country, it would most likely be Italy, France or the United States. I love Italy and France for its beauty but the United States has always attracted me, especially Los Angeles.

2015 – From the places I have been, it’s Italy. It’s such a beautiful country and I had such an amazing time in Tuscany/Florence, I will never forget it. The people are so friendly and it’s a gorgeous country! I’m not well travelled though, so I don’t have many places to compare it to. I also like going to London, Wales and down south!

2016 – The answers are very much the same!

Do you like spicy food and why?

2013 – I actually don’t, I have such a high intolerance to anything even remotely spicy. It burns my tongue and I dislike that sensation.

Now – This still stands as a huge no. My stomach is even more sensitive now though so even acidic food is uncomfortable for me unfortunately.

How long have you and your boyfriend been together?

2013 – Almost 3 and a half years, so quite a long time.

Now – Adam and I have been together over 8 years now and recently engaged as I mentioned. And there’s me saying 3 and a half years was a long time, ha ha.

If you were a super hero, what powers would you have?

2013 – I always love this question! I can never choose between the powers of flying or teleportation though. I love the idea of flying, that would be incredible to do that, but I think teleporting myself anywhere I wanted (in one piece though without my cells being broken down into millions and re-formed) would be so useful! I dislike travelling, so it would be so useful!

2016 – I still agree with those two powers entirely. I will go with teleportation now though as it would be something I use all the time. I know flying would be cool, but I would need teleportation more.

Do you have any things you don’t like on yourself?

2015 – I do. Like most women and men, there are parts of me I don’t like. I’m not a huge fan of my knees since the joints are formed incorrectly, they point inwards and are swollen most of the time from bone rubbing, so they don’t look too appealing in photos. I’m also not overly fond of my upper arms. I actually have quite big biceps, but it means when my arms are not tensed or flexed, there’s a lot of skin and mass so my arms always look large, that is something that bothers me but none of these are things I can fix, so I learn to like them. I also don’t like the scars on my face from having acne a while ago, but I know those can be fixed in time. I try not to dwell on negatives though and only focus on positives.

Now – All of those are still the same, however I get a lot of hip pain now as well from my joint problems, so I don’t like that at all.

What’s your favourite song right now?

2015 – I would have to say either Taylor Swift – Shake It Off or Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud.

Now – Currently right this moment it’s Calum Scott – Dancing On My Own.