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Sunday 17 July 2016

My Graduation Day; Come Graduate With Me!



Hello hello! I promise this is the final graduation post (unless you guys want some more!) as I realise the last post I wrote was about university but whilst I'm in the zone, I wanted to quickly talk to you about my graduation outfit! I wanted to give the outfit a full post because I honestly had nothing to wear for so long and graduation dress panic seriously happened. I also thought it would be nice to take you guys on this journey with me as you've all been there from the start and supported me. Let's discuss!





Choosing what to wear for graduation was hard. Mainly because I knew it was going to be covered up by a gown but equally, I wanted to wear something nice as I knew I'd be going out afterwards in the evening. I decided to go for a plain white dress online here (you can get it in loads of different colours here too, I may have bought it in 3 other colours because I love it so much and it just fits perfectly!). I knew I wanted white from the onset because I wanted something that would stand out underneath the gown and I always wear white. It was a toss up between white and navy. You have no idea how many websites I scoured to find this dress, (I ended up making a moodboard here featuring loads of potential dresses so do have a look if you're looking for a Summer/occasion dress) first I wanted something really expensive and had my eyes on pretty much every dress from Revolve - a huge part of me felt like I had to wear a really special dress because it's such a special day but then, I ended up opting for a £25 dress which honestly, I loved more than any others I tried on. It just goes to show, it isn't about the price. 

I wanted something tight because I didn't want to go for a 'frumpy' dress and I went for an affordable dress because my accessories were expensive. I didn't want the dress to be 'booby' so chose something with a higher neck but I feel the slit still makes it feminine. I have always wanted a pair of Louboutins so decided graduation was the perfect day to show them off, particularly when the gown covers everything else up! I chose the Very Prive Patent Loubs in nude, I think nude is the classiest colour and I know they're going to be worn for special occasions only. You can get them online here and here. They really weren't as uncomfortable as people say, I chose to 'comfiest' Louboutins and they did the trick. 

More photos of the dress and shoes below!

You can shop the outfit below too:



leeds university graduation
graduating from leeds universityGraduation itself took place in the Great Hall. A beautiful building in the University Of Leeds.  I was awarded with around £50,000 worth of debt and a certificate. Hey, at least it was worth it and I eventually got there in the end. You can read my what university taught me post here to find out about my university life/experience. 

graduation style
what to wear for graduation
I got my University Of Leeds alumni badge and did the standard throwing of the hat!

I love any excuse for a pamper morning and when I have a special occasion, I like to get my hair, nails and make up done. I visited Space NK in Leeds to get my make up done. The lovely Chloe made me feel comfortable and confident as she made me up for the day. I wanted a neutral look but one which would take me through to the evening celebrations. I had an Eve Lom mini facial to begin with which left me feeling cleansed and glowing and then we used a range of products from Kevyn Aucoin to Nars. I absolutely adore Space NK and cannot recommend them enough when it comes to booking in for make overs. I had my brows waxed and tinted at Benefit the week before, I always feel better after a brow tint because it seems to lift my brows and my make up always looks way better when my brows are defined. I can't recommend Benefit brow counters enough and have been visiting them every four weeks for over a year now! My nails were done at the Nails Inc champagne bar in Harvey Nichols, another one of my favourites for a pamper day. They do the loveliest gel nails, all with a glass of champagne in your hand! I went for a pretty nude pink colour as always.


I got my hair done at my favourite salon, Sassoon Salons Leeds.  It's taken a long time to repair my damaged hair, extensions literally destroyed it to the point where it refused to grow for two years. If you've read my hair story you'll know all about my hair struggles. I finally feel at a stage now where it is growing and I feel more confident with it. I have a long way to go to get it to the length I want it to be but we're finally getting there! I got the colour done by Louise at Sassoon about 8 weeks ago and it's still going strong. I feel like my colour gets better with time, my Mum always says that's the sign of a good hair dresser and Sassoon are seriously top class. My cut and style was done by Lee but every single person I've visited in Sassoon for a blow dry has been incredible. If you need some hair advice, I highly recommend you pop into Sassoon for a free consultation, they seriously know what they're talking about and are complete experts in the field. As well as Lee, I highly recommend Tatty and Connor if you're wanting an amazing blow dry at their Leeds salon. I feel so much better after a blow dry and if I could, I'd go to Sassoon three times a week for a blow dry. It's my life goal to book in at least twice a week. I always leave feeling so much more confident when they've fixed my hair!

university of leedsWalking through the bunting, it was time to say thank you to the University Of Leeds for an incredible (incredibly tough for various reasons) four years. I've touched on it a little bit, but there were so many times I didn't think I'd make it through. First year was fun but I was so busy trying to work on my blog. I also had some really serious family issues throughout the whole of university which really affected me, some days I had zero motivation and would spend days crying in my bedroom unable to get on with my work or unable to revise for exams. On top of this, my brothers best friend was murdered whilst we were both at university which really shook my whole family up. We seriously had a tough few years so for all of us, it felt amazing that we managed to get through it. Juggling everything was a challenge (I ran two businesses whilst in my final year and nearly broke down a couple of times) but it's made me resilient and strong and I am so glad I stuck with it. I certainly didn't have a conventional four years at university. 


gaucho leeds
There was only one place for dinner that evening; Gaucho. If you read my best places to eat and drink in Leeds post you'll know that Gaucho is my ultimate dinner destination. The service at the Leeds restaurant is always incredible, the food is always to die for and I couldn't think of a better venue for my graduation meal. It really is an experience.




I sat around the most beautiful round table with 7 of my favourite people. We chatted and giggled in the loveliest atmosphere. Gaucho is classy but comfortable, it's luxurious but it's friendly. It doesn't feel stuffy. It feels like my second home. They even gave me a card to celebrate my graduation and we poured some bubbly to say cheers.


 Our waitress was incredible. Ruth taught us about the meats in true Gaucho style and my family (who haven't yet had a dinner time Gaucho experience) were blown away, saying it's the best meal they've ever had and nothing will ever compare. I think I need to take them to Gaucho more often.


We opted for the sharing menu as we fancied something a little different and chose wine pairings to go with each one. Well, the talented staff did.


 Delicious empandanas, tuna, and more came out. Not to mention the chorizo sausages, my favourite.







Argentinian food is my favourite and nowhere does it like Gaucho. Everything was cooked perfectly and even my Grandad (who complains about everything) said it was phenomenal. 


We each tried three cuts of steak as our mains. Let's just say we were pretty quiet as we all devoured the succulent meat. My Mum wanted hers cooked differently and wasn't too hungry so asked for a smaller size, they couldn't do enough for her. The only way to describe Gaucho Leeds? Exceptional. 







We nibbled, giggled and chatted. I even did a speech! A very emotional one indeed.




Just as we thought the night couldn't get anymore perfect, out came dessert. Gooey, sticky brownies and a banana mess!
The sparklers went out as we all cheered.  



So there we have it, a day I never wanted to end, my graduation. I never thought I'd make it but somehow, I did. Who knows what the future holds, I know I'll be full time blogging now for the foreseeable future and have been working on this for four years. It feels amazing that for the first time in four years, I can fully focus on my blog. I have big plans, I'll be focusing on my YouTube, I'll be making sure my content is of much higher quality and, I'll actually be around more and hopefully, be less stressed. Thank you for bearing with me and supporting me. It only felt right to share this day with you guys as you've been there with me through it all. I really didn't think I'd get a degree with everything that was going on and somehow, I managed it. 

It would mean the world to me if you would watch my day below in video form,  I would love it so much if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here too! I hope you like it! 



Have you graduated? Do you like the look of this? Do you like my dress and shoes? How do you feel about university?

Lots of love, Em x



 Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin! to stay up to date with my posts!
 I would also love it if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here!

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