With an absolutely gorgeous wardrobe, Lucia Thomas-Howard’s blog styleconfessional.com not only stands a place for fashion inspiration, but also a fantastic style guide. Having had the pleasure of meeting her (and sharing a room) at the Bloggers Travel Supermarket Bootcamp (you can read all about that here), I can confirm she is just as beautiful and charming in real life as she appears in her photographs, and so when she agreed to participate in a little interview, I couldn’t wait to hear her responses!
Scarlett London: What initially inspired you to start blogging?
Lucia Thomas-Howard: I’ve always admired fashion blogs and found myself seeking a creative outlet of my own, so decided to create Style Confessional. Not only that I think a blog shows a real interest in what you want to do and thought it would be a great thing to add to my CV and has already helped with Uni applications and internship interviews.
SL: Your photographs on your blog are absolutely stunning! Do you find it easy/difficult to shoot the photographs for your blog – do you just fit them into your daily routine now and have a bit of fun shooting them?
LTH: Eventually shooting for the blog just became an average part of my week, now I just make sure to take my camera with me everywhere as to never miss an outfit shot oppertunity!
SL: Who takes your photographs for you? My boyfriend is dragged along usually to take the pictures!
LTH: My boyfriend usually takes them for me, although he does moan haha, especially if we’re in public! But he did come to a paid blogging job with me recently as my photographer which I think he actually really enjoyed.
SL: What camera do you use for your blogging photos – and do you have any tips for aspiring fashion bloggers who want to learn to take/produce amazing photographs?
LTH: I use a Canon 1100D, and I’m currently using a fixed focal 50mm lens which I’m loving. It’s great for outfit shots as it really focuses on the subject and blurs the background nicely. I edit all my photo’s in Photoshop so I’d advise aspiring bloggers to get familiar with some sort of editing software, I’m not talking airbrushing to magazine quality but just little tweaks here and there really make a difference. Getting yourself a decent camera is also a good first step too, but make sure to choose the right one for you and spend time learning about all the fab things it can do.
SL: Your style (and your figure) is absolutely unbelievable. You look so polished and flawless constantly! Do you have any style inspirations or icons that you base your style on at all?
LTH: You are too lovely, making me blush! I wouldn’t say I emulate any persons style precisely but I do admire the style of people like Rihanna, Rumi Neely, Candice Swanepole, Olsen twins, Miley Cyrus, Kate Moss- a real mixture to be honest!
SL: Which are your top 5 ‘go to’ fashion brands?
Zara, Primark, Motel Rocks, Topshop, H&M
SL: What have you found the most rewarding thing to be since starting your blog?
LTH: Being given some wonderful opportunities and meeting some wonderful people!
SL: Have you had any blogging ‘low points’?
LTH: I’d say nearer the begining when your working really hard for your blog to get noticed and it seems like no ones interested. But hard work and time does pay off, now I don’t have a giant readership but after 18 months I have a nice steady amount of traffic and some wonderful readers that return to my blog which is really rewarding.
SL: Do you have one ‘favourite’ opportunity that has been presented to you as a result of your blog (whether it’s been working with a brand or a trip)?
LTH: Winning a trip to go to my first London Fashion Week when my blog was only a few months old is something I’ll never forget!
SL: Do your family and friends know about your blog? What have their reactions been?
LTH: Yes they do, they’ve all been really supportive and my mum and dad are proud of it.
“Seeing what other bloggers can achieve and do is always really inspiring to me!”
SL: Do you read any blogs yourself? If so, do you have any favourites you can recommend?
LTH: Ooh yes lots! To name a few; Man Repeller, Lulutrixabelle, She Wears Fashion, London’s Closet, Fashion in Flux, Top Rogue
SL: What inspires and motivates you to keep blogging?
LTH: Seeing what other bloggers can achieve and do is always really inspiring to me!
SL: I’ve found the blogging community to be one of the most supportive I’ve ever come across. Have you made any lifelong friends through blogging – or has it brought up any opportunities that you wouldn’t have previously had?
LTH: I completely agree. I am yet to meet an unfriendly blogger! I haven’t made any ‘life long’ friends as of yet, but I have met some really lovely and inspiring people and hopefully will be able to get to know a lot of them better when I move to London next month!
SL: For me, I sometimes feel like blogging is a 24/7 job (although never a chore). Do you agree/disagree with this and do you have anything to add to how time consuming blogging is for you?
LTH: I agree, it takes a lot of work but if blogging could be my full time job then I would not complain at all! It’s a hard working hobby but I love every minute of it.
SL: How do you find the balance between maintaining a job/being a student, your social life and blogging?
LTH: Maintaining the balance at the moment is pretty doable, I just try to manage my time well and, as I mentioned before, keep my camera with me to always be ready for outfit shots. I imagine when I start uni and have a lot of work to do it will become a bit more difficult, but I will always try to keep my blog as up to date as possible.
SL: What are your top 5 beauty products that you simply cannot live without?
LTH: I’m not actually that much of a cosmetic clever clogs to be honest. But I do have my favourites! They are Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Johnsons face wipes (literally my life saver), Revlon photo ready foundation, Aussie shampoos & conditioners and Palmers SPF coco butter lip balm.
SL: When you’re not blogging, what can people find you doing?
LTH: Shopping, eating out or curled up watching breaking bad haha.
SL: What would your advice be to any aspiring fashion bloggers?
LTH: Hard work DOES pay off!
SL: Is blogging/writing/photography relevant to what you want to do career-wise? Or would you ever consider blogging as a career path?
LTH: Yes – exactly haha! I’m about to start my degree at LCF for Fashion Journalism, so it’s perfect really for what I want to do.
SL: Where do you see yourself and your blog in five years time?
LTH: Ideally- either blogging full time or free-lancing for magazines and writing my blog on the side.