I’ve road tested thigh high boots so you don’t have to!

See my review right here+ 

Hey all! The day is here! The day of the new beautiful blog!! The only downside is… How am I going to bring you all along for the ride when there isn’t a send to email option?

Don’t panic yet! I’m still working on it! But guys…. there is a new subscribe option over on www.therealjlow.com so you can receive my monthly roundup!! Of course I’m going to keep up dating my social media and even pop back here while we still in limbo!

But I am so excited to share all the new things happening on the blog there is lots of fashion posts like above ^ – lots and lots of reviews, we even have health and beauty, wellness, music and shopping posts! Also, if you want to read more of my life and work based posts I’m also over on Medium!

I’m not just back a little bit guys, I’m back full force and I couldn’t be happier! Speak soon!

Jess x

 

 

5 years later and I still have an unsuccessful blog?

Before you worry, this isn’t a pity piece, in fact its a piece on resilience and rebellion in a world who thinks we should always succeed, even if we are actually just doing it for the love of it instead!

I’m trying a lot of things at the moment, including getting the new site prettified and functioning. For all of you to keep an eye out for, Josh as he helped me put this together has also I realised, started writing the word cheese all over the place. To him, humorous but for me? I just know I’m going to miss a few and one day, one of you will spot one and think… huh? But at least we are now all in on the joke. My husband is a cheese addict and he likes to leave that mark all over the place.

So in the meantime I’ve been a little loathed to fill this particular blog with content before we make our move to the new shiny site! With that in mind I’ve started posting a few things on Medium to keep my game up, my eye in and give us some place to go when we need a little realjlow! So this week I’ve written about having an unsuccessful blog. Its been five years now and I know, I am certainly no Zoella!

However, it hasn’t stopped me and somehow I am still here so if you want to read more about my journey you can! Right here: I’ve blogged for five years and I’m still failing. Before you worry, this isn’t a pity piece, in fact its a piece on resilience and rebellion in a world who thinks we should always succeed, even if we are actually just doing it for the love of it instead!

I promise guys the blog will be normal again soon! Until then have a fantastic week and remember you can always leave comments or come chat to me, here or on social media!

Insta – catch up.

What better a way to catch up than over Instagram?

I have a deep, love-hate relationship with Instagram. When I first caught the insta-bug I loved how real the photos were, I loved following my favourite bloggers even if it was just what they bought from target, or a good old fashioned fitting room outfit post, those are the posts I think we all love.

The downside however, is once one person has a picture-perfect Instagram its kind of hard to swim against the tide. My own is sketchy at best but its also greatly helpful for us catching up again after so long!

Lined up once this site is all polished are plenty of travel posts (I may have finally mastered hot weather packing – from trips to Italy & Malta). Along with that, this summer we’ve been experimenting with our garden – from being black fingered to green there are plenty of vegetables that we have somehow grown!

If anything, the last few months have been about living primarily. Without a constant stream of blog content to write I’ve been able to spend more time reflecting and taking the time to actually live in my outfits rather than just recording them!

Its made me think long and hard about content beyond a stereotype flat-lay and about the brands behind the lifestyles we want (brand spotlights) to how clothing has the potential to change how we feel, or create an identity for ourselves! I’ve also read more on closet building, thought more on my spending habits and even how I can be a better consumer in the face of fast fashion.

I think the key to living out of an instagram account is finding what truly matters and giving yourself space to build a true persona, rather than a public face and its this type of content you will get to see on the new, re vamped blog – less contrived and a lot more real!

Until then there is still plenty to see on Instagram and catch up on the last few months before we dive head first into the new! Now if only I could have a well formulated Instagram, that would be great! Anyone have any tips?

therealjlow is back!

If I had kept count, this is possibly the hundredth, thousandth time of writing this post. I’d written it over and over, and over again until I finally had the one, all neatly tied up on my IPhone. The only problem? I traded it in this weekend – sans iCloud backup.

So now I have a fancy phone but minus this post.

Starting again, here it is, the final version. (I hope)

Why I’m here after so long is to give you an in-email heads up. therealjlow, its coming back.

Finally!

When I left in May a lot of things changed, but as the months moved I still wanted this space. The only issue was, did I want this space in the same way or did I want to make a change?

I decided that a change, ultimately was the best option.

The site as we know it, is about to change. I’ve somehow coerced Josh into helping me make the switch but fingers crossed in a few weeks time the site will be back ( a little revamped possibly) and with its very own domain!

On the other other side I have no idea how much of the existing site is going to come over and whether the email function will stay or not – so while I can I want to make this super simple.

Heres our new domain: www.therealjlow.com (don’t be alarmed – there is nothing there yet!)

If thats not enough for you this is my Insta (lots of travel pics at the moment!) @therealjlow & my twitter handle, @JessicaAbigailL.

So if its too quiet and you think I should have posted something by now, maybe I have and it just hasn’t made it to your inbox – If that is the case keep an eye on twitter – where as normal I will announce every new post swinging your way! (Perhaps multiple times)

In terms of whats going to be appearing on the new site moving forward, the content is going to be a little different and all at once, the same. In essence the site is growing up, moving away from too many simple outfit posts I want this space to encompass more. What that looks like eventually is uncertain, but be certain of something“therealjlow” is back and its going to be good!

Drop me a line if there is anything you want to see!

Speak soon,

Jess

Fashion | How to Wear a Culottes Jumpsuit

Cardigan: New Look, Culottes Jumpsuit: Gap, Crab Bag: Zara (last Season), Lace Up Flats: New Look (Last year)

The first culotte jumpsuit I saw this year was actually in Anthropologie by a brand called, Saturday/Sunday. Its a brand that I love anyway (my jersey jacket is from there) and this jumpsuit was in the prettiest powder pink. I looked at that and knew instantly that this is the kind of look I want for this Spring and Summer.

Its quite an odd one in terms of style. Ideally you need to be willing to wear heels depending on where the end of the trouser portion ends. In the case of this pair with the wide flare it works far better with a heel but failing that a flat with an up the ankle tie works just as well.

You have to be able to balance your outfit and thats really the key difference between an outfit that works and one that doesn’t. For me I actually have a longer torso than my legs so high rise jeans (although a shining beacon to my stomach – which is never good) paired with a shame tuck is far more flattering than a low rise pair and a longer T-shirt.

In the case of culottes you are balancing out the shorter, wider bottom portion of your outfit and often the best bet is to make the top half as streamlined as possible. This particular pair are great because they tie up in the middle but you can always add a chunky belt to pull that part of the outfit in.

For me however, I need a little of that draped fabric on top, mainly because I’m also big busted so for me I’m just balancing out either end of my body so culottes on me don’t even really need the balancing act!

Still, that being said I have to still keep the bulky layers to a minimum to avoid looking too chunky overall. This soft, lightweight cardi is ideal, although out of stock now, something similar is always a must have for your wardrobe and its so wearable! Now if only we could cure bobbling, we’d be laughing!

 

Gymwear & wellness | How our workouts have progressed…

Top: Next, Bomber Jacket: Next (old) Leggings: Gap, Trainers: New Balance: (Old)

Our exercise journey so far…

Starting a new regime can be quite the adjustment. For us, we went from sitting on the couch and eating terribly to working out every other day, eliminating most sugar and bad foods from our diets and being more conscientious in our day to day decisions.

In a short period of time we have seen a range of changes in our life, from wellness to the beginning of fitness its been an interesting adventure….

Sugar – time to break up?

The most interesting thing has been to see the way our energy levels have been ruined by an over dependance on sugar.

On the days that we go back to bad eating habits (the dreaded cheat days) the day following is never as good, we lack energy and can find ourselves often lethargic. Honestly, the biggest change has been energy levels.

Energy

I honestly thought that I would spend most of my time yawning (A big concern pre joining was… we will be so tired! We won’t have any time!) honestly, that has not been the case. Even better nights at the gym have given me much more energy in the day time, I don’t even yawn as much! Joined up with losing that lethargic feeling my body has felt more peaceful, more aligned if you are into that type of thing.

I believe it must all come down to being more active as ultimately I’ve started giving my body its needs rather than what my brains wants.

What about those cravings?

Pre gym I decided to slowly give up sugar and minimise how much I ate. Was I successful? Not at all, in fact I was quite the opposite. During the days when we had been off of exercising (We managed to get a cold and two sick bugs within the first three weeks) I found it easier to eat badly. Also if we popped off the bandwagon for a weak moment (A night of drinking for example left us eating chips and pasta and the next day left us craving sugar with less resilience) we found it harder to be strong with our healthy eating. However, when we stuck to less food in general, no alcohol and fruit as our sugar source it was much easier and effortless to maintain. In fact perhaps the old adage is true, you don’t miss what you don’t have.

Lessons learnt so far?

• Always wipe down the gym equiptment
• Routinely wash your hands after a work out and use the hand sanitisers in the gym throughout your workout
• Don’t buy bad foods and you won’t eat them
• Throw out any bad snack foods that are in the house
• Make sure you have lots of healthy snacks on hand

Whats next?

Honestly whats next is to keep going… You can’t see much change in my body in the photos above but thats another story for another day but I certainly see much change in my mind and myself internally.

Exercising and being dedicated to a slow building programme has been really beneficial to our mental health. Its made us feel so much better about ourselves and even better, its manageable and addictive. That sports high is something I had completely forgotten that I was in love with. Honestly with the repeat injuries I thought I just couldn’t exercise but in reality its just that I needed to find another way to exercise, to reach those highs.

From here it is onwards and upwards! We are increasing our weights, our reps and are continuing to push forward to achieve our healthier living goals. We know its not a quick fix but honestly we feel so much better just showing up, it wouldn’t be possible to stop.

When and why I bought new summer Gap basics …

As we all know I’m rarely short on basics and loungewear. In fact right now I’m also not even close to being short on sportswear either so why purchase two more new basics? Is this a shopping addicts cry for help?

What’s been the most interesting regarding undertaking capsule wardrobes in order to find my own personal style is sometimes not quite believing what you find.

If I get straight down to honesty as much I can talk about needing a great pair of jeans, or a structured dress my true happiness lies in soft cotton pieces that drape around me like the secret hippy I am.

I love soft brushes cotton, I love pieces that cling and fall and never strangle my insides and that’s why this year I picked up two new ‘basics’ because however basic they may be to you, to me they are an essential staple of my own personal style. 2017 is the year of fashion honesty as well it seems.

The culottes jumpsuit

A potentially controversial piece, when I first saw the blue version of this in GAP and my true style desire this uber soft pink one from Saturday/Sunday at Anthropologie I fell in love so quick and deep I knew that this was going to be the look for me this SS.

Before Christmas I actually purchased a similarly shaped number from the Next Sale, a loose blue beach pullover version I couldn’t have been happier with the shape on me. The tied up waist to give me much needed definition, the leg length I could work with flats, sand wedges and heels. I also love the ability to accessorise with a thicker plaited leather belt and a short in the waist structured jacket like this one+

100% Annie hall meets Indian jones but lets be honest I’m totally on board for that.

The casual jersey dress

There was a bit of a toss up when it came to this number in fact. One that I’m sure I’ll rectify with the next money off voucher whether to have this dress with the longer sleeves and v neck or to have it’s tied up sister in an almost navy blue. I ended up choosing this particular one for several reasons.

Firstly I love a good v neck it works perfectly on my body shape breaking up my heaviest area. 

Another plus is this came in tall, ensuring that yes this midi dress will be a midi dress on me! I’m also a massive fan of this baseball shirt hem … I’m looking forward to polishing this up with a jersey blazer and ballet flats and making it more casual with sandals perhaps in a great pair of leather wrap ones … on the weekend I can pop on a baseball cap, tie my chambray shirt around my waist with flat trainers for errands and coffee (tea) runs.

If I’m honest for my first two (besides sandals) purchases for SS I’m so pleased with them both. They add something insanely wearable and realistic to an otherwise daydreaming set of left overs from last year! 

When it comes to your basics be it t shirts and jeans or casual dresses or shorts and shirts what’s your go to basic every year?

Fashion | What to wear on a rainy Spring day…

The one thing I particularly hate dressing for whether it is Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer is rain. Whether its cold outside (slightly easier) or hot (nightmare) being able to layer successfully, keep dry and look alright when you get to your destination can be a complete nightmare.

Now, honestly I spend more time researching this on blogs and Pinterest to say that I have found the ultimate solution, but I have at least found this one, Jeggings, a linen tunic (although whose to say I won’t wear it as a dress) a denim shirt and for more layers flat trainers/or waterproof boots and a lightweight jacket (I love either the khaki mac or a bomber jacket.) As when we took these photos it wasn’t raining (although it was supposed to) I also added this plush faux fur scarf from Zara last year, it adds quite a bit of bulk to my frame but I love it for feeling snuggled without getting too hot either.

All in all this outfit has been ideal recently as the weather gets warmer and we approach spring I think this might just be the way to go, light, airy layers all of which dry off quick!

Spring and Summer Fashion | Building Your Wardrobe around your LIFE, Activewear

Last week we kicked off SS17 with thoughts about building a wardrobe which works with the life we have as opposed to the one we see in magazines in blogs.

It’s been a turnaround year for me planning wise, but one which has ultimately helped me greatly. That actually, if I plan for the life I actually lead and intend to lead then perhaps I won’t spend hours just staring at my clothes but actually wearing them!

If we rewind back to my original capsule year I really worked on building my dream wardrobe and not just any dream wardrobe but one that would actually work with my lifestyle. While we bought a house, planned and executed a wedding however, I forgot the fundamentals of this practice, to plan, to develop and to keep my life in mind.

This week I want us to focus on “What’s needed to undertake all the tasks I do every day…”. Firstly a recap on the places I go every day,

–          Work (Smart/Casual Office)

–          Potential Meetings/on site/showcases

–          Drinks/dinner out

–          The Gym

–          Casual Weekend Wear

With that out of the way what does this lifestyle dictate? Well several things, I don’t need loads of pairs of heels, black tie clothing or anything over the top fancy. I do however note that I am looking for more timeless pieces, by fall this year I’m going to be 27 which is putting quite a few things in perspective (more on that in another post). For fashion I want to continue focusing on buying less but more quality items and on being realistic and considered with my money.

Quite frankly what I need to do is plan!

Lets start with the easy stuff, The Gym. Myself and Josh aim to go (every other week at the moment we seem to get ill but hopefully by summer we won’t get so interrupted!) every other day (roughly) So that is either four or three times a week.

I have read a lot about how when you start you have clean work out gear each day but how often that can fall to the wayside, however saying that, lets pretend I wear something clean everytime this is what I need.

Four pairs of bottoms & four tops and one pair of trainers, that’s it. Nine pieces!

Now because I also go swimming that will actually push that number up to a 13 pieces (2 x two pieces)

2 x full length Gap Gfit leggings

1 x 3/4 length Gap Gfit leggings

1 x Primark 3/4 leggings

Brie Bella “Bree Mode” T shirt

Next, boyfriend Fit active top

H&M grey muscle T

Adidas Purple tank

Nike Vomero 12’s

New Balance (basic Trainers)

Big Feet? Why you should buy your sandals now…

(Clarks Sandals Left+ Right+)

The sad fact of the matter is, if you are rocking size nine feet or larger, now is probably the first and last time you are going to be able to secure your summer sandals. Especially if you have a desire for flat, practical shoes.

In the autumn and winter you needn’t worry as quickly but in terms of the summer months? You have to make a plan and get your shoes tied down and fast.

If you think I’m joking I received my first pair in the mail last month (These cheap-ish flats from Clarks+ – I have sent these back, being as they are too flat for my feet) and after having decided they were not for me I found a further two pairs to send to my Mum and Nanna for inspection. My mum fell in love with the heavier soled pair pair whilst my nanna preferred the others and also informed me that she had bought hers two weeks prior!

See? It pays to get them in early, but why? because last year I didn’t get any, frankly because there were none! It seems that the unfortunate truth for any of us with difficult feet or bigger or smaller feet means far less choice, but seemingly no less demand. Therefore however much I wanted to wait them out for the next sale it just couldn’t be on the cards, although I may be keeping an eye on this pair+ just in case.

If you want to know about the two pairs I will more than likely review them later in the year. Upon first wearing they are both nicely cushioned and comfortable although even in the wide fittings they probably won’t be enough for anyone with very wide feet.

Fashion | The pink velvet midi skirt

Firstly one photo? Yes… one photo. When we took this photo it was just before it chucked down with rain and it was also freezing… I don’t believe my face does justice to how cold it was!

On the other side I’ve also been really struggling with blog photos of late. As we continue on our gym journey I’m really feeling and seeing a discrepancy between my body and how i feel inside, thats most likely a post for another day, but it does explain the lack of photos on this post.

I have been in love with midi skirts for a while now and while I have a gingham one for the summer months, when I saw this pink velvet number on sale in Anthropologie I knew it would be a worthwhile wardrobe investment for evening wear and the colder, winter months.

Although I wouldn’t say it photographs perfectly, in real life it is quite lovely! (Also I probably wouldn’t suggest the crazy thick jumper I’m pairing with it either – unless like me you were freezing, even under sherling!) For a night out a pair it with a thinner black top and blazer, this would streamline the look or for something more relaxed a simple white t shirt can never be forgotten! If I remember correctly I also got this on uber sale, reduced from £98.00 to only £29.99… bargain or what?

In which a gymphobe tells you to, just do it!

“Well I’m excited to wear my new leggings….Even though I just took the tags off and they are grey… sweat patches be damned.”

(A thought from one of my first sessions…)

My decided meaning for the Nike slogan, “just do it” occurred to me on a very busy Saturday in Oxford Circus, London. 

Having gotten over my initial – “I do not belong in a sport-shop, period.” fears, I had just asked the kind salesman in Nike for a pair of men’s, *gasp* vomero 12’s in their bright blue and I was feeling unnaturally chipper and upbeat.

The thing is, I’ve been doing a lot of conquering of my fitness fears of late. 

Breaking free from the 11 year old, secondary school fear of exercise god, at 26 I had finally started beating away the, too big for exercise demons I seem to have picked up somewhere along the line of mandatory leotard wearing at age 14. And now, finally 15 years later I have finally started understanding the Monika, “just do it”. 

The fact that the unfit don’t just get struck down by giant chocolate lightening bolts the moment we enter the gym is a god send and although I have to wear men’s trainers, there are somehow running shoes for six foot tall, accident prone women who apparently have a thing for neon blue.

Just do it of course, is the key. You want to loose weight? Then just do it! Want to lift weights until you look like John Cena? Then just do it! 

Need to ask the all too attractive men in Nike about trainers for post- stress fractures and broken ankles then just do it! Own it! And one day soon you might feel even braver! 

I realise I’ve just played into a simple marketing slogan but at this point I don’t care. I’m a gym-adrenaline junkie and I know it. I want to lift weights like the scary men in the free weights section, get arms and abs like The Bella Twins and you know how that’s gonna happen? 

Because I’m just gonna do it.

*have you got gym/workout fears, or just starting a new workout? Let me know below I want to hear all about your exercising adventures! (& Cheerlead too because I’m going all out!)