Vanessa

My Biggest Mistake, Graham Hopgood

Posted on by Vanessa

MY BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS….

As a brash 16 year old with a fierce independent streak, I decided enough was enough – and I quit college just a month into my A levels. I didn’t have a plan or a job.
This was the start of 4 or 5 years of trying random, mostly depressingly dull jobs in and around my hometown. But luckily, at 21, I managed to get a huge break, a friend of mine helped me apply for a job at a charity in London. Alongside being a new father, it started a huge change in my perspective on life. I was working in a small team doing awesome, innovative work in some of the most amazing, interesting places in the UK. I was fortunate to land in an organisation where I could “grow up” in a work-sense; learning tons of new skills and getting the chance to find out what I actually enjoy and find rewarding.

But it was only then that it really sunk in that I had probably made a mistake. I realised I loved learning. I absolutely craved it both at work and at home – so much so, that I started a degree on the Open University (which I’ve now almost finished). And I’ve just moved jobs to something totally different so I can start learning again.

WHAT I LEARNED WAS…..

 

Two things. Firstly, your success defines you – but your mistakes make you who you are. Has my mistake held me back – yes, probably, as there are unfortunately many doors closed still to non-graduates. But I’ve found, through my own experience as well as working in recruitment, that people tend to naturally focus on success and hard-work rather than failures or set-backs.
Secondly, to borrow a couple of lines from Macbeth – “what’s done, is done” and more importantly “what’s done, cannot be undone”. Looking back, my life sometimes seems like one long line of poor decisions and bad luck, but I just can’t dwell on the past for too long. I’m just thankful that things have worked out rather well, and I’m certain that having a positive, forward-thinking attitude has helped that.

Graham Hopgood, Data Manager, vInspired

Get involved in our conversation on Twitter using the tag #careermistakes

What have been some of your mistakes and lessons learned?

@girlstalklondon

Christmas Party Make-up Looks

Posted on by Vanessa

It’s that time of the year when makeup is essential. This is the season of gathering with family and friends to celebrate, and acknowledge what xmas is all about , however, It’s also a time to push the boundaries and experiment with new makeup looks at all the Christmas parties.

Skin Prep: A good cleanser and quality moisturiser accompanied with a face primer will allow your makeup to last. Remember to remove your makeup, wash and tone to avoid any blocked pores which will lead to spots!

Metallics: At this time of year you can go all out with ‘Metallics’, ‘Sparkles’ and my favourite ‘Glitter’, these are suddenly acceptable during the day as well as night.

FF lipgloss

Lips: Lip gloss has made a welcomed return for autumn/ winter and definitely the xmas period. Check out Fashion Fair’s Lip Teasers. These teasers are Fashion Fair’s top selling product especially in bold Chocolate Rasberry, Tickled Pink and Sensuous Pink, each with a hint of sparkle. So easy to apply with the small applicator brush, this stuff is seriously good!

eye gloss

Eyes: As seen at the shows this year the high shine eye gloss look made an appearance, and it looked amazing however, this is a tricky and sticky one and therefore ideal to take for a test run over xmas. To obtain seriously chic, gleaming lids try MAC Studio Eye Glosses.

glitter eye

Glitter: I absolutely adore glitter eyeshadow, but let’s be honest glitter can be a real pain to apply as it gets everywhere, and doesn’t stay. Try applying the glitter eyeshadow over a cream base. Hold/ press the brush, it must be a flat shadow brush against your eyelid, and using gentle pressure press the glitter into the cream shadow. Repeat this over your eyelid several times until glitter is set. There’s also glitter glue from Mehron, and quite frankly this is great. No mess, no fuss and no shift.

mac studio scuplt

Eyelashes: If you want your eyes to really ‘pop’ for a xmas or New Years Eve party, why not try a set of false eyelashes. First curl your lashes with an eyelash curler and apply the false lashes. Next apply 2 coats of your favourite mascara, making sure to coat the lanes properly at the root. Allow the mascara to dry, and if you want addition depth apply another coat. Then hold the mascara wand vertically and coat each bottom lash. The result is stunning! why not try lashes from Prima Lash together with Mac Studio Sculpt Mascara for  winning combination.

Denise Campbell
Follow Denise on Twitter here: @BeautyanBeats

5 ways to save money on Christmas Shopping

Posted on by Vanessa

This year Brits are planning to spend an average of £1,490 each celebrating Christmas on everything from turkey and toys to festive markets and even home improvements.

Here’s 5 simple ways you can ease the financial burden this Christmas by saving money on your Christmas shopping.

1. Make a budget and stick to it – It’s important to keep track of your festive spending so make sure you set yourself a budget. Write a list of the number of presents you intend to buy and for whom, so you can work out the right amount of money to set aside and spread the cost over the next few weeks. Also if you’re hosting this year, don’t be shy to ask guest to bring along a dish or two.

2. Make the most of reward and loyalty points – If you’ve been building up rewards points from various retailers throughout the year what better time to put them to good use? Also don’t forget to collect points while you are shopping because places like Boots and Sainsbury double their points around Christmas.

3. Book your travel early – Book your tickets early to take advantage of cheaper deals and sign up to alerts from travel companies on your phone, email and social media. Britons will be spending an average of £96 each on travel visiting friends and family over the festive period and this cost can quickly escalate by not booking ferry crossings, bus, plane or train tickets in advance.

4. Beware of returns policy – Make sure you’re aware of the returns policy with all the Christmas presents you buy, especially electrical goods. Also don’t be conned into buying additional warranties and guarantees at the checkout that you don’t actually need.

5. Keep an eye out for a bargain – Use online discount sites to search for any deals. Websites like MoneyMagpie.com and vouchercodes.com promote new offers every week. Also make sure the deal is something you’re actually looking for though; don’t be tempted into buying something just because it has a reduced price.

Kamal Khurana
Follow Kamal on Twitter:@kkmpx

My Biggest Mistake: Lydia, Recruitment Consultant

Posted on by Vanessa

We bring you another great lesson learned in our My Biggest Mistake series and this month we are partnering with What Could I Be? who publish products for 12-15 year olds to bring you some stories from a variety of people who have made lots of mistakes in their careers and want to share their experiences.

This week Lydia shares her story……

MY BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS………..

Having received my first job offer from a recruitment company, the lure of flexible hours, plenty of pub visits and a sexy commission structure was too much for me to resist. I ignored my instincts on the security and validity of the company I was joining.The pay-off for all the flexible hours and pub visits was an expectation I’d hit targets straight away, and magically be a profitable employee.

But until that point I had recruited nothing more than my brother to make me the occasional strawberry milkshake…

Yes I failed miserably and was quickly shown the door.

So one haircut, new suit and a few interviews later, I received a REAL job offer. This time the job was with a company who showed me the ropes, supported and guided me to become their trophy winning top biller within my first 3 months. My career was kick started and while I made lots of other mistakes along the way

WHAT I LEARNED WAS………….

• Trust your instincts
• Research your employer
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

You have to find and acquire knowledge and experience; it doesn’t appear with the job title!

Join our campaign on Twitter using the tag #careermistakes

Follow us on Twitter @GirlsTalkLondon

Follow What Could I be on Twitter @WCiBe @WCiBeYouth

 

Jenner Sisters Topshop Christmas Collection

Posted on by Vanessa

If you missed the opportunity to get your hands on Kendall and Kylie’s first Topshop collaboration collection, fear not as the sisters have joined forces once again with Topshop to release a Christmas collection for the lady all about class.

Kendall

Model Kendall has a minimalist style but always aims to indulge in a statement piece, whereas Kylie has a very edgy view on style and likes the dramatic dark side to fashion. Together the sisters have combined their two senses of flair and have released a rack of metallic minis, bomber jackets, the famous LBD and many more items to rock this festive season. The collection consists of 15 pieces full of elegant pieces, which came out on the 20th November.

Kendall 2

Kendall and Kylie

Kylie

To shop for this collection click here

Sade Johnson

Follow Sade on Twitter: @Sade__x

Lost your Mojo? Here is how to get her back

Posted on by Vanessa

I am someone who juggles a lot of balls really well with lots of energy and passion. I love being on the go and doing lots of exciting things with work and also in my spare time. However recently I experienced this sudden dip in energy. I have been feeling very low, exhausted and I just can’t be bothered to do any work or even get out of bed at the weekends. That buzz that I have when I meet a new person and the rush to send them an email to connect? Gone. That excitement to write a post for this website? Gone. The energy to write proposal after proposal to take Girls Talk London forward? Gone.

Ladies, I have lost my Mojo. For those who don’t know what a Mojo is- it is basically your spirit, energy, passion the force that makes you the fab girl boss you always are. Losing your Mojo is quite common around this time of the year as it draws to a close and the flu/bug season takes people under with the end of year fatigue.

But we still have just under 2 months to go until the end of the year so I have put together some tips that have helped me get back my Mojo. (She came back on Sunday 15th Nov at 6pm!) I hope they help you find yours!

  1. Speak to Friends

I recently spoke to a friend this weekend who was going through the same phase as me and we both moaned & let our feelings out but we also encouraged each other and came up with solutions about how we intend to get our Mojos back. It helps to share your feelings with other people whether it is a friend or trusted family member-don’t keep your feelings bottled in. Find someone whom you know always looks on the bright side of life and they will surely give you some words of encouragement to give you that motivation to keep going and to also remind you of how wonderful and kick ass you are!

  1. Get inspired

So last week as I went on my mission to seek my Mojo, I went to some events where I met some like-minded women as well as some pretty inspirational women. I heard two talks from two women who run multi-million pound businesses. They described their journey and the highs and lows. Hearing their stories made me realise that on my journey there is a light at the end of the tunnel and they are living proof that all this hard work is not for nothing. It was just awesome being in their presence as their energy was infectious! Try going to hear someone you admire give a talk, read an inspiring autobiography, watch some inspirational interviews and talks on YouTube or take a quick look on Instagram for some motivational pictures via the hashtags #inspiration #motivation #success #faith #inspiredaily

  1. Exercise

You may not feel like it but exercise is great for getting out of a funk. If you can drag yourself out of bed-go for a run, walk or head down to the gym for a class or workout. It will help you gather your thoughts and clear your head. It will give you an energy and buzz. There is a great deal of research online that shows when you exercise, happiness endorphin’s are released. For tips on how to get motivated to exercise and it’s happiness effect check out this article on Fast Company

  1. Come off Social Media

It is like suicide to scroll through Facebook or Instagram when you are feeling at your worst! Watching all your friends have fun on a night out, perfect selfies or pictures of their happy and amazing life is just going to make you more upset and you will start to compare yourself which is bad news. Delete all the social media apps from your phone for a day or two to just give yourself a mental break. Sometimes the pressure of keeping up with all our friends can take energy out of us and distract us from what’s important.

  1. Sit in the funk, accept it, sleep it off and then move on

Sometimes it’s can do you good to actually acknowledge when you have gone a bit to the left and have a day to wallow around in your pyjamas and catch up on your favourite TV Shows over some pizza. Accept that you are feeling crappy, sit in the funk for a bit, sleep it off and then let it go and move on. When we dismiss our true feelings it can do more damage than good but do not sit in the funk for too long. A day max and then back to getting that MOJO back!

Vanessa Sanyauke 

Founder, Girls Talk London

Follow her on Twitter @vanessasanyauke

Why comparing yourself to others is a waste of time: https://www.girlstalklondon.com/why-comparing-yourself-is-a-waste-of-time-and-what-to-do-instead/

Does the quarter life crisis exist? https://www.girlstalklondon.com/does-the-quarter-life-crisis-really-exist/