Oh, Hello Again!

Well. I haven't been posting anything for the last couple months just because I fell out of motivation. I'm not sure what exactly happened - I just stopped logging in to write and I stopped planning dates for photography. It sounds a bit depressing but I promise, it's not!

I didn't know what to write about and I didn't really have much to share photo-wise. However, I've decided to start up again with a completely new design which will hopefully make me feel a little bit more enthusiastic about starting up.

I don't know what's to come in the next couple months for me and blogging but I definitely want to do something because I really do enjoy it. Please bear with me while I work on new posts and finishing up my design work! I hope there's lots to come in the next couple months.

UMI Waldorf Astoria

My #OOTN (outfit of the night) was a pair of black jeggings (don't judge me, they're comfortable as eff.), a cropped stripy top, an old vintage denim jacket, block shoes from ASOS and finally a canvas bag. It may be a little more on the casual side of things for a fine dining restaurant but I wasn't feeling anything formal for the night.

There are times when I like to plan. And then there are times where I like being spontaneous and this was one of those times. My mum, two aunts and I went off to Waldorf Astoria in Ras Al Khaimah and ate at the Japanese restaurant called UMI. I had eaten there once or twice before so this was my third time and the food and entire atmosphere was completely the same as the previous times, calm and pleasant ambience. 

I did spoil my food experience a bit because I did have a Quarter Pounder at McDonalds' before getting to the restaurant XD! But, wow! It was absolutely amazing - the meat and the sauce was really good. I do recommend giving it a try if you ever find yourself in the area.

ASOS Spring 2015 Wardrobe Essentials

1. Button Front Skirt

2. Heeled Sandals

3. Navy Patterned Jumpsuit

4. Ribbed Short in Stripe Co-ord

5. Off-the-shoulder top

6. Oversized Shirt

Hi lovelies! Today, I'm here posting a 'Spring Wardrobe Essentials' which is basically a compilation of items I really want for Spring 2015. I think Spring is the one of the best times of the years for fashion.

Some of my most favourite Spring time clothing items are definitely floral patterns. Although there isn't lots of floral, there are some touches which I really like. I've also been totally into stripes. I've been unconsciously buying striped clothing and I'm not going to stop because I am really loving the trend.

Interview with Cat from Through A Cat's Eyes

1. Hi Cat, welcome to Iridescent Noire! Can you introduce yourself and your blog for those who haven't heard of you before?

Hello and thank you for having me! I'm Cat; a 17 year-old Scottish blogger, with a slight book-hoarding problem and a real love for 90s boybands and chai lattes. My blog, Through A Cat's Eyes, is my pride and joy.

2. Starting off with a really basic question, when and why did you start blogging? Also, how did you first get into lifestyle blogging? Were you introduced to it? Did you find it by chance?

I started blogging in August 2007. I've had the same blog for the full time and haven't taken any long breaks or hiatuses, but there's been a name-change and I've deleted the old posts (they were really embarrassing...). I got into blogging through my friend Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf. We became friends in 2007 through her blog and I started blogging pretty soon after because she inspired me to give it a go myself. I haven't looked back since!

3. This question is a little random but I'm struggling with finding some really good facial cleansing products, do you recommend any that you use?

The one I've been using recently is Soap & Glory's 'Peaches & Clean' face wash and I really love it. I'm on my second bottle which is quite unusual for me so I guess it must be good! I'd also recommend Garnier's micellar water for a basic, all-round makeup remover and light cleanser.

4. Where do you find inspiration to write blog posts?

Usually conversations I have with friends. For example, I had a conversation with my friend, David, in my friend's kitchen at a house party recently about how we don't have any real problems, as we're living in a first-world country and we're white (typical slightly-drunk conversations...not). It got me thinking about perspective and has inspired me to write a post about it (maybe coming up soon!).

5. How do you actually find time to blog? Basically, I'm just wondering how to balance it out with school, work, etc.

In all honesty, I struggle. I'm in my final year of school and only have 5 official school days left before I stop forever - scary stuff! Uni will undoubtedly make blogging difficult but I've been doing it for long enough to get a good balance and be quite good with my time management. I tend to just blog when inspiration hits and set some time aside for blogging to take a break from school-work. It's all about balance and priorities which really just comes with time.

6. How did you come up with your blog name?

My name's Catriona but friends and family call me Cat. Aaaand, I've always kind of wondered what life looks like to a cat, so my blog name has a bit of a double-meaning.

Follow & Friend

My name's Catriona. I'm 17, Scottish and a complete dork who's bedroom is gradually transforming into a library. I spend a lot of time day-dreaming about pretty things.

- Taken from the blog's ABOUT page

Twitter | Blog | Pinterest

Denim in the Desert

Denim is the definition of Spring

I think I can safely say that Spring is here. I definitely think essentials for Spring include flower crowns, oversized denim jackets and pleats. I don't know why but whenever I think of Spring, I see floral patterns and denim...  Anyway, there isn't much to say about this outfit but, yeah. I hope you enjoy it, do leave a comment below with any thoughts :)

What are your Spring wardrobe essentials?

Scandinavian Home Decor Inspiration

Hi everyone! Being the obsessive internet human I am, I been prowling through the world of We Heart It, Tumblr and Pinterest looking for awesome scandinavian home decor and I am totally in love with the fresh clean colours along with the I-want-to-say rustic style to it. I decided it would be a good idea to share some of the inspiration and pictures I found with you.

What do you think about the scandinavian home decor trend that's been happening?

Be sure to follow Iridescent Noire on

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin

6 Things to Think About When Designing Your Blog

I design blogs, incase you didn't know and I've been doing it for nearly two years now and I've picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. I want this (a tips and tricks guide for blogging) to become a regular feature on the blog so this if you please, can be the start of a new feature on Iridescent Noire.

Disclaimer

Please not that these are my personal opinions and not anything more. I am not a professional design though I have been doing some design work and coding for the last two years so I like to think I know something about it.

1. Less is More

When I design blogs, I tend to think less is more. Don't overdo the CSS, ditch the shadows and go for Flat UI for a more modern feel. Simplicity is key.

2. Colouring

This follows on with the last thing I mentioned: 'Less is more'. I always like to have a good colour scheme before starting any design work. I generally like using whites, blacks and an accent colour. You do not need to follow the same as how I am doing it but I recommend simple colours instead of those that will burn your eyes like acid green or something!

I recommend a white background with dark grey text. The reason that I recommend dark grey (#333333) instead of black is because dark grey is a lot easier on the eyes than a pure black (#000000).

3. Is Your Blog Easy To Navigate Through?

On a blog or website, navigation is so, so important. Have a look through your site and check if you can easily go through and find all your blog topics (fashion, food, style, etc) and find all your pages easily (about, contact, any policies you may have, etc).

People will generally skim through your blog and if they don't find your navigation with 2-3 seconds, they probably will not bother with it anymore.

4. Is Your Blog Cluttered?

Can you see a lot of things in your sidebar that aren't absolutely needed? It's a huge design pet peeve of mine when I see a cluttered blog. Remove anything on your sidebar, footer, etc that you don't need. Here are some of the things that I think are important for your sidebar:

• Search
• Email subscription
• Hello/Welcome text
• Social media icons
• Archives

5. fonts, Fonts, FONTS!

Fonts are really important. Choose 2-3 fonts to use on your blog and no more than that. Think about your overall blog design, is it clean? Is it super minimalistic? Is it vintage? Is it colourful and playful or is it girly? Once you have that, the rest is easy. I would go for thin uppercase fonts for minimalistic and maybe cursive, fun fonts for colourful and playful such as Pacifico.

Go for one main font and one secondary font and one body font (the font you're writing in for posts and things).

*Edit

6. Is Your Logo (overall design) memorable?*

I think it's very, very important to have a memorable design. You don't want people forgetting your logo do you? Go for something that you think looks bold but still your style... Maybe do something different and will stand out from everyone else's blogs. You could show the design to a friend or family member and ask their thoughts as they might catch something that you don't.

---

So there you go! I hope that was helpful if you were doing some design work on your blog or website. Feel free to ask any questions about this topic in the comments as I will most likely have the answer.

Be sure to follow Iridescent Noire on 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Sunset Blues

Hello & Welcome to Iridescent Noire

hello

Hi there! I'm Rikki T. and I'm a newbie fashion blogger who has just started iridescent noire because I wanted to have a place where I could talk about fashion and style. I've been interested in fashion for as long as I can remember and so I wanted to start something that 1) I enjoy and 2) give me a gateway into the fashion industry which I want to work in in the future.

I really don't know what to talk about in this first post because it's a little weird to do it for the first time (properly). And by properly I mean that there were many trial and errors in the past so I hope this one goes well ;)

I'm hoping to have a schedule of posting three to four times a week which is a little hard to handle at first but it should be alright.

So, I do hope you enjoy reading my blog and stay tuned for more posts in the future :)