Banana Butterfly Cupcake Recipe

Butterfly cupcakes have always been the best way to turn a standard cupcake into something special in my house ever since I was little. You still use the same ingredients as a normal cupcake, but rather than simply putting the icing on the top, you pop it in a hole in the middle and on top of that, place the butterfly wings - easy! These cakes look so sweet and are perfect for showing off your cake making skills whilst not actually putting in that much effort! This recipe is one I found that is exactly how my mum and I used to make them when I was about 5 so I can promise they'll turn out perfect! Plus, these are banana flavoured so makes you feel like you're not being too naughty, as you're just having one portion of fruit, right?

Click here to head to the recipe and make these little butterflies yourself.

Source

Shopcade Competition - Win a £150 Voucher!

Shopcade are back  to bring you yet another amazing giveaway on our blogger network! This time the prize is a £150 voucher and all you have to do is write up a blogpost to be entered!

Shopcade is a social shopping app where users discover, collect and share all the products they want and get alerts when the item becomes on deal. To go Back To School in style, we are running an exclusive blogger competition where one person could win £150 to spend at the Shopcade retailer of their choice! 

To enter, all you need to do is write a blogpost featuring a photo of your favourite Back To School outfit (it can be yours or a celebrity look), create a Shopcade list with similar products and embed it in your blogpost as a widget to help your readers get the look (http://www.shopcade.com/widget). Once your post is live, please send the link through the 'My Blog Posts' section and enter 'Shopcade Back To School comp' as the product name. For more information on creating a widget and embedding it on your blog for the competition, please click here.

The competition will end on Wednesday 11th September, so make sure you sign up and get your posts up ASAP! Good luck! :)

Celeb Style: Cara Delevingne

Everyone's favourite model of the moment Cara Delevingne, attended V Festival last weekend looking cool as ever. We all know her for her very relaxed and effortless style and at V she did nothing less. Pairing bold patterned harem style trousers, with a simple grey tee and leather jacket, she pulls off the festival look perfectly. To add to her chilled look, she wore a backwards snap back and what looks like black hi tops. Steal her style below from brands like Motel, Wildfox, Fashion Union and more.

Top / Boots / Trousers / Snap back / Glasses / Rucksack

What's your go to festival style? Do you play it cool like Cara or are you more of a flower power girl?

by Alex from Bambella Blog

Wednesday Wishlist: Cover-ups

As it's well past the longest day and the weather is getting cooler (along with the occasional spell of rain, boo!) it's time to start looking for something a little warmer to add to your wardrobes. I don't know about you, but I have a bit of an obsession with jackets and coats. I have way too many for my own good and yet never have one that goes! Below is a handful of some of my favorites, from classic styles to bold prints, there's something for everyone.

Top left / Top right / Middle / Bottom Left / Bottom Right

What kind of style are looking for this autumn? Will you go classic like the Glamorous blue coat, or something a little different such as the Motel bomber jacket? I know I'm particularly loving the black parka jacket from AX Paris as it's such an easy item to style and is both practical and on trend! Let me know what you're lusting over!

by Alex from Bambella Blog

Fashion Inspired Nails

It's so easy to find yourself either painting your nails the same colour, the same pattern or just not bothering when you run out of ideas. Recently I've seen people painting their nails in patterns inspired by items of clothing they own or see online. This is such a great idea, as not only does it allow endless inspiration, but also means you can match your nails to your outfit right down to the last detail! Below are a few examples of some amazing nail art that would look amazing with this handful of dresses, tops and shorts.

Spots: Top + Nails / Tartan: Dress + Nails / Blue glitter: Dress + Nails / Ombre: Dress + Nails / American flag: Shorts +  Nails / Stripes: Top + Nails

What do you think of being mega-matchy with your nails and clothes? And which are your favourite designs? I personally love the glittery blue design as, like nearly every other girl, I've always secretly wanted to be a mermaid!

by Alex from Bambella Blog

Win your favourite leather outfit from Lashes of London!

Which of the above outfits are your favourite? They've got us torn in the office! One of us wants the middle rust coloured combo whilst two others want the gorgeous black cut out dress on the left.

Either way, you could win one of the above in Lashes of London's latest Facebook competition. To enter simply click here. Good luck :)

Introducing In Love With Fashion

We've got some more exciting news for you all, In Love With Fashion are yet another brand to join the etailPR blogger network today!

In Love With Fashion, also known as LOVE or ILWF, is a family run fashion brand with a lot of heart. Fast fashion with a touch of LOVE, beautiful dresses, tops, knits and playsuits for any occasion in stunning prints and flattering shapes. Inlovewithfashion.com launched in the summer 2009 and there's been no looking back since. LOVE is a fashion favourite with celebrities as seen on an array of fashionistas including Fearne Cotton, Abby Clancy, Cher Lloyd, The Saturdays and many more. Catch them weekly in magazines such as LOOK, More and Now. They also have bloggers who shout loud and proud about their brand and review their products with honesty. 

Below is just a tiny selection of the pieces we're in love with right now:

From bold prints, to simple statement pieces, there's definitely something for everyone. I'm particularly loving these chunky black heels as they're a classic style that will go with nearly every outfit!

Benefits of working with In Love With Fashion:  "We work with bloggers from all over the world! We feature bloggers wearing LOVE on our website, FB page, newsletters, press publications. We offer a samples in exchange for a blogposts and continuous collaboration (depending on number of followers and performance). Unique discount codes, promotions and giveaways for blog readers. Banners of variable sizes. We do not mass produce our collection. Free worldwide shipping (terms and conditions apply) for your readers and £10 off their first order."

Apply:
To apply to work with LOVE you need to sign in to your account and click on the 'Campaigns' tab on the left hand side.

- Criteria for bloggers:  Established bloggers with over 500 followers, maintaining online platforms on their personal blog, Lookbook, Twitter, Facebook, Chictopia, etc. Fashion focus, good image. 

- Main rules for bloggers: maintain ILWF current banner on blog homepage. The images must be posted within 7 days of receiving the sample(s). Posts must contain links to ILWF home page or product category if applicable. Maintain current promotions as provided by ILWF. ILWF reserves the right to collect images and/or posts from our bloggers, and use bloggers photos on ILWF website, Facebook page, newsletters etc.

Things to remember:

- Please only apply to work with a brand if you meet the requirements detailed in their campaign description. 

- All bloggers need to ensure that as much information is entered into your 'Personal Details' section as possible - brands will use this information to approve or decline your application to their campaign.

- The brands have the final decision to approve or decline an application onto a campaign or a sample request.

- Bloggers may be declined due to the blogger/sample quota being met for that month, the blog may not suit the brand's style or the blog may not meet the brand's requirements among other reasons. 

The next steps:

If you're successfully approved onto a campaign then you will receive an email to let you know. Similarly, if you are declined you will also receive an email stating the brand's decision and reasoning.

Once approved, you are able to access the text links and banners for the brand. You are also able to see the brand under the 'Brand Samples' tab and request samples.

Please ensure that your address is correct before requesting a sample, the brand will send the item to the address listed in your profile! It is your responsibility to make sure that this is current and correct. 

If your sample request is accepted then you will need to post about the item within one week of receiving the item. It is essential that you use the tracking text link which can be found under 'Campaigns' > 'Banners and Links' > then filter the banners by brand to find the correct link. 

That should cover everything you need to know for now, there is more information in our FAQs and also on the home page of your Blogger Network account. If you need to get in touch with us please fill in the 'Contact Us' form on the left hand side of your Blogger Network account and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Zandra Rhodes exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London

British fashion has seen a number of great designers over the decades, but not many can boast they are still working on new collections. Alongside Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes is one of the few whose work now is still as relevant as it was when she first set up shop back in 1966.

It makes sense that the museum is hosting a retrospective of Zandra Rhoddes's work to mark its 10 anniversary. Zandra established the centre it back in 2003. And the whole building screams of Zandra's work.

The exhibition is a short but sweet retrospective on Zandra's work. No surprises, there's loads of pink. What else do you expect from the lady with the Barbie pink bob? But what you might not realise is how much work Zandra put into her designs.

Her work is known for its amazingly vivid colours and prints, but what about her incredibly intricate handbeading? The main room of the exhibition is made up of her stunning evening dresses, many with incredible sweeping cowl backs.

In a video at the start of the display, Zandra explains how she is influenced by her travels, and one look at her dresses show the influence of India and Morocco, from the cut and the flow of the designs patterns to the patterns made from thousands of tiny beads hand-sewn on to each garment. There's even a dress with a New York skyline.

It's amazing how eclectic Zandra's work is. In 1977 she released the Conceptual Chic collection, which drew on the punk culture that designers like Vivienne Westwood were making it their aim to popularise. Interestingly, this is considered to be one of the first times that sub-culture style had an influence on high fashion, something we still see on the catwalks to this day.

But fashion changes and Zandra sums it up best herself in a commentary on her catwalk show: "The trouble with fashion is you're only as good as each six months."                                                                                                                                                                                                           

And so, just one year later, her Painted Lady collection swings to the floaty chiffon and off the shoulder necklines you think of for 70s fashion. But these ones have a twist. At a distance her designs are covered in a delicate network of pretty prints, but up close the pearl details are chains held together by safety pins. Turns out she didn't stray too far from the punk influence after all.

Her most recent is still covered in amazing prints, but these are taken directly from her own sketchbook and printed onto material. These designs for Spring/Summer 2013 are simple designs of shifts and T-shirt dresses, but with works of art splashed across them with glorious graffiti inspired headwear to match. There can’t be many 72 year olds still working along the cutting edge of fashion.

Zandra Rhodes: Unseen runs until August 31^st. Why not pay a visit this Bank Holiday weekend?

by Kimberley at Kinsey's blog

Celeb Style: V Festival 2013

Clockwise from top left: Tulisa, Paloma Faith, Ellie Goulding, Lilah Parsons, Pixie Lott, Beyonce, Diana Vickers, Jourdan Dunn

V festival took place last weekend and what does a festival always bring? Plenty of festival fashion! Two looks particularly stood out to this year though because both Ellie Goulding and Diana Vickers were wearing our brands. Ellie Goulding arrived in Lashes of London's Phlox cropped tee (which you can buy here), and Diana rocked the stage in a graphic print two piece from Motel. 

The main highlight of the weekend for us though was Beyonce!! What an incredible woman and an incredible performance. With a cute highlighted bob Beyonce wore a selection of mesmerising outfits. 

Did you go to V Fest? Who were your favourites?

Wednesday wish list: Little Mistress

Left to right: 

Cobalt blue dress £55

Cream & gold lace dress £50

Gold & navy embellished dress £75

Cream & black lace overlay dress £70

Black long sleeve lace dress £48

This week our 'Wednesday wish list' post focuses on the gorgeous brand that is Little Mistress. With lots of new products now online we couldn't resist sharing a couple of our personal favourites with you.

With more of their popular cobalt blue tones and pretty lace elements the new collection is very much Little Mistress. We absolutely love their attention to the finer details too with beautiful embroidery, sequins and delicate fabrics.

If you don't believe us on the quality of Little Mistress' items just take a look at these details on blogger Kristiana Vasarina's dress...

Competition update! Win £200 to spend at Chi Chi

Just over a week ago we launched a new blogger competition with Chi Chi. In case you missed it let me recap...

• We want you to create a wish list style post of your favourite Chi Chi pieces to be in with a chance of winning £200 to spend on the site. 
• In the post you need to link to the Chi Chi website using this link: http://bit.ly/14o2Z8b and also link back to this original post about the competition so your readers know how to enter too. 
• Once your post is live, please email the link to bloggers@etailpr.com. 

Your wish list can include as many items as you like, we'd just like to see your favourites! The wish list does not have to equal £200. 

Please email your entry over by 5pm on Wednesday 21st August - the winner will be announced on Thursday 22nd August.

Here's our wish list...

Good luck!

Steal Emma Watson's style!

Hello Beauties, Today, I have a special post for you guys.  I will recreate a celebrity look for less than a few thousand or a few hundred dollars.  Instead, I will recreate the look for about fifty dollars or less.  Sound good? Well, let's see how I did. I picked out this cute outfit worn by Emma Watson.

The striped dress worn by Emma Watson is a classic piece that will become a staple in any wardrobe.
And she cinched in her waist with a skinny black belt.  Since it was fall when this picture was taken, she layered the look with a white scarf and a black blazer.  Then she tied the whole outfit together with a pair of classic black heels.  This look is perfect to recreate because most of us already have at least one or two of these pieces sitting in out closets.  Am I right?

Alright, let's start with the core of this outfit, the striped dress. Luckily, I found a great sleeveless striped dress while thrifting. And I was super lucky that day! There was a sale at Diversity Thrift, where all clothing was one dollar!

And I love the zipper detail in the back!  The great gold zipper with the ring clasp is a great pretty little detail!  Can you believe it was a dollar?

This is a dark chambray jacket that I got from my older cousin.  I was picking through some of her older clothes and this was a great find!  It's such a classic piece that can be worn over and over again!  This jacket looks very much like a classic black blazer.  But I decided to bring out the navy in my striped dress like the way Emma Watson has the black blazer to bring out the stripes of her dress.

And I got the belt from my mother's closet.  It's an old belt she used wear back in the eighties.  I just love it's simplicity!  Emma Watson wore a simple black belt that is very reminiscent of this simple grey belt I got from my mother's closet.

The shoes are nude Steve Madden flats.  They are so comfy after I broke them in and they're a great pair of shoes to have because you can wear them with pretty much everything.  They cost forty dollars, which is most of my budget.  But I felt that I would wear these shoes quite often, so the forty dollars would be worth it.

And this is a scarf that I knitted myself.  The yarn was on sale for about five dollars.  So, in total I spent $48.50 including tax!  I think I did pretty well!  I have a whole outfit under fifty dollars!  And the look is pretty similar.  What do you think?

Juliet - http://julietlyllillyrose.blogspot.com

Neon leopard print nails by Meesha

Hi! This is one of the easiest nails i've ever done and I hope you guys feel the same way. I tried it out first on a beige-y base but didn't like the outcome and then switched to plain white. I'll include pictures of both and you can try out either one but the steps will be the same! :)

All of the items you will need are listed below:


OPI Dulce De Leche, OPI Base Coat, Color Studio Sky Blue, Luscious Sweetheart, Luscious Tango, Missha Lime Green, some toothpicks, a piece of paper and some earbuds.

Step 1 :
Apply your base coat and white nail polish.



Step 2 : Use a toothpick to make dots of all the colours you choose all over your nail without a proper pattern otherwise, it will look monotonous.



Step 3 : Use a toothpick and some black nail polish to outline the circles but make brackets around the dots because that is what gives it a leopard-ish illusion!

Step 4 : Apply your top coat and clean off any excess nail polish that you might have around your nails. Also, the lines that you can see on my ring finger are because my black nail polish is a total mess! However, this looks really adorable and is very easy to achieve. If you try this out yourself, let me know. :D

Oh and, more pictures of the design as well as the look with OPI Dulce De Leche as the base.

Hope you liked it and are eager to try it out. Let me know what you thought of the designs below and don't forget to follow to keep up to date with everything I post! I'll be doing more nail art tutorials so if you have any requests let me know and I will try my best to create them. 

by Meesha - http://alittlebitofmeblog.wordpress.com

Celeb Style: Teen Choice Awards 2013

Clockwise from top left: 

Lily Collins, Lucy Hale, Selina Gomez, Crystal Reed, Bella Thorne & Ashley Benson

On Sunday night the annual Teen Choice Awards was hosted in America with stars from movies, TV and music going home with surf board trophies!

Winners included One Direction, Selina Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Glee, Pretty Little Liars and Pitch Perfect. A few ladies in particular stood out on the red carpet... our favourites are pictured above. Both Lily Collins and Bella Thorne opted for tropical black palm print which we love! And Selina Gomez looked striking in a side splitting dress and poker straight locks.

Who were your favourites? Do you like any of our choices?

Also, if you're a fan of One Direction they scrubbed up pretty well on the evening too!

Wednesday wish list!

I have a confession that I'm sure most of you reading this can relate to... I am a shopaholic. Even when I'm trying to save up money, this still doesn't stop me from spending a bit of time each day looking at things that I can't buy just yet. It makes it so easy for me to compile daily wishlists in my mind, and this time I'm writing it all down for my etail PR guest post. :)

1. Little Mistress White Tunic Dress with Black Colour Block Hem Little Mistress is a brand that I have returned to for dresses many times. It was actually my mum that discovered their website, and she loved it so much she would sometimes purchase their dresses for me. I love this dress as it's really 'free', I also love how it's black and white with just a touch of yellow to make it more exciting.

2. KarmaClothing Purple Pink Batman Collage Cross Strap Dungaree Skater Skirt I remember seeing an image of Cheryl Cole in a batman dress, and I don't think I ever fully let go of the idea of wanting something similar. What drew me to this was that it was in the style of dungaree, I could imagine wearing it with a black top or crop top underneath.

3. KarmaClothing Black White Thick Vertical Stripe Front Zip Bralet There was definitely a period in my life where I was afraid to wear crop tops, but I think that has come and gone. I am all for stripes and the monochrome trend, so of course this would be the perfect item for me. I could imagine pairing this with a wet look skater skirt. :)

4. Motel Envelope Clutch in Black Python My mum is definitely a fan of snake/python prints such as this, and I'm usually the one to ask "why?" But I found myself drawn to this clutch bag when I saw it; it is such a classic and simple bag that will complement many outfits, and the pattern is also quite subtle.

5. AX Paris Metallic Strappy Heels My favourite Summer trend so far has to be the strappy heel trend, I can't explain to you how excited I was when my bought my own pair for the first time a few months back. The best thing about these heels is the actual heel...
IT'S METALLIC.
6. AX Paris Zip Front Press Stud Pocket Top This is quite a simple shirt, but what makes it different is both the zip and the studs on the pockets. This is definitely something that would be the perfect addition to my wardrobe.

It has been a pleasure guest blogging for etail PR; you can more of my blogs over at http://beautyblog.skylish.co.uk. :)

Date Night; What To Wear

Hi!

So this is my first guest post on Etail PR so I hope you like it!!

I decided to do a 'Date Night' outfit, so girls if you're unsure of what to wear on that Summer evening date then this one is for you!!

I've created two different outfits all with clothes and accessories from Ax Paris!!

So check out the first one below;

Now this one is the more girlier look of the two, I'm a huge fan of skater dresses which is why I picked this dress. The shoes I thought went perfect with this as well as the bracelet and the bag, these accessories just add a little extra girly touch to it.

To get this look I used;

Floral Belt Skater Dress

Gold Bar Ballet Shoes

Circle Swirl Bracelet

Texture Tote Bag

Now if the first look is not for you, you may prefer this look;

My favourite colour is blue so these jeggings stood out for me straight away. Then I wanted a nice vest to add and found this one, I love the pattern of the photographs on it. Next I found this cute denim waistcoat which I thought finished this outfit nicely! Next the shoes! I love the stud design on these high tops and they're a perfect match for wearing with jeggings. Finally I added the cuff bracelet. This bracelet caught my eye straight away and adds a nice finishing touch! 

To get this look I used;

Camera Roll Vest

Blue Skinny Jeggings

Denim Waistcoat

Stud High Tops

Metallic Cuff Bracelet

So there's my 'Date Night' outfit post!!

Hope you liked it!

S x

You can find me here; GirlyThingsandGlitter.blogspot.co.uk

Karma Clothing needs you!

Are you a fashion blogger? Would you love to review samples from Karma Clothing? If the answers yes read on...



Karma Clothing is a fresh, affordable and modern online clothing store for fashion-focussed ladies. They currently have an array of fun two piece's including these midi skirt and crop top combo's above. In a variety of jazzy colours and prints we're sure lots of you would love to review something similar.

Speaking of crop tops, Karma Clothing is most definitely your one stop shop for the crops! The above are just a selection of our personal favourites from the website but you can find many more here. With prices starting from just £3.99 you won't be able to say no!

Karma Clothing joined the etailPR blogger network a couple of months ago and have worked with many of you lovely bloggers already. However they are on the look out for more of you!!

Criteria for working with Karma Clothing:
They would love to work with UK based bloggers who have a passion for fashion, just like us! We are looking to collaborate with UK fashion bloggers who are active in the fashion blogger community.

Minimum of 700 followers on twitter and 700 followers on your blog and your blog must feature clear images. If this sounds like you, we can offer you one sample item from our collection in exchange for 1 blog post with 2 tracking links back to our website (one to the product page and one to our homepage). 

If this proves to be successful, we would be looking to work with you on a regular basis!

If you think your blog fits the bill you can apply to work with Karma by logging into your account on the etailPR blogger network and then clicking on 'Promotions' and then 'Campaigns' on the left hand side of your screen. 

Here you will be find Karma Clothing and all you need to do is then click on 'Apply for campaign'.

Once Karma have reviewed your application you will receive an email with further instructions.

How to style: Sporty Chic

—It is kind of sporty chic.
—What?

If anyone had told me a year ago I would have freaked out. «How comes someone wears a supercute dress or a suit with trainers? Are we all crazy?» Certainly I would have thought that.

My name is Jessica and I am a declared sporty-chic-trend-addict (I shall try to say that everytime I am asked to introduce myself haha!). I was kind of reluctant first time I saw it on some streetstyle webs but then I saw some funny outfits and I didn't disliked it that much. Then the great event: I saw THESE lovely trainers on a store and I felt the need to own them. At first I didn't bought them: big mistake. Because as time passed by I could only think about all the outfits I could wear with them. I was loosing my mind. So when sales came I run into the store and there they where! Half their price! Now they are mine and I don't recognise myself: I wear them with absolutely everything, they are SO freaking comfortable... And I don't know if I miss my high heels that much haha!

Best ways of wearing sneakers: 

• Pairing them with one colored outfits (all white, all black...) So chic!
• With denim clothes
• Wearing jumpsuits
• With shorts 
• Big sized sweaters + skinny jeans
• Pairing them with cute dresses

In summary: with ANYTHING you like.

Where to find these cute sneakers? You can go for some Nike's or Reebok, but you kind find some lovely and inexpensive trainers and tennis at on-line webs like Fashion Union for example. I'm kind of in love with these ones in green and in orange haha! I can't help it!

Well, what do you think about this trend? Have you fell for it like me?

The Elegance Hunter

How to take the best photos in natural light

Hello all! I'm Lauren from Introvert's Introduction, and I'm so excited to be giving you guys some tips on how to shoot awesome photos in any kind of weather! Whether you live in a place where the weather changes in an instant, or where you live under a perpetually similar sky, it's important to know how to make your photos look the best they can no matter what the weatherman predicts. (outfit details; dress: handmade // shirt: thrifted // tights/shoes: forever 21)   Overcast days are what I most often deal with, and it is my favorite weather to shoot in. What I love about overcast days is that the clouds act as a natural diffuser to the sunlight, so no matter which direction you turn, the light remains constant. As long as all the settings on your camera are correct, there's no way you won't get a perfectly lit photo. You'll notice the shadows and highlights are still the same no matter which direction I face. Because the light is evenly diffused thanks to clouds, the line between highlights and shadows are not sharp at all, which makes for a very flattering photo. Because you don't really have to worry about where the sun is in proportion to you, you can focus on matching (or contrasting) your outfit to whatever background you want without having to worry about harsh lighting. Since the light is still in the sky, for close up shots I angle the camera down, so that I can look up and allow more light to hit my face in a flattering way (I tend to sit down on the grass for this type of photo). This looks a lot better than me standing up in the four different directions because now my eyes aren't shadowed by my bangs and my eyes and lips are catching the reflection of the light. It's all about allowing light to fill in the shadows so you are more evenly toned. (outfit details; shirt: topshop // skirt/shoes: thrifted)   On sunny days, you have more options depending on how you want your photos to look. My personal favorite is going into the shade (1) because, just like in overcast days, there won't be harsh lines between the shadows and highlights and I will get nice rich tones instead of overexposed ones. Another option is to face the sun (3), and some cameras are capable of capturing all the detail in an outfit while there is harsh sunlight on it. In general though, those harsh lines are not flattering, and as you can see, my eyes are completely hidden in shadow, and there are weird shadows on the inside of my arm and on my thighs (though it does make my legs more muscular than they actually are, so that's a plus!). If you're going for a more light look, turning your back to the sun (2) may be the way to go. You'll get really pretty lens flares (the blue line near my elbow is one such flare) and pretty backlighting on your hair. Just make sure that the sun is directly behind you and not to the side (you can just check this by looking at your shadow. For example in the middle photo above, my shadow is in front of me, so I know I'm good), otherwise you will get those weird harsh shadows. Shooting in the sun also makes your background fairly overexposed, as you can see from the second of these two portraits. The first portrait was shot in the shade, and has more even tones between myself and the background. Photojojo also recently posted about shooting during midday if you would like to read more about this, which you can check out here. (outfit details; shirt: forever 21 // skirt: thrifted // necklace: c/o jewelissima)   Shooting during the beautiful golden hour (which is near sunset, and is when the sunlight is a beautiful golden color, such as in these photos that I took of my brother here.) But since where I live, golden hour isn't until around 10:30, sometimes I'm too impatient to wait. These photos were taken very near that time frame, so the sunlight is still obviously in the west and allows for beautiful backlighting. The difference between backlighting during midday and during evening is that during the evening you (or your subject) are more evenly toned with your background, whereas midday light makes your background overexposed. A good tip for shooting with backlighting is that if you're having to use autofocus on your camera, angle yourself so that the sun is behind and to the left or right of you (as opposed to directly behind you), so that the lens can focus correctly. If the sun is directly behind you, sometimes it's too much sun for the autofocus function to handle and you'll either get a blurry photo or no photo at all. But once you get into that sweet spot, it's pure magic! If you have any further questions, concerns, comments, or advice to share, please let me know by leaving a comment or by emailing me. I hope you have a wonderful day!