Hello hello! I promise this is the final graduation post (unless you guys want some more!) as I realise the last post I wrote was about university but whilst I'm in the zone, I wanted to quickly talk to you about my graduation outfit! I wanted to give the outfit a full post because I honestly had nothing to wear for so long and graduation dress panic seriously happened. I also thought it would be nice to take you guys on this journey with me as you've all been there from the start and supported me. Let's discuss!
I wanted something tight because I didn't want to go for a 'frumpy' dress and I went for an affordable dress because my accessories were expensive. I didn't want the dress to be 'booby' so chose something with a higher neck but I feel the slit still makes it feminine. I have always wanted a pair of Louboutins so decided graduation was the perfect day to show them off, particularly when the gown covers everything else up! I chose the Very Prive Patent Loubs in nude, I think nude is the classiest colour and I know they're going to be worn for special occasions only. You can get them online here and here. They really weren't as uncomfortable as people say, I chose to 'comfiest' Louboutins and they did the trick.
More photos of the dress and shoes below!
You can shop the outfit below too:
Graduation itself took place in the Great Hall. A beautiful building in the University Of Leeds. I was awarded with around £50,000 worth of debt and a certificate. Hey, at least it was worth it and I eventually got there in the end. You can read my what university taught me post here to find out about my university life/experience. 
I got my University Of Leeds alumni badge and did the standard throwing of the hat!
I love any excuse for a pamper morning and when I have a special occasion, I like to get my hair, nails and make up done. I visited Space NK in Leeds to get my make up done. The lovely Chloe made me feel comfortable and confident as she made me up for the day. I wanted a neutral look but one which would take me through to the evening celebrations. I had an Eve Lom mini facial to begin with which left me feeling cleansed and glowing and then we used a range of products from Kevyn Aucoin to Nars. I absolutely adore Space NK and cannot recommend them enough when it comes to booking in for make overs. I had my brows waxed and tinted at Benefit the week before, I always feel better after a brow tint because it seems to lift my brows and my make up always looks way better when my brows are defined. I can't recommend Benefit brow counters enough and have been visiting them every four weeks for over a year now! My nails were done at the Nails Inc champagne bar in Harvey Nichols, another one of my favourites for a pamper day. They do the loveliest gel nails, all with a glass of champagne in your hand! I went for a pretty nude pink colour as always.
I got my hair done at my favourite salon, Sassoon Salons Leeds. It's taken a long time to repair my damaged hair, extensions literally destroyed it to the point where it refused to grow for two years. If you've read my hair story you'll know all about my hair struggles. I finally feel at a stage now where it is growing and I feel more confident with it. I have a long way to go to get it to the length I want it to be but we're finally getting there! I got the colour done by Louise at Sassoon about 8 weeks ago and it's still going strong. I feel like my colour gets better with time, my Mum always says that's the sign of a good hair dresser and Sassoon are seriously top class. My cut and style was done by Lee but every single person I've visited in Sassoon for a blow dry has been incredible. If you need some hair advice, I highly recommend you pop into Sassoon for a free consultation, they seriously know what they're talking about and are complete experts in the field. As well as Lee, I highly recommend Tatty and Connor if you're wanting an amazing blow dry at their Leeds salon. I feel so much better after a blow dry and if I could, I'd go to Sassoon three times a week for a blow dry. It's my life goal to book in at least twice a week. I always leave feeling so much more confident when they've fixed my hair!
Walking through the bunting, it was time to say thank you to the University Of Leeds for an incredible (incredibly tough for various reasons) four years. I've touched on it a little bit, but there were so many times I didn't think I'd make it through. First year was fun but I was so busy trying to work on my blog. I also had some really serious family issues throughout the whole of university which really affected me, some days I had zero motivation and would spend days crying in my bedroom unable to get on with my work or unable to revise for exams. On top of this, my brothers best friend was murdered whilst we were both at university which really shook my whole family up. We seriously had a tough few years so for all of us, it felt amazing that we managed to get through it. Juggling everything was a challenge (I ran two businesses whilst in my final year and nearly broke down a couple of times) but it's made me resilient and strong and I am so glad I stuck with it. I certainly didn't have a conventional four years at university. 
I sat around the most beautiful round table with 7 of my favourite people. We chatted and giggled in the loveliest atmosphere. Gaucho is classy but comfortable, it's luxurious but it's friendly. It doesn't feel stuffy. It feels like my second home. They even gave me a card to celebrate my graduation and we poured some bubbly to say cheers.
Argentinian food is my favourite and nowhere does it like Gaucho. Everything was cooked perfectly and even my Grandad (who complains about everything) said it was phenomenal.
We each tried three cuts of steak as our mains. Let's just say we were pretty quiet as we all devoured the succulent meat. My Mum wanted hers cooked differently and wasn't too hungry so asked for a smaller size, they couldn't do enough for her. The only way to describe Gaucho Leeds? Exceptional.
We nibbled, giggled and chatted. I even did a speech! A very emotional one indeed.
Just as we thought the night couldn't get anymore perfect, out came dessert. Gooey, sticky brownies and a banana mess!
So there we have it, a day I never wanted to end, my graduation. I never thought I'd make it but somehow, I did. Who knows what the future holds, I know I'll be full time blogging now for the foreseeable future and have been working on this for four years. It feels amazing that for the first time in four years, I can fully focus on my blog. I have big plans, I'll be focusing on my YouTube, I'll be making sure my content is of much higher quality and, I'll actually be around more and hopefully, be less stressed. Thank you for bearing with me and supporting me. It only felt right to share this day with you guys as you've been there with me through it all. I really didn't think I'd get a degree with everything that was going on and somehow, I managed it.
It would mean the world to me if you would watch my day below in video form, I would love it so much if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here too! I hope you like it!
Have you graduated? Do you like the look of this? Do you like my dress and shoes? How do you feel about university?
Lots of love, Em x
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