AD – This is a paid advertorial with Femme Luxe but all thoughts are my own

If you saw my previous collaboration with Femme Luxe, you’ll have read about my own journey with confidence. Particularly body confidence. It’s a journey I’ve been on for decades. A journey that continues to ebb and flow like a rollercoaster. But one that I’m learning more about every day.

Femme Luxe Wine Midicon Dress

Taking photos of myself has always been out of my comfort zone. I spend FAR too long admiring other influencers and bloggers who seem to have so much sass and confidence in front of the camera. Who pull of poses I would look like an absolutely goat doing. But collaborating with brands like Femme Luxe has really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.

Before we get into the tips and the things I’ve learned that I’d love to share, let’s take a quick look at the two pieces from Femme Luxe I was sent for this collaboration. Starting with the Jade Green Crop Ribbed Two-Piece Co-Ord Set. I am absolutely in love with this set. This is by far my favourite piece I’ve been sent from Femme Luxe.

Green Co-Ord Set

Green Co-Ord Set

Green Co-Ord Set

I’ve never owned a Co-Ord Set surprisingly because I’ve always loved them. This set is perfect. Just perfect. My concern with two-pieces is the sizing. Especially on sites where you have to pick one size for both pieces. My top half is smaller than my big bum, big hips and thick thighs. So sizing can often me an issue for me.

I chose a size 14 for this set and it’s perfect on the top and the bottom. It fits absolutely perfectly, is so soft and mega comfortable. I feel like this is the sort of set you could dress up or down, depending on the day. I love the colour as well – I’m a huge fan of green and feel like it really compliments my reddish hair!

Femme Luxe Wine Midicon Dress

The second piece I chose was the Wine Ruched Midi Bodycon Dress which is very much out of my comfort zone.  I adore dresses like these but my confidence has always been too low to consider it. Although this is obviously I dress I won’t be wearing to the shops, I really like it and look forward to dressing it up when I have something fancy to do!

I adore the colour of this dress. I’m a big fan of anything wine or maroon colour. The fit is really great as well – a little baggy at the top but that’s only because I have small boobs. This isn’t a dress you can really wear with a standard bra either, so I’ll have to invest in a strapless bra to avoid any slips! I’m hoping this dress will help me embrace my bottom-half curves a lot more!

Femme Luxe Wine Midicon Dress

Femme Luxe Wine Midicon Dress

If, like me, you’re on your own body confidence journey, here are some tips from someone who is very much still learning but also making positive steps forward:

Start really really small

Nobody is suggesting you need to take a bikini photo shoot straight away. Starting really small but starting somewhere is key to your body confidence journey. It could be the smallest thing, like wearing a new item of clothing that you don’t usually wear or sharing a new photo of yourself of social media.

Celebrate the small achievements

And following on nicely from the above point, celebrating those small achievements is really important too! Because they are a BIG deal. Perhaps not to someone else but if they’re a big deal to you then that matters. Heck, even treat yourself to something nice if you manage to hit a achievement you’re proud of!

Interrupt those negative thoughts

Negative thoughts will come up regularly and that’s normal. So the first thing to remember is that it’s a normal thing and there’s nothing wrong with you because of it. However, you do want to make sure you put those negative thoughts in the bin QUICKLY. Consider a mindful image whereby you’re removing those thoughts from your life!

Avoid negative self talk

Thoughts are one thing but talk is another. We’re much more in control of our words – so if you find yourself speaking negatively to yourself, STOP IT. Easier said than done, I know. But sometimes I’ll literally say the words “STOP IT!” out loud to myself to ensure I get the message and interrupt that chain of thoughts an words.

Focus on what you DO like

Especially when it comes to taking photos – which is obviously been a real struggle for me with my body confidence. I’ve learned to focus on what I DO like in a photo and build on it from there, rather than going straight to what I don’t. For example, if I take a photo that I don’t like, I’ll look at it and think “right, I like my hair in this one so what can I change for the next one to make it better?”

Remember that social media isn’t real life

Social media can play a huge part in how you feel about your body and how your confidence is on any given day. It does for me. It’s important to remember that filters and editing software exist and gets used more often than not. If you edit your photos, other people do too! There’s nothing wrong with it but just something to keep in mind next time you start to compare.

I hope these suggestions help you if you’re just getting started on your body confidence journey! Have something to add? Let me know in the comments!

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62 Comments

  1. You look so good my friend! And these are such great tips on body confidence. Thanks so much for sharing!

  2. That green is STUNNING on you! I really appreciate this post- I, like a lot of people, have put on weight over the past year. My weight has been up and down so much over the past five or six years, but my weight is at a new high, and it makes me feel miserable. But, I’m trying. I think I may have to take your advice and share a photo of myself on Instagram to help get my confidence back. I haven’t shown my face other than my about me page on my blog for this exact reason, and it’s time to change that! Thank you for sharing!

  3. Jenny, you look absolutely stunning in both pieces! I had left a long comment (of course it didn’t go through…so here i am trying to type it again) and I just wanted to say thank you. Because I have never been confident in my skin, and I can see that if I work on it hard enough, I can love myself as I am. Thank you, because I needed the reminder today more than ever. I think it’s refreshing to see someone share such a personal struggle, and you did it beautifully. x

    1. Awh thank you so much! It’s such a hard struggle and it really does take EVERYTHING out of you to share photos you might not like or work through those barriers. But you absolutely can <3 You're amazing!

  4. Thank you for sharing this Jenny – you look stunning in both pieces, and I love that they help with your confidence. I am a fellow non-confident person when it comes to my appearance, maybe because I tend to put myself down a lot, but I have decided this is going to change, I will embrace me as I am and make sure to love me as I am too. The tips you shared will come in handy, but once again thank you, it’s refreshing to see someone share something this personal and kudos for doing so. x

  5. I enjoyed reading you story. Happy you found confidence. I still currently struggle with self love but constantly telling myself that social media is not real life and just edited photos.

  6. Hey thanks for sharing your journey! You look great in those outfits especially the green one, what a beautiful colour! It is so nice to see you on your positive body image journey. This is somewhere I am trying to get to also. After a lifetime of dieting I have decided that as I am 40 next year I really have to start trying to like myself more rather than change myself constantly. It’s not easy but I’m trying so I found this very inspirational! Thanks.

    1. Thank you 🙂 Oooh yes I love that mindset change! I think diets have their place, as long as you’re sensible and not buying into fads and doing them for the right reasons! xxx

  7. Aw, omg! You look smoking, Jenny! I love that green set on you! Green is totally your colour. Brings out your hair so well! I’m overall a confident person but I do have my low moments! Thanks for sharing these tips xx

    Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

  8. You look lovely!!! Love the colors! Love the vibe of just being comfortable with yourself…happy with who you are. You look amazing and so very pretty…Beautiful!

  9. Girl you look damn fine! I love that dress on you!! The colour really suits you😍 also yesss to body confidence! For me it has always been a struggle and I just have to take each day as it comes! I am just trying to love me for me and that will get better with time. Lovely post xxx

  10. Yes girl! You’re stunning. And I love to see the grow in confidence! The biggest thing for me I think was writing down / realising what I liked about myself and then going from there. I still look like a goat though doing those blogger poses. Haha! Love that maroon colour on you!

    Claire.X
    http://www.clairemac.co.uk

  11. girl, you are stunning!! love all these outfits & you rock them all! love all these confidence boosting suggestions. what a wonderful body positivity read. thanks so much for sharing!

  12. That Jade Green set looks good on you! Love the colour. That said, getting to a space where you’re confident in yourself and skills is a daily journey. I’m personally so confident on some days, and I need a confidence boost on other days!

  13. I need to work on stopping the negative self-talk. I have always and still do struggle with confidence. Great post. You look amazing. The dress is to die for.

  14. I am so hard on myself, and really struggle with confidence! I really like the idea of looking at a photo, and instead of focusing on the negatives (because there are always going to be some), to focus on the positives and ways to improve the photo. Great post! xx

    Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com

  15. I love this journey you are on! You look amazing! I’m also not the type of person that feels confident in front of the camera! I’m very self critical but I’m trying to get over that so I can share some photos of me and Leo once I get over how I look, haha!

    Corinne x

  16. Those colors and silhouettes look very good on you. Loving ourselves is a long journey but is definitely worth the time.

  17. Hey Jenny! You look amazing in these photos and loving your tips for feeling self confident.

    We’re all still on this journey which can feel like a roller-coaster at times! 😂🎢

    Love the green set the best 💚💛

    Sarah xo

  18. You are so inspiring!! Thank you for posting your gorgeous photos and the tips on building confidence!

  19. Thanks for sharing these tips, Jenny! I’m in awe of your self-confidence journey as mine is about as good as a holey bucket right now. But I managed to find a selfie that I didn’t absolutely hate and shared it on IG recently which was a HUGE step for me. I’ll definitely take your tips on board and try to put myself out there more often. 🙂

  20. Good post, Jenny! And you look gorgeous in both outfit. Like you, I’m also still building my body confidence and I’m trying to loose some weight. I was quite slim before. So I want to return to that body weight. Another thing I did to build my confidence is focus on my inner quality. Writing and arts really help. Thank you for sharing your tips.

  21. You look amazing in both of these! That co-ord set is incredible and looks so freaking good.
    I am loving your self confidence journey – it’s really inspiring and eye-opening. It’s making me realise that my own insecurities needn’t exist at all. Thank you so much ❤
    I’m working on myself by wearing dresses with bold prints – my first step is stepping away from the monochrome.
    Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

  22. Great post. I’m very body conscious, especially since I got into my 30’s and all I do is put on weight 😬 I used to be a bit of selfie diva 😂, but I don’t have many photos of te last few years at all.

  23. That red dress looks stunning on you! The colour suits you so well. I’m still learning to love my body, some days I do and some days I don’t! It’s definitely something I’m working on x

  24. That dress!!! It is such a flattering fit and the ruching details–love them!

    I am still learning body confidence too, so appreciate so much your vulnerability in sharing your journey. On the note about social media, I have been following Danae Mercer and she’s opened my eyes to just how much editing goes into things. I need those reminders so that I am kinder to myself.

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