It's been exactly ten years since I started World of Joy, so I thought it would be fun to look back at my first post, where I introduce myself, to dissect it a little and add a few photos.

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Hello, I'm Hazel (Still true). Also known as Very_Hazel (No longer true). I have been blogging for the Very.co.uk VBlog for the past six months and have enjoyed it so much I have decided to branch out a little (I really enjoyed blogging for Very but it turned a little sour towards the end, they employed a new member of staff to oversee the blog and she made it very clear that they only wanted 'celebrity' bloggers, so I decided to call it a day. I had my own blog by this point and I enjoyed writing for myself much more).

Whilst the VBlog lets me indulge my love of fashion (I did love fashion back then, not that I considered myself to be trendy but I did like to keep up-to-date with what was current and tried to incorporate fashionable elements into my wardrobe) there is more I would like to talk about, discover and share (I wanted to talk about things not connected to Very, to do style experiments of my own and have full control of what I said and published).

I enjoy blogs that post pictures of real people's style (still true). What Katie Wore - one girl's challenge to wear a different outfit everyday - is fabulous, I'm hooked.

The Uniform Project is a splendid idea that takes one LBD and tests the role of accessories to the limit but more importantly raises money at the same time (I can still spend hours looking through all of these outfits). Bright Young Things (no longer live) created the LBD for The Uniform Project and encourages 30 Day Wear-a-thons which I find seriously tempting. One day I will do it... (something I still ponder).

I love style experiments (still true). Recently Grazia magazine challenged writer Francesca Hornak to survive for a month wearing only six pieces of clothing. HOW is that possible?! (Having dabbled with capsule wardrobes I can now see that in the summer, with the right pieces, that it would be entirely possible).

Another interesting experiment, was another monthly challenge, to try something every day that you wouldn't normally consider ie crimped hair, harem pants or glittery mascara. I wondered what would be the things that I would try? (perhaps I should try all the things that I've declared I can't wear?)

But the best one, and maybe the one that launched them all, was Alex Martin's Little Brown Dress, much like the Bright Young Things Wear-a-thons only on a larger scale, she wore one dress for 365 days. Alex finished the Little Brown Dress project some time ago and has gone on to do more which you can also read about on her site (this site isn't live anymore, which I wrote about in back in 2016, it's such a shame that the record of her experiment no longer exists, above are a few photos I managed to find online. I still remember reading about this for the first time, it was an article on the back page of a magazine and I spent ages looking at the small selection of images they'd featured. I tore out the page and kept it for years. I wish I still had it).

I am an advertisers dream, if I'm promised that a product will give longer lashes (they usually don't), shiner hair (debatable), smoother skin I will try it. I promise to share my trials with you and let you know what works and what doesn't. First up will be the new Lash Accelerator from Rimmel. Product tests found 95% of users noticed a lengthening effect on bare lashes in two weeks. Watch this space... (I did write that product review, and many more followed, but it's not something I've done for a while. I'm no longer trying lots of new products. I've found what I like, what works for me and I stick with it.)

My jewellery collection gets ever larger. Unlike my clothes that tend to have a classic, simple style I like my jewellery to be a little out of the ordinary. Chunky rings and bracelets being my preferred pieces at the moment. (I still like jewellery but my taste now runs more to simpler pieces. I love bracelets and have developed a liking for delicate beads, and I'm rarely seen without a Fossil watch - there is something about the styling of these that really appeals to me. I went through a phase of wearing statement necklaces but that waned, I'm now on the verge of exploring earrings a little more, not huge Pat Butcher type things, but something a little more than the studs or small hoops I usually go for.)

Read my VBlog posts to date. (These can no longer be found. Back in 2016 I discovered that all of the posts I'd ever written for the Very blog had been attributed to someone else - a staff member. When I got in touch and questioned this they said that they'd been clearing out the back end of the website, and to create space all of the old bloggers, and their profiles, had been deleted. They offered to delete any posts that I'd written if I could prove that I'd written them. I had all the proof I needed but I let it go, it seemed like a waste of my time for posts that were probably rarely read anymore. You've got to pick your battles, right? Since then the VBlog has been deleted altogether, so I was right not to spend anymore time on it.)

You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook. (I rarely use either of these nowadays, the Facebook page is still there but hidden from public view, the Twitter page just languishes, I visit and post something random once in a while. I've moved over to Instagram instead, it's much prettier and less shouty.)

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So, that's me then, and me now.

Some things are very different from when I wrote this first post and the posts that closely followed. My interest in what's fashionable has waned along with my passion for chunky jewellery and finding the latest wonder product.

My fascination with style experiments stays the same, but my consumption of fast fashion has drastically changed - something I attribute to the blogs that I follow, the best ones showed me the treasures that could be found in charity shops, the worst highlighted the needless and constant stream of disposable fast fashion, that endorsed the idea that you shouldn't be seen in the same outfit twice. These are the blogs I stopped following years ago, but I have to admit that they served a purpose, although, for me, it was the opposite of what they were trying to achieve.

Writing this blog and following blogs, both good and bad, shaped my outlook. When I started I didn't think about what it would turn into, or how long I'd do it for, but I don't think I ever believed that I'd still be blogging a decade on. Thanks for being part of the journey.