Evans - From The Changing Room

Last week I visited Bluewater with my mum and we spent a crazy long time in Evans.

The staff were absolutely tremendous, picking up on cues of what we like to wear and filling our changing room with goodies until the clothes pegs we're fit to burst with an array of styles and colours.

I wanted to push myself a little outside my comfort zone on this trip, not just going for my usual skater style dress with leggings so I bit the bullet and grabbed the Scarlett & Jo trousers and a tshirt. Its the first time I've worn trousers in about a year and a half so it felt pretty good! Unfortunately the proper photo of this ensemble is too blurry to share so instead here's a rather attractive outtake!

Sticking to the Scarlett & Jo theme (because I'm ever so in love with the current line), I next tried on this mesh insert dress. I've always been a huge fan of the 2-in-1 style dresses with the thick elastic waist defining bands so this one was a definite win for me! The mesh providing a bit of modesty and the jersey top giving enough stretch to accommodate any chest size. Perfect!

The above dress came home with me instead of the following one for two reasons. The first being because I somehow managed to get makeup on it (oops) and the second being the sizing.
I am 100% blown away by how gorgeous this rose print prom dress is. From the length to the sleeves and the sweetheart neckline. There is nothing about this dress that I don't like. As I said, my only issue was the sizing. I tried my usual size but it was a strangely tight (there was some misplaced stitching which could explain away some but not all of the squeeze) and the size up (pictured below) was a little too loose around the waist for my liking.

I won't lie to you, I have been pondering over a lifestyle change following some health issues and I'm tempted to buy the smaller size as it's currently in the sale at only £35 and it's Just. So. Gorgeous! We'll see.

Back to the very first outfit, the #stylehasnosize tshirt is only £16 and ALL profits go to the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity. What's not to love about that?!

From The Changing Room - Scarlett & Jo

Yesterday I returned to my former people-watching haunt, Bluewater shopping centre. Over the past year they've improved their Evans store and relocated it to right in front of the food court which pleases this fatty greatly.

Although the new store is bigger than it's predecessor, it's still not exactly huge but it does have a rail for Scarlett & Jo stock. To my joy I found two of the latest S&J offerings from their recent blogger campaign.

First up was this fan print 40s inspired dress designed for Hollie at Pretty Big Butterflies.

Normally I don't like this kind of fabric. It clings to my lumps, shows off my bumps and gives me a VBO that I am not entirely comfortable with. But this dress lays to rest those issues. The cut is wonderful; I love the wrap top with the tie-up neckline (although as with all wrap front dresses I appear to have my bra on show, whoops!) and it hangs in such a fabulous way that it skims over my belly with relative ease.

I should point out that I was wearing fat pants that even Bridget Jones herself might be horrified by. That would be fairly standard for me in a dress like this though.

The second of the new blogger inspired dresses was this gorgeous 2-in-1 lace prom dress.

This is the first time I've tried on one of Scarlett & Jo's infamous prom dresses, for no other reason than they're generally a little over my Stay At Home Mum budget. But oh my goodness I need to get me one of these!

It's beautiful, it's flowy, it's fully lined and it feels amazing. It feels glamorous and comfortable all at the same time and LOOK!

A WAIST! The elasticated band is a thing of miracles. I'm blessed with an hourglass-ish (ish!) figure anyway but the way the waist is defined by this dress is glorious.

And the lace! Oh the lace just gives the entire dress that extra oomph. I adore the black overlay on the vibrant blue dress and it's perfect for those who might want to cover their arms a little without wanting to take away from the outfit with a shrug or a cardi. I'm in love.

So far the new Scarlett & Jo collection is far exceeding my expectations and I simply cannot wait to try more. Big cheers for all at Scarlett & Jo and even bigger cheers for the bloggers who took part. Hurrah!

All You Need Is Lush; Part Deux (Pic Heavy)

Back in September Lush in Bluewater closed for a refit and earlier this month I was invited back to their relaunch party to take a look at the new layout and some fantastic seasonal products.

It's a very impressive store with a fantastic Bar-style layout which allows for much more floor space.
Lush know how to treat their guests, with bubbly and cake, product demos, live music, and of course a first glance at this years Christmas range. Snow Fairy is back, ladies!

I'm in love with the Snowman Fun Kit. How cute is that lil guy!

Giftboxes Galore & Cutie Pie Penguins

I was really excited by a product called Northern Lights, which I'd not heard of before. It's a bath bomb/fizzer and reminds me of a colourful firework, spinning and swirling around, turning the water into a rainbow of gorgeous colours. I definitely need this in my life!

One of the main attractions of the night was the brand new make up bar. This is one of only a few in the UK and has such a gorgeous, bright and extensive range of eyeliners, lipsticks, eye shadows, foundation and brushes. We were also treated to the talents of a make up artist. She recommended a lipstick to me so I tried Passionate and fell in love. It's a gorgeous pink with blue undertones that make the lips shimmer. Of course I had to test to see how easily it washed off so I grabbed a glass of bubbly. For research purposes of course!
To say the Passionate Lipstick has staying power is an understatement. The next morning my lips still had a large amount of colour and would have only needed a thin layer of touchup colour. Definitely worth the £14.50 price tag. I'll be revisiting the Lush make up bar again for sure.

Towards the end of the evening, we were treated to an acoustic session by a couple of the gorgeous Lush girls, and given our giftbags containing a couple of Lush products and the mini Comforter bubble bars we made earlier that day. I was also given a mango and a melon on my way out. Lush use fruits and natural products in their range and the fruit (just like the aloe vera orange juice from my previous visit) served as a great reminder of that.

Thanks to Lush for your warm welcome and hospitality. It's cemented my love affair with the brand and I urge you all to pop into your local store next time you're passing and see what takes your fancy.

Wearing the fabulous Passionate lipstick from Lush

All You Need Is Lush

Last month Lush Bluewater hosted their first ever blogger morning. Naturally I jumped at the chance
 of a mooch around one of my fave cosmetics stores.

I only had my phone for photos so some of the pictures aren't of the greatest quality but that didn't take away from a fantastic morning.

Gorgeous Bloggers

On arrival at the store I was welcomed in by the lovely staff and we began the morning with fruit and fresh juice which we later learned was mixed with aloe vera. Yep. Aloe vera... in a drink!
Mind. Blown.

Lush use aloe vera in so many of their products and this was a such a great way to highlight it's many uses and benefits. One of the products that contains aloe vera is the Sesame Suntan Lotion which we got to sample instore.

Did you know Lush has a suncare range? Me neither! And it's loooovely.

At SPF10, Sesame Suntan Lotion is perfect for this time of year when the sun isn't at its strongest but you still want a little bit of protection. You simply rub it into your skin and go about your business. Do have a sniff though- the blend of sesame and walnut is delicious!

We also got to try out The Sunblock. This solid sun protection block is applied onto damp skin, blotted dry and has an SPF of 30. I was surprised that the bar soaks in really well and doesn't leave an oily residue. It also goes a long way- One third of a bar is more than enough to cover all your exposed bits.

Now the weather is getting a little more autumnal, I would use Sunblock as a general massage bar too. With calamine and cocoa butter it'll leave the skin feeling lovely and protected.

Getting my Sunblock on

The next order of the day was my favourite part. Making bathbombs!
When people think of Lush, people think of bath bombs. Fizzy ones, colourful ones, ones with glitter, ones with flowers, ones with salt... so many different kinds!

During our bloggers morning we were shown how to make Big Blue. Topped with exfoliating sea salt and containing relaxing lavender oil, lemon oil and seaweed, it has a lovely scent and was great fun to make. I've not used mine yet but I know it's going to be wonderful. I've been saving it for an evening when the brood are elsewhere. As it happens, that night is tonight so I'm very much looking forward to slipping into a bath of beautiful relaxing blue.

Making our Big Blues

Lastly, we were shown the new repackaged perfume range. The solid sticks now come in handy small tins that can be kept tucked in your handbag. We sampled scents such as Karma and Vanillary. I preferred the sweet vanilla scent. What's that you say? I'm sweet enough? No such thing, darling!

How cool are those body spray bottles!

I would like to extend my thanks to the ladies of Lush for being so welcoming and lovely. And also for the incredible gift bag each of us received which included a perfume tin of our choosing, the bath bombs we made earlier in the day, one of the sun protection products amongst various other gorgeous products. There's too much to even write about here. I'm hoping to vlog about the gift bag in the next couple of weeks.

Lush Bluewater is closed for a complete overhaul and will be back open for business on the 6th of October, hopefully with their Christmassy bits. (Can anyone say Snow Fairy? Squee!) Can't wait to venture back and check out the new store. I thoroughly recommend you do the same.

Stay Fabulous!

Photo credit for the last picture goes to Mookie - Thank you!

Yours Clothing - From The Changing Room & Wishlist

A week or so ago a few bloggers, myself included, got together and had an impromptu styling session at Yours Clothing, Bluewater. The staff were so accommodating as we hijacked the biggest changing room and went to town trying on oh so many outfits.

Me, Mookie, Heidi & Abi

photos c/o Mookie @ www.mookieslife.com

I realised in that changing room that I have no black dresses. As we transition from summer to autumn, I'm feeling a need for black and monochrome but still with a taste of florals and accent colours. There are a few skater dresses fitting these themes that have caught my eye.

1 / 2 / 3

1. Black Panelled Skater Dress With Jewel Flower Necklace
I love this dress. It's so versatile. The jewel necklace really makes it stand out, however it is detachable for those time you want to dress down a bit or decorate your neck with something different. I tried this dress on and really regret not buying it now.

2. Black and Pink Tropical Floral Skater Dress With Belt
This dress is currently in the sale and most sizes are still available. I've been eyeing it up for a long time but it's never made it to the checkout and I'm not sure why. It's the perfect summer/autumn transition dress. Darker florals will be a staple for me this season I think. I refuse to ditch the florals just because the sun stops shining!

3. Black and White Panelled Skater Dress With Mesh Insert
This dress is so different to anything I currently own. I love the way this dress uses the black and white. I can't work out if you would call this a cold-shoulder dress as the white panel and the mesh yoke look entirely separate from each other, but I think that's what I really like about it. I didn't try this dress but I'd love to see what it looks like on.

Because... BOOBS.

Obviously as autumn approaches we have to look towards keeping that chill off our bods and Yours Clothing aren't short of a thing or two to help us along.

1 / 2
3 / 4

1 & 2: I'm a sucker for a lovely blazer. I've tried on the black with polka dot roll-ups before and it is so comfortable. It's not too rigid and is just a touch on the casual side of smart-casual. The length of the floral blazer looks perfect and would bring a fantastic pop of colour to a black dress like the one I tried on above.

2 & 3: Yep, I'm looking at coats already! The herringbone draped collar coat looks amazingly swooshy and I can imagine myself both buried in it for comfort and twirling it about. How cool would it look with a black dress and brightly coloured tights/leggings? The second coat just has such an unusual pattern and I absolutely love the purple. It makes such a lovely change from the plain coloured coats you'll see elsewhere.

I will be back at Yours Clothing for the opening of the Ashford store on September 5th. If you're in the area, do come along and say hello!

Yours Clothing, Bluewater

Have you ever had one of those experiences that leaves you beaming with confidence and feeling better than ever?

When visiting the new Yours Clothing store at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent last month, that's exactly what happened to me.

Yours has such a wide range that this shop is bursting at the seams with a variety of basic and on-trend styles, colours and patterns. The sheer amount of clothing can be a little hard to navigate when you first walk in. I didn't quite know where to start, but once I found my rhythm there was no stopping me as I scurried from rack to rack picking up all manner of things to try on.

The gorgeous Abi (staff member and fantastic blogger over at aisforabi) treated me to the Worlds Biggest Changing Room. Plenty of room for groups, wheelchair users, mums with buggies or a cat swinging convention. Or, as was the case for me, enough space to go crazy trying on too many clothes.

But the size of the changing room isn't what impressed me the most. The greatest thing about my trip to Yours Clothing that day was the people. I've already mentioned the fabulous Abi (expect a blogger meet up in the future, I need to hang out with that girl!) but the experience doesn't even stop with staff. No, it was everyone. The staff made customers happy and in turn the happiness bounced off every single shopper in the changing room.

I felt so good I even put on a maxi dress!
Sadly it didnt fit my 5ft 3in, big boobied frame.

I've never experienced such community in a fitting room before. Everybody was chatting, comparing sizes, giving opinions and tips and swapping clothes. I tried on things I wouldn't normally dare to because I felt secure in knowing that there would be no fat-shaming or body snarking. Everybody was just themselves. (Or a happier version thereof.) I was stripped to my bra and leggings and comfortable enough to let the other women in the adjacent rooms wander in and see how I was getting on. With the exception of my husband and children, it's the most naked I've been in front of anyone for years!

I don't know what happened to this picture- it's so fuzzy-
but I neeeed this blazer.

Thanks to the amazing people at Yours Clothing,  Bluewater, I tried some new things, met some great people and had the best shopping experience possibly ever. Excellent! Bring on the new Ashford and Maidstone stores!