Early Christmas Discount From Yours Clothing!

Sorry folks, talking about "that time of year" is 100% unavoidable now. X Factor and the Coca Cola advert. John Lewis and their pengiun. Cadbury and their (lack of) chocolate coins. Everyone's talking about it and with less than 6 weeks to go until Christmas, you may want to think about sorting out your outfit for the day and (if you're anything like me) maybe another outfit for Boxing Day too. Not to mention the stretchy pants for when you're as stuffed as the turkey.

To help you along, the lovelies at Yours Clothing are offering a festive £5 discount on all full-priced purchases throughout today and tomorrow both online and in store with the use of the voucher below. Enjoy!

I've taken a look at the party dresses on the Yours website and picked a few of my favourites that are currently eligible for the discount. I've been sensible and chosen mostly darker colours. Let's face it, nobody wants to witness the horror of a gravy covered sprout rolling down a baby pink dress!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Head over to Yours Clothing now to get kitted out for Christmas!

Tess Munster & Yours Clothing: A Perfect Pairing

Exciting news guys! Today it was announced that Tess Munster is going to be working with Yours Clothing for some up and coming campaigns. This is amazing for all involved and something of a breakthrough for a UK plus size high street store.

Most models hired for plus size campaigns on the high street are a size 14 or 16, which I believe is the UK average. To me it makes little sense to hire an average sized model to showcase plus size clothing. It's far more realistic to have someone larger than the national average to show us what plus size clothes may look like on a plus size target market. Why this isn't done more often is beyond me so hats off to Yours Clothing for taking this step. Let's hope more brands follow suit.

This pairing of Yours and Tess is a little more significant than just the coming together of a brand and a model for me and quite possibly many others.

As recently as 14 months ago I was a completely different Cupcake. I had no confidence and  no self esteem. I had a very negative body image and couldn't handle even the slightest suggestion that I put on a dress. And then someone shared a post on Facebook.

It was the first time I had ever heard of or seen Tess Munster and I instantly admired her attitude, her confidence and the way she was completely unashamed to stand up to everyone and say "This is me. I am beautiful. If you don't like it... That's not my problem,"

I decided I had to feel like that.
I had to turn my life around and try new things. To not feel ashamed of who I am and to accept and learn to love what I then perceived to be flaws. That weekend I went shopping in Yours Clothing and bought my first two dresses since I don't know when (my wedding dress absolutely does not count) and almost instantly became a happier, more confident version of myself.

So thank you Tess. Thank you Yours.
You got me out of a rut.

I can't wait to see the results of this campaign.


**To celebrate the announcement, Yours  Clothing are offering a 20% discount to new customers with the promotional code "TESS"

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.

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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!

Yours for 99p (Part 1) Black & Ivory Chiffon Dress

A few weeks ago Yours Clothing held an incredible offer, selling five of their current dresses for only 99p each. Since so many plus size babes snagged a bargain or two, the lovely Debz from Wannabe Princess stepped up and created the #99pdresschallenge. Each weekday this week will feature a different dress from the offer. This is day two of the challenge but as I didn't buy the dress featured yesterday I couldn't take part.

Today I am looking at the black and ivory chiffon dress, which I really rather like. I've worn it a fair few times now and it's a very comfortable day dress.

It's original retail value was £30 and you can see why. It's a great quality lined dress with sheer sleeves and comes with a good sized belt. I actually removed the belt and have paired this dress with a different belt to add a pop of colour.

The dress is still available online here for it's original price of £30.


Below is a list of the ladies taking part in this challenge. Not everyone will be posting every day but check back because each of these beauties listed below will be posting about a 99p bargain at least once this week. I will show you my other 99p Yours Clothing bargain on Friday.

Be sure to check out these beautiful bargain hunters:

Debz - www.wannabeprincess.co.uk
Leighanne - www.bumpandbeyondblog.co.uk
Lucia - www.ucantwearthat.com
Helen - www.candyflosscloudssss.co.uk
Charlie - www.freakumdress.co.uk
Sally - www.thehumanmannequin.co.uk
Mookie - www.muki7x7.blogspot.com
Abi - www.aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk/
Nikki - www.nattynikki.com
Sarah - www.plussizeproud.wordpress.com
Vicky - Www.thecurvedopinion.com
Emma - http://emmaatouchofsparkle.weebly.com/
Leah - http://www.justmeleah.co.uk/
Becky - www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Hannah - http://fabulouslyfatfashion.com/

Dress for 99p? Thanks Yours Clothing!

Warning: if you're on a no spend month, stop reading!

The wonderful Debz over at The (Not So) Secret Diary Of A Wannabe Princess has brought to my attention a fantastic offer from Yours Clothing that has me a little excited. It's too good not to share!

I'm not going to lie; I squealed, rushed over to the website, picked my dress and placed an order without checking whar was already in my basket so I spent more than 99p. Oops! Even so, what a bargain these dresses are.

It's not clear how long this offer is available for so get your skates on as they're selling fast!

CLICK HERE for 99p dresses. GO GO GO!

Have you or will you order anything?



NB: To qualify you will need to enter your email address for their mailing list. You can unsubscribe from this. There is also a p&p charge of £3.99 (or more for next day/nominated day delivery).

OOTD: Scruffy Chic

Ok so there's nothing chic about this look. I should probably follow other bloggers in having sleek hair and beautiful makeup... But I'm secretly waiting for scruffy bedhair to make a comeback. I'm totally ok with looking a bit (a lot?) bedraggled on a lazy day like today.

Shrug, belt, leggings: Yours Clothing

Dress: Everything5Pounds

Shoes: Converse

Pick Of The Sales: Just Another Blogging Challenge

Welcome to another installment of Just Another Blogging Challenge. This months theme is January Sales & Bargains.

I've been quite a good girl this year and haven't gone completely mad in the sales. I have however managed to put together an outfit with a couple of bits I snapped up in the post-Christmas frenzy.

Dress: Pink Clove £8 (Reduced from £20)

Belt: Yours Clothing £6.40 (Reduced from £12, currently £8)

Shrug: Yours Clothing £4 (Reduced from £12.50, currently £5)

Take a look at these girls' sales bargains:

Steph - http://seeingsp0ts.blogspot.co.uk
Toni - http://theonlywayist.com
Kim - http://www.callmekim.net
Gina - http://fatfitfine.blogspot.co.uk
Nikki -http://www.nattynikki.blogspot.co.uk
Becky -http://www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Kaye - http://www.polishedcurves.com 
Naomi -http://www.diamondsnpearls.co.uk
Victoria -http://www.thecurvedopinion.com
Em - http://terribletumbles.blogspot.co.uk
Beka -http://bekasstuffystuff.blogspot.co.uk
Gemma -http://www.pinkgemmaplus.blogspot.co.uk
Anne-Lise - www.muki7x7.blogspot.co.uk
Michaela -www.Cardifforniagurl.blogspot.co.uk
Katt -www.acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk
Betty - www.bigfatbetty.com

My Favourite Dressy Purchase of 2013

You know sometimes an item of clothing catches your eye and from that moment on becomes something of an obsession? That's what happened to me and this dress. 

I first saw one very similar online at Topsy Curvy and I vowed I'd buy it. Treat myself. Then it disappeared and I was heartbroken. 

Fast forward to a month later and this popped up on Yours Clothing along with a didcount code. How could I refuse?! I snapped it up even though I had nowhere to wear it so it was saved for new years eve and has since been worn to a wedding reception. 

I love this dress. The fabric hangs beautifully on every curve making the shape very flattering. It's got a good amount of stretch to the fabric. It does thin out the pattern across my boobs as the white shows through under the print but it's such a busy pattern that I dont think it matters. The sheer panel at the top is a touch of genius. I can show a bit of cleavage without actually showing a bit of cleavage. Fabulous! 

Dress: Yours £35

Shrug: Yours £12

This dress is still available at Yours for £35 and is more than worth the money!

Christmas Casual

I have neglected my corner of the internet recently. I apologise. Family dramas and illnesses are now (hopefully) over and I'm back on track.

So here's a quick ootd from me.

I received this tshirt from Yours Clothing (retailing at £12.99 on the website just now). It arrived yesterday and I knew I had to wear it for the Herne Bay christmas light switch on tonight. I was a bit unsure about the ruched sides but combined with the length it's rather flattering. I adore the red glitter embellishments however I'm not sure they'll last the wash. I'm dropping glitter everywhere I go. It only needs to last the season though so it's not too much of an issue. All told, I love it! 

Cameraphonetastic

Skater Girl: Dress Wishlist

I'm still not entirely brave enough to venture away from skater dresses just yet. I've found a style that I like and that likes me back. Because of my ample boobage and high natural waist, this style of dress suits my shape perfectly. It nips in at the right place and skims my hips nicely. Love em!

These are my current top three skater dresses on my wishlist... I just need a few paydays to hurry up:

1. Yours Clothing Wine And Black Sleeveless Flock Skater Dress With Patent Belt £35

 I absolutely adore this dress. Burgundy feels a bit like my safe colour now that I'm trying to avoid too much black but I feel so comfortable in it. This dress has a lovely stretch to it (yay elastane!) and is true to size. I am usually a 22 and tried sizing down to a 20 but it hugged a little bit too much above the waistline. I really love the large print, it's not something I would've gone for before but I keep going back to this dress. It will be my Christmas dress, somehow.


2. Evans Black Lace Skater Dress £45

This is a beautiful lace skater dress from Evans. It's very lightweight and I think it'd look lovely either dressed up with gold jewellery and heels or a bit more casual with a biker jacket and ankle boots. This was my original Christmas choice but it got bumped down to 2nd simply because a) it's more expensive than the dress from Yours and b) I caught my ring while trying it on and I would worry about snagging the lace maybe a bit too much. It felt so natural and comfortable to wear though, especially as it has the added bonus of covering the upper arms so it's still in my wishlist top 3!
Also worth noting I had to size down to a 20 for the best fit.

3. Topsy Curvy Navy Velvet Heart Printed Skater Dress £30

I've never tried on anything from Topsy Curvy so I can't comment on the sizing or feel of this dress but I do know it's gorgeous! It only went up on the website this week but it's got my attention already. It's 95% polyester 5% elastane, which is the same as the Yours dress so I expect it'll fit in a similar way- hugging all the right places and skimming over the rest. 

So. That is my current Wishlist Top 3.
Just for fun, here is a changing room photo of me in the Top 2 dresses.

Is anyone else as hooked on skater dresses as I am?

Hanna over at The Wardrobe Challenge is currently running a fabulous giveaway for a lovely tshirt, so I thought I'd show you the outfit I would put together around the prize tee. (Click here to be taken straight to the giveaway.)

Top, Lane Bryant
Black PU studded biker jacket, Yours Clothing
Check leggings, Simply Be
Clarks Kankan Buzz Boots, Simply Be

I think the biker style is the perfect outfit for this top. It's edgy but comfortable. The perfect combination!

I promise I will start blogging more about my outfits and such like. I have actually been given £200 (as an early Christmas present) by my wonderful man to go out and get a few bits. £40 of that went straight on jeans though! Today however is all about doing my Halloween nails.

Lazy Sunday

I went for a safe bet with todays outfit. A sunday lunch with family followed by sitting on the floor entertaining children meant I had to think sensible. 

I love the drop pocket longline hoodies from Yours Clothing. I actually bought a second one in black and purple stripe. They're soft, so comfortable and have a good amount of stretch. They don't hug under my boobs as much as I'd like but adding a belt would solve that issue.

I paired the top with a pair of Evans high waisted jeans I've had for a while. They're a touch on the loose side for me but that prevents them cutting in when I bend over which was practical for today.

I very nearly reached for my usual Converse on the way out this afternoon but wore a pair of New Look ankle boots instead. I adore New Look boots. They fit me perfectly. Snug but not uncomfortable and need no breaking in. 

So although I played it safe today I felt good. I added a pop of colour with red accessories and found another style of top that suits me. Things are looking up!