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.

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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!

Lookin Fiiiiine with Black Heart Creatives (And 20% Discount)

For a long time I admired Black Heart Creatives from afar. With their excellent designs and custom perspex necklaces I felt a little bit spoilt for choice and, using proper backwards logic, I decided to buy nothing rather than make a decision to buy just one thing.

But I bit the bullet for Fathers Day. My eldest and I took my husband to a sci-fi event and I figured a new necklace was required for the occasion. I instantly thought to the custom necklaces I'd seen others wearing from Black Heart Creatives and emailed them about my idea. Quicker than you can say nerdfest, the necklace was around my neck.

hashtagnomakeupselfie

I love this piece. I get so much wear out of it. The size is perfect, the perspex feels strong and sturdy and the length is spot on for me. It's the little personal touches that make Black Heart Creatives stand out from the rest. The time taken to make sure you are perfectly happy with your design, the presentation of each item in it's own lovely box and finishing touches to the necklace.

After receiving the necklace I was sent an item from the Palm Bling range.

These Fiiiiineapple earrings* are marvelous! They're a little bit cute and a little bit quirky and they look fab peeking out from under my pigtails! And with the options of stud or drop earrings in gold (matte or mirrored) or translucent neon (orange or yellow), there truly is something for everyone. There is even a matching necklace and brooch available so you can treat yourself to the whole set!

If you like what you see, or fancy your very own custom piece of awesome Black Heart Creatives jewellery, you can use the promo code KATT20 for 20% off for the next 7 days. So go forth to Black Heart Creatives and see what takes your fancy. And don't forget to let me know what you decide on!

*denotes a gifted item

The Real Rules of Plus Size Fashion

I've seen so many pictures and articles about how to survive summer as a fatty.

Don't wear these colours/shapes/patterns, dress in a tent, cover up this way or that way.

Who makes these rules?

It's so backward to me to give guidelines to anyone on how to dress.

So those pictures and articles are going to be shunned from my memory banks and replaced with my very own shoddily-put-together-in-paint-2-minutes-ago "rules"

I'm going to wear stripes.

I'm going to wear bright colours.

And bold patterns.

AT THE SAME TIME.

I'm going to get my arms out.

Get my legs out.

Cover up my cleavage if I want to.

(No I won't look frumpy, I'll look like me with my boobs covered.)

I'm going to be ME and I'm going to enjoy it.

And to those who judge, vocally or otherwise, to you I say HA! 

I like being me. I'm the best person for the job and I'm awesome at it.

Oh Bother

To my darling readers,

Things might be a little slow on the blog for a while as the Mini Cupcakes recover from chest infections and I dedicate every hour (day and night) to being Nurse Mummy. I'm averaging less than 3 hours sleep. I am a zombie. 

So while I'm barely able to keep my eyes open, I'm in my pjs and my hair is in a dirty funk, I still must remind you of something another zombie once said:

See you on the other side you gorgeous lot xo

Floral Fancy with Lipstick Boutique

Hi lovelies,

Have you ever let a brand slip under your radar for no discernible reason only to then realise that you actually love them quite a lot? This happened to me recently with these guys.

Lipstick Boutique have recently launched the Curvy Collection on their website and I was given the opportunity to browse the Curvy Lookbook. With bright florals, bold colours and on trend cuts, Lipstick Boutique really have got something for everyone. There is no shying away from fashion or trying to hide your shape in drapes of dark fabric with this collection. 

This lace insert summer dress* was love at first sight for me. I adore the watercolour style of the flowers and the detail in the lace panel. It is fully lined so it's not too floaty or see-through and can easily be dressed up or down.

I went to an evening garden party last week and this dress was a hit. I had so many comments and compliments and the dress itself made me feel fantastic. You can't be unhappy in a dress as pretty as this.

For cooler evenings or if, like me, you sometimes shy away from getting the tree trunks out this dress can be worn with leggings. You'll still feel 100% gorgeous!

I cannot fault this dress at all. It is of fantastic quality and has just a teeny bit of stretch in it for comfort (although if you are generously boobed I would recommend maybe sizing up). 

Unfortunately the dress has sold out but you can take a look at what else Lipstick Boutique has to offer on their website here or on ASOS. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on their future offerings.

*This item was gifted but all opinions are my own.

My Thighs Have Never Felt This Good!

Hello my beauties! It has probably come to your attention that we are currently enjoying the hottest week of the year so far. But as much we would love to toss aside the leggings in favour of floaty dresses, many of us will be fighting against the dreaded chub rub this summer. Well, stop walking like John Wayne ladies, relief is here in a little red tube. Vevina* is a new friction protection cream for all kinds of uncomfortable situations and I was kindly sent some recently to try out.

At first glance it simply looks like a moisturising cream. I was expecting a gel or balm, so with a little skepticism, I rubbed a generous amount on my inner legs and set off on an almighty 6 minute walk. (Well I didn't want to push my luck on the first try did I?) I came home with no red skin and absolutely no pain. Ay caramba, it worked!

I've slowly built up my confidence in this product and it's been something of a summer saver for me. My thunder thighs have never felt so free! Vevina leaves no oily or sticky residue, it's silky smooth to apply and the packaging is discreet enough to be kept in your handbag. What's more is that it's not just for thighs-It'll fight any of your chaffing battles for you. Armpit and bra not getting on? Pow! Underboob rubbing? Bosh! Belly overhang giving you a hard time? Thwack! Sorted.

You get a generous amount in one tube. I don't think you'll need more than one this season so it's well worth the excellent value of £9 and you can buy it here.

*This product has been gifted for review but all opinions are my own.

Money Saving Monday Part Deux

Hello lovelies! Another week, another Money Saving Monday.

As you probably know I am on a spending ban for July with the exception of essentials and gifts. Last week I confessed to a little slip-up with my Bare Minerals foundation but I've done surprisingly well this week.

I've barely looked at clothes at all! There are sales everywhere beckoning me, testing me, throwing the proverbial banana peel underfoot, but I've somehow managed to avoid temptation. Of course that doesn't mean I've been walking around with my eyes closed. I've been looking at other things (that I'm also not allowed to buy, grr) such as fabric:

And home stuff:

Unicorn Jewellery Dish

Brunch-osaurus Salt & Pepper Shakers

And also tattoos but that's a post for another day.

So, not much to report as you can see. I am eagerly awaiting a phone case which I pre-ordered about 6 weeks ago so hopefully I can show you that without guilt before the next installment of Money Saving Monday.

I wonder how the other money saving ladies are getting on...

Abi - http://aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk

Debz - http://www.wannabeprincess.co.uk

Lucia - http://www.ucantwearthat.com

Sarah - http://plussizeproud.wordpress.com

Katherine - http://acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk

Kelly - http://misskittykaos.blogspot.co.uk

Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.com
Gina - http://fatfitfine.blogspot.com/