I Totally Own My Crop #rockthecrop

So yet again this week we've seen more body shaming (eye rolls), this time in the U.S. mag The Oprah Magazine. Surprisingly this magazine usually speaks of confidence, female empowerment and the likes so it was quite a shock to this this in an article

To me and countless other women, this is not advise. And if it is, I really hope there are women wise enough to ignore it. Just like the 'beach body ready' campaign, seriously, if you have a body then you can own and wear a crop top. 

Top by Chubby Cartwheels 

Skirt Asos Curve

Shoes Primark

Hat eBay 

Top and skirt both Asos and Asos Curve

Shoes and sunglasses Primark

Bag River Island 

Not one but TWO crop tops in this post alone and I've not hurt anyone! My body, my choice. We need to start standing side by side with our sisters and encouraging them to be the women they choose to be, not tearing them down. X

May Roundup of Outfits

I've been either A; a bit slack, or B; a bit busy to post any outfit up so I thought the easiest thing to do was to compile a blog post featuring them all. 

 

I recently got this grey maxi skirt from Yours. Super soft, stretchy jersey with a side split to show a little leg. Not that you can tell as its billowing in a breeze! The top is a ribbed, open backed vest that I picked up in Primark recently, along with the hologram sandals. 

Next up is this cute little jacket from Boohoo.com I love the pastel colours and with this crazy cold/warm/rainy weather we've got going on, it's nice to chuck on something light yet practical. 

Vest is the same as above. Leggings are from River Island but are pretty old now. Platform plimsolls are from Primark and the bag is EBay.

This is another Boohoo.com number. A soft quilted scuba type material in lilac (lighting makes it look a bit pinkish). The shape of this little dress made me feel like Baby Spice. I teamed it with black leggings and chunky platform boots- both Primark and my little hologram backpack. Necklace is from Black Heart Creatives as featured in a previous post.

Xx

The return of #OMCZ- Shopping Trip

Outside My Comfort Zone (OMCZ) is back! I missed week one as I was simply to busy but I'm back on track! These challenges are a great way to push each of our styles in to new territories and trying something we would usually avoid.

'The next theme has more of an open feeling to it. No specific items or patterns to showcase. Just show us what you'd wear to go shopping.

This is inspired by the Shopping Trip to Birmingham organised by Nikki . Knowing what to wear on a shopping trip in the colder months can be a challenge. You want to be warm enough when you're outside but as soon as you go inside it's too hot.'

I love this theme as it shows how I dress on a daily basis! As I don't work, I don't really have a reason to dress smartly but always have to dress as practical as possible. I'm smeared with food within an hour of dressing, most days, so I'm used to having to change at least once a day. 

Here's what I wear for an average shopping trip

Cream and gold fleck jumper is old New Look Inspire, leggings are H&M, bag and pumps are Primark.

I get so hot and flustered when I'm out shopping so tend to not wear a jacket. I also like to wear a black vest and leggings so that I have something plain to wear when trying on clothes. 

Here's a list of other bloggers taking part in the challenge. 

Steph http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/

Sarah http://plussizeproud.wordpress.com/

Becky Brown www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com

Nikki http://www.nattynikki.com

Leah www.justmeleah.co.uk

Natalie www.awheelbarrowfullofstyle.com

Gillian www.readysteadyfile.co.uk

Mary www.marysbigcloset.com

Hollie Http://www.prettybigbutterflies.com

Becca http://thegirlwiththeplait.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Kaye http://polishedcurves.com/

All that glitters ain't gold. Christmas Day Selfie!

Christmas Day was a crazy whirlwind of watching the kids opening their presents, stopping my toddler from consuming her body weight in chocolate bears, restraining myself from hitting my mother and cooking like a chef on speed. I did not have the time for outfit posts! But I did so a quick cheeky selfie!

 Thought I would show you this amazingly cute GOLD top. Yes. Gold! I have never worn gold but now I must own more! I found it in Primark, tucked away in the shit corner of unloved items for a mere £3. I am totally kicking myself that I didn't buy the green version as it looks killer on. I wore it with a simple plain black bodycon skirt from Asos and tights. The necklace was a cheap China job from EBay 

X

What a Winner!

This month I was super happy to of won an Instagram giveaway from the ultra cool brand Carnakoma (found Here) And what a prize!

An oversized shirt in slate grey leopard print that is long in length and dipped at the back. I was instantly in love. I teamed it with Yours Clothing Tummy control leggings, plastic chain necklace from Topshop and chunky boots from Primark. Perfect for a date night.

The shirt can be found Here x

OOTD Winter Warmer

After having a dry spell of spendable pennies, I took myself off to Primark to get a few well needed, warmer pieces. 

As you may already know, I have a love/hate affair with skinny jeans. I love them, they hate me. In an ideal world, there would be a pair of jeans that would be a size 18 in the leg but a size 20 in the waist. But these sadly do not exist. 

Spying a pair of high waisted, acid wash skinnies, I was doubtful yet still hopeful that they might just work. And they kind of did! Slightly baggy behind the knees and bum but snug in the waist and leg, I snapped them up. 

Next on my list was a black cardigan. It had to be not too plain, long, preferably with pockets. Found it! It's the kind of 'throw it on' style, no buttons, fuzzy, warm, yet plain enough to work with anything. We're good to go!

Peplum top, high waist jeans, cardigan, tan boots; All current seasons Primark

Shop Your Stash

It's stash raiding time again! Lately I've been making a real effort to put together outfits from items I've neglected to wear and it's really paid off. Obviously this is the aim for this challenge but it's been great to find things that I would of worn one way, work well differently. Here's this months outfit choice

This cheap basic t shirt is usually worn with my denim skater skirt or jeans but thought I would use it with this bright skirt that I bought in the sale. It's been in my cupboard since the start of the summer and I was having trouble what to team it with. Throwing in yet another print with my leopard print flats but I think the outfit works just perfectly.

Top and shoes; Primark

Skirt; H&M

OOTD baseball shirt

Here's a quick little outfit post from today. I've been very lazy on my blog this summer but I have new posts to come!

 

This was a bargain T shirt that I picked up from Primark a while ago and never thought I would of gone for a top like this but I love it- almost as much as the price tag of £3! I wore it with a trusty pair of thick leggings (so no transparency would happen) from H&M and a battered pair of platform plimsolls, again Primark. Lipstick is Kate Moss for Rimmel 

X

Colour Pop in Poppy Print

So sorry for the quietness but I decided to give blogging a little break and spend some quality time with my children this summer.

Here's a quick OOTD

I'm wearing Simply Be Poppy print dress, Primark black vest, sandals and necklace and Topsy Curvy leggings. 

The dress isn't something I would of usually of gone for but after seeming the dress in person, I loved the quality if the material, the colour and the fit. Today I wore the dress open for a more relaxed feel but would happily wear it done up to the neck with statement necklace and heels for a more dressed up look. 

Dress can be found Here

Hyper Japan ootd

This month I took my daughter to the amazing Hyper Japan at Earls Court. It's aJapanese culture event showcasing latest video games, street fashion, sushi demos, food and stalls. 

As my daughter decided to dress up (cosplay), I thought I would let her outfit shine and just chaperone her as 'cool mum' so no dress up for me *boo*.

Here's what I wore;

 Dress is Collectif 

 Bag is Vivienne Westwood

 Shoes are Primark

I rolled my fringe as it was both raining and hot so to avoid frizz, I thought this was the best option. I kept eye make up simple and wore Mac in Ruby woo

 Here's my daughter as Fiona the human from Adventure Time

Shop Your Stash #3

It's that time to dig deep into my ridiculous amount of clothes and wear something long forgotten. 

Right now with our stormy, sticky hot weather, I've been a hot sweaty mess. Clothes I've been choosing are short dresses or long skirts as I can't stand anything clinging to my legs right now and shorts ride up on my thighs making me feel uncomfortable. I find accessories too much too! My aim was to find something I haven't worn in over a year.

Here's what I found 

 

This is a ruffle bottomed maxi dress, that I very rarely wear as it's bandeau topped and I'm not a big fan of them, so I popped this little Aztec print top over the top. I actually really like the combo and given that the temperature is hot, this is nice and cool due to both items being lightweight. Plus I can still wear a bra. Bonus!

Shoes are fake Birk style sandals from Primark, dress is from Matalan and top is New Look. 

Here's a list of the other wardrobe raiders

 

Debz

Nicole R

Gemma

Leah

Natalie

Helen

Vicky

Kittie

Michelle

Anne-Lise

Lucia

Nicola

Nicole F

Betty

Sam

Kim

Sarah

Abi

Kaye

Toni

Nikki

Charlie

Emma

 X

 

OMCZ 33 - Summer Fun Day

This theme was chosen by Becca and this is what she said;

"It’s getting warmer in the UK and it’s nearly time for the Summer Fun Days to start. Whether it be your local village fun day, a school fayre or a party at a friend’s house, I want to see your outfits for those days out soaking up the sun"

Days like these I tend to make little effort with hair and make up as if it's hot then I really don't want to sit and sweat it off. I tend to opt for a maxi dress or simple top and skirt. Here's what I chose

Crop top, skirt and jelly sandals are all current season Primark, necklace is vintage

Here's a list of the other beauties taking part

Betty - http://www.bigfatbetty.com/

Natalie - http://awheelbarrowfullofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/

Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.com

Stephanie - http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/

Mary - http://www.marysbigcloset.blogspot.pt

Hollie - Http://www.prettybigbutterflies.com

Erin - http://erinslittlebigcorner.blogspot.co.uk/

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

Becca - http://thegirlwiththeplait.blogspot.co.uk/

Rebs -http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/

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

Verena - http://aplussizefashionobsession.blogspot.de/

Mookie - http://muki7x7.blogspot.co.uk/

Leah - www.justmeleah.co.uk

Danielle - www.daniellerharris.com

Beverly - www.thecurvyword.com

Sam  http://fattyboomtatty.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Gillian - www.weegillie.com

Abi - http://aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk/

#ShopYourStash Wardrobe Challenge-Easter

Happy Easter everyone! For me this is not a religious holiday but more of a chance to see family, eat good food and lavish the offspring with chocolate treats.
This is the first Shop Your Stash challenge and I couldn't be more happier to take part. Most bloggers seem to review new purchases/gifted items, new make up buys and new collections and for me it just doesn't happen very often. I have to keep my spending on myself to an absolute minimum as spare cash with a busy  house is hard to come by. So what better than to dig deep into my wardrobe and put together an outfit consisting of clothes I have neglected over the years. I chose to base this first one on Easter. It is bank holiday weekend after all. Although 2 of the items are new, the est are not. I also chose to finally try out my bottle of Morrocan hair oil that I was gifted in a goody bag at a recent event. (Not much to say other than made my hair super soft but didn't help to keep my curls in)

Welcome to the Shop Your Stash Challenge. This is all about finding a gem in what you already own and creating a blog post on it. This is to let go a little of the stress that comes with being a blogger - even if it is just once a month. Rummage through your beauty products and climb through those clothes draws. You might surprise yourself!

I recently had a birthday so I treated myself to a new bag and shoes. I went for pastel as I was having trouble matching a bag with my pastel outfits, as for the shoes, they are hologram flats, how could I refuse?!

Here's what I chose;

Vest Dorothy Perkins
Skirt Cardigan and bag Primark
Shoes Office

I was travelling a lot over Easter so my outfit had to be comfy. I bought this skirt a while back. I think I put off wearing it as I'm scared of VBO but with a long loose vest, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Might be even be brave enough to wear it without the leggings in the summer!!

As I was visiting family, I made a batch of Easter themed cupcakes.

Isn't he cute?!

Simple Cupcake Recipe;

6 oz caster sugar

6 oz butter

8 oz self raising flour

1 egg

generous splash of milk

Beat the sugar and butter until light, fluffy and pale in colour. Add the rest of the ingredients and add enough milk to make a smooth yet thick mixture. Divide in to 12 cases and bake for 12-15 mins or until golden at 180'

Leave to cool before decorating. I used a tub of chocolate frosting, pastel chicks and tiny chocolate eggs. Enjoy!

Here's s list of the other lovely participants taking part in this fab challenge;

Hollie

Debz

Nicole R

Gemma

Leah

Natalie

Helen

Vicky

Kittie

Michelle

Anne-Lise

Lucia

Nicola

Nicole F

Sharon

Sam

Kim

Sarah

Betty

Abi

Kaye

Toni

Nikki

OMCZ #29 Pastels

This fortnights OMCZ was chosen by Hollie. I cant stress how much I love pastels. Any time of the year, I'm constantly trying to incorporate them in somewhere. (Hence the pastel peach hair!)

This is what Hollie said;

                                    Pastels are here for Spring & Summer but I'd love some inspiration from you lovely ladies. I want to see you florish in fondant colours. Pinks, Mints, Sky Blues... the list goes on. I don't want to hide away this Summer so this will be good practise!

I thought about wearing something simple like a pastel coloured dress but thought that would be a little safe. This outfit I chose is my everyday wear whilst being a busy mum. Black tops hide splatters and sticky fingerprints that i'm usually sporting at the end oi the day! This is also the first time I got to wear my beautiful new cut out boots from Simply Be. As soon as I spotted hologram shoes I knew I had to have some but held out until I found something that I really loved. These fit the bill perfectly. Cant wait to wear them with other outfits throughout the summer.

Vest; H&M

Skirt and cardigan; Old Primark

Necklace; Old Primark

Boots; Simply Be

Nails were painted to match my skirt. This is from Avon shade Sea Breeze

Be sure to check out the other girls taking part in this challenge;

Natalie	http://awheelbarrowfullofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/
Nikki	http://www.nattynikki.com
Becky Brown	http://www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Mary	http://www.marysbigcloset.blogspot.pt
Hollie	Http://www.prettybigbutterflies.com
Erin	http://erinslittlebigcorner.blogspot.co.uk/
Debz	http://www.wannabeprincess.co.uk/
Stephanie	http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/
Becca	http://thegirlwiththeplait.blogspot.co.uk/
Rebs	http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/
Katt	http://acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk/
Leah	www.justmeleah.co.uk
Betty	http://www.bigfatbetty.com/
Danielle	www.daniellerharris.com
Beverly	www.thecurvyword.com
Gillian	www.weegillie.com
Sarah	http://plussizeproud.wordpress.com/
Abi	http://aisforabi.blogspot.co.uk/

Leather, Lace and Fur

The wonderful Katie G over on  http://www.toodalookatie.blogspot.com come up with a blog challenge to use lace, leather, faux fur incorporated in to 2 outfits. One being a casual daytime outfit and the second, an evening outfit using all or one of the chosen elements. I went with a faux leather skirt for the day time and lace for the evening. Normally, I would of chose them the other way round but seeing as I have yet to really jump on the leather wearing bandwagon, I would push my comfort zone and dress the leather skirt down. I think it totally worked and I love the outcome!

                         Skirt and T shirt and glasses; Primark
                         Platform plimsols; George@Asda

For the evening outfit, I chose my new lace dress that I found in the sale this week at Asda. I just love the colour.

                                            Dress, George@Asda
                                            Bag; H&M
                                            Boots; Ebay shop

Be sure to check out the other girls who have participated in this challenge.

Katie – http://www.toodalookatie.blogspot.com

Steph - http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/

Sally - http://www.thehumanmannequin.co.uk

Anne-Lise – http://muki7x7.blogspot.co.uk 

Hollie - http://prettybigbutterflies.com

Claire - http://amonkeyfatshionista.co.uk

Nikki- http://www.nattynikki.com

Amanda - http://cruellamcg.wordpress.com

Sara - http://confusedbrit.wordpress.com

OOTD FT A message to haters

So after reading some of the absurd comments coming left, right and center on the Evans Facebook page, I decided to base my outfit on one comment.
It was all coming from the launch of their new Cut for Evans range, which features great items that are full of bold and over the top prints and clashing colours. For me, this is a total dream! But it seems it is not for everyone and that too, is just fine. What I dont like, however, is fellow fat (or not) girls, bashing other girls about what we should and shouldn't be wearing. Do I wear 'flattering' clothes? No. Do I hide under shapeless tents? No. Do I wear lots of patterns and make myself stand out? Yes!!
One comment in particular really made me chuckle. The lady said us 'big' girls should not be seen in jumpsuits, sheer cuts and OTT prints. Just because there is more to us larger ladies, do we have to hide behind black, shapeless tents, bootcut jeans and the such?
I could of chose an outfit that used some of my more bolder colours to demonstrate a point, in that they do indeed work for us but instead chose items that were sheer and featured...wait for it.....MESH! GAAASSSP!!!!

                       Dress;       H&M
                       Shirt;         Primark
                       Leggings;  F+F
                       Boots;        Ebay

The shirt is amazing. It has the cut out/waterfall thing going on so is long at the back and cropped at the back. The dress is a super stretchy skater dress with mesh neckline and sleeves. I personally think I look pretty good. Should we really stick to frumpy clothes and hide away just to keep it safe? Come off it. I have it and I'm flaunting it. And you know what I say to those who think they can tell me otherwise.....

..... Kiss me fat ass!  x

Lovedrobe Competition dress

So before Christmas, I won a beautiful dress from Lovedrobe on a Twitter giveaway. Here it is..

The fabric is soft and lovely, it was stretchy and clings in all the right places. For me, it was just the right length that I am comfortable with to wear without tights.

I kept hair simple and just added a hair flower from Ebay. I wore Mac in Ruby Woo on my lips with a small amount of lip balm as I find it quite drying. Shoes were velvet heels from past season Primark as was the cocktail ring. My fave vintage bag finished the outfit.

                                                   
 I was not short on compliments at New Years when I wore this out for some cocktails with friends, which is always nice to hear. x
You can find this dress- in the sale (bargain!) here http://www.lovedrobe.co.uk/lovedrobe-black-scallop-hem-lace-dress.html

Christmas Outfit #4!

                                                    Dress; Angel Ribbons for Simply Be
                                                    Tights; Pamela Mann @ mytights.com
                                                    Shoes;  Primark

This is my Christmas Day outfit. I went for my trusty Angel Ribbons dress as its super festive and comfy enough to wear at home whilst I'm slaving away in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. They no longer stock it but this one comes pretty close http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/red-lace-dress-with-short-belle-sleeves/sl050/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=8673#colour:Red,size:
I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to tights. I either ruin them as soon as I wear them or we fall out of love after the first wear. I'm one of thousands of fat girls who are on a self discovery journey in finding THE ones. These ones were ok. They did start to fall down towards the end of the day and I did have to do the odd bathroom visit to pull the legs up again.
Shoes were a bargain this December at Primark. £6 in the sale. Perfect sized heel, patent and shiny and very comfy. Perfect!