Category Archives: psblogger

New ways to shop. (via lovethesales.com)

There are a lot of sites popping up that give you access to multiple shopping sites in one place and I think its a great way to shop. As someone at the higher end of plus size, I very rarely even look at websites that don’t carry plus size items so I miss out on a lot of accessory items available from those places.  I heard about a site called LoveTheSales and I thought I’d check it out to see of they had any plus size brands and to my surprise they do! This is always a pleasure to see as we are so often forgotten. Being able to shop for clothes and have access to non clothing items from brands that do not cater their clothing to plus size people, provides more opportunities to create great outfits.

They have items up to a size 32 available through the Simply Be Sale and also include other big name plus size brands including but not limited to Dorothy Perkins, Studio 8, Junarose and Frock and Frills curve.

I remember in my late teens going shopping with my friends to big shops like topshop and only being able to look at the bags and accessories and always being really bitter about it and subconsciously just counting it as a store that just isn’t for me but while browsing  the lovethesales site I found myself constantly drawn to items in the Topshop Sale, specifically the handbags. The Topshop sale is incredible with massive reductions, I keep filling my basket with so many bags and then closing the window like a form of modern torture lol.

I just think it makes shopping more fun. A huge variety, and a lot more brands that you may not have ever heard of before, much more accessible. Definitely worth checking them out if your looking to put together an outfit or just want to shop a whole load of sales in one place.

Freestyling summer dresses.

I’m off on holiday to Vegas tomorrow morning and I have been looking for good stand alone pieces that need no accessories to be beautiful.  As bloggers people often look to us for styling tips and ideas, something I do a lot in summer is rely on the beauty and features of the item I’m wearing to be the star.

I picked this beautiful and super bright summer dress from JD Williams because the ruffle feature becomes the focal point and I don’t have to faff about with too much accessorising, When I’m on holiday and even in the British summer I find extra layers and fiddly jewellery an annoyance.

So my biggest tip for styling in summer would be to pick some bold colours and/or bold prints or even items with fun details on them so you don’t have to style them if you don’t want to.IMG_20160708_163454something else that is a massive contributor to great summer looks but is  a lot harder to come by than a pretty dress is CONFIDENCE! In this dress I have legs out, arms out, VBO and a whole ton of confidence. I have absolutely no desire to be baking in the summer sun all covered up and feeling uncomfortable and this dress is far too cute for me to want to hide it.

I’m obsessed with simple outfits and comfy shoes, especially during the summer months because for me comfort and cuteness is key.  Simply be have a huge range of summer dresses up to a size 32 and are so worth checking out.

 

 

You Can Wear A Little Luxury

You Can Wear A Little Luxury

Over recent years the plus size fashion has really improved when it comes to fast, high street fashion.  I have also noticed an increase in choice when it comes to styles such as vintage fashion and even bridal wear. However in my opinion, we’re still lacking a little.

For example luxury wear is something that I still struggle to find. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have the budget to be shopping for luxury items all the time but it would be nice to have the option to shop for items if and when I felt like it. That is why I got excited when I was offered the chance to write for David Nieper and saw that they offer exclusive silk dresses. Honestly speaking lots of their items wouldn’t fit me but the fact that they do up to a size 28 is great news. plus size silk dresses

In fact I do sometimes fit into size 28 items so rather than saying ‘U Can’t Wear That’, I’d like to try some of the items at one stage and see how myself and my body could make them work.  As I am sure you have seen from previous social media and blog posts I often make smaller items work so I am pretty confident I could do the same here!

Not going to lie, I love comfy clothes and pyjamas when I am at home. I enjoy dressing up when I am out of the house, but at home I love comfort. I like the idea of doing this in luxury ladies dressing gowns, because then I get to feel dressed up whilst feeling comfortable. David Nieper do these up to a size 28, so they’d be fun to try! luxury plus size dressing gown

If you’re a size 28 or under then I can only recommend that you give this brand a try. They’re a new one on me, but one that I’ll definitely be checking out sometime in the not to distance future. They’re not 100% my style – they come across as a more mature style than I am used to wearing, but it’d be fun to see what I could do with them.

Even if these items don’t fit me, I felt it was important to introduce them because I know often I assume I can’t wear certain type of items because of being plus size – and I love being proved wrong!

 

Octer Shopping

The last few weeks I have been on the hunt for some dresses that I can wear on my holiday in Vegas. Some that are summery, light enough that the heat wont kill me and ones that are actually available in my size .

As if the Angels shone down on me at just the right time,  I was contacted by a company called Octer who have thousands of brands all in one place with items ranging from fashion to electronics to beauty and homeware. I was instantly dubious as these all in one sites rarely have plus size items but to my surprise this site does, my next thought was “Ok…this is a good start but size will they go up to…” I was then surprised a second time when I started my hunt for a desert sun appropriate maxi dress and a ton from ASOS curve came up and i walked away with a stunning dress in a size 30!!!!!

This site is perfect for when you know what you want but don’t know where to look. I plan on wearing my hair up in a bun for the duration of my holiday (the sun ugh) so I wanted a couple of pairs of cheap hoops to wear and managed to find a a lovely new look pair on the site for £3.99  and picked up a plain black midi skirt that my wardrobe was in desperate need of.

The only issue I had with the site was that I was unable to search by size so I had to know what brands stock my size instead of getting excited about items that I would click on and then not be able to buy. You can however search by brand or item and sort by price which is always handy. The site actually takes you through to the retailer once you’ve decided top make a purchase so the Octer site is just a sorting vessel of..sorts lolIMG_20160624_153922_resized IMG_20160627_092849-1

This site is definitely worth checking out especially if you are looking for one specific item and you’re stuck for where to look. The site is easy to use  and you really can find some gems that you may not have come across otherwise.

 

What’s in my camera bag.

I have always enjoyed taking photographs, but always assumed that proper photography equipment was best left to the professionals.  To be fair my Samsung phone has always done me well for outfit photos so I’ve always made do. However a few months ago I decided that I wanted to explore photography as more of a hobby. Don’t get me wrong I’m never going to be a professional photographer but it will be nice to have more of an idea of what makes a good snap and how to take one.

Rather than rushing in like I usually do (that explains the double sized wardrobe of dresses) I decided to do a bit of research and see what was out there. I know that a decent camera would be a bit of an investment, so I wanted to make sure that I was investing wisely. At first it seemed a little overwhelming, I couldn’t tell my Panasonic Super Zoom Cameras from my Lumix Super Zoom Cameras and it seemed a little overwhelming. However I am glad to say I stuck with it and I am really happy with the camera set up I went for.

Canon 600d Camera

A watched a few Youtube videos that showed how this camera worked and I was really happy with how easy it looked to use. I knew I didn’t want something too complicated because I wanted to be able to take quick snaps when I wanted to. The quality of the photos I have taken with this have been great, which considering I am still getting to grips with things I am really happy with.

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Specifications: 18-megapixel CMOS sensor, Scene Intelligent Auto mode, On-screen Feature Guide, Up to 3.7fps continuous shooting and Built-in wireless flash control

Canon Camera Bag

I made sure I invested in a high quality camera bag. I wanted to make sure that I could feel confident taking it to blogging events, on holiday and on days out without it getting broken. This bag is really sturdy and helps to keep the camera safe and secure – it even survived Easter weekend in Blackpool!

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Meike LED Ring Light

I take lots of my photos indoors, especially for makeup posts so I needed something that would complement my Canon 600D camera and help with this. The Meike LED Ring Light came recommended by a couple of other bloggers and it’s great! It’s perfect for a bit more natural looking light for YouTube videos too!

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I still have lots to learn when it comes to photography and using my new camera but I am glad I took the plunge to invest because learning all about it is really fun!

What do you use to take your photos?

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Lindy bop ‘Saphy’ dress.

If I find an item that I love and think there is even a remote chance that I can get it on my body you can bet your last penny that I’m gonna get it on and rock the hell out of it.

I recently attended UK plus size fashion weekend (UKPSFW) and was able to catch up with some friends and fellow bloggers, there I met Katt who I had only known of online and she was wearing the most gorgeous dress, the Lindy Bop ‘Saphy’, After the event a few of us went to have some dinner at a local diner at which point I asked Katt if I could have a tug of her dress. She told me that the dress was very generous and that she could have easily sized down due to the elastic shirring at the back of the bodice. I have the fabric a little tug to see how much stretch there was and she showed me just how much boob room there was in the dress,

This is now my second Lindy Bop dress, I have another that some bloggers advised me was stretchy and generous, two words that to me translate into.. “Whoop whoop new options!”

I literally went straight on my phone while we were sat in te diner so I could order the dress but unfortunately it was out of stock in my size 🙁 I have to fill out the box to request a stock notifiction and it felt like I waited an eternity,

As soon as it was back in stock I ordered it and got it just in time to wear on a  night out for my best friends birthday.

I ordered the dress in the largest size, a UK 26, and the dress fit beautifully. Bear in mind that I usually wear a size 32. If if wasn’t for the elastic shirring on the back of the dress it would’t have fit I’m sure of it. 20151004_022008

I found this really cute retro gamer heart necklace on ebay.

IMG-20151004-WA0002Dresses with pockets for the win!

The full circle skirt on this dress no joke had me feeling like a princess, its so swishy and cute, I really really love wearing it.IMG-20151004-WA0006I will leave you with the reviews from two other gorgeous plus size girls on this very same dress.

Katts Review

kattmint

 

Leah’s Review

leahmint As you can see this both these girls look amazing in the dress, check out these ladies’ reviews for even more information about fit etc…

Lindy bop have released two more prints in the ‘Saphy’ dress and I was super excited until I took a closer look at the stock photographs on their website to find that the two new prints don’t have the shirring on the back 🙁 to say I was disappointed is a massive understatement.

WE NEED MORE ELASTIC SHIRRING!!!!!!

Hope everyone is doing good and thanks for reading xx

 

Scarlett & Jo have done it again.

11887865_1156253967721692_3130286126569420753_nI am very excited about some new items set to be released by Scarlett & Jo in the coming weeks as well as the launch of their own website soon.

I have blogged about quite a few of the S&J items that I have as I am a big fan (I still can’t get enough of my fit and flare tunic which is the first S&J item I ever bought)

I was gifted the below dress and Initially I wasn’t sure if it was very ‘me’ but when I tried it on I realised how perfect is is for me. I am a massive fan of standard skater dresses because I am usually a very casual girl and I love the comfy skater dress fit.

This navy kimono dress is like a grown up and elegant take on a classic casual skater dress and I love it.  I don’t often do chiffon type fabrics because I find them very dressy but this just works and I think its the perfect mix of the grown up and dressy fabric on a simple skater shape.

I have dressed it up as much as I personally every would with a delicate necklace and the highest heels I can comfortably walk in.

I got so many compliments on this outfit and the dress is super super comfortable which I love because I didn’t feel like I was dressed up. This dress is very flattering on the body and gives a really nice shape.

I am going to leave you with a couple of my favourite pictures in the dress.IMG-20150807-WA0030IMG-20150807-WA0032

Navy blue Kimono Dress

I styled the dress with a nude handbag from asos and nude heels from Primark.

 

Lovedrobe… please take the plunge.

Lovedrobe kindly let me chose a dress from their website to review on my blog,  I went to the site and narrowed my search by size and at the time there was a whopping 5 dresses in my size, not only were there only five dresses but they were colour and print variations of the very same dress. I was really disappointed in what they had to offer in my size. Some people would say that I should be pleased that they had anything at all but I disagree. I decided to go ahead and pick a dress (a print of the dress) and wear and review it because the dress was something that I would actually wear,

I did consider not reviewing an item at all but I want to highlight the brand so that we can let them know that we are out there and we want clothes in a size 30/32

The dress arrived very quickly and I was pleasantly surprised by the dress itself. The dress is the Plunge neck skater dress and is actually a pretty cute dress and its nice to see it in more than one print/colour.  The dress is pretty short on me and the material made it perfect for what I planned to wear it for. The week after the dress arrived i was going to a beach themed party that my friend was throwing, I had my bikini ready but wanted something cute to throw on when the weather cooled down in the evening.

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For the purposes of this post I also took a couple of pics of how I would wear this dress out.

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The plunge is a little too plungey to be able to wear with any bra that I own and with a 46K bust I’m not able to go braless. I am however happy to have my bra on show on certain nights out so this won’t prevent me from wearing the dress in future. IMG-20150807-WA0039For me the dress is a little too short to wear bare legged so I put on plain black leggings and black shoes so the focus is on the dress. I’m not really big on lots of accessories especially when wearing a busy print.

I do really like the dress and I do really like the print and I will be wearing this dress again.

The only issue I really have is the lack of items available in my size on the website, I have checked this morning and they have 8 dresses available in my size in stock at the moment and 39 items in my size across all clothing types. I really really want to see them increasing the amount of items they have in the biggest sizes because if this dress is anything to go by I would definitely be shopping with them in the future.

 

I was a cherry cola girl and I loved it.

I was made aware of a seller on eBay selling beautiful skirts in beautiful prints up to really large sizes and I got really excited, When I went to have a look i literally couldn’t decide on a print and I noticed that the seller had one print at a lower price so I picked up one of those so I could try one out.IMG-20150702-WA0031

I absolutely love how cute and girly the print is, when it arrived I didn’t think it was very me but I actually really love it. It was a really sunny day when I got it so I wanted to keep the whole outfit really light and summery, I have on a primark Barbie tee and an old evans denim jacket and evans sandals.IMG-20150802-WA0017

poly cotton ditsy floral This skirt comes in only one design and is made from a poly cotton and costs around half the price of the other 100% cotton skirts that come in a range of different prints. I bought this one first to get an idea of fit and quality before getting the other skirt.

AND THEN I DRESSED UP AS CHERRY COLA FOR FUN lol

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unfortunately they have completely sold out of the red on black cherry print but they have so many other option s including red on white cherry print so you too can be a cherry cola girl lol.

$_57

Range of skirts here there are so many different prints to choose from and a number of lengths so you can get exactly the style you are looking for. The eBay seller also has some matching neck ties and some cinch belts to complete the look.

Screenshot_2015-08-13-11-02-32 Debz and I wearing our skirts to StyleXL last month. These skirts are really well made and so comfortable

I think for my next one I will go for a more traditional vintage print like the polka dots… Let me know which is your favourite.

The Curve Fashion Festival. Let’s go!

Over the last couple of years we have seen more and more plus size fashion events popping up, I try to go to as many of them as I can to support the community and to hang out with blogger friends.

Its always nice to have your finger on the pulse and know what brands have coming soon etc and its also really nice to see the clothing items being modelled on plus size women in the flesh.

One of the things I personally find very beneficial is having the brands at the events with some of their items so I am able to be get hands on with the clothes. the whole reason  started blogging was to show that clothing size labels can definitely be ignored in a lot of cases so I like being able to feel fabrics and give them a little stretch to see if it is workable for me.

The next big event coming up is The Curve Fashion Festival, it will be their first event and they have literally come from nowhere and to me it seems like their motto is go big or go home because it looks like they have some amazing things in store for us all including have Tess Holliday at the event!

The event is taking place at Manchester Central (Formerly known as The G-Mex) and there has been a lot of chat about it amongst the bloggers so I reckon its set to be very popular. I for one am really looking forward to this one and am very excited to see the big debut of this event.

They have a number of big name brands that will be attending including Evans, ASOS and New Look as well as some amazing smaller brands that cater to the plus size community with some lovely pieces like Topsy Curvy and Nicky Rockets.

This all day event is packed full of things to do and look at whatever it is that might take your interest from catwalk shows to the seminars and the market hall.

Tickets are available to purchase here!

I, along with a number of other plus size bloggers, will be attending this event. It is open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike and I think will be a fun day for all. Every time I attend one of these events I always end up coming away with some goodies and a ton of memories and pics of a brilliant day with friends doing things that I love… shopping and looking at pretty clothes.

Are you planning on going? let me know and come say Hi 🙂