Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Wants and Wearing - Plus Size Dresses.


So summer is here and being a UK size 26, finding something to wear that's cool and looks good is usually a rare treat! This year however I have had some lovely treats from some of the beauties below. The pics are taken straight off the websites they were from and not pics of me wearing them, but I will try and remember to take some pics of me in them in future! :)

Have -

£38.00


£49.50

£29.00


£42.00


£22.99

£45.00


£24.99

£45.00


£45.00

Want - 

£38.00

£55.00 (on sale at £30 at time published)

£39.00


£25.00

£26.99

£39.00


£19.99

£35.00

£25.00

So come on girlies! stick on some leggings if you don't love your legs and get some cute dresses! there is just no excuse for us bigger beauties not to look colorful, trendy and flabulous this summer!! :)

List of plus sized clothes shops in the UK.

As so many of us struggle, I thought I would compile my list of plus sized clothing outlets in the UK, if I am missing any please let me know and I will add them on too! :)

Sites & shops I have tried...
Evans - UK 14-32 Shops & online.
Asos Curve - UK 20-26 Online only
Next Plus - UK 6-26 Shops & online
Simply be - UK 14-32 Shops & online
New Look Inspire - UK 18-26 Shops & online
Very Size 16 Plus - UK 14-32 Online only
Yours Clothing - UK 14-32 Shops & online
Debenhams Plus-Size UK 12-32 Shops & online
Asda UK 8-26 Shops & online
Tesco (Florence & Fred) UK 16-32 Shops & online

Sites & Shops I haven't tried...
Style369 - UK 14-26
Ann Harvey UK 16-32 Shops & online
H&M UK 18-28 Shops & online
OneStopPlus - Now Castaluna - UK 14-36 Online only
Curvety - UK 16-36 Online only
Curvissa - UK 14-32 Online only
Marisota - UK 12-32 Online only
Ann Summers - UK 8-24  Online only


Fab Body Shop ad from the 90's.

Friday, 25 May 2012

Necklace of the Day 25/5/12

To end my week of birthday necklaces, this beautiful one from friend Emily! Emily always gets me amazing jewelry, stuff I would never find, but absolutely love! This one from Fossil is no different!


 The inscription reads "Here's to love, fluttering butterflies & earthquakes of the soul" it has butterfly on the back and is a locket that opens.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

May Glossybox 2012

May's Glossybox!

They have been reading my mind again! I needed some nice shower gel and had considered false eyelashes but I didn't want to pay for em. I LOVE Lolita Lempicka! both perfumes are lovely!

I've no idea what the Weleda stuff is, smells strong, will prob end up in the pile of stuff I don't use. Though I'm interested in the hair product though, if it does what it says on the tin (which is everything in the world apparently!), it will be amazing!

Pictures to follow! :)






Necklace of the Day 24/5/12

Lovely diamond locket from my Mommy! from Hot Diamond.


Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Necklace of the Day 23/5/12

Heart necklace from my uncle.

Boots Haul

My little brother, the star that he is, got me a £30 boots Voucher for my birthday along with the lovely hand bag in an earlier post. 


So, below is 2 of the 4 CreamPuff lip glosses that Collection 2000 have brought out recently (another reviewed here), the swatches have come out a bit funny though. the Pink one is fairly accurate but the nude one seems to look very orange on the swatch when it is very much nude.


£2.99 each or 2 for £5 in boots at the moment. (not sure how much they are but 3 for 2 in Superdrug.)



Pink one is Cotton Candy and the Nude is Powder Puff.


I also thought I would "clean up my act" and pick up another bottle of my fave No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator. I've been using it for years and I'm only on my second tube. its really gritty, but the grit is small, like sand and really exfoliates well, I just wouldn't use it more than once or twice a week.

I'd previously used that with Bliss's facial foaming was, but as boots dont stock it I went with No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for normal / oily skin, its a liquid, but the top creates a foam when you pump it out and it smells nice and fresh too.

Finally it was 3 for 2, I chucked in a new eye cream too! No7 Protect & Perfect Eye Cream designed to dark shadows and puffiness, giving your skin a brightening boost with its illumination like properties. Plus, cos I bought the lip gloss before that, I had a £5 off voucher so the whole lot was only £21! lol




Necklace of the Day 22/5/12

Owl Necklace in pocket watch style from my lovely friend Jane. :)


Monday, 21 May 2012

Necklace of the Day 21/5/12.



30th Birthday gift from my Friends Staffy and Claire! :)

"Who said death has to be dark? Fancy sugar art skulls are created during the Mexican Day of the Dead to honour the dearly departed. This sweet skull recreates the tradition using lasercut perspex. Intricate details are picked out in white paint, so look closely and you'll discover decorative hearts, flowers, stars and even shoes, all studded with bright Swarovski crystals. Death becomes her."

3cm x 4.2cm on 60cm chain £30.

Friday, 18 May 2012

Happy Birthday to Me!


Mum made a fuss for my 30th. :) banner, ace card and a diamond set in a silver locket! :)

EDIT - me in my make ups, dress and necklace from my uncle!


Some of my other gifts! :)


Thursday, 17 May 2012

Happiness is a Selfridges bag containing MAC. :)


MAC Pro-Longwear SPF 10 Foundation in NW20 and a shadow which I think was called Phloof! but I'll get back to you on that one when I check.

The foundation was a must have, I have tested soooo many out including Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Smashbox and a number of others and never found one that was just right, almost knowing that I would find the one I wanted in MAC, so a recent work trip to Manchester and a lil late nite shopping allowed me some time to investigate!

Manchester's MAC store in Selfridges is always a treat for me, never have I found such friendly, passionate staff with the same addiction and want/need to share hints, tips and latest purchase's, even when visiting the Covent Garden MAC store.

An extra treat came in the new location of the MAC area, once just to the right of you in the entrance from the triangle, the cosmetics have all been moved downstairs. So after a perv over some delicious  Marc Jacobs wonderfulness, I head to the escalator. The MAC sign visible straight away as you slowly get transported get transported down the stairs, as if floating into cosmetic heaven, I even heard a little heavenly music in my head as I moved! haha!

The lady that served me was a little older than most the girls there and had a slight auzzie twang, I think. She was so excitable about the new products and refreshingly honest about some of the rehashing of old products for new faddy ranges. She even knew about the Make Up Geek brush I purchased for foundation last year, always makes you feel more confident in a purchase when you know the person selling you it is as geeky about cosmetics as you! :)

3 for 2 Superdrug haul!

So...I'm totally loving MUA & Collection 2000 at Superdrug recently!


OK, so its a bit of a gamble, some of the range is just cheap make up (the foundation & BB creme are thick and sticky and lack a decent range of colours) but some of it is really fab!


I've been wearing the primer for a while and I don't find it that much different to MAC's Prep + Prime Skin if I'm totally honest, apart from the price tag £18.50 for MAC £4 for MUA. Ok, its more of a day time primer and for a nite out I'd stick MAC's Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 (unless I find something better), but for day to day wear, its just fine! :)


My other fave is  MUA's Shade 12 pearl eye shadow. A fave look of mine so far this year is a deep dark slightly glittery green called Night Porter from NARS and Shade 12 from MUA which is shown below in the pics, love that I can mix a premium brand with something totally dirt cheap and still have a really professional look!


Anyway, to the haul!




Above is  Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Pressed powder, I wouldn't usually buy a cheap powder, but my Benefit one that I use day to day is all used up and the MAC studio fix powder is down to the pan (so saving for nites out) and as I'm pretty skint at the mo, replacing either wasn't an option. Plus, as I got some of my beloved Estee Lauder Daywear BB Creme on buyapowa.com for £26, I just like a light dust of powder just to set it and with summer coming up, I might swap that for a bronzer.


Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer. I've read some good reviews of this online. Much like its budget range friend MUA, Collection 2000 (rebranding its self to Collection) has up'd its game recently from what is mostly known as a fairly cheap and Chavy range to one that has a few diamond in the rough.


It compares well to my other concealers (MAC, Bobbi Brown & Cover FX) and is worth keeping in a handbag for a quick top up or spot emergency!


Also, the lip Cream "Cream Puff" in Fairy Cake (swatch at the top of the below image) was a purchase based on a recent positive review and I love the colour. For someone like me who doesn't look after or prime my lips, it would require a lip liner or primer underneath as it was a little patchy close up but it acts a little like a stain and gives a lovely  matte finish which I do rather like.


Again, from a good review the Collection 2000 Shimmer Shade in "Way to Glow". I'm new to bronzer, in fact before Halloween last year and the infamous Big Fat Gypsy Bride costume last year, I'd never really worn it and as ORANGE as I was then, many people told me that it really suited me to have some colour and I cant deny, the idea has appealed to me so I decided to stay pale and interesting in the winter and maybe have a little glow in the summer!


The Shimmer Shade has a lovely shimmer funnily enough, but I did find that application on the face required a good bit of blending, but once in and blended, it looked quite nice. (swatch below on the right)


Finally, my faves MUA's shade 30 (left) and my beloved shade 12 (middle).


At just £1 a pop and 3 for 2 in Superdrug at the moment, these pearl MUA eye shadows are highly pigmented and ridiculously easy to apply both we or dry and easily comparable to a MAC pigment!


No Flash
Anyway, after a bit of a rant, I hope that gave some people some cheap options for some quality low priced options for us skint make up geeks! :)

Any further questions, just drop me a comment! :)