Just a few things..

A couple of recent relatively minor events, well one relatively minor event really, has left me wondering what to write on this blog.

I thought I had it all sussed up until a few days ago.

I would just write about stuff I liked, had caught my attention or had been on my mind. Shoes, nice dresses, a bit of nail varnish, the odd cake and people slagging off Kim Kardashian in the Daily Mail. Nothing massively ground breaking. Nothing intentionally controversial or commercial.

When I started this blog, it was a bit of an experiment. Something to do on an evening, somewhere to organise my own thoughts and ideas about certain things and a place for me to upload images of lovely things. I anticipated that some people might like to read it, because having read plenty of blogs myself, I know that there are people with similar interests to me. Just as I read their blogs, they might like to read mine.


What I didn't expect was to have some kind of new responsibility thrust upon me, purely because I have a blog.

And wear 'plus size' clothes.


I just write shit, about shit. My barely formed opinion holds no more weight than anyone else's, pardon the pun and I wouldn't expect anyone to think it did. Just last night Twitter was rammed with people tweeting their frustration at Eurovision. Did they intend to insult the people who had worked so hard, for the past year, putting the show together? Of course they didn't. And they certainly didn't intend to insult anyone loosely associated with it either.

It's just throwaway Twitter small talk.

The same as someone saying they don't like dogs. Surely that point of view shouldn't be omitted from a 'public place' just because someone from Battersea might see it?!

I do have strong opinions about certain things. Ironically, they tend to be about the types of things I wouldn't even begin to write about on here for fear of offending anyone. There are also plenty of things however that I'm just not fussed about and I resent being backed into a corner and pressurised to defend an opinion I don't even hold. Ask the people tweeting about Eurovision if they really think countries should be banned from voting for their neighbours and chances are, really, they're not *that* bothered. It's only Eurovision and within the week we'll have forgotten all about it anyway.


Another thing...


I may have a blog and wear 'plus size' clothes but that doesn't make it compulsory for me, or anyone, to operate under a label. Or on behalf of a label.

I like clothes and styling websites. When I post collages or individual pictures of clothing, because I am looking at them with me as the potential wearer, they will tend to come from certain retailers. There'd be no point in me looking through the Topshop website to find a nice floral print maxi, when it wouldn't fit. I therefore only share items on here from retailers I would be able to buy from.

I am not a 'body positivity' or 'fat activism' type blog because I wouldn't know how to be and whilst I love that other people are, it's just not for me.



And another...


I also didn't expect having my questions, comments and aforementioned barely formed opinions of inanimate objects misconstrued as personal attacks on other people. I didn't expect to be labelled as 'unsupportive' and have extremely thinly veiled comments regarding me posted on a near stranger's Twitter timeline. I didn't expect to oversee other people who don't even know me, tutting at something they were given the impression I had said.


I'll 'stick together' and be supportive of people and things as much as the next person. I love to see people doing well.

But it's not because you're a #psblogger or an #fblogger or a #bblogger.

It's because you're a #person who is #nice.



Just one more thing...


If you find yourself upset by something you think you have read, or heard about you, think it through logically before you say in anything in response. Especially when you have an audience who is obviously hanging on your every word.

You may well decide that you got it all wrong, you were mistaken and so you apologize. But if you've already acted upon your initial feelings, you can quickly become the one doing the upsetting.

OOTD ft. Squirrels (and a mad dog)

Just a super quick post this evening to show you what I looked like on this grey, rainy day.

I have been dying to show you this top; I first saw it on Rachel's blog a little while ago and fell in love with it.

IT HAS SQUIRRELS ON IT! 

And a seriously cute crochet Peter Pan collar.

Because of the whole Simply Be pricing issue, I asked Becky if she would order if for me from the UK site and then forward it over. She very kindly agreed to and I was over the moon when it arrived. Thankyou Becky!

I have usually worn it with jeans; it's a tunic type top so I like to pull it in a bit with a belt, but I felt like today was definitely a skirt kind of day so I tucked it into my favourite black skaterish style skirt and wore my green tights. The boots are literally falling to bits, so really need to be heading to the bin sooner rather than later.

Apologies for the terrible quality of pic.

I really love this outfit and had I teamed it with leggings, I would no doubt raving about how comfy it was and what a nice day I had wearing it.

My day has however been seriously marred by tights trouble.

I *really* love the colour of these tights, and I'm sure (despite having to 'Superman' for extra piece of mind) they were comfortable the first time but today they have done nothing but irritate the shit out of me. The legs of them aren't long enough for the gusset to be in the right place and any elastic that should be around the waistband, and so help keep them up just isn't there. I've spent the whole day pulling at them, desperately trying to rearrange them into a more comfortable position but to no avail. 

As much as I am sad to lose them (I really do love the colour), they'll be joining the boots in the bin any time now. 

I was ever so extravagant with my hair today. I wanted it out of my face but didn't want to tie the whole lot up so I settled on a little plait, held back with a bobby pin.

COOKIE!!

Inspired by Cuti-Clue-les, I've also been experimenting with a bit of *very* simple nail art over the past few days. This is Nails Inc Motcomb Street, the polka dots were done with the purple nail art pen from Primark. 

PLEASE can somebody recommend a good place to get tights from?!!


I thought I'd edit in a couple of (shameless) selfies so you could see the print and collar on the top...

I managed to get this one...

And then this happened...

AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!

Review of Beautifeye Coloured Contact Lenses

You know how sometimes you just fancy a change?!

I often feel a bit 'hemmed in' here and yearn for a bit of a change of scenery, even if it's just a day out somewhere different. Luckily, it's easy enough to do. Just jump in the car and drive.

Sometimes I get bored of the colour of my hair, so I dye it. Again, pretty straight forward if you have £5.00 and an evening free.

Fancy a bit of colour on my nails? Easy peasy.

One thing I never particularly yearned to change was my eye colour, mainly because I thought that other than an eyeball transplant a la Minority Report, any alteration was impossible. I just assumed that what you were born with would have to suffice and although I had seen *crazy* contact lenses on market stalls that could make you have eyes like a cat/the devil/Marilyn Manson, they wouldn't be what I would describe as 'my cup of tea'.

Last week, a company called Beautifeye tweeted, asking if anyone would like to try some contact lenses for review. I had a look at their site out of curiosity and was pleased to see that alongside the novelty 'Zombie' and 'support your national football team with your eyes' lenses, there was also a great range of contacts that could be worn everyday and would give a more subtle change. I emailed them with my choice of lenses and within days, a parcel arrived at my door.

Call me unadventurous but I chose these:

Image from Beautifeye.co.uk

A gorgeous green which can be found on the site *here*

When I told a couple of people about them, they immediately asked how I would feel about 'fishing about' in my eyes but having worn prescription lenses before in the past, this wasn't something I was overly worried about.

Even if you haven't worn lenses before, it really isn't a major issue (assuming you're not one of those really squeamish types); the lenses are dead easy to put in and so long as you aren't too nervous about it, taking them out again is just as straight forward.


Usually, I have blue eyes so I was excited to see what I would look like if they were green.

Au Naturel

Would I see a massive difference?

Would I look like Angelina Jolie? 

No, not really.

With green lens

....but that isn't to say there was no visible difference at all. In fact I *really* like these lenses.

I'm sure if I'd have made a bolder choice colour wise (and picked say, brown rather than green) then of course, the change would've been more dramatic. As it is though, I like the fact that the difference is subtle.

It was *so* difficult to get decent pics that'd show you the difference. In these pics I have the green lens in my right eye, my left eye is my usual blue. I did take plenty of pics sans glasses too, but my face just looks weird.

I also like the fact that the lenses are comfortable to wear; I was slightly afraid that I would feel like I was walking around with saucers in my eyes but once the contacts settle and you get used to them, you wouldn't know they were there.

Unless like me, you're looking at them every two minutes to ensure they're sitting straight.

And because you think your eyes look pretty. Which they will.

On the pic itself: left eye has the green lens, right eye is natural blue.

Another great thing about them is that fact that they come in their own little set; I'm not sure if all of the lenses available from Beautifeye do, but all of this information is available on the website. Mine came with a bottle of solution and one of those little boxes to keep them in. Both essentials.

One thing that does, ever so slightly, bother me about them is worrying whether they're sitting straight. Because there's a yellow band within the lens, in the centre of which your pupil should sit, I'm forever worrying about whether the lens is actually sitting straight. This wouldn't be enough to put me off actually wearing them but it is something I'm aware of.

Overall, I'm really impressed with both the company (great customer service from Adam, fast postage) and the lenses themselves. There's a fantastic range of designs and prices available so whether you're after something to wear once for a party or a tinted lenses for everyday wear, have a look at Beautifeye.

I'm sure you'll find something you love too.

Accessories

I've always been a huge fan of accessories. I think it goes back to the same reason I love shoes and handbags. They always fit.

Even on 'Shit, I'm such a minger' days.

They also put a bit of individuality, colour and current trends into what might otherwise be a very safe and simple outfit.

Hairbands, brooches, necklaces and *massive* rings. I love them all and thanks to the likes of Primark, these things tend to be ridiculously cheap. Slightly embarrassingly so in fact.

This is my way of storing my jewellery etc

I thought I'd share a few pics of some of my old favourites, and a few new things I picked up recently. 

1. This is one of my newest charity shop finds. More proof that charity shops are getting more expensive, but I love it anyway.

2. I bought this with the gift voucher I won from Steph/Seeing Spots giveaway a while ago. It's from Life's Big Canvas which is packed with all sorts of amazing things. A proper little Aladdin's Cave.

3. I only ever seem to come across butterfly necklaces which are really delicate and rather dainty looking so I love the fact that this one is totally the opposite!

4. My boyfriend got me this a couple of years ago from the Swarovski shop in Dublin. It's *so* cute but I am slightly disappointed that even though it's only ever had light wear (I wouldn't sleep in it or anything), some of the crystals have dropped out : (

This awesome brooch was made by Rachel of A Dress Is For Life. I saw some on her blog before Christmas, fell in love with them and asked her if she would make me one. As well as this cutie, she also made me two others; a Hello Kitty and a lovely bird one.

I got this from Primark yesterday. Vintage inspired and 50p?! YES PLEASE.

Also from Primark, these earrings have been on the blog at least twice before!

Another charity shop buy but originally from Marks and Spencer. Dark pink and huge. 

All of these babies are from Primark and all cost under £4.00. The one in the middle is my most recent purchase and I absolutely *love* it..I only wish I had had it in time for the last #OMCZ post!

So what do you reckon? Do you have a lot of accessories? Are you a delicate and classic jewellery fan or are do you prefer bright, in your face pieces?

Abercrombie and Fitch, and whether it even matters

The Abercrombie and Fitch storm is still raging over the internet, with the company's CEO Mike Jeffries sitting firmly in the eye of it all.

I wrote an article about it for Six Out Of Ten, focussing on whether the personal opinions and marketing strategy of the company really mattered to buyers of the brand. Should, or would, people who have previously bought from Abercrombie boycott the store, or is it only people who don't shop there anyway who are most offended?

There have been some really interesting comments left already, including a link to a small survey re clothing sizes available in high street stores.






This week, Abercrombie & Fitch have taken a battering online after Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail, lifted the lid on the psychology behind the clothing company’s advertising strategy. Lewis spoke about an exclusionary and highly divisive marketing approach, and the way it reflects the company’s CEO Mike Griffiths' personal opinion: “We want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that." 

Follow *this* link to read the rest.

Cushions

A home styling post from me today.

Did, or do, any of you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm? If you haven't seen it you really should. It's awesome and the ever cantankerous Larry David never fails to be hilarious.

In one particular episode, Larry bemoans the fact that before he can get into bed every night, he and his wife Cheryl have to spend a good 5 minutes removing 'scatter cushions' from the bed itself. He questions the point of them, he doesn't see the need. They have no purpose other than sitting there, waiting to be removed and then put back again in the morning. 

As much as I love Larry, he is wrong on this one. So wrong.

Larry doesn't agree.

I love cushions and would happily have every chair, sofa and bed piled up with them. I suppose Larry's right to some extent; they have no purpose other than looking nice because I'm one of those 'funny buggers' who don't like people sitting on my nice cushions. Usually because as well as being nice, they're usually cheap so they don't hold their shape well. Still they add a bit of colour and hopefully some interest to what would otherwise be a plain brown furniture. They make a room look comfy and cosy as well as reflecting your own style and personality.

Here are some of my favourites from the 'online high street':

1. Basil Fox, ASDA, £10.00

2. Mr Fox, John Lewis, £40.00

3.Stag Print, Matalan, £10.00

4. Vintage Floral, ASDA, £7.00

5. Dinotastic, John Lewis, £15.00 (From the kids' section, pah!)

6. Velvet Pixels, Next, £25.00

7. Boutique Sequin, Matalan, £12.00

8. Bird Print, ASDA, £8.00

9. Pink Felt Flower, Next, £15.00


Pretty, pretty, pretty good huh?!



Are you a fan of cushions for the sake of cushions, or are you a Larry David type?!!

Review of OPI SkyFall Collection: The Bondettes

After my review of Nails Inc. Shoreditch, Warwick Way and Sumner Place, a few people pointed out that OPI nail colours are often seen as being vastly superior.

So, what did I do? Rushed to my little tin of nail polishes and dug out my set of (unopened) OPI minis that have been sitting there waiting for the day my nails were looking half decent again. I realise I'm somewhat behind everyone else with this review but oh well, it was most definitely worth the wait. These are awesome.

1. Goldeneye

2. The Spy Who Loved Me

3. The World Is Not Enough

4. Live And Let Die

I used OPI Nail Envy several years ago, in the days when my student loan would afford me such things and I remember being seriously impressed with it at the time so when these were added to my collection of nail colours, I expected them to be good.

I wrote about these as I actually wore the colours so the order of the images and descriptions won't match the numbered list above. I will add the numbers in brackets though so hopefully this won't get *too* confusing!

(I know a lot of Beauty Bloggers take photos of nail colours against the same background so there's consistency amongst images but after *a lot* of experimentation and *a lot* of photos, it turned out some colours were clearer against different backgrounds.)

The first one I tried was 'The World Is Not Enough' (3.)

I absolutely *love* this one.

After a few coats, it built up into a glorious rose gold colour.  From a distance it looks like a solid metallic, but when you look closer at each nail you can see that it's actually packed with *loads* of tiny, different coloured shades. Turquoise, pink, silver..they're all there and combine to make such a beautiful colour. Absolutely gorgeous. It's metallic, but very tastefully so. Just in case you're ever worried about being tasteful...nah, me neither.


I (very) reluctantly removed this so I could show you Live and Let Die (4.)

Another stunner.

I tried to photograph it from different distances, in different lights, in front of different surfaces, everything in an attempt to show you the true colour of Live And Let Die but to no avail. Whilst it could almost be mistaken as black (especially from a small distance), a couple of coats is all it takes to create a rich forest green, packed with tiny flecks of gold.

I thought I had peaked too early with 'The World Is Not Enough' but I am equally in love with Live And Let Die.


When I came to try Goldeneye (1.) I wasn't sure whether to use it as a topcoat, or alone. In the bottle, it looks like a clear polish but it's so heavy on the gold flakes that I'd thought I'd give it a go as a main colour. It'll also hopefully give you a better idea of the colour.

'Goldeneye', as the name suggests, is a proper gold colour rather than the rose gold of 'The World Is Not Enough'. 

 It took 3 coats to build up the colour to how I would like it and it ends up, thanks to all the gold flecks as a really impressive, *seriously* shiny gold. The image above doesn't do the shine justice. I usually like to wear dark colours on my nails and I think just one coat of Goldeneye would look amazing over 'Live And Let Die' to add yet more golden sparkle to what's already there.

Last but not least is 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (2), the only red in this Bondettes collection.

'The Spy Who Loved Me' is a gorgeous cherry red which like the others, is packed with glittery flecks. The flecks in this one are as red as the polish itself so they add to the beautiful sheen and make it a seriously glamorous colour.

Where as the first two of these colours (image wise) are fairly 'toned down' and mature looking, this red and the out and out gold are definitely more fun. In fact 'The Spy Who Loved Me' with 'Goldeneye' over the top would no doubt look amazing. For nights out perhaps, rather than days at the desk.

Longevity wise, I was impressed. They were all worn without a topcoat and lasted a couple of days without much wear and tear so with a top coat, I'm sure they would last a good week.

The colours in this set are absolutely gorgeous. I thoroughly recommend them.