Columbia Road Shoot w/ Live Unlimited

I love that my blog lets me collaborate with all sorts of companies. Luckily the amount of plus size brands are ever increasing and we have *so* much more choice now a days. One brand that I have enjoyed following is Live Unlimited who sell in Evans. Now, I must be honest here; not all of their styles are to my taste BUT we don't have to like everything, every brand designs do we? I do love the fact that this brand is very focused on fit, they have a strong brand identity and they know who their customer is. I feel like this company is generally directed at the slightly more mature lady but I wanted to show you that what ever your age; you should be able to wear what ever you like!

Live Unlimited got in touch with me and we decided to collaborate and show you guys a few of their pieces and they were excited for me to put my spin on their garments, and show you how their clothes can be worn by any plus size gal; what ever their age.

When I was looking at their look book, one of the first pieces that stood out to me was this beautiful chartreuse/lime green lace dress. I saw it and it was so strange because I knew instantly how I wanted to style it. I wanted to give the dress a 70s twist and style it with tan/suede and snakeskin...so that's what I did!

Here are some of my favourite snaps we took and I'd love to know what you think of the brand and how I've styled this lace dress.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

I absolutely love the bell sleeves on this dress; a style feature I never usually go for but it suits this dress so well. I sized up as I didn't want it to cling on my tummy and shift styles like this tend to do that on me. I found this really old necklace in my stash and can't believe how well it goes with this dress! The snakeskin platform heels are from New Look and are from the wide fit range - my favourite place to shop for shoes. My beautiful suede tassel bag is from ASOS and my 70s style sunglasses are from New Look.

Stay tuned for my second outfit I styled, coming soon to the blog...

Be sure to follow me over on my:

Twitter / Blog Lovin / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr

**This post was written in collaboration with Live Unlimted but as ever, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

View Post

New In | Missguided+

I regularly check my favourite online stores for new items and I was beginning to wonder when Missguided would give us another batch of plus size goodies. I was pleasantly surprised when I logged onto their site to see that they had a whole host of perfect spring pieces; including swimwear!

Here's a little look at my favourite pieces, all in UK sizes 16-24. If you click on the item name it'll take you directly to the correct page on the Missguided site. Enjoy!

Light Weight Sleeveless Jacket

Blush Cape Blazer 

Sleeveless Camel Blazer 

Grey Faux Suede Pencil Skirt 

Grey V-Neck Crop Top 

Botanical Halter Neck Tankini Top and Bottoms 

Images c/o Missguided 

What do you think of their new collection? Has anything caught your eye?

Be sure to follow me over on my:
Twitter / Blog Lovin / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr

View Post

Barry M Summer '15 New Releases

The best parcel from Barry M dropped onto my door mat last week and I wanted to take pics asap and show you all what Barry M have recently launched.

I have yet to try any of these *summer '15 releases except for the nail varnishes but after posting a picture on my instagram (here) I was surprised to see how many of my readers didn't know Barry M stocked beauty products! With this in mind, I thought I'd take some photos and get them up onto the blog asap so that you can take a look and see if you fancy popping in to your local Boots or Superdrug and giving any of them a try. I will of course be trying these products out over the next few weeks and will let you know how I get on with them.

Eyeshine Palette -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 6 Jewel tone shadows with a glaze top coat to slick over the top to create dewy, glossy eyelids.
• £6.49 rrp

Make Me Blush Cream and Powders -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 3 fruity smelling cream blushes infused with Vit E in an easy-hold applicator. 
• 3 Make Me Blush powders to add a natural flush to your cheeks, highly pigmented for long lasting coverage.
• £4.49 rrp for the cream blushes / £3.99 rrp for the powder blushes. 

Flawless Concealer -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 3 lightweight fluid concealers that cover your blemishes and imperfections. Infused with cucumber and aloe extracts to soothe and revitalise the skin. 
• £4.49 rrp 

Brow Wow -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 2 Brow Wow Pencils perfect for defining and shaping your brows with a brush at one end.
• £3.99 rrp

Lip Boss -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 5 essential lip gloss shades with a high shine appearance that are beautifully scented.
• £4.49 rrp

Matte Me Up -

• Launched 6th May in Superdrug / 13th May in Boots.
• 5 amazing matte lip crayons including a bright pink called 'Model Behaviour', a perfect nude called 'Dress Rehearsal' and a gorgeous red called 'Make A Statement'.
• £4.99 rrp 

Speedy Nails Summer Collection + a new summer Gelly Hi Shine shade -

• Launched 6th May Superdrug / 13th of May in Boots.
• 6 new Speedy Nail colours with a quick dry formula and flat brush for easy application / a new summer Gelly Hi Shine shade which is a gorgeous pink called 'Sugar Plum'.
• £3.99 rrp for both the Speedy Nail and Gelly Hi Shine varnishes.

*PR samples

Have you guys tried any of these new products and what do you think of Barry M's beauty products? Are you a fan?

Be sure to follow me over on my:
Twitter / Blog Lovin / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr

View Post

DUCKSOUP | Soho

After staying in on Friday and Saturday due to a Fibro flare up; I was delighted when Bets asked if I wanted to have a luxury lunch at Ducksoup, Soho as a belated Birthday treat. Of course I did! I browsed the menu on the way to meet her and I was salivating at everything from the cocktails to the main courses!

I've never been to Ducksoup before but I love going to places that Bethany picks because she has the best taste and I trust her with my (food) life. This place is teeny tiny and very snug but even though it was busy; it was nice busy. Bets and I could hear each other easily and playing in the background was a record player that you could play their selection of vinyl on - a nice touch don't you think?

My beautiful babe, Bets and inside the exceptionally cosy Ducksoup

We got stuck in and ordered a cocktail each. I went with a Negroni and Bets had a blood orange and mescal cocktail. They were were pretty small, but certainly packed a punch! The slice of dried orange in mine was a welcome addition and the only negative thing I have to say about them is that they weren't big enough!

Now, considering I love the finer things in life, I have never tried oysters before. I think this might be due to the fact I once witnessed my Mum being verrrrry sick thanks to food poisoning from oysters. As I previously mentioned though, I trust Bets and considering they had oysters on their menu for £2 each - how could we resist? I know lots of people like tabasco sauce on them but I dislike hot stuff so we simply enjoyed them with a little fresh lemon squirted on the top... I AM A CONVERT. I absolutely loved it! I could have eaten tonnes of them!

For starters we decided to pick two dishes and share them. We nibbled on beautiful chunks of Finocchiona (salami) and chewed on their wonderful lamb riblets which were mega tasty. They came away from the bone so easily and the yoghurt and sesame seeds were the perfect accompaniment. I'm annoyed that sadly I didn't snap a pic of these two dishes!

For our mains we picked their Mozzarella, salted anchovies and green beans and also the chargrilled Quail which was served with faro, mint and green beans. Both of these dishes were so nice. Although it seems like we ordered a lot for a lunch; the dishes are all relatively light and great to graze on!

After the cocktail was out of the way we moved onto a nice glass of their white wine and it was bloody tasty (that's my professional opinion for you right there).

Our lunch was such a treat and if you are in Soho and fancy browsing a beautiful, eclectic menu and trying some tasty seasonal dishes; I highly recommend you pop in!

Be sure to follow me over on my:
Twitter / Blog Lovin / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr

View Post

Oi Oi 70's Sailor!

If you're a fan of a particular trend but you're not sure how far to delve into it; I suggest just buying one piece of clothing that represents that trend well and seeing how it works for you. If you get on well with it, you can always keep adding to your collection and before you know it; you'll have an entire outfit that's bang on trend!

The 70's trend continues to be very popular this spring and I have been surprised at how many outfits I have styled that have been dedicated to this era! If you fancy trying a 70's style but you're not sure what to get; may I suggest this wonderful A-Line Button Up Denim Skirt?

As soon as I started to see suede mini skirts and denim button up skirts in the shops I was desperate for a plus size range to bring one out. All hail ASOS Curve because they delivered and I am not disappointed. I suggest sizing up as it's a button up jobby and denim items generally can come up quite snug. I teamed it with the *best* Breton Stripe Top I have ever owned (Thanks to Bets who bought this top to my attention, buy similar here) and this perfect rust coloured coat. A little note about the coat - it is a UK14 which just goes to show that you should always try things on when you go shopping!

My makeup and accessories are just as important to me as my clothes are and I loved how my makeup turned out on this particular day... don't you just love when that happens? I'm wearing 'Chili' by MAC on my lips, my blusher is called 'Warm Soul' by MAC and I'm wearing *'Malibu' nail varnish by Barry M Cosmetics. Gold earrings, a BFF necklace, old black boots and my old black bag finish the look off. I felt like a 70s style sailor and it was the perfect outfit to wear for a stroll along the Southbank.

SHOP MY LOOK 

Photographs by David C Photography 

Be sure to follow me over on my:
Twitter / Blog Lovin / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr

*Denotes a PR sample 

View Post