Occasionwear with Curvissa*

Hiya!

I have a gorgeous dress from Curvissa to show you today. It's a strapless bandeau dress with a lovely heart print and it feels gorgeous on. Myself and 4 other bloggers are doing a 5 ways style challenge, and I'll leave the other links at the end of my post.


It's a really slinky polyester/elastane mix and is generously sized. I'm wearing a size 26.

I accessorised with my new handbag, a necklace from Ali Express and a lacy cardi. I'd feel comfortable wearing this outfit to a christening, wedding or other smart occasion.


It's a 5 star review from me. I love this dress and know it's going to get a lot of wear this spring/summer and beyond. The only drawback if I HAD to be picky would be that the dress falls down a little as it's so generously sized, but I can put a few stitches in it no problem. It certainly doesn't spoil my enjoyment of it.



Oli Draped Bandeau Dress, size 26 
Hair flower, OWHH Millinery flower of the month club
Beaded necklace, Ali Express
Bracelets, various (old)
Designer style handbag, eBay
Scarf on bag, clothing swap
Lacy cardigan, past season George at Asda
Shoes, past Everything 5 Pounds.

The other bloggers taking part are:
Georgina
Sarah
Stephanie
Vicky

I can't wait to see what they picked and how they styled it!

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

P.S. I liked this dress so much I've also done a casual outfit with it, and I'll put that up in a couple of days.  

*Dress provided by Curvissa. All opinions are honest and my own. 

#WeAreTheThey - Breaking the rules

Hello you,

#WeAreTheThey is an amazing community of people organised by the wonderful Debz of Wannabe Princess. Read more about the thoughts behind #We AreTheThey here. Jamelia and likeminded cronies would say that fat people don't deserve to have nice clothes, or be able to access clothes freely, let alone have fun with clothes. I have something to say about that.

Fat people can't wear crop tops? Try to stop me. 

Fat people should cover up their VBO (visible belly outline)? WhatEVER.


Fat people shouldn't be allowed to have fun with clothes? Jog on, sunshine!


Fat people shouldn't wear sheer clothes? Poppycock!


Fat people can't wear bodycon? Kiss my generously sized behind.


I wear what I want. I wear what makes me happy. I don't get dressed with anyone else's pleasure in mind other than mine.

Fashion is joy. Fashion is self-expression. Fashion is identity. Fashion does NOT just belong to the thin.


What fashion 'rules' are you breaking?

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo



April's Crown & Glory Glitterati box

Hi pickles,

I hope you had a good weekend? We had a great one, I'll tell you all about it in a couple of days.

This month's Glitterati subscription box from Crown & Glory was a special one as it was my birthday month and you get a birthday gift, making that 6 items. Squee!

I'll provide links where possible with the items in the box. Some of them are exclusive to the Glitterati.

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX APRIL

The theme this month was Easter so there are lots of lovely pastels. First up are these lovely lilac Glitter Bunny Ears, which are so fun.

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX APRIL
Next is the Not A Lotta Rosie headband, which is a lovely subtle way to pretty up an outfit without being too out there.

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX APRIL

You've probably already seen the Chiffon Tie Headscarf which I wore in this outfit post. It's almost weightless and the flocked hearts on it are so pretty.

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX APRIL
I haven't got a photo of me wearing the Daisy Bobby Bin Set as I'll be gifting these to my little niece, I think. They come in gold, black, white or pink and these are on the website already. (£8.) The Metallic Vegan Leather Bunny Hair Clip is cute and would look lovely just in front of a bun.

CROWN AND GLORY GLITTERATI BOX APRIL

My birthday gift was this lovely Elbie crown in turquoise, which kinda reminds me of the Statue of Liberty, so there is definitely some Statue of Liberty dress up happening in my life soon! It's on the website in 2 colours (not turquoise) for £35. I think the point is the other colours are given away on birthdays to keep it more special.


This month's box was another stonker! All this for £20, such good value. (I know, I know, I'm like a broken record!) Which of these is your favourite?

C&G is now available in House of Fraser in 6 stores - Oxford Street, Reading, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, Dublin.

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Outfit | Angelic with Scarlett & Jo*

Hiya rose buds!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend? I have another lovely Scarlett & Jo dress to show you today. If you've noticed my blog has been heavy on the S & J posts recently it's because they get it right time and time again. I literally throw on a Scarlett & Jo dress and feel ready for anything. I never feel the need to heavily accessorise a S&J dress - I feel dressy enough already.

They sent me this lovely angel sleeve dress (hence the 'angelic' in the post title) which I knew I'd love as I already have the navy colourway, which I wore here last month.

I spied these gloves when I was raking through my accessories and jewellery stash. They were from Claire's Accessories last year. I did some photos with and some without as I wasn't sure about them with this dress.





Necklace, past season New Look
Scarlett & Jo kimono dress
Lace gloves Claire's Accessories
Shoes, past Everything 5 Pounds

Who's your favourite clothes shop/website?

Thanks for peeking!
Leah xoxo

*Item provided by Scarlett & Jo. Opinions are honest and my own. 

You are not your dress size

Happy Saturday!

I shared this on Instagram but feel it's worth sharing and expanding upon here.


YOU ARE NOT THE SIZE YOU WEAR. Today 3 new dresses arrived. One is a size 26 which is loose, one is a size 26-28 which is tight, and one which is a 30-32 which is tight and barely covers my juicy fat arse. So what size am I? Who cares! I don't give a shit what size is on the label as I look banging in it. I've got sizes 18 to 32 in my wardrobe and it all fits. Wear what you like and do it confidently. Don't get caught up in the numbers.

I remember in the past being horrified if I had to size up in clothes to get a good fit. About 7 or 8 years ago when I was a size 24 I tried on some H & M+ trousers and only the 28 fitted. I was gutted for weeks! I had no support system then, no fellow bloggers to talk to. Now I know that clothing sizes are all over the place I blame the clothes if I have to size up, not my body. But back then I very much did blame my body, so if I can help one person realise they're not their clothes size, I will.

Isn't it funny that when we feel we look good we credit the clothes, but when we feel we look bad we blame our bodies?! It's just the clothes. Your body is bloody fine. Everyone deserves clothes to make them look and feel sensational, no matter what bloody Jamelia says!

I'm not saying don't be proud of your size. Own that shit. Just don't pay too much attention to the size on your dress. You are so much more than a number.

What sizes are in YOUR wardrobe?

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Outfit | My superhero costume*

Hello you,

I'm having such trouble with outfits lately. I'm sitting on three different sets of photos for outfits as I don't like them. It had got to the point where I couldn't even be bothered to look in my wardrobe, but I'm over that now. I'm just not liking the clothes on me that much at the moment. Hmmmm. Anyhow, this is my superhero costume - I always think of Superman when I see red and blue together. So where's my cape?!

I'm wearing an old dress from New Look that Mookie gave me last year, and some tights which were sent to me by MyTights. These tights have a comfortable wide waistband and 2 seams front and back.


The tights are fantastic quality - really thick, stretchy and shiny. They're so opaque for 60 denier tights. However, my bum and hips are just a bit too big for these tights - or rather - too big for the seams. You can see in the photo below the seams are part way down my legs. The waistband is pulled up fully but the seams don't have the same stretch as the tights so they've fallen down. It's not a sizing issue with My Tights, I pushed my luck. The biggest size in these tights just wasn't big enough for my junk in the trunk. If you have less bounteous bottom than me I highly recommend these tights as the quality is fantastic!

The tights come in 7 different colours - so they're well worth checking out. They come in sizes XL to 4XL. There are several ither brands such as Aristoc, Pretty Polly, Charnos, Pamela Mann etc on the website.


Dress, past season New Look via Mookie, size 24
Cette Dublin 60 denier tights in Red Orchid* 4XL £13.95
Shoes, old Everything 5 Pounds
Feather brooch, from a friend

If you were a superhero, what colour cape would you have, and what would be your superpower?
Have you bought anything from My Tights before?

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

*Item provided by My Tights. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thoughts on #PlusSizedWars and #WeAreTheThey

Hello sweet peas,

It would be really remiss of me not to talk about some of the wonderful things that have happened in plus size world in the last couple of days.

On Tuesday Plus Sized Wars aired in the UK on Channel 4 and I was so proud to see many amazing women who I know and have met have their say on their lives as plus size women. I was really glad to see Tess Holliday looking her usual radiant self, and for their to be some light shed on the plus size blogging (and shopping) scene in the UK. Make no mistake, some of our plus size bloggers like Danielle Vanier, Callie Thorpe and Georgina Horne are going stratospheric like some of the plus size bloggers in the US have done - Gabi Fresh, Chastity Garner, Nicolette Mason, etc etc.

On the whole the show was positive. There were a couple of things I'd liked to have seen - less of the lady who owns MiLK modelling agency, who basically seems to have signed Tess Munster because of her social media following and NOT because she's an amazingly beautiful, inspirational soul who happens to be in a plus size body. I'd also have liked to have seen more of Bethany Rutter, who writes so well on her blog and always has interesting things to say. It was also good to see behind the scenes at Evans and Yours Clothing, although the less said about Taking Shape and their 'Skinny Bird Watching' at LFW the better. One lady has already tweeted me to say she's ordered from TS after watching, so I'm glad it has at least introduced women to new places to shop. I just wish TS and every other plus size retailer who's gaffed recently would realise you don't need to pull 'Them VS Us' crap to sell clothes. You just don't. Clothes sell themselves, put them on a blogger and wheeeeee. No body shaming required, thankyouverymuch.

Overall though it started a conversation, and that can only be a good thing. I was very happy to see lots of plus size ladies I know on screen and not being made fun of like so often happens in tv shows about fat people. Yass.

Another thing that happened on Tuesday was Z-list chanteuse and A-List gobshite Jamelia appeared on Loose Women and suggested that people below a size 6 and people over a size 20 shouldn't be able to buy clothes on the high street as they're 'unhealthy'. Ohyesshedid.

HELLO?

What about naturally very petite women who may be a size 0 because that's the way their body IS? What does she suggest we do with women over a size 20? Corral us all into ghettoes where we'll exist clotheless until we've been shamed below a size 20? What if we don't lose weight? Euthanasia?! What about plus size athletes, like shotputters or weight lifters? Do they get to go to the NOT-OK Corral too?

Debz from Wannabe Princess decided yesterday to address Jamelia's comments on Twitter using the hashtag #WeAreTheThey, referring to the 'they' Jamelia kept referring to plus people as. Debz wanted to show Jamelia we are all people of different sizes, different personalities etc etc. To HUMANISE us basically, take it from her referring to us as 'they', othering us, and reminding her we are people with stories, as diverse as our bodies. We are outside the 'norm' but we are still people Goddamnit!

#WeAreTheThey



It was a raging success. There was so much positivity it was a delight. I spent a few hours spouting off and retweeting dozens of tweets from my sisters from other misters. I didn't engage Jamelia in any of the tweets because plenty of people were, and I see it that she has enough problems already. Namely her horrible personality. She ceased to have any relevance in the music world years ago and now earns her crust trying to be the new Katie Hopkins. What a waste of a life.

Jameela Jamil, who is awesome and not to be confused with Jamelia wrote this rebuttal. Well done, lady.

I'll leave this in closing.


What are your thoughts on Plus Sized Wars and WeAreTheThey?

Thanks for reading!
Leah xoxo

The fake designer tote bag of dreams

Hello loves,

Turning 41 has made me want to pretend to be a proper lay-dee, and that involved buying a grown up bag. I love fun novelty bags as much as the next woman, but I also want a bag I can wear with many different outfits. I have designer taste but a charity shop budget, so I had a look on eBay for classy looking bags at a good price and this is what I found. I picked a neutral colour so it'll go with everything.


The bag looks so classy, is pretty well made and sturdy, and cost just £15.79 with p&p. I'm thrilled with it. It's a pale beige colour, comes with a removable, adjustable shoulder strap and has 2 zipped pockets and a mobile phone pouch inside, as well as a small zipped pocket on the outside. It has 4 studs on the bottom so if you put it on the floor at any time it won't get too dirty.



It's not perfect, but I'm not looking for it at £15. The lining is a little bit on the tacky side and the zips may not last forever but it looks really classy and if like me, you haven't got hundreds of pounds to spend on a bag, it'll probably do you fine! I think I might treat myself to the hot pink one in a month or two.

I bought mine here and delivery was about 2-3 days.

What do you think about this bag? Someone on Facebook said it looked like a Cyberman smoking a cigarette, and I can see the resemblance!

Thanks for peeking.
Leah xoxo

Out & About | Cholderton Charlie's rare breeds farm

Hello lovelies!

A couple of weeks ago now on the tail end of our holiday we went to Cholderton Charlie's rare breed farm. I absolutely adore animals, I'm like Dr Doolittle! Being around animals heals me from the stresses and strains of life so I have a fantastic time any time I get to spend time around cute critters.

My friend and I each bought a bag of feed for the animals and we fed the sheep and goats. Goats are greedy little gobblers who'll run along the fence following you for more food and sheep breathe their slobber on you while you feed them - tickly! My favourite animal of the day was a little white lamb called Mary who'd been abandoned by her mum and was desperate to be touched. I spent about 5 minutes stroking her and I wanted to climb in with her and stroke her all day. There are a couple of short videos at the end of the post where you can see her.




I think horse's eyes are beautiful, like deep pools of emotion. The ponies were absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing how you stroke an animal gently and speak to them softly you can sense them relaxing and trusting you. Just about every animal loves their head scratched, you can't go wrong with that! If there's ever any recovery from Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME I'd LOVE to work with animals.



This lamb had the cutest little horns!

Trying to eat my scarf!


Here are some very short videos where I baby talk the animals.



Here's Mary. She was nibbling my hands and anything that stuck out (my rings, my hair band) with her cute little teeth. I presume she was looking for a teat. So adorable. Lamb is TOTALLY off the menu now, not that I ate it often before but next time I have an urge for a kebab, I'll think about Mary instead.









I would definitely go again. I absolutely loved it. We watched pig racing, fed the animals, sat in the sunshine outside the cafe eating ice cream and had a lovely afternoon in the sun.

Do you like animals? I want to go to Middle Farm soon, which is much closer to home - and it sells cider! Wahey.

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

Life Lately #4

Hello love bugs!


Since we got back from holiday I've been away for the weekend again (visiting family/having my birthday meal) and have started to feel the after effects of a lot of activity in a short time. Aside from blogging a few times this is what I've been up to.

Reading

I've been reading lots. I think I'm on about my 6th Jo Nesbo book now (all read in about the last month.) I love his books so much - he does plot twists brilliantly.

Catching up on blogs

I think my blog reader had something like 400 posts to read when I came back off my holiday. Eep. I didn't read all of them by any means but I've been having a mass comment session every few days.

Researching camcorders

I've saved my birthday money and a voucher I won from Curry's last year and I'm going to be getting a camcorder soon. I want to do makeup posts as well as general life stuff and body posi things. I'll probably share the ups and downs of Fibromyalgia, CFS & depression too. First of all James tried to talk me out of buying a camcorder at all as our phones currently have better recording quality (visually) than most camcorders, but then he realised I'd need the flip out screen and some other features like decent sound, so he's actually putting some money in of his own to get me a decent one (which is nice as the original plan was for him to put some money in towards a camcorder for my birthday, anyway.) Otherwise he'd had got away without getting me a present at all. *SIDE EYES*

Getting organised

I still have that Monday feeling even though I don't leave the house to go to work (go figure!) The last 2 Mondays I've busied myself with taking photos for blog posts (except outfit photos, which I do when I feel like it) as then I feel like I've made a productive start to the week. I think focussing on good stuff rather than thinking 'Ugh, Monday!' is really helpful, plus it means there's less stress on me with regards to photos the rest of the week. With makeup swatches, I make notes in a pad with the names of stand out shades, product weights and any thoughts on the products so when I go to write up a beauty post I'm not relying on my crap memory! I'm determined to photograph my enormous 'to swatch' makeup pile before summer is out so I can string out the posts even after the current glorious sunny days are over. There's nothing like the look of sunshine on makeup swatches done in spring and summer. That grey dull excuse for light we see here for about 5 months of every year would make a diamond look like dog shite. And thus, people who live outside the UK, this is why we have a reputation for being grumpy arseholes. So would you be if your life looked like it was viewed through a hobo's underpants for 5 or 6 months of the year. ;) All thoughts of that shall be cast away now, as hopefully we have several more months of sunshine ahead of us yet.

Decluttering, or not

I made a great start on 40 bags in 40 days, but that's fallen to the wayside now. I've donated 5 huge bags to the charity shop, and recycled/thrown away at least another 2 bin bags full of crapola since, but I haven't started on the real crap magnet places like the cupboard under the stairs (which has about 6 large storage boxes full of various tat), nor started a real clothes clear out. I did a shuffle around of clothes in my wardrobe yesterday, and pulled out 4 dresses to sell, swap or give away. I have a system. I take clothes from the right side of the wardrobe, and when they've been washed afterwards they go to the left side of the wardrobe unless I'm obsessed, in which case they go back to the right. This kinda ensures things get an even wear, but don't even start me on my chest of drawers x 4 and all the stuff lurking in them. There could be anything in there. All in good time. It might be more like 40 bags in 140 days, but I'll get there eventually.

Some other stuff floating my boat.

23 best movies on Netflix
Have you seen any of these? I haven't seen any, including Trainspotting! (I've seen the end, but not the whole film.)

50 things you should stop buying and start making
I might try some of these, particularly the toiletries and cleaning materials as I'm really keen to minimise chemical use because of the sensitivity issues I have. I'm no earth mother but if things are reasonably cheap and hassle free to make I'll give anything a try once.

The town that is literally under a rock
I shared this on Facebook recently, and it's worth a share here too.

Celebrity mugshots
I spent way too much time on this site!

I don't know why I find this so erotic as I don't smoke, but it's Momoa so...........
http://yoncehaunted.tumblr.com/post/114866223375

What's floating your boat? Have you seen anything at the cinema or heard any good songs lately?

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Pastels & polka dots

Hello loves,

Yesterday the man-piece and I went out for a lovely long drive to blow the cobwebs away. We stopped off quickly at a church to take some photos of what I was wearing.

Everything is old except the wired hair bow and bag. The bag was a present from my friend Lis and is one of the Lulu Guinness for Red Nose Day charity bags. I doubt there are any left in stores now as RND was last month. They usually fly off the shelves.

The wired bow is from April's Crown & Glory Glitterati box. Still the best £20 I spend each month! (Post coming up with all the goodies from this month's box soon.)




The dress is Simply Be from a couple of years ago. It's a lovely coral shade which sometimes looks red in photos.


It was really nice to feel the air on my skin. It was cold in the shade but lovely and warm in the sun.

We popped into Asda on the way home to pick something up. I didn't put my jacket on even though I had one in the car as I was keen to prolong the freedom of less layers. I'm quite self aware and know when people are staring at me, as they are wont to do when they see someone of my size who is confident. It doesn't bother me any more. Are they staring because I'm very fat, or because I have big tattoos, or because of my piercings? Maybe it's all three. Who cares!

I don't even bother to look at starers when I feel laser eyes upon me these days. Not giving a shit is SO freeing. Next time you have a moment of anxiety and think 'Oh, I really want to cover up!' ask yourself what is more important, you or the opinion of some random staring idiot?

Wire headband, C&G Glitterati box (not sure if it'll be going onto the website or if it's a Glitterati box exclusive.)
Dress, past season Simply Be
Leggings, Very (twin pack - one long, one cropped - wearing the cropped ones here.)
Grey plimsolls, past season Primark
Bag, Sainsburys (for Red Nose Day, probably not in store any longer.)

There are lots of these Lulu Guinness bags on eBay (three different designs) and for more than they cost originally, but the quality is easily worth the £12 or so sellers are asking for. It's a really strong bag with straps wide enough for my fat arms to get into, and a large phone pocket inside. There's also a loop to attach keys to. This was my favourite design of the 3, so I'm happy Lis got me this one. :)

Have a great Sunday & thanks for reading.

Leah xoxo