Plus Size Promises

Hello lovelies!

The wonderful Debz - creator of We Are The They - has taken inspiration from Katt who promised herself some things this summer with regards to her body. Because Debz is so brilliant at uniting us plus size ladies, there are a whole bunch of us who've got together to make our bodies promises.


So, I promise:

  1. If I'm hot, I will wear the clothes which the weather dictates. If it is a hot day, I will take a cardigan off and bare my arms. If I feel the urge to get my poor mottled corn-beef Fibro-affected shins out, I shall. I will NOT put everyone else's comfort before my own.
  2. To put myself number one, to listen to my body's needs, and drink plenty of water and eat food which makes my body feel vital and well. To exercise in ways that make me happy, such as going on a walk to take photos for the blog, to have a dance around the living room, or do some stretching exercises when I'm in pain.
  3. To concentrate more of the joy of putting outfits together to express myself/convey my personality, rather than feeling the blogger pressure to have new things all the time. I've fallen into the trap of thinking everyone wants new, new, new all the time and I'm sure it's not true. I seem to have fallen out of sync with what got me blogging in the first place - the joy of sharing simple outfits. The mundane, every day stuff as well as the pretty, polished stuff. I feel another month long outfit challenge coming on so I can get back into the swing of things - does anyone want to join me? Starting in July perhaps so we have time to prepare? 
  4. I promise to make more effort with body positivity - both my own, and helping people to foster theirs. I've learned a lot about my body and loving yourself no matter what over the last few years and I need to share that with others who may need a guiding hand. Maybe I'll take a leaf out of Courtney Mina's book and post some underwear selfies on Instagram every day for a week!
  5. I promise to keep reminding myself that most of society is sick, and THAT is the problem, not my body. Bodies have always existed in all shapes and sizes, but in this modern age body fascism seems to be everyone's favourite hobby. From health 'professionals' down to Neanderthals in the street, everyone has advice for us. I promise to continue batting that toxic shit away from me and being the best, most vital, most authentic me I can be. And to the haters, this face says it all. :)


What would you promise yourself? Thanks for reading!

I'm going to have a couple of days off blogging as my step dad is in hospital, so have a great weekend and I'll catch you on the other side.
Leah xoxo

Life Lately #5

Hello pickles,

I thought I'd write a post about the things I've been doing up to recently. I've been reading up a storm! I've read 2 more books in the few days since this was taken. The Nightingale is SO good. I cried at the end - like a baby. It's well worth a read. The Girl on the Train is amazing too. I read it in one evening, I couldn't put it down.
Stray hair, oops!

Short reviews coming soon, hopefully!

I got my new camera and case - both of which were picked by James. It's the Sony A5000. You know I did that post recently about 10 great things about going out with a geek? I take it all back. All of it. There's nothing like being told what you want to buy with your own birthday money, is there? ;)

On a serious note I didn't have enough money to buy it with birthday money (and the voucher I won from Curry's last year) alone, so he did contribute 1/3 of the cost. I just would've liked some choice in the matter! :O I had wanted a camcorder initially, but he talked me out of that (thanks) then he saw an episode of the Gadget Show which was raving on about mirrorless cameras, which are the next big thing grown men get wowzers in their trousers over apparently, and here I am with one! It's just like The Simpsons when Homer bought Marge a bowling ball, knowing full well she doesn't bowl. ;)

To be fair, I can't lug the big heavy DLSR around with me all the time, so I'd wanted a camera small enough to put in my handbag. You never know when something photo-worthy will pop up, and it's nice to have a slightly better quality camera than my phone on me. Plus this will up my selfie game! Yuss!

It has auto focus on the video so hopefully I can do YouTube videos on it. It has a screen you can flip up so you can see yourself while you're talking but it won't be as good for Youtube as a camcorder would've been obviously.


I'm getting to know it - slowly - as it's very different from my DSLR, obviously. The Sony editing software is amazing, I have to say, and aside from a scroll wheel which constantly changes the chuffing settings every time I accidentally touch it, it's pretty good. The photos are great, and I've only got a few month's rent money in the swear jar so far trying to learn about it. ;)

Here's a bit more fuel to my non-dairy-eating fire here. I had a bit of an intense day yesterday and hadn't eaten all day, and about 6pm James asked me if there was any tea he could put on for me. He's Mr can't cook won't cook, so I told him there was a cheese pizza in the freezer which needed using up and he put it in the oven for me. I ate it (after having a few totally dairy free days) and this is what happened to my face straight afterwards. It stayed like that for 6 hours (and counting, at the time of writing) afterwards and I've been coughing too. Cheese is definitely no friend of mine!


All these months I've been using up industrial quantities of heavy duty concealer and all along it was bloody cheese!! Well I never! I had a smaller reaction a few days ago when I had a bit of cheese but I only went slightly red then. This time there was a lot of cheese as it was on a pizza and this is what happened. It feels roasting hot to the touch and is really sore.

What else is going on?! Ah yes, my step dad is in hospital as they think his gall bladder is infected. He hadn't been well for a few weeks and has gone downhill suddenly. I bet he's been putting up with it for months and now it's all come to a head. Hopefully he'll be dealt with quickly, although I doubt it as their local hospital is hideous. Fingers crossed though!

What are you up to this weekend? We're taking Rach and JP to meet Mookie and Mike. It should be fun. Have a great weekend.
Leah xoxo

Outfit | Wrapped up

Hiya sweets,

I saw this video by Chastity Garner circulating on Facebook recently and immediately wanted to recreate it. You know when you really want to know how to do something but don't want to look like a doofus and instead say nothing? That. I saw this video probably 2 years after I first wondered how to do this with a scarf.




I did another head wrap with a scarf in a previous outfit but it was much less fancy than this one. Gemma used to do this exact thing with a scarf and it looked amazing but I was too shy to ask her how. It looks effortlessly chic and takes no time at all. Where Chastity threads the ends through the rest of the twists, I fold it underneath and tuck it in at the forehead, and then it keeps any annoying fringe tendrils tucked inside too.

Please excuse the photos, I had some dust on the lens and didn't realise until afterwards.

I bought this vastly oversized dress from H&M when it was down from £12.99 to £7.99 recently and it's really thin and transparent but ideal for what I have in mind - wearing it on holiday abroad next year. I often dress with a vibe or situation in mind, and my idea for this outfit was a day at the beach whilst protecting my hair from the sun. Yeah, I'm a weirdo as I dress for situations that aren't going to occur for months, if ever. I love being whimsical and day dreamy-y with fashion!

We're going away to Spain with Mookie and Mike next year and I'm already so excited, hence buying this dress, which will be great thrown on over a swimming costume.


I consider myself like the Star Trek of fat fashion, boldly exploring new brands and sizes too small or big to find out how things fit so I can report back for people of varying sizes. I'd never seen a 4X on H&M so I ordered one to see what the fit was like. It's big, very big! I'd say this dress would easily fit someone of a size 32-34 and maybe more. By now you might have realised I have a thing for oversized everything (apart from when I'm doing body con) but then what woman isn't an enigma?! :)

The scarf I'm wearing today was given to me by my friend's mum (hello Linda!) and will get much use as I love leopard print hard. I don't know where it's from though, as I find questioning the provenance of gifts to be rude.

I'm wearing:
Scarf, gift
Jersey dress, H&M+ also available in cobalt and grey
Shoes, previous Everything 5 Pounds.

When you know you're going on holiday, how soon do you start shopping for it? I'm actually going away for a few days again in July, so I might take this dress with me then, too. I always look forward to foreign holidays more though, so I tend to buy more stuff for them than holidays in the UK.

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

P.S. The more eagle eyed of you (longer readers particularly) might notice my shins are still marked from my accident in the sea last summer. I'm sick of worrying about them, hiding them, trying to conceal the bruises either digitally in photos or with foundation before I do photos. For some reason my skin is super weird and has been as long as I've had Fibromyalgia. I'm done fighting it. It's part of me now, ugly as it may be. Sometimes it's easier to just let go. Coping strategies for insecurities are constructed to make us feel safer ('I have X problem so I'll use Y behaviour to hide it') but letting go of the hang ups can be joyous and freeing. I'm done holding onto this crap.

Plus size skinny jeans from House of Fraser*

Hello sweet peas! I have some totally amazing ladies skinny jeans to show you today which have made me realise what I've been missing out on. I'm wearing the Evans super stretch jeans from House of Fraser. In case you didn't know, they have a great selection of plus size clothes from the likes of Evans, Marina Rinaldi, Anna Scholz, Junarose, Scarlett & Jo and lots of other brands. Now I can see why some of my blogger friends love these jeans so much!

Eat the rainbow

Hiya lovelies,

I thought I'd do a little update about my more animal friendly eating habits and how I'm feeling. The meat-free thing has gone great - I haven't had any meat in a week now. I haven't eliminated dairy completely by any means but I'm eating far less than I was before. I will still eat fish and eggs occasionally, and I'm trying hard to cut out cheese and other dairy products (like chocolate, sob!) Eliminating dairy is something I've never done before and I'm finding that far more difficult than cutting out meat.

Here are a few meals I've had this week.

Salad, fruit, nuts, seeds, vegan cheese and croutons

Salad, fruit, nuts, eggs, seeds, sun dried tomatoes etc

Salad as usual with sweet potato chips & Mexican-style rice (out of shot.)


A few days in I looked in the mirror, went to walk out of the bathroom and did a double take. My skin looked........different. It looked smoother, younger, and far less red than usual.  Usually my freckles compete with my high red colouring and some brown age spots I've gained in the last few years (ugh) so it's like a party on my face. But the redness seems to have calmed down a bit so you can see the colour of the skin beneath. I've gone without foundation the last couple of days as I haven't felt like I needed it, and this is coming from the concealer queen as there's usually so much redness to cover!

This was taken yesterday



About the same time I noticed my skin was looking better, I started to feel more well - that's the only way I can describe it. I haven't been sleeping well again but I've gone from laying in bed dreading getting up (and putting it off by reading my Kindle or using my phone to time waste on social media) to bouncing out of bed in the mornings. I'm not doing star jumps around the house by any means, but I do feel a slight change for the positive!

Then a couple of days ago I started to feel crap - I think it's because I'm not eating enough. I've felt headache-y and shaky. Because I did this impulsively with zero research I don't have enough meat-free ideas, and rather than 'cheating' I'm not eating when I run out of inspiration, and obviously that's not good. I'm probably missing some iron too so I'll get some broccoli and other greens down my neck soon. This way of eating will need lots more cooking/planning than before and that's an adjustment. Most normal people would have meal planned and researched before embarking on a lifestyle change, but as usual I dived in head first and I'm working it out as I go along. Typical Aries, I'm the Queen of winging it.

We've had a really social weekend and I avoided meat throughout it, so I'm happy about that. My friends brought round pizza on Saturday for our Eurovision party and I didn't partake. On Sunday I went to a barbecue and ate veggie burgers while everyone else (apart from James, who's veggie because of food phobias) tucked into juicy meat. Seriously, anyone who says fake meat burgers are delicious needs a gentle tap with a shovel but if I think with some salad or cooked onions it would've been bearable (but definitely not delicious - I think I'll go with bean burgers next time.)

So in all it's been a mixed week, but I'm optimistic I'll continue to feel good once I do some meal planning and get 3 square meals a day inside me. I'll probably do an update at a later date if I continue to find good things to report.

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

Outfit | Lace and velvet

Hello pickles!

I hope you had a great weekend? I did, apart from not sleeping too well, which I think you can probably see from my face in these photos.

I'm wearing an old dress from Pink Clove which I bought from Naomi recently. It's the perfect mix of comfort and style. I wore it to a BBQ this weekend.





I'm wearing:

Dress, Pinkclove.co.uk
Medium petrol hairbow, Crown & Glory
Leggings, Very (twin pack)
Shoes, past season Very

I'd recommend sizing up with Pink Clove dresses whenever possible, for length if nothing else, as a lot of the dresses are on the short side. This is a 30/32 as I almost always prefer flowing clothes to tight ones, and of course that gives a little more length too.


I hope you have a great week!
Leah xoxo

Photo Story #6

Hello loves,

This week's Photo Story comes from sunny Salisbury. We've been to the cathedral a couple of times and it's absolutely glorious inside and out. These photos were taken in May 2012, on what would've been my nan's birthday if she was alive. I remember lighting a candle for her.


It's a phenomenal building. It has the highest spire in the UK, one of the few remaining copies of the Magna Carta and also the oldest working clock in the world. If that isn't enough to tempt you it's also a place of real peace and tranquillity, which we all need from time to time. I highly recommend a visit. I believe entry is on a donation basis, with a photography pass costing something like £5. Of course we visited arse backwards and guiltily threw money in when we got to the front door after doing the cathedral backwards. As you do. Oops.


Have you ever been to Salisbury cathedral?

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
Leah xoxo

Beauty | VIVO eyeshadow palette in Dreamy

Hiya!

I've decided to designate weekends as beauty post time. Today I want to talk about an eyeshadow palette I'm reaching for most often at the moment because the colours are sublime. It costs just £4 and it's the Dreamy palette from VIVO (who are out of business as of August 2015) another cruelty free brand (and one I think is very much underrated.)


Their range is small compared to their peers MUA and Makeup Revolution, and new lines are few and far between, but what they do, they do well. I love their lipsticks (which smell divine), their blushes and their eyeshadows, which are always very well pigmented. Here are a couple of previous VIVO reviews.

There's nothing boring at all about neutrals when they're done well, and these are beautiful. 10 of the 12 shades are super pigmented, with the 2 neutrals lacking punch (but still great for blending out bolder colours.) I use shimmer shadows up to my crease only and blend upwards with matte shadows to minimise the crepiness of my eyelids.


There are creamy taupes, lovely chocolate shades and coppers and golds. This palette makes my heart sing. It's currently out of stock on the website, but will hopefully be back in stock soon. The Unprotected palette is just as pigmented, is in stock and is another neutral palette by VIVO.

I'm using the 3rd shade under my bottom lashes, shade 8 on the upper lid and shade 10 on the outer part of my top lid. 


What's your favourite neutral palette?

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Outfit | Photo walk

Hello lovelies,

Because many of you liked the mix of scenery and outfit photos in my recent outfit post with Boohoo, I've done the same thing again. I'm calling this series Photo Walk so you know that when you click on one of these posts in future there will be a gazillion photos.

On Sunday James and I went out to take photos of a dress I bought from Naomi (of Diamonds N' Pearls) and as it was a lovely day so we had an hour long voyage of discovery. I'll try to do something like this once a month or so as I really enjoy including the photos of details I notice on our walks.




I'm wearing:
Hairband, Crown & Glory Glitterati box Tea Rose headband
Dress, past season Evans via Naomi
Lace cardi, Asda
Leggings, Very.co.uk
Designer style bag, eBay





These buildings remind me of Harry Potter slightly.


Now for a walk around the decaying and semi-demolished buildings of the old Hastings College, which was replaced by a swanky new building next door to Hastings train station a few years ago.



And some pretty nature to finish.


If you are thinking about signing up to the Glitterati by Crown & Glory, let me know in the comments, because if you use my referral we can both get a voucher for £10. I will contact you with the referral details!

Have a fabulous weekend,
Leah xoxo

Outfit | A peplum top that works & peplum tips

Hello loves!

I have had limited success with peplum tops in the past, mainly because they weren't long enough or structured enough for my liking. I bought a dip hem scuba peplum top from ASOS Curve in the sale about a month ago and it's pretty damn awesome. Don't despair if you don't get peplums, you just might not have found the right one for you. Prior to this I was meh about them, and now I'm YEAH. This particular top is sold out now but I've got some peplum tips at the end of the post, so take a peek.


I don't look amused! I call this my Queen Victoria look.


It's just what I was looking for - a little coverage over the butt but not too long at the front. I think I just found my holy grail of peplums! I'm wearing a size 26 as I wanted a cleavage-boosting tight fit across the boobs, but I would've needed to size down to a 24 for that....and I ain't got time for endless trips to the Collection+ point or post office. Heeeeyell no. I hazard a guess and stick to it most of the time.

I was jamming out to Proud Mary by Tina Turner while taking the photos below. I LOVE that song! I've just put in on again. *dance party*



My peplum tips:

1. Structure. I've got a couple of jersey peplum tops and they don't flow over my body, they just kinda... flop. Scuba is a great material for peplums as it has form. It juts out in all the right places. It follows the lines of your body and just adds a bit more. Ideally, you want a stiff or structured fabric.
2. Coverage. What do you want to accentuate? Is there something you're not confident about and want to cover up, like your arms? I wanted a peplum long enough to cover some of my belly, butt and thighs but I didn't want to be drowning in fabric, so this graduated style is perfect. I wasn't too bothered about sleeves, but there are all kinds available - short sleeved, long sleeved, sleeveless, one shoulder etc.
3. Proportions. Bear in mind how tall you are and how long your torso is. I'm 5 ft 5 and have a short torso (there's a short gap between my waist and boobs) - so I need the two parts of the top to be of equal length - both the main part of the top and the peplum part. I've failed before with tops which were long in the main part and short in the peplum, so they were drawing attention to a wider part of my body. Ideally, you want the peplum part to start at your narrowest point, which for me is just below my boobs. This top hits it spot on.
4. Accessorise that mofo! Belts look great over a peplum.
5. Not just tops. You can get peplum hem skirts, peplum belts, even peplum hem jackets and coats. Would you double peplum?! I'm not sure I would.
6. Contrast. I don't know why, but every time I think about wearing a peplum I really want to mix things up - lace and pleather, prints and block colours, denim and knit, rough textures and smooth.

If you want some styling ideas, have a look at my Pinterest board here. I actually love the look of peplums over trousers or jeans, so I'm going to try that myself soon. And check out my previous peplum attempts: DIY peplum here, too short peplum here.

Remember - if something isn't right on you, it's the clothes, not your body. Prior to finding this top I thought I wasn't cut out for wearing peplums, when I'd just been trying all the wrong ones. It's never your body, always the clothes. Next time you're about to bash your body for something, just think there are clothes out there to suit every permutation of body, every diverse and wonderful shape humans come in. Just experiment and have fun. That's all I've been doing for the last 3 years - trying everything I can lay my hands on - and I've learned more about what suits me in these short years than the rest of my life beforehand!

I'm wearing:
Hairband, Crown & Glory Glitterati box
Necklace, from my friend Rebs
Peplum top, ASOS Curve
Skirt, Very.co.uk
Shoes, old Evans

Thanks for reading!
Leah xoxo

*If I ever hear the word peplum again I swear I'm going to bite someone. ;)

Lifestyle changes (NOT a diet!)

Hello sweet peas,

I'm one of these people who makes up my mind to do something then tells people about it to cement that commitment, and also because if something is important to me, I'm excited to talk about it.

I'm going to talk about animal abuse in this blog post, so please give it a miss if you're easily upset.

Cows in Cornwall, 2012

I posted this status on Facebook last night:

The older I get the more in tune I become with the world around me. Since Fibromyalgia and CFS have made me slow down and listen to my body and mind, I've noticed how being out in the countryside or being with animals heals me of the day to day crap and makes me feel grounded.

The more aware I become, the more the casual cruelty with which we treat animals seems wrong, and something I want no part of. Badger culls, the Tories trying to bring back fox hunting, bullfighting, dog meat festivals, the foul ivory and rhino horn trades, canned shoots in Africa for rich c*nts with more money than heart, mass dolphin slaughter, hunting for 'sport', it all sickens me to the core. I've always preferred animals to people - they're so pure and full of love - and this feeling is strengthened by every new layer of cruelty, every new way man must prove his dominance over the animal kingdom by destroying it. 

I have never understood the thought process behind 'What a majestic creature! Let's kill it.' Sometimes I feel like I'm made of glass and this world will crush me.

I watched a video a couple of days ago which a friend posted on Facebook. It was about cruelty in the dairy industry (this incident in particular in Canada) and I watched less than a minute of this video of hideous men jeering as they repeatedly hit cows with metal bars and strangled dairy cows and calves by hanging them on chains. I almost threw up, or passed out, or both. I'm crying as I write this, as I have done every time I've thought about that video since. I don't know if you have an opinion on cows, but I do. I had my first close encounter with them in Cornwall on my honeymoon 3 years ago. Before then I thought cows were as dumb as bricks, with no personality and thus I had no problem with the dairy industry. From that point on I've gone out of my way to lurk around cows as often as possible, often stopping by the side of country roads to stroke them, and they are cheeky and characterful. There's a moment when you talk softly to an animal so it knows you are no threat, and you look it in the eyes and realise there's this purity there which you don't often see. It's a gift only children, animals and rare souls have. It's unspoiled, just pure love.

After seeing that video yesterday I want no part of an industry which allows that kind of abuse to go on. When an animal is a means to an end, a food product, something made for humans to consume, some fucking psychopaths or serial-killers-in-training who work with them will not care that it has a soul, pain receptors, feelings etc. Of course many farmers will be humane and make sure their animals are treated with respect and kindness, but the fact is the industry exists and there will be a small percentage of people who will take advantage of that. Cows are highly social, intelligent animals who have best friends. Cows have been known to escape and travel miles in search of the calves they have removed from them (because of the veal industry.) They mourn friends who die and can get depressed. Does that sound like a creature who would shrug off being beaten with metal bars (if it's lucky enough to live another day)? No. Those animals will suffer deeply, mentally and physically. I want no part of that done in my name. I will not sit back and say I'm OK with that, because I'm not. Do I like cheese more than I care about the well-being of animals? Not any more. And you know, I really don't mind if other people feel differently about things to me. I can only live in a way that makes sense to me. I don't think any of my habits make me a better person than anyone else. I just want to look at myself in the mirror - really look - and think 'I'm finally being true to myself.'

Then I had a moment with little Mary the lamb at the rare breeds farm last month, and lamb was off the menu for good. How many more little incidents have to come to bear before I listen to the little voice inside me saying ENOUGH?

I was a vegetarian for about 6 years up until about 10 years ago, but prolonged ill health from being a shit vegetarian ended that. (I was in shared accommodation for years with little access to a kitchen so I ate shite most of the time.)  I've often put my unrest about this to the back of my mind, but every year as I've gotten older and learned more about myself the more I've felt a disconnect between my actions and my thoughts.

I'm not embracing full blown veganism, nor am I turning into a sanctimonious twat. Animals are important to me and I don't want to live in conflict any more. My aim is cutting out meat, eating some fish or seafood, having no dairy at all, and I still haven't decided how I feel about eggs. I have some meat products in the freezer to use up, and for the moment I'm concentrating on having vegan replacements for milk, cheese, butter etc. Once I've got to grips with that I'll start working out dairy products used in things like chocolate, baked goods, etc and I'll find alternatives for those. Eating out will be difficult, I'm sure, which is why I'm doing this in phases so I don't overwhelm myself. I hope I can find a happy medium between living a kinder life, and minimising any impact such big changes will have on my existing health issues.

Vegans, vegetarians and pescetarians, feel free to tell me about your favourite food items in the comments, or link me to any recipe boards on Pinterest. :)

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo 

Outfit | Traffic stopping in Scarlett & Jo*

Hello loves,

I hope you had a good weekend? I had a great weekend. Saturday 7 of my family visited and we all went for lunch to celebrate my dad's and brother's birthdays. Yesterday we went for a lovely walk and took lots of photos for an upcoming blog post.

Something I've wanted to do since I've been blogging is take photos in the the road, like street style bloggers do. I was too afraid of drawing attention to myself before my photo shoot with Jim Hawkins, but the baptism of fire which was being photographed on a busy seafront promenade soon cured me of that!

After James and I had voted recently we took some photos of a new dress which Scarlett & Jo sent me totally out of the blue. I can't tell you how it cheered up my day. 


The 'traffic stopping' part in the title is a play on words, as there was very little traffic about, and it was safe for me to be in the middle of the road. There we are, on-the-road posing ticked off the ol' blogger checklist! :)


This dress would look better with cropped leggings, but I was in a hurry. I'm always in a hurry - I procrastinate for ages then do everything in a rush. Oops.


I also wore this dress before, when James and I met Mookie and her husband Mike in Lewes. We went to a gorgeous park which was full of spring flowers, but we were too busy chatting to realise we had no full length shots of us on our camera. Oops! Mookie and I are both wearing our yellow duster jackets from Asda, but which aren't online any more. I'm not sure if they still have them in store but it's worth a peek if you're going shopping.



The dress is made up of a thick stretchy top, joined to the waistband of the skirt with a wide piece of strong elastic which hugs you. It flares out to a lined skirt with some netting in it to give it fullness. It's very similar in style to one of my other Scarlett & Jo dresses which I wore here and here. I love the elastic waist, it feels quite comforting to me, like I'm being hugged all around. :) I've yet to see an S&J number which doesn't impress.

Scarlett & Jo navy blue 2 in 1 prom dress* £65
Leggings, Very.co.uk
Shoes, old
Hair flower in first set of photos OWHH Millinery
Hair flower in second set Crown & Glory Glitterati box

This is just the kind of dress I'd wear to a wedding, but the only wedding I'm going to this year I'm going to be a bridesmaid at! So exciting! There might be a christening to go to this year though since one of my friends has popped out a sproglet. ;)

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

*Dress sent by Scarlett & Jo. Opinions are honest and my own.

Photo Story #5

Hello lovelies,

Today's photo story photo is a throwback one from 2008, taken just before James and I went out for a meal with my workmates.


My eyebrows, sheesh! At least I could still use proper dye on my hair back then, which is more vibrant than the henna I have to use now. (I'm allergic to something in dye.)

Whatever you're up to this weekend, have a good one! I'm seeing a few of my family today. We're going out for a meal to celebrate my dad's and brother's birthdays, which are next week.

Leah xoxo

Wishlist | Pink to make the girls wink

Hello lovelies!

I know the old saying is 'Pink to make the boys wink!' but sod that, I dress for me not for any man. Here are some pink pretties which have caught my eye recently. Links below each photo if you want to get your shop on, and all photos belong to each company.


I Love Crafty candy glitter dreams necklace large £30, regular £20
Lindy Bop Sandy pink polka dot swing dress £29.99 sizes 8-26
Callie's classic ballet pumps £10 (down from £15 at the moment.)
I Love Crafty Donut bangle £25


Paper and String handmade ice creams £6.50 each
Lady Voluptuous pink flamingo Phoebe dress £55 currently out of stock but should return soon sizes 16-30/32
Lady Voluptuous lips full circle skirt £35 sizes 16-30/32
River Island fluffy across body bag £30 via ASOS

Have you seen anything you like? I'm particularly enamoured with the Callies polka dot shoes, which also come in black, yellow, blue and red, and also in all those colours in stripes too. My polka dot addiction sadly knows no bounds.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
Leah xoxo

Beauty | Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 in Pink Lemonade

Howdy!

Sleek Makeup is one of my favourite makeup brands. I love their pigmented products at pocket-friendly prices, their cruelty free status and their wide range of colours to suit almost all skin tones.

I find their blush products particularly good. A single blush is £4.49, but it's far more cost-effective to get a Blush By 3, three full sized blushers in a mirrored palette for just £10. They're available in 7 colourways on the website currently, and they're brilliant.

This blush palette is called Pink Lemonade, and has 2 powder blushes and a cream blush in the middle.



Now, there's some argument about the individual blush names on various different beauty blogs. Looking at the palette from underneath but facing up the shades read Pink Mint, Macaroon, Icing Sugar, which some blogs list L-R. But if you turn it over to look at it they read Icing Sugar, Macaroon, Pink Mint and some other bloggers have that order L-R. There's no clarification to be found on the website as the individual blush shades are named differently to in the palettes (I'm not even sure if all the colours in the Blush by 3's are available singly - some might be limited edition.) Bloody hell, whoever said makeup was simple?! I guess it doesn't matter, but to save confusion I'm going with on the left/the first shade - a gorgeous pink powder blush with fine sparkle. In the middle we have Macaroon, a gorgeous pink cream blush, and the third shade is a ruddy coral powder blush. My favourite of the three is the first colour, which makes me feel like I'm a 5 year old obsessed with princesses again.

Out of focus shot so you can see the sparkle in the first shade

The third shade looks a little daunting in the pan but it's actually quite lovely on - I'm wearing it here. (I'm also wearing green shades from the Sleek Original eyeshadow palette which I talked about recently.)


You can buy Sleek on their website, in selected Superdrug stores and on Superdrug.com

What are your favourite makeup brands?

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

Outfit | Jersey bardot neck maxi dress

Hiya pickles,

You know sometimes when you buy a dress because you like the idea of it more than you like the actual thing? On paper this dress should've been ideal - it's cotton, stretchy, black and full length. But I'd forgot that thin jersey is so revealing you can see errrrrrrrrthang - knicker line, jiggly bits, the lot. I'm at peace with my body, but it doesn't mean I want all of it to be out there at once. ;)

I might see how it fares with my Gok Wan long legged support pants on, and if I'm still not enthused I'll sell it. I'm going to have a clear out imminently anyway as more than a month on from birthday I STILL haven't got my birthday present! My husband is a nightmare. First he tried to talk me out of buying a camcorder at all (with MY birthday money, humph), then he decided he'd get me a better one and put money towards it as he didn't buy me a birthday or anniversary present. Theeeeeeen he saw a Gadget Show episode where they were talking about the amazing photos and videos you can get with a mirrorless camera, and now he wants me to get one of those, but he's been royally shafted by a client and we don't have the money right now. So if I have to sell some clothes to buy the damn thing then I will! Patience is not my virtue. ;) We're going on holiday in July and I would love to have my new toy by then. Anyway, I digress.

Going back to the dress, its plus points are it's lovely and soft and the bardot neckline is a nice touch.

 Details:

Hat, last year's Primark
Sunglasses, gift from Mookie
New Look Inspire jersey bardot neck maxi dress 
Shoes, past Everything 5 Pounds

What do you think, keep or sell?

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo