How to rock your boyfriend's clothes *SP


Who’d have thought a boyfriend could be so useful? Holding the clothes they leave behind at yours hostage is a great way to acquire a cosy, comfortable and completely versatile new wardrobe. It’s a great collection to have to add the finishing touches to any outfit - and if you have no boyfriend? No problem, you can have a meander in the men’s section of stores like H&M and Top Man in search of the perfect oversized sweater.

Keep reading to find out how to make the most of men’s wear this season.

Boyfriend jeans

Why spend money on the official women’s boyfriend jeans when you can nab a pair of your other half’s. Over the past year, the baggy and comfortable style of boyfriend jeans has grown in popularity. If they’re a little too large around the waist, pair with a super cute belt and voila! If you’re going for an extra-slouchy cut, pair with feminine tailoring and high fashion accessories for the best combination.

White button down

Every woman needs a white button down in her life, like yesterday. You know those crisp white shirts that are big enough to fit a man but fancy enough to flatter a woman. Based on the clothes and accessories that you pair it with, you can make one perfect for any occasion. Just tuck the front into a pair of black jeans or even those boyfriend jeans mentioned above with a pair of trainers for a laid-back look or a pair of wedges for a more sophisticated look.

Baggy tees

Baggy t-shirts are by far the most versatile piece of clothing out there, and I bet your boyfriend has plenty. You can wear them with pretty much any type of trousers, and an added bonus is that a baggy tee will make your pins look amazing. If the shirt is long enough, you can forget about the trousers all together and wear it as a dress. The most obvious footwear would be converses or trainers but if you’re feeling really bold, pair with a pretty pair of sandals. Who needs a LBD when you have your boyfriends tee.

Accessories

We spend an extreme amount of money on our accessories, but have you ever looked through your boyfriend’s accessory collection? It could save you huge amounts and they have some really stylish options now, I especially love the men’s leather bracelet stackable look. Pair with a boohoo style white floaty top, leggings and sandals for a wild and free iconic image. Play around with colours and textures and mix and match for the ultimate fashion statement.


Layer layer layer

Layering multiple items of clothing is a great trend we can steal from guys; it’s a wonderful technique and in the winter months keeps you that little bit warmer. Classic oversized shirts worn unbuttoned over a vest or t-shirt is a great casual and laid back look or try a baggy sweater over an oversized shirt and leave it untucked for a real chic look. For evening wear, try a short dress under his cool bomber jacket for a smooth and comfortable look.

Sports jerseys

The cool American style sports jerseys are no longer just for the lads. Paired with some black skinny jeans and converses they are a staple part of the ultimate chic look. If you’re feeling really daring, pinch his baseball cap as well and put on backwards over cute girly hair to totally rock that look.

Bottom line is, borrowing your boyfriend’s clothes is a great way to add personality and style to your outfits and as mentioned before, if you don’t have a boyfriend, no problem! Get shopping in the men’s department, not only are the clothes cheaper than women’s, more often than not they are also better quality!

Thanks for reading. Leah xoxo

*sponsored post

Would you rather: Christmas edition


Hello lovelies,

I was tagged in this fun Christmas post by Nicola J Ogston.

Eat brussel sprouts or cauliflower cheese?
Hmmmm, this is hard. I think I'd rather have the sprouts!
Have twinkling lights or still lights?
I like gently twinkling ones, but not the ones which do about 180 flashes a minute. They bring on migraines for me!
Eat gingerbread or Ferrero Rocher?
Gingerbread all day long, especially Swedish Pepparkakor, which are thin peppery gingerbread. SO GOOD! Try some if you get the chance - Anna's from Scandi Kitchen are the best!
Open your Christmas presents with only immediate family or with all of your family members?
Open with immediate family. I'll be opening mine with my mum, step dad, aunt, uncle and brother present.
Cook Christmas dinner for the whole family or don’t eat Christmas dinner at all?
Ugh, I'd freak if I had to cook anyone anything other than a bacon sandwich on Christmas day. I'm not a cook.
Have a real Christmas tree or a fake Christmas tree?
Although real Christmas trees are lovely, I've always had fake ones. At least you can pack fake ones away for the next year.
Use blue, yellow, white or multi-coloured lights?
I prefer multicoloured lights, especially the green and blue ones which seem to be everywhere at the moment.
Eat mince pies or Christmas cake?
Mince pies, especially the iced ones, with a nice cup of coffee. Yum. 
Wake up at 6am or 10am?
10am. I always used to be an early riser on Christmas day but this year I'm a bit bah humbug about it all, since it's my first one single for 14 years.
Drink champagne or hot chocolate?
Ooh, definitely hot chocolate!
Eat Heroes or Roses?
Now this is hard! I'd go with the Heroes, but only by a nose.
Get a puppy for Christmas or a kitten for Christmas?
Neither. I don't really agree with giving pets for Christmas, as the demand means a lot of people will go to puppy farms, and they're really cruel. Adopt, don't shop, whatever time of year you gift a pet.
Watch Elf or Home Alone?
Now that is plain cruel, pmsl. That's like asking me if I love my mum or dad the most! Eep, Home Alone!
Only be able to listen to Christmas songs all year round or never hear a Christmas song again?
All year round! I love a Christmas song and I have a Spotify playlist just for Christmas songs. I haven't listened to it yet this year as I've been quite sad, but I can feel the lure! I think today might be the day!
Wake up bright and early and get all of the best boxing day sale goodies or stay warm and cosy in bed wearing your new Christmas pyjamas?
Stay warm and cosy. I can't think of anything worse than being crammed into a boiling hot shopping centre on boxing day. Give me a cold turkey sandwich and a seat in front of the tv any day!

The rule is to tag four other bloggers. If I haven’t tagged you, feel free to still do the tag and link me up!

I tag: Mookie, Nikki, Vicky and Louise.

Thanks for reading. Leah xoxo

Last minute Christmas gifts from B&M*

Hello lovelies!

LAST-MINUTE-CHRISTMAS-GIFTS-FROM-B&M // WWW.XLOVELEAHX.CO.UK
B&M are one of my favourite stores and when I heard they were looking for B&M Stores ambassadors I applied and was thrilled to be accepted. I love their American candy collection and affordable gifts, and I always buy at least some of my Christmas presents there. I was sent £20 in vouchers to show you what great value you can find at B&M.

I got 3 confectionery gifts and 3 beauty gifts for just over £20! All the gifts I picked up came out at between £3 and £4.

Who wouldn't want a bit of David Beckham in their stocking?!
My favourite thing is this lovely iridescent makeup bag, which is generously sized and costs just £3.99. Don't tell anyone but I'm keeping it for myself. 😉
Another bargain any gal would be happy to receive is the Bathe toiletry bag, which includes body lotion, hand cream and shower gel in a large iridescent gift bag, all for £3.99. You can pay far more for the bag alone in other stores.

While I was there I couldn't resist splashing out on next year's organiser diary, which was £3.99. It has a diary section, to do list, note section, address book and a handy mini plastic document wallet to store receipts and other bits in.

Have you ever shopped at B&M?

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Junarose dress on a sunny day

Hello lovelies,

These photos were taken about a month ago on a lovely sunny autumnal day when it was warm enough to take my coat off. The dress is past season Junarose. It's made of lovely soft organic cotton and I wore it before here. I'm not the biggest fan of the hanky hem but the softness of the fabric more than makes up for it.

I have lovely memories of this day as the weather was gorgeous. I went for a Chinese buffet with my mum and aunt and then we had a lovely long walk around the park and some local lakes.
I love this graffiti wall. The colours are lovely.
I hope to have more lovely days like this once the weather warms up again. It's currently freezing in the UK and many places have snow. When I left home this morning it was -1 degrees C!

Everything in this post is old so I haven't linked to anything.

Thanks for reading. Leah xoxo

How to meet the dress code of a wedding in a different culture*


It’s an exciting time when an invite for a wedding comes through the post! You’ve been selected as someone that the happy couple want to share their big day with. But what do you wear? Choosing a guest outfit for a wedding in the UK is hard enough, but what about if you’ve been invited to a wedding of a different culture? Together with Charles Tyrwhitt, retailers of timeless menswear, we look at how the dress code of a wedding changes depending on the background of the newlyweds.

What might the husband be wearing?

Many traditional grooms follow the dress code set by their ancestors. However, some modern grooms decide to wear a smart suit instead of their traditional dress.

India

The traditional dress for the husband-to-be differs by Indian region. Some husbands-to-be wear traditional dress, such as a dhoti which is a rectangular cloth ties around the waist. In other regions, they wear a sherwani (a long coat), a kurta (loose falling shirt that hangs below the knee), or a men’sformal shirt and Western-type suit.
Often only associated with women, men actually get painted with henna too. However, the patterns aren’t as elaborate and they’re often not on show.

Japan

Traditionally, a kimono is worn for the ceremony by the Japanese groom. For the after celebrations, they then change into a tuxedo. The formal kimono that he wears is called a ‘montsuki’, and often displays the family crest. More recently, younger grooms start the ceremony in a tuxedo too.

China

Traditionally, a silk black coat is worn over an embroidered robe. Younger grooms however are wearing the robe without the overcoat however.
For special ceremonies, a different dress is required and for this, the groom should wear a statement headpiece. This is usually an elaborate hat which is black with red tassels. Some younger generations are not following the traditional dress code and simply wear a tuxedo or a Western-style business suit.

What might the bride be wearing?

Brides in the UK are recognised by their impressive white dresses. How do our own bridal traditions compare to India, Japan and China?

India

Similar to the male traditions, it depends what region the bride is from as to what she wears for her wedding. In some region a saree is the garment of choice and in others it is a lehenga. A saree is a piece of clothing that looks like a long drape and a lehenga is a long skirt. Often the bride is dressed in red or another vibrant colour, her garments will be carefully embroidered with an impressive design.
Before the wedding, the bride gets painted with henna. Her hands, forearms and legs are all covered with patterns.

Japan

A wedding in Japan is a grand affair — it can cost close to £75,000! It is often the parents of the couple who organise the wedding, and they are willing to spend excessive amounts to save face. Because of the large scale of the weddings, the bride can have as many as 5 costume changes! For the ceremony, at a Shinto (traditional) wedding, the bride wears a white kimono. However, sometimes the bride chooses to wear an impressive dress that is printed with a Japanese design.

China

The bride usually wears red as this is considered good luck. In some regions, typically in northern China, the traditional attire for a bride is a one-piece dress that is embroidered with gold and silver designs. In southern China, the typical wear is a two-piece frock.
A pair of specially designed shoes are worn too. For example, they could be embroidered with a turtle or a deer which symbolises happiness and longevity.

What might the guests be wearing?

If you are attending a wedding of a different culture, you should try and dress traditionally out of respect and to avoid offence.

India

Go for bold and bright colours at an Indian ceremony. Wearing vibrant colours will mean you fit in with the Indian guests. Guests should avoid white or black as these are colours worn for funerals and mourning in India. It is also advised that red is not worn either as the bride will probably be dressed in this colour.
Women should dress respectively and cover up at an Indian wedding. The Indian female guests will most likely be dressed in colourful sarees or anarkali suits. Jewellery is important for women too, choose a statement piece for around your neck with matching earrings and bangles.
Male wedding guests dress similarly to the groom. They often wear a tailored kurta with a pyjama and a dupatta (shawl) can be added over the kurta. For their feet, sandals, jootis or chappals are often worn as these are comfortable and prevent overheating.
Some of the wedding could take place in a temple — guests are often asked to cover their heads because of this. For this, women can wear a long scarf or pashmina over their heads and men are usually provided with a head cover such as a large handkerchief.

Japan

Traditionally, Japanese guests dress overly formal. Now however, the dress code is more flexible and it is accepted for men to come dressed in suits other than black with various coloured ties. However, it is advised to avoid white clothes with black ties. A safe option for female guests is a knee length dress and a kimono. It is best to avoid showing any shoulder as this can be deemed a disrespectful.

China

Female guests should avoid wearing red. This is because it can be seen as stealing the limelight from the bride who will also be dressed in this colour. It’s best to wear pink, peach or purple instead, as these are all symbols of new life and happiness. A formal dress is suitable for a Chinese wedding. Other colours to avoid for both male and female guests is black and white. These are symbols of mourning and bad luck. 

Sources

http://www.chinabridal.com/etiquette/dress.html
http://chinesecommunity.org.nz/site/topics/show/391-dos-and-donts-when-attending-a-chinese-wedding

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

*Collaborative post

6 reasons I'm not blogging right now

'Ello love bugs!


To give you a bit of background into my life right now, I'm out of the manic phase of bipolar and back into the depressive phase, so I can concentrate a little better now. I'm starting to get my blogging mojo back a bit, but I have a few little issues stopping me from doing it as often as I'd like.

  1. The internet here is really slow. There's nothing anyone can do about it, we're in a crap area for internet so it takes a long time to upload photos.
  2. I haven't found my place to do outfit photos yet. With James, we went to so many lovely places (especially over the last couple of years) so there were plenty of nice backgrounds to stand in front of. Now I'm back to home-based photos and I haven't found the right spot for it yet. Plus, James was really good behind the camera and I don't have that technical person in my life any more.
  3. I've kinda lost my mojo with clothes and makeup. I've got rid of a HUGE amount of clothes and makeup since I split up with James, and I'm still getting rid of things all the time. There's very little point having tons of things if they're all in my aunt's garage, so I've been ruthless. I have less to wear and very little money for new things. The charity shopping scene in my part of Kent is crap - there are hardly any fat people. In East Sussex - where I used to live - plus size charity shopping was great but here it's not so good, so I need to diversify from a fashion blog. There will still be fashion, just less of it.
  4. When I wiped my laptop after J and I split (I suspected there was spyware on it after my emails and Facebook were hacked twice) I lost my photo editing software. I'm having to use Picmonkey to edit everything and it's sooooo slow (especially with the internet here) and that's stressful too.
  5. To be honest, I've lost some of my confidence. Everything here is new and strange. I've gone from having a huge 2 bedroom flat and balcony to take photos on (and having the place to myself during the day to do as I pleased) to one bedroom to take photos in. I share a house with an ensemble cast that includes my aunt (of course), my uncle (her brother) who semi-lives here, and my mum and step dad who have keys and pop in any time. It's not like I can stroll around taking underwear shots any more. 
  6. The manic phase of bipolar is BRUTAL. I don't know if you've ever felt ill at ease in your own skin and brain but imagine waking up in someone else's body and brain and the sense of what the eff is wrong with me will be about the same. I just couldn't concentrate to write at ALL. I couldn't read, I couldn't watch films, I couldn't do anything other than jitter, lol. That lasted for about 10 weeks. I'm in the depressive phase now and concentration is still a problem, but less so than in the manic phase.
I hope things get easier in time.

Thanks to those of you who are still commenting on my blog when I do post.
Leah xoxo

5 reasons dating sites are making me hate men


Whoa, that's a broad statement right?! Before the MRAs get up in arms, I'm talking about a certain type of man here, as will become obvious as you read through my 5 points. I'm waiting with baited breath for the first "Not all men!" I'm not saying all men, I'm not even saying all men on dating sites, I'm saying some men.

There is some adult content in this post.

5 reasons dating sites are making me hate men


  1. POSE FOR ME. I've been on a couple of dating sites (I've now come off them to save my sanity) and there was a pattern of men who wanted me to pose in a certain way. One wanted to see my arsehole (I wish I was joking!), one wanted me to go on all fours and take a photo over my back, one wanted a photo of a sex toy crammed where the sun don't shine........need I go on? I know men are very visual creatures but I would've needed 7 arms and 28 hours a day to fulfill the odd requests from the chaps I was talking to. I'm not some fat Barbie who can hang out all day taking photos to satisfy these whims.
  2. SELFIE RIGHT NOW. Whilst on the subject, a lot of the men I've been talking to have been quite demanding with selfies. I've had requests from as early as 6am and later than 11pm from men who want me to take a selfie of myself right now. Now I don't know about you dear readers, but I'm not photo-ready 24 hours a day. First and last thing I'm free of makeup, and besides which, the light! After dark I look like the Seer from Vikings (go Google him!). If it's not beautiful morning light which shines on me like the elixir of youth I'm not doing it.
  3. IGNORING BOUNDARIES. Another pattern I noticed was how a lot of fellas I spoke to were happy to ignore the simplest boundaries, like me saying I'm tired and needed to go to bed. "Oh no, stay up and talk to me!" - reasonably sweet. Then there'd be the guys who totally ignored that and would video call me with their dick in their hand. I've also been on a few dates with guys and ignoring of my boundaries figured heavily there. I had one date with someone I refer to as the "grabby handed wanker" as he turned up to pick me up for a drink and actually expected me to shag him in his car. I had to tell him to piss off several times before he got the hint. If a man can't take no for something simple, what else am I going to say no to and have him hear it as a yes?!
  4. PREDATORY/TOO MUCH SEX TALK. I'm a sexual woman, but there's even a line for me. I started talking to this gorgeous guy who had a great bio, he hated the Tories and UKIP (swoon) and seemed like an amazing bloke. Before long he was asking if I had videos of me "sucking and fucking" other guys that I could send him. Uh, how about you wank off into a sock full of superglue, mate? NO. There's a time and a place for a bit of sexy chat, and for me that's when you've been talking for a while and there's been some gentle flirting first. Coming in with "How big are those jugs?" isn't going to go well with me. 
  5. GUARANTEED SEX. This is a weird one but one I've encountered quite a lot. I can see someone's photo online and think "Yeah, you're fit as!" but I need to meet them to see if there's a spark. I've seen conventionally unattractive guys turn beautiful as they make me laugh so much or they're just lovely, and I've seen really good looking guys turn me right off if their personality is cruel or big headed. Quite a lot of the men I spoke to wanted express conformation that I would in fact want to boff them, but I can't say that. I had one guy on video call refuse to show me his full face unless I guaranteed I'd have sex with him. Two words - predatory arsehole! Personality is everything for me and I can't tell if I want to bump uglies with someone until I meet them. Hell, perhaps until I've met them a few times. Guaranteeing I'm going to do the horizontal tango with someone before I've even met them ain't gonna happen in most circumstances, and that did not go down well with some of these fellas.

Now, a disclaimer. I've come off the dating sites as it was too soon for me to be on them. I was using it as a distraction from my loneliness, but it was actually making it worse talking to the wrong men. I feel a lot better now I'm off the sites, and this post is to be taken semi-humourously as I don't really hate men. I know there are good men out there. I know there are good men out there on dating sites - you just have to wade through the dross. I do know quite a few people who are happily married because they met on dating sites. Even though I've come off the sites I'm still in touch with a few guys who are lovely so watch this space.

People, tell me your worst dating stories!

Thanks for reading. Leah xoxo