New Look Curves Black Floral Print Bomber Jacket

New Look relaunched their plus size line as New Look Curves recently and this bomber jacket was the apple of my eye. Then NL sent me a discount code for my birthday, and the stars aligned. By the time I got around to it word had got around on the fat girl grapevine and the largest size they had left was a 24, which was what I went for, and it's ample on me.

The fabric is a really stretchy textured polyester mix and is super light and comfortable to wear. A bomber jacket is the big thing in jackets for Spring/Summer and New Look have quite a few lovely ones.
The pink and mint green shades are gorgeous and summery. I wore this outfit to my niece's 3rd birthday party and felt comfortable and stylish all day.

I'm wearing:
Black floral print bomber jacket
Velvet dress, past season Pink Clove
Leggings, Very (from twin pack, one long one 3/4 length - these are hiked up)
Block heels, Simply Be
Necklace, Jewel Street 

Have you got a bomber jacket? I've got two, the other one is a black and white checked one and you can see it here.

Thanks for reading!
L xoxo

Plus 40 Fabulous - My current skincare regime

I get a lot of comments on my skin and a couple of lovely folks on Twitter last week asked me to share what I'm using on my face right now, so here we go! I'm going to concentrate on moisturisers and exfoliants and not so much on cleansers as I use a few different cleansers and my skin remains the same regardless. For me, moisturisers and exfoliants give the most bang for my buck so that's what I'm focuisng on. **Edit, as this post coincided with this month's Plus 40 Fabulous post I'm calling this mine.**

The foundation of my skincare is the Oils of Life range from the Body Shop, and you can read my full review of these products here: The Body Shop Oils of Life.

There's an essence (think of a toner but more moisturising, used in exactly the same way, after cleansing), a facial oil and a gel moisturiser. These three items keep my skin looking well-hydrated, plump and glowing. They are undoubtedly expensive (and they're usually excluded from Body Shop deals and offers) but they really do make my skin look lit from within and feeling super soft. I've had these products for 5 months and have been using them consistently for about 3 of those months (I was testing other skin care for some of that time) and I've still got about a month of usage left.

If you don't have the time for a Korean 10 step beauty routine and want great skin without investing hours every day, these Oils of Life are the products for you.

With regards to keeping spots, redness, brown marks and my ever-present milia at bay I use 2 Paula's Choice exfoliants - the skin perfecting 8% AHA gel and skin perfecting 2% BHA gel. These are chemical exfoliants as in they don't need you to rub or scrub to remove old skin, but do it with AHA/BHA chemicals. Before using these products my milia were out of control, I had frequent spots and a big blackhead problem. At this time of year I use these exfoliants before bed (as they make your skin more susceptible to sun damage - if you use them in the day time make sure to use SPF). I'm actually being a slacker with regards to skincare at the moment as I'm prioritising decluttering my home above all else, so I'm using the AHA one about once a week before bed and the same for the BHA one. You could use one every day (if your skin can tolerate daily use, some can't) for better results. The Paula's Choice website has a wealth of skincare advice - it's well worth a look! Here's how to exfoliate skin.

Pictured below are a couple of other things I'm using on my skin currently, which I'll mention briefly, but again cleansers are interchangeable as far as I'm concerned. The Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean wash off cleanser is great as it makes my skin glow. I use it on my dry face and rub it off with a slightly rough flannel (skincare goddess Caroline Hirons recommends using all cleansers on dry skin and taking them off on a clean dry flannel for the exfoliating benefits). I use the Nivea micellar water if I'm being a lazy ho and want to take my makeup off in a hurry. It isn't as good as a proper cleanse but sometimes at bedtime I really cannot be bothered.

I wanted to talk about things other than what I put on my face.

• Firstly, it's boring but I drink a lot of water. I have a bottle of water by my side at all times - by the side of the bed, on the sofa, when I'm out walking. 

• I avoid caffeine. I might have 2 diet Pepsi's a week, drinking water 75% of the time and lemonade & lime for a bit of flavour, and one cup of tea a day. 

• I don't smoke. Smoking isn't good for your skin, and neither is lots of sugar. I do have a sweet tooth but I try to deny it. I recently went from agave nectar in my tea to nothing and I survived. ;)

• Sleep! If I have a few days of poor sleep I look awful - my eye bags are dark, lined and huge and my whole face looks dry and parched. It also looks parched if I go a couple of days without doing anything to my face, which I sometimes do. I'm not perfect. After a couple of days of neglect my wrinkles are far more pronounced, but after a good moisturise it'll look much better. 

• Avoid the sun. The most damage our faces get over the years is due to exposure to the sun. Work out how you want to avoid it - high facial SPF, avoiding going out at midday, wearing a big hat or becoming a vampire. ;) 

• Get some fresh air. If I look a bit grey about the gills going out for a bracing walk in the wind/rain will soon perk my face up. If you're physically able, get a sweat on, it's the perfect antidote to dull skin. 

Thanks for reading.
L xoxo

It can't rain all the time

It's a bit of a myth that bloggers are always dressed and accessorised impeccably every day of the week. Real life goes on when there aren't any cameras around! I know the illusion can be all-important for some, but I don't roll that way. If you've ever wondered what I wear on a walk in the pouring rain, wonder no longer.

This was such a wet day even the camera didn't stay dry!

Call me weird, but I haven't been able to get on with umbrellas since I've had Fibromyalgia. It's something most physically-well people won't have realised, but when you have conditions like Fibro, arthritis etc which cause muscle weakness and grip problems, holding onto a brolly against the wind is really painful! I might use one for a couple of minute walk to the post box, but for a prolonged time? Hell naw. I just wrap a scarf round my head and hope for the best.

I got quite wet and was relieved to get into the car and dry out in front of the heater, but I'd still have rather been out in the rain than sitting at home. For about the last 6 weeks I've been walking more and feeling better for it as I'm making sure to have lots of rest too. Before Fibro and ME I was always on the move, always going to visit people and places. My favourite thing on my days off would be to go to London on the train and cover 5-10 miles visiting my usual stomping grounds like Soho or Camden. Being of limited mobility has been really hard to accept, as walking was my therapy. I'd whack my iPod on loud and stamp out any thoughts bothering me, arriving at my destination rosy cheeked and happy. Too much exercise for me now can cause an ME flare up (which means weeks of being able to do virtually nothing), as well as falls, and I've even passed out a couple of times from sheer fatigue. Patience may be a virtue but it's not one of mine, but even so the long, slow and steady game is better than boom and bust. Fingers crossed I can keep up what I'm doing now, because the effect on my mental health and my pain levels is remarkable. I don't actually have active wear, so jersey tops and leggings are my thing for walks.

I'm wearing:
Scarf, charity shop
Biker, past season New Look Curves
Moira hanky hem dress, Boohoo
Leggings, past season Yours Clothing
Bag, birthday present from my brother
Bag charm, Peacocks
Sketcher Go Walk 3, QVC

Here's a photo of my makeup as I looked cute before all that rain!

What kind of thing do you wear when you're exercising or running errands? I used to be that person who'd wear a dress for absolutely every activity, but not any more. Leah 2k16 is all about the comfort! There will be a lot more casual outfits like this coming up as the chances are every time I leave the house, it'll be to go for a walk.

Thanks for reading,
L xoxo

Casual Vibes

This is a cajj outfit I wore out to do errands in the other day. You may recognise the denim jacket and oh-so-comfortable peg leg trousers from this post. You can read those items reviewed in that post.

I don't know what my face is doing here. :)

HALP! I'm addicted to making silly faces.

I'm wearing:
Denim jacket, Yours Clothing
T shirt past season Very - similar here
Peg leg trousers, ASOS Curve
Shoes, past season Matalan

This tee shirt is one I turn to a lot as it's so comfortable - oversized, super soft, and witchy. In my declutter I finally put all my slogan/graphic tee shirts in one place and I have 4 small drawers full of them. You could say I have a problem - that was after the cull!

I'm loving grey everything at the moment. I know it can be a bit grim to wear a lot of it at once, but I adore it and I'm not going to stop anytime soon.

What's your fave tee shirt? All these tee shirts and I haven't even got one plain white one!

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

Treat your foof to natural feminine care from Veeda

Veeda got in touch with me recently to tell me about their gentle feminine care items. Their products have no synthetics, no chemicals and no dyes. Their tampons are the only hypoallergenic, 100% cotton tampons available. I was sent some towels and non-applicator tampons to try, so I just had to wait for hell week to arrive. Veeda currently offers tampons, in regular, super and super plus absorbancies. They also offer a range of Pads and Liners, all in 100% Natural Cotton for comfort and safety.

I was worried about the absorbancy of the towels as my periods are extremely heavy. The towels I normally use are long maximum flow night time towels and I get through 2 packets per period as my reproductive system is hell bent on killing me. As soon as I unwrapped the first towel and felt how soft it was I was in love. SO fluffy.

The softness has to be felt to be believed. It is a total no-brainer to put soft cotton against your vagina instead of nasty plastic-feeling towels which can cause rashes and all kinds of irritation, especially if you're an active person. I've had chafing on my inner thighs from the wings on towels so many times before, but even the wings felt softer than those of my usual towels. The absorbancy was fine, and I actually think they're more absorbent than my usual towels, despite their smaller size, which is probably down to the softness of the pure cotton.

Towards the end of my period when my flow was less intense I swapped over to the tampons and found them just as soft as the towels. I haven't used tampons in years. When I was a teenager in the 90s there were a lot of cases of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) which can cause multiple organ failure and even death. It's caused by a bacterial infection and can be brought on by high absorbancy tampons. I wasn't going to take any chances. Although you don't hear so much in the press about TSS any more, it's still a problem. Viscose rayon found in conventional tampons promotes the production of the toxin that can lead to TSS. Rayon fibres can also break off and cause TSS even after removal of the actual tampon. The risk of TSS is still a real problem, with up to 1 in 700 girls and women contracting tampon-related TSS in their lifetime. Veeda tampons reduce the risk of TSS, irritation and allergic reactions so I wasn't worried.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but this period was far less painful than usual. I'm usually bed-bound for 2 days of my period and have to use a hot water bottle and a wheat bag simultaneously to help my pain, as well as getting through a stupid amount of Feminax, which barely takes the edge off. This month I didn't need to use any heat to help my pain, I wasn't stuck in bed, and on the scale of 1-dying, I'd say my pain was about a 5. It's entirely possible that with my Fibromyalgia and the multiple chemical sensitivities I have that I've been allergic to traditional feminine care which is adding to the pain from my Satanic ovary. I'm going to use these products again next month and see if it's just a coincidence. It was worth swapping my normal products for Veeda anyway for the comfort alone. If there's anywhere which deserves to be treated with care, it's our lady gardens.

Have you ever considered using natural fem-care products? Or are you a moon cup kinda girl?

You can find Veeda at Boots and online, both at Ebay, Amazon and directly through our store. Veeda USA is here.

Thanks for reading,
L xoxo

Decluttering just got brutal - #KonMari everything

Hello!

I've been up to quite a lot of things recently but not writing about them as I've been too busy doing. One of the things I've been doing for about a month is journaling (God knows I need to use alllll my notebooks for something!) and since I have a lot of things have become clear to me.

Ever since I could hold a pen in my chubby little mitt I'd write my thoughts down, but since I've been writing my thoughts out online I haven't tended to write by hand. I'm one of those people who can't think straight unless I write things down - typing them out just isn't the same. My brain doesn't seem to work so well without the scratch of pen on paper.

One of the things I've realised since I've been journaling is my maaaaaaany possessions don't make me happy. Far from it. I've known for a few years now that I surround myself with things to prove to myself I'm no longer poor. Growing up was hard at times - memories of being cold and hungry a lot of the time - and as soon as I could go to work I did. From the moment I started making my own money I used possessions to assure me those times were far behind me. Becoming a blogger exacerbated the materialism, as after all, fashion blogging revolves around things.

I've got to the point where my possessions are suffocating me, inhibiting my ability to enjoy my home, and giving me far more shame than pleasure. I've been reading a lot recently about Marie Kondo's book, and her method of eliminating excess possessions by asking yourself if they bring you joy.

I haven't bought the book - I think buying more possessions right now is the last thing I need - but I've been reading a lot about the methods behind it. When you want to get rid of an item you're supposed to thank it, then pop it in a bag to give away/sell. It feels bonkers at first, but within a few minutes I found myself saying things like 'Thanks for being with me on holiday in Ibiza in 2002.' Getting rid of a drawer full of period knickers on the basis that they definitely don't elicit feelings of joy was joyful in itself!

You're supposed to start with your clothes, and tip out EVERY item of clothing you own on your bed or some other space. So I did that one day last week, gathering from them from all the places I have them stashed. I ended up with a pile on our king sized bed that was 4 feet high. Seeing my excess like that in one place was overwhelming.

That is a LOT of clothes.

I've put aside 6 huge bin bags full of clothes to sell and there's still so many things left I plan to keep, but if I gain more resolve I may cull even more. I'm addicted to buying things. I use spending money as a salve to heal some broken part of me and it only ever lasts minutes. Sometimes I'm so disgusted with myself when parcels come I can hardly stand to open them. When I look at something covetable online a part of me thinks 'If I had that I'd be *insert quality* and I'd be happier.' But it's BS. You can't soothe a wound on the inside with any kind of material thing.

No amount of what you don't need will make you happy. It will never satisfy. You HAVE to look inside to where the problem is. I have some ideas about my constant dis-ease, of course. Growing up poor and never having new things. Moving away from my home town at 19 and living away from family and a lot of my friends. Perhaps even living with a man who has his head stuck in a computer most of the time. Loneliness is some of it, sure. But the rest? I probably need therapy for that. Knowing there's a problem and wanting to fix it is a start though.

Decluttering your life Marie Kondo-style is supposed to take 6 months. When I started this endeavour I thought 'Nah, it won't take me that long!' but it will. Sorting out which clothes to keep and which to sell was the easy bit. Washing/folding/selling/packaging and posting is going to be something I'll be doing over the next few months. I certainly won't be selling everything at once, as that'll be a huge undertaking. No, I'll be having a monthly sale.

So where am I at with KonMari-ing the shit out of everything? Well, the sorting phase is almost done with regards to my clothes - what to keep and what to sell. My to-sort pile is mercifully small. It gave me a 48 hour migraine doing it, but it's over now. I haven't started folding things in the way Kondo advises yet - for example, tee shirt patterns folded facing out, stored vertically in drawers so you can see what they are at a glance - but I have started putting things in the places they'll be living in.

Kondo suggests tackling clothing first, followed by books and assorted bits and bobs, paperwork, and last of all sentimental things like photographs. It's taken me years to build up this amount of crap, and I imagine it'll take more than a few months to get my itchy internet shopping addicted fingers to be still and my abode used to having less crap in it. Because right now my ability to spend money like it's going out of fashion is making me miserable. My home cluttered with possessions is making me miserable. My love of cheap tat is making me miserable. I'm going to try in future to buy much less, but buy better quality so I need less. Wish me luck.

Have you tried Marie Kondo's method? Are you a minimalist or a maximalist?

Thanks for reading,
L xoxo

All the new things feat. ASOS Curve, Boohoo & Yours Clothing

I normally like to space out new things into a few different outfits to get the most bang for my buck, but I'm actually wearing a few new things at once here, and they're all SO COMFORTABLE.

I'm wearing a hanky hem dress from Boohoo Plus, a denim jacket from Yours Clothing and some peg leg jersey trousers by ASOS Curve. This is like my dream outfit as I feel like I'm wearing my pyjamas but I feel reasonably stylish. My necklace just elevated the look out of nightwear into something more.

So, let's talk about the clothes, shall we?

I'm wearing the Yours Clothing black denim jacket in a size 24 (£29). It's the most gorgeous high stretch denim and so comfortable. I've worn it every day since I bought it. It goes with everything and I'm pretty tempted to buy it in white as well, although realistically I'll never be able to keep it white. Size down a size or two unless you want a very oversized look as fit is generous. I've been told the blue denim and white jackets aren't made of soft stretchy denim so be aware of that if you order.

I'm wearing the Boohoo Plus Moira hanky hem dress in a size 24. (£12). It's such a lovely thick fabric and generously sized as I'm a size 26/28. I also have it in black. The black one is a thinner material, so it's bigger and hangs longer. The grey is tight across my boobs and arms but I still think it looks OK. The hanky hem isn't at all noticeable - it's just dipped slightly longer at each side. If they did this dress in 10 colours I'd buy them all. It's a massive bargain! If you're up to a size 28/30 a size 24 should fit you. Smaller sizes I would advise to size down one size unless you love the oversized look. I'll be wearing these on holiday without leggings.

Lastly I'm wearing ASOS Curve peg leg jersey trousers and they're like wearing PJs! I'm wearing a size 28 but I could've managed with a size 26 (£18) as they're generous in fit, even with my very full bum, tum and hips. I can pull these right up under my boobs (WIN!) and they're the softest jersey you could imagine. They are a dream to wear. I'd say size down one size unless you're very bottom heavy.

I'm also wearing past season Primark sunnies and a past season New Look necklace. When you think about it, 3 items for £59 is amazing value.

Thanks for reading!
Leah xoxo

Cream plus size lace dress

Spring is here! Like, really really here with daffodils and bluebells and sunshine and everything. OK, I'll drop my inner toddler act now. ;)

James and I took these photos on bank holiday Monday and what a gorgeous day it was. ;) I ripped my dress and nearly fell arse backwards within 30 seconds of leaving the house when it got caught on a Tesco van on the pavement opposite our place, but the day got better!

Before I get any further, I must let you know this dress is past season ASOS Curve. When I put a preview of this outfit on Instagram and Facebook lots of people asked me where it was from, so I've linked to similar styles at the end of this post.

I've had this dress a year or so, and it's a lovely midi length which would've looked better without leggings, but these photos were taken the day after Storm Kate hit and I don't think Hastings was ready to see my bum. It was very windy out!

I was in two minds to post the photo below because - SHOCK HORROR - you can see the outline of my VBO. Well, I got over that pretty quickly, and now I'm like 'Who cares?!'

No really, who cares? God forbid a part of my obviously fat body shows through my clothing, right? Sometimes when I stop to notice the things my brain tells me I want to punch myself in the head.

Fat bish soaking up the sun 2k16

Cream lace dress, past season ASOS Curve similar here here 
Cropped denim jacket, past season Yours Clothing similar here
Snood, Primark similar here
Bag, past season Primark similar here
Shoes, past season Primark similar here

Is there ever a colour palette more adorable than cream, beige and tan? It's like vanilla ice cream with caramel and toffee sauce. It's my current fave, and likening it to food items just makes it more delicious. I really need some tan sandals. They would've finished this outfit off to a tee. Oh well, there's always next time.

If anyone wants to know where these photos were taken, it was in Alexandra Park, the St Leonards end. (It stretches from Hastings to St Leonards). I have photos of the scenery coming up in another post.

Leah xoxo