Ouch Last Day of the Year

So it;s the last day of the year it has sneaked up on me stalker stylee and I don't feel prepared.  For me 2014 has been a strange one full of highs and lows, I have moved 400 miles back home and I think I am happier going into 2015 than I was going into 2014 and that's all you can ask for right?

To celebrate being back home I went for a little wander today around my beautiful home town of Deal, I planned to take loads of photos but in honesty I bought Beyonce's food too early and was hampered by a rather large bag of dog kibble.  But I did get one of our famous concrete pub and The Kings Head site of many teenage drunken adventure.

I also popped into Number 5 one of the Cocktail Bars that seem to  be popping up on a pretty regular basis, where I indulged in a Frangellico Hot Chocolate, it was pretty nice but I wasn't wowed that much by the place, a bit overpriced and just for me lacking something, I think it was sorta Costa esque and I want something with a bit more about it.

So what will 2015 bring, hopefully fun, laughter, opportunities, good times and some killer outfits.  I hope to update a bit more than I do with slices of my life and hopefully some decent Outfit of the Day pics but it is hard to always get someone to take the pictures.

Lastly I would like to say again ta for reading every comment and follow means so much to me as although I would probably write anyway even if no one ever read it is well cool when people do and respond, so ta again and Happy New Year and I really hope 2015 is good to you x

Merry Christmas Belated

Merry Christmas bit belated but I was working from Christmas Day at 12:00 till 11:00 at night on Boxing Day and Christmas Eve we did Christmas with the In Laws and the Panto at The Marlowe in Canterbury, pretty damn good as Panto's go BTW.

I would like to say I looked as good and glam as this lovely pic by the ever talented Chiara Aprea, which I know I have shared before but as I said I was working so it was a bit more casual and teenager friendly although a Crown and Glory Headband was worn.

I was a good girl and santa brought me some lovely bits which I will share with you at some point, but for today I will chill in my fluffy Unicorn jumper and eat chocolate.  However, before I go I would like to say thanks to you all for reading my ramblings I am thrilled you do and do a happy dance when ever someone who isn't a friend or family follows me on Bloglovin or facebook or leaves a comment, so ta loves hope the Christmas and New Year brings you nothing but the good stuff x

Lace and Mirrors

It is that time of year that we get to go on the Annual Works do, where you watch your colleagues get hideously drunk and perhaps join them!  Mine is quite a small team but we combine with others in our company and half go at a time so the place is manned whilst we revel.

Initially I bowed out as I felt horrible but my lovely workie colleague told me I was a bit of a let down so I went along, spurred by the medicinal qualities of shorts and absinthe.

I had seen the dress of Toodalookatie's Blog and thought it was quite lovely and as it was in the sale at House of Fraser (although it is a Evans dress) I thought I would indulge as I had wanted a nude lace covered dress for a while.  Whilst we're sort of talking about House of Fraser do check out their plus size range it is really good, which surprised me as I thought they didn't really stock plus sizes.

Add caption

I had planned to team it with my Iron Fist Oxfords but on the night they didn't go, so these trusty M&S Teal Mary Janes with a 40's nod came out to play, they are about 5 years old so I can't provide a link.

As it has quite a high neck I didn't wear a necklace but went for my trusty statement green mirrored  Fat Bitch Earrings, people either love them or hate them and they gathered many comments from "Cool" to "Your weird!"

Owning my Bitchery

Like Cinderella I was home by midnight as I didn't want to be hungover as I had stuff to do.  Unfortunately my flu/cold came with a vengeance and even Satudays Curry cure did not fix it, so I am all Vader Trollesque here.

Anyway wishing you all fun and frolics over the festive season x 

#You Are Fab

How are you feeling?  I have felt better and whilst laying in my pit of pain I have been indulging and reading blogs and came across this fabulous gem of a idea from Slink Magazine and the blogger Kate London-James to combat the rather revolting day designated by a most charmless sounding bloke called Steve Miller who has decided the 7th of January should be tell a friend they are fat day, just in case they were blissfully unaware.  Their idea is to spread some positivity and Tell a Friend they are fab instead.

So on the 7th expect some little love bombs from me and maybe a list of my most fabest on here, cos quite frankly in the most depressing month of the year which has I believe the highest suicides, who needs to be giving people mean spirited comments disguised as concern.

Because all shape bodies can be good and what people do with them is their concern not their friends and quite frankly from personal experience I don't want to hate my body and battle with it and wait to reach some kind of ideal to start living life - so this January I will be dedicating it to living my life with gusto and telling all my fabulous and inspiring friends how fab they are to try and combat all the body shaming that goes on in January.

To read about the campaign in a more eloquent manner read here

My Big Fat Christmas Lust List

Let's face it who doesn't have a lust list, the things we'd buy if money was no option and there were no bills to pay like ever again and Christmas brings this list to the front of mind and a choir of naughty little angels sing buy it, fuck it, buy it over and over again in my head.  However, good sense usually prevails so I give you the Big Fat Christmas Lust List, most of these items will never be mine but it don't stop my little heart wanting them and maybe if I'm a good girl The Hub will get me some or I might crack and get a couple of things.

I missed out on the Mermaid dress last year, now Claire Richards is taunting me with the green sequin dress but at £95.00 I can't really justify it for a dress which I'll probably only wear about twice.
Find it here

I am really into retro packaging and the smell of cherry blossom so this should be perfect and is reasonable at £12.99, this may well be a treat for me.

I have been back in my beloved house a few months following my Swansea adventure, it is nowhere near being how I want it to look as it is magnolia to the max, has some damp that we are trying to cure and I am waiting for the carpenter to do some jobs.  But I am lusting after this  Lapin and me lamp pretty damn hard but it is more of a I will think about it purchase as for me £65.00 is a lot for a lamp, and I would need somewhere perfect to put it.

Everyone knows I love a print.  However, nearly all my dresses flare and now I am feeling a bit brave I am thinking I would love to try a pencil one and this one that comes made to measure from Little Wicked would be perfect, especially as you can choose your neckline and sleeves and the print, but all I can say perfection like that doesn't come cheap but it is only comparable if not cheaper than brands like Get Cutie.  If not for Christmas maybe be the big Birthday that is fast approaching!

I love this bag from Vendula they do a huge selection of different shops, but I love the lingerie shop and the detail involved in even having the peep show at the back.  I really want this bag and I keep going back to it, so maybe?

I have heard great things about Limecrime and I love their packaging (purple with a unicorn, I defy you not to love that)  this Candy future lipstick Contessa Fluorescent  is totally doing it for me and it is animal testing free and suitable for vegans so I don't have to feel guilty!

So that is a highly edited lust list as who am I kidding I want all the stuff all the time and maybe if I am a good girl some of it might just be mine.

Book Review - Sirens Blood and the Brine

A bit of a disclaimer, the writer of this book is a friend of mine.  However that is not why I am featuring it - honest, I am a bit awestruck cos it's actually really good.

The Siren Chronicles  - Blood and Brine by E.M. McGuiness is set in the Outer Hebrides on an island called Glamisdoon it is explores the legend of the Sirens (think Mermaids but not your pretty little sea girls, these are more gnarly and fierce and a bit kick ass) and the Selks harder to explain but think people who have seal skins and if they are returned they go to sea, in fact most of the creatures in this long for the sea.  This world is explored and explained through the eyes of Morgan Bonnie who is a Siren and trying to understand what is happening on Glamisdoon, along the way people guide her but are they friend or foe?

Sirens also explores the duality of love/lust and there are definitely 2 main love interests Henry Jones and Jim the Viking, although I think by the end of the book Morgan has made her choice although I'm not sure it won't waver.  There are a lot of different plot themes and two time lines which somehow link with Morgan and the end of the book leaves some plots still on going, leaving me wanting to read the next book to see what happens.

I think fans of young adult Fantasy fiction will definitely enjoy these books, but this is no Twilight as in my opinion it is much better written and the female lead is not a total sap who makes me want to shake her.  So if you enjoy these types of books I think it is well worth a read.

Festive Fancies

Well if my old friend December hasn't sneaked up with it's festive cheer that somehow brightens the bright grey skies of winter, with all the twinkles and glitter stopping me from feeling like jumping into bed and not coming out till it is somehow more cheerful.

In the past I have eschewed the festive jumper, I remember my Mum buying me one in the 80's that I shunned thinking: "My god has she lost her freakin mind" that was hideously camp with a family putting up a tree embellished with beads for baubles and tinsel and little bits of gold material and ribbon to make the pressies, it was a festive monster that promtly went into my wardrobe unworn to fester in the back till a cull some years later.  Now I would kill to own it and love a bit of the old festive frippery and as the tree goes up here is the pick of my my fancies.

There was a time for me that the festive season meant some glittery diamante now I have to say I am all about the novelty.

The studs would be perfect for work as I can't do danglies there and are a bargaintastic £6.00 at accessorize.

I am seriously in love with the gold and red pressie from Blackheart Creatives at £18.00.

Obviously as a dog lover I am a pug fan and am quite charmed by these Xmas Pug earrings at a friendly £5.87 from Dolly Cool, they would be a perfect pressie for a pug lover.

Finally Hubster if your reading I think I need this Xmas Pud necklace I'm not sure if I can  feel festive without it.  Again this is from £15.00 from Blackheart Creatives.

Finally I am a sucker for the festive jumper as it is a easy way to feel festive and comfy at the same time.

The top two jumpers are from Tipsy Elves and whilst I love the jumpers the first reminding me a bit of the Jesus is my Homeboy T shirts of days gone by and the second of my Dad who I used to say looked a bit like a garden Gnome as he was short and beardy.  However at £38.00 if I am honest it is a lot to pay for a jumper with such a limited wear time each year.  Also not too sure on sizing so I would probably go mens to be certain that it would fit.

The second are more wallet friendly and are both again from Yours clothing they are cute rather than edgy but I really like both and either would be a welcome edition to my winter wardrobe.  Rudolph is £24.00 and the penguin one is £26.00.

Finally if anyone wants to spoil me or I want to spoil myself I could go all out with a Christmas Dress.

The dress with the Xmas beefcake is from Silly Old Seadog and at £95.00 it is a investment piece but refreshingly Silly Old Sea Dog do go up to a size 28 on this dress.

The second dress is from a favourite of mine Vampire Bunnies in the shop it only goes to a 18 but I know that Ellie does custom orders for a little more, this dress is £45.00.

So that is my festive round up what is making your heart sing Christmas Carols this year?

Anime, Hollywood Undead, and London Fun

So this weekends frivolities have been mainly brought by my favourite nieces 18th Birthday and a indulgent Auntie and Uncle trip to London as she wanted to see Hollywood Undead, I know meant nothing to me either!  Her other plans were a bimble round our fair capital looking for Manga/Anime stuff.

The first day involved The Diner, I have now conceded that a burger, shake and fries to share is too much for this girl.  I feel unreasonably sad as I want all the food all the time.  I din't get any pics but incase your interested I had a DCB which is a buttermilk fried chicken breast with blue cheese and usually coleslaw but I replaced it with Guacamole, it was a burgasm!  I also had the Colnel Parker which is a Peanut butter and bourbon milkshake, there were also chilli cheese fries involved which I was told was too much and had to admit defeat on.

Then we did Forbidden Planet and on to Chinatown.  My first stop was the Chinatown Market I love this shop which is just on the borders of Chinatown it is full of stalls.  My favourite is probably Qu'tse which sells jewelry and Hello Kitty memorabilia, my purchase was a cool pair of sparkly burger earrings.  This stall was popular with the niece and her friend as it had K Pop posters which they spent ages carefully choosing.  However I was quite taken with these K-pop socks and now regret not getting a pair.

I enjoyed posing as Hello Kitty Twee, and have to say regret not buying these bad boys as I think my life may have been better for them.

Also in there was a shop selling Korean cosmetics, I tried to take some pictures but the stall holder wasn't happy but I had already taken 1 of the facepacks as there was a Transformers facepack! Come on whose life wouldn't be better for that?  However, I got a super nut one which has moisturising properties.  What I will say is they weren't cheap at £3.99 a facepack and the creams I looked at were about £39.00 so if you do like South Korean cosemetics and skincare it is cheaper I'd say to do a Meme box. Across the road there was another shop selling Korean cosmetics but I didn't get pics and I think everyone wanted to move on but I am seriously regretting not getting the Hello Kitty facewash and some Manga style lashes.

 I then spied one of the Paddingtons that are currently dotted all over London - This one is the Lloyd Webber one and probably looks far more handsome than the Lord to me.  Although decidedly more feline than bear I'd say.

Then we did a walk through chinatown which is always magical to me and a quick stop off for cake.  As I can never resist these cute cakes and the weird icing is sooo good on them.

There may have been a cyber candy run involved and I may have posed like it was my job in Leicester square,

In case anyone is wondering about my outfit I am wearing my favourite Flamingo dress from Uncommon Nonsense, Coat from Tesco (they don't seem to have it online but maybe in store?) and you may be able to see the outline of my fabulous Fat Bitch Earrings from Blackheart Creatives.

Day two involved getting up late the plan was to do Tokyo Toys and Camden but I'm sorry to say we didn't get to Camden as we all wanted a chill before heading to the gig in Brixton.
 For the day I wore a old Vampire Bunnies Star Trek dress ( I am not sure this print is still available but this is similar, also you will note the sizes run out at 18 but Ellie does custom orders and is great at sourcing fabric) I love the retro Nimoy and Shatner on it, I am not going to apologise that I am wearing the same coat as I was away from home and travelling light and frankly in my opinion there are few outfits that cannot be improved by a splash of the old Leopard (But I did idolise Bet Lynch as a kid so............)  and I also unashamedly wore the same boots all weekend which were a studded black pair from Simply Be that in honesty are the stuff of dreams as they are both stylish and really comfy, this was their first outing and i can cheerfully report no blisters or rubbing!  There is no decent pic of them but you can have a butchers here.

As I said we headed to Tokyo Toys in the The Troccodero Centre which is not somewhere I usually go it is at the bottom of a arcade stuffed with crap London Gift Shops.   It specialises is anime merchandise and the niece and pal were as happy as me in a fine dress shop spending over an hour in there and the shop next door buying posters and T shirts.  I bought a cute list book in the shop next door and a pen.

The shop was full of keyrings too and disturbingly stocks these mouse pads that they implore customers not to squeeze. Where well the boobies are your wrist rest.  No repetitive strain jokes here!

We then stopped for a reluctant picture break with the Cath Kidstonesque mini London Bus. (see the poster bags)

And I spotted another Paddington so had to share him.

We then headed back to get ready to see Hollywood Undead at Brixton Academy, which is a band I'm not that familiar with but are a rap/rock band that made me think Linkin Park but true fans are probably yelling at this comparison.

I wore for this my Zombie Unicorn Hell Bunny dress that I have wanted for ages but has only recently come in plus sizes, thank you Hell Bunny.  Oh and I would like to thank Wonderbra for the uplift as after reading a review of the ultimate Strapless Bra on Cardiffornia Gurl  I needed to try it out as I needed a new one, and can report the girls were perky and supported throughout the night.

 The photo is rubbish so I will try and wear this dress again soon and get some better pics and there is a gratuitous pic of the stage just cos I think Brixton is one of the most beautiful venues ever for gigs.

Then Sunday came and it was time to drop Fee and friend back to the station at Kings Cross we had a look at the Potter shop but it was in my opinion hideously expensive and the queue for the the 9 3/4 trolley was waaaaayyyyyy too long.

My plans to go for dim sum and soup in Chinatown evaporated in exhaustion and I have to say we headed back.  Apart from the Cyber Candy haul there wasn't loads I bought but in case you cannot live without knowing here it is.  I am the Green Mushroom keyring and Ed is the red, he bought the Rosario and Vampire Graphic Novel from Tokyo Toys and if you look closely you can spy my burger earrings.

So that was my weekend it was fab, tiring and I am lucky to have such a cool niece and her rather fabulous if camera shy friend, The Hub was also fun too.  However I think the rest of the day maybe devoted to the art of lounging, light tidying and perhaps some Christmas decorating.

And The Leaves That Were Green Turned To Brown.*

I am feeling quite autumnal at the moment, from my hair now red/orange to mustard jumpers and orange tops I am embracing a autumnal colour pallete at the moment.  So when J D Williams contacted me to review a pair of boots from their range well how could I resist.

I wasn't really that familiar with J D Williams, I had heard of it years ago and remembering it selling frumpy clothes for fats, but when I looked this was a very different J D Williams both in the range of clothes and shoes.

I knew it was boots I was looking for and I was pleasantly impressed with their range which has a good choice from your knee highs which are lovely but I just never find comfy to a beautiful range of ankle boots which you can look at here,  I picked a oxblood pair of Chelsea influenced boots, with a nice sort of fuzzy almost like pony skin feel at the heel.  They feel quite well made and comfy like I could wear them for my daily stomp to the train and with the dog and for work. where I am on my feet quite a lot.  I would say that the E fit are perfect for my slightly chunky trotters.

I have teamed this in a work style way with a pair of Chloe skinny jeans from Simply Be, these are ankle grazers and I think these generally work better in the summer with ballet pumps than with boots in the autumn (mental note) and my new favourite mustard jumper from Matalan. It is not available in Mustard on line but is in a nice bottle green.  Also featured is my elderly Staffrador (Thats a heinz 57 staff x lab to most) Madame Beyonce who has been making oufits more classy since 2004.

As well as the boots I have reviewed I also liked these boots.

Classic with a leopard print, and honestly who can resist a bit of leopard.

And these boots are firmly on my wish list both in the purple and the black as I love the 80's vibe of them and think they would look great with both print mini dresses and leggings as well as jeans.

As I am home now I took these in my local church Yard which is St Leonard's in Deal I have put a couple of pics on, pretty innit?

*These Boots were gifted but all views are my own!

Get Yer Baubles Out!

So when I wrote my 39 before 40 post, the avid follower will remember number 18 was "To have a photoshoot, as generally I feel awkward and most unpretty in photos and I would love a kick ass set that I feel proud of."  Well I finally got round to this with the fabulous, fun and rather talented Chiara Aprea.

I had seen Chiara's work on other other people, she did a fabulous set with the beautiful Mayah Thomas from Beautyful Youniverse and when she did a offer for a Christmas themed shoot at £50.00 who could resist.

I had never had a shoot so I didn't know what to expect but Chiara was really friendly and put me toataly at ease, admittedly the make up was a lot heavier than I usually wear but I was assured it would look great in the pics and under the lights and she was right.  She is also a master at poses and ideas and made me who has a habit of getting a magnificent double chin, pulling a weird mouth (think Cherie Blair with rigormortis) and a habit of doing startled eyes as its either that or closed eyes looking pretty damn fine.

So here's the images I chose for your festive fancy.

My personal favourite is the bauble and I love the retro cheesecake feel of them!  So mission complete and apologies if you have seen more of me than you'd like.  However, if you would like a photoshoot as a confidence boost or as a pressie for someone I cannot recommend Chiara highly enough

Nobody puts Fattie in the corner - No they shove her on the Internet

I used to feel cross that High Street Stores put their Plus sizes in the back of the store, and whilst the internet has made things better I can buy cute frocks from indies and there is ASOS Curve who I think stock fantastic fashion forward stuff.  However, it seems that on the High Street this seems to have given stores the go ahead to just pop their Plus sizes on the internet and whilst I am sure they will tell me it is financial I can't help but feel this is bullshit and they don't want my fat body in their shop.

My fabulously fat self

Whilst the internet is fab and believe me and my bank balance I am  a huge fan, I lament the loss of shopping as a social experience.  I want to go out with my friends fat and thin and be able to shop, try on frocks and bottoms and not be restricted to bags, shoes and the odd top.  I want to be able to go out and buy an emergency pair of jeans for work when mine are looking a bit sad or I just haven't done my washing.  I don't want to wait at least 24 hours for something this sucks arse frankly.

So with the news New Look have banished my fat self to the internet by only stocking Inspire on the internet (apologies pulling it from 250 stores and probably leaving 5 items in the rest) I will be soul searching before I part with my round pound with them!  As if I can't strut my fabulous fat self into your store do you deserve my custom?

What do you think?

*Since this post I have been contacted by New Look (See Comments) who have stated that they are not removing the range from in the stores.  This is great news as I know a lot of people really liked this range.  Although I was really angry with New Look I am still not exactly cheering as in my area neither Canterbury or Westwood Cross stock Inspire to my knowledge and it does feel like it has been pushed as more of an internet based range.  Although when I lived in Swansea Fforest Fach had a really good range although again it had been taken out of the Swansea Store.

It's soooooooo Cute! - Meme Box Cute Wishlist 3

Anyone who knows me know I am a little bit South Korea obsessed, a day watching vlogs on You Tube of Seoul, Guilty as charged, and I have long been curious about South Korean Cosmetics and Skincare as I had heard good things on the internet and Vlogs like Eat Your Kimchi!  So when I saw on Adventures in Tea and Cake Blog  (The very lovely Kelly is another South Korea fan only she has actually been there) there is a American company that ships South Korean Beauty Boxes to the UK, I was well up for one of those bad boys.

As I love a bit of Kawaii and Kitsch I indulged in a cute box, so what was in it.

Inside was a Youngwoosa Oh! It's lovely and Soft Cream with a reccomended retail of $47.00 and a ddung Family Foam Cleanser which retails normally at $12.00

These are the only products I have tried and I will start with the cleanser, the blurb that comes with it has a lovely foamy consistency almost like a shaving foam when mixed with water and left my face feeling squeaky clean but I think it would be a bit drying for my skin.  However the Oh! It's lovely and soft cream has the makings of a winner it soothed the tightness after the wash and left my dryish skin feeling hydrated and plumped up.  It also is quite an attractive little pot to have on your side.

Talking of packaging I also got this splendid Shara Shara Fairy's Make-up Synergy Sun cream which I haven't tried yet but the blurb tells me offers a SPF 45 and will create a synergy effect with base make up that will help balance out uneven skin tone, so if the blurb is to be believed a super SPF BB cream, count me in and to be honest even if it is naf I really like the packaging it appeals to my inner 7 year old girl.

Last but not least I received some Tony Moly Red Cheeks Girl Patch which claims to give moisture relief to dry rosy cheeks, a Shara Shara kissing sugar scrub which is in the cute tin with the girls face and in the leopard print tub there is a Hope Girl tinted lip balm in pink, it looks very vivid in the tub but I think it will go on a nice sheer colour.

I was impressed that these were all full sizes and I think came to about £16.00 with postage the downside was that they take a little while to come.

Unfortunately the My Cute Wishlist 4 has already sold out, but there are other cool boxes such as The Wonder Woman Box here and no you don't have to thank me just enjoy!