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As you can all see, I bleach my hair on a pretty regular basis. Naturally this causes it a fair bit of damage to it, but I just couldn't have my natural hair colour any more as it's a dark blondey brown and just isn't striking enough for my liking. For a while now I've been considering getting a wig in the same style and shade of blonde as my own hair, so that I could give my hair a bit of a rest and let it grow out where the inevitable breakages have occurred.

On my online wig search I came across a fabulous store and just knew I had to share it with my lovely readers as the range of colours and styles was just fabulous and the prices so reasonable! That shop is Geisha Wigs and I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite styles from their amazing range starting with my favourite, Pink Frosting!







It just so happens that Geisha Wigs have a Halloween offer on at the moment! Just use the code HALLOWEENEVERYDAY at checkout to receive 10% off!

Have you ever ordered from Geisha Wigs before? If so I'd love to know how you found the service and quality of the wigs!

Oh I'm so so happy that I finally have this gorgeous dress! I've wanted it ever since it hit the Evans website but just haven't had the spare cash to buy it, so I was really happy to find it in the sale at the Fosse Park store when I went to exchange some boots that didn't fit me quite right. I actually swapped the one pair of boots for both this dress and the studded ankle boots I'm wearing here too so it must have been meant to be!

I just love the shirt style of this dress, it's very 1950's housewifey but not as structured so it's more comfortable for day to day. The under-dress is made of a nice thick sturdy fabric which is perfect for going under a sheer overlay. The traps to the under-dress are adjustable like bra straps which is an added bonus so you won't have troubles adjusting it to the right height depending on your boob size and there are little ribbons inside the dress to hold them to prevent it twisting round or going out of line with the over-dress.


Naturally the colour and the dobby spots were what first caught my eye, as you all know I do love a good shade of blue with my platinum blonde hair and well, spots are just darn adorable. The collar was a plus too, I really like shirts but just don't feel comfortable enough in them in case some button gaping occurs, but I don't usually find this a problem with dresses for some reason and this is no exception. The collar looks lovely done up to the top, but I really fancied wearing my glittery kitty brooch that I bought at Plus North nack in September so wore it slightly undone with the brooch on one side.


The style and length of this dress is very versatile and lends itself to bare legs, tights or leggings and any kind of footwear. I've worn it with both flats and ankle boots so far which both look great, but heels would look amazing too and even a pair of Converse /Vans like pumps would look cute and casual. These ankle boots have a bit of a subtle cowboy style with the cut and stitch detail over the bridge of the foot, but the pyramid studs and rounded toe add a more modern touch so they are easier to wear. They're only £25 in the sale now too!

As you can tell I'm really pleased that I finally got this dress and it just adds to my high opinion of the Scarlett & Jo range as it's great quality and a really unusual cute style. Well done again to the S&J team!


Sadly sold out but this, this and this are some other lovely blue dresses from S&J!
Boots - Evans

I think it's kind of easy to see that Wanda Woodward was one of my role models growing up. Red lips - check. Blonde hair - check. Black eyeliner - check. Kitschtastic retro dresses - check. Leather jacket - check. I just wish I could rock a fringe like her.




Gorgeous and full of attitude, Wanda Woodward is a trashy cinema goddess created by the inimitable John Waters, a member of a badass gang of 'drapes' led by Cry Baby played by Johnny Depp who looks especially gorgeous in his leather jacket and turned up jeans.

Wanda is a big fan of the fitted skirt which she teams with wonderfully tight tops, a biker jacket, red lips and the classic rolled down socks and heels combo. The stereotypical 1950's bad girl, she wiggles across our screens dropping wonderful one liners and leaving a trail of cigarette smoke in her wake. It always baffles me a little that Cry Baby doesn't go for her over goody two shoes Allison.




I think the kitschy 50's look is great on plus sized ladies as the clothes are just made for curves, and I seriously don't think anyone can look bad in cat eyeliner and red lips if it's applied properly. So here's a last few pictures of Wanda for inspiration before my list of the essentials you'll need to become a Woodward-ite...




The dresses below are available from a teeny size 8 up to a 22, and the first is made to order so if you need a bigger size why not send Miss Boo Boo Kitty Couture a message and see what she can whip you up?


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Naturally a good biker jackets is essential for both badass-ness and warmth. If you fancy going for a more traditional style you should try this Stud Trim style, or if you wanted to give the look a bit of a modern edge try this Zip Detail jacket both from the always fabulous Simply Be.

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In all honesty, I think a good pair of bow adorned peep toes is a better look than rolled socks and kitten heels these days so why not go for a pair of these stunning Lola Ramona's (which are all on sale!!) from Office?


A good red lipstick is a must have in any lady's make-up kit and these are three of my faves. For the budget conscious I'd go for Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Fatal Red or if you feel like spending a little more try the famous Russian Red by MAC. If you want to go a little more fancy you could try and get your hands on one of my favourites Adora in the Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick Line for Sephora - it's a wonderful metallic candy apple red and has mega staying power!


Lastly you'll need to get those locks coloured to a lovely deep blonde and line your eyes with a slick of black liner. This shade 730 from the Preference Mousse Absolue range was the closest I could find to Wanda's colour and as you'll want a good fine brush I'd suggest trying Yves Saint Laurent's eyeliner which is available in most Boots store.


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I know it seems odd to most, but I always look forward to Autumn. Not just because it's my birthday and the leaves turn pretty colours, not just because of Bonfire Night and that festive feeling, but because I can buy a new Winter coat. I was always the same, every Summer holiday I'd get super excited about getting a new pencil case. Silly silly silly I know but I just adore a good coat!

Every year I say I'll go for something a little more adventurous, but every year I always go for a long black fitted style because I think they're so classy and go with any outfit. Last year I did break free a little and bought a second, berry red style from the Evans 12/12/12 sale, but I still ended up wearing my black belted number more.

Unsurprisingly these picks do include an awful lot of black coats, but there are lots of styles this year that have caught me eye. I love that the cape coat is back in as they're so elegant when paired with a pencil skirt or some tapered trousers and the longer length biker jacket trend is definitely something I'm in to - adding a punky edge to a silly cutesy dress has always been my thing and this just means you can take that trend into the colder months too if you also add a nice pair of thick tights!

Soooooo here are my picks! I started with my absolute favourite up top there, the truly stunning Dietrich Swing Trench Coat by Collectif. It goes up to a size 22 and is the absolute perfect shade of blue for a platinum blonde like me! If you aren't of a bleach blonde persuasion you can also get this delightful style in black, beige and a delicious new shade of bright red! Isn't the flowery lining of the blue shade just darling?!


Simply Be have a really lovely varied range of coats and jackets in at the moment. As you can see here is one of my beloved Cape Style Coats if you fancy going for a little Sixties style chic, or if you wanted to be a little more modern but still with an old school twist you could go for the fabulous PU Sleeved Collarless Coat. If you fancy the more edgy look this Fur Trim Boucle Biker Jacket with Leather Look Sleeves would be perfect and so snuggly warm on a chilly evening, and if you fancied standing out in a really unusual cut this Joe Browns Absolute Coat with Draped Hem is fantastic. I hadn't thought anything of it when I first saw it online, but a lady at the vintage fair I worked at on Sunday had it on and it looked fan-tas-tic.





Evans have got some lovely swing style coats in this season which are fabulous if you have a bit of a tummy on you. I always add a belt to these styles to define my waist a little more - as we all know I am a fan of the hourglass shape - but they are super comfy to wear as it's such a relazed style. The fur collar and hidden fastenings on the purple coat give it a more fancy air, whereas the petrol blue and the colour block styles are a little less formal but still smart if you need them to be.


Lastly here's a nice selection from Littlewoods / Very. I have actually purchased the first style which is the South Fit and Flare Coat with Faux Fur Collar but in black (I know I know) and it fits beautifully and is a lovely just above the knee length. The fur collar is detachable so I can swap it for some of my vintage furs if I fancy it and it goes up to a size 24. Unfortunately these final three styles only go up to a size 20 but were too nice not to mention. I just can't resist the colour contrast on this Definitions Buckle Waist Fit and Flare Coat and that buckle detail is a great touch. You can get another bit of vintage style glam here with this pretty Glamour Princess Coat, although do be careful what you lean on or you'll be back and forth to the dry cleaners like nobody's business! Lastly we have another longer length biker style with this Definitions Belted Leather Trench Coat. It has just the right amount of quilting  (i.e. just as a detail - I loathe completely quilted jackets and gilets) and it looks so much more expensive than it actually is.

 I hope you like some of these styles too! <3 br="">

Recently I've been getting quite a few emails asking what my favourite makeup is for everyday wear and which budget friendly brands I like best. Nothing in my normal daily kit costs more than £10 and everything is available from most pharmacys and make-up carrying stores. Most of it is even available from supermarkets. 

I tend to try a new mascara each time I need to buy a new one so I have listed the one I am currently using and I use different lipsticks each day so just use whichever colour you like best - naturally I will always go for a shade of red if I can! You might think I'm crazy using £1 false lashes from Primark, but they are seriously the most comfortable lashes I have ever worn and I can happily keep them on all day after trimming them a little so they fit the length of my eye properly. The glue they come with is great too, and they don't look too obvious or drag queeny. Don't get me wrong, I don't wear falsies every day, but I throw some on when I feel like I need a bit of a lift.

So here is the list of products I use every morning and am wearing in the image above along with links to where you can buy them online. I hope this answers some people's questions!

Concealer - SEVENTEEN Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer in Extra Fair - £4.49
Foundation - L'Oréal Paris True Match Foundation in C2 Rose Vanilla - £9.99
Powder - SEVENTEEN Miracle Matte Translucent Loose Powder - £5.49
Blusher - SEVENTEEN Blush Powder in China Pink - £3.49
Eyebrows - Collection 2000 Intense Colour Supersoft Kohl Pencil in Birdy Song - £1.99
Eyeliner - Bourjois Eye Liner Pinceau in Noir - £6.99
Mascara - SEVENTEEN Peep Show Mascara in Black - £6.29
Lashes - Primark 'Sultry' False Lashes - £1

I always love to know what make-up products other love so please do share your favourites with me!

Since starting my new job I've not really been in the mood to cook after work. This isn't typical behaviour, I usually love whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, but I'm still getting used to these new shift patterns and as I'm learning lots of new things every day I'm pretty darn tired by the time I get home. I'm ashamed to say that we've been living off frozen food and take aways over the last few weeks, so I've been trying to think of quick cheap dinners that I won't mind making after a long day at work.

These tasty delights were inspired by a recipe I saw on the Yummly app and decided to play around with. I didn't look at the method the recipe itself gave and just made them how I thought they should be done, and added a few extra ingredients and seasonings to 'knock them up a notch'. If you're stuck for a dinner or lunch idea I'd definitely give these a go as they're delicious, and most of the time they take to make is in the cooking when you aren't actually doing anything so they're easy enough to put together when you're feeling less than chipper!


Twice Baked Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
4 baking potatoes (I used Elfe spuds)
1 small head of brocolli, about 350g
a few slices of smoked ham
100g grated cheese
1-2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2-1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to season

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F then take a fork and stab the potatoes a few times. Place them on a non-metallic plate and cook on full power in the microwave for 15 minutes. When they are done place them on to a baking tray and put in the oven to cook for another 20 minutes.
While the jackets are roasting but your head of brocolli into florets and boil or steam until tender. Chop the broccoli roughly into small chunks and put in a medium sized heat proof bow. Now chop the slices of ham into small chunks and add to the bowl with the broccoli.
When the jackets are done remove them from the oven and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes until they aren't too hot to handle, then cut them in half and scoop the insides out placing them into the bowl with the broccoli and ham and being careful not to tear the potato skins. Place the skins back on the baking tray and set aside.
Add the butter, garlic and cayenne to the bowl with the other ingredients with most of the grated cheese, leaving a little behind for sprinkling. Mash the ingredients together until thoroughly combined, season to taste with the salt and pepper and then spoon back into the potato skins. Now sprinkle over the remaining cheese and pop back in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve as they are or with a nice little salad and enjoy!

Well, the lovely Scarlett & Jo team have done it again with another gorgeous dress, fitted absolutely perfectly for us plus size ladies! I'm sure you'll all know by now how much I love the S&J brand - see this post which includes a video filmed at Plus North why I explain exactly why I love them so much!

As this dress is all black with a lovely lace detail I decided to goth it up a bit with my new petrol feathered clutch bag and a deep plum lipstick & dark green metallic nail varnish (both of which I'll be reviewing later this week).


As I've found with all the other S&J pieces that I have tried on, this beautiful 2-in-1 peplum dress is made from wonderful quality fabric with a good amount of elasticity, but that is heavy enough to hang beautifully and not start to go a bit see through when stretched out. It sits just below the knee so is just the right length for me to not wear with tights - I don't like wearing above the knee dresses or skirts without tights as it makes me feel a bit too exposed. My only very slight criticism of this dress is that the slit at the back of the skirt goes quite high, so I think I'll add a little stitching to make it shorter. 

Here's a photo without any accessories so you can see it in its own glory...


One really clever thing about this style in particular is that the peplum is seamlessly part of the bodice which is actually an entirely seperate overlay, so it doesn't cling to your lumps and bumps and falls nicely over the top of the main under dress.

As with all S&J pieces this dress is superb value for the quality and style that you get, priced at just £45. I'll be wearing it both for nights out and for work as it is so easy to take it into party gear with some glitzy accessories.


2-in-1 Peplum Dress - Scarlett & Jo for Evans *gifted for review*
Glitter & Suede Ankle Boots - Evans
Feather Clutch Bag - Primark
Baroque Style Statement Necklace - Primark


As I love the accessories I've used with this outfit so much I thought I'd show you a few detail shots of them!


I absolutely love petrol black feathers and have been coveting this Biba cape for ages now but never bought it, so when I saw this clutch bag in the Princes Street Primark in Edinburgh I grabbed it straight away! It was only £8 so enabled me to add some Poe style drama to my outfit for a fraction of the £65 price tag of the cape.


Speaking of drama, I love a good statement necklace and this gold number again from Primark caught my eye immediately because of its architectural style. It reminds me of the gorgeous flourish's you see on beautiful baroque palazzos and churches in Italy.

The boots were a birthday present from my MIL - I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them on the Evans website. They're so gorgeous with their suede and glitter contrast and the the stepped detail is fab, I was worried they'd be a little too high for me but there is lots of padding in the sole so they're actually super comfy.

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend, have you bought any pretty new accessories lately?

I imagine most of you are already familiar with Modcloth as they appear to be taking over the world with their super cute wares, but just in case you don't I'll give you a little introduction. Modcloth is an online retailer selling clothing, footwear, accessories and homewares either designed in house or by independent designers. I like pretty much everything they sell as most items have a quirky vintage vibe to them and you can find lots of unusual pieces that you would be hard pushed to find elsewhere.

One of my favourite things that they do from time to time is something called a Stylish Surprise. The concept is basically this...


There are two different packages you can choose from, clothing or footwear. You just pick your size and order and you'll be sent a mystery item that could be a dress, cardigan, top, skirt, you name it. As you can see you will always get something with a retail value of at least double what you are paying. Another awesome thing is that shipping is only $6.55 which currently works out at about £4.11 which seeing as it's coming from the US is pretty darn amazing! The last time I ordered I received a lovely navy dress which was for sale on the site as full price at $65 so it was a real bargain!

To make sure you don't miss out on the next Stylish Surprise sale head to the Modcloth website and sign up to the mailing list. Make sure you get in there as soon as you can after receiving the notification email of the sale because it sells out super fast!!!

So without further or do, here is a little snapshot of me opening my latest Stylish Surprise package!





 


Isn't it a cute dress?! I just love the bold pink and the little belt it came with is really cute too. It even features my favourite sweetheart neckline but in strapless form!

It's made of a nice thick black stretch fabric with the pink lace as an overlay. The lace is also stretchy so it has a nice comfy fit and isn't too rigid as some entirely lace items can be. It's a little too short for me to actually wear as a dress, but I think it will look adorable as a tunic top over some black skinny jeans!

Have you ever ordered a Stylish Surprise? If so what did you get?

PS - Sorry for the bad photos guys, I'm having to use my phone's camera at the moment as my DSRL is stranded in Darlington for a few days after Pete's car broke down when we were on our way back from our weekend away in Edinburgh... Don't ask!!!
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