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Wedding season is upon us my little honey bees and I know it can be a terribly stressful business finding a wedding guest outfit. If you're looking for something comfortable, eye catching and unusual I would highly suggest having a peek at this baby from Taking Shape. 

It was the print that originally drew my eye to this piece and the gorgeous palette of lilacs, blues and pinks which always work so well with my bleach blonde hair and super pale skin. It kind of makes me think of unicorns for some reason... it's kind of a crazy magic eye stylee print perhaps that's why? Eep I'm rambling now.. ahem...


The dress itself is currently on sale for £52 which for the quality I think is pretty darn good. The body of the dress is fully lined and it's cut so beautifully, the body is engineered wonderfully to flatter and hide your tummy and if you're more of a standard shape than my mega pear shape it will be a bit sexier as the top will be a little more fitted - darn my small chest!!! 

Because there are so many colours in this dress you'll have no problem choosing accessories as you could pick out pretty much any shade, but I went for gold shoes and a gold clutch cause that's my thang! I actually used this at my SIL's wedding, again it mixes textures which you know is a big plus in my eyes. And there's glitter. There should always be glitter.



I think the picture below shows just how crazy wonderful the print is... it looks like a completely different dress depending which side you look at!



Silver Bloom Dress - Taking Shape - £52.00
Gold Glitter Clutch Bag - Dorothy Perkins - No longer available but this is terribly similar and in more colours!

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  • My absolute favourite band ever is The Bouncing Souls.
     
  • Despite not being religious I absolutely love Christian art and collect old paintings and any kitschy religious icon stuff that I can find.

  • I had a proper shaved sides mohawk/mohican for about a year in my teens with the sides dyed leopard print.
     
  •  I have a tattoo of a swallowther (a swallows body with a panther head) which was completely unplanned and done by my friend Chin when I was helping him out at a tattoo convention.

  • My first blog was a food blog and you can find it here.
     
  • My first 'proper' non retail job was at a wedding invitation shop. Brides be crazy yo.
     
  • It's pretty much my goal in life to look and smell like a delicious dessert - my favourite perfumes and vanilla, candy and fruit based scents.
     
  • In my teens I started apprenticing as a tattooist but had to give it up when I moved into my own place cause I had to pay bills. I wish I had carried it on...
     
  • I absolutely love The Moomins and collect anything Moomin related that I can get my hands on!
     
  • My favourite foods are french fries, freshly made onion rings, home made pavlova with lots of whipped cream and lemon curd and passion fruit pulp, calamari, doughnut peaches, Oreo Dairy Milk, a good rare steak with bearnaise sauce and palmier pastries from Laduree.
     
  • I find it really hard to sit and watch a show or movie at home without doing something else at the same time and it drives Pete crazy!
     
  • I love playing Super Princess Peach on my Nintendo DS when I can find the time.
     
  • I'm only really interested in books, films and tv shows set in beautiful eras of the past because enveloping myself in a time of politeness, gentility and glamour makes me feel safe and happy. I love Poirot for just this reason!
     
  • I studied textiles print and design, media studies and an extended award in fine art when I was at school, but I hated being there and quit half way through my A levels.
     
  • I get a bit nervous in lifts because I got stuck in one while on a school trip to Paris because it was too full and just stopped moving - it was pretty scary as we didn't know how high we'd gone up but it turned out we were only about a metre from the bottom!
     
  • I used to run a mail order bakery service and sold cakes through a coffee shop in town, but stopped as it took up all of my spare time.
     
  • I've been told I'm a good singer and even started lessons to perfect my style but I get really nervous and don't like to sing in front of people so I stopped!
     
  • I was born and have lived in the same place all my life - I need to escape to somewhere new for at least a few years!
     
  • The first CD I bought was a compilation of Motown songs and the first single was a cassette tape of the first Spice Girls single!
     
  • I have always wanted to be a platinum blonde even as a little girl, ever since I first saw Marilyn Monroe.
     
  • I used to play the double bass.
     
  • I adore cities and long to live in a fun one some day, the countryside is great for relaxing holidays but the quiet freaks me out a little!
     
  • I haven't been on a proper holiday to another country since I was six years old, the closest I've got is a weekend in Copenhagen visiting family and a few days in Paris with school. One day Pete and I hope to be able to afford a trip to San Francisco, Florida and Las Vegas. I'd also love to visit some towns in the southern states like Charleston and New Orleans.
     
  • I have bad acne and can't find a cure and it depresses the crap out of me, thank the lord for full coverage make up.
     
  • I really like doing stuff on my own and am more comfortable doing so. I freak out about letting people help me do things, but sometimes I get really lonely and miss my friends an awful lot - sadly most of them have moved away in the last year so I'm a bit of a loner at the moment...
     
  • I'm pretty much always cold.
     
  • I blog as a way to use my creative skills and to stop myself going mad from having to work jobs that I hate and have nothing to do with my passions! I'm so glad I started because I've met so many lovely people and it keeps me sane!
     
I love posts like this, do share yours with me if you've done one too!

Yup, another crop top. Sorry if you're getting bored of em, but they're pretty much my new love. So comfy and cool in these little bursts of heat we're getting and I think they look pretty bitchin' with my staple pencil skirts. If you're confused as to why I just used the word 'bitchin' since we're no longer in the 90's and what the title of this post is all about, they're references to the comic/movie Ghost World. I'll explain a little more later on...

I got this shirt while on a little jaunt to Sheffield with my guy and my lil sis and her boyfriend on Saturday. The traffic there and back was hideous so we didn't have as long there as we had wanted but we found a few cool little shops while waiting for Stefan to get his hair cut at a cool little barbers called Savills. One of them I fell in love with, it was called Collard Manson and was super creepy and weird - I bought some glass tumbler paraffin candles with religious icons on which I've been looking for for AGES (I love Christian are despite not being religious) and a carved wooden pen with an angry bunny on it. Turns out there's actually one other store and it's in Nottingham which is super close to me so I'm looking forward to a lil trip there soon!


This tee is actually from H&M and is from the regular sized section rather than H&M+ (which in my opinion pretty much always sucks unless you're looking for plain boring stuff), it's a size large but as it's an oversized style I figured I'd give it a go and it fits pretty much perfectly I'd say! It's a nice thin, soft fabric so it hangs nicely and the back is slightly dipped, although that could just be because it's an unhemmed cut edge to the bottom and they are all probably a little different.

I've teamed it with my favourite black velour pencil skirt which was part of an old Claire Richards collection for Fashion World. I'll be mortified if it ever gives up the ghost as I wear it at least twice a week! Despite it being pretty warm this weekend we were getting bursts of rain so I figured boots would be a smart choice and threw on these lovely studded ankle boots from Simply Be. They're super comfy, I chose the EEE fit so I could wear socks over my tights. I absolutely adore them and although they're £65 which some may consider a little pricey they are leather and seem well made and I know I'm going to get lots of wear out of them.


As for accessories I grabbed my favourite tote bag that I got from New Look a lil while ago. It has a lather look main body with 'wings' of faux suede dotted with lots of little studs and works with so many outfits as it's such a classic shape brought up to date with the multi textures.

I didn't want to take away from the print of the shirt so didn't wear a necklace but I grabbed a pink gerbera hair clip and a pink feather butterfly clip to add to my hair and my gorgeous Betsey Johnson shades that I nabbed at a bargain £12.99 at TK Maxx a little while ago. Betsey makes my favourite sunnies, they're always so fun and kitschy! These are a gold glitter base with purple and black leopard print and gold mirrored lenses, ridiculous and amazing!


So as I mentioned earlier, this top immediately made me think of the movie Ghost World and specifically the character Enid who drags her poor, socially awkward new friend Seymour (Steve Buscemi!!!!) into a 'private shop' and borrows money off him to buy the cat lady mask you can see above. When I got the shirt off the rail I actually saw that it's Batman branded so is clearly actually a Catwoman shirt, but Enid is cooler then Catwoman so I'm sticking with my interpretation!!!


Meow & Mask Crop Top - H&M - £12.99 (it was £9.99 in store...)
Black Velour Pencil Skirt - Simply Be - No longer available but these are
Studded Ankle Boots (E or EEE fit) - Simply Be - £65.00
Black Studded Tote Bag - New Look - No longer available but this is similar
Pink Gerbera Hair Clip - Gift but this is similar
Pink Feather Butterfly Hair Clip - Primark - No longer available but these are similar
Betsey Johnson Gold Sunglasses - TK Maxx - No longer available but these are similar

I hope you had a lovely bank holiday weekend, did you get up to anything exciting?

Hi sugarpies! So I'm here with my second outfit video, this time with something a little more daring and trendy, namely a horizontal striped pencil skirt and a monochrome cropped tee!

Yep, breaking two of the biggest rules wearing things that silly people tell you that fat girls shouldn't wear, but I say why the hell not! The whole horizontal stripes makes you look wider thing is a load of rubbish (or at least Stephen Fry said so on QI so I guess it must be true) and if someone is offended by seeing a but of your cute chubby tum then butts to them! If you think you look great in it that's all that matters and I can genuinely say I felt great in this outfit, but that said I don't think I would ever have tried something like this if it hadn't been for this wonderful lady Tess Munster.


If you don't know who Tess is (which would surprise me as she is pretty darn famous now!) she's a plus size model  based in California and is pretty flipping amazing! Tess is the only plus size model that I can really relate to mainly because she's a similar size and shape to me, unlike nearly every other PS model I have seen. She also has lots of tattoos like me and seems to have pretty similar tastes when it comes to clothes and style and things like that. When you grow up in a culture that tells you that looking like I do (plus size, tattoos, unconventional hair and make up) and liking the things that I do is weird and to be made fun of it's really incredible to see someone so similar who is so confident and doing so well (especially in the modelling industry) and I know it sounds a bit weird but my confidence has grown by seeing Tess do so well.

But anyway, I love Tess and what she is doing to help encourage body confidence at any size or appearance is great and you should check her out if you're unfamiliar with her and her #effyourbeautystandards movement.


So to the outfit I'm wearing... I decided to try a few crop tops after seeing Tess wearing them and looking really cute because we're of a similar size. I actually saw a photo of her in the skirt I'm wearing here too although not with this top! Both items are from Simply Be who are currently my absolute favourite high street retailer, mainly because they're the only place I can find on trend items in my size that aren't faffed about with to make them acceptable for fat girls i.e. making things longer and baggier to cover us up like a lot of places do. Simply Be really let you celebrate your shape and express yourself through fashion and I loooooove them!


The skirt is definitely one of my new favourite pieces, I got it in my local Leicester store on Saturday. I was really pleased to see it in there because I'd been eyeing it up for ages online but not known what the fit would be like so I grabbed it along with the matching top and tried it on. I just wasn't feeling the matching top for some reason but I had a feeling in my mind that the monochrome crop from another matching set that I already have would look really great and thankfully when I got it home and tried it it did!


The skirt is a textured waffle type fabric which works really really well for this style and with the stripes - I'd been worried that the white would show my undies through but because its a nice thick fabric it doesn't, yay no VP! It's stretchy as is my preference for a pencil skirt and I think it's pretty true to size, I got my normal size and it was bang on and it was the same with the crop top.


I managed to nag my little sis into posing in a few pics with me hoorah! She's so darn perdy!


Monochrome Twosie Crop Top - Simply Be - £35.00
Stripe Waffle Jersey Pencil Skirt - Simply Be - £30.00
Gold Gem Slipper Shoes - New Look - Sold out but these are similar!

You can watch the video here, there's a silly bit at the end from when my Dad was helping me film - you can hear my fabulously Leicester accent and watch me pull silly faces haha!


Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon at my local Taking Shape store in Leicester. Taking Shape is a relatively new brand to the UK having started out in Australia and although I've had a look on their website a few times I've never took the plunge to buy anything so I was really excited when I was asked if I wanted to visit the store to check it out! On to a train I hopped and after a short walk I arrived at the lovely shop...


When I say lovely shop, I really mean it. It's big and bright and airy and I was so happy to see such an amazing array of colours before my eyes! I was also very happy that they had air con, because boy was it toasty out yesterday! I was met by the lovely team and was shown into a changing room where one of the stylists Liz (I do hope I have that name right, I'm awful with names!!!) had picked out some pieces that she thought I'd love - and was right! She was so helpful and friendly and helped me throughout the visit, such a nice lady!

As I was trying on I got speaking to quite a few of the other ladies in the changing rooms and they all told me how much the loved the store, the clothes and especially the lovely staff and the brilliant style advice they gave. One lady told me she had visited the Nottingham store too but thought the Leicester ladies were better with their advice - go girls! All the staff seemed to have really good knowledge of all the pieces in store and the different brands available at Taking Shape and knew most of the customers by name which was lovely. All the customers I met had come in on an off chance and fallen in love with the pieces and the staff and had become regulars which stands to show how great of a shop it is!

Another great service available at Taking Shape stores is a free personal styling experience which I think is a fabulous idea and so useful for large ladies who are unsure what shapes and styles would work best for them. There are lots of difference session available such as Find Your Shape, Travel In Style, The New You, Wardrobe Revival and you can even book a birthday styling experience or have a Style Party with a group of friends!

Now onto the lovely pieces I tried on...


The first piece that had been picked out for me was this super feminine little number. The colours were spot on for my skin tone and hair colour and I loved the fullness of the skirt, it was a nice heavyweight fabric too which meant despite it being stretchy fabric it hung really well and skimmed over my lumps and bumps. This would be the kind of dress that would be perfect for me to wear at a vintage fair as it was so comfortable and had that vintage feel with the cut and the print.


Second up was the fab monochrome number which featured some really clever panelling which had been edged in black making it stand out, a detail that I really liked along with the exposed zip to the back. I was surprised by how much I liked the square neckline with the non stretch fabric - if only my boobs were a bit bigger and the fit on that area would have been perfect but as mine are a little small compared to most other ladies of my size there was a little gaping, but nothing a few simple darts couldn't have fixed!


Now this dress was a mega bargain at only £35 in the sale and was so beautiful. The deep, rich purple was fantastic and the black lace overlay to the bust was gorgeous. The smart shape of the skirt meant you had a nicely fitted upper and flared bottom which was very flattering. I was given this very pretty sheer over jacket to try on over the top which was also so so flattering to my figure, hugging under my bust and defining my waist and again hanging beautifully. The laser cut out detail to the bottom was great too making it a little more contemporary.


This dress was fabulous for my pear shape as the stretchy t shirt like upper was fitted to my bust while the flared skirt emphasised my waist and fell beautifully hiding my tummy. What is immediately evident is that a great deal of thought has gone into the design of everything at Taking Shape, I was really pleased to notice that they add a little extra length to the back of their dresses so you have a constant length all the way round - if you're anything like me your bum can make the back of dresses ride up higher which can be very frustrating! They also don't skimp on fabric - the skirts are so full and fabulous!


This maxi dress was fabulous and the flowers were really neon in person with pretty sequin details. The heavy beading to the neckline was great too but sadly it was a smidge too short for me - I'm just under 5' 8'' so find this quite often.


Unsurprisingly this dress was one of my favourite things, solely because of the amazing print and lilacy colour scheme! I actually ended up taking this number home with me I loved it so much and know I'll get a lot of wear out of it at work. The photo realistic flowers are beautifully coloured and placed and it kind of looks like two dresses depending which side you look at because the shades change from the lilacy blue to paler pinks and yellow - just wonderful! The wrap was really cleverly designed as an overlay that was a little oversized so it hung in a really great way ending on the waistline.


Unfortunately the black dress above was only available in a size smaller than I usually take but I tried it on anyway and it did fit, it was just more figure hugging. It was a lovely damask style print with lace and chiffony overlays, really unusual and a bit gothic glamour!

Now, my favourite piece of the day and another thing which came home with me was this amazing bed jacket made from a stunning printed satin. This was another mega bargain, originally priced at £95 and down to £25 in the sale. It's a long time since I tried something on and loved it as much as this, Liz thought it was quite funny how taken I was with it! Seriously though, look how it hangs and how the tie emphasises my waist - I can imagine Marilyn swooshing around her home in something like this. I am genuinely in love!


Taking Shape sell a great little selection of gift ware too including candles and infusers, hand creams, soaps and little home accessories. I couldn't resist this super fun sleep mask and this pomegranate candle with moulded orchid lid smells divine, at only £5 it was a steal and the mask was only £3 too!

If you have a store near you I highly recommend you head in for a trying on session some time, a lot of the pieces I tried looked a little meh or old fashioned on the hangers but when put on looked amazing and I can't exaggerate the great quality of everything. Give it a go!

Hi beautifuls! Just a really quick post, I'm really really pleased as Plus Model Magazine have featured me in their Blogger Fashion Spotlight this week! They've said lovely things about my style and I've shared some of my fashion tips and attempted to define my style.


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At times I'm one for letting myself get really down in the dumps. It's really hard having to have a grown up job that your heart just isn't in so you can pay the bills when all you long for is to use your creative skills to earn a living and sometimes I let that eat me up. When that happens I see to spiral into sadness for a few weeks and then something in my head will click and I'll force myself to see all the things I'm lucky to have in my life, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

I know that I'm not the only one to feel this way and even if you don't get sad for the same reasons as me I know we all go through a period of sadness every now and again. Here's the list of what is currently making me happy, why don't you doodle down your own list to look at any time you're feeling blue?


1) Sitting with Pete and having a freshly made cappucino and a caramel waffle cookie on Saturday mornings.

2) Cuddles with Cleo.

3) Being able to afford our pretty little cottage, bills and food.
Even though I get down about money every now and again because we can't afford holidays and I can't buy a better car I should feel lucky that we never have to scrape together the money for our rent and bills. Sure sometimes we have to have a month of not so nice dinners, but at least we can still afford dinners unlike an awful lot of people in the world and I shouldn't forget that.

4) Having great parents and parents in law that are supportive and loving.
 I've been kind of blown away reading people's posts about being bullied by their parents recently. Sure they didn't like a lot of the hair styles I chose when I was younger but they're never put pressure on me about my weight. They've helped me with diets when I've wanted to do them but never tried to force me into it or say unkind things.

5) Having lovely friends.
I purposefully only keep in touch with people who are kind, intelligent, open minded, lovely individuals as I don't see the need to have people in your life that you don't really want there. Don't surround yourself with negative and unsupportive people, I made that change over the last few years and I can honestly say that it's lovely not to have drama in my life or be forced to put an act on in front of certain people. My friends love me for me and I love them for them, no need for fronts or lies.

6) Working in a great team of people I really like.

7) Having adventures booked in throughout the rest of the year so I have lots to look forward to.

8) It's sunny for once!

9) Now I've had my birth control implant removed last week I'm already feeling 70% less like a crazy person! (sorry if TMI!)

10) Having a great relationship still loving my boyfriend just as much, if not more, than when we first got together over five years ago.

11) Out little garden is lovely on a sunny morning, we just need to get the elderflower tree branches to the tip so I can sit out there again!

12) Sipping tasty cocktails on a summer evening is the best.

13) I can see roses from the window in my home office and they're gorgeous!

14) Walks around town on a Saturday morning are my favourite.

15) I love feeling like a real little family when Pete and I snuggle up on the sofa to watch a movie and Cleo climbs up to sleep on my side.

Hi loves! I'm here sharing some of the recipes that have caught my eye recently while I've been trying to add something new to our weeknight menus, there were so many that I've bookmarked I had a hard time narrowing it down to just a few!

First up are these Broccoli Parmesan Fritters from the food bible that is Smitten Kitchen. I love fritters of any kind (especially my sweetcorn version which you can find the recipe for here) as does my lovely Pete but as they're fried we don't tend to have them too often. These will definitely be made this weekend though!

Now, Pete loves cinnamon and I adore rhubarb, so this Cinnamon Layer Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Swiss Meringue Frosting sounds like the perfect cake for us. I'm also a sucker for any dessert with more than two layers as they look so decadent and impressive!


It's a bit of a running joke that whenever we visit our favourite Indian buffet restaurant I eat about ten little shot glasses of the fruity aromatic yoghurt puddings they have at the dessert station, especially the pink rose water scented ones! I definitely want to try making these Kesar Aam Srikhand desserts which use mango puree and cardamom mixed with the strained yoghurt, although I'm kind of scared I'd eat the whole batch as soon as it was made!

There's a little Vietnamese cafe nearby that serves these lovely spring onion filled crispy pancakes that are cut into slices for dipping into gingery soy sauce and I adore them. I've never tried making them at home so I might give this Shrimp Scallion Pancake recipe a go myself soon!


Usually I'm not a massive quiche fan unless it's made by certain people haha, but this Fresh Herb Quiche from Martha Stewart looks dreamy and I try and cram as many herbs as I can into my cooking during the summer. Washed down with a Strawberry-Ginger Caipirosca on a hot weekend afternoon in the garden this would be perfect-a-mundo.


I've been on a bit of a pasta lull recently not really fancying it that often, but this Capellini with Chive Blossoms and Creme Fraiche looks fresh and zingy and exciting, not the heavy super sauced stuff we usually get over here in the UK.

Do you know what the perfect summer dessert is? It's pavlova. A crispy chewy cloud of meringue topped with a snow peak of softly whipped cream and a mountain of deliciously sharp fruit to cut through the sweetness and creaminess. This Pavlova with Rhubarb and Pistachios is definitely the next one I'll try!


Friday nights are made for cocktails and sweet treats and cinnamon rolls are very near the top of our love list. Gooey and soft and spicey and sweet, you just can't go wrong so I'll be whipping up a batch of these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting in the very near future! I think an almondy orangey cocktail would be the perfect partner for these doughey treats so I'll be topping up the cocktail shelf with the ingredients for this Black Almond Cocktail this weekend too!

Have you found any awesome recipes recently? Please share them with me if you have!
Kesar Aam Srikhand
Kesar Aam Srikhand

Hi lovelies! Sorry I've not been posting as often these last few weeks, it's been pretty hectic over here and I've been trying to do way too many things at once resulting in hardly any of them being done, bleugh! There have been some nice distractions come my way in the form of some pretty clothes popping through my door and this was my absolute favourite! 

Now I already knew the dress would be lovely because I had seen it in person at the bloggers dinner but I was intrigued as to how it would fit with it being a non stretch fabric. I flitter between a size 22 or 24 in dresses like this and decided to go for the 24 which was definitely the wise choice as it's a perfect fit.


The neckline and the length of the dress are bang on for my tastes and the weeny cap sleeves are a very cute tough. The dress is fully lined as you can see below and the printed fabric is just beautiful and such good quality, thick but not too heavy and with a slight sheen. The pleats to the waistband are engineered perfectly and give a fabulous full look to the skirt while the panelling to the body is right on the mark not only making it fit the bust wonderfully but also giving a slight illusion look that slims the silhouette down a little.

As the dress is such a classic style but the print more contemporary, I decided to take go a bit edgy with a feminine twist for the rest of the look teaming it with a lace biker jacket and grey holographic pumps with stud like gems to the heels. 

If you're looking for a lovely occasion dress that will suit nearly every figure and won't break the bank I can highly recommend this baby. Beautiful and elegant yet with a modern print and flattering, comfortable fit this is the kind of dress everyone should have in their wardrobe should the need arise for a frock to wow a crowd!


As I mentioned in the title of this post, I have done my first outfit video! It's a little nerve wracking and I saw 'erm' about a million times as I was nervous but I'm quite pleased with it as a first attempt! Mega props go to my lovely boyfriend for filming it and putting up with my silly demands!


Please let me know what you think of the video and if you'd like to see more. Any tips and advise as to what I could do differently to improve it next time would be most welcome!


Bardot Printed Prom Dress - Look Magazine for Simply Be *gifted*
Lace Biker Jacket - Forever 21+ (no longer available but this lace jacket is cute)

Ever since I was a little one I have wanted blonde hair. Not just any blonde hair, the palest blonde hair possible.

My mum and dad were really awesome and let me foray into the world of blonde when I was about 12 and had a head of highlights done. I liked the look and kept it up for a while but never felt I had achieved quite the level of blonde as I desired. I then went into my teens where I tried every hair colour and cut possible (to the point where I had shaved sides painstakingly dyed leopard print with pink and black dyes!) eventually settling on black when I grew out my punk hair and wanted to go for a more ladylike look with Betty bangs and a head full of extensions while the sides grew back. Here's a little snapshot of a few of the do's I had through my teen years, with bonus terrible eyebrows and lots of piercings!


The blonde bug had stayed with my through this time and soon I was back wanting the Marilyn look and started working on getting my hair from black to platinum at about the age of 18. I didn't know what I was doing and didn't know that hair colour removers existed or that vitamin C mixed into your shampoo works a treat at stripping colour from your hair, so I just went ahead and bleached it. A lot. Too much. WAY too much. After three bleaches my hair was the colour of Irn Bru and just would not get any lighter. It was done, and no matter what I did it would not lighten, so I did the only thing I could think and dyed it all bright pink as that was the only colour I could think of that would cover the orange. It was probably a good thing that I did this as my hair was really really ruined and semi permanent bright colours like Directions are very moisturising.

Despite the fact that my hair was like pink hay, after about a month or so I tried bleaching it again and after a few goes got to as light as I thought I was going to get and stuck with it, just bleaching my roots from then on. My hair was trashed, but eventually with lots of conditioning, being careful while bleaching and getting my hair cut regularly I had semi-decent hair again.

I get asked often what products I use and how I have managed to maintain this colour for nearly 8 years without losing all my hair so thought I'd do a little post! I really wouldn't recommend the DIY method if you want to go from dark to platinum after my experience of hair that is stretchy and bubblegum like when wet, and when dry a frizzy, straw-like barnet of doom. I'd recommend doing it gradually and getting a professional to do it for you, but once you are blonde if you wish to maintain it yourself you could try using the products I do which are as follows...


So first up, the bleach itself. If I was less lazy I'd use a separate powder bleach and developer cream with a toner applied afterwards, but as I am a lazy so and so I currently use L'Oreal Paris's Feria in shade L01 Extreme Platinum Power. It is a strong one so takes my hair to as light as I want it in one application, toning it too to a vanilla like pale colour. I would recommend getting a friend to help apply it so you don't overlap onto already lightened hair when you're doing your roots avoiding as much damage as possible. One of the main reasons I love this product is the fantastic toning conditioner that comes with it - you get a really generous tube and it does wonders to my hair helping it be as smooth and silky as possible while keeping yellow tones at bay.

Also to help keep my hair snowy rather than creamy I always add a little squeeze of Matrix Total Results So Solver Shampoo to my normal shampoo whenever I wash it. Now this stuff can really dry out your locks so rather than use just this as my shampoo I just add the teeniest amount to my normal shampoo which I will show you in a moment. I bought a one litre bottle of this stuff for £20 three years ago and I'm only just using up the last bits now! It's definitely worth the money - looking at pictures of my hair before and after I started using this stuff the difference is so noticeable even though I use the same bleach. I went from creme brulee to ice maiden in one fell swoop (or shampoo to be correct).


So, I actually rotate between two or three different shampoo, conditioner and mask ranges because I feel like my hair kind of 'gets used' to them if I use them too long and that it builds up a coating if I don't change it around a bit which stops them working as well. My current favourites are the two ranges above, the L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EverStrong range and the John Frieda Full Repair Hydrate + Rescue range. As I said before, I like to add a small amount of silver shampoo to my normal shampoo and then I create a mix of the conditioner, hair mask and toning conditioner that comes with the bleach to condition my hair. It may seem a bit much but I come away from it with tangle free, shiny and soft hair so I don't mind the extra work!


Finally I wanted to let you know a few of the styling products I use. Now I always blow dry my hair which I am fully aware a lot of people tell you not to do if you bleach your barnet and they are right it is better not to, but I like to use additional conditioning and volumising products which just wouldn't work if I was to let my hair dry naturally. 

I towel dry my hair and then apply John Frienda Luxurious Volume Thickening Mousse to just my roots - the difference this makes to my finished look is amazing. Bleaching has thinned my once thick hair and made it a lot more fine, which coupled with my naturally poker straight locks can equal a pretty drab do, but if I blow dry my hair with this mousse I come out with thicker looking hair that is volumised at the roots and looks much much fuller. 

To the ends of my hair I apply either Avon's Advance Techniques Damage Repair 3D Rescue Leave In Treatment or a little Hask Argan Oil from Primark, or a combination of the two. A little goes a long way with both and I make sure I don't get this stuff on my roots to avoid a greasy look.

I then give everything a quick spritz of Elnett Satin Heat Protect Styling Spray and get to blow drying, elevating my roots with my fingers while drying it to add more height. I use the 'curls' version of the spray, only because it is the same thing I use when heat curling my hair and it works just as well for blow drying - it doesn't create a curl it just helps your heat style set and last longer.

Another thing which can be bad for bleached hair is washing it too often. I know this sounds odd, but washing your hair removes the natural oils that your scalp emits which actually helps your hair. I wash my hair every other day and if my do is feeling a bit lack luster or greasy looking on the second morning I give my roots a quick spray with Batiste Cherry Scented Dry Shampoo and give it another brush to disperse it through my hair and I'm left with hair that looks freshly washed, just not quite as shiny as usual.

Well I hope this answered some questions and helped some of you lovelies out, if you have any questions do feel free to drop me a comment and I'll come back to you as soon as I can!

I have something a little different today my lovelies, a bit of a DIY job you might say! I was very kindly given a very nice grey leather look clutch bag with heavy chain detailing recently and although it was lovely as it was I couldn't think of many of my own clothes it would really go with. I don't own much grey as I tend to go for black or brightly coloured pieces usually and the style although lovely felt a little too 'serious' for my liking. I thought it needed a touch of kitschy fun adding to it, and so I got out my paints!


As you can see from the photo above I just used regular acrylic paints. As the name suggests they give a plasticy finish for want of a better word, and so won't rub off or come off when in contact with water like most other paints would. Now I always knew leopard print was what I wanted to go for but originally had planned to do the centres in hot pink, but when I'd finished adding the black I decided I liked the monochrome look and left it as it is.


It was ever so easy, I started by doing random splodges over the front of the bag in white, unevenly spaced so it didn't look too uniform. Once they had dried (which doesn't take long with acrylics) I went in with the black paint around each splodge leaving a gap or two and then adding some smaller slodges around the big ones. I just grabbed something leopard print and followed the pattern basically and it turned out great.

I like the effect so much I might have a look on eBay for some more leather look items to paint!

Another bank holiday, how lucky we are! I've spent most of the weekend so far organising my office, catching up on my way too big pile of washing, cooking me and my man some tasty treats to eat while watching Boardwalk Empire and working my way through Blog Life. I've also done a bit of online window shopping (I'm trying to save for a very busy August and September) and found some really lovely pieces - why am I torturing myself?!?

First up I had a look through ASOS Curve's new in section and there are some real beauties available! Firstly this ASOS Curve Salon Dress With Heavy Embellishment is just divine, a modern shape with a 1920's feel from the beaded design it is just perfect for the season with it's pale colour palette and relaxed, dipped back fit. At £140 it's pretty darn pricey, especially as the beading is only to the front and the shape is hardly complex and fitted, but you can't deny it's pretty as hell.

You'd have to have been living in a cardboard box for the last few months to not be aware that midi skirts are the key skirt look for the spring and I for one am very happy about this. Below the knee length is so much more feminine and pretty but on plus size gals they can look a bit frumpy. This Midi Skirt In Sheer Check takes this classic style and gives it a contemporary twist with a cage style overlay in either black or ivory. If I had to choose just one thing from this wish list it would be this skirt as I can see me wearing it in so many ways, it's hardly a bank breaker at £38 so let's see how long I can resist it...

I've been trying to find a nice blouse with a kitschy print for a good while now as I'd love to try some bow neck tie's and this darling Blouse with Cat Print is just up my street! It looks like a nice relaxed fit too so hopefully the dreaded boob gap wouldn't be an issue.

Last up is this amazing Kimono Maxi Dress in Bird Print which I would just adore to swish about in on a warm summer's day. This would be what I'd wear to a festival if festivals weren't my idea of absolute hell, with a messy up do, lots of hair flowers and lashings of eye liner (as usual).


More clothesies and here are my picks from Simply Be's new in selection. As you know I can't resist a good kitschy cutesy print and this little Praslin Heart Print Dress is a great example, simple and pretty and perfect for flouncing around the park in.

I'm not a trouser person and the thought of a jumpsuit scares me, but this Print Jersey Jumpsuit is pretty enough for me to want to give one a try. I have no idea what size I'd go for as my top is two sizes smaller than my bottom but if it's in store next time I visit I'm definitely trying it on!

Super sexy with a delightful rose print wrap top is this fantastic AX Paris Curve 2 in 1 Midi Dress. I want it, I need it, I desire it. Such a classic pin up style, it belongs in my wardrobe for sure.


I may have mentioned it before but I have a huge adoration of Biba. My mum was a big fan of the brand originally and she has quite a lot of original make up containers and books. Unsurprisingly her love for Biba passed on to me, I think mainly because of the influence Barbara Hulanicki took from 1920's and silent cinema style.

Biba is back with us again at House of Fraser and still offering gorgeous clothing, accessories and homewares but has recently released a dining range too which has stolen my heart. The Starburst Dinner Range and Odette Cutlery Set make my dinner party dreams come true, if only I could afford them! If I could I'd toast my new fancy dishes with some champers from a Gold Rimmed Champagne Saucer (in case you didn't know, champagne flutes are for losers) while wrapped in this super sexy Animal Beach Towel and sniffing some gorgeous Black Orchid Candles and lovingly placing a Reed Diffuser by my bed.


I'm so excited for when we move house in October because we'll be going for somewhere a little bigger than we're in now and I want to make the living room super cosy and decadent. I adore listening to the radio, most often Radio 4 Extra for all the dramas and comedy shows, but at the mo I just do it from the iPlayer radio app on my phone. Not so glamorous. I think this beautiful Roberts Revival Radio would make the whole affair much more civilised.

I'm definitely going to aim for a bit of a trashy but classy early Hollywood vibe so a few Palm Tree Candle Holders will definitely not go amiss, especially next to a fabulous silver Penguin Lamp from Abigail Ahern.

Now we already have some black leather reproduction chesterfield sofas, but I do adore a bit of velour! This royal blue would look great with my blonde hair too, so I could lounge about in style all day long! The Large Chesterfield Deluxe Sofa and the Footstool would perfect the look topped with a beautiful mirrored tray loaded with dainty teacups full of earl grey and plates of delicious cakes and pastries.


My Amazon book wish list is pretty out of control so it's kinda hard to pick which one's I'd currently want the most. It is ridiculous to think that I don't already have enough baking books but I've wanted Joanne Chang's 'Flour' since I saw some chefs praising her sticky buns recipe on Food Network.

Twenties hair is the era I find most tricky, there are such specific techniques involved and the styles are not the kind of thing you can freestyle so I always like to collect more resources to perfect my technique. Art Deco Hair by Daniela Turudich is reviewed pretty well so despite not having a preview I'd be up for adding it to my collection very soon.

We all know I'm a fan of pin up girls and have such admiration for artist like Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas who brough these cheeky, pretty ladies to life in art form. Olivia De Berardinis is the modern queen of cheesecake pin up art, regularly creating pieces for Playboy and gaining a lot of notoriety from her amazing paintings of Dita Von Teese. Malibu Cheesecake celebrates her work in a gorgeous coffee table book which I would happily while away hours reading on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

My skin is at an all time low at the moment and I'm trying anything I can to try and improve it. One thing I know I need to do is give my diet a healthy kick and as I've heard great things from my friend Sophia about The Clear Skin Cookbook by Dale Pinnock I think I'll be giving this a read to send me in the right direction.


As I mentioned earlier I've been giving my office a bit of a sort out this weekend. I went out and bought myself a few stationery sorting bits but was disappointed with the lack of stylish office goods in my town so went for a look about online. Papermash is one of favourite online stationery suppliers and when I saw this lovely Rifle Paper Co Polka Dot Recipe Tin on their new in page I fell in love! I currently jot down my recipes in a pretty leather bound book with a gold rose embossed on the front cover which is indeed very lovely, but it isn't that easy to use without a recipe book stand as it closes of its own accord so writing recipes on cards instead would be a good move for me to make and I'd love to keep them safe in this tin.

Papermash will also soon have these amazingly gorgeous Gold Wire Baskets in stock. They're pretty pricey but I can honestly say I've never seen a prettier way of storing magazines and papers. As these lovely baskets are not befitting of my bank balance at present I will instead be storing my stacks of Martha Stewart Living's and Jamie Magazine's in these Tjena Black Magazine Files from IKEA as long as I can persuade Pete to take me over there with the promise of a meatball dinner.

While I'm there I might pick up one of these lovely Ranarp Reading Lamps too, but that will go in the living room rather than the office. The Alma Otter Tape Dispenser from Modcloth will however go straight on my desk!

Well those are my current wants, but have you spotted any lovely things this weekend too?