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Hello my darlings! Well I'm back in the UK after spending a lovely week in Greece, the sun shone and I swam in the clear blue sea and it was just a dream. I can't pretend that I'm thrilled to be back, but it was ever so lovely to see my little kitty Cleo again and to sleep in my own bed. I bought pretty much a whole new wardrobe for my holiday (I haven't been on holiday since I was 7 or 8 so I got a little too excited) and the lovely Jacqs from Yours Clothing was also kind enough to send me a very pretty dress to review just in time for going away!

The dress in question is this beautiful skater in a cream and grey floral print scuba fabric. It's lovely and stretchy and fits like a dream and I just love the print - it isn't something I would usually have chosen myself as I tend to go for bold colours and designs but this delicate painterly pattern is just delightful. The dress exudes femininity and the little belt just adds to the lovely shape it gives you, emphasising your waist hips giving a pretty pear shape if you're not already that way endowed!

For added comfort I chose to wear some cropped leggings beneath the dress and my new favourite comfy shoes which Pete bought for me recently as he knows how much I love lilac. They're an utter bargain at £8.99 and are so so comfortable plus they're also available in pink, teal and black.


Necklace - New Look - Old
Sunglasses - Betsey Johnson - Old

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.
One of the many great things I discovered at this year's Plus North was a brand called Elvi. They stood out quite a bit from the other brands there as the designs were more classic and mature rather than bang on trend but this is something I liked. As a vintage glamour fan I tend to be drawn to pieces with classic silhouettes which are made more contemporary with modern prints and fabrics and that's just what I found with Elvi.

If you're on the lookout for something beautiful, good quality and kind of unusual then I highly suggest you head over to their online shop and have a browse. Above are a few of the pieces that particularly caught my eye and below you'll find links to them.

Orange Knitted Coatigan - £60.00

You can currently get 10% off your first order at Elvi with the discount code 'NWCST10'

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Hi beautifuls! It's nearly the weekend which means it's nearly recipe testing time! Here's some of the dishes that have caught my eye recently...

BAKERS ROYALE


MARTHA STEWART


SMITTEN KITCHEN


BAKERELLA


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I love a good bit of houndstooth, it makes me think of glamorous ladies in two piece skirt suits strolling through the park with their dalmatian, a black box hat and a slick of bright red lipstick. Yes I am a little crazy, but I'm very pleased that this season houndstooth is high on the trend list. Here are some of my favourite pieces which are available in plus sizes...


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This month I've been trying out a lot of new beauty products, some have left me very underwhelmed but others I've just loved! I thought I'd share the joy and let you know the new products that are now on my awesome list...

I love a good body butter, they're always much stronger scented that regular moisturisers and they just feel so much more luxurious! Body Shop has been my go to place for a good body butter in the past but then lovely Sophia tipped me off that Marks and Spencer's range were really impressive and had some gorgeous scents. She's a big fan of fig scented things as am I and so we both just adore the scent of the fig and orange oil body butter. It's lovely and thick and softens your skin up a treat, it's not greasy feeling and despite it's unctuousness it sinks in quickly and leaves you smelling luscious and feeling indulged - plus it's only £6 a tub and is current buy one get one half price!

Origins Drink Up Ten Minute Mask to Quench Skin's Thirst - £23.00
Because I suffer from severe breakouts and occasional acne I tend to use a lot products that remove oil from my skin which obviously dries it out. I like a good clay deep cleansing mask which also helps to shrink your pores but this can also tighten and dry out your skin. Nowadays after using a mask that pulls the moisture from my skin I put on this as a second mask to rehydrate and soften. It's an absolute dream, going on like a thick moisturiser when you remove it you feel wonderfully clean and plump and baby soft like after a good facial. The next day too your make-up goes on so much more smoothly it's fantastic.

Benefit The POREfessional Balm - £24.50
Visible pores, the enemy of anyone wanting a smooth porcelain perfect complexion. I suffer with this over my t-zone and it bugs me an awful lot, so giving the POREfessional a go was a dream - after gently smoothing the balm over my pore-y areas and then applying my make up I was left with a much smoother finish and once my finishing powder was on my pores were nearly invisible. Especially good for photos shoots when you need an extra smooth finish!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Fresh Moisture Body Mist - £28.50
With Autumn comes harsh winds and chilly temperatures which can wreak havoc with your skin's moisture balance. Usually this is something a good intensive moisturiser will fix but sometimes you're out and about and just aren't able to slather yourself in a thick creamy moisturiser - when this moment strikes I reach for this gorgeously scented moisture mist. A couple of sprays gives you a light coating of this fine but quenching mist which sinks in quickly and gives you an instant fragrance kick leaving you smooth and beautiful smelling!

Antipodes Saviour Skin Balm - £28.99
I have a phobia of cracked dry heels. Seriously just seeing them makes me feel a bit queasy and I just can't stand the thought of getting them myself, especially when I'm going to be off on holiday living in sandals for a week when they're be visible. Same goes for dry elbows. Bleugh. To combat this I've recently been using this wonderful balm from Antipodes. It can actually be used for a whole host of things including chapped lips, tending to grazes, helping get rid of stretch marks, to protect after shaving, to ease sunburn and much more. It's a bit of a wonder product - it's antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial using tea tree and totara to heal while echinacea helps with skin and cell repair and Vinanza Grape adds antioxidants. It may seem pricey but it's pretty much a cure-all and last for such a long time, a little goes a long way.

Sleek Matte Me Liquid Lipstick in Purple Fandango - £4.99
Beautiful colour, excellent lasting power and a really comfortable finish for such a matte product, this liquid lipstick is the bee's knees. I think the shade is perfect for Autumn when I always like to wear berry colours and the quick drying formula ensures that you won't suffer from any feathering or loss of colour throughout the day. Plus it's a bargain at £4.99. Next on my list is the shade called 'Birthday Suit' - oo la la!

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So, you may have noticed a new little icon to the sidebar over on the right there. That is because I have been shortlisted for Best Fashion Blogger at the British Plus Size Awards 2014 and I just couldn't be more excited!

Now I'm up against some stiff competition but not being one for negativity I'm staying optimistic in the hopes that by some miracle I might just win, but in order to do so I need my lovely reader's help! If you could spare just a few minutes to vote for Sugar, Darling? in the Best Fashion Blog category I would appreciate it more than words can explain - you can place your votes here. You need to place a vote in every category but honestly it will only take a minute or so.

It feels like a bit of a whirlwing my time in fashion blogging so far but I've enjoyed pretty much every minute of it and I'm so thankful for all the opportunities I've had and all the friends I've met along the way. Not only this but the self confidence boost it has given me has been amazing and I'm just thrilled whenever I get a message from someone who has been inspired to be themselves and be proud of their bodies from reading mine and other blogger's posts.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope for taking the time to place your vote!

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On Tuesday I witnessed something ground breaking. For women around the world being able to purchase high fashion pieces in plus sizes has been a long off dream and something that I myself didn't think I would see for years to come, despite the leaps and bounds that the plus size industry has come on over the last few years.

I can honestly say that the Design Collective for Evans Catwalk show, one of the closing events of London Fashion Week has left me more hopeful, ambitious, excited, inspired and genuinely emotionally touched than any event I have attended in the past. To witness incredible designs specifically created for a plus size brand being showcased in the same environment and with as much care, devotion and professionalism as straight sized high fashion designers was a magical thing. Part of me had worried that such an undertaking would garner scepticism and maybe even humour but from what I have seen the response has been incredible, but how could it not have been with such a stunning show.

I know this all may seem a bit over the top to some of you but I have genuinely adored fashion my whole life but have also been plus size for my whole life and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would a) attend a London Fashion Week show and b) actually be able to fit into the clothing being showcased. Here are some of my favourite pieces...







The pieces showcased will go on sale in select stores and online from February 2015 and will range from £45 to £120. I personally cannot wait and will start saving straight away so I can get myself a good selection of pieces to rock during 2015!

If you'd like to watch the full catwalk show you can do so here at the Evans website.

You can also check out a full gallery and a great highlights video here at Plus Model Magazine.

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I'll always have a big soft spot for Yours Clothing. They were one of the first plus brands that I ever found out about and I can always count on them when I need a cute outfit that won't cost the earth. I'm so pleased to be seeing that they're doing so well and opening so many new stores around the country, if there isn't one near you right now I bet there will be soon!

If you skip to the bottom of this post you'll find a sneaky discount code to get you 20% your first purchase if you're a new customer and to give you an idea of the lovely things you could bag your fab discount on I thought I'd put a few outfits together showcasing some of my favourite pieces!





If you buy anything do let me know what you chose, I'd love to hear which pieces were your favourites!

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A picture of Nancy Whittington in the Claire Richards Emerald Green Sequin Dress
This is the dress. The dress that will see me through a thousand parties and will never go out of style because it was never really in style. If you have a sense of fun with fashion it doesn't matter what you wear, whether it's new or old, in or out, you put your twist on it and wear it with confidence and it will look amazing.

This beautiful dress is part of the latest Claire Richards collection for Fashion World and is just a dream. I loved the black version from her previous collection which had a different neckline but I just can't resist the colour of this one, beautiful mermaid teal. They call it emerald green on the website but I think it has too much of a blue tinge for that. This colour will flatter any skin tone and would surely make anyone feel like a million dollars.

The fit is true to size and the fabric is lovely and stretchy. I was a little concerned that the sequins would be a little scratchy at the edges but it's fully lined with a nice thick fabric that prevents any of that. It's a little shorter than I'd like (I'm a bit taller than Claire so it hits me just above the knee) and so I like to team it with some cropped leggings which also help prevent the dastardly chub rub which can ruin even the most determined dance floor sesh. If you're worried that leggings might make it look a little too casual don't fear - throw on some heels and a big sparkly necklace and you'll still be the bell of the ball! 

At £95 this is definitely a purchase for a special occasion, but hey it's not like you were planning on wearing a sequin dress for a few quiet drinks in the pub were you?! Seriously though, the fabric is wonderful quality and the sequins are beautiful, matte but sparkly and very secure unlike cheaper sequin items that leave a trail of shedded sparkles in your wake. 

If you're looking for a special dress that'll really get you noticed then do give this one a go, I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed and you can't help but feel like a starlet in something as sparkly as this.

Claire Richards Sequin Body Con Dress - Fashion World - £95*
Black Cropped Leggings - Yours Clothing - £8
Necklace - Primark - My Mum's!

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.
So today I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some recent purchases with you! There are a few vintage items and some very tasty choccies that I found in Bruges, a couple pieces of clothing, a few books and naturally a new lipstick.


First up, two new pieces of clothing, both a little different to what I'd usually go for. I think it's good to challenge yourself every now and again and try out new styles that you aren't used to. It's way too easy to get stuck in a fashion funk, my usual go to is dress + tights + cardigan, so I force myself into something new every few months. I go for something that's new in for that season so it gives me the chance to try a new trend to see how I feel in it. 

I spotted these lovely Inspire Black Zip Front Trousers (£19.99) in New Look yesterday and gave them a go in the changing rooms with a red chiffon top and a black crepe jacket and I just loved the look. Then later when I went to pick up a few food supplied I spotted this lovely berry coloured F&F Maxi Cardigan (£18) that I thought would also look great with my new trews!

As I mentioned in my previous post Bruges has some amazing markets and shops selling beautiful vintage and antique items. Now if you've been reading for a while you'll know that I really love religious artwork and collect ornaments and paintings. In the UK they're usually out of my price range if I manage to find any, but in Bruges there were so many pieces and they were so reasonably priced - it was a dream! I managed to be good and only came back with the two pieces above, my favourite being the painted plaster Virgin Mary that my mum and dad treated me to. I chose her as she had the sunburst behind her which is common in paintings but quite rare in statues and sculptures.


As you can imagine Bruges is just full of chocolate shops. We actually only ventured into four and I only purchase from two - I was kind of picky as to the shops I bought from as I didn't want to get tricked into getting novelty chocs that weren't actually any good so I sought out the shops that were long established and that seemed to take pride in what they were selling. 
Firstly we headed into Depla Chocolatier as their window display was so enticing and I bought a little bag for me and a little bag for Pete, choosing each piece from the wide range on offer - my favourite from here was the creme brulee truffle and Pete's was their chocolate covered nut brittle which was like their version of a Dime bar.

Second up we couldn't resist going into Pralinette because of their fabulous windows full of chocolate sea creatures (my favourite was the lobsters) and cocoa beans overflowing with truffles and treats! I just couldn't stop myself getting one of the chocolate asparagus as they were so adorable and the same went for the little pumpkin and shiny red lips, the others I chose based on the flavours. The asparagus was filled with fantastic praline and the pina colada chocolate was amazing, but my favourite of all was the lips which was filled with violet flavoured caramel! I adore anything violet and real buttery caramel is one of my favourite things so as you can imagine this really hit the spot for me!


As for my new lipstick addition, I've added another matte liquid lipstick to my collection this time from Sleek. It's the Matte Me Lip Cream in Fandango Purple (£4.99) and it's just stunning on. A wonderful shade that's very different to any of the other liquid lipsticks I have and a colour that I feel is perfect for Autumn. I wore it today and it isn't as thick as some others that I've tried and so feels a little more comfortable on, but I don't think it lasts quite as long - time will tell.

Last but not least, my two book purchases. I bought Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis after listening to Lily Allen's Desert Island Discs when she said it's the book she would take to the island. She described it as being full of 1920's decadence and that is just the kind of book I love, I adore escaping into a world of glamour and grace.

Again my next purchase (which to be honest was a few weeks ago now) was bought after hearing an episode of Great Lives on Radio 4 all about the author Nancy Mitford. Aside from sharing my name with her she sounded like an amazing lady, very clever and full of sass and her books sounded like that too. I bought myself her complete novels and I'm hoping to make a dent in it next week when I go to Greece!

What did you buy this weekend?
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Another thing I just adored about Bruges was the fabulous food, it's just full of wonderful bars and restaurants and there's such a selection to choose from! If you just stick to the main square you'd be forgiven for thinking the only thing you could get was traditional Flemish food but we ate quite a variety of cuisines while we were there. 

The photos above are from a fabulous little place called Balls and Glory which exclusively serves a variety of filled meatballs. It was a great little place with rough unfinished walls and a big long communal table plus a few seats in the window. They have a variety of meatballs on sale for you to take away along with an excellent range of homemade pickles and sauces but if you'd prefer to eat in you can choose from two different hot meatballs with a choice of either salad or stoemp. The two varieties on offer when we visited were a chicken meatball with a spinach filling or a lamb meatball with a minted pea filling. 

I tried the lamb and we all decided to have salad as we were looking for something light rather than something stodgy and filling like stoemp. We sat down at the big table and were greeted by pitchers of water and mint leaves and cake platters covered with beautiful big grapes, both of which were free of charge which I thought was a lovely touch. The chap behind the counter starting making our salads from scratch, nothing was pre-mixed and he layered up all the ingredients - rocket, cherry tomatoes, watermelon chunks and cherry tomatoes - and lovingly dressed it with salt, pepper and olive oil before placing on our giant meatballs!

The meatballs themselves were fabulous, the meat was tender and delicious and liquid centre worked perfectly and was the perfect texture just like a yummy sauce. It sounds odd but the watermelon worked so well with the rocket and the meatball. I can't remember the pricing to be honest but I think it was around 8 to 10 euros so was one of the cheapest meals we had in Bruges.


On the Saturday evening we were lucky enough to snag an early booking at Bistro Refter, one of the more modern and fancier restaurants in town. It just so happens that both me and my dad had put this on our restaurant wish list and so we walked up on the Friday to see if we could get a table and it's a good job we did as you definitely need to book for this place!

The menu here was very impressive and I had a really hard time choosing what to have but in the end I picked the marinated salmon with a giant cous cous salad to start, followed by fillet steak with shallots, hand cut fries and salad and finished it off with a creme brulee and an espresso. Everyone's meals were fantastic but one thing I would say is boy do they need air conditioning in there! It was so hot that it was making me feel a bit off so I was glad to get out into the cool night air after we had finished out meal.

You'll need a good pocket full of pennies for this one, it cost about 60 euros per person for the tree courses and that didn't include drinks (a gin and tonic was 16 euros) but it was amazing food and I'm really glad we went there for our special meal of the weekend.

 
On our first night in Bruges we had no idea what or where we wanted to eat. We had tired feet and were all getting pretty grumpy due to lack of food when we wandered past The Olive Tree. It looked lovely and warm and welcoming and decided to head inside keeping our fingers crossed that we wouldn't need a reservation. Thankfully we got seated right away and were ever so pleased when we looked at the menu, everything sounded wonderful and they even served retsina which is one of my mum and dad's favourite drinks. I had a fabulous gin and tonic that they had added red peppercorns to - it added a fabulous extra note and was very strong, just how I like it!!!

We decided not to have a starter and went straight in for a main course. I chose the chargrilled marinated swordfish steak which came with rice, oven roasted potatoes, an amazing fresh green herby sauce, mixed salad and the best pitta bread I've ever eaten. Everything was cooked to perfection and so so fresh! I've never had swordfish better and I just can't get over how amazing the herby sauce was. We got talking to one of the waiters about our trip to Spetses in a few weeks and he was ever so lovely, he even said if we needed help when we were out there we could call the restaurant and he would help us get whatever we wanted!

Just as we were about to order our bill the waitress brought over two plates of portokalopita (greek orange cake) and told us it was on the house! How lovely of them! None of us had ever eaten portokalopita before but it is an amazing syrupy orange cake made with shredded filo pastry and greek yoghurt and was to die for! The waiter was nice enough to write down the name of the cake for us and I've found a recipe here so I'm going to give it a try this weekend.


Last but not least I wanted to share my favourite restaurant that we visited, Bistro Zwart Huis. The building itself is a late Gothic construction built in 1482 and was originally a rich merchant's house which has now been turned into a gorgeous restaurant and bar that features live music and an excellent background soundtrack of Jazz and Blues.

The atmosphere here was much more relaxed than any other restaurant we visited and it was great watching the waiters and bartenders singing along with the music as they worked. The relaxed atmosphere clearly wasn't carried through to the kitchen however as the food was just as wonderful and complex as everywhere else we ate. To start I had seared scallops with roasted leeks and a white wine sauce followed by a giant grilled piece of salmon with frites and salad and a bearnaise sauce. To finish I had the chef's selection which was a little chocolate mousse, a small piece of tiramisu cake and a delicious little vanilla ice cream. I washed it all down with Liefmans cherry beer which I developed a taste for over the weekend.

As you can see from the photos above the restaurant is just beautiful with some great quirky features like the carved fireplace, stunning light fittings and eclectic range of paintings. Another lovely part was when the owner came over to welcome us to the restaurant, plus he got extra points for looking like Jeff Bridges! I'd happily go back here time after time and it'll be my first stop if we ever go back!

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Sorry if this post takes ages to load, I took way too many photos in Bruges and these are only a few - oops! It was such a beautiful city, I wanted to share some of my favourite photos of the stunning architecture. As you stroll around you spot gem after architectural gem, carved bears peek out at you from around corners, you'll spot little alcoves high above doors and arches and so many beautiful Virgin Mary's up on the corners of buildings. Even the downpipes to carry away the rain water have beautiful intricate grates at the bottom!

One of my favourite things about Bruges was the lovely markets. Our hotel was situated in one of the squares so right outside our hotel on the Saturday was a clothing and food market and on the Sunday there was a cheese market (with a mobile champagne bar and oompah band!) but my favourite was the bric a brac market along the edge of the river near the Groeninge Museum which, by the way, is wonderful. My sister and I purchased several things on the market - some items were kind of pricey but I got a few bargains which I'll share in a later post and my haggling skills came into play. We also visited a flower, fruit and vegetable and livestock market with some of the most gorgeous flowers I've ever seen and some of the biggest, tastiest looking vegetables. I'm not going to lie, it put my local market to shame.



I had tried very hard to pack light on this trip and so only brought one outfit for each day and only one bag and pair of flat, comfy boots as I knew we'd be doing lots of walking. I actually ended up buying some padded insoles for my boots after the first day as we literally spent the entire days walking around the city so by the end of each day my feet were aching and tired. Don't even think of attempting heels here, every bit of street is cobbles or stones and you'll stand no chance trying to keep balance!

I went for comfort in all of my outfit choices but of course didn't want to leave my sense of style behind so I teamed dresses with leggings for most of the weekend and travelled in a top and skirt. It was actually really warm in Bruges and there were no breezes so I'm glad I took all short sleeve dresses with the option of a cardigan. I actually found it a little disconcerting as we were walking around Bruges as people were really staring at my sister and I. It was odd but people didn't really seem to have a particular style over there, everyone was in plain but good quality clothes and I didn't see a single bright hair colour and definitely no other women with tattoos - I think we stood out quite a bit. Although I'm used to being looked at when walking around town as I tend to wear things that stand out I found it quite uncomfortable over there as people would literally stare and even if you made eye contact they'd keep staring. I found it quite rude to be perfectly honest, but it wouldn't stop me going back as I had such a lovely time.

Look out for tomorrow's post when I'll be sharing my favourite restaurants from the trip! If you want info on anything you've seen just leave me a comment and I'll help as best I can!

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