Black Friday

Black Friday is not something that has previously been big in the UK, but it is slowly picking up momentum here and everyone seems to be jumping on the band wagon.

I wanted to share some of my favourite deals with you, these are the ones I am keeping a close eye on today.

Dorothy Perkins

Dorothy Perkins have 30% off site wide HERE

On top of this every 3 hours they are bring a selection which you can take an extra 30% off with code YGF84 (only the selected lines) the 9-12 selection can be found HERE
A couple of my favourite items are

Treggings

Blazer

Tesco 

Tesco have 25% off site wide on their clothing HERE

Party Dress

only up to a size 20

Jersey Dress

Tesco Direct also have some great offers if you can get online, it automatically retry for you which is great so I got on eventually. 

Go HERE

Amazon

Amazon have lightening deals happening this Black Friday with limited stock keep and eye out HERE and set alarms if you see something coming up later you want to check the deal on.

Linda Bop

Linda Bop have taken 15% of loads of there dresses head over to the site and take a peek HERE

I have this on its way to me.

Audrey

Evans 

Evans have some amazing deals on HERE including all their jeans for only £10 a pair and 50% off coats and boots!!

A few other places to check out include:

Debenhams 

Rocket Dog

Lakeland

BHS

There are plenty of amazing deals in there for christmas presents and treats, if I come across any amazing deals today I will update here.

Mhairi 

Impressed By Tesco

For the last few years Tesco has been getting better and better as an on-line store but in store has been another story, clothing sections have been getting smaller and smaller and plus size ranges have mostly disappeared.

I am very luck to live very close to some very large Tesco stores and used to live 10 minutes from their head office store which to be honest has a shockingly small clothing section for the size of the store.

On Monday my fabulous friend Andrew visited me and we went for a drive to Bar Hill Tesco, which is a huge store just off the A14 in Cambridgeshire. When I say the store is huge think French Supermarche, I hate doing my food shop there as instead of 30-40 minutes I am in there for 3 hours and come out spending way more than I meant. It has always had a large mezzanine floor which used to be split between electrical's and clothing but it has been a couple of years since I last visited.

The whole store has had an uplift and the change is fantastic! the mezzanine floor now has a Cafe which is lovely and the the entire rest of the floor is taken up by clothing, I was in heaven! it is huge, it felt modern, and could have easily been a high street fashion retailer, with excellent posters and mannequins well displayed stands no over crowding and fantastic bright lighting.

This style of store could easily work in a shopping centre as a stand alone clothing shop not just in the supermarkets. The selection was immense.

I snapped a few photos which are a bit rubbish as I only had my phone with you but you can get the idea.

Beautiful Displays of Party Wear

A Nice large section for Lingerie and Nightwear.

They even have a Sports Wear section which is beautifully set out and has a really good selection of trainers.

Just me trying to run out of Andrews photo.

I loved this skirt and Crop top 

Great online order system if you cant find our size in store.

Plenty of brands

I liked the advertising points

Excellent Childrenswear section

To give you an idea of the size, women's wear is all behind me and that is the length down towards menswear.

I think my only dissapointment is that yet again no plus sizes that I could see, I may be wrong as we were not being very methodical so could have missed it but I doubt it. 

Please Tesco sort this out and the store will be perfect!!

Mhairi 

xxx

A Hobbit Adventure with Blinkbox

The fabulous Lauren asked recently if anyone wanted a chance to watch the Hobbit, as my husband has been waiting forever to see it, I replied with a yes please.

Lauren kindly sent me 3 codes to allow me to watch 3 films online with Blinkbox, we decided to throughly test it and try all the ways possible in our house, via PS3, Streaming and by downloading it to the laptop.

We have been pretty impressed with the system in general to be honest, we started off watching the latest Resident Evil film, which we decided to stream via the PS3 using its browser window, I will point out that we have fibre optic broadband so have a good speed at home as a general rule so we were hoping that the Blinkbox service had a decent streaming system, the PS3 browser is not so great in my opinion, I find it clunky and slow at times regardless of the speed of my internet, so we thought it might be a bit of a pain running it.

In the end our worries were not confirmed, we had a couple of moment where it buffered for a few seconds but nothing major and it was watchable, the film wasn't too bad either, definitely better than the  last film.

For our second choice of film we chose Pitch Perfect, we decided to try streaming it onto the Laptop, luckily we can hook the laptop up to the TV with a HDMI cable which means we didn't have watch it on the tiny screen, the streaming was near perfect, it buffered once near the beginning of the film but otherwise was perfect!

Pitch perfect itself was outstanding, I laughed so much and the music was fabulous, if you are a lover of Glee you will love it.

So onto our final choice and the main attraction The Hobbit, we chose to download the Blinkbox download manager and download the film to the laptop to eliminate the streaming issues with buffering it worked perfectly, not buffering, crisp clear picture, it allowed us to sit back and enjoy the film.

The hobbit was amazing! I have not read the book, and I have no idea why as I have it, I first read the lord of the rings series when I was 19 and I have read them about 6-7 times since, I think I will find my copy of the hobbit out tonight and make a start on it.

The film was fabulous, had a couple of slow places, and genuine laugh out loud moments too, the characters are excellent, I did worry myself a little that I fancied a dwarf until I realised he was Aidan Turner who I loved in being human, so I didn't feel so bad after that.

If you loved LOTR I highly recommend The Hobbit, if not avoid as you will likely not like it.

We watch movies online quite often and I am subscribed to two other online film services, but we will be topping up our Blinkbox account every month so we can watch the odd new release without having to wait for them to be sent out to us.

I would like to see them offer a monthly subscription service to allow you to watch most of the older films and TV series as part of that, this is mainly because paying for each episode works out more expensive for me as most of them are on my other services.

Head on over to Blinkbox and give it a try it is fast and simple to set up, you can also earn Tesco Clubcard points which is always a bonus.

Fatshion Faceoff - Underwear as Outerwear

THis weeks post at first instilled a deep sense of dread in me as I it something I would never wear I was getting myself all het up about it!

I have been in not such a good place in the last few weeks but my mojo is slowly coming back and a couple of days ago I realised that I needed to calm down and relax, and I thought sod it! this could be fun!

In the end my outfit made me think of the 80's and it was a blast, but I have to admit I still do not think the underwear as outerwear trend is going to be for me.

However for today its all me!!!

Do excuse the slightly blurry picture, but this is my underwear it is the Fantasie Susanna Basque in antique gold.

I teamed it with my new ASOS jersey trousers and my Clothing at Tesco Jacket.

My shoes are Evans (past season)

I feel very sassy in my outfit!

Go and take a look at the other gorgeous Fatshion Faceoff ladies in there undercrackers I know they will look stunning!

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mhairi

xxx

Do you wear your underwear as outerwear?

The Fat Fabulous Four

Tonight is the launch of another fabulous challenge collaboration between myself and three other amazing plus bloggers.

Becky of The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe, Toni of The only way is Toni, Rosie of A rose like this and myself will be bringing you a new post every two weeks on a saturday with our own takes on some of the seasons top trends, starting this week with lace.

Lace is often associated with going out and dressing up, but I wanted my take to be more casual this time so when I spotted this lovely jumper in Tesco I snapped it up, it is only £12 and is so comfy and lovely, I am looking forward to getting some nice jersey trousers and having a gorgeous relaxed outfit for the spring.

Lace panel Jumper - Tesco £12

Jeans - Old pair from Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Next old Season

I love the lace panels on the sleeves and it is lovely and soft, I have just realised it is quite see through though so maybe a vest under would be a good plan.

Go and visit the other gorgeous girls, I know they will look gorgeous! 

Becky - The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe

Toni - The Only Way Is Toni

Rosie - A Rose Like This

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Shorts

Shorts

My Fatshion Faceoff post is late this week as I have had the craziest day, my little puppy Nell got over excited with our other dog and got caught by a tooth on her cheek, unfortunately it turned into an abscess, so today has been vets and snuggles for my little lady.

Until all the craziness started we had planned a relaxing day or walking dogs and me getting ready for a press event I should have been attending, which I had to cancel.

So this is my shorts outfit, its pretty casual, but I kind of like it, I felt sassy! 

Excuse the not so good quality phone picture, it was really all we had time for today.

The top is from Newlook last year and the shorts are cut off jeans.

My shoes are from Tescos.

I am not sure I am a Shorts convert I may have to try more to see how I feel about them, but for now I think I will still be in skirts and shorts.

Don't forget to go check out the other fabulous ladies involved in the challenges.

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Molly – http://molly-pocket.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

And here is a little picture of my poorly baby girl, you can just see her swollen face :(

Send her get well vibes. xxx

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Floral Skirt

Floral Skirt

So this weeks Fatshion Faceoff was chosen by me and thinking about what I have in my wardrobe but avoid wearing because I find it hard to pair and my my floral skirt came to mind.


I love dresses as they are easy to style without to much effort, but I find separates difficult to wear, but I am always up for a challenge and love seeing what the other fabulous ladies come up with.


So this skirt is quite a few years old but is worn so little that it is still in good condition, and really needs to be worn, it is my favourite colour, and it seems I have a thing for floral stripes.


As the skirt has vertical stripes running down it, I decided to try it with my new Striped top from Tesco's which is also striped, but it is blue and white so though hell i will give it a go.


so this is how it all looked, this beautiful sunshine gave me the chance to pop on my wedges and get some sunshine to my tootsies.

hahaha, I managed to close my eyes in both photos, but my teeth are still so sore, I didn't have the energy to go try again, so sorry. xx


Go check out the other fabulous ladies in the group they always look amazing! 

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Molly – http://molly-pocket.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

So do you like florals or do you steer clear?

Mhairi

xxx

Plus Size Swimwear Challenge - Tesco

Plus Size Swimwear Challenge

Well hello again and welcome to our Plus Size Swimwear Challenge, myself and 3 other bloggers are challenging ourselves to try out some plus size swimwear, and be brave enough to blog about it. 

For me this is a huge thing as I can tell you that it is at least 5 years since I even went swimming, so swimwear has not been a priority for me, but I need to get fitter and swimming is an excellent way for me to do this.

Swimwear for me is doubly challenging, firstly I am plus size, obviously,  but I also have a very large bust at a 36/38H I struggle to get decent fitting bra's let alone swimsuits, I need support and plenty of it!!

The first swimwear I have been sent to try is from the lovely people at Tesco's, I choose the Panache Natalia Fuller Tankini top and bottoms in a 38G which is the largest size they do.

We are all following the same 5 step review to give a consistent report across all the swimwear.

So here goes.

Appearance 

The swimsuit is beautiful in person with vibrant colours and nice thick material.

I love the fold down panel on the bottoms as it made me feel more secure and helped hide my pre menstrual (sorry for the TMI) bloated tummy, this I like, I loved the purple trim on the top but not the bow on the bust so much as because it is round lace like ribbon it just doesn't look nice tied and wont sit right at all. 

It has nice little metal panache tags on the top and bottoms which thank goodness aren't in awkward positions and are just kind of cute! yes I like strange things :) 

Fit

This is where this Tankini fell down for me, the bottoms fitted beautifully, but the top was a strange one!

It has a full insert bra with 2 hook and eye fastenings with 3 rows which I love! I hate fiddling with bikini fastenings and they always snap on me! 

The problem I had is that the Bra fits my bust really well, but the swimsuit itself does not have enough material to encompass my ladies so it pulls down and shows the wires, not I think I am slightly bigger than the cup size of this tankini but I found it odd that the bra section fits so well but the suit is low on material!

I am not sure if Panache themselves make this in a bigger size but it would be interesting to try in some bigger sizes to see if it corrects itself with a bigger cup.

Comfort

The Tankini is very comfortable and if you have a smaller bust than me, I would highly recommend it, the bottoms give a nice silhouette and the material is lovely, I unfortunately can't vouch for it in the swimming pool as I am one too ill to manage walking there and two my ladies would most likely fall right out of the costume as it is. I am thinking of trying a stitch or two to bring the material to the wires so its a bit more secure but wanted to show it as is for the purposes of the review.

Coverage

The coverage for me is excellent, apart from the obvious boobage issue, but the top is nice and long easily reaching just past the top of the bottoms, and the bottoms themselves are tight but not bulgy and cover my amply bottom nicely. the back comes up high enough for there to be no lumps and bumps on show.

Performance

Well I cant give you a review on swimming performance but i performed jiggle tests and laying down tests, and it looks good, my boobs stayed in and it was comfy to lay down in so for a summer sunshine holiday I would be happy to take this with me either with the little stitch in or with the larger cup. 

Excuse the shorts but I am not well enough to worry about bikini waxes at the moment :)

Value

Well the Tankini isn't the cheapest item that Tesco's sell but if like me you have a big bust it might be a good option to look at, the price of £52.50 might be a it high for some, and possibly would be for me if it is only getting used for a one off holiday, but if I can wear it happily at the swimming pool too, then I will pay this happily if it gives me the confidence to go! 

Value is subjective, if you can afford it, go for it if not I would try something from Tescos other ranges. 

Overall I do love this Tankini, and if I can make it work, I would be a very happy girl!

Make sure you check out the other fabulous ladies taking part in the swimwear challenge.

Becky - The Ramblings of Mrsbebe

Gina - Fat Fit Fine

Sara - Confusedbrit

Fatshion Faceoff - Maxi Dress

This week it was my turn to choose the item, and I went for a maxi dress, my reason for this is I love them, but never know how to style them, and I am hoping the other fabulous ladies can show me how to look awesome in them!

I know as a very short person that I shouldn't wear them, but hey, rules are made to be broken right?

The dress I am wearing is from M&Co a couple of years ago now, but I loved the animal print and the bold colours of it, but I have only ever worn it twice as I am so unsure what to wear it with.

I tried to show how I have worn it during the day before and how I have worn it out for a party.

This picture was just for you guys :)

I decided to team my zebra print bracelet from Funk and Finery with it to keep the animal print.

The shoes are from Tescos last year and the cardi is TKMaxx

I don't feel like this is the most exciting outfit in the world but I do love maxi dresses, I think I just need to find my confidence with them, I plan on finding the perfect pair of sandals to team them with in the sunshine. 

Do you have your perfect maxi dress, what does it look like? feel free to post it to me on twitter, any help is appreciated.

Don't forget to head over and check out all the other lovely ladies in there fabulous maxi creations.

Hanna – http://thewardrobechallenge.wordpress.com/

Dani – http://diyfatshion.blogspot.com/

Olivia – www.waituntilthesunset.com

Molly – http://molly-pocket.com

Mouna – www.brusselsfatshion.com

OOTD

Just a quick hello,

Will be blogging about the amazing IGIGI dress I am reviewing later this evening, but wanted to show you my crazy face.

THis dress is from next, I loved the colour of it, but hate how shapeless the top half is, so it is now relegated to the, I feel rough days when I just want to throw something on.

Dress - Next

Boots - Schuh ( so comfy!)

Bag - Accessorize

Tights - Tescos

Scary Lady - All Me :)

see you soon! 

Mhairi

xxx

Simply Be Review 2

Zandra Rhodes Vintage Print Dress.

This is the second item sent to me by Simply Be for review, I chose this dress, as I fell instantly in love with the colour! Anything green or purple and I am hooked!

On the model the sleeves hit her half way between wrist and elbow, but on me the hit me on my wrist which I wasn't keen on, but as I always have a cardigan on even in summer, this isn't a problem for me, just be aware of it, if you are short like me.

Dress - Zandra Rhodes Vintage Print Dress for Simply Be

Cardigan - Marks and Spencer (very old)

Tights - 100Denier Tesco

Boots - Wide Fit Next

I chose to wear it for a day out christmas shopping and having some lunch with my other half, so I wore my old Marks and Spencer wrap cardigan, my Evans belt, thick tights and my biker boots. 

The dress comes with a separate green slip as the material is very sheer and it has adjustable straps, my husband laughed at how excited this made me, but I have very short shoulders and straps on dresses always need to be tied or shortened.

The pattern looks very red in the pictures but it is very dark almost purple/red, I originally wore it with dark plum coloured tights from Evans but as they fell apart in less than 2 hours I went back to my trusty  Tesco 100 Denier Tights!

I felt really pretty and relaxed all day in the dress I also tried it with my black polo neck jumper under and it looked good with it too, so has lots of options for both winter and summer wear.

I also love that It can easily be dressed up with some heels for a night out.

As my only negative with this dress was the length and looseness of the sleeves at the wrist, which I can easily fix with a bit of creativity I would recommend this dress as the colour is so so pretty!

You will get to see me all dressed up next week with make up and nice hair for my wedding anniversary, and my final review piece for Simply Be.

Disclaimer : This item was given to me free of charge from Simply be for review, but all comments are my own and I have not been asked or paid to give any items a favourable review.