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

Lust List!

I am on a spending ban, not through choice but because there are some big changes afoot in the Lilybobomb household and we need to be extra careful with our money this month. This means that I am obsessively scouring the online shops for all the things I want but can't buy! I like to punish myself.

Yours clothing has quite a few bits I am lusting after this week

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I know kimonos are everywhere and they do seem to be having a marmite moment amongst fashion bloggers but I love them, I like how light they are and they do look great with so many things. The colours of this one from yours are beautiful!

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I can't believe how much my feelings towards trousers are changing, and I love the simplicity of these cuffed harem trousers, I think these would be amazing throughout summer and great for transitioning into the autumn months.

Dorothy Perkins is on my radar too again, it has been a while since I really loved anything, but there are always a few pieces I love.

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I need more skirts in my life, I have become quite safe over the last few years and stuck with dresses, which while gorgeous become a bit boring after a while I am craving some separates! This gingham skirt is great,  I would love a gingham circle skirt but this is more practical for every day wear.

Junarose is a little obsession of mine at the moment, and I will one ay soon be adding some of their gorgeous items to my wardrobe!

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I love the simplicity of this jumpsuit it looks easy to wear and it looks like it would sit in the right position on my waist! LOVE!

Evans and Scarlett and Jo are killing my will power this week!

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First the made me obsess over the stunning prom dresses and now they are making me even more obsessed with the prom skirts! I love that they would look just as gorgeous in the day as in the evening for a night out. Perfection!

Simply be are always a go to brand for me and I have been loving their spring summer offerings.

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I have been on the look out for a simple jersey maxi for a while one I can fling on with canvas shoes and head out shopping without a huge amount of gaffing around. This one fits the bill perfectly!

Have you got your eye on anything at the moment, share you finds in the comments if you fancy it, I love to window shop. 

Mhairi 

xxx

Surviving Hot Weather

I was stuck in our house all day yesterday, our boiler was having a part repaired which has meant our heating was on and off all day, it was sweltering in here even with the fan on full speed! This has got me thinking about the more serious hot weather we are likely to have this summer and how I am going to cope indoors and out. this isn't meant to be an instruction manual and there are many more ways to cope than the ones I know, this is just my own personal experiences.

Indoors

Indoors for me, is a delicate balance between dressing appropriately and being comfortable. I am step-mum to a 14 year old so hanging about in my knickers and bra isn't really an option, so finding light comfortable clothing that isn't restrictive or to warm is important! on my lazy days when I know I won't be disturbed by visitors pyjamas are my favourite, but lets be honest we don't always want to be caught by a rogue visitor in our scruffs so what is an option.

I am not the biggest fan of skirts of any kind for relaxing in, I find that my skin is hot and sticky and my legs sticking to each other is just not nice so I prefer trousers indoors for lounging in.
I am yet to find a pair of casual tapered trousers I am willing to wear out the fit isn't great on me to be honest and with the surge in popularity of chic cuffed trousers the last two summers it is frustrating.
I am not a fan of jogging bottoms in any form unless worn to the gym, but tailored versions are hitting the shops and sports luxe is fighting for its place in fashion and the shops are filling with silky joggers and harem pants galore.

The above outfit picture is from Yours Clothing, it is perfect for me to wear indoors and while entertaining friends and family and I would even be tempted to wear them out if by some miracle they fit me well, but I won't hold my breath as the odds seem to be stacked against me! This combination works for me, a simple light weight vest and a comfortable pair of trousers is spot on, I would miss out on the heels even though I am slightly obsessed with them! and instead slip on some comfy flats or flip flops!

Home essentials!

On a more practical note, get a fan, either a desk or pedestal fan, you can pick them up cheap in most supermarkets of go crazy and buy a posh one the choices are endless. Having the windows open is great but i find it is either too still and no air moves or it is too breezy and my curtains are flapping and stuff is getting knocked off all the time. I love my fan in the summer!!

Get out and about

But do it in a safe way. Even in the UK where our weather is not as hot as some places, we have such rubbish weather most of the time that the heat often catches us unawares. Sometimes getting up and moving can make things more bearable,  i know that sounds odd as when it is hot we most often want to stop and flop out somewhere and be still but as someone who suffers from depression, being stuck in one room not moving for hours is terrible and to be honest so boring. Getting out of the house is important to me, but I try to avoid being stuck out walking during the hottest hours as heat stroke is a big problem for me.     

Take a drink!

I always keep a bottle of water in my bag, I don't care if it gets warm, sometimes I just need hydration, Super cold water can just end up making me feel sloshy inside and a bit sick when I am over heating, keep yourselves hydrated, I prefer water or juice fizzy never seems to really hit the spot at times like this.

Wear a hat

Heat stroke is not nice, I have suffered from it a few times before and once so badly I passed out in the airport on my way home. I also have family and friends who have had to deal with skin cancer which has made me more aware of protecting myself. I have a freckly face and a mole in my hairline so I am as careful as possible!

I have had a little look around and there are some very cute ones around, I love this one from New Look.

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You could go full on floppy sun hat!

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There are so many styles of hat, you could even go for a head scarf that extra protection from the sun is important, especially for me!

Clothing choices

Every year there seems to be big debates on what is the best fabric to wear what styles work and how best to wear them, cotton vs synthetic is a hard fought battle especially amongst sporty types, but I am so not sporty so I can only go by what works for me. I am not a huge fan of cotton clothing, I always seem to rip it get it dirty or because there is zero stretch I end up feeling restricted and become anxious, add to that the creasing and its just a disaster our outfit day for me. Linen while it is lightweight and very cool also isn't my favourite because I always seem to crease it and it goes from looking gorgeous and crisp to terrible very quickly.
I tend to go for light layers a vest or lightweight dress with a very light cardigan over the top, I get far too hot and quickly become sunburnt when I have too much flesh out so I tend to protect myself a bit, but if you tan well then go without the card, I sometimes wish I could but even with factor 50 I burn these days.

There are a few items of clothing I want to give a go this year. First off their is the Skort, I feel a bit like I am slipping back to my teen years and the 90's but they are cute!

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This pair from New look are fab I could see them dressed up or down quite easily and the look comfortable and relaxed.

The other is the Kimono, I know everyone is wearing them, and it feels a little like a festival bandwagon but I think it will be a fantastic alternative to my usual cardigans as it will be lightweight, and flawy allowing more air flow. which is just win win for me.

I adore this one from ASOS I love the dark base colour and think it would be great for matching with almost any of my dresses.

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Other than that this summer will be dominated by circle skirts and the odd maxi thrown in for when I am out and about.

The evil of the dreaded chafe!

Only one or two things left to discuss, first for me is he dreaded chafe, it is the bane of many women and mens life and it is not limited to fat, thighs slim people suffer too, unless you have the legs of a flamingo most will experience their thighs rubbing together at some point and it is an evil pain!

So I throw it out to my readers what do you find best, I have had comfort shorts from Evans for years but I am not keen on the tights material and the feeling of the scalping together sets my teeth on edge!

I have heard good things about the Big Bloomers anti chafing shorts but have not personally tried them so can't vouch for them myself. I have also seen people talk about anti chafe sticks that you rub on and it stops it happening but I can't imagine that it last a long time and will need reapplying which also seems to have its own frustrations, so who has tried either of them and what do you recommend?

Suncream

Ladies and gents please wear suncream regardless of skin colour or tanning ability sun damage is a scary thing, from the wrinkles to the risk of skin cancer it isn't good!  I am the person who gets burnt hanging the washing outside, have to love my Scottish skin.

SO that is my list, to remind myself what I need to stock up on to survive this summer, what other recommendations do you have ladies and gents. Any other secrets and survival tips? They are greatly appreciated! 

Dressing for my Fibromyalgia part 2

So as you know from my previous post HERE I am having to change the way I dress to suit my abilities at the moment, I have also now had to come off my medication and go am going to be going onto something new soon so I am in near constant pain at the moment and my hands are really not working so buttons and zips are being avoided like the plague!

I recently got myself some new Jeggings from Dorothy Perkins and have been having a nightmare finding something long enough to wear with them has been a bit of a nightmare. I have also been on the look out for something light enough to wear in the evenings over the summer when it cools down a bit and this jumper that Simply Be kindly sent me to try has been brilliant, it is pretty, lightweight and so easy to pop on over a vest when I get a bit chilly in the evening. I think it will still be a bit too hot for the hight of summer even in the evenings but it will see me through into autumn and winter too.

Jacket C/O Simply Be

Jumper C/O Simply Be

Jeggings  - Dorothy Perkins

Boots C/O Fashion World

These were taken a few weeks a couple of weeks ago while it was still cool and rainy.

Look how pretty the lace shoulders are, I love it!

I am now on the hunt for a perfect longline vest top to wear with them which is proving difficult, they are all either so long it looks like a dress, or just a bit too short! I like them to come to mid thigh-ish

Do you have a go to top or jacket to pop on to keep warm in the evening? 

Mhairi

xxx

Endless Summer By IGIGI

IGIGI always have dresses that take my breath away and I have worn them for many special occasions and always feel beautiful in them. This summers collection is no exception, there are so many stunning dresses and separates that I just sit looking through the website ooohhhing and aahhhhing none stop! When IGIGI agreed to send me a beautiful dress for review I was very excited to chose.

Being on the short side and fat I am supposed to follow all the rules, no all over patterns, no maxis and all that, but do you know what, Sod that!!! I wear whatever I feel good in, and a patterned maxi is exactly what I have been wanting.

A few caught my eye

Naples

Christina

Letta

They are all perfect and if I had some fabulous summer parties or weddings to attend I would be on these like a flash but I really needed something more casual and every day. I want something I can slip on to go for lunch, for a walk in the park or to do the shopping but that can be dressed up for a night out with my husband when we manage it.

I chose the stunning Tiana Maxi, It has print its a maxi and its bloody gorgeous! IGIGI dresses are usually too long for me, by quite a bit but this one isn't too bad, I had it on with my flatforms and although it was a little long I could wear it without dragging it around in the dirt, might just have a tiny bit taken off so I can wear it with sandals in the summer. 

The dress is so pretty and I love how it moves! It looks lovely with a denim jacket too.

Excuse my very puffy face in this picture my medication has been doing funny things with my face, I am asking to change to a new one as it is making me feel horrid!

It even has pockets which in my book just makes a dress even more awesome! 

IGIGI might be at the upper end of my price range but I have to say I am never disappointed with the quality of the items I try! the lengths can be a frustration but I have had a few things taken up so they work better for me and I don't mind doing that for clothing I truly love.

Mhairi

xxx

*This dress was provided for me free of charge for review but all opinions and words are my own.

New Look summer Wishlist

Good evening my lovely readers. At the moment I am addicted to window shopping so when New Look asked me to pick some of my summer favourites, I said yes instantly, I never pass up the chance to shop!

I am obsessed with dresses again this year which is no surprise! I really do have far too many or maybe its not nearly enough......

I have fallen in love with the following bits and pieces

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I have fallen in love with maxi's again this year but I still need to find the perfect strapless bra! But this one will be first on my list when it does, it just feels so summery and like I should be swanning about on a lovely beach.

Image Source - newlook.com

This floral dress is perfection! I ordered it and am in love, it doesn't have quite enough room in the bust for me, shirt dresses are the bane of my life! but sewing up the buttons works fine for me usually so going to give it a try.

Image Source - newlook.com

I still love a good bird print and this one is firmly on my radar!

Dress @ Newlook

Shoes @ Clarks (past season)

Here I am in my fabulous floral dress, I teamed it with some black leggings and my fab pink shoes!

Check out the dresses over at New Look which is your favourite?

Mhairi

xxx

*This is a sponsored post, all words and opinions are my own.

Scarlett & Jo

Scarlett and Jo have been on my radar for a while now, I haven't had much chance to try them out as none of my local stores stock the range, so when they invited me to try out one of their new dresses I was incredibly excited.

I was sent the gorgeous Floral Print Asymmetric 2 Piece Midi Dress, It is a little bit too big for me so doesn't completely work, but I am going to have a play with it and see if I can make it work with a thick belt and accessories, I will post this looks at a later date for you.

The dress is still gorgeous and I will find a way to make it work for me, but I wanted you to see it as it is now so you can see how to make it work.

Dress c/o Scarlett & Jo buy it HERE

Scarlett and Jo really have some stunning items at the moment and they recently posted their new 1940's dresses on Facebook which I am desperate to get my hands on.

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They also have this amazing dress out at the moment which is divine!

Find it HERE

I have seen a few images floating about of there new spring romance range and their is a maxi dress on its way that I am going to obsess over completely as soon as I can get a decent image of it I will let you see.

Scarlett & Jo offer beautiful quality stunning dresses get your hands on something you won't be dissapointed!

Dresolution with Marisota

I was approached quite a while ago now to take part in the Marisota Dressolution challenge, due to items not being quite right size wise and then my camera breaking again, I have taken a while to get this post up and running.

Marisota challenged us to make a change to our wardrobes this year and make a Dressolution, mine is to master casual chic, I have two outfits to show you but I am putting them in 2 posts this being the first.

I asked for three items to be sent out to me, these were the Floral Print Skater Dress, Floral Print Dress and the Biker Parker Jacket

The first item I have to show you is the Floral Print Dress

Spring is hopefully not to far away, we have had a crazily wet winter here in the UK and it is taking its toll on my mental health I love winter, but i like it to be clear and bright so i still get some sunlight.

This dress makes me think of spring, but it is still fabulous not slipped on with some leggings and layered up with a cardigan.

I have this dress in the tartan version as well and it is perfection, as is this floral version, it has little pockets  which are always a bonus on a dress and the blue is gorgeous, I teamed it with some ankle boots and bare legs, which is how I intend to wear it come spring.

I highly recommend this dress, and at only £35 it is perfection for your wardrobe.

Take a look at whats new at Marisota HERE

What is your Dressolution, more colour, tackling trousers, more dresses or something completely different, let me know. 

Mhairi

xxxx

Taking Shape

A while ago I was approached to review an item form a brand new to the UK, Taking Shape. Origionally an Austrailian Brand, Taking shape are now in the UK as an online and high street presence.

They offer a huge variety of clothing for women in sizes 14-26. I am very excited to head to peterborough and check out one of their stores, as plus sizes on the high street are dwindling so something new is fabulous.

I asked for the Queenie Tunic to be sent to me, I have been trying to get my casual wardrobe to be a little more fabulous, everything in my current collection seems to either be super dressy or scruffy, I want to look fabulous all the time!

It comes in this very beautiful purple colour and the gorgeous green which is the one I went for, I would say that the sizes come up quite large.

The tunic is very relaxed but feels beautiful, it is a fairly thin material so ideal for the transition between seasons. 

Taking shape offer some very beautiful items and is well worth a look, head on over to the website HERE 

Do you aim for casual chic? do you hit it or miss it like I usually do.

Mhairi

xxx

Hi-Tec Luca Revisited and Reviewed

Hi guys, this post is so so far behind schedule, life in Lilybobomb Towers has been crazily manic recently, we have had illnesses, life changing events, Kitchens being fitted and all sorts of other frustrations; including not being able to actually reach my computer for the last two weeks due to the contents of our kitchen needing to be stored around the house until the work is finished.

We are here for now though so thought I best grab Marc and get this written, You can see the unboxing of the trainers HERE and see Marc's Initial thoughts on them.

Marc has thoroughly tested these trainers, he has been walking, running, the gym, and around town in them a number of times and they have held up fantastically.

I asked him to give me a brief review of them and he told me to let you all know that, they are incredibly light weight and very comfortable, they handled his long walk to work, much better than he had expected them to as he usually ends up with blisters and sore spots on his feet, and running was a breeze.

Marc suffers from bad back pain and hard soled shoes aren't always an option for him, although we both prefer to keep our trainers for exercise, sometimes trainers are the best option for him to manage his pain.

As you can see from the photo's below, although the blue is very bright, because the rest of the shoe is black they do not look too garish when wearing them with his casual clothing out and about.

Don't you just love the unpainted half removed floor! a kitchen refit is incredibly stressful, I do not recommend it!

I do have some other pictures but they are currently stuck on my mac surrounded by boxes, if I ever make it back in there I will try to add them on here for you.

Hi-Tec really have come on leaps and bounds since I was a teenager refusing to wear them for PE because they weren't what everyone else was wearing, heat over to the website and take a look for yourself HERE.

Marc has decided to set up his own blog focusing on his interests, he is a gamer, loves reading and films and also will talk about his life being a plus size man! I will keep you updated in case it is of interest to any of you.

Mhairi and Marc

30 Day Blogger Challenge - Days 11 - 19

Day 11 - Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Calm, confident and just a little insane! Thats me

Day 12 - What do you miss?

I miss many things, the original Mountain dew (the stuff out now is crap!), on TV I miss Heroes, Charmed, A town called Eureka and so much more.

But seriously I miss my grandparents the most, three of my four have passed away and I miss talking to them and visiting them, but most of all I miss my Gran who is in scotland, it has been a really long time since I was able to visit her and our finances this year are making it look unlikely I can visit any time soon.

Day 13 - Issue a Public Apology



Day 14 - Ten things that Make me really happy

These are in no particular order

1. My Dogs

2. My Family

3. My Husband

4. My friends

5. My Blog

Got to love the dodgy shots!

6. Nutella

7. Tenacious D

8. Learning new things

9. Winter

10. Gardening

Day 15 - A day in the Life

I will catch up with this one tomorrow

Day 16 - Something difficult about your "lot in life"and how you are working to overcome it.

For the past 10 years I have been treated on and off for varying levels of depression and anxiety disorders, I am working to overcome this in many ways through medical treatment, making changes in my life and trying to understand more about my condition.

Day 17 - A favourite photo of yourself and why

I love this photo - it reminds me I am lucky to have two people in my life as insane as me!

Day 18 - Tell a story about your childhood

I remember when I was very small, possibly around 3 years old. My dad had been digging up the front of our house, to put in a driveway I think and I was out there helping him (this meant playing in the mud and being generally grotty) I vividly remember finding a massive worm and thinking it was amazing, I grabbed it up and ran in the house to find my mum.
When I did I shouted look mum a worm! I remember thinking it was the best thing ever and mum mum would obviously just love it too, but when she saw it she screamed eww and chased me out of the house.

I wasn't a normal three year old girl!

Day 19 - Five of my favourite blogs and what I love about them

Mrs BeBe - I love becky, she is such an amazing person in real life who I count as a friend, I love her style!

Curvy Wordy - Caroline has an amazing figure and a Lingerie collection to die for! she is an amazing friend and a beautiful person!

Fuller Figure Fuller Bust - For a long time I had a ver similar bust size to Georgina and she is my go to gal for bras that I know will work for me.

The wardrobe challenge - Hanna is awesome, she is brilliant fun and I love her style!

Life on a different level - This is my sisters blog, it is a total mixed bag just like her, and I love her!


Mhairi xx