Valentines Outfits

Valentines Day is fast approaching and even if your single its a night to spend with friends and loved ones.

We tend to stay home and eat nice food, watching a film, I would say its a nice romantic comedy but its usually a Horror or Sci-Fi for us!

I have put together a few outfits form my favourite brands which offer next day delivery so there is still time to get something special for the weekend.

The classics

These dresses are perfect for a romantic dinner or a night out with the girls.

Little Mistress @ Evans 

This dress is stunning, I love the off the shoulder and fitted shape it is beautiful!

Little Mistress @ Evans

Valentines and red always go together and this gorgeous lace dress is a gorgeous classic that can be worn again and again.

Simply Be

I adore this dress! It comes in both Black and  Red and the cut out heart detail at the back is seriously cute!

Brights

If you want to step away from the usual and make a statement then brights could be for you. They are everywhere at the moment!

Here are a few of my favourites.

Evans

Trouser // Jacket // Top

This jacket is such a fantastic way to inject some brights into your wardrobe, It would be fantastic for a meal out or a night at the cinema. This is one outfit that even if I don't go out on the night I will still be buying.

Evans

Top // Trousers

This top is another way to bring in the brights it will work well with trousers, jeans and skirts. and could be easily dressed up or down.

Asos Curve

This dress is simply stunning, the gorgeous bright orange with the contrast of the black and the flowers is amazing, slip on a nice jacket and your set for a fabulous night out.

Simply Be

If you like something a little more romantic this orange dress is stunning the gorgeous lace detailing and the pleated skirt are so pretty.

Naughty but Nice

Sometimes we don't want to be classic or romantic but instead want a bit of an edge to our look so the next outfits are for you.

Anna Scholz @ Simply Be

Skirt // Top

I am in love with this skirt and top combination. I may have to invest in the skirt as soon as possible as I would enjoy wearing the hell out of it!

Asos Curve

I love this dress, I am not sure I could pull it off! someone seriously needs to wear this though so I can ogle them and admire how amazing they look!

These are just a few of my suggestions, but plus fashion really does have a lot to offer, take a look around and let me know if you get anything fabulous.

Mhairi

xxx

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

The frustrations of my Glasses

Why do I find picking new glasses so frustrating and anxiety inducing. The eye test part is ok, but the picking the glasses part I get stressed and worked up, I am not even sure why I took me over and hour today to choose one pair it was ridiculous, luckily Marc came after work to help me make a final decision or I might have just walked out!

I went to sSpecsavers who have quite a big selection but I have quite a wide head and so many just don't fit me. In the end I found 3 candidates for my glasses, I will show you the two I didn't go for.

I really liked these but I always go for red frames so faced a change.

These frames are black and I really like them but felt a little bit big on my face.

The service at Specsavers Hertford was fabulous as always, as usual it was just my pickiness that took so long but they just let me look around and try on pretty much every frame they have. I will show you the ones I finally chose from tuesday next week when they start appearing in my outfit posts, I also chose a fabulous pair of sunglasses which I can't wait to wear out, no more squinting from me!

Am I the only person who dreads picking new glasses?

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.

Image Source

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! 

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

Image Source - newlook.com

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.

Dear Kate Review

This post is a little different from my usual posts and will talk about lady gardens and Periods so if thats not your thing you can move on from this one.


Dear Kate recently came onto my radar and I was so impressed by their products I knew I had to let my readers know about them, and received a pair from them to try out. If like me you have to resort to the dreaded Period knickers every month these are for you! No more scaling the dregs of the knicker draw to find pairs we don't mind ruining or that are already stained by our monthly cycle.
Dear Kate have been designed by chemical engineer Julie Sygiel, who decided that there had to be a better way, the technology behind the underwear is currently patent pending but it is beautifully soft, wicking, stain releasing, and leak-resistant, meaning no more period disasters and for ladies who suffer from leaking urine it is perfect. Head on over to the Dear mates website HERE to find out more about the technology it really is fascinating.

One of the things about Dear Kates that I really do love is how beautiful they are, they a pretty stylish and comfortable, a long way from the usual big period knickers I usually resort to. They come beautifully packaged, and while the price tag is more than I would usually pay for knickers I have to say after wearing them on my heaviest cycle day and them washing perfectly with no staining I would be more than happy to invest in more pairs.

Queen Size Rosa Brief Mini

They do look gorgeous on! The model is stunning!

Source - Dearkates.com

The price may be a bit steep for some and it is likely out of my price range, but I want to try to order myself more as soon as I can and will likely go round flashing my knickers to everyone I know telling them how fab they are!

They also offer a sorts range which are amazing! but at the moment it ends at an XL I hope they extend there sizes as exercising is one of the times we are most likely to leak! the range that does go to a 3X is gorgeous, I just hope they offer some sexier options soon, as I know some plus ladies like to wear a thong or smaller styles.

I honestly would recommend these to every woman, I am in love!

Mhairi
xxx

Bonmarche - Paisley Print Maxi

I was contacted quite a while ago and asked if I would like to pick something from Bonmarche, it is a brand I am aware of as my mum buys her work trousers from them, but I had never really looked for myself. I hopped online to take a look and was very pleasantly surprised, they really do offer some gorgeous pieces, the stores don't seem to carry as much of the younger pieces and its a shame as the selection online is fantastic.

I am currently in love with two of the David Emanuel Dresses

Zig Zag Dress

I love the zig zag stripes of this one, I would like to try the longer length in this one as I like my dresses floor length, the standard as you will see came up fairly short on my and I am only 5'2".

Textured Colour Block Dress

If you like a body con dress this one is gorgeous, the texture of it is lovely and monochrome is always a hit!

I chose the Paisley knot front maxi dress, the gorgeous pattern and colours drew me to it instantly, I don't shy away from pattern and this one is fab.

Dress - C/O Bonmarche // Cardigan - Simply Be  // Bag - Just Fab // Shoes - Clarks

It was a chilly evening so I slipped it on with my fluffy knit Cardigan and went out with my new bag from Just fab. You can't really tell from the photo but the dress shows about an inch of ankle which is not what I would usually go for but it is long enough that I can wear it, next time I will just go for the long length and shorten slightly if needed.

This is my pretty bag I purchaced from Just Fab, I will give you more details about this in another post soon. 

Take a look at Bonmarche! I am converted their are a few items on my wish list now.

The Dresses are fabulous so head on over HERE and take a look.

Mhairi

xxx

Disclaimer: The dress was given free of charge for review purposes, all views are my own.

What to Wear to Work with Fashion World

I firstly want to apologise to Fashion World and my readers for taking so long to get this blog post together, I have been very unwell recently, trying to adjust to new medication, and just trying to function, after finally being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, hopefully I will be here now more regularly that I am functioning slightly better.

Office wear is something I hate buying! I rarely work in a job that requires me to wear suit anymore and I find office smart/casual impossible to balance most of the time. I always seem to swing to far one way or the other. 

I have recently been working for my local county council on a part time basis, and the dress code was office smart/casual! I found that people seemed to dress in a huge variation of styles of dress around to offices, some were super smart and some far too casual for my taste.

When Fashion world offered to let me pick an outfit for the office I was very excited, it was a chance for me to see if I could pull off the elusive smart/casual mix!

These are the items I chose

Doctors Bag

This bag is really lovely, it is smart without looking too dressy, which is fabulous!

Colour Block Boyfriend Cardigan

I love this cardigan and it is perfect for work with smart trousers as much as it with jeans.

Tile Print Dress

I went for a printed dress in monochrome as I just seem to love the look, it comes in 3 lengths which is brilliant for all the short and tall girls

So how did it all work out?

I love this dress, it fits beautifully, love the tile print pattern and it is going to be brilliant for the Spring and summer, this is how I have been wearing it recently, for work I would normally wear it with tights, but I had just ripped a massive hole in my last pair so this is it teamed with my leggings. 

I am wearing it with my Fluffy Cardigan which you can also get through Fashion World as I prefer the look of it with the black cardigan over all. It doesnt look bad with the Cardigan and I adore the cardigan I just love it with my trousers for work more.

Here is the dress with the Cardigan and the Bag, it looks lovely but just not perfect for me, I do highly recommend it though as I live in it both at work and at home with various other outfits.

Head over to the Fashion World Work Wear Promotion HERE, they have picked out some gorgeous outfit choices for the office and shop all the work wear options HERE

I am loving there blazers and may need to get one for the spring as they can be an ideal alternative to a coat as the weather improves.

Do you have a work wear staple, one you find pulls all your outfits together, let me know. 

Mhairi

xxx