#FWTHROWBACK COMPETITION

Good evening to my lovely readers. 

Fashion World got in touch with me and asked if I could let you know about a Competition they are running at the moment, They have teamed up with Best Daily Magazine to give you the chance of winning a £150 holiday shopping spree to spend on Fashion worlds fabulous swimwear and fashion. 

To win this fabulous prize they are asking you to recreate one of your throwback holiday pictures, I had a look through mine but I haven't been on holiday in about 10 years so had to go way back to a picture of me as a kid, I hid from cameras for most of my teenage years!

I did find a fabulous photo of me stomping along at the beach at Gaerloch North West Highlands, I am not really sure how old I am in the picture but it is a typical one of me! Now to recreate this photo I couldn't really make it to the beach so instead it is in my other favourite place to chill out, my garden, it is a mess at the moment as the lawn needs sorting but I sit out on my swing most days and just relax. 

So here is my Throwback picture!

My throwback beach attire is now my working in the garden outfit!

So why not have a go it is great fun looking back at all my old photos and there are some real gems!

Here are the instructions from Fashion World which you can find on the Competition link.

1. Find your vintage holiday photo and recreate it...

2. Follow us on Twitter @FashionWorld_UK or Instagram @FashionWorld_co_uk

3. Upload the old photo and recreation photo to Twitter or Instagram with the

hashtag #FWThrowback

4. Look out for our weekly winner on this page!

The competition ends Tomorrow 19th June at Midnight (GMT) so hurry if you fancy having a go.

Have fun and I hope one of you wins :)

Panache Swimwear - Review

I was recently gifted the stunning Tallulah Swimsuit from Panache to review, I was instantly attracted to the deep blue colour and the vibrancy of the print.

I love a good tankini but sometimes I like the simplicity of a swimsuit, especially when swimming at the local swim centre, bikinis and tankinis I find best for holidays.

The Tallulah is sized by bra sizes which for me is perfect, I have tried many dual sized swimsuits that say they are suitable for G-H cups and have found them to be useless.

My usual bra size is a 38H, but I find sometimes in swimwear that the back feels off so I asked for this to be sent in a 40H and it is perfect, it is supportive and comfortable, and encompasses my ample bust fully which when I am swimming for fitness is very important to me.

The back closes with a bikini clasp, I usually prefer a bra strap closure, but this one feels sturdy and like it will stand up to regular use.

The colours in real life really are gorgeous, I am not shy about colour in my clothing and blues are some of my favorites to wear, the solid colour side panels give a nice curve effect to my shape which is great if that is important to you.

This swimsuit is bright, colourful and fun, without being garish it isn't really one that lets you fade into the background, so if you want to be noticed and you are not afraid to be seen I highly recommend it.

Panache have an amazing range of swimwear and most patterns come in a full range of styles to suit everyones tastes, I have my eye on the high waisted briefs and the bikini top in the Tallulah at the moment, but I just need a holiday to wear it on.

What is your swimwear preference, Bikini, Tankini or swimsuit? 

Head over and take a peak at the Panache range, I think you will like it. 

I am going to leave you with a little list of my current favourite songs that are keeping me in the summer spirit.

My choices are weird compared to most but these are what I am listening to at the moment :)

Tenacious D - Wonderboy

Tenacious D - Tribute

Mumford and sons - Babel

Lady Antebellum - We owned the night

Biffy Clyro - God and Satan

Not your usual summer anthems I know but all me.

What is your summer anthem?

Mhairi

xxx

Fatshion Faceoff - Sunglasses and Sandals with a hint of swimwear

Sunglasses and Sandals with a hint of Swimwear

Fatshion Faceoff is here again, if you do not already know, each week we select an item of clothing we all have (Blue Jeans, stripped skirt ect) and we each style that item in our own way.

After the sad loss of molly from the team, who I hope one day will have enough time to rejoin us, this week we are being joined by the fabulous LuAnne of Weesha's World, when I found this out it got all nervous and excited as she is bloody fabulous and one of my earliest blog finds, I have been loving her style for so long now, she is going to kick my butt in the style stakes every week, but I hope I learn lots from her.

This weeks challenge is sunglasses and sandals, but as I couldn't take part in last weeks posts due to some amazingly bad mosquito bites I am combing this week with last weeks swimwear post.

Sandals - New Look Wide Fit

Sunglasses - Accessorize (Couple of seasons ago)

Scarf as sarong - Butterfly Park

I realised as I went to do this post I have no sexy sandals I must remedy this, I adore these ones but they do not scream sexy summer to me, they are practical and incredibly comfy though!

Our Garden Swing is my usual sunbathing spot, it is my next project as it needs repainting, but its so lovely to lay on and read a good book!

Swimsuit - Evans (reviewed)

I feel very comfy in this and could happily sunbath at the beach in it, this scarf is amazing, I find so many uses for it :) 

Pop over and check out how the other girls have styled this weeks challenge!

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

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

LuAnne: Weesha's World http://www.weeshasworld.com 

Mhairi: Lilybobombs Lovely Lumps http://www.lilybobombslovelylumps.com 

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

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

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

Simply Be SS12 Launch event

Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilage to be invited to the Simply Be SS12 Launch, it was such an amazing day and I saw some gorgeous clothing and underwear that I cant wait to get my hands on.

I will start my account of the day with my journey, which turned out to be so embarrassing and hilarious that it kept me going all day.
When I got off my train at kings cross and headed for the victoria line to get myself to oxford circus, I noticed my skirt was very swishy in the wind walking to the underground, but I didn't think anything of it.
I should have.... as I entered the platform for the victoria line, a train was just leaving the station add a big gust of wind flew down the tunnel, this resulted in my skirt flying up and over my head revealing my tights and knickers to the people on the platform, the guy nearest me was trying so hard not let me see his smile but to be honest I was laughing so hard I did not care.

My only thought was, well if I can survive that I don't need to worry about the rest of the day, and I really didn't.

I took a few photos from the event and more can be seen on the Simply be and Simply yours blog pages so make sure you check them out.

This is going to be a lot of pictures.

This gorgeous White and Red set jumped out at me the instant I walked int he room, I love a good polka dot, and this is a GOOD polka dot!

The shape wear all looked divine, with beautiful lace panels and sexy shapes so much nicer than the often boring black or frumpy looking sucky in bits of the past!

I need a holiday just so I can both of the retro inspired polka dot swimwear and also the other red/white/blue print tankini to the right, they looked absolutely fab!

All the other colours looked gorgeous too.

Chanos bra with the most gorgeous little details, so pretty.

The lovely Ceri from Curvyguru! 

These WILL be mine!

Finally a company is realising we don't all want to wear shapeless black tents!!

Pretty Bags and sandals for the summer.

My picture doesnt do them justice but these were such a gorgeous coral colour and the heel looked perfect, anyone inviting me to a summer wedding?

Lace and pink, felt gorgeous!!

Think I have found my summer maxi dress.

Loved how vibrant the colours are.

Loved this dress fat girls CAN wear white!

The girly pink flowers on this little shrug jacket were just gorgeous.

And the jumpsuit teamed with it, may have tempted me to give one a try, it felt soft but the material was heavy enough that it didn't feel like it was going to cling in all the wrong places and hang like a sack.

Not usually one for yell but I loved this blouse with its tiny black stars all over, think this will be added to my wardrobe as well.

And all of us bloggers together.
Back left to right Em from oh the places you'll go, Ceri from curvyguru, Naomi from Diamonds 'n' Pearls, Me, Georgina from fullerfigurefullerbust.
Front left to right Lauren from pocketrocket and Rosie from A rose like this.

All the wonderful people i met yesterday were so friendly and made me feel welcome, especially as I was a nervous wreck, I really hope I get to spend more time with them in the future as I had a fabulous day.

I would like to say a special thank you to Charlotte Simply be who has been so fantastic inviting me along and allowing me to select some gorgeous items from the current collection online at Simply Be for review.

So watch this space my reviews will be coming up in the near future.

Mhairi. xxxx