Category Archives: brands I love

Late to the Game

01st September 2017

It’s probably not escaped anyone’s notice that off the shoulder has been a big trend over the last few months. As is standard with me it’s a fashion that I’m very slow on the uptake with, and it’s only now, thanks to a collaboration with online fashion retailer WearAll that I’m trying it out.

This post is the first of three in partnership with WearAll, a brand I also teamed up with last year. They’ve got some great on trend pieces in stock at the moment and everything is super affordable too.

Dress c/o WearAll (get it here) | Shoes c/o Lotus

This isn’t my usual style of dress at all, I’ve always dismissed it as being too young for me, or too dressy for the kind of life I lead. That and I assumed that the off the shoulder design would be irritating- it’s not in this case thanks to the addition of thin straps too. This is exactly why I love collaborating with brands though- a chance to try things I’d otherwise never get around to and discovering that actually, I can pull it off.

Teamed with these vibrant blue court shoes from Lotus this is the kind of outfit I’d wear for a date night with Bob. I can equally see myself dressing it down a bit with a pair of Converse or my pink puma trainers to make it more suitable for day wear. Either way I do really like this dress and it’s a welcome addition to my wardrobe. Long term readers will know I’m partial to a spot of floral and the colours in this dress make it ideal for the upcoming Autumn months.

Are there any styles you tend to avoid? If so, do you think you could be persuaded to give them a go? Let me know in the comments and stay tuned for the next of my WearAll outfit posts.

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, outfits, personal style

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Baring all with Quiz Clothing

25th August 2017

2017 has been the first year in a considerable while where I haven’t had a wedding or other special event to go to. I still love a cheeky browse of occasion dresses though, especially as one of my cousins got engaged at the weekend so there is definitely at least one wedding on the horizon.

I was recently contacted by Quiz Clothing who matched me with the dreamiest, most stunning dress- and whilst it might be a bit OTT for a wedding I’m very much hoping that I can find some cause to wear this other than prancing around the garden.

Dress c/o Quiz Clothing (here) | Shoes: Mary Portas at Clarks (old)

If I were shopping for a dress then nude wouldn’t be a colour I’d usually consider, I’d long ago dismissed it as a bit…naked looking if I’m honest and not something that would suit me.
Popping this sequin adorned maxi dress on though and I’m converted. For the time it took to get these photos I felt like a complete princess- I wish it was acceptable to dress like this every day!

The process of getting these photos did stir up a few conflicting feelings though. As I said, this dress really does make me feel like a princess but at the same time it clings, it sticks to curves I’m only just starting to see appear. It hammers home just how much my body has changed in the last few months and of course that is a bittersweet moment.

My main issue right now is that I’m only about 50 percent of the way through the weight gain process, but in my mind, thanks to the twisted grasp of an eating disorder I’m already there and beyond. Putting on an outfit like this can really play havoc with that mindset and it’s actually taken a huge amount of courage to post these photos due to how I see them vs. how I’m assured the rest of the world (well, my readers) will see them.

And still I persist. Onwards and onwards to a life where I don’t care that my arms aren’t stick like, that my stomach isn’t concave and my face is fuller. In the past I’ve always had in the back of my mind that if I don’t feel good at my target weight I can always go back- as warped as that sounds. This time I don’t have that. This time it’s final and I refuse to entertain ever going backwards again. It’s making this whole journey that much more difficult whilst I’m going through it- but the future? MY future? That excites me in ways I can’t even begin to explain.

Back in to the world of fashion & shopping now and I am absolutely loving some of the new arrivals on the Quiz Clothing website. I’ve always advocated them on the blog but right now there is literally SO much I want- if you’re looking for affordable and on trend wardrobe updates then do pop along and check them out…as you can see, they’re particularly good for a fancy dress or two.

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Posted in brands I love, dresses, fashion, life, life stuff, outfits, personal style, recovery, shopping

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Cosmic Vibes

17th August 2017

The other week, fuelled by good news for us both from work Mum and I popped on the bus and headed in to Cabot Circus for a long overdue girly shopping trip. It had been forever since we last managed to do this and it was so nice to spend some time browsing the new season arrivals, having a lazy lunch and generally catching up.

Of course one of our first stops was Monki, as ever they have some amazing pieces in right now- my wish list is huge. Sadly my budget is not huge so I had to limit myself to just a couple of bits this time round but I’m setting aside some money for another treat in the not too distant future.

Dress: Monki (here) | Boots: River Island

I absolutely love this print, it reminds me of outer space and the entire range of items with it on have made their way on to my wish list (how awesome are these trousers?)

I’ve said before how much I love Monki and their over-sized dress style, perfect for someone who’s still on the weight restoration journey and generally ideal for chilling out and relaxing in whilst still looking cool. I paired the dress with my rose gold ankle boots for a girly dinner date with my best friends but I’ve also worn it with my standard Converse/Pink Puma trainers for more casual vibes.

Do excuse the state of my hair right now. It is LONG overdue a cut and colour, the 29th of August cannot come soon enough! I decided to try and stretch it out for four months rather than three and the regret is hitting hard!

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Posted in brands I love, cabot circus, fashion, outfits, personal style, shopping

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Spreading Summer Fun with Macabella

04th August 2017
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of a delivery from Macabella, the makers of the most divine chocolate base spread ever. I’ve featured, and baked with the brand before as well as giving the spread itself a glowing review so I was more than excited to get the chance to work with them again.

By way of introduction for those who don’t know, Macabella spread is a heavenly fusion of chocolate and macadamia nuts which comes in two varities- velvet smooth and crunchy. It’s now available to buy from Ocado at £3 for a jar- and trust me, it’s well worth every penny.

This time the package included a curious selection of baking accessories along with the spread, including some silicone ice lolly moulds that just begged to be used. Therefore the first recipe I present to you today is for some Macabella ice lollies that use just two ingredients- so simple it can barely be called a recipe!
For these I quite simply took 1/3 cup of Macabella Crunch and 2/3 cup of milk the blended it all together until well combined. I then divided this between four ice lolly moulds- although I could have got six from it and popped in the freezer. I think probably these would have worked better with whole milk rather than semi skimmed but it’s really down to preference- they’d probably also work well with cream for a more indulgent treat! I left mine to freeze over night but did take some out after a couple of hours to pop on some decorations.
The second thing I made was these swirly muffins, inspired by my boyfriend musing about marble cake after we saw it in a coffee shop one Saturday. These turned out so well- the spread makes the cakes super moist and provides a good contrast to the sponge and they’ve already been requested again by aforementioned boyfriend. I used a recipe I found online here but obviously used Macabella (velvet this time) instead. They were really easy to do and I strongly recommend both this recipe and incorporating Macabella in to just about anything you might be planning to bake!
Let me know if you try either of these ideas out, or what else you think I should bake with the spread.

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Posted in baking, brands I love, food, lifestyle, recipes

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Brand Love: Yoshi

24th July 2017
I feel like this post is LONG overdue as I’ve been admiring Yoshi and their amazing array of accessories for a very long time now. I believe it was the queen of quirky, Char who first put me on their scent and ever since then I’ve obsessively stalked their instagram and website seeking out the latest arrivals.
But what makes this brand stand out within such a saturated market? I’ll start off with a visual example of why I love them so much…
Cats, biscuits, books, flowers and dogs are just a few of the cute characters you’ll find splashed across Yoshi pieces. With everything from handbags to glasses cases and key rings to coin purses this is one of the first sites I hit up when I’m looking for a gift with the personal touch for someone I care about, or to create massive wish lists of pieces I want for myself.

Yoshi is a small family business that has over 50 years experience in working with leather. With their timeless values of quality, craft and workmanship it’s clear that they truly care about what they do and this shines through in the accessories they produce.

It was an absolute privilege when Yoshi got in touch with me on instagram asking if they could pop a couple of cat themed pieces in the post to me. Just because, no obligations. The pieces came beautifully packaged in gorgeous printed dust bags and the attention to detail is just spot on. This is exactly why I love to support small businesses- you get that extra something that you just can’t replicate with mass produced goods.

There is definitely something for everyone in Yoshi’s work and I can hands down say you can buy from them with confidence. The key rings are a personal favourite of mine for gift giving purposes, and once I know I can trust him not to lose it I might well treat my boyfriend to one of their men’s wallets.

What’s your favourite piece on the Yoshi Website? I’m kinda feeling that owning a Jammy Biscuit bag is bordering on essential right now!

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Posted in accessories, brands I love, craft, fashion, shopping, wish list

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