Perfect Partywear at M&S

Recently Marks and Spencer got in touch with me asking if I’d like to collaborate on a partywear solutions feature involving real women and real shapes.
The idea was to choose a party dress and piece of lingerie or shapewear to suit your body type and requirements for a party outfit. I was so up for this and decided to use my height and lack of boobs to be the focus of the post.
Shoes: Matalan
Cat Ears: Topshop
Owl: Primark
The dress is actually part of the “drop a dress size” range which wasn’t really my intention. I did want a streamlined shape from the dress though so the supportive features helped. What I really liked was the length. As a tall girl it’s nice to be able to pull off something that sits on the knee without looking stumpy. Of course I could have gone for a maxi dress, but I’ve had one too many incidents of falling over the hem of those!
For the lingerie part of my outfit I chose this push up bra although it hasn’t given a dramatic effect because there wasn’t much there to start with. It has given a subtle lift to my assets though and stopped the neckline of the dress gaping.
Flat shoes were a no brainer for this outfit right now due to what’s going on with my body but if heels had been an option it would have been these sparklers from Sarenza just to finish the look off. Thankfully one of the benefits of height is that you can get away with party flats without it destroying the effect of the dress.
A huge thank you to M&S for the dress and bra. I may not be partying this season but the dress is a classic and one I envisage wearing time and time again, and I’m sure as I put on the remaining weight I want to gain the push up bra will come in to it’s own. It has the added benefit of being a multiway bra so will go under countless outfits.
This was a really fun project to take part in and I may not have gone for the most exciting of options but it certainly worked well for me as I felt confident and happy- that’s what matters most when going out right? Comfort and confidence. That’s the key to a good night!
What are your party staples? What styles suit your shape best?
xxx

All Dressed Up

Dress c/o Chi Chi
Shoes- Matalan
Oh I do love this dress, another absolute beauty from Chi Chi, my go to place for party dresses. It’s a shame I won’t actually get to wear it to any parties this year, but I am letting Mum borrow it for the work party so it’ll get the showing off it deserves. I’ve amassed quite a collection of party dresses now and I have nowhere to wear them, a bit of a shame but there is always next festive season (last year it was crutches, this year my back…I must have a less painful year next year, right?). It’s the work Christmas party tonight actually and instead of sitting down to a three course festive feast and dancing the night away I’ll be sat at home watching rubbish TV, eating a far less festive dinner and thinking of the boy who has his Nana’s funeral today. I was lucky enough to meet her in the Summer and I’m so thankful I had that chance, she was a wonderful woman who’s spirit will live on through her amazing family.
I’m still getting used to wearing more fitted dresses. With gentle nagging from those I see on a regular basis I’m trying it more often and slowly getting used to a fuller figure and making the best of it. One of these days I won’t care and will go for it anyway! This particular dress fits like a dream and I can’t get enough of the burgundy and gold colour combination…so festive and so opulent. Perfect.
How many parties are you off to this month? Where did you find your perfect dress? Still hunting? Why not give Chi Chi a try. I’m yet to be dissapointed with anything from there.
xxx

Secret Santa Solutions with Find Me a Gift

Find Me a Gift has long been one of my go-to sites when looking for something a bit unusual to give as a present. I’m mostly done with my Christmas Shopping, the one I’m stuck on is the office Secret Santa. We do it every year and most years I am lucky and get some one I know quite well, I don’t yet know who I have this year but having been off sick for a while now it’ll be sod’s law it’s somebody I know very little about (getting one of the GPs is the hardest, they have everything!)
Anyway, I was having a browse and decided to compile a little list of solutions for anyone else who’s facing the same scenario. Everything is under a tenner (our office budget) and if if nothing on my list suits your recipient make sure to have a browse of the website yourself as I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to suit your needs, also well as a whole host of stuff for yourself- it happens to me every time!
Knit your own Hello Kitty, £9.99. I have one of these although I’m yet to learn to knit but it would make the cutest gift for the crafty one at work.

Bomb Cosmetics Bath Melts Chocolate Gift Set- £8.99. I love Bomb! It’s the one brand who makes this kind of thing that I’m not allergic to. I think things like this always make a good gift.

ABC Cookies Gingerbread Man Cutters- £6.99. Again this is the kind of thing I’d love to recieve myself and when really stuck that’s what I base my gift choices on. These are just too cute and funny. For the record Gingerbread men are best eaten head first!

Emergency Food Tin- £7.99 and perfect for the office snacker. Or the person who always brings in the biscuits. We could do with one of these in our office. Often we get situations where the only solution is something sweet.

Tetris Heat Changing Mug- £6.99. For the bloke who has it all.

Retro Sweetie Jar- 350g for £4.99 for the sugar addict. There are various sizes of these available under a tenner…sweets make the perfect gift, trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of buckets of sweets lately thanks to some wonderfully kind bloggers and a rather lovely PR.

Test Tube Shot Glasses and Rack- £8.99 for the office geek, or anyone who likes a drink and has a sense of fun.

Fashion Origami Set- £4.99. For the clothes obsessed one. I had this set once and it was a great gift, it kept me occupied for hours (I’m pretty hopeless at origami it transpired!)
This is one of those posts where my list could have gone on for years. What are you thoughts on Secret Santas? I saw a few blogger ones going on this year which looked like fun…
does your office do one? What’s the best/worst present you’ve ever received?
My personal favourite was some gorgeous gloves. I get super cold hands and lose gloves regularly so they were just perfect.
xxx

Festive Beauty: Fabulous Frocks, Glamorous Locks and Luscious Lips (a guest post)

Christmas is perfect for getting glammed up; choose a statement dress, a fabulous hairstyle and lip enhancement gloss to make an impact this year.Let’s face it ladies, we all want to look our very best for the festive season; what with all the parties to attend over Christmas and New Year, plus all the loved ones we have to visit, it’s the perfect time to glam up and take to the spot light!

The outfit – simple yet sassy

So first things first, you have to choose the perfect outfit: you need a hot look for the work’s night out, a cute little number for Christmas Day and something sparkly for the New Year celebrations.

Choose a simple bodycon dress for your work’s night out: a block red or black colour always looks great for the festive season. Team this with thick shimmery black tights, black patent heels and a glitzy clutch for full effect.

Now, for Christmas Day, you want something comfortable (ideally with a forgiving waistband for all that food), but something that still looks great in those family pics. Grab yourself a pair of well-fitted black leggings and wear these with some gorgeous knee high boots and a cute Christmas knit – you’ll look adorable!

And finally, to complete the party season, you need a killer look to welcome in the New Year; select a super sexy midi dress fit with sequins or sparkle. Offset your dress with sky-scraper heels and a simple clutch.

The hair – effortlessly chic

Your outfits are sorted, but now you need to decide on some knockout hairstyles. For the work’s Christmas party, you want something that makes you look totally different to how you do at the office, so why not backcomb the roots of your hair for super volume and add gorgeous, bold curls that can cascade over your shoulders? You’re guaranteed to turn the heads of your colleagues with this look!

For Christmas Day, you want something that’s quick and easy to create; style your locks into a bang-
on-trend fishtail braid to keep your hair out of your face while you open all those gifts whilst still looking incredible.

Turn up the glamour for your New Year’s hairstyle; choose a beautiful bouffant which oozes volume and accessorise it with a delicate hair ornament.

The makeup – flawless beauty

The finishing touch to your festive looks is of course the make-up; you want to look flawlessly beautiful without plastering on the paint.

For the office party, select a statement lipstick and keep the rest of your makeup minimal. A juicy, glossy red would look fabulous with your bodycon dress; top this with a clear plumping gloss for ultimate lip enhancement and an irresistible, kissable look.

On Christmas Day, you don’t want to fuss too much with your cosmetics so keep it simple with a touch of black liquid liner, a sweep of mascara and some clear gloss.

Turn up the glitter for your New Year’s celebrations with a lovely gold or bronze shimmery shadow and a pale shade of lippy.

So, ladies, those are our picks for some super hot looks this festive season, but how will you be getting your glam on this year?


Author’s bio: Do you long for luscious lips? Call 0333 577 9293 for a free lip consultation or go and see Dr Rob himself, the expert in lip enhancement. Perfect Lips, based in Pencoed, South Wales, provides pain-free lip injections and some of the best lip fillers UK wide.

The ULTIMATE Christmas Advent with Spy Love Buy

Starting from today, December 1st there is a mega month of giveaways going on at Spylovebuy.
For 25 days there will be an amazing array of giveaways, prizes and offers including an ICE watch worth £150, a festive One-Piece onesie, spa vouchers and exclusive beauty sets. There will also be extra special discounts on a range of shoes and boots from the Spylovebuy website (which is an amazing excuse to pick up some party shoes, right?!)
To give you a little taste of what’s to come here are the first three days worth of prizes:
1st December:
To launch our Ultimate Christmas Advent Calendar with 25 days of Giveaways, we are kicking off by giving away a pair of these gravity defying platforms!
Stand out from the crowd this Christmas, whether it be at a works Christmas party or a night out 
with friends, these sparkly shoes are sure to impress. The Kyleigh Stiletto Heel Platform Shoes 
in Gold Glitter are perfect with that little black dress. The 7 inch stiletto heel compliments a 3 
inch concealed platform.
All you need to do to win is go onto our Pinterest page then ‘follow and re-pin’’ the shoe image 
today before 10pm and the winner will be drawn from random.
2nd Dec- 3 for 2 on all boots (via website):
Details: For TODAY only we are giving away a free pair of boots to absolutely everybody, all 
you need to do claim your free pair is, add any 3 pairs of boots to your basket and you will pay 
for only 2!
Simply place your order online and at checkout the cost of the cheapest pair will be deducted 
from the total.
Please use the discount code XMAS342 at the checkout.
This offer is only available today and ends at midnight so please hurry.
((If you can’t think of what to do with three pairs of boots- HELLO!))
3rd Dec- Spa Voucher (like and comment-facebook)
Title: Christmas Advent Day 3: WIN a Bannatyne Taster Spa Voucher for 2:
 Relax and give yourself a break from the Christmas rush with a Taster Spa Voucher 
for two people at Bannatyne Spa in the UK. Includes one treatment each and use of the spa 
facilities.
Choose from one of the following mini treatments 1) Leighton Denny on the move Manicure, 
2) Heavenly Scalp massage 3) 15 min back massage 4) 15 minute Leg massage, 5) Welcome 
touch Facial (15 mins) plus access to the clubs facilities including extensive air conditioned gym, 
classes including Tai Chi, Pilates, Boxercise, aerobics etc. (which are subject to availability), 
Pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna and steam room. This voucher is not valid for use at Charlton House. 
Total treatment time is approximately 15 minutes per person.
To win this spa voucher all you need to do is visit our Facebook page and ‘Like and ‘Comment’ 
on the image. Enter today before 10pm. The winner will be announced on Facebook.
As you can see this promises to be an amazing event. I may well share more snippets as the month progresses but I highly advise keeping your eye on the social media channels I’ve linked to above as well as Spylovebuy’s twitter page.
Let me know if you enter, if you win anything and what you’ve bought with your amazing discounts!
xxx