#PrincessMarchForPeoplesHearts

When Emma suggested that we get a team together of Pageant girls to take part in a 10k Charity Run for the British Heart Foundation, I paused..."Could I? Run? Me....Nah! I don't run....but I could try and walk it!"

I took part in a 5k walk before and it wasn't too bad so, I signed up. The longest I have ever walked was roughly 4 miles, so to push myself out of my comfort zone and walk an extra 2 miles on top of that would be a challenge.

Soon we had a team of +Miss British Beauty Curve Princesses ready to get involved.  We aptly thought of a catchy name "The Princess March for People's Hearts" and set about fundraising as a team.

We began the countdown to March 26th - the day of the British Heart Foundation's Regent's Park Run


A few of us bought T-shirts from Yours Clothing sporting the slogan "Being a Princess is Exhausting"
We all wore our sashes proudly, I even wore my Crown the whole way round!



We each individually set up fundraising pages to raise money and they fed into a team fundraising page. We each had a target of £100 each and we are still collecting. 

If you want to you can sponsor any of us here.

Our team at the beginning of the walk and us walking hand in hand towards the finish line.

Charlotte, Kim, Emma, Nicole, Tracey & Kat (Me)



I'm so proud of my girls, it wasn't easy. It was a long walk, we were one of the last batch of people out the gate and we were the last to finish.  BUT WE DID IT THOUGH!  We marched through the rain, some of us ran a little, one of us only signed up to do 5K but with team support we managed to get her through the full 10k!

I would like to offer a huge thank you to anyone who took the time to sponsor me, your donations are greatly appreciated.

xXx

Love is Louder than the Pressure to be Perfect

I have been meaning to write this post for ages. I knew the minute that I saw +Demi Lovato's image stating that "Love is Louder than the Pressure to be Perfect" that I wanted to talk about this as I feel that in this day and age there is so much pressure in society to be something else. 

This movement has been ongoing for sometime and it stems from The JED Foundations' project "Love is Louder."



Demi said;
“There’s a ton of pressure out there to meet impossible standards. To look right, be smart, be thin, talented and popular. And many of us feel like we have to be everything to everyone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. When the pressure to be perfect is overwhelming, find an outlet. I love to paint, but there are also other ways to relieve that pressure. You can sing, dance, act, draw, shoot photos, write or run.”

My take on this is very similar. I don't believe that conditioning ourselves to conform with societies ideals is the way forward.  We were born unique for a reason. I have witnessed so many confident displays of individuality, originality, beautiful imperfection and every statement is testament that love truly is louder.  So many people strive to please others to the detriment of their own self-worth.  Being happy is not a quality that should be sacrificed.  You may not always be everyone's cup of tea and that is okay. Strive to be happy and confident and dare to be different rather than blindly following trend. I personally don't think there is "perfection" as such, because people's idea of perfection is different.  I can be happy with my imperfection and that doesn't make me worth any less than the next person.  

We, as people are constantly changing, evolving and that is the nature of world. The few consistencies remain. We all deserve love, respect and require nurturing and support.  Confidence can come in waves. One day you could be abundantly overflowing with high self-esteem and the next day you could be feeling low and questioning your path in life. We are human. Emotive beings whose feelings sculpt our every move.  

I have found that surrounding myself with positive people, rebuking negativity and empowering others is my key to happiness. 


I have down days, I have parts of myself that I love less than others. I have personality traits that breed negative thoughts. I have people who doubt my capability or my intentions.  I strive to accept the things I cannot change and work hard to improve the things I can.  All the while I CHOOSE to be happy.  I choose to fk the haters!  I choose to uplift others so they can become the best versions of themselves possible.  I choose self worth, acceptance and most importantly I CHOOSE LOVE!

xXx

Wading in Florence's Pacific Blue - A Curvy Kate Review

When underwear fits & looks fantastic on it's an instant confidence boost.  I have spent so many years suffering with ill-fitting bras and enduring uncoordinated sets.  I refuse to settle for these things any more. I will continue to seek out comfortable, gorgeously designed, enticing and well-fitting lingerie for the larger lady.

Curvy Kate bring you a range of beautiful pieces in their #SS16 collection.
I have my eyes on a few of their Swimwear range too for my up-coming Summer Look Book.

Meet "Florence" or as I have nicknamed her; "Flo"



This set is such a striking blue. Flo comes in three colours; Pacific Blue (featured here) Blush (which is a dusky pink shade) and Black.


I'm wearing a size 38GG in the Balcony Bra and a size 20 shorts.  
The range fits from a 30 to 40, D to J Cups.
The shorts range from an 8 to 20.


I love the fit of the bra.  It's supportive enough to provide a fantastic lift with ample cleavage. The central "gore" fits flush against my sternum. Win!  With the migrated breast tissue "scoop & swoop" technique you can obtain a fuller enhanced fit, smoothing out any back bulges and by doing this technique regularly, you can eventually migrate the breast tissue back from whence in came.

You can pick up Flo and many other Curvy Kate selections from Brastop; their number 1 stockist.


Overall Summary: I'm a big Curvy Kate fan, I really recommend their bras especially if you have been fitted and know your correct CK bra size.
Rating:  7.5/10
Potential improvements: The fit of the shorts is not ideal.  With a tummy these are just not the greatest fit. The small v shaped cut outs on the shorts make for mildly indecent exposure.  Improve the fit of these shorts and you're on to a winner.
Would I recommend this? Yes to the bra - but I think the shorts in this cut wouldn't be in my basket again.

Hair & MUA: Kat Henry
Photographer: PK Photography
Disclaimer
These products were sent to me for review purposes. The review above is based on my own opinion of the product and I own all creative content of this post.

xXx

My Chi Chi Lingerie set from Panache

Chi Chi is THE prettiest lingerie set that I have ever laid eyes on, hands down. I have had a lot of people comment that it looks like a bikini, I agree, if it wasn't for the mesh panel at the back of the undies, you could totally rock this on a beach!

This is my first taste of Sculptresse by Panache lingerie and I am totally hooked.  The fit of this bra is fantastic.  The centre piece "gore" is flush against my sternum, this is quite a mean feat for me to get a bra that does this even when I move around or lift my arms up.


I'm wearing a size 38G in the bra and a size 20 in the undies. The undies are generous, no need to size down though as this may change how high-waisted they would be.


I love the high waist on the full briefs and the fuller cup gives amazing cleavage, what every girl strives for!

If you go to the Panache Lingerie website, you can add your postcode in and it will give you your closest stockist.



Overall Summary: This set makes me feel confident and sexy. The fit makes this bra a winner for me and combine that with the gorgeous colours in that print, it's perfect!
Rating: 10/10
Potential improvements: Use this print to make a kick ass bikini just make it a long-line bra!!
Would I recommend this? Yes I would, I'm eager to try other styles from the same brand to see if I have found my favourite. 

Hair & MUA: Kat Henry
Photographer: PK Photography
Disclaimer
These products were sent to me for review purposes. The review above is based on my own opinion of the product and I own all creative content of this post.

Lovedrobe Ladies Day


Being invited to join these gorgeous blogger girlies for a day of pampering hosted by Lovedrobe Clothing has been one of the highlights of 2016 so far.



We were invited to Manchester's MediaCity to the plush venue; On The 7th to indulge in Prosecco, nibbles and to sample Lovedrobe's new SS16 line.


We were made up by two fabulous make up artists Gemma & Dean from Rouge Noir Salon.
They were fantastic and made us all look like a gazillion bucks!

Gem & Dean doing their magic - Last photo courtesy of Lovedrobe


From L to R; Kellie, Emma, Kat (Me), Becky & Rosie
The bitesize nibbles were tasty, just a shame that due to dietary requirements not everyone could enjoy it! But the Prosecco went down a treat as did the mini millionaire shortbreads!




We got the chance to play dress up in many of the samples of the range. Here's a few of my favourites
Navy Shift Dress, Moon Print Cross Over Dress, Floral Print Crepe Shift Dress, Floral Print Swing Dress, Flower Print Cold Shoulder Dress

Sam wore Pink Textured Shift Dress, Becky wore White Floral Print Swing Dress, Perelandra wore Lace Contrast Dress, Kellie wore Floral Print Shirt Dress, Becky wore Floral Print Tie Waist Dress & Rosie wore Floral Print Crepe Shift Dress

Every dress I wore was a size 20 and even though I currently sit between an 18 and a 20, I always opt for the higher size with Lovedrobe clothes as they do come up small.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a few #selfies! Especially when Olivia turned up :)




After we had tried on pretty much the whole line between us we needed a bevvie to cool off so we nipped into a nearby bar for a quickie.


We had a fab day with the Lovedrobe ladies, thank you for having us xx


Left to Right: Perelandra, Sam , Kat (Me), Emma, Olivia, Kellie, Becky & Rosie
Photo Courtesy of Lovedrobe (c)


xXx


Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants; Meet Dannielle

Next up in the "Meet the Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants" series I bring you Miss West Midlands Curve; Dannielle
Name: Dannielle Brickley
Age: 25
Which area are you representing? West Midlands


Single/Taken? Happily taken.

What made you want to enter MBBC? I entered Miss Plus Size UK last year, fell in love
with the feeling of loving myself, and got pageant fever! I looked into a couple of
pageants and competitions, and this just felt like the right fit for me out of all the ones I
found.

Is MBBC your first pageant experience? No, I was a finalist in Miss Plus Size UK last year and it was an incredible experience that left me wanting to enter more.

Describe your character in 5 words: Hyperactive, understanding, open­-minded, sarcastic & confident.

You can earn extra points from making public appearances, have you made any so far? Do you have any in the pipeline? I haven't yet, but it's something I'm looking into.



What does winning the crown mean to you? The pageant experience itself means the
world to me. I love getting to meet so many amazing, like­minded women and I've found
myself really growing into a person I love. Winning the crown would just make an already
amazing experience even better, I'd be honoured and super elated to be crowned queen! I
spent so much time feeling down on myself, having zero confidence and at times wishing I
was someone else.  I'd love to be able to spread the message to other women that they are
enough, and winning the crown would give me a platform to do that from, it would honestly
mean the world to me.

Do you have any hidden talents? If I have they're hidden to me too!

Who are your sponsors? I don't have any sponsors as of yet.



If successful you would become one of our Sister Queens, what qualities can you bring to our family? An always open ear, ever growing confidence, and an appreciation for all different types of people. The MBBC queens are the sort of women I would have loved to have seen more of when I was younger, real role models, and I'd love to be a part of that.

What inspires you most about the MBBC Queens? The different stories and experiences that brought them to enter MBBC. I'm always inspired by the stories of strong women.

How have you found the experience so far? It's super exciting! I feel honoured to be part of a group of such beautiful women, it's empowering.

Are you looking forward to the 5th Year Anniversary show, have you started shopping yet?
I haven't started shopping yet, but my first shopping trip is happening very soon. I'm crazy
excited!



What message do you have for women who are thinking of entering in the future? I spent so long looking at pageants like this, and making excuses not to enter because I never felt like I was good enough. But you are good enough. If this is something you want, then you should go for it. I'm so out of my comfort zone doing this, but I love it. I've found a whole new side of myself through doing pageants, and it's a side that I'm really proud of. I've gained confidence, I'm making memories, and I honestly wish I'd gone for it sooner. If you're looking at MBBC and thinking about applying, then do it! I really don't think you'll regret it, I know I don't.

I wish you the very best of luck Dannielle
xXx

You can connect with Dannielle and be kept up to date with her journey;

Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants; Meet Velma

Next up in the "Meet the Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants" series I bring you Miss North London Curve 2016; Velma

Name: Velma Brown
Age:29
Which area are you representing? North London


Single/Taken? Taken

What made you want to enter MBBC? For confidence to make something of myself.  To be a part
of a community that understands how I feel  and to meet people who what to inspire others.

Is MBBC your first pageant experience? Yes

Describe your character in 5 words - A Mother, beautiful, hard working, positive and bold.


You can earn extra points from making public appearances, have you made any so far? No not yet.

Do you have any in the pipeline? No

What does winning the crown mean to you?  To me winning is not everything because I think I have
already won as since I find out I am a finalist I have gained so much confidence,  I even got a job
and it's something I did not have the confidence to do. Winning the crown would be the
biggest achievement of all apart from my babies.  I am super blessed to even be a part of MBBC.



Do you have any hidden talents? I can dance, and I am really good a doing hairstyles.

Who are your sponsors? My family

If successful you would become one of our Sister Queens, what qualities can you bring to our
family?  My "can-do" attitude, I don't know really I just want to help others feel good about themselves the way I felt when I discovered the plus movement.

What inspires you most about the MBBC Queens? That they are all plus size woman all beautiful and confident very caring ladies.



How have you found the experience so far? Amazing

Are you looking forward to the 5th year anniversary show, have you started shopping? Oh yes for sure,  I can't stop shopping before I used to buy clothing that was 4 sizes too small for me because I kept thinking I am going to fit in them one day. Now I buy my actual size and that is  because of MBBC.

What message do you have for women who are thinking of entering in the future?  Go for it.  It's
the best thing I ever did.  Society can make you feel like you have no need to live but since I
discovered the plus size community I no longer have the need to hate myself.  So many times I
attempted to take my own life at the age of 14, 23 and selfishly age 28.  Even though I had my
kids I felt worthless and fat. I felt like I was not a good mum; all I would do is sleep eat sleep eat.
Come to think of it I first discovered plus size modelling because of Kat Henry on Twitter then I
Googled Ms Curvaceous and it all started from there.  Now every day I Google plus size fashion model  anything to do with plus size I just wanted to stop feeling sorry for myself and start loving me.
If I can help one person get rid of bad thoughts I have achieved something.  Be bold be
beautiful because it is what it is.  We are beautiful just as any other women in the world.


I wish you the very best of luck Velma
xXx

You can connect with Velma and be kept up to date with her journey;

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annmarie.brown2/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bf9b9b934ec247b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/munchy45/

'Aint no party like a #113Party

Last Friday gave us bloggers/models a chance to shake a leg or two.

The clothing brand +OneOneThree hosted their very own #113Swim launch party to showcase their new swimwear line.

The venue was uber cool; a oasis style loft apartment.  Pieces of the range dangled teasingly above us to look at but not touch!  (Such a shame - I wanted to try it all on!!)  I would love to comment more on the range, but other than a view from afar that was the extent of our interaction with it.  The team wore some of the range too so we got a sneak peak at some of the new #SS16 line too.


So if we're not here to sample the range what exactly are we here for? Well, we came to PARTY!

OneOneThree laid out the food and kept the cocktails flowing all night long, add to that bangin' tune selections from Mysterious Vybez.  They also had a photo booth - like we need any excuses to take photos!

It was cool to spend the night partying with these blogger babes, don't they look amazing!

Left to Right - Kat (me) Top - Michaela, Bottom - Nancy, Top - Lucie, Bottom - Lottie

Photobooth fun with Lauren, Felicity, Lottie & Lucie

Top - Bloggers; Lauren, Chloe, Lucie, Michaela, Lottie, Nancy & Chanelle  Bottom - Felicity, Lottie & Lucie & Bottom right - OneOneThree Ladies

You can check out my full album of photos here

It was a fantastic evening of celebration of hard work from the team and I had an awesome night!

Can't wait for until the range is launched so I can sample it for myself!

Thanks for having me xx







Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants; Meet Cara


Next up in the "Meet the Miss British Beauty Curve 2016 Contestants" series we have returning contender, Miss Essex Curve 2016; Cara

Name: Cara 

Age: 22
Which area are you representing? Essex 


Single/Taken? Single :)


What made you want to enter MBBC? To gain more experience and confidence and to meet new people,also to show that everyone is beautiful.



Is MBBC your first pageant experience? No I was lucky enough to be part of MBBC 2015 and loved it.



Describe your character in 5 words: Caring, Determined, Considerate, Happy and Quiet but that will soon change ;)



You can earn extra points from making public appearances, have you made any so far?  Do you have any in the pipeline? I have a couple of appearances that I'm going to do such the Regent's Park Run with all the other lovely ladies.



What does winning the crown mean to you? It would be amazing, and show how far I've come and build my confidence  but if I didn't win it's still an amazing experience.



Do you have any hidden talents? Erm I can bake and do some make up like the basics haven't learned how to contour yet though.



Who are your sponsors? I'm currently trying to talk to someone about sponsoring me. 



If successful you would become one of our Sister Queens, what qualities can you bring to our family? That I am kind, and would care about all the ladies, I would also be there if they ever needed anything.



What inspires you most about the MBBC Queens? That they are so confident and that they show other women body confidence.



How have you found the experience so far? It's been amazing I'm so glad I applied again, it's lovely talking to all the other girls and seeing them soon.



Are you looking forward to the 5th year anniversary event? Have you started shopping? Definitely :D it's going to be such a great time. I've got a dress but that's about it at the moment.



What message do you have for women who are thinking of entering in the future? 
Do it even if you have little confidence go for it, you will be amazed how one evening can change your life and you meet so many beautiful ladies who turn out to be really good friends and so supportive of each other.




I wish you the very best of luck Cara.
xXx

You can connect with Cara and be kept up to date with her journey;

Modelled by Role Models with Panache

If you were asked to nominate a female role model who inspires you, who would you choose?

Would you think immediately of a family member, friend, colleague or would a celebrity spring to mind?

For me, I find it very difficult to pick just one person.  This is simply because throughout my life I have been surrounded by many extra-ordinary women, who have inspired me in many ways.

As it is International Women's Day today, I offer a small ode the two most important women in my life...

My Mother is my rock. She is a kind, generous and strong woman. She has been through so much in her life and even when we feared she may not survive she has proven us all wrong.  I will eternally be grateful for the values she taught me as a child and the unconditional love she continues to show me.

My daughter is my world.  She is wise before her years, growing into a beautiful woman.  I am so proud of her achievements and abilities.  She has a heart of pure gold and a fantastic sense of humour.

I have teamed up with Panache to tell you about their campaign; 
"Modelled by Role Models"

It was this very quote that made me want to shout from the roof tops...YES! Finally - a chance for everyday people to be recognised for their extra-ordinary traits.

So here is your chance to tell the world who YOU consider to be your hero, who has inspired you to be a better version of yourself. Who inspires you daily.  Who do you look up to and admire?

It can be any female person, someone you know or someone you admire from afar.

The campaign launched today and the closing date for nominations is April 3rd.  

All you have to do is click HERE to nominate your chosen role model, you will be asked to provide a picture of your chosen person and write a short paragraph on why you're nominating them. 

Panache will then short-list 15 nominees as finalists.  The public will join a Panache judging panel to find the final 6 role models. Winners will be asked to take part in the ‘Modelled By Role Models’ photo shoot which will feature on the Panache's website & various other outlets.
 

The winner of Modelled by Role Models 2016 will receive:
  •         A year’s supply of Panache lingerie (total 12 sets)
  •         A starring role in the Modelled by Role Models photo shoot in London, including two tickets to a West End show, and travel and accommodation for two people
  •         A set of prints of the best images taken at the photo shoot

This is a fantastic opportunity to pay it forward. Let's take a minute to commend the positive role models around us and empower other women to do the same.


xXx