Christmas Gift Guide - "Style My Family" with Bad Rhino and Yours Clothing


As much as I love shopping, Christmas shopping is a whole different kettle o' fish.  I used to find it theraputic but as time goes on and people get older, I have found that shopping for my nearest and dearest has become one of the most daunting experiences of the year. 

I mean every body already HAS everything!

...except...

CLOTHES
Everyone needs clothes!
(unless you are me...I don't need clothes...I have far too many clothes...*please don't buy me clothes*)

So I turned to Yours Clothing and Bad Rhino to help me find an outfit for my Mum, Dad, my other half and my daughter.

Shop Mum's Look: Top//Leggings//Boots
Mum has always been stylish and loves to dress up and look glam, but unfortunately due to her health she doesn't often get the chance to dress up.  Mum needs a comfortable outfit that still looks sassy, so I have chosen a pair of leggings, a comfy pair of boots and a gorgeous sparkly top (which comes with a free necklace!)  Mum likes to wear a longer top and she prefers flowy to fitted so I think this outfit is perfect for her.
Shop Andy's outfit: Jeans//Hoodie//T-Shirt//Plimsolls

Andy's personal style is very laid back and casual.  He spends all day in a suit so when he is at home his go-to look is jeans, hoodie and trainers. I didn't want to stray too far away from what I know he would feel comfortable wearing. Often he lets me loose when it comes to his clothes shopping, after all it's me that needs to look at him most ;)  So I would love to see him wearing this outfit.

Shop Dad's outfit: Jumper & Shirt Combo//Cord Trousers//Boat Shoes
Dad is pretty simple when it comes to clothing, he gets clothes pretty much every year and rarely bats an eyelid regardless of what we buy him. If I had to describe his style, I would say that he is quite casual on a day to day basis but when it comes to special occasions he will opt for a smart shirt and trousers. So I have chosen an outfit which I think is the best of both worlds.

Shop Mya's Outfit: Cold Shoulder Top//Coat//Black Jeans//Boots
Shopping for Mya is tough - I guess shopping for any teen isn't easy as they can be fickle.  Mya's style screams casual but when she glams up she goes all out.  I have chosen an outfit that I think Mya would happily rock of a weekend.  This outfit still has a young feel to it, but I actually love this outfit so much that I may buy it for myself too! We could be twinsies!!

Why don't you try and style your family...it's actually quite fun!!!

xXx

Disclaimer

Written in collaboration with Yours Clothing UK as part of #BETHEBLOGGER

Yours Shapewear - my honest review


I am a self confessed shapewear fan - for some folk it's not their thing and I do admit that it's a little like marmite to be honest.  Finding shapewear that isn't so restrictive that breathing becomes an issue is quite hard to come by and whilst good shapewear comes with advantages they unfortunately get their share of disadvantages too.

Today I'm gonna show you a slip dress from Yours Clothing.

 
I'm a fan of shapewear that allows you to wear your own bra as ones with a built in bra often don't fit well enough to provide the desired support.  This piece fits just underneath your own bra, so any size any style any colour of bra it doesn't matter as this piece just fits around it.


Size wise I opted to size down to an 18 in attempt to pull everything in.  In my opinion, I wear shapewear to create a smooth silhouette around my hips and waist and to smooth the line of any visible dip created by my undies.  I don't necessarily wear shapewear to hide or remove my VBO (visible belly outline) I accept that I have "Mya" (Yes - I named my pouch after Small Child) so it's futile trying to eradicate it, it's part of who I am and it's not likely to go anywhere.   This is advertised as "firm control" which honestly could be a lot firmer.  I would probably class this as more of a medium control, it's not restrictive in any way but does smooth out the lines enough to create a somewhat smooth silhouette.  
SHOP THIS SHAPEWEAR
Lengthwise this comes to about mid way down my thigh (about 3/4 inches above the knee) 
I am 5ft 4"  so for anyone taller than me they may struggle with the length of this.  The bottom of the slip doesn't have any silicone lining to help stop it rolling up, so unfortunately it does creep up throughout the day.  The slip has fully adjustable straps and the straps are thin enough and the back low enough to wear with a cami style top.

Rating:  Overall - 7/10

Potential improvements:  I would suggest either adding a silicone lining to the base of the slip to prevent the roll up situation or even create little hot pants/shorts with poppers (for easy toilet access) which would completely prevent the roll. I would also consider making the support of the fabric stronger as it is "firm" control.

Would I recommend these?  Yes, totally. It's not perfect, but it is functional.  It holds me in enough to wear under a body con dress.  They retail up to a size 28 and you can size down comfortably. 

xXx

Disclaimer
Written in collaboration with Yours Clothing UK as part of #BETHEBLOGGER

xXx

Dressing for my shape - with Yours Clothing

I've never really been one to conform to rules, so when "they" say I should wear this and that to suit my body shape I very rarely listen.  This is mostly because, I feel that everyone's body shape differs as do people's tastes and styles.  Telling me to find clothing to "flatter" my figure (which usually means hide my curves) just doesn't work for me and I am a firm believer in wearing whatever the hell you want to if you like it.



All that being said, I understand that people who struggle with finding clothes to fit them look to us bloggers for advice on how to find clothes that allow us plus size girls to accentuate and compliment all our jiggly bits whilst keeping on trend.  So, I'm gonna show you some of the struggles I encounter when shopping instead and tell you how I shop with these things in mind.

Firstly...

My height
I am 5ft 4 so finding trousers that aren't too long and don't end up needing me to take a trip to the tailors to make them wearable is real chore.  I am too tall by one inch to be classed as "petite" and regular is usually still that little bit too long to wear without alteration. This often results in me sticking with trousers like harem pants or tapered legs. As they are gathered at the ankle I don't need to have them taken up and even if they are on the generous side it matters not as I prefer these types of trousers to have a little slack in them (I like the baggy leg look)
Paisley Tapered Leg Trousers//Eyelet Detail Harem Pants

This usually extends to my choices for jeans too.  When I was younger, I often listened to what "they" had to say, followed trends in mags and on TV and opted for boot cut jeans. This only resulted in gross frayed and dirty edges to all my denim, I hadn't cottoned onto the wizardry of Wonderweb so all my jeans were ill fated. RIP bootcut jeans!
Nowadays - bootcut is a firm thumbs down for me. The wide bottom just does nothing for my short legs, just making them appear drowned in fabric and inches shorter than they actually are. When inches are so precious in the height department, I have none spare to give, so I have forged a firm alliance with the skinny jean and straight leg boyfriend jean.
Boot cut Jeans (if that's your thing) // Skinny Jeans

One trend that I adore but with my legs being so short I struggle to pull it off - Culottes.
This literally makes me soo sad! I love this jumpsuit and would love to rock it with some flat sandals or converse type pumps but alas, inches say no!  Shorties like me - fear not, there is a saviour.  You may not need to rule out these bad boys if you can just accessorise with a pair of killer heels or even a wedge heel!  The ONLY way I can gracefully pull of culottes is by offering the illusion of longer legs by adding heels. I usually opt for a bold colour heel to really make the outfit pop!

Culotte Jumpsuit // Tropical Print Heels
I like to accentuate my waist so I add waist belts to relatively simple tops to nip it all in.
My bestie Claire is wearing a Gypsy Style top// Waist Belt
Dress wise, I often opt for a bodycon. I refuse to be ashamed of my tummy, so I never shy away from a tight fitting dress.  I do like to create to smooth silhouette so I choose good supportive underwear and shapewear to accompany these dresses.  I love the way skater dresses taper in at the waist and often chose these too.

T-shirt style dress *Coming Soon* // Bodycon dress (ON SALE NOW) // AX Paris Lace Dress (ON SALE NOW)

I hope these picks will make you see that I very rarely stick to what the media says I should and should not wear.  I wear what I want and what I think looks good on me. The opinion of others about what I choose to wear doesn't phase me.  My Body My Rules!!

So do you know what that means for you?  You can do it too...when you shop, perhaps instead of looking for things to "flatter" your figure - why not decide if YOU like the item...if you do, into the basket it goes.  You will never know if you like something or not until you've tried it.  Just do it - if you don't love how it looks on, you can always return it.

Step out of your comfort zone - wear what makes YOU smile.

xXx

Disclaimer
Written in collaboration with Yours Clothing UK as part of #BETHEBLOGGER

xXx

Introducing Queens Phasion Studio....*Review*

Earlier in the year I was chosen to be the International Promo Model for a relatively new brand called Queen's Phasion Studio.  They are based in the USA and have a growing following over there. Nominating international promo models is a step towards global domination ;)

Shania Glover - the company's Founder is a lovely lady and she comes from humble beginnings which is part of the reason I applied to be her international model.

Shania's business runs primarily via her Facebook page and her website.  She doesn't offer a lot of stock at any one time, I presume this is down to it being in the company's infancy, but via Facebook she promotes items which if they generate a lot of press (i,e. likes/comments) she will make them available by pre-order.

I recently received two garments to play dress up with, both are items that I wouldn't usually opt for, but that's not a bad thing.  It's good to jump outta your comfort zone once in a while.  Both items were jumpsuits.  One in pink and the other in black.  Out of the two I prefer the pink but they are both lovely items. Both jumpsuits have a retro/70's feel to them.



The black jumpsuit (or romper for you US folk) is called "The Diana Jumpsuit" and can be purchased using the following link;  >>BUY Diana HERE<<<  

I'm wearing a 1x here which is the equivalent of 18/20 UK sizing.



I'm gonna have to be perfectly honest and say I'm not a huge fan of the bell bottom leg, but it's fit for purpose as it's designed to be a 70's throwback.  It's just not my thing.

The material on the legs is spandex (or lycra) and the top is polyester but has a chiffon type feel.

I'm not overly keen on the cut outs on each side, I would've preferred it to be "whole" 



The pink jumpsuit comes from their "Della Collection" and can be purchased using the following link;  >>BUY Della Jumpsuit HERE<<

This is way more me and I reckon I would wear this again on a night out perhaps with a waist belt and killer heels and some chunky jewellery. 



It's a jersey type material and is really comfy to wear so could easily be dressed up or down.

Again - wearing a 1x (UK 18/20)

Queens Phasion Studio does ship internationally with a shipping fee but the cost works out cheaper if you buy multiple items.

Please give them a little look-see...

Xx

Disclaimer
This product was 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.

Forever Unique Greta Dress

I simply adore this dress, I love every single thing about it from the cut to the fabric to the way it goes "swoooooosh" to the way it makes me feel!


This infamous dress has sparked the biggest dilemma in my 32 years on this planet! #FirstWorldProblems

I bought the dress from +Simply Be store on Oxford Street in the hopes of wearing it for a recent photoshoot but it wasn't really in line with the vibe of the shoot so it was not worn :(  


This dress is a statement dress and as it retails for £195.00 it's not something that I could warrant as an impulse keep. 


The dress is impeccably made and there is no doubt in my mind that it is worth every penny!  The colour is a gorgeous shade of coral/peach and the fabric is quite light but it is well lined underneath so it's quite a heavy dress. 

The cut was what I loved the most, it really flattered the chest area although it called for the lowest plunge line of a bra possible.  It really made me feel like a princess, so much so that I want my future wedding dress to have similarities to the cut.


As I loved the dress so much I thought I would get Mya to take a few pics of me in it for memories sake...I posted the pics on facebook & insta and I was not prepared for the feedback I got.  It very quickly catapaulted to my most liked & commented on photo, people were really loving the dress offering so much praise that it only made my predicament worse!

I have until 7th May to decide whether I want to keep the dress for a special occasion, I have a ball in July and the British Plus Size Awards in November but as I plan to continue with my fitness levels and have just embarked on a "drop a dress size" challenge, it could end up being too big come those events.

Help me people - do I return it or keep it?? 

What would you do??