New Hair Do

I finally got round to getting a much overdue and needed haircut today, (my last being December) and I am so pleased with it.

I tried out a new hairdresser today called Parlour Hair and had a lovely lady called Jerry cut my hair. Now I am not the most girly of people and since getting married last year I have reverted back to short hair but a lot of time hairdressers don't cut it short enough at the back- get the clippers out!!!
I explained what I wanted and away we went, she has undercut it so that the longer layers fall down over the shorter bits and if I want and add a quiff to show the shaved sides!

I love my new do and can't recommend them enough so if you live in or near Birmingham and want somewhere new to try- give them a go.

I loved it so much that after it was finished I headed straight to Primarni (I must have been mad to attempt this on a Saturday afternoon!) as I wanted some new bits to go with my new hair.

Here is the result let me know what you think.

xx

My son wanted to have his photo taken as well!

 Boots Primark
Shirt- Primark
Skirt- Primark
Disco Leggings Primark
Vest Peacocks
Necklace New Look
Glasses Gok Wan for Specsavers 

OOTD- Today's Work Outfit

I am fortunate that my place of work doesn't impose a strict dress code on us, as long as we are neat and tidy and well presented they are happy.

When I was younger I would never mix my casual and work wear outfits they always had to be completely separate, but as I have gotten older my outlook on this has altered.

A staple of my work wardrobe is leggings and boots, teamed with either tunic tops or dresses during the winter months, so today I decided to go slightly out of my comfort zone with a skirt I recently purchased from Primark.

It was a total impulse buy as I suddenly decided I wanted a skirt, although I had no idea what I would wear it with at the time. I got it home and tried it on ( I can't be bothered with the changing rooms at my local Primark) and was adamant I wasn't going to keep it as I just didn't think it suited me, so I shoved it back in the bag and promptly forgot about it until this morning.

I dug it back out and thought I will just try it with a vest and cardigan over the top and once on it looked better than it had before so I went with it!

Let me know what you think was I right to keep it?

xxx

Skirt from Primark
Owl print circle scarf Primark
Cardigan Peacocks Peacocks Cardigan
Leggings Peacocks
Boots Primark (I love these boots)
Vest from M&S
Owl necklace Primark

My fave boots

Little Black Dress

Although the Christmas Party Season is far from our minds at this time of year (having been replaced by thoughts of scrummy Easter Eggs), I was mooching about on my computer and stumbled across some photos from my works Christmas do and the fab dress I had.

Since getting married in September my whole diet and exercise regime had become somewhat forgotten as I no longer had the panic of a wedding dress to fit into so the dress I had planned to wear which was recycled from the previous Christmas do had become a bit too snug!!

Blind panic set in as me and party dresses do not always go together very well- cue mad dash round Birmingham trying to find something!

Suddenly I had a flash of inspiration- Debenhams surely they must have something somewhere, I marched in like a woman possessed and had my own version of supermarket sweep as I grabbed anything that looked even remotely suitable. I think I must have tried on nearly twenty dresses, everything from maxi dresses to a sequin mini dress and none were right- either too long, too short, too tight or unable to contain my cleavage!!

I had almost given up hope when by chance I spotted some dresses hidden towards the back of a rack (why do shops do that?), could this be the one?! It was a Butterfly by Matthew Williamson dress and I was in love! The style was perfect not too low neckline so my bra was covered, nipped in under the bust,draping across my tummy and three quarter length split sleeeves it was mine!! I was even happier as when I took it to the till it had 20% off the price.

All that was left was to find a show stopping necklace by accident I came across one in Peacocks it was the last one left and at £15 was more than I would normally pay for costume jewellery but I knew I wasn't going to find anything else as good.

Please excuse the photos but hopefully they give you an idea of the dress and it's fit.

(Handbag in the photo is Ted Baker- borrowed from my mum!)

xx

Work night out at Aston Villa FC!

Necklace from Peacocks (no longer being sold)

Underbust detailing

Back of dress showing exposed zip

OOTD

So I thought I would do my first ever OOTD to cheer myself up whilst it is so cold and snowy outside!

This has been a favorite weekend outfit of mine for quite some time especially as it contains one of my trusty oversized tops! 

The cardigan is from Miss Selfridge and was a lucky January Sale find last year, and the top from Peacocks was also a lucky sale find from the same time and the longline vest is from H&M Basics range. The jeans are jeggings from New Look's Inspire range which I bought about a year ago. My boots are from Primark and are my current go to boot for work and casual wear as they are great with jeans and leggings. 

The necklace is from New Look and was a total bargain as I got in a BOGOF promotion so ended up with two necklaces for £5.99! 

x

Wedding Fever

I was lucky enough to finally get married last year (after 10 years, one child and mortgage!) and I was quite calm about most of the preparations apart from when it came to the subject of my wedding dress!
As most brides will tell you the dress is often the most crucial element of the day as all eyes are on you and for most of us it is one chance to wear the dress of our dreams.
As soon as we booked the wedding date I started to diet and eventually managed to lose two stone before going to look at dresses for the first time. Even with the weight loss I was still very nervous as I still had a large bust (34J) at the time and was worried that most of the dresses would get anywhere near me. I had heard from various wedding forums that most stores only carried sample gowns in smaller sizes and I had visions of the staff looking exasperated as I tried dress after dress that wouldn't fit and I would be in tears!!

My one stipulation for the dress is that I didn't want a strapless one as I knew it just wouldn't work due to the size of my bust and also the fact that time and gravity have been less than kind! I didn't want to spend my whole wedding day in a panic that my dress would give way or that I would be tugging at it in a most unlady like way! I scoured the internet and did start to come across more dresses with straps but they were still few and far between I could feel my heart start to sink.

I booked myself an appointment with Berketex Brides in Birmingham and took my mum with me, as soon as we crossed the threshold of the store I knew I had come to the right place. The lady who looked after us was fantastic, I explained what I wanted and she left us to browse and select some dresses to try. To my delight I found three that were the sort of style I wanted and asked to try them on. Out of the three I tried only one wouldn't go on due to the fit of the dress but it was the final one that I fell in love with as soon as it went one. I didn't need to worry about it being too small as they fitted a modesty panel into the back so I could show my mum without hanging out the back of the dress!! I knew I had made the right choice when my mum looked like she was going to cry as I came out from behind the curtain!!

I really didn't think I was going to find it so easy to get a dress that fitted me and the alterations were amazing they fitted loops under the straps for me to stop my bra straps from showing and even tightened the arm holes so the sides of my bra didn't show. I felt fantastic in the dress and had amazing compliments on the day. In fact it so was so comfy I even managed to do some Zumba routines at the evening do!!!

I just wish I could wear it every weekend maybe I might put it on to do some housework!!!

xx

Potty about Peplums

I am firm believer of the "just because it is in fashion does not mean you should wear it" line of thought but sometimes this can leave me wearing the same types of outfits and not being as experimental as maybe I could be. So this leads me to the subject of the current Peplum trend, one I thought would have to pass me by whilst I stubbornly stayed in my trusty oversized tops. I always thought that as a busty lady they just wouldn't suit me.

So imagine my surprise whilst shopping in Dorothy Perkins for yet another pair of skinny jeans (my eternal quest to find some that fit properly) I spotted a peplum top on the sale rail in my size so I thought what the heck I'll try it on. 

Far from looking like the total horror that I thought it would it was very flattering and hid the wobbly tummy that I hate so much and go to great lengths to hide at all times! So yes I admit it I am now officially a convert to the Peplum trend, but the only downside is it is one more thing for me to add to my already bulging wardrobe!

xx


Shop the post

Bag by Guess (did I also mention my handbag obession)
Shoes from Primark- last year.

Dorothy Perkins - Jeans Superskinny
Dorothy Perkins 

Girls Night Out

It may be cold and snowy today but I have decided to cheer myself up with a bit of outfit planning for my forthcoming night out with the girls. I don't go out very often so when I do its usually a mad panic of ransacking my wardrobe deciding I don't like anything and then scouring Ebay for something to wear!
This time I came up trumps when I found a fantastic Praslin skater style dress which was just begging me to buy it, so I did!

 I love the embellishment around the neckline and as a busty lady I normally stay away from higher necklines but this time I think it works.
The belt is from Primark and it has a very cute heart and key which hang down to give it bit more interest, I don't always like to wear belts as I am naturally quite high waisted and they always end up right underneath my boobs but I decided to try it for a change.
Anyone who knows me also knows that I am completely useless in high heels and even on a night out clubbing I very rarely wear them hence my wearing flats, which are from Peacocks.
My one and only criticism of this dress is that under my arms you can just see the side of my bra which is a common problem for me with sleeveless or short sleeved tops and dresses due to the fit of my bras but its a small thing and once I have a dark bra on I wont notice it so much.

If you want to shop the post here are the links:

Amazon  for the dress

Peacocks for the shoes.

Anyway will let you all know how the night out goes and what reactions I get to my new dress.

xx

Welcome one and all!

 A few months ago quite by accident I discovered the wonderful world of fashion bloggers, specifically those blogging about plus size fashion, and it got me to thinking could I possibly write a blog about my life as a plus size lady - well lets find out!

As you can see from the title my name is Nikki and I am 37 years old and mum to a nearly six year old son and I love fashion, everything from couture to Primark! The problem I have had in the past is that fashion doesn't always seem to like me no matter how much I try.

I had resigned myself to a life of scavenging through the rails for that elusive larger size top or jeans in amongst all the size 10's that sat there mocking me, that was until I came across plus size fashion blogs with women of my size and larger wearing amazing clothes and looking fantastic, if they can do it then why not me?

So here I am please bear with me whilst I find my feet (hard to do when you wear a 34K bra!!) and get this blog up and running.

Love
Nikki
x