The lovely Kaye @ Polished Curves mentioned on her blog that she had decided to do a blog post every day for the month of May and invited other bloggers to take part so I thought why not as a relatively new blogger it seemed like a good challenge!!
In total there are four of us lovely ladies taking part and the other three are:
Kaye @ Polished Curves
Beka @ Bekas Stuffy Stuff
Toni @ The Only Way is Toni
Wish us all luck and don't forget to come and see how we all get along during the month
Nikki
xxx
Monday, 29 April 2013
Friday, 26 April 2013
Loving the Shrug!
I have always been a fan of cardigans in fact as i was getting ready to start this post I sat down and made a list of the cardigans I have and the total was 16!!! I cannot believe that I actually own 16 cardigans and what is probably worse I don't actively wear that many of them.
Now despite owning so many cardigans the one thing I didn't have was a shrug, that was until the lovely Kathryn over at MissKathryn's MissTakes pointed me in the direction of Excite Clothing after I had admired the ones she had been wearing on her blog posts.
As I have previously mentioned due to the size of my bust sleeveless dresses nearly always end up with my bra escaping on each side so a shrug is the answer to my prayers!
About a month ago hubby treated me to a lovely polka dot dress from Primark and the shrug goes perfectly with it and hides my bra at the sides making me one happy girl!
So if you haven't yet then please consider giving a shrug a home!
Also please go and take a peek at MissKathryn's MissTakes blog for some fabulous fashion.
xx
Now despite owning so many cardigans the one thing I didn't have was a shrug, that was until the lovely Kathryn over at MissKathryn's MissTakes pointed me in the direction of Excite Clothing after I had admired the ones she had been wearing on her blog posts.
As I have previously mentioned due to the size of my bust sleeveless dresses nearly always end up with my bra escaping on each side so a shrug is the answer to my prayers!
About a month ago hubby treated me to a lovely polka dot dress from Primark and the shrug goes perfectly with it and hides my bra at the sides making me one happy girl!
So if you haven't yet then please consider giving a shrug a home!
Also please go and take a peek at MissKathryn's MissTakes blog for some fabulous fashion.
xx
 |
| Wedges from New Look (last year) |
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Blog Sale Buys!
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to buy two dresses from the lovely Hanna over at the The Wardrobe Challenge when she had a blog sale and have been meaning to do a blog post about my purchases so here it is!
I bought a Primark houndstooth skater dress and a dipped hem dress from ASOS curve, and now that my lovely belt which I picked up in the ASOS sale has now arrived I have the perfect accessory to go with them.
Also be sure to go and check Hanna's blog out at The Wardrobe Challenge.
So here they are:
(Sorry for the not so great pictures- hubby wasn't on hand today to take photos!)
xx
The belt is still available to buy at ASOS
I bought a Primark houndstooth skater dress and a dipped hem dress from ASOS curve, and now that my lovely belt which I picked up in the ASOS sale has now arrived I have the perfect accessory to go with them.
Also be sure to go and check Hanna's blog out at The Wardrobe Challenge.
So here they are:
(Sorry for the not so great pictures- hubby wasn't on hand today to take photos!)
xx
 |
| Primark Skater dress |
 |
| Dress teamed with a sparkly Primark cardigan |
 |
| ASOS Curve dipped hem dress |
 |
| ASOS Belt |
The belt is still available to buy at ASOS
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Animal Print
Hello lovely readers and welcome to another OOTD which today features Animal print!
In the past I haven't always been the biggest fan of animal print when it comes to clothes, I always felt it was either a bit too Bet Lynch or footballers wife for my liking so shyed away from wearing it.
That was until I found a little gem of a dress last year in Quiz, I was due to go out with the girls and decided that rather than wear my usual jeans and top combo I would go for a dress great idea in theory but when it came to actually finding one that I liked and that fit well that was a different matter! I had just about given up when I decided on a whim to try Quiz and found the one!
I love the material as it is quite stretchy and the lining isn't too tight the only downside is that once again my bra peeks out by the armholes but due to the size of my bust this is a common problem with most sleeveless tops and dresses and I have learnt to live with it.
As I am trying to not to buy so many new clothes at the moment I ransacked my wardrobe this morning looking for something different to wear and pulled out this dress, to my shame I haven't worn it since my night out last year (I don't go out that often!!) so wore it to work today and everyone loved it!!
For work I teamed it with my faithful Peacocks cardigan, black tights and Primark animal print flats- yes I have gone from not wearing animal print to animal print overload and a lovely bird necklace that I found in the sale at House of Fraser earlier this year.
Have a look and let me know what you think
xx
In the past I haven't always been the biggest fan of animal print when it comes to clothes, I always felt it was either a bit too Bet Lynch or footballers wife for my liking so shyed away from wearing it.
That was until I found a little gem of a dress last year in Quiz, I was due to go out with the girls and decided that rather than wear my usual jeans and top combo I would go for a dress great idea in theory but when it came to actually finding one that I liked and that fit well that was a different matter! I had just about given up when I decided on a whim to try Quiz and found the one!
I love the material as it is quite stretchy and the lining isn't too tight the only downside is that once again my bra peeks out by the armholes but due to the size of my bust this is a common problem with most sleeveless tops and dresses and I have learnt to live with it.
As I am trying to not to buy so many new clothes at the moment I ransacked my wardrobe this morning looking for something different to wear and pulled out this dress, to my shame I haven't worn it since my night out last year (I don't go out that often!!) so wore it to work today and everyone loved it!!
For work I teamed it with my faithful Peacocks cardigan, black tights and Primark animal print flats- yes I have gone from not wearing animal print to animal print overload and a lovely bird necklace that I found in the sale at House of Fraser earlier this year.
Have a look and let me know what you think
xx
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Saturday OOTD
So finally Spring is here and the sun has been shining all day and I have actually been out and about without a coat on!!
So without much further ado here is today's OOTD enjoy
xx
Now I actually wore this outfit yesterday as well but with the addition of one of my many scarves and my Clements Ribeiro Swan coat which I bought off Ebay for a very silly price!
Shop the post
Top New Look
Jeans Dorothy Perkins
Scarf Peacocks
Necklace New Look
Coat Ebay (clements ribeiro for Evans)
Shoes TK Maxx from last year
So without much further ado here is today's OOTD enjoy
xx
Now I actually wore this outfit yesterday as well but with the addition of one of my many scarves and my Clements Ribeiro Swan coat which I bought off Ebay for a very silly price!
Shop the post
Top New Look
Jeans Dorothy Perkins
Scarf Peacocks
Necklace New Look
Coat Ebay (clements ribeiro for Evans)
Shoes TK Maxx from last year
Friday, 19 April 2013
Zumba!!!
Anyone who knows me will tell you, that me and exercise don't always go together that well as I am inherently lazy and quite frankly have never been a huge fan of exercise the sofa is far more appealing!
I decided to try and change this back in 2011 when husband to be and I finally made a date for our wedding which was September of last year so I had a year to lose some weight. I started off with power walking with hand weights which often resulted in me getting some funny looks from the local chavs but the weight did start to shift although I then started to get bored!
My two very good friends Georgia and Donna then mentioned a local Zumba class that they had started to attend and would I like to go with them, so I decided I had nothing to lose (well quite a bit of weight) so why not. I was hooked from the first class the music was great a mix of dance, latin, salsa and everything in between. At first I felt like I had two left feet and would skulk at the back but as time went on I got to know the routines and felt much more confident and gradually moved to the front.
There are a lot of zumba classes out there and the instructors and the routines do vary and it is all about finding the class that suits you, my instructor Tracy is brilliant she quickly explains the routines for any newbies and encourages us to work at our own pace so we don't injure ourselves and she even takes requests if we have favourite routines!!
If you have never done Zumba before then give it a go it is more like dancing than exercise but boy do you sweat and I usually ache the next day!! If like me you are on the busty side then a sports bra is essential to keep everything from bouncing- I prefer the Shock Absorber.
If you live in the Northfield, Harborne, or Rubery areas of Birmingham and you want to try zumba or if you are looking for a change of class then contact Tracy and she will give you times and locations for the classes she runs.
Happy Zumbaring!!
Nikki xx
I decided to try and change this back in 2011 when husband to be and I finally made a date for our wedding which was September of last year so I had a year to lose some weight. I started off with power walking with hand weights which often resulted in me getting some funny looks from the local chavs but the weight did start to shift although I then started to get bored!
My two very good friends Georgia and Donna then mentioned a local Zumba class that they had started to attend and would I like to go with them, so I decided I had nothing to lose (well quite a bit of weight) so why not. I was hooked from the first class the music was great a mix of dance, latin, salsa and everything in between. At first I felt like I had two left feet and would skulk at the back but as time went on I got to know the routines and felt much more confident and gradually moved to the front.
There are a lot of zumba classes out there and the instructors and the routines do vary and it is all about finding the class that suits you, my instructor Tracy is brilliant she quickly explains the routines for any newbies and encourages us to work at our own pace so we don't injure ourselves and she even takes requests if we have favourite routines!!
If you have never done Zumba before then give it a go it is more like dancing than exercise but boy do you sweat and I usually ache the next day!! If like me you are on the busty side then a sports bra is essential to keep everything from bouncing- I prefer the Shock Absorber.
If you live in the Northfield, Harborne, or Rubery areas of Birmingham and you want to try zumba or if you are looking for a change of class then contact Tracy and she will give you times and locations for the classes she runs.
Happy Zumbaring!!
Nikki xx
 | |
| Tracy and a very sweaty me after an hour of Zumba |
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Casual OOTD
Well its Thursday which for me is one of my days off from work so it's casual clothing time!!
My husband is always on at me to wear tighter fitting clothes and I am trying to do this more and more and become more comfortable in my own skin so I have invested in a decent pair of tight fitting skinny jeans from Dorothy Perkins which are the Bailey ultra stretch super skinny jeans. I managed to pick them up whilst a 20% off offer was running so even better value!
I'm sure I am not alone in struggling to get jeans that actually fit properly but these are the best yet, they are very stretchy and have a really good tight fit at the ankle so don't go all odd and wrinkly when wearing ankle boots, and because they are stretchy they don't cut me in half when I sit down!!
My current over favorite wardrobe staple at the moment is my Peacocks hoodie which is actually a mans version but I find the fit better as they tend to be longer in the body finished off with my trusty Primark Owl scarf and Superdry trainers.
Anyway hope you all having a fab Thursday wherever in the world you are xx
My husband is always on at me to wear tighter fitting clothes and I am trying to do this more and more and become more comfortable in my own skin so I have invested in a decent pair of tight fitting skinny jeans from Dorothy Perkins which are the Bailey ultra stretch super skinny jeans. I managed to pick them up whilst a 20% off offer was running so even better value!
I'm sure I am not alone in struggling to get jeans that actually fit properly but these are the best yet, they are very stretchy and have a really good tight fit at the ankle so don't go all odd and wrinkly when wearing ankle boots, and because they are stretchy they don't cut me in half when I sit down!!
My current over favorite wardrobe staple at the moment is my Peacocks hoodie which is actually a mans version but I find the fit better as they tend to be longer in the body finished off with my trusty Primark Owl scarf and Superdry trainers.
Anyway hope you all having a fab Thursday wherever in the world you are xx
 |
| my funky Superdry Trainers |
 |
| Owl scarf from Primark |
Monday, 15 April 2013
Spring OOTD
Well it would seem that Spring finally decided to arrive today in my neck of the woods (shame it chose a work day) so I decided it was time for a spring like outfit and definitely no boots!!
I chose a Primark Skater dress which I picked up last month for £10, my disco leggings, trusty peacocks cardigan and my favorite nautical Primark scarf.
The dress I love as it is a stretchy lace material and came complete with a thin belt which helps to define my waist and the blue and white stripey material is always on trend every spring when the nautical theme always makes an appearance. I sized up to a 20 as I always worry about fitting my boobs in the only downside of this is the shoulders are a bit too big but as I nearly always wear a cardigan they then stay put and even with the larger size my bra still peeks out from the sides!
The scarf I bought last year from Primark and it is very cute with small heart and anchor detailing and like most of my favourite scarves is oversized.
My shoes are also Primark from last year but sadly I think they only have a little wear left in them as per usual my wide feet have started to wear them down on the sides but I am hopeful they will carry on for a while longer at least until my spending ban has been lifted!
Hope the sun is shining wherever in the world you are
Nikki
xx
I chose a Primark Skater dress which I picked up last month for £10, my disco leggings, trusty peacocks cardigan and my favorite nautical Primark scarf.
The dress I love as it is a stretchy lace material and came complete with a thin belt which helps to define my waist and the blue and white stripey material is always on trend every spring when the nautical theme always makes an appearance. I sized up to a 20 as I always worry about fitting my boobs in the only downside of this is the shoulders are a bit too big but as I nearly always wear a cardigan they then stay put and even with the larger size my bra still peeks out from the sides!
The scarf I bought last year from Primark and it is very cute with small heart and anchor detailing and like most of my favourite scarves is oversized.
My shoes are also Primark from last year but sadly I think they only have a little wear left in them as per usual my wide feet have started to wear them down on the sides but I am hopeful they will carry on for a while longer at least until my spending ban has been lifted!
Hope the sun is shining wherever in the world you are
Nikki
xx
Saturday, 6 April 2013
New Phone!!
Now normally I witter on about fashion but today I am having a geeky day and the subject is my new phone!
Well the day has finally come I am now eligible to upgrade my phone after two years of somewhat faithful service from my Blackberry Bold I am ready for something shiny and new. Now I felt the same way when I first got my Blackberry it was love at first sight as this was to be my very first smartphone, my previous LG phone having done 4 years but technology and me had moved on!
At first I marveled at how I could see my emails on my phone, use Facebook and Twitter and looked through the app store to see what else I could use and downloaded what I now know to be useless apps and silly themes, but at the time I was like a child in a sweet shop.
Fast forward two years and I have been counting down the days to changing my phone, my poor Blackberry would just randomly switch itself off, especially when I wanted to take a photo and cause me to tear my hair out. Whilst the camera was good I couldn't use Instagram as Blackberry's operating system didn't support it and I had to make do and using Twitter was almost painful!
So this morning I rushed off all excited as if it was Christmas day to get my new phone and the first shop I went into went through the upgrade process only to discover they didn't have the phone in stock- noooo I thought I can't go home without it!! Then like a woman possessed I sprinted through Birmingham (in my disco leggings and converse- must have looked a right sight!) to another shop and my first question was do you have the phone in stock? Yes they answered and I could have hugged the store assistant but thought they might think I was a complete loon!! After what seemed an eternity I got my hands on my new phone.... Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and it was worth the wait I am already in love with it! The first thing I did was download Instagram and started snapping pictures, yes I'm finally a part of the Instagram gang!!!
So there you have it, most likely it will take me the best part of the next two years to figure out all the settings and widgets and apps but I'll get there!!!
Look out for me on Instagram!!! http://instagram.com/nattynikki#
xxx
My new phone!
Well the day has finally come I am now eligible to upgrade my phone after two years of somewhat faithful service from my Blackberry Bold I am ready for something shiny and new. Now I felt the same way when I first got my Blackberry it was love at first sight as this was to be my very first smartphone, my previous LG phone having done 4 years but technology and me had moved on!
At first I marveled at how I could see my emails on my phone, use Facebook and Twitter and looked through the app store to see what else I could use and downloaded what I now know to be useless apps and silly themes, but at the time I was like a child in a sweet shop.
Fast forward two years and I have been counting down the days to changing my phone, my poor Blackberry would just randomly switch itself off, especially when I wanted to take a photo and cause me to tear my hair out. Whilst the camera was good I couldn't use Instagram as Blackberry's operating system didn't support it and I had to make do and using Twitter was almost painful!
So this morning I rushed off all excited as if it was Christmas day to get my new phone and the first shop I went into went through the upgrade process only to discover they didn't have the phone in stock- noooo I thought I can't go home without it!! Then like a woman possessed I sprinted through Birmingham (in my disco leggings and converse- must have looked a right sight!) to another shop and my first question was do you have the phone in stock? Yes they answered and I could have hugged the store assistant but thought they might think I was a complete loon!! After what seemed an eternity I got my hands on my new phone.... Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and it was worth the wait I am already in love with it! The first thing I did was download Instagram and started snapping pictures, yes I'm finally a part of the Instagram gang!!!
So there you have it, most likely it will take me the best part of the next two years to figure out all the settings and widgets and apps but I'll get there!!!
Look out for me on Instagram!!! http://instagram.com/nattynikki#
xxx
My new phone!
Friday, 5 April 2013
Spring Treat
I have previously mentioned on Twitter that I am on a self imposed spending ban, because I have bought far too much stuff recently so thought it best to cut back a bit. Now this is very hard for me as I can't stress enough how much I love to shop so you can imagine my delight when I remembered I had an unused New Look gift voucher from Christmas- yipeee!!!
As my local New Look store no longer stocks the Inspire Range I chose to order something online which is the first time I have ever done this as I do prefer to try clothes on but hey ho they can always be returned.
I tried out the click and collect service as it meant I didn't have to pay for delivery and as I knew I would be out and about today having a lovely lunch to celebrate my sons 6th Birthday I arranged to collect my order today.
I took me ages to choose something as there was a lot of choice but in the end I plumped for a lovely floral dress and on trend military style jacket, I took a chance with the sizing and opted for a size 20 in both as I always worry about fitting my top half in especially with dresses!
Having tried both items on I could have probably got away with the 18, but at the extra room in the dress and coat allow for freedom of movement and mean I can wear them with layers. The only thing that would have made the dress even more perfect would have been pockets!!!
I teamed my dress with my current favourite disco leggings from Primark and also tried it with a denim jacket which I bought last year also from New Look.
I love the jacket as it has an elasticated back which you can also adjust on the inside so I have been able to pull it in to give more definition around my waist.
The dress:
The dress again styled with a denim jacket
The jacket
Necklace also from New Look
Overall I am really pleased with what I chose and the found the whole order and collection process very efficient and I would use it again. The only downside is having to take a gamble with which size to order but then that is always the same with online shopping.
Now I am just looking forward to some warmer weather so I can go out in my new dress!
Shop the post
Dress New Look
Jacket New Look
Necklace New Look
xx
As my local New Look store no longer stocks the Inspire Range I chose to order something online which is the first time I have ever done this as I do prefer to try clothes on but hey ho they can always be returned.
I tried out the click and collect service as it meant I didn't have to pay for delivery and as I knew I would be out and about today having a lovely lunch to celebrate my sons 6th Birthday I arranged to collect my order today.
I took me ages to choose something as there was a lot of choice but in the end I plumped for a lovely floral dress and on trend military style jacket, I took a chance with the sizing and opted for a size 20 in both as I always worry about fitting my top half in especially with dresses!
Having tried both items on I could have probably got away with the 18, but at the extra room in the dress and coat allow for freedom of movement and mean I can wear them with layers. The only thing that would have made the dress even more perfect would have been pockets!!!
I teamed my dress with my current favourite disco leggings from Primark and also tried it with a denim jacket which I bought last year also from New Look.
I love the jacket as it has an elasticated back which you can also adjust on the inside so I have been able to pull it in to give more definition around my waist.
The dress:
Overall I am really pleased with what I chose and the found the whole order and collection process very efficient and I would use it again. The only downside is having to take a gamble with which size to order but then that is always the same with online shopping.
Now I am just looking forward to some warmer weather so I can go out in my new dress!
Shop the post
Dress New Look
Jacket New Look
Necklace New Look
xx
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Spring still hasn't Sprung!
As we all know the weather so far this year has been a bit absurd to say the least, and although it is now officially spring it feels far from it at the moment! So I decided to create my only little piece of spring to cheer myself up.
Firstly a good friend of mine has just started to sell Avon so I bought a couple of 30 second Speed Dry nail varnishes because I am so impatient when it comes to painting my nails!! Whilst they don't last that long before chipping- most likely because I am quite heavy handed they are a reasonable price and the colours are very on trend with all the current pastel trends. I also happened to be in H&M the other week pottering around their accessories when I came across some really cheap sparkle nail polishes, so of course I snapped one up to try and here are the results.
(Please excuse the poor quality of the pics I am still getting to grips with this!!)
Firstly Avon Speed Dry in Sprightly Mint and H&M Prim and Proper.
Secondly Avon Speed Dry in Swift Sherbert and H&M Prim and Proper
I love the Avon nail varnishes on their own but with the added sparkle it just makes them pop a bit more and I cant wait to try it with more colours.
I am also a huge fan of Lush and I love their bath bombs so I was delighted when I received some for Mothers Day. I finally got round to using my first one tonight and decided to use my Sunnyside Bubble Bar as it is very cheery and smells gorgeous. It is made from tangerine, lemon and sweet wild orange essentials oils. It turns the bath water orange and produces loads of bubbles and after you have finished you have a gold sheen left in the bath!!
So after a finally relaxing bath here is me in my dressing gown and pj's feeling very chilled (again sorry for a rubbish pic!!)
Shop the post
Avon Speed Dry Nail Varnish Avon
H&M H&M
Lush Lush
xx
Firstly a good friend of mine has just started to sell Avon so I bought a couple of 30 second Speed Dry nail varnishes because I am so impatient when it comes to painting my nails!! Whilst they don't last that long before chipping- most likely because I am quite heavy handed they are a reasonable price and the colours are very on trend with all the current pastel trends. I also happened to be in H&M the other week pottering around their accessories when I came across some really cheap sparkle nail polishes, so of course I snapped one up to try and here are the results.
(Please excuse the poor quality of the pics I am still getting to grips with this!!)
Firstly Avon Speed Dry in Sprightly Mint and H&M Prim and Proper.
I am also a huge fan of Lush and I love their bath bombs so I was delighted when I received some for Mothers Day. I finally got round to using my first one tonight and decided to use my Sunnyside Bubble Bar as it is very cheery and smells gorgeous. It is made from tangerine, lemon and sweet wild orange essentials oils. It turns the bath water orange and produces loads of bubbles and after you have finished you have a gold sheen left in the bath!!
Avon Speed Dry Nail Varnish Avon
H&M H&M
Lush Lush
xx
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