The Long Run

TOP&SUNGLASSES:PRIMARK SKIRT:H&M SHOES:NEW LOOK CARDI:EVANS

Ideally I would have worn this without the cardigan but I burnt my arms and got this weird shoulder tan line that I really do not want to get darker. So every day I'm in the sun it's a toss up between very accurate sun screen application or just bunging a top over it. I'll give you one guess which one always wins.

I love this top, even if my boobs make the dog's face look weird.

Sun

T-SHIRT:H&M BAG&SUNGLASSES&LEGGINGS:PRIMARK

So whilst this is neither exciting nor particularly well shot. Here is a post. I'm enjoying the sunshine but it doesn't exactly inspire me style wise - I feel like clothes are evil if I'm honest.

Dressed To Kill

 

T-SHIRT:HMV VEST, SCARF, HOODY:H&M JEGGINGS:NEW LOOK BOOTS:DR MARTENS

I LOVE BEING HOME! And it's quite sad, because a portion of that love is down to the space i have to blog in, it's so much better. This is almost everything i brought with me, i couldn't be arsed with lugging tons of stuff for a weekend so went with comfy/cool/casual items i could pair with the few bits of clothing i left here if needs be. I did bring some more dressy stuff though as i'm off out on the town later with my gorgeous babe of a friend.

I think i need to stop wearing this hoody and these boots. Have i reverted to my 14 year old self? I have been listening to a lot of Bowling For Soup and New Found Glory recently (see post title!).... Oh dear.
Maybe lectures staring up again next week will make me stop wearing the same things over and over!
Maybe.

You can't see it very well here but i'm wearing a new silver ring that my lovely Egyptian flatmate had made for me when she went home. In case she reads: thank-you boo!

I'm going to cry tomorrow when i have to leave my beautiful white, light room behind! : (

Shopping in Seattle: Vol. 3

These are the things i've picked up on my last couple of trips out to the main shopping area of Downtown Seattle, i'm shocked at how much i've spent but i wanted all these things, will use all of them and i earned the money i came with so no buyers remorse here. All prices are before tax which from what i can work out is just under 10% here. It took me a long time to get used to the whole adding tax gig.

 

 LA VANILA DEODERANT - $18 - SEPHORA

I don't normally spend this much on deo, but i've wanted this for ages and you can't get it at home so i figured why the fuck not? Not used it yet but i'll let you know how good it is. I loved how they wrapped it in tissue, i'm like "that shit is going on my pits, it's not diamonds"

 SHARPIES - $1.49 EACH - BORDERS

I didn't even know they made sharpies this colour! I always carry a black fine line without fail. I guess now my toilet graffiti err i mean drawing, is gonna get interesting.

 TOP & DRESS - $17.80 & $19.80 - FOREVER 21

F21 literally just opened in dowtown Seattle so i went in and decided these'd be perfect additions to my summer wardrobe. The thing i can't get over is that the top on the left is a 3X and the dress on the right is an L, yet they both fit pretty spot on, i mean the L is a little small but not as small as it should be judging by how the 3X fits.

BOOTS - $120 - DR MARTENS

These are my real: holiday splurge/early birthday present to self/i'm not taking dollars back home purchase. They are the Dr. M's Darcie boot in a size 9 and if any of you want a comfortable, long lasting and nice lookin pair of boots i recommend these.

TOP & SKIRT - $9.95 & $5.95 - H&M
Just a basic baggy short tee in navy and white, size L and a striped jersey mini skirt size M. The whole baggy top with tight short skirt is probably gonna be my summer uniform (aside from the usual printed dresses).

SKIRT & TOP - $5.95 & $24.95 - also H&M

Same as before with the skirt except this is plain black, i get these in a Medium because after a couple washes they stretch and the Large doesn't stay as tight as i like for tube skirts. The top is cute, the detailing you see is on the chest and the scalloped edges are on the sleeves which are batwing.

BAG - $20 - H&M

Yeah, i went a bit wild in H&M huh? It was nice, i don't get to go crazy shopping often and didn't even get to do it here at the start of my trip (sensible spending at the start has lead to sprees at the end!) This was on the sale pile and i liked it so i got it, simple. 

NBA JERSEY - $19.99 - FOOT LOCKER

So this, i'm told, is a Washington Wizards jersey. I bought it purely so i can look gangsta while i clean or go to the supermarket or do my hair or chill in my garden. I would have got a Bulls or Lakers jersey because i actually know those teams but they wanted crazy money for those. Poor Wizards, banished to the sale!

OOTD: Oh Bee-Hive

Yeah, that's the name i came up with and i am sticking to it, like glue.

So i decided that i put together a good look today and i'd do whatever it took to post it : ) It's pretty difficult; hanging your camera off a bed-post & trying to get a clean shot, but i did it, just.

DRESS:H&M TIGHTS:TESCO SHOES:EVANS

This dress is the prettiest, comfiest, easiest dress to wear. I wore it on my flight here, i wore it the other day, i'm wearing it now. Ughhhh, i love it! This is the navy/white stripe, i'd love if i could have it in a black/white a black/camel and maybe a mint green/white too, H&M MAKETHESENOW!

Shoes and Tights are standard.

As you can see i went for a bit of a 60's vibe, got my beehive and did me some fe-liner. (feline-eyeliner, get it!?!)

and i also, had me a little twist:

 

Ahhhh, don't you just love it when i dance in my OOTD's : )

Shopping in Seattle: Vol. 2

Sunday just gone i went on a very little spree at Southcenter. Which is a mall about 20 minutes south of Seattle.

At this point i'd like to mention that i do have a budget for this trip out of which i set myself targets on a day to day basis. This sounds silly because i'm on holiday and i should be careless and have fun right? Well, yeah. But girl needs to eat. If i went bat shit crazy with my finances i'd be living off table scraps by now and doing nought but window shopping.

So anyway, i buzzed around the place pretty quickly and left with three shiny new things (four if you count the cheesecake slice, but that didn't last long not even long enough to be papped).

Sunglasses - H&M around $8

Shoes - Torrid - $48

Top - Forever 21 - $17

Sunglasses were the only nice thing i found in H&M, dunno if it was a bad store or if i just wasn't in the right mood but nothing stood out. They kinda make up for it though because as sad as it is, i am in love with them so much!

The shoes were one of the three good things about Torrid. I don't want to be writing it but it's true. I really can't stand they clothes they're selling. The shoes i bought, another pair i wanted and the staff were the shop's three redeeming qualities. I mean i dislike the clothes so much i can't even grasp how the the shop assistants managed to look so good assuming they were wearing Torrid (fair assumption i think). But negativity aside these shoes are lush and the staff were lovely. (i'm terrible with names so this could be wrong) Jessica?!?! was who i spent a long time chatting to and she said she might check out the blog so shout out to her if she's reading!
Oh one other good thing, i got to use the $5 off card i got at Plus London so i basically paid no tax, happy days.

The top is from the F21 main range, not F21 + because there wasn't a cute thing in the small section they had. It's a 3/4 sleeve crop top that i'm gonna wear with high waisted skirts because it's too tight to be worn as a crop on me, in my opinion anyway. I basically couldn't resist the pattern and it was the last one so i was pretty happy when it turned out to be a large and even happier when it fit!


So that's it for Vol. 2. But i'm going to Pike Place for a proper shop later this week so expect a big long post very soon : D

++ LDN (part three)

Okay, this is likely to be the most unorganised post about Plus London just because i completely forgot to write things down so it's all gonna come back to me in little chunks!
I carry a note book everywhere so i can write this shit down, i feel a proper fool.

So first of all, i am really grateful to those who sponsored the event because it's amazing to know there is support for the plus sized community out there and also because i got to bring home a stack of free stuff which is without a doubt always nice : )

There were some collection previews and I saw stuff from

CARMAKOMA

H&M INCLUSIVE

YOURS

TORRID

ASOS CURVE

ANNA SCHOLZ

Carmakoma:
I've looked at their website a handful of times and was impressed with what i saw but now i've seen the clothes for realz and not just on the internets i am sure i will buy from them. They have a really good mix of garments at reasonable prices and from what i could tell inspecting their samples everything is great quality.
Both me and Theresa loved this shirt:

Detail Shot

I also loved the colours on this, which i think was a dress/top/tunic but it was a week ago so don't hold me to that!

The Carmakoma rep who was there was also lovely, and beautiful (it kills me to say this but i have no idea what her name is!) she wandered about taking photos and asking for people's blog names and just generally being awesome so yeah, props for that, very good job. Carmakoma Blog Link.


H&M Inclusive:
Only 3 pieces from this line there and i didn't take any photos but i do remember being impressed by the focus on detail. There was a white cardigan that got a lot of love from people which had sequins/beading on the front and there was a green dress that had ruffle sorta things that were really well constructed.

Yours:
Never bought anything from them but have read plenty of good reviews, their stuff generally doesn't appeal to me and i find the website a bit messy so i very rarely even look. However i do remember seeing some amazing promo shots a while back that were styled to perfection and the few items they previewed were nice enough.

Torrid:
Oooohh Torrid. I just feel like 80% of the stuff looks like cheap market fodder. That is very much a personal opinion and i have seen some good stuff on many bloggers but a pink netting and black jersey bustier thing? Not my cup of tea at all. And i haven't heard amazing things about quality either. I'm going to the states in April and plan to check some stuff out in person and maybe then i can do a better review.

ASOS Curve:
Y'all know my love for this brand and the things they previewed just cemented that love. I'll let the pictures talk.

My Favourite!

T's Favourite, I told her she looked like a sexy Inspector Gadget

Anna Scholz:
Okay, i am not a fan of this brand. I can easily see why people are and i think it does what it does amazingly well, however most of the stuff just is not for me. That point aside the reps for Anna Scholz were amazing, helpful and friendly, the amount of clothes they had there was insane and i left with a good handful of leaflets and a cd of high res pictures so i am very impressed. The company is clearly built on having a good relationship with it's customers and i think that is awesome.
I did really love one print they had though because it reminded me on Matthew Williamson's Fall 2008 Digital Flower Print which is one of my favourite prints ever!

So there is my little round up of things, i have probably left some maayyjahhh thing out and if i have i'm sorry, but i'm only human : )

Spending Money Is Naughty

I'm not in debt or anything, i just don't want to reach the end of the month and have nothing. I undoubtedly will though.
Oooh, look, pretty things, just what i need to ease the pain of being poor.

Numero Uno. I bought these beautiful shoes yesterday. How long have i desperately wanted brogues? Too Bloody Long. These are less detailed than i would have liked in an ideal world, but the deal breaker for me was the fact they were real leather with a good solid heel and sole, which will hopefully equate to years of use!

Animal PJ Bottoms in the background, maybe I'll wear them with my new shoes?!

The three words i love to see.


Next Up is my new dress. £14.99, H&M, size 18.
My very much loved ASOS Curve cream floaty number got stained when my silly father thought it was pink and washed it with a red sheet (i actually shed a tear). No amount of wishing or colour remover would restore it and it was sold out in cream so I decided to keep an eye for something to replace it.

This dress in many ways is better. It's longer in the back (love) and has sleeves (love). I did have to adjust the seams on the sleeves, they were way too tight and i know the quality isn't as good as ASOS but i think despite those things, it's a winner.

Finally another H&M purchase in the shape of a scarf.

Isn't it just amazing!?! It's got a weird ass new and fresh from the sweatshop factory smell but seriously, it is stunning.

These items will undoubtedly feature in many future OOTD's so watch out for em.

Pretty successful shopping trip really. I'm right out of ££ now though so frugal living for the rest of the month. I did however get £5 off the shoes because it was like, shoe day in Evans or something. Awesome.

OOTD: gone shoppin'

TOP:H&M JEANS&BOOTS:EVANS BELT:GIFT

I have this top in black and grey too. I'm not as wild on it as i was when i went crazy and bought it in three colours but it's still something i love to have in my wardrobe. I like to have fairly simple tees with a bit of detail so i can make outfits like this more interesting. I don't consider myself one of those people who can wear a really basic jeans and tee and make it look amazing.
I'm sure I'm breaking some rule with this top, like, I'm broad shouldered so shouldn't wear shoulder detail. But this is pretty subtle, i don't think i could rock massive shoulder pads.
The belt is real leather (mmmmmm) and it is less of a gift and more something i borrowed of a lovely lady i know that i never gave back, I'm not a thief, she doesn't mind!
There's my new ASOS Curve coat hanging up in a picture again. I did wear it today and i did take a picture of me wearing it but i wasn't feeling the whole photo shoot vibe and deleted a lot of what i took, one of those days y'know?? I'm not sure i even like this picture but it'll do.

I matched my nail varnish and lippy today. I was quite proud. It's MAC Pro Long Wear Lip Colour in Extended Play and Ciaté Paint Pots in Dangerous Affair: it came free with a magazine this month.
I took a picture of my face, it was okay, then i noticed my massively blood shot eye from where i got a bit crazy with the powder brush this morning (trying to buff Bare Minerals on in a hurry is a dangerous sport).

I finally got my hands on a pair of shoes i have been wanting FOREVER today and picked up a couple other treats along the way. Trying to get it home on my bicycle was hard work though. Ever tried carrying shoe boxes in very thin plastic bags draped over handle bars for 3 miles? I wouldn't recommend it.
Speaking of my bicycle here are some pictures i took on the way into the city center, i take a path that makes my journey longer but is less hills and more scenery:

I'm going to post on my purchases tomorrow so y'all know what's going on.

Yay for late night posting. I'm out for the count. Good Night : )

OOTD: H&M Skirt and new do

Got my hair did today, a friend from school who now works at Jeff Goodwin Hair in Exeter cuts it for me. She used to come over when we were 14 and cut my hair in the living room and I'd make tea and be a great hostess in return : )
I have a phobia of hairdressers in general because i tend to build an image of what i want and it's never quite right when i leave a salon (mostly my fault i know but hey) plus i hate that silly holiday small talk and the following hour of me trying to explain what historical reenactment is (because that's what i do instead of traditional holidays) and half the time i do not have the energy to do that so i end up lying and going "oh yeah, I'm going to Spain, it'll be great" and i don't go to the hairdressers to lie.
Wow, hair salon rant there, whoops.

Back on track: i took myself along to the salon on my bike and this is what i wore:

CARDIGAN, SANDALS, NECKLACE, LEGGINGS:EVANS SKIRT:H&M TOP:DOROTHY PERKINS

I hate this picture, partly because i had to use flash, partly because I'm having an off day when it comes to accepting my face and partly because i really feel like the photo doesn't do the skirt justice. It's a new addition of mine and i think I've seen other bloggers in it. It has the best big slouchy pockets on the front and cream chiffon lining (I'm a sucker for cute details). Rest of the outfit is pretty basic. Got the rose cameo necklace in the online sale, shoes in the sale, top in a sale, cardie in a sale. Bargain clothes day really.

I'm loving my new hair. I've had a full fringe before so it's not a huge change but it has been a while. I'm lusting after a really full Bettie Page fringe a la Beyonce and Katy Perry but that will have to wait until the dead of winter because it'll be impossible to pull back on hot days.

What do you guys think of my do? I know a few of you have had haircuts recently, consider yourselves inspiration : D

Peace Out.
Morgaine.xxx