A Simply Be Christmas Special

Hello again!

I know that two posts so close together is a bit crazy, but I have had them saved up and wanted to share it all with you! SimplyBe was so kind as to send me a couple of things to try for Christmas parties and all that jazz. I chose two dresses and a blazer because as much as I love dresses there are occasions where I would rather wear trousers or a skirt and would like something a little different to glam it all up.

The first dress I chose was this purple/mauve lace print dress which can be found on SimplyBe, it is one of their own collection, and my first comment would be to size up! I chose my usual size 18 and the top is far too snug around the bust and the arms. I would have been much better off in a size 20. Regardless, the dress is gorgeous and very comfortable but requires a jacket or cardi to hide the snugness above the waist. I’m also wearing: black leggings from Simply Be, a vintage jacket and boots from Evans (last year).

Next up is this lovely cream and black frilly tunic also from Simply Be but made by Frock and Frill. As you can see, I attempted to wear it as a dress, but I think for outings I will pair it with leggings so I don’t have to worry about it being a tad short. It’s super comfortable and the colour is lovely, even on my pale skin. I paired it with a belt from Torrid as I needed the waist to be pulled in a pinch more, black tights from M&S and my favourite black heels from New Look.  I think  I am going to wear it to my work Christmas dinner, only with leggings this time as it is definitely a tunic. I am so glad the arms have space but aren’t too big and that the lace details are soft and look so elegant.

Last of all was a gold sequin Coleen Nolan blazer which as you can see was a difficult one to photograph. I really wanted something that I could wear to jazz up a plain outfit, like this black brocade skirt from Dorothy Perkins and black t-shirt from Gap. The cut of the blazer is great and shoulders fit really nicely, which is usually where I struggle with jackets. The thing I wasn’t so keen on was the quality of the blazer. The reviews did say that it felt a bit cheap and I have to agree. The sequins are not really all over, it’s more of a netted effect with sequins which can’t be seen in the photos. I’ll still get plenty of wear out of it because it’s a definite statement piece but I did expect better quality for the price.

Look, it is sparkly!

Thank you SimplyBe for these lovely things to review, I am ready for all the festivities that are to come!

What are all your plans? Christmas at home or away? I will be hoping for snow regardless of how ridiculous that is!

Merry Christmas

XO

ToodalooKatie

OOTD (From earlier in December)

Hello lovelies!

I am back and as per usual, life has run away with me again! Since I was last able to post, I lost one of my part time jobs due to the company moving to America and was left having to find something else. This, all before Christmas and while still unpacking bits from moving. Whilst looking for work, I checked the Lush website in hopes of there being a shop opening up in Canterbury (the closest bigger city to where I live) and my jaw dropped to the floor, there was! After a series of interviews, I got the job and went through the most fun and interesting training week ever, full of Christmas, skin and hair care training complete with loads of products to test out. Stay tuned on here as I have lots of things to tell you about what I have learned and if you are curious about Lush or what you could use from them feel free to message me with questions! 

I had to go down to London to meet the team for the Lush shop, which hadn’t opened, so almost the entire staff were new and all getting to know each other. I wanted to wear something friendly but that would also show off my fancy purple hair which I am still in love with.  I chose this little get up, digging out a couple of old favourites to pull it all together.

 

I am wearing: 

Star tshirt – Torrid (several years old)

Mauve Cardi – Primark (currently available for £6!)

Black slim leg jeans rolled up – Marks and Spencers

Mustache Flats – Primark (Liverpool)

Now that I will be working regularly and getting back on track, I hope to share more OOTD with you and do a couple of Lush reviews too!

Stay tuned for a Christmas special with Simply Be!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! XO

ToodalooKatie

A Lilac Surprise!

Hello again!

So I told you yesterday that I was making a major hair change today and boy did I deliver or what?!

I went into this lovely little local salon called Teresa’s a week or so ago asking for a lilac/grey colour similar to what Kelly Osbourne has been sporting lately. In the quest to grow my hair long I need to keep it interesting otherwise I will give up and chop it all off again.  So a week after my initial consultation, I went back to see my student stylist Chloe. Not only did she give the most awesome lilac/grey hair but she also styled it a la Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray! Let’s just put these two things together for one second and enjoy them (photos courtesy of 2 second google search – I don’t own them):

Yes, they are amazing! I am so happy with how it turned out and am enjoying my big hair while it lasts because I’m not sure I am skilled enough with a comb to recreate this awesome style.

Now, let me share my outfit of the day with you!

Today I wore a shirt that picked up at a swap, it’s baby pink with shoes and purses on it (there is no brand on the inside sorry!)

Cardigan – Uniqlo (super old collection)

Jeans – M&S Bootcut (I roll the cuffs up)

Belt – Primark (From last year)

Flats – Primark (they are studded!)

The shirt print – there are purses too, I promise!

More hair! I am obsessed!

The back in all it’s Bouffant style!

Primark Studded Flats:

And here are two products I didn’t think I would need for least another 25 years!!!

What do you all think, have I lost my mind? I am crazy for this lilac colour and it will calm and become softer as it wears and I think I will love it all the way through.

xo ToodalooKatie

A Few Of My Fall And Winter Favourites…

Hey girls!

So I have been trolling all my favourite blogs and shop sites and have put together a list of all the things I am loving for Fall (or Autumn as the lovely Brits call it) and of course Winter as it seems to be approaching faster than I expected. Since I work at a cafe as well as a lot of odd jobs here and there my wardrobe is pretty varied and I like to have many options.

I’ve organised them by shop so if you like them too you can check out the links under each image.

Simply Be:

Ring Printed Dress with Collar

Emotion High Leg Boots (Wide Calf)

Colleen Nolan Sequin Jacket

Domino Dollhouse

These pieces will be available online shortly but I had a chance to check out their look-book and I am in love. I want this jacket and dress more than anything right NOW! Check out the website as they will be launched very soon!

And now a few pics of looks I am loving from other bloggers from all over:

Teer Wayde from Curves To Kill wearing AX Paris:

Stiletto Siren in a fab outfit with the most awesome Forver 21 + blazer:

And las of all, Kaylah from The Dainty Squid wearing the most adorable cloud dress from Mod Cloth:

There you have it! A couple of my favourite new things and some serious blogger clothing and hair envy! What are you liking for fall and winter???

Also, I am have a major hair change tomorrow which I will be posting photos of after so stay tuned! I love a good surprise!

XO ToodalooKatie

My day in Liverpool with Simply Be

Hello my lovelies!

I am back after another month of craziness. I have moved again, to a little seaside town called Deal in Kent. So long pub life, and so long Dover! We had a lot of difficulty with our boss at the pub so good riddance and on to better and bigger things. I am working 2 part time jobs which is nice and we are finally settling in to our new home. So now that those details are out of the way, I can get back to blogging and showing off the piles of new things I have.

Last week, Simply Be got in touch with me to see if I would be interested in going to Liverpool to check out one of their stores, and experience the Simply Be shopping experience. I, having ordered from them before and struggled with sizing was very keen, as I wanted to try things on and get a better feel for what size I wear etc. So, despite the major journey, I went to Liverpool for the day! I have never been to Liverpool so it was pretty exciting and I wish I could have stayed longer.

Once in Liverpool, I went straight to the Simply Be store, to meet Meghan who is an expert on dressing clients and showing them what looks good. Meghan, along with the other amazing crew measured my feet and calves (to fit wide calf boots), and picked out lots of outfits that fit my style and one or two that are completely out of character for me but really surprised me! It makes such a difference when someone else picks pieces out for you and I found myself wearing a dress that I never would have picked out on my own.   I also found out how much my body has changed over the last little while and that my size has changed quite a bit too. Let me show you some photos from the day, taken by the amazing Magic Mirror in the changing room area. You stand in front of it and it counts down and takes 4 photos of you in your new outfit. You can pose, and capture every bit of the outfit, even the back and they jazz them up with frames or colour changes as you will see below! I want one in my bedroom now. You can print them, upload them to facebook, twitter or email them to yourself, it’s cool stuff.

Here is what I looked like when I showed up: Typical me – scarf in hair, my new Kate Moss lipstick, Old Navy denim shirt (old collection), M&S black jeans and Primark moustache flats.

And here are a couple of the awesome outfits that Meghan picked out for me: Skull shirt and no shoes!

I loved this AX Paris Curve tunic in black and in purple. The belt is not part of it, but it’s just a bit of ribbon tied around the back. I am in love with AX Paris Curve, the fit is great and the dresses are super cute.

Next up is an outfit that I ended up taking home – I love this studded shirt with the leggings – perfect for the days that I work at a local cafe making and serving coffee and I’ll tuck it into a skirt for fancier days!

The last outfit is one that Meghan brought to me and I almost didn’t put on. On the hanger it didn’t say much to me as it really isn’t my style, but when I put it on I instantly felt beautiful in it! It was paired with a pair of ankle boots and some fancy jewellery which is what I wore for a little in store interview, but you will have to wait for the interview to be up to see the finished look. In the meantime, here is the dress! It’s the Chain Printed dress from AX Paris Curve (which will be up on the Simply Be site soon I have been told!)

The shopping experience really was great, and if you live near a Simply Be store, take the time and go visit the experts. I am saving up so I can order a couple more of the outfits I tried on and a pair of boots that actually fit my calves! Hooray! Thank you Simply Be for bringing me to Liverpool for the day, it was a great time and I hope to be back very soon!

Have you guys been to a Simply Be store yet? What was your experience?

xo ToodalooKatie

Check Out My New Do!

Oh hi there again!

So, when I was in London 2 weeks ago to visit Evans (as you can see in the previous post) I booked in to have my hair cut and styled at Rockalily Cuts over in the Hoxton/Shoreditch hood of London. I had been waiting impatiently to have my hair done here for ages, as I have wanted a proper fringe done up and had so many botched cuts in the last couple of months. Rockalily Cuts specialises in rockabilly hair styles and classic looks. It is definitely the cutest salon I have ever been in, topped off with the lovely 2 woman crew running it and a little dog named Ellington.

I had planned to simply go in and have my hair cut and styled all fancy and rockabilly like but I didn’t expect to have all my hair dreams come true like they did. There was a woman ahead of me who had awesome orange/red hair that was being all done up in a curl set, complete with time under the dryer hood. When she emerged, she had big perfect curls that looked amazing. I told the stylist, Lucie that I had always dreamed of having mine done like that and she promptly offered to do it to mine too. An hour later, feeling rather pampered, I was all done up looking cute and curled and in my best outfit for the afternoon.

Outfit: Shirt – Received from a clothes swap

Skirt – Collectif (here)

Shoes – TK Maxx (Hush Puppies)

Belt – Torrid

Necklace – MooMoonz

I have absolutely fallen in love with having curly hair and wish it would always stay this fun and awesome.  If you are in London you should definitely book in for a hair cut or do, it was such a great time and I walked out feeling like a million bucks! Thanks Lucie and ReeRee!

And now a picture of me, curly haired, day 2, working behind the bar

Thanks for reading and stay tuned as I have more goodies coming from Collectif in the post! Run Postman Run!

OXOX

ToodalooKatie

Evans Clements Ribeiro – Swan Collection

 

 

 

Hey lovelies!

So last week, I had the chance to go to London and see the new Clements Ribiero Swan collection for Evans at their HQ. I attended in place of Gaelle from Les Pitreries de Vanoue as she is all the way in Paris! I was really looking forward to seeing the collection as I find that every guest collection with Evans is always a surprise. I wasn’t a big fan of the previous collection from Clements Ribiero as I don’t wear many prints and found the dresses very long, however, this time I was pleasantly surprised. The Swan Collection has a variety of pieces and style in it making it more versatile and more friendly to different types of plus size bodies. As you can see above, this 1920s style flapper dresses to die for and hopefully will be appearing in my closet, once I make up an excuse to own it.

(Photo Courtesy of Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes Too)

My favourite part about the collection is how classically styled the pieces are, from heavy fabrics with lovely embroidery to lined cardigans and a stunning 3/4 sleeve oversized coat with toggles.  There are also a selection of tunics and longer dresses made of stretchy soft material  that don’t look like much on the hanger, but once on a body, really flatter the figure.For me, this collection represents a lot of thought about how clothing is cut for plus sized women and it’s so nice to see.

It was a really lovely afternoon seeing all the new collection and catching up with a few awesome bloggers who I haven’t seen in a while. Check out Bethany’s review of the collections over on Arched Eyebrow, and Diane from Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes Too! Oh and I have done a French guest review over on Les Pitreries de Vanoue too!  The collection is out very soon, and head over to the Evans website to be the first to know more! Thanks to Gaelle and Evans for having me for the afternoon, it was a real treat!

XO ToodalooKatie

ps. stay tuned for a hair post! Hooray!