Curvety Party Dresses

Hey Guys!

Today I want to share with you a dress that I was recently sent from Curvety to try out and show you a few different ways that I would style it and my general overall thoughts.

The dress that I got is the gorgeous Malika dress from IGIGI with a lovely animal print chiffon and stretchy black top with animal print accents. The dress is elasticated at the waist so is really comfortable and nips you in for a flattering silhouette. The sizing is in a dual format and I got the size 22/24 which I felt was true to size and spot on. The length is also really nice on me as I'm quite tall coming in at 5ft 7ish and it was just above the knee which for me is perfect. I'd wear this dress for something like a date or an evening get together, something nice and swish like a special occasion.

I like how the model has styled the dress, with a metallic clutch and black strappy heels, but I thought I'd share a couple more ideas I had in mind.

First of all, I like the idea of belting the dress at the waist to enhance that nipped in look. I'd choose something like the Isabelle Skinny Belt which has the gold hardware to add a little something but the slim design means it doesn't detract from the focus on the dress.

I also like the idea of mixing up the textures/fabrics and accessorising with a satin clutch in a contrasting cream colour with a cute bow detail like this Vintage Satin Bow Purse.

Lastly, I'd like to add a necklace to the outfit as the scooped neckline allows for a shorter necklace to sit nicely without merging with the colours in the dress. I'd pick something nice and fancy like the Multi Drop Necklace which combines silver and gold metals with the smokey rhinestones at the end. 

What do you guys think of my choices? For more pretty dresses and accessories you can head over to http://www.curvety.com/ who also have a sale on at the moment with some great discounts.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sally X

Simply Be Party Shoes

Hey Guys!

I hope you're all having a fab weekend. 

Today I'm going to be talking about one of my favourite topics, shoes, in collaboration with the Simply Be party shoes campaign. Simply Be have kindly gone and created a Party Shoes Guide to help us all pick some great party shoes and keep us as pain free and comfortable as possible in the process, so pop on over to the site to see the full guide which has some really helpful advice. 

Speaking from my own experience I have a very love/hate relationship with heels, I have so many memories of being around 18-20 and coming back from nights out in so much agony and just throwing off my shoes and promising myself to "never wear heels again" and that "the pain is just not worth it". I think I can attribute this to a few key factors:

 First of all my inability to wear the correct size. When I was that age I just wasn't into internet shopping and would get all my clothes and shoes from the shops near me that would only ever stock up to a size 8, I was an 8 and a half so really needed to be wearing a 9 to be comfortable, especially as your feet can swell in heels during the night so an extra half size can really matter. The width fitting was also never right as I needed an "E"/ wide fitting but was wearing just the standard quite narrow fitting which I can hold responsible for a lot of rubbing and discomfort at the sides. 

Secondly, I can admit now that a lot of the styles I used to pick out were completely impractical. A couple of years ago my doctor confirmed that I have a medical condition that affects my balance and is responsible for feeling quite dizzy and uneasy on my feet, so realistically the skyscraper heels that I used to wear just weren't practical, hence me falling over or twisting my ankle on a regular basis. 

Nowadays I'm way more savvy when shoe shopping. 

Below I've gone for these beauties with a mid height heel with a nice chunky platform, platforms are amazing as they give you the height but without the exaggerated arch in your foot. These are in a size 9 and wide fit, Simply Be offer both an E/wide and EEE/extra wide fitting which I think is excellent. 

 I've popped on a pair of socks to help "wear in" the shoes and also I wont get any rubbing at the back of the heel, another good way to stop this is by using gel cushions which are great if you're wearing tight or going bare legged. 

I also really like the chunky ankle strap on these to stop my feet moving around which is also something that can cause rubbing from the friction. I wore these shoes out on New Years and didn't have any issues at all and I was wearing them for a good few hours out and about with my friends so definitely a pair I can recommend (they also come in black fyi)

 So tell me, what do you guys think about high heels, do you love them or hate them? Also do you have any more tips to share that weren't in the Simply Be guide, if so pop them below in the comments.  

Thanks for reading! Love Sally X

Boxing Day Sale Beauty Deals

Hey Guys,

I love a bargain and I strongly suspect you lot do too, so I have compiled a list of my "top picks" I've seen in the sales. Enjoy, and keep checking back as any additional deals will also be added to this post throughout the day. If you would like to submit a deal to be added, please leave a comment below and your name/blog link so you can be credited for the find! 

Love Sally X

1. Burts Bees Grab Bag - Fall Foliage

60% saving! Value worth over £71. Now £28.50 (Free delivery on all orders over £15)

The Fall Foliage set contains:

• Acai Lip Balm - 4.25g

• Mango Lip Balm - 4.25g

• Lip Shimmer in Plum - 2.6g

• Lip Gloss in Fall Foliage - 6mL

• Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - 15g

• Coconut Foot Cream - 120g

• Almond & Milk Hand Cream - 57g

• Soothingly Sensitive Aloe & Buttermilk Lotion - 170g

• Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Grapeseed Hand Cream - 73.7g

• Mini Fabulously Fresh Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash

2. Stila Stay All Day Foundation & Concealer

57% saving! Value worth £29.50. Now £12.79 (free worldwide delivery)

Contains:

Foundation

Concealer

Spatula

Brush

3. Nars Eye Paint (5 colours to choose from)

57% saving! Value worth £18.50. Now £7.99 (free worldwide delivery)

4. Nars Radiant Cream Compact Foundation Refill (12 shades to choose from)

57% saving! Value worth £28.00. Now £12.09 (free worldwide delivery)

5. Sophia Webster Birchbox (48 hour offer only so redeem quick)

£5 saving using code "BOXINGDAY" ! Usual box price is £12.95 per month including delivery. Now £7.95 (including delivery)

Image below gives an indication of box contents, but click the link for further details.

6. Nars Shimmer Single Eyeshadow (4 colours to choose from)

57% saving! Value worth £18.00. Now £7.79 (free worldwide delivery)

7. Benefit Bathina Sweet Dreamin' of You Limited Edition Gift Set

18% saving plus extra 10% using code "TOP10"! Value worth £34.50. Now £25.59 (free worldwide delivery)

Benefit Bathina Sweet Dreamin' of You Limited Edition Gift Set includes: 

- Benefit Bathina Just Confess, You're Obsessed Body Mist 50ml

- Benefit Bathina Silky & Seductive Body Oil Mist 75ml

8. Estee Lauder Modern Muse Deluxe
30% saving! Value worth £74.00. Now £49.58 (free worldwide delivery). Also you will receive 2 free samples with each order and a Perfectly Clean 150ml full size cleanser, no code required. 

9. Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes and Cheeks
50% saving! Value worth £45.00. Now £22.50 (use code FREEDELIVERY20 for free delivery)

10. Laura Mercier Travel Brush Collection
50% saving! Value worth £78.00. Now £39.00 (use code FREEDELIVERY20 for free delivery)

11. Guerlain Terracotta Powder with Brush

50% saving! Value worth £34.50. Now £17.25 (free delivery)

Stocking Filler Idea - Lalaloopsy Girls

Hey Guys,

I have one last childrens stocking filler idea to share with you in the form of these Lalaloopsy Girls dolls that my little cousin has been going crazy for. These are the latest in the Lalaloopsy series with 4 different varieties to choose from, the one I received below is called Jewel Sparkles* and I understand that she is the most popular one (from the words of a very informative 6 year old). 

She comes with a 2 outfits being a princess dress and pyjamas and also has a little pet for company. 

Her hair also changes colour from dark pink and baby pink to dark pink and purple which is a pretty cool touch, I remember back in the day when I had a Barbie Doll that did that a similar thing and she was always "the special one" due to her chameleon like superpowers.

These dolls retail for between £20 and £25 from what I can see which I don't think is bad at all for the bits and bobs you get in the set. Definitely a gift to consider for any little girls this Xmas and they are available in most supermarkets so still time to grab one!

I hope you have enjoyed my children's gift ideas, thanks for reading! Love Sally X

Another Fab Stocking Filler Idea - Toca Ink

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to share another quick post on stocking fillers for Christmas, but this one can also be for birthdays or other occasions too as the overall theme isn't in your face Xmas.

Toca Boca have released a product called Toca Ink* in collaboration with the tattoo artist Virginia Elwood and the product is basically a set of 8 temporary tattoo designs inspired by the Toca Boca characters. 

One pack of tattoos includes:

1 x Nova from Toca House

1 x T-bot from Toca Train

1 x Walter from Toca Cars

1 x Babe the blue Ox from Toca Kitchen

1 x Blox the Builder

1 x Larry the Lion from Toca Hair Salon 1

2 x Toca Boca logo

The designs below are beyond adorable and I think children would absolutely love them, I think my favourite is Larry the lion from the Toca Hair Salon game. 

The set retails at $10 and can be ordered here: http://shop.tocaboca.com/products/toca-ink. 

Hope this was helpful!

Thanks for reading! Love Sally X

A Fab Stocking Filler Idea - Topps Cards

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to do a quick post on an awesome stocking filler idea for children this year, Topps have a selection of starter packs for their card games and they would be perfect as a cheap little goodie to pop into a stocking for children to play on Christmas Day or you could even do what we used to in my family and give them as a pre-xmas gift on Christmas Eve as a little something to play with.

They have Frozen sets*, which seems to be the big thing this Christmas:

And also in the range are below couple of packs that look fun too! 

Moshi Monsters Mash Up Party

Dr Who Regeneration

The packs can be bought online at www.toppsdirect.com or instore using this handy store locator and retail for £4.99 which extra packs of cards/stickers at £1 each.

Thanks for reading, I hope this was a helpful last minute suggestion! Love Sally X

Warren James Jewellery

Hey Everyone!

Today I have a really exciting post to share of literally the most gorgeous gorgeous jewellery pieces I have ever owned. Warren James were kind enough to send me a couple of samples from their Christmas selection so I will be showing you those and also looking at some cracking deals from their website.

So first up let's take a look at what I got, I chose a pendant necklace and a bracelet which arrived in pretty giftboxes so you wouldn't even need to wrap them if you're a wrapping novice like me.

The first item is the Sabrina Heart Necklace* made with Swarovski Elements which is £16 down from £85! There are a couple of colours to choose from but I opted for the rose pink as I just thought it was so pretty and would go well with a lot of my dresses which are often florals and pinks.

Depending on the lighting the stone can look between a rose pink and a slightly darker more dusty pink and is surrounded by pretty little crystals.

As you can see the chain is the perfect length for me and it looks so nice on with even just a plain tshirt like I'm wearing below.

The second piece I chose is the Amelia Real Sterling Silver Diamonflash Cubic Zirconia Bracelet* £49 down from £150! This is such a unique design which has 10 centre piece stones all surrounded by crystals and they also do a matching necklace and earrings. 

The length is just perfect for my wrist and sits beautifully, it's such a statement piece and looks a lot more expensive than it is.

I also want to share with you a few more top deals on their website at the moment, they are while stocks last so if you see something you like try and snap it up as soon as you can!

The Roweena Real Sterling Silver Diamonflash Cubic Zirconia Bracelet £33 down from £99!

The Priscilla Real Sterling Silver Diamonflash Cubic Zirconia Ring £25 down from £85!

and finally the Amelia Real Sterling Silver Diamonflash Cubic Zirconia Stud Earrings £10 down from £32!

If you would like to check out the wider range of deals you can see the full list on www.warrenjames.co.uk and those of you that are particularly savvy shoppers could even stock up on valentine's gifts which isn't too far away either! I'd highly recommend them, for treats for yourselves or gifts for other people, the quality is great and the prices are just fantastic!

I hope you found this post helpful, let me know if you've bought anything from them this Xmas in the comments below (I'm nosey).

Thanks for reading! Love Sally X