My Favourite Dresses of 2014

Whilst 2014 has been a bit of a roller coaster in my personal life, one thing that has not changed is my ever growing love for clothes.  Alongside that love for clothes, my body confidence has grown steadily too and that is in no small way due to the amazing blogs that I read.

Becky (Mrs BeBe) is one blog that I always take time to read.  She first inspired me to start my own blog and I love checking out what she is wearing.  Seeing her progress with her writing and how generously she shares her own story drives me on too.

The fabulous Betty Pamper always looks like she dresses exactly the way she wishes.  Betty wears the things that she wants, without worrying if things are "on trend" (I hate that phrase).  She wears the clothes that she loves, her personality shines through them and she always looks amazing.  This is the way I like to dress myself, not following the trends, just following my style; be it from Bon Marche or Asos.

Dani has the wardrobe that I wish that I could live in.  She is always perfectly styled in her photographs and her choices and combinations always inspire me to make bolder choices.  Love this girl.

Leah is a daily read for me.  Reading her blog is like receiving the most amazing hug of your life.  Her generosity, her willingness to share her life with you, both the ups and the downs and of course the great clothes she wears makes her a must read.  I always wish that I lived closer to Leah as she is just the type of person that I love to have in my life.

Em is just amazeballs.  Read her blog and love her.  That is all.

Mentions also have to be made for Nikki who has the best laugh of anyone I know, Becky whose love for dresses rivals my own (congratulations on your job lovely!) and the amazing Louise who inspires me greatly.

So, on to what I wore this year.  Here are my favourites:

There are just a few of my favourite outfits that I have worn this year, hope you like them as much as I do.

I hope everyone has a happy New Year.  Roll on to 2015, I have a feeling it is going to be a good one!

How to make a Cheap Maxi Dress Look Like a Million Dollars

Everybody looks good in a maxi dress, and there’s a huge selection of maxis out there to choose from. Unfortunately, not all of them are priced within reach of the typical girl—which makes choosing a cheap plus-sized maxi dress (that won’t look cheap) quite a challenge. Here are three steps to taking a discount maxi and making it look couture:


Pay attention to fit
This is advice that comes out a lot in the fashion world, but it really does matter. Fitted dresses look substantially more chic and elegant than those that are a hint too light, too lose, too long, or too short. With cheap maxi dresses, the length is particularly important: no maxi dress should touch the floor without showing off at least your toes. Remember that dresses can be hemmed and that even a trip to the tailor costs a lot less than buying fitted designer pieces, while making you look just as good.

A sexy cut goes a long way.
One way to dress up a cheap maxi dress is simply to buy a sexier cut. As a general rule of thumb, sexy dresses look more expensive than casual dresses. Remember that this rule has many exceptions, however, and if you wearing something too revealing to a casual environment, it can look a little bit cheap. There are many ways to make a make dress look sexy without going over the top, however. Evening wear/cocktail style maxi dresses typically have straps and a close fit all the way down to the waist, in contrast to the baggier maxi dresses you see on the beach. If you want to go a step even sexier, look for those with slits, cutouts, or mesh to show off a hint of skin. 

Accessories say a lot.
No matter whether you got your maxi dress for $500 or $50, its look will be influenced heavily by how you accessorize. Consider elements from earrings and necklaces to belts, clutches, shawls and of course your choice of footwear. For best results, contrast against the dress somewhat: a bright pink maxi pairs elegantly with black pumps and a black clutch, whereas a more subued dress is really going to pop with small touches of bright color in the accessories.



How do you dress up a bargain dress?


* Guest Post - Collaborated

A Break For Christmas

I cannot believe how quickly Christmas has crept up upon on us this year.  It does not seem two seconds since I was bemoaning the fact that I had just seen my first Christmas tree on the 1st November and yet suddenly here we are already on Christmas Eve.

This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me to say the least.

I am very happy that my blog has continued in the same path, forever moving forwards.  I am still constantly surprised when I receive a nice comment on something I have written and when someone tells me that they read my blog, I still get a little warm fuzz in my heart.

This year also saw the start of my writing for the Huffington Post.  After seeing a couple of other bloggers submitting pieces, I decided to work up the courage to submit my own piece and now I happily am able to write on my own little "Huff Post" blog whenever I feel the urge to discuss, ponder or rant (which is quite often).

This year has had many highs, but unfortunately, with the high points, you also get the lows.  The first of these came when my step dad fractured his spine back in September.  Writing this today finds him still in hospital, having physiotherapy with a hope that he will walk again.  That journey has been a long and arduous one, not least for my mum who has made so many trips to the hospital that she jokes that she knows every blade of grass on the way.

I remain optimistic for his eventual recovery but am not making any predictions.  All you can do in these situations is take each day as it comes and hope.  To borrow a line from "A Knights Tale" which I find especially true:

Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially the night.

The second low came when my mum had a fall in the kitchen and split her head open.  Seeing her fall, seemingly in slow motion yet I was unable to get to her in time, hearing the loud crack as she hit her head on the corner of the wall and the masses of blood that followed is something that will not fade in my mind for a long time. 

I always look at my mum and think that she will live forever.  She is the youngest 74 year old I have ever met, but lying on that kitchen floor she looked so incredibly small and thinking that I might have lost her that night does nasty things to my insides.

This year has certainly been eventful in many ways and at this point, I am just wanting to see the end of it.  I have hope that the New Year will bring better things and as they say, onwards and upwards!

I finish work today and won't be back in until the 5th January.  In order to give myself a break I don't plan to be doing anything on the blog until after this time either.  I think I need a bit of time to myself for a while just to relax and have a stress free (crosses fingers) Christmas break.

I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  See you on the flip side xx