Curvy Autmn Lookbook - Work & Weekend!

Hello my lovelies!

I don’t know about you, but in my little part of the world it has started to get decidedly colder… autumn is finally here! Although winter is my absolutely favourite season, autumn comes a very close second. I am a creature who loves cold weather outside and a roaring fire inside. Autumn is the perfect time to start lighting the candles and setting the fire. It’s a beautiful time of year, perfect for long walks, hot soup, romance novels and plenty of scarves and fluffy socks.
When it comes to autumn style I have two looks. A work look and a weekend look. I work quite a distance from my house (a three hour round trip here and back) so when I am at home I really like to get comfy and enjoy spending time with the hubs and our boys. I know a lot of people relish going out at the weekends and “having a good time”, but there is truly nowhere I would rather be than in our little house, snuggled up on the sofa, having a laugh at some rubbish TV show or having a full on WOW session (Warlords of Draynor is out soon, whoop whoop!) with lots of junk food - and my autumn looks totally reflect this.

Weekend Casual
 
I love comfort, and my casual look is comfy but still smart enough that I could throw on a pair of TOMS or some boots and go for a coffee without any fuss.

When it comes to the weekend I'm all about comfort. I like to wear something that's cosy enough to lounge around the house in but also tidy enough that I can be out the door without too much fuss. Jeggings are perfect weekend attire - a cross between jeans and leggings they are the perfect blend of comfort and smart. I got these ones from Matalan for £12. Pair them with a t-shirt and a chunky cardigan and you've got an outfit cosy enough to laze about in, but stick on a pair of TOMS or some biker boots along with a woolly scarf and you're good to go meet a friend for a coffee. I got the Hogwarts logo t-shirt from Primark and the leopard print loose fit tee from H&M. The TOMS are from Schuh and the black leather bikers boots are Steve Madden for Dune. The double loop cream and gold scarf was a Christmas gift and the multi-coour Damask scarf is one I brought back from Budapest a few years ago. The bag is from Romwe.

Work Smart
 
My work look is still comfortable but definitely a lot smarter. Loose jumpers and jersey pencil skirts are my staple along with thick tights and chunky heel boots.

I bought this black pencil skirt from Matalan for £12 recently. It's made of a lovely comfortable stretch material and is a really flattering length. As far as I know they still sell them, or at least something very similar. The grey jumper I got from Romwe and the black and white stripe jumper I got from H&M in August. I really like pencil skirts and loose jumpers together - there's just something really smart yet cool about it. I match them with these Irregular Choice boots and my coat from Primark. I prefer boots over flats or heels during the Autumn as the weather can be so unpredictable here. It can be dry one minute and tipping it down the next. In my opinion a chunky heel is always better than a stiletto for work, it's more sturdy and it’s definitely more comfortable to walk in than a skinny heel.

I hope this gives all you curvy gals a bit of inspiration for your autumn style. You are all beautiful just as you are and I hope I can help you learn to love yourselves no matter what your size or shape - it doesn't matter if you are a size 6 or a size 26, your body size/shape does not define you.

Stay stylish,

Kiki x

Autumn Haul - Primark, Matalan & Romwe

Hello my lovelies!

I've just finished shooting my autumn look book, which will be up in the next couple of days! I'm so excited to share it with you. This post is the haul I've been promising for what seems like forever! I had some issues with Romwe, but for the most part they have now been sorted. There's just the issue of a returned jumper and no refund. I'm happy enough for them to put this into store credit, or to resend the jumper to me with the correct value declared to customs, but so far I've had no more communication from Sara Gan. That's the only downside to Romwe - their customer service is terrible.

So here's a few bits and pieces I've been gathering up over the past month:



This jumper is from Romwe, its a lovely knitted silky soft material and is really comfortable on. It cost £15. I wear this to work and at the weekend. I think this jumper is so versatile, its the kind that works well with fitted work trousers and skirts but also looks great with jeans or a skater skirt/dress. I feel that purchases like this become a real wardrobe staple, and are a really worthwhile investment, especially at only £15.



The only thing I found a bit weird was this tag on one of the sleeves. I don't know why it was there but I managed to get it off without damaging the stitching.





This bag is also from Romwe (£24). It is gorgeous. I've used it a few times already and is much bigger than it seems. It has a long strap so it can be worn cross-body and also has a sturdy handle in case you want to use it without the shoulder strap. I love cross body bags because they are so convenient. Having your hands free is such a blessing when you're out and about. I hate having a handbag constantly slipping off my shoulder.



These adorable little pumps are from Matalan. They cost £12 and I love them because they remind me of Michael Jackson shoes! I feel like I can Moonwalk when I wear them.



I've bought three packets of these footsie socks this past month. They are brilliant for keeping your feet warm on these cold days when you are wearing pumps and at only £2.50 per pack they are great value.



This is the first time I have ever bought makeup from Primark and I have to say I am so impressed. I got a lip crayon, eyebrow pencil, lipstick and eyeliner from the P.S. Love... range. I've been using the lip crayon everyday. It's pretty sheer, but super moisturising. The eyebrow pencil is now my go to eyebrow product. It is so simple and quick to use do my brows in the morning using this. The lipstick is really rich in colour and has great staying power, while the eyeliner is great for the lash line and the water line. All these items cost between £1.50 - £2.50. I also invested in a Real Techniques beauty sponge - I am in LOVE with this sponge. It is soooooo easy to use and makes my foundation look flawless! I recommend that everyone get one of these pronto. Check out Vintage or Tacky on YouTube for the best tutorial on how to use it. It costs around £5, which is really affordable.



I got this vanity roll from Primark for I think £10. It might have been a little less, but I can't remember. I travel quite a bit for my job and as soon as I seen this I knew it was going to come in so handy. It has three clear zipped compartments on the inside for organising all my toiletries and makeup and a small silver hanger on the outside so I can hang it up in the bathroom. It's a total space saving item and I can't wait to put it to use.



These adorable pyjamas are also from Primark. The bottoms were £6 and the top £4. I think they are so cute and I totally want to curl up in these in front of the fire.



I get a new coat every autumn/winter simply because I wear it so much over the cold seasons that when the time comes to put it away and break out the summer clothes I realise how tatty and worn it is. I got this gorgeous faux fur collar one from Primark for around £30. The hubs says it looks like Santa's coat, which makes me love it even more... I've dubbed it the Mrs. Claus coat. It's more an orangey red than a true red, but this just screams autumn/winter to me.

And that's it, that's the lot for now. I hope you like some of these pieces and they give you some inspiration.

Remember to look out for my autumn look book in the next few days. You can subscribe to my blog on here or follow me on bloglovin'. Remember to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for daily updates.

Big love,

Kiki x

Curvy Confessions, Confidence and OOTD...

I have a confession ... since I dropped off the Slimming World bandwagon and put the weight back on, I haven't been too concerned with what I wear. In fact I've hardly given it a second thought - the last time I went shopping was before I got married last November. 

I have been in a bit of a denial about the weight gain really and simply refused to purchase anything in a bigger size, after losing weight on the plan and being very happy at a size 12/14. But this hasn't helped matters at all, it has in fact I think hindered me. 

I used to love buying new clothes (both before and after doing Slimming World for the first time) and the fact that I have become complacent about my appearance has got me in a bit of a rut. Does this ring true with any of you ladies?

So to get back to feeling more myself I had a little clear-out, got rid of everything that doesn't fit (too big or too small) and only kept what actually fitted me. The worst thing is trying something from your own wardrobe on and having it be too small, I don't know about you but that just really puts a downer on my whole day.

What was left was actually pretty decent on the whole and I have had a mini-splurge online for a few bits and pieces that will update everything that's left. I'll upload a haul when everything has arrived.

So I thought I would make my Sunday posts Outfit of the Day posts. For this week I only have two outfits, but since I have decided to do OTTD posts it will give me the motivation I need to dress well everyday and hopefully every Sunday I will have seven detailed OOTD for you all. I'll also upload daily pictures to my Twitter and Instagram and would love you to share your OOTD with me too. You can find my Instagram and Twitter on the panel on the left.

So these are my Saturday OOTD. I went out and about vintage furniture shopping during the day then had a quick change to go meet a friend for dinner. Apologies about my dirty mirror and non-existent camera skills!

For my day outfit I'm wearing:

Black & White Flats - Matalan - £12 (which will be in the haul post)

Black Supersoft Skinny Jeans - Primark - £8

Black & White Stripe Oversize Jumper - H&M - £18

Curvy girls can absolutely wear skinny jeans. I think they look gorgeous paired with over-sized jumpers and flats or boots.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get changed and out the door again to meet my friend for dinner, but still wanted to make an effort. It was a casual dinner at a lovely local Chinese place so I stuck with the same flats and the handbag I had used during the day to save on time.

For my evening outfit I'm wearing:

Black & White Flats - Matalan - £12

Thick Black Tights - Primark - £2.50

Grey Swing Dress - Matalan - £14

Cream Oversize Cardigan - Tesco - sale item approx. £10

The only new item I'm wearing here are the black and white flats from Matalan, everything else was already in my wardrobe. It's amazing what you can find when you get rid of all the clothes that don't fit! What do you think?

Big Love,

Kiki x