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

Romwe Update & Keto Progress...

Hello my lovelies!

I have a couple of updates for you today on this lovely crisp Monday morning. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and that your Monday isn't too bad!

Romwe Update

So I finally got a letter from Parcel Force about this customs and duty that I supposedly owed on a Romwe package - turned out I did in fact owe £19.95. I told them to send the package back to the sender as I wasn't paying it. Of course I'm not going to pay £19.95 customs on a £10 jumper, that's just madness!

So the big mix up on this customs thing was apparently because the package was sent by a third party supplier for Romwe based in Germany - whenever they sent the package they declared it as worth a significant amount more than the £10 I paid. I can only assume this was a mistake. The customs guy couldn't/wouldn't tell me the figure it was declared at, only that it was a "significant amount". I am guessing that when Romwe's third party supplier in Germany sent the package they have accidentally put the decimal in the wrong place, i.e. rather than writing £10.79 they have put £107.9.

I'm not 100% sure what happened but I have emailed Romwe to say the package is on the way back to their supplier in Germany. If they want to send the package to me again with the correct value declared no problem, otherwise I'll be seeking a refund through PayPal - not because I'm overly worried about £10, but because of the principle of the whole thing. After all it is their mistake.

Keto Update

So I've been on Keto since last Friday and have found it surprisingly easy. I found it so easy in fact that I am convinced I must be doing something wrong? Bacon and eggs for breakfast, chicken and coleslaw for lunch and turkey burgers with lashing of cheese and mayo for dinner? This can't be right. Everything little neuron in my brain is screaming "STOP, DON'T EAT THE CHEESE! PUT DOWN THE FUL FAT MAYO! YOU CAN'T HAVE CREAM IN YOUR COFFEE!", yet the scales this morning told a different story - I'm four pounds lighter... really... FOUR POUNDS! Now I know this is probably just water weight but to be fair I've never come out the other side of a weekend lighter than when I went in.

I haven't felt any real cravings for carbs or sugar yet, but that said, I am only on my fourth day. I figure I must be in keto now as I've lost some weight and feel like I have more energy, but I haven't had any of the usual 'keto-flu' symptoms that I read about online. The more I read about the keto-flu, the more I think that it only occurs in people who are making the keto transition while incorporating some intense work-out sessions. I haven't changed my exercise at all - I'm still just walking my dogs every day - I live by the sea and I think sea air is really good for the lungs so a good long walk along the beach with the dogs is what I enjoy. It makes me feel good.

I'd love to hear from any of you lovelies doing keto. It is definitely similar to red days on slimming world, except you add the fat instead of taking it away. I'm excited to keep going with this. I was reading on Ketogenic Queen this morning about how she likes to have a 'cheat meal' whenever she hits a plateau, I guess this is to trick the body into burning fat again, like how on Slimming World if you plateau you mix up your days and add a speed day or two in. It's a handy tip! I'll definitely keep this in mind along my keto journey just incase I plateau.

Hope you all are having a happy and healthy Monday. You are all beautiful no matter what size or shape you are - never forget that!

Big love,

Kiki x