Wonderful You | Fashion and Style Blog: December 2013

Sunday, 29 December 2013

What I Wore | Christmas Sparkle

Hat: Topshop. Crop Top: Missguided*. Cigarette Trousers: Missguided*. Boots: TK Maxx

Picking an outfit for Christmas Day is always something I completely forget about until the day before when a light pings in my head and thinks, oh god, what am I actually going to wear? Christmas Day itself is always absolutely manic for us (meaning Daniel and I) – we try our best to make it around all of my family and all of his before heading off to my families for the evening and Boxing day. Needless to say, I would love to be cosy in my PJ’s all day but alas this is not possible. One must put on her glad rags and be, well, glad about it. So I always like to make a bit of an effort and feel a teensy bit festive in the process.

I haven’t worn a pair of ‘proper’ trousers since I was in school but these bad boy cigarette trousers from Missguided are summin’ else... high-waisted, navy and smart – just perfect. When I spotted this crop top on the website I thought it must’ve been fate, they’re simply made for each other and in turn are made for my wardrobe.

It’s love and that’s all I have to say about that.

What did you wear Christmas Day? Are you a dresser upper or a dresser downer? :)

Shop the look here...

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

What I Wore | Vintage & Art Deco

Blouse: Brag Vintage*. Beret: Alice Hannah*. Boots: My Dress Room*

The heavens officially opened midway through shooting this outfit but I carried on regardless as I bloomin’ love it and really couldn’t wait for a sunny day to share it with you! A big thank you to my gorgeous Lily for snapping away, camera in one hand, umbrella in the other!

This beautiful silk blouse is from vintage fashion house, Brag Vintage who are based in sunny Sheffield. It’s definitely stepping away from my usual black/grey/black combination but I am so in love with it I can’t quite explain. It feels incredible on my skin and is so huge that I can simply throw it on as a dress and be done with it, no faffing. For any vintage vixens looking for amazing vintage clothing, you must drop by and take a peek – you won’t be disappointed. I also love how the buttons on the blouse fall two at a time and think it goes perfectly with my beret from the lovely Alice Hannah (which is a mere £10 can I just add!!). Beret’s in winter are my favourite – of course, I still love my fedora, but it definitely would’ve blown away today, so I was happy to give this lovely little hat a home on my head. The beads look so pretty and definitely tick the art deco fashion box and it’s kept me toastie in what I can only describe as absolutely dire weather. England please sort it out...we either want snow or absolutely gorgeous sunshine, thank you.

I'll more than likely be posting again on Boxing Day..I figured not many people will be reading blogs on Christmas Day! So, I hope you all have an absolutely amazing time and enjoy your time with family, friends and loved ones. Sending you a big squishy Christmas hug and lots of love xxx

Monday, 23 December 2013

What I Wore | Light as a Feather

Feather Tee: Henri Castro*. Leggings: Zara. Waistcoat: Zara. Necklace: Kirsteen Stewart. Boots: Emu Australia.

Once in a while you will stumble upon a wondrous place on the internet. Today, that place is Henri Casto...who are they I may hear you ask? I’ll let them explain, as they say it so well!

Henri Castro is a one-stop-shop for the best new fashion finds. We feature hand-picked designs from the high street, independent labels and fantastic vintage and handmade pieces, as well as collaborating with up and coming artists on original pieces.

Join the movement today!

This feather tee is so beautiful and the feather itself makes me think of the one Dolores Umbridge uses to punish Harry Potter – you know which one I mean, right? Her laugh still completely freaks me out...ahem, I digress...This particular design was created by a dear friend of the lady behind the brand and should be online super soon. I’m wearing the unisex version as I prefer the baggy, casual fit – but there will be ladies sizes available too if you fancy something a little more snug :)

I’ve also got my hands on some lovely dresses from them, so make sure you stop by their website and and keep your eyes peeled for new items landing..the site hasn’t been live for long, so it’s still in early stages, but you’re bound to fall in love like I have, they’re really something special and a shop I’m so happy to share with you guys. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Sunday, 22 December 2013

How to Style the Ultimate Plunge Bra from Wonderbra

Playsuit: Motel Rocks

You may have read my recent post where I announced I'd be working with Wonderbra for the next year - offering you guys advice on what bras to pick, how to wear them and lots more.

First up is an outfit post...this beautiful Motel Rocks playsuit, that happens to have a very deep V-neck. Now I know a lot of girls would feel anxious to wear something like this, whether you're a bigger busted lady or a bit teeny like me we both experience a problem...finding the right bra to go with it. Even if you've got bigger boobies, it doesn't mean you want to go braless, I mean, those babies don't always support themselves and I'm sure we've all experienced some pretty embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions when they're absent? We're all in the same boat ladies and I have discovered the answer to our worries. Wonderbra's Ultimate Plunge....

Ultimate Plunge Bra*

I felt a little embarrassed to publish a photo of me in my undies on my blog, but I felt that just an image of it just on it's own wouldn't do it justice, so I hope you guys are okay with it. But seriously ladies, this is a holy grail piece and one every girl should own. It takes a hell of a lot to give me a cleavage and although it's not much it's made me feel SO much more comfortable and confident wearing beautiful clothes like this playsuit. Don't get me wrong, I quite love having smaller boobs and like wearing loose fitting clothes that compliment my figure - however it's amazing to have something I can use when I do want to have them a little on show.
It's the most comfortable bra I've ever worn and there's pretty much no padding - what it does have though is special 'hand tech support' that literally look like tiny little hands on each side of the bra that work to push your boobs into the perfect cleavage, whilst keeping everything in place. It has detachable straps, comes in a range of sizes from 32-36 A, 32-38 B to D, 30-38 DD to F and retails at £32. I think it's an absolutely genius invention - the deep plunging shape means it's positively perfect for any low-cut outfits and the fact that I wouldn't have dreamt of purchasing this playsuit before owning one of these is testament that it's a complete investment. I just wouldn't have been able to feel comfortable in this outfit wearing any other bra.
So, Wonderbra girls really do have more fun!! I hope you've found this helpful and it's given you some outfit inspiration going forward. Where there's a Wonderbra...there's a way.

Thursday, 19 December 2013

What I Wore | The Green Jumpsuit

Green Jumpsuit: In Love with Fashion*. Hat: Topshop. Boots: TK Maxx. Belt: Vintage. Necklace: Kirsteen Stewart.

Jumpsuits, they’re usually the ones I hover over because I think they’ll look fabulous, but also feel irritated because it means I have to get pretty much naked in order to go for a wee whilst wearing one. That being said there will always be one that is worth holding your pee for a little bit longer and this particular jumpsuit is the one.

There’s not much to say, apart from I ruddy love it – the colour is gorgeous, the fit is lovely and I feel like a little Christmas Elf. Perfect.

I also wanted to say thank you for the support on – I really appreciate everyone sharing it and making others aware and for just being lovely really.

I’m sure a lot of you are feeling a bit excited today? From what I gather most people finish work for Christmas this afternoon, yippee!...Unfortunately I’m working until Christmas Eve (boo), but I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if you don’t have time to stop by before – have a fantastic Christmas guys, lots of love xxx

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

A Warning & an Apology | Miss London Fashion

Before I start this post I would just like to make it clear that I really dislike spreading negativity in the blogosphere, it rarely has a positive outcome and I try to steer clear of it when I can. Unfortunately, today is not one of those days and I have something that I really feel I should be sharing with you all.

Being a fashion blogger, I’m lucky enough that I’m regularly contacted by online clothing boutique’s to review items from their site – a lot of the time the stores won’t be ones I’ve heard of before and it’s quite exciting discovering new, on trend shops with affordable high street prices. Last month, a company called Miss London Fashion got in touch with me and we exchanged a few emails before they sent me over (which I actually really love). Everything was fine – an easy, simple process and within a few weeks I had my outfit post live to share with you.

I’ve now been contacted by one of my readers (hello Katie! :)), informing me of some pretty disturbing news that I felt I just couldn’t keep from you.

After reading my blog post on them, Katie had a nose on their website, found some items she loved and placed an order. Over 2 weeks later, her items still hadn’t arrived. Of course, understandably she was concerned and proceeded to send 3 or 4 emails - without any reply from the store. The money had been taken from Katie’s account so she wasn’t able to cancel her order and without a reply from them advising what would happen next she was feeling in a bit of a pickle. Katie decided to do a bit of research on the company and whilst browsing their , noticed that a hell of a lot of other people were voicing their concerns on the company, experiencing exactly the same problems as Katie.

Katie has since been to her bank and cancelled her card to hopefully avoid any further issues – but I really wanted to share this with you, as I feel terrible for helping to promote this company.

Miss London Fashion’s website is still up and running, which means that people could be continuing to buy from them. Whilst I am not responsible for their actions, and haven’t actually experienced any issues with them, I would urge any of you that have had this problem to contact Citizens Advice for advice or perhaps visit Action Fraud and report what’s happened.

I think it’s absolutely disgusting that this has happened and thank Katie for taking the time to get in touch with me and let me know. I feel so awful that I’ve put others in a vulnerable position and would strongly urge any other bloggers that have received items from this site to let their readers know also.

Whilst there isn’t a lot I can do in terms of stopping Miss London Fashion, I would really appreciate, if you have a few spare moments, sharing this post – whether it be Twitter, Facebook or simply making your friends and family aware we can hopefully avoid this happening again.

Sorry for such a negative post but I thought it was important to let you all know and apologise. And to all bloggers, it’s certainly taught me a lesson...when I am contacted by a company going forward (that I’ve not dealt with before) I will be doing detailed research to try and eliminate any danger to my readers. I’m so, so sorry. I'd also love to hear your comments, but I will be moderating so please refrain from making unfounded allegations. Anything that resembles this will be removed immediately.

N.B. I have tried to contact Miss London Fashion to ask them to respond to allegations from the unhappy customers, but the email unfortunately bounced back.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

A Little Something for Him | Mainline Menswear Blogger Challenge

Mainline Menswear Blogger Challenge by wonderful-you featuring diesel watches

I’ve never hopped on the ‘blogger competition’ bandwagon before, it’s just never really interested me – until now. When Mainline Menswear got in contact and asked if I’d like to enter their competition to win £250 worth of vouchers for the special man in my life, I couldn’t really say no....

To enter all that’s required is to put together a collage of clothing you’d like to see your better half wearing and explain why you think they deserve it! I know, bit lovely isn’t it? :)

Daniel does so much for me and has been such an amazing support for me and my blog since I started – a lot of things wouldn’t have been possible to achieve without his helping hand. Unfortunately I rarely get the chance to return the favour with gifts and what not, being a little pauper and all (put the violins away Megs). But seriously, it really would mean SO much to me to be able to give him this amazing prize for Christmas and fill his wardrobe with some lovely goodies. He works super hard and I’m proud of him every day, I’m a lucky lady indeed and this feels like the perfect way to say thank you for all he does for me.

Now the slushiness is out of the way we can get down to the serious stuff...the clothes. Daniel’s style I’d describe as smart casual, he always looks sharp but never over the top. The above combination is him down to a ‘T’ and I can imagine this is something he would probably (hopefully) put together himself :)

The wool blazer and Patrii leather shoes both from Ted Baker add a classic, formal touch whilst the Versace t-shirt and Hugo Boss scarf help to loosen it up and bring a casual element to the outfit. And not forgetting essential accessories that complete any look...I love mixing black and brown and this watch and belt are pretty darn smart, right?

So what do you think? Does this outfit get the seal of ‘first men’s mention’ approval? I actually really enjoyed putting this together and it's a refreshing change to feature some men's fashion on my blog, so I hope you liked it too!
I’d love for you to all keep your fingers crossed for me to win, but of course if you’re looking to surprise your boyfriend, treat your dad or be the best sister ever have a look at how you can enter here! Be quick though, entries close on Thursday 19^th December!

Monday, 16 December 2013

Official Wonderbra Blogger!

When I was younger I wasn’t overly fussed about underwear. To be honest, I had zero assets to show off and felt a little self conscious shopping for undies in public. It wasn’t fun for me and I sort of resented it.

However times change and even though my assets are still waiting to appear ;), lingerie is now one of my favourite things to shop for. There’s nothing quite like branded lingerie to make you feel completely sexy and my drawers are now piled high with the likes of Agent Provocateur, Stella McCartney and the fabulous Wonderbra, which brings me on to some pretty exciting news...

For the next 12 months I will be an Official Wonderbra Blogger! I know, I’m pretty damn excited to be honest. So, what does it mean I hear you ask?

I’ll basically be sharing little bits of advice through my posts - like how to pick the perfect bra to go with that party dress you love, but just don't know how to wear - fitting tips, cleavage and what bra’s I would pick for my personal outfits. I feel so lucky to be involved with a brand that I totally admire and I’m really looking forward to getting started, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the first Wonderbra post and I hope you may be able to take some inspiration on this little journey we can share together!

Friday, 13 December 2013

What I Wore | Sparkle & Leather

Jumper: She Likes*. Leggings: Zara. Hat: Topshop. Boots: EMU Australia. Lipstick: MAC Dangerous. Necklace: Kirsteen Stewart.

Jumpers and leggings are quite clearly my staple wardrobe items, they are after all, what I feel most comfortable in and are the easiest ensemble to dress up or down.

This particular pairing has to be my favourite. Oversized jumpers = always winning and when they have a beautiful open back and teeny sequins all over them like this one it’s like Christmas has come early in the jumper world – also it’s black which means I’m clearly going to love it. It’s also surprisingly warm and the fabric is thick and heavy meaning it hangs beautifully. My leggings are quite a recent purchase (thank you Daniel!), Zara are always my first point of call for leggings and these ones don’t disappoint. Oh, hi there leather on one side and suede on the other, yes I do love you, very much indeed. They’re not high-waisted like my usual favourites, but teamed with this jumper I ruddy love ‘um.

I hope you guys have enjoyed seeing posts everyday this week? I’ve surprised myself with my own organisation..but I won’t promise I can keep it up ;)

What are you all up to over the weekend? I think I’ll be heading to the Bullring in Birmingham (again) to finish off the rest of my Christmas shopping and of course having a Krispy Kreme or two..

Shop the look here:

Thursday, 12 December 2013

How I Straighten my Hair | ghd Limited Edition Pink Styler

ghd V Pink Diamond Styler*

I don’t think there’s a girl (or a guy for that matter), that doesn’t know about ghd’s. For many they are the holy grail in the straightener world and I’m no exception to the rule. Since I started secondary school – when my mum finally caved and agreed that perhaps my frizzy frizz bomb hair wasn’t the most attractive look for a teenager trying to discover her inner goddess, I’ve been their #1 fan and haven’t ever used anything else! In that time I’ve owned 3 pairs and I’ve only repurchased due to be a little superficial and wanting the newest edition (c’mon, we’ve all succumbed to the prettiness, right?) my most recent ones I’d had for over 6 years and they were still going strong, but....

This time around I’m lucky enough to be the proud owner of their brand new Pink Diamond design. From the hot pink shade to the glittery black plates there isn’t much not to love about them. Of course it’s always nice to have a hair styler that looks pretty, but the really special thing about these limited edition ghd’s is the cause that it’s supporting. Over the last 10 years, ghd have released a new pink styler and through this time have raised over £7million for breast cancer charities worldwide – that’s pretty amazing right? So how does it work? Well, every time we buy this pretty little package £10 of the total will be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Something I think is quite lovely, really.

I personally only use my straighteners to straighten my hair and I have to say it’s completely effortless – they glide through my hair beautifully and don’t catch, tug or pull. However, if like many others you like to use your stylers for curling your hair, their plates come with a contoured edge, so they’re designed to create that perfect curl or wave! They really can achieve pretty much any look and if you’re looking for some inspiration you can find tutorials here on their website.

Not only does this perfect little styler come with a fab paddle brush, it also has some pretty fancy, not to mention important features...The extra long cord gives more flexibility, no more worrying about perching right next to a plug to get around your whole head, you can have a little jog around if you fancy it? Just me? Okay... It also comes with an automatic sleep mode that switches them off if they haven’t been used for more than 30 minutes, I know, every girls dream right? But my favourite is the slide-y on-off button, when you switch it on, it lights up pink and gives out a little tune that I can only describe as a little hair fairy sharing it’s joy.

Overall I think it’s quite obvious that I wouldn’t be without my ghd’s, they’re 100% my investment hair styler and even though they’re a little pricey, they’re completely multi-purpose, look beautiful and not only that with these particular ones you’re supporting a really wonderful cause. What more could you want?!

I thought you might quite like to see them in use, so here’s a video all about how I straighten my hair – enjoy! :)

Subscribe to:

Glam