Sequels, part two's, second albums. Much like all of the above, a chef's second restaurant after the success of their first can be a daunting, exciting and occasionally risky venture unless there's a strong vision behind it. If you're a food fan in Nottingham you've more than likely heard of Marcus Lewsley, probably from visiting his hugely successful first restaurant MESA that he left a little under a year ago, or perhaps from a past pop up event or following his Instagram. Having had such an amazing first four years in the industry, it's no suprise that the main buzz around town for ..read more

*** scroll down for links to all outfit elements *** If you've not been following me since the beginning of this blog, you may not know that in my past I was VERY into vintage fashion. I used to set my hair like Marilyn Monroe, all my clothes were inspired by 1950's stylings or earlier and I even used to have a little business doing retro hair styling at vintage fairs. Although my personal style has evolved over time I've never lost my appreciation for fashion history and the high glamour of decades past. When I noticed this dress on the Karen Millen website I just adored the sexy yet refine ..read more

  *** scroll down for links to all outfit elements *** Oh my gosh darling, this dress has to be one of my favourites of late. I've been pretty bored with a lot of the stuff that's coming out in my size at the moment, part of which is I think my age because I did the Nineties fashion thing IN the 1990's and it really doesn't hold that much appeal to me...! Plus I think my personal aesthetic is a bit more polished slash glamorous than a lot of what is in style right now. I'm just not a jeans and graphic tee gal, you know?  It's quite clear from my wardrobe that I bloody love a shirt d ..read more

  So my darlings, this is the first dress I've tried from the Karen Millen Plus Size range. It wasn't that long ago that I actually found out that KM did plus (sizes 18-24 currently) and honestly the higher price point has put me off. But... after trying my first piece (a coat that I am absolutely obsessed with) I honestly think the price is justified partly because of the great quality but mostly because it's one of the few brands that is offering something different in larger sizes right now.  One of the things that has alwayhs set Karen Millen apart for me is their prints and thi ..read more

*** scroll down for links to all outfit elements *** Long gone are the days when I would get all dressed up in an uncomfortable outfit, no matter what time of year it is. I well remember parties and night's out before I was more confident in my own skin, squeezed into the tightest shapewear or freezing my tush off because I just couldn't wear a jacket and cover up the skin I was so carefully letting show! Well I definitely ain't got time for that anymore, I'd much rather be comfy and enjoy my evening, so picking outfits for a party is a very different situation now. Of course at Christmas ti ..read more

*** scroll down for links to all outfit elements *** The bricks of a beautiful old building. Aperol spritzes in the sun. Pumpkins and Autumn leaves. The sunset on water. Some of the most gorgeous things in this world are orange, so it was clear to me in this dreary, rainy January of 2024 that an orange outfit was what I needed to bring a little warmth and cheer to my life. As striking as this look is, it's also supremely comfortable and believe me when I say that this orange coat is one of the toastiest I own and while this stunning coord isn't something I'd normally think of wearing as a da ..read more

  The Rafaella Dress It'll come as no surprise to most of those reading this when I say that even though we've come a long way in the last ten years, there are still a lot of things the plus size community misses out on. In the UK especially, one of those things is high quality clothing at a price that is affordable to a lot of people. Of course we have Marina Rinaldi, Anna Scholz and a few others but to most their pieces are prices out of our every day wear. Personally I do believe in spending a bit more ton clothing to get high quality fabrics and lasting pieces, but I too am not in th ..read more

*** this is a sponsored post *** I think we can all agree that Italian cuisine is one of the best in the world and definitely one of the most beloved - pizza, pasta, gelato, aperitivo, mozzarella on anything. It's true that a lot of the Italian dishes we eat regularly have been altered and anglosized in many ways, often unintentionally solely because of the ingredients we have easy access to here in the UK. That's why I'm such a fan of Ciao Gusto who you've seen me work with quite a few times now! Picking up all your favourite authentic Italian food and drink has never been easier with the Ci ..read more

Let's be honest this year has been one full of anxiety and the unknown, but even though we still don't know how we'll be celebrating Christmas this year there are a few things about the festive season we can control - one of them being the drinks cabinet!  Although I'm a huge huge cocktail fan and love a glass of red I don't drink that much usually, however this takes a turn when the festive season turns around and although I don't go overboard (I hate being drunk and I hate hangovers even more) I definitely enjoy a tipple far more frequently. Although some of my old favourites are stil ..read more

It's finally happened. I've considered myself a pretty lucky gal that I've reach 34 without any wrinkles but the fine lines have started to appear, so it was time to find some new products to add to my skincare routine. I'm pretty excited about getting into an old school skincare blog post! Now, searching for anti-aging products can be overwhelming to say the least and I've been lucky enough to try a few thanks to friends in the skincare world, but my most recent find is a company called Skinician who were kind enough to send me their Ageless Peptide Eye Complex and their Ageless Overnight R ..read more