OOTD: Coral crush

♥ Dress: ASOS *** Bracelet: Primark *** Blazer (impossible to photograph this nicely, sadly): Tesco *** Shoes: Primark ♥

Hey ladies! I haven't updated in what feels like forever (but was actually less than one week) I just wanted to post my outfit from tonight really quickly before I go to sleep! I decided to take the pictures before it got dark. I hadn't finished getting ready hence my messy hair, so please excuse that!
I love coral, regardless of the time of year it instantly brightens my mood. I bought this dress from ASOS a little while back but didn't wear it until now. I love how the fabric drapes over my biggest "problem area" (I hate that term) - my belly! The silky fabric is so comfortable and its the perfect dress to wear when you plan to dance a lot! For once I didn't have a problem with a dress being too long on me either. Being a shortie, its something I am faced with often. I think if this dress were any shorter my bum would be showing! I just wish I had ordered this in the other color too, which was a soft light grey. I'll definitely be stalking eBay for it in the future! I was lucky enough to snag a pair of my favorite Primark shoes (above) in my size recently, perfect timing as the zippers on my old ones were terrible.

I'm going to catch some Zzz's, I have a long day tomorrow, plenty of work to catch up on and I may begin the paint work on my new room. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! ♥

xoxo

OOTD: And I studied Lolita religiously.

( Check out my face in the second picture, total babe, y/y? Just kidding, theres a genuine reason I pulled a silly face. Please read the story below! )







♥ Top: Topshop *** Pants: Forever 21+ *** Flats: Miss Selfridge *** Bag: Topshop *** Sunglasses: Topshop *** Ring: Miss Selfridge *** Bracelet: New Look (Apologies for the crazy contrast in the first two pictures, the lighting in my room was odd today!) ♥

I haven't really been blogging lately for a few reasons. My room is full of boxes, I had to move all of them onto my bed to take these pictures! Moving has been delayed, to be honest i'm not really sure whats going on. The new landlord seems a bit sketchy, hopefully it will work out.
One of my lovely twitter followers sent me a link last week which kind of shocked me. If you follow me on there you probably read about it as I went on a mini-rant after finding out. Someone who reads my blog decided to post one of my pictures from the "Wednesday Addams wannabe" entry on an adult website.
I fully understand that when you put yourself on the internet you have to have a thick skin because there will always be haters. I have received "hatemail" from a few people in the past but thankfully the good always outweighs the bad. That said, posting my pictures on a website like that is the lowest one person can stoop. Would they post their sister or best friend on there? I doubt it. I understand that when I post my pictures on the internet people can do as they wish but honestly I think its disgusting to think you can post a strangers picture on there. Imagine if a future client seen my picture on there. The website in question is dedicated to posting pictures of naked band members, people from the music scene, etc. I photograph bands and chances are some of the people I work with have seen that website, thats what bothers me most of all. I do not want to be associated with a website like that.
I did contact the guy who runs the site and his response was "i'll take them down when you loose weight" (grammar error n' all!) How original. Then again.. i'm not quite sure why I expected anything different from him. I think most people on that website are still living in the past. Sorry to break to to them but its not 2005 anymore, myspace is dead, as is "the scene".
My picture was posted underneath naked pictures of a random male band member as a "reaction picture". I'm trying to look at the positives of this because there is always a positive side to a negative situation! So, lets see: I am fully clothed in the pictures, my picture makes the band guy look like a n00b as he used a low quality webcam, there is 75 comments on the post and only one directed at me ("fatgirl", again that site is just full of original people), I think the picture they chose is one of my favorites that I have taken for an OOTD recently, and lastly it could always be worse..I could be the naked guy, or any of the naked people on that website.
So with all of that ranting out of the way, the second picture in this post, me pulling a ridiculous face, is dedicated to whomever thought it would be a good idea to post my picture on an amateur adult website. If you wanted to use a picture for a reaction you could of at least picked one that would cause a reaction.

Have any of you ladies been watching American Idol this season? I watched an episode yesterday and I have to say that I am loving all of the outfits miss Jennifer Lopez is wearing! I especially loved her oversized pink blouse with bead embellishments, too pretty.

I'm feeling a little too pasty these days so I might spray tan myself tomorrow. If I look a little "Jersey Shore" in my next post you know why! I know its not for everyone but I think I look much better and healthier when I wear fake tan, plus you don't have to worry about side effects like you do with tanning beds!

xoxo

1300 Followers Giveaway: $75 and $25 Forever 21 Giftcards!

I have been planning this giveaway for quite some time and wanted to have it when I reached 1000 followers but its finally here, even if its a little late! I am grateful for every single follower I get and wanted to celebrate reaching 1000 followers, something I never expected to happen! My past giveaways have been items that I chose but this time I thought a giftcard would be a lot better, so YOU can chose! I wanted to pick a store that each and every one of my followers could shop at, and despite my rant a couple of months ago, I have decided on Forever 21. They cater for most sizes, both genders, ship worldwide and have the cutest affordable accessories around! Two luck readers will win a giftcard each, the first is for $75 USD and the second for $25 USD. The winners will be chosen using random.org. So, moving on...



"RULES"
♥ You must be a follower of my blog to enter
♥ You get one entry for following my blog (additional entries can be gained too, see below!)
♥ The giveaway is open to readers all over the world
♥ The giftcards will be "e-certificates" which means I will forward it to the lucky winners email instantly!
♥ To enter simply comment with your name and email address

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES
♥ Blog about this giveaway OR add it to your sidebar (one entry)
♥ Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post (one entry)
♥ Post about the giveaway on tumblr (one entry)
♥ Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry or they won't be counted!

The giveaway closes on March 5 2011 at 8pm GMT. Good luck everyone and thank you all for reading my blog ♥

xoxo

[Please note this giveaway was not sponsored by Forever 21, I will be purchasing the giftcards with my own money! Also, this will be the last giveaway for some time because i'm spending quite a bit of €€ on it!]

OOTD: Floral crush

♥ Cardigan: Dunnes *** Blouse: Topshop *** Tank top (underneath): Primark *** Skirt: Dunnes *** Shoes: Dunnes *** Necklace: Dunnes *** Bracelet: Primark *** Headband: ASOS ♥

Its a little after 12am and pouring rain outside right now, but the sun was shining earlier when I wore this outfit, promise! It was lovely to see a little sunshine over the past few days so this outfit is inspired by the upcoming spring season (hurry up and arrive already, please!) I'm enjoying passing by the clothing rails full of pretty floral prints in stores at the minute. Even if i'm not buying anything, its lovely to be surrounded by them.
The blouse that i'm wearing photographs incredibly bad. I never had trouble photographing one of my outfits until today! I wish the pictures would show just how amazing it looks but sadly my flash ruined them. It looks very crumpled in the pictures but in person it looks cute and dainty. Ahh. The close up, non-flash pictures show are a better indication. I paired it with a skirt I bought in Dunnes recently.. which I bought with the intention of keeping until summer, but I couldn't resist! I got this skirt in a size 16, on the same day I tried on a skirt in Primark in a size 18 and it wouldn't zip up the back! I really think both of those stores have very inconsistent sizing so if any of you non-Irish/UK ladies are buying those brands online be sure to ask the seller for measurements!


(click for full size - Its quite difficult to communicate with new friends who don't actually like to talk. )

xoxo

Oh, sweet Valentine.

Valentines day is almost upon us once again! I know that a lot of people think its just a silly way for businesses to make extra money, but you can apply that to just about any holiday nowadays! Even though its commercialized, I like it. I'm single this year but i'm still celebrating it. Why? Well, the holiday is about "love" and I love myself so why not! I think its important to love yourself and everyone should treat themselves a little now and then. So while gentlemen are off buying fancy jewelery and nice gifts for their lady friends, i'll be treating myself to a manicure and pair of new shoes.
Valentines Day will only be lonely if you let it be. You don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate the holiday, surround yourself with the ones you love and enjoy their company and don't focus on what you don't have. I like to remind myself that while I may be single this Valentines Day and possibly the next one too, it won't be for ever.

With that said, I have been browsing lots of online stores and there is so many pretty red dresses out there right now, I just had to share them. Maybe if you are looking for a little V-Day inspiration this will help! Unfortunately plus sized retailers are slacking in the "pretty red dresses for Valentines Day" this year so all of these come from regular stores. Can't you just imagine wearing #4 on a romantic picnic, or #5 to a fancy cocktail bar..

♥ 1. DKNY Twill Strapless Dress, $295 ♥ 2. People Tree Sash Prom Dress, £45 ♥ 3. Barneys Parker Strapless Dress, $208 ♥ 4. Modcloth Homeroom Sweetheart Dress, $60 ♥ 5. Acne Strapless Ruffle Dress, £490 ♥ 6. Red One Sleeve Ruffle Dress by Rare at Topshop, £45 ♥

If I had a boyfriend and we had something special planned, I would probably wear the outfit below. I never really look at Religion clothing but this dress is very much "me". The soft, draping fabric and tie waist belt make for a dreamy dress!

♥ Religion Love Red Dress, £95 ♥ ASOS Chiffon & Satin Ruffle Clutch, £25 ♥ Swarovski Crystal Maeva Ring, £99 ♥ House of Harlow 1960 14ct Gold Plated Mini Key Pendant Necklace, £44 ♥ Luichiny Acy Red Suede Pumps, $79.99 ♥


xoxo

OOTD: When I grow up...

♥ Dress: Primark *** Hair ties: Claires *** Socks: Forever 21 *** Shoes: Primark ♥

Hey friends! So its a Primark outfit..once again! But isn't this dress lovely?! I spotted it in Primark about a month ago and they had none left in my size so I was a little crushed. My mom was shopping yesterday and seen it in my size and picked it up for me! It was the last one and I think someone may have returned it. The collar doesn't "sit" how it should and the button at the back won't close but its still a great dress and the peter pan collar reminds me of my childhood! For any of you ladies who missed out on this dress, I just discovered that ASOS are selling one that looks exactly the same here in sizes up to UK 18, and here for bigger gals!
As a little girl, The Addams Family was one of my favorite tv shows and this dress really reminds me of Wednesday (who I secretly wanted to be!) I took a little inspiration from her and braided my hair too! I don't think dresses like this need accessories as they look innocent and playful. I paired it with my Forever 21 over-the-knee socks to make it look a little more grown up.

We went to view "the new house" yesterday and there is more work than we expected. The house has been vacant for a number of years as the owner didn't want to rent it so its showing some signs of that. Most of the windows have old wood frames and are beginning to rot so they need to be replaced. The flooring in the every single room is linoleum, it looks quite worn so we will have to change that. Lots of paint work and such to be done too!
Remember how I was very excited to decorate my new room? Not so much any more! I have been left with a choice between the two smallest rooms, both are the same size and resemble a prison cell to me. If you follow me on Twitter you have probably seen the picture I posted yesterday but for those of you who don't, here is my spectacular new room:

Okay, so.. it could be worse, right? I'm trying to stay positive about it. At least it has a big window so it will be nice and bright. I really don't know how I will do OOTD's now though, I may have to stand on my bed for them!

Since my room is much smaller than my current bedroom I have to cut down on the amount of things (mostly clothes) that I own. So I have uploaded some pictures to my Flickr account of items I want to sell. Its mostly clothes size UK 14/16/18 but theres some smaller sized things too from places like Zara, H&M, Topshop, ASOS etc. A lot of the items are brand new with tags so if you would like to have a look just click here and if you see anything you would like to buy just email me! (pearlslaceandruffles [at] gmail [dot] com) I hate to post this on my blog but I refuse to go down the eBay route again because their fees are ridiculous!

I'll end this post with a couple of pictures. After looking back on my old OOTD photographs I realized my face/pose is exactly the same in most of them so I wanted to come up with a "new face"! Here is the outcome:


a. serious pout, b. serious pout wide eyes, c. not so serious pout, d. smiley - I still think my face looks odd when I don't smile and better when I do so it looks like D is the winner!

A lil' somethin' to bring a giggle to the end of your weekend:


xoxo

OOTD: Come on, lets go little darling.

♥ Shorts: Primark *** Blouse: Primark *** Tights: Primark (20 denier, 5 pairs for €1.50!) *** Boots: Primark *** Bracelets: Forever 21 ♥

An OOTD, at last! I felt slightly weird in this outfit, possibly because i'm wearing Primark head-to-toe! It feels a little weird to wear just one particular brand. I haven't done online shopping in a while so most of the things i'm wearing lately are from either Primark or Dunnes (the only clothing stores we have here) I'm not too crazy about pussybow blouses, they are nice but peter pan collars are far more appealing to me! That said, when I seen this pretty nude-colored blouse all lonesome on the rack I had to have it. It was a size 18 too so I figured this was one of those "meant to be/a sign from God" moments. Its slightly too big all over yet there's still gaping on the bust. Dear clothing companies, girls with boobs like to wear pretty blouses too! I was finding it quite hard to pair this with any of my skirts so I went back and bought the shorts. It was either black shorts or khaki combat trousers, I think I made the best decision!

I had planned to have a mini shopping spree on ASOS later this week however we got the news today that our new landlord wants us to move in within four weeks, rather than the initial eight. Which is good overall but I need to buy new furniture, paint my bedroom and replace the flooring which is going to cost me quite a bit of money. I thought about using the furniture I have now for a while longer but I know deep down that if I move it into my new room I will just leave it sitting there forever!
The furniture in my current bedroom is awful, none of it matches at all. My closet is beech, my bedside table is pine, my clothes rails are chrome/grey, my bed is grey metal, my curtain rail is a very dark brown and I have electric blue shelves, add all of that in with my hot pink and lime green walls..its one not-so-pretty bedroom! I will probably purchase lower-end furniture since my budget is small but it will be fun to decorate a new room from scratch. I have considered charity/thrift stores however they don't have what i'm looking for. I'm really excited about it though, plus I can show you guys once I have completed everything. I know exactly what I want so hopefully it won't take too long to get it looking pretty!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post a couple of days ago where I mentioned dropping the "a fatshion blog" slogan from my blog title. It was great to read other peoples thoughts and it helped me to make up my mind! Although it would be lovely to live in a world where blogs were all labeled equally, that's not the case. One non-plus sized reader said she would have followed my blog regardless of the slogan, which helped me make my decision. I'm not going to change/drop the slogan in the near future!
I may be on the lower side of "plus sized" but I still shop in the big gal's section, and while my blog may not be the same as other plus-sized blogs - I am still a plus sized blogger. With that said, I love that girls of all sizes can appreciate my blog. It warms my little heart so much to see all of the different shapes and sizes of the girls who follow my blog. Hopefully that doesn't sound too silly!

Lastly, a quick non-fashion related note to say that tomorrow marks the 52nd anniversary of the plane crash that killed some of my favorite musicians. I think it deserves a mention as their music still lives on and has inspired many of the bands and musicians we listen to on the radio today! On February 3rd 1959, a plane carrying J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly crashed into a snow covered field in Iowa. All three died, along with their inexperienced pilot. I love Buddy and JP but Ritchie Valens will always be my favorite musician. He was to the 1950s what Justin Bieber is to 2011, although a lot more talented in my opinion! They just don't make 'em like they used to. ♥

Come on, lets go, lets go little darlin', tell me that you'll never leave me. Come on, come on, lets go again and again and again. - Ritchie Valens (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959)

xoxo