Purple haze

SO as you know I'm making the move to London again. I've found the dream flat and will be sharing with amazing flatmates. The new refurbished flat has a noticeable purple theme in all rooms with the kitchen being no exception. Only being partly furnished I'm excited to be able to my mark in my room and create a inspiring and tranquil space. 

To utilse my space fully I've decided I'm not going to have a desk but I do want space to stand photoframes etc so I'm looking to buy a tall chest of draws like this 

I want all the furniture to be white so it's clean and crisp and I'll highlight with purple features.

I also want a free standing mirror. Full length of course so I can take my outfit selfies in. This mirror is perfect but I would need to get the gloss paint out and coat it in white. 

Both of these pieces of furniture are available to buy from here

I'm also looking to get a clothing rail so I can hang pieces of my clothing and place my shoes underneath. Although I hate moving, I do enjoy making my mark and decorating. It's definitely a love hate relationship I've learnt to try to enjoy with moving nearly 4 times in the past 3/4 years but I'm pretty darn excited to move to what I hope will be my permanent home.

Love

Michaela

xo 

My future

Always having an interest in the plus size industry and fashion from comprehensive school age, I was never encouraged to proceed in making clothing to fit plus sized woman. Being seen as too much of a challenge, when all the other kids could wear their creations I was stuck styling my outfits on smaller sample sized women whilst then locking the outfits away in a dust bag to gather dust. 

In college designing soon became a hobby and my interest fell more alongside the promotional aspects of fashion. Heading forward to uni I decided to study the more academic sides of fashion rather than practical and material.

My third year research revolved around the plus size industry, a time where a lot of exciting things were happening and the industry itself was being noticed as a money maker for a lot of high street retailers, whilst taking on board the want and need for trend lead plus sized clothing amongst plus sized ladies like myself .

Through this research I gathered contacts and eventually when I graduated, saving for a few months before, I made the move to London at the beginning of 2013. I was fortunate to work alongside a woman whom I had admired for a while, Anna Scholz and was also lucky to gain an internship with the New Look Inspire team. 

The whole 6 months were hard work in regards to problems behind the scenes and also lacking of money but the experience and contacts I made were amazing.

I was fortunately considered an interest when a position popped up at Annas HQ. Preparing the best I could the way to the interview was intense and crazy.  The interview itself was fine though and when walking out I felt like I had a lot of opportunity to get the job.............

and that's where the story ends/just begins. 

I was lucky enough to impress Anna and her team, enough for them to take a chance on me to fill the position. SO in three weeks time I'll be making the move again, working with Anna Scholz and her team. 

I truly can't be grateful enough and I'm so excited to get there to show what I'm made of. This is only the beginning of my career and making a mark within the plus size fashion industry. I have the support of friends and family and knowing I now have the trust off of an industry professional I've admired for years I can't explain how excited I am now for my career future. 

I'll be blogging on Anna's official blog as of when I start but I will be keeping this updating it as much as I can with my own personal adventures.

Love

Michaela

xo

Winter Warmers

So the hot sunshine has bid us fair well and the UK has been hit with rainy and cold conditions. The sun was amazing whilst here but now my main aim when dressing in the morning is how to keep warm.

I've had my eye on a couple of coats and I really can't make my mind up on which one to invest in for this winter.

Anna Scholz PU trim coat

I've been after this coat since the beginning of the year. Styling this product shoot when my eyes first met the coat and I tried it on I knew this had to be mine. I'm just currently waiting till my finances sort themselves for this to be the first thing I invest in this winter. Bang on trend and oversized this is simple to wear all times of the day and night.

Yours Clothing PU biker coat

A bit less oversized and with biker features this coat instantly caught my eye to replace my leather jacket. My asos jacket is too big and genuinely wasn't warm enough last year for me. This is a good go to coat to trade down from my leather. Definitely a contender for my winter wardrobe. 

ASOS CURVE Longline Jacket In Tartan

When my eyes saw this in the new section of curve I instantly fell in love. The tartan print is not only on trend but is eye catching and such a simple investment to add a bit of colour on a grey winters day. 

I tend to stick with a black coat to throw with outfits but I seriously need this coat to bring a bit of edge and colour to my wardrobe this winter.

Carmakoma Boucle Coat

Carmakoma is a brand I've wanted to invest in for nearly 4 years now ever since they arrived on the plus size fashion scene. 

"The style is a mix of rock’chick glam with feminine sweetness and a sharp eye for sexy cuts and effects created with a focus on perfect fit as needed, temperament, attitude and size."

Everything about the brand stood out for me and I've always wanted to purchase something from them. Of course with the brand being overseas I've never had the chance to put money into getting items (shipping nightmares etc), but when I saw the brands being sold on Asos curve I immediately filled my saved items with the entire collection. This coat stood out on my list of coats I NEED this winter. The soft boucle against the harsh leather is so on trend. The colour is a must for me too, khaki green. I can't believe it's taken me so long to actually buy something from this brand, season after season they just get it right!! 

Have any of you got these coats above? I've honestly never been this excited for winter fashion. Seems our plus size fashion wants haven't fallen on deaf ears this season ;) 

Love Michaela

The Naked subject

A topic that has recently crossed my mind now my love life is on the change, is how my body looks naked. Admittedly it was only a few posts ago I was showcasing my swimsuit body but underneath that thin piece of material lies scars, stretchmarks and lumps and bumps I'm scared to show. 

Whilst reading today that Gemma Collins has posed naked for PETA (Okay so the image is highly posed in a way the body is partially hidden and tbh a tiny bit photoshopped) but it just crossed my mind, 'would I showcase my naked body to the masses?' 

My new man has made no remark to not liking my body so on that side of things, even though I still like the lights off, I feel I can be sexy and provocative without having to worry, but when I see people so carefree showcasing their bodies via the internet it makes me question what is it is actually stopping me? 

This isn't anyway a post where I suddenly showcase my naked body, not even in some lingerie but it does make me question a few things about myself. Maybe it's a further step to my body acceptance, despite thinking I'm fully confident in the skin I live in. Whilst writing this post I can't exactly pin point the reasoning behind it but I can safely say I admire Gemma for the above image. Not only supporting a worthy cause but for how happy, confident and carefree she looks. It's completely admiral to see a plus size lady not caring and donating her body as such to fight a cause. the tag line 'be comfortable in your own skin and let the animals keep theirs' is genius.

Love

Michaela

xo  

Benefit makeup rockateur launch

I was fortunate to be invited to an exclusive launch for the new rockateur blush, by the wonderful benefit makeup team at boots Queens Street Cardiff. 

Held at Tiger Tiger we were treated to nibbles and cocktails whilst the perfect rock star look was perfected in front of our eyes. 

I was introduced to some products I've been looking to test including Fake up and the they're real! mascara. These are definitely on my next payday wishlist along with the rockateur blush. 

I love the gold shimmer this blush gives. I'm terrible for applying bronzer with a bit of blush over the top but this product seems to satisfy me colour wise and pigment wise to hold up that job. The box and design as always is amazing, one feature I simply adore about benefit. 

I can't wait to pay the ladies a visit on payday and invest in these products. 

My favourite had to be the shadow named, 'Kiss me, I'm tipsy'

New Lipsticks - A bit too sheer for me the ladies at benefit mentioned they're all based and named around iconic buildings/structures. This one was based around the Golden Gate Bridge. I can't remember the exact colour but checking online some colours do come with a more full coverage than this sample. 

My phone didn't take a good quality image of the item in question 'Rockateur' but here is the new product, with it's amazing packing. The brush was also surprisingly easy to use and picked up the product lovely so it spread evenly when applied.

Treated to little samples in the goodie bag. The porefessional came in handy until my payday purchase. 

Have you tried the new addition? Any thoughts? Or what's your favourite Benefit product? I'm slowly becoming a convert to the whole range.

Love 

Michaela

xo