Androgynous | Plus size picks

Androgynous fashion has been around for a long time but what's interesting to see is that it's now a trend us plus size ladies can experiment with a lot more than we could previously. I love the balance of feminine and masculine traits and that you don't have to flatter your figure or show off your curves in order to be classed as attractive. I've put together three looks that I think depict this trend but allow you to delve into it as much or as little as you want to.

 *** Hover over any of the items shown below, click and you will be taken directly to the corresponding website.

Androgynous fashion has been around for a long time but what's interesting to see is that it's now a trend us plus size ladies can experiment with a lot more than we could previously. I love the balance of feminine and masculine traits and that you don't have to flatter your figure or show off your curves in order to be classed as attractive.

I've put together three looks that I think depict this trend but allow you to delve into it as much or as little as you want to.

*** Hover over any of the items shown below, click and you will be taken directly to the corresponding website.

Androgynous fashion in the plus size world                                                                                      *All images c/o ASOS

Outfit No. 1 - With this look I have incorporated a smart, tailored jacket with a more casual, sexy collection of pieces. Can we talk about the gorgeous wide fit heels please? They make all other wide fit heels look frumpy! The printed tee adds a bit of fun to this outfit and then the bold red lipstick and the fedora hat add a seriously sexy touch. If you wanted to, you could wear this outfit in the day with flats but then slip on those heels for a night out on the razz (as my Dad calls it)

Outfit No. 2 - This might not be a very ground breaking look and it might be something many of you wear regularly but I like the simplicity of it and it's not a look I tend to wear at all. I always shy away from jeans but I'm thinking of giving these boyfriend jeans a go. I love the basic raglan sleeve top, the white Vans and you can either wear the check shirt as it's intended to be worn or tied round your waist. I added a seriously chunky gold watch - keeping this look quite simple yet well put together.

Outfit No. 3 - For this final look I wanted to incorporate elements from the previous two outfits but add a quirky twist. To start off with, I wanted to find a crisp white shirt but didn't want your standard long sleeved jobby. This short sleeved one, with fancy hem details would look perfect worn with these grey ripped jeans. I would roll them up slightly, show a bit of that leg off and then let everyone see your rather excellent brogue style boots! To finish off the look I would add some sort of neck tie/ribbon, strap on some braces and slick back my hair into a low, sleek ponytail.


Is this a trend you could see yourself wearing, do you tend to wear stuff like this all the time or will you let others try it and continue wearing your uber feminine floral outfits? Let me know in the comments below!

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Barry M | AW14 Shadow & Blush palettes review

Barry M have recently launched some new palettes perfect for AW and I have been lucky enough to try two of them out.

First up is the Starry Eyed Shadow & Blush Palette (Limited Edition)* which is £6.49 and available via ASOS here. Barry M present their shadows and blushes' in cardboard cases and I quite like this presentation method as it means all the colours you need are in one place and you don't have to have a million separate pots cluttering up your makeup drawer. They can get a little battered if you cart them around in your bag however! This palette consists of six eye shadows, a blush for your cheeks and two eyeshadow applicators.

The six eyeshadow colours are divine! From left to right there is a warm tan matte shadow, a stunning midnight blue which is metallic, a rich terracotta matte reddy brown, a cool metallic golden shadow, a rich dark chocolate brown matte and the last shadow is a reddy brown shimmery shadow. At the end of the palette is a fab corally pink blush which is perfect for me as I am trying to move away from always wearing bright pink blushers. The pigmentation, as with most Barry M products is very good, it's well worth the £6.49 price tag and I will be experimenting with these colours over the next few weeks - watch this space for pictures in my future blog posts.

Barry M Starry Eyed Shadow and Blush swatches 

The next palette I want to talk you through is the Natural Glow 2 Shadow and Primer Palette* which is also £6.49 and available via ASOS here. This palette consists of three matte shadows, three shimmer eyeshadows and a yellowish toned eyeshadow primer. The shadows are very pigmented, but also very soft and this can result in a bit of product fall out. Be careful that you keep the shadows away from the primer as the soft cream primer will attract specs of the eyeshadows. From left to right there is a matte yellow cream shadow, a matte light grey shadow, a matte minky mauve coloured shadow, a golden shimmer shadow, a shimmery mauve shadow and a shimmery red/purple brown. At the end is the primer and the yellow tones in this will help even out your complexion if you suffer with a darker eye socket. This palette also comes with two eyeshadow applicators and is the sequel to Barry Ms Natural Glow palette. This is a fab palette if you want to give eyeshadows a go but you aren't into bold colours. The neutrals will be perfect for day time use and you can build on the look with the darker jewelled tones for a night time look.

Barry M Natural Glow 2 Shadow & Primer swatches

Well my friends I hope you found this post useful, let me know if you enjoy my beauty posts as much as my outfit posts - I want to try and do more of them as I adore beauty and skin care and I get quite a lot of questions about my routines so I thought I should try and share them with you all a bit more.

*PR samples

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70s

I thought todays outfit had a little bit of a 70s vibe about it, what do you think? I love the dusty pink, maroon and blue and it's not normally a combination I find myself wearing. I felt really quite feminine in this outfit and I think thats due to the longer skirt hemline and the pointed boots.

I picked this rather excellent coat up whilst I was in Primark, it was on sale and available in a variety of colours and I was torn between the lilac one and this one - I chose the pink in the end as I feel it'll go with more of my other clothes. I sized down as it comes up quite big and I could actually do with the sleeves being a little shorter. I tend to always struggle with that, always hoinking them up to my elbows as I tend to feel swamped by jackets if the sleeves are too long. The skirt is magical. I bought it a while back from the Look Magazine collaboration with Simply Be and it was the brush stroke print and combination of colours that pulled me in. I bought my standard size and I'm happy with the fit. I thought the fabric would be a bit thicker than it is, it feels a little flimsy but I like the length and the fact it has pockets for you to stash your hands away in. My booties, although new haven't been off my feet since I got them! They aren't wide fit just in case you struggle with the fit of shoes. Jewellery wise, I kept it simple with my art deco inspired necklace from my fave brand Galibardy. I have such a weakness for allllll of their pieces and they are at the top of my hit list when I am after a statement necklace - you must check them out guys! You can't really see from my photos but I'm wearing maroon coloured tights from M&S which are old but I think they still sell similar ones now.

Heres a little head shot to show you my makeup. I'm really digging this new peachy blusher I've been wearing a lot recently (Warm Soul by MAC) and I am also wearing a new lippy. This one is no.49 Rouge Pur Couture by YSL and it is mega bright, a lot brighter in real life. I love it and it's nice to have a different pink in my collection as I was always wearing my Chanel one.

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Black, red & leopard print... these are a few of my favourite things

I love to be experimental when it comes to my outfit posts but every now and then I just like to wear a combination of colours, prints and fabrics that I know will work and I know I will feel good in.

I've been going out a lot recently and struggling to find appropriate outfits to wear... seems strange considering I have a million and one items of clothing right? Well I was having a hunt around in my wardrobe and stashed away at the back was this *PU dress from Simply Be. I was gifted this dress back in the summer and I remember picking it and thinking how happy I would be to pull it out when the weather turned. I was right as I was very happy indeed to find it! I sized up a few sizes as I thought it would be a bit snug and I love the fit of it. I like that it doesn't cling and it'll be one of those dresses that I know I can wear when I want to look fancy but I don't want to put it all on show!

The jacket is so Pat Butcher - she's definitely one of my style and jewellery icons. I bought it from New Look last year, from their main range and I didn't really get a chance to wear it so I'm so happy that it's cold enough to wear it now. The Vivienne Westwood bag is a beautiful gift from my parents and I'm always so paranoid I loose it on a night out, after having too many shandies. I tend to only take it out when I know it'll be a nice classy affair! I bought these little booties last weekend with my Mum and they are mega comfy. They are the same shape as my beloved black and gold studded boots and I have worn them to death so I imagine these will get a lot of wear!

 As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to be a bit more adventurous with my makeup and leave my bright pink blusher in the makeup drawer. I'm wearing 'Warm Soul' by MAC on my cheeks and a new lippy from diego dalla palma which is available in Marks and Spencers. It is from their matte range, it's no. 149 and I have wanted a red like this for ages. It's such a rich colour, really pigmented, stays on for ages and it doesn't bleed outside the lip line. Bingo, the perfect red for this time of year.

SHOP MY LOOK 

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