Primark £30 Coat is £1665 Cheaper Than its Designer Twin!

Primark has once again had fans excited over their latest designer dupe. 

This time, it's one of their winter coat releases. 

Their new, £30 faux-fur coat is very similar in style to a designer, Claudie Pierlot coat currently being sold in Selfeidges for an eye watering £1695! 

If none of those take your fancy, Claudie Pierlot do have a slightly cheaper offering, at £305 for their Florent faux-fur coat, which also has a hood. 

Personally, between the three designs, I think I prefer the green/khaki Primark one, or the cheaper Claudie Pierlot Florent hooded coat. 

I'm quite surprised by my choices here as I usually seem to unwittingly go for the most expensive option, ha

What do you think though, do any of these float your boat? 

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Christmas Gift Guide - Luxury Edition, Part 1: Handbags & Accessories!

Christmas shopping can invariably lead to stress, headache, and panic (for the unprepared, last minute Larrys, like I am this year)… not to mention extremely painful feet and potential for mild assault from other keen shoppers if you’re braving the shops, rather than shopping online. Personally, I try to stick to buying on the internet as much as I can, so as to avoid the physically painful part, at least.

Now I know there’s loads of gift guides floating around, but I firmly believe that you can never have too much inspiration if you’re truly stumped for things to buy – especially if like me, you have to buy both for the people who seemingly have everything, and also the people who actually want nothing (thanks dad… a jumper it is then, again); and so I’ve compiled a couple of guides for you covering a whole host of fabulous looking ‘stuff and things’ in the hope that I can maybe inspire you on the perfect gifts to buy for your nearest and dearest.

This guide focuses on luxurious and expensive products… my favourite. It was always going to be seriously difficult to keep the amount of ‘stuff and things’ that I want, errrr I mean that would be lovely for you to purchase for your loved ones to so few items – especially spanning so many categories such as gadgets, accessories, jewellery and more, and so I’ve split this particular guide into 3 posts for easier digestion!

And so without further ado, here’s a whole heap of fabulousness that I’d personally love to own/receive. I could probably have just called all these guides ‘Claire’s Wish Lists’ if I’m honest.

1. Michael Kors Selma Large Satchel Bag £315 – This stunning bag is definitely on my ‘most wanted’ list this Christmas, but alas I fear it’ll be a present that I’ll have to purchase for myself at some point in the New Year instead. I make no secret of my love for the colour pink, after finally realising that it is indeed my favourite colour (as opposed to pink, or purple) after only 33 years on this earth. I don’t really do favourites, due to my indecisive nature, and tendencies to like EVERYTHING, and lots of everything at that.

2. Dolce & Gabanna DG4192 Sunglasses in Bordeaux £125 – Now I’d usually go for sunglasses that were a bit bigger in size (hides more of my face, you see – ha) but the fact that these are sparkly just lured me in. I am SO easily won over when it comes to this stuff. SOLD… to the magpie named Claire.

3. Prada PR08OS Oversized Square Framed Sunglasses in Tortoiseshell £215 – Now these are more the kind of size I would normally go for, and I’m also partial to a bit of animal print, so these subtle tortoiseshell glasses are totally my kind of thing. I love the gold accent on the arm too, the shiny pleases me greatly.

4. Mulberry Alexa Polished Buffalo Satchel £1,100 – Who doesn’t want to own a Mulberry bag? I mean there must be some people, but there can’t actually be that many people who don’t secretly covet one of these beauties. The Alexa bag is probably one of the most well-known bags, and rightly so as it’s bloody lovely. I’d have one in multiple colours, just to sit and gaze at, mostly.

5. Mulberry Clemmie Embellished Satin Clutch £1,200 – Now put your hands up if you wouldn’t like to own a sparkly Mulberry bag. Holy macaroni, I love it. I don’t even care that it probably wouldn’t even fit half of my shit in it. I need it, give it to me now. Please. Thanks.

6. Saint Laurent ‘Monogramme’ Glitter Clutch £710 – I don’t know about you, but I’ll always call this brand Yves Saint Laurent, I mean why drop the Yves but then keep it in the iconic logo? It’s madness if you ask me. Anyway, this is another sparkly clutch that will no doubt hold about 0.01% of my ‘essentials’ on a night out, and again I don’t even care. It’s probably another item that I’ll just sit gazing at, and possibly stroking at home. I might even put it on a shelf as a display piece, ha.

7. Marc Jacobs Luna Messenger Bag in Orange £405 – This bright messenger bag stuck out to me during my massive window shopping session due to its vibrant orange colour. I’m a huge fan of bright colour, and whilst I still love muted, neutral shades too, I do lean more towards the bright. Even in autumn and winter. I’m especially a fan of orange with pink, which is a good job really, since those are the colours I currently sport in my hair. ;-) This bag looks perfect for everyday use, and I think it could even fit a great deal of my ‘stuff’ in it too – bonus.

8. Michael Kors Jetset Travel Chain Flap Over Purse in Gold £145 – There is probably no point in me ever owning this gorgeous metallic purse, owing to my utterly rubbish luck when it comes to not losing them lately. However, it doesn’t stop me wanting it all the same. I’m not sure if it’s more of a yellow gold in reality, but on my screen it looks like a rose gold, which I think I’d probably prefer. Stunning.

9. Michael Kors Dylan Baguette-Bezel Chronograph Watch (MK5412) in Rose Gold £279 – I love Michael Kors watches, in fact I just seem to love Michael Kors full stop; but in particular I love the watches. This rose gold sparkly affair is definitely on my ‘need to own’ list, since I can never have too many Michael Kors watches, especially if they have extra added sparkle to boot.

10. Michael Kors Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch (MK3359) £379 – Shut the front door, sparkle galore!! My magpie senses are on full alert for this watch (and the next couple also), as well they should be. Any watch that has this many crystals automatically gets put on my list of things I need, imagine all that sparkly goodness every time you checked the time?! I don’t think I’d ever be late again… ok; I might be but let’s not dwell on that part.

11. Michael Kors Kerry Gold Tone Pave Crystal Bracelet Watch (MK3360) £399 – This is the gold version of the previous watch, as obviously it’d be rude to have one without the other. I’m not one for favouritism; I’m not even one for favourites due to my indecisive nature – hence the length of these guides (wishlists, ha)!

12. Michael Kors Two Colour Zebra Print Bracelet Watch (MK3315) £279 – This watch combines my love of animal print with my love of sparkle. What’s not to love?! I want it, I need it… I know I can only wear one watch at a time, but I really don’t care. Can I make wearing two watches or more at once a ‘thing’? It should be when there’s this much Michael Kors goodness to be had.

I think it's quite obvious that I love Michael Kors, so sorry if it's a bit Kors heavy but I like what I like and I'm certain others would love to receive anything from these items too. :-)

Part 2 coming soon...

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Christmas Gift Guide - Winter Warmers!

Christmas shopping can invariably lead to stress, headache, and panic (for the unprepared last minute Larrys, like I am this year)… not to mention extremely painful feet and the potential for mild assault from other keen shoppers if you’re braving the shops, rather than shopping online. Personally, I try to stick to buying online as much as I can, so as to avoid the physically painful part, at least.

Now I know there’s loads of gift guides floating around, but I firmly believe that you can never have too much inspiration if you’re truly stumped for things to buy – especially if like me, you have to buy both for the people who seemingly have everything, and also the people who actually want nothing (thanks dad… a jumper it is then, again); and so I’m compiling a few guides for you covering a whole host of fabulous looking ‘stuff and things’ in the hope that I can maybe inspire you on the perfect gifts to buy for your nearest and dearest.

This guide focuses on products to purchase to keep your loved ones nice and toasty in the ‘weather ridden’ coldness that we call winter. I mean who doesn’t want to be warm, right?! So without further ado, here’s a whole heap of fabulousness that I’d personally love to own/receive. I could probably have just called all these guides ‘Claire's Wish Lists’ if I’m honest.

1. Ted Baker Prata Zip Front Cape in Taupe £249 – I’ve got a massive thing about capes at the moment and this one is just so chic that I just had to include it in this guide. It’s pricey-ish, but to me this is more of an investment piece that would see somebody through many seasons, complementing many outfits for a variety of occasions.

2. Ted Baker Riza Leather Biker Jacket in Grape £399 – This is a more casual option, but I love it all the same. I’m a big fan of the colour, the gold accenting and the quilting on the shoulders, as I’m also very partial to quilting… preferably on a Chanel bag, that I own (I don’t own one though *sob*). Again I feel this is another investment piece that will quite easily see you through the years.

3. New Look Black Tartan Check Reversible Oversized Scarf £14.99 – I’m loving the tartan trend that we’re seeing this season, it makes me think I should have kept my tartan trousers from the 90’s, although they were seriously unfashionable until this season… so probably best that I didn’t. This scarf combines the fabulous red tartan print with one of my other favourite prints, dogtooth/houndstooth. I adore it. I would wear this all day, every day, possibly even in bed. Love it.

4. New Look Parisian Blue Check Hooded Blanket Wrap £22.99 – If a scarf just doesn’t cut it for you, then this gorgeous blanket wrap should do the trick. I love the pattern, the style and that is has a hood to boot. Perfect.

5. Ruby & Ed Husky & Coyote Faux Fur Hand Muff, £34.00 – I have wanted a hand muff for ages, as I just don’t seem to get on with gloves, spending time taking them off, putting them back on, then off again and then invariably losing one, or both. These hand muffs/mufflers seem to be the answer to my problem, since they just hand around your neck and you can insert/withdraw your hands as needed without any extra effort. I’ve just realised I’m a lazy so and so when it comes to my hand warming needs, and an idiot that loses things. Wonderful, ha.

6. Ruby & Ed Brit Candy Hood in Burgundy, £99 – How comfy and warm does this bugger look? This looks ideal for the cold weather we have to put up in this wonderful country during the winter months. Plus my theory is that it wouldn’t ruin your hair as much as a normal hat would, due to it’s looser fit. Bonus, right?!

7. AX Paris Aztec Multi Coloured Printed Cape £19.99 (down from £35) – Another cape, but this time with an Aztec print, which is equally as fabulous as the tartan, but slightly different styling. I’m mad on capes at the moment, can you tell? Plus, it’s in the sale so it means you save some money to boot… or are able to purchase more, which is the route I usually take. ;-)

8. Boohoo Emily Parka with Fur Hood £45 – I adore this coat! The fur hood and the fluffy fleecy lining look like a cuddle in a coat. Plus, I like the more casual style of this for every day wear, and especially cold days where thinner coats just wouldn’t cut it in the keeping warm stakes. Perfect, I want it.

9. Berghaus Women’s Dovenby Fleece Pullover £45 – For the sportier types, this fleece top from Berghaus may just fit the bill. I’m a sucker for pink, hence that’s the colour I have posted, but actually I’d be happy to own these in all the colours available. They’re perfect for active types who are able to drag themselves out into the cold weather to go running, or something equally as horrifying when they could lovely and warm, sat indoors. ;-)

10. Berghaus Women’s Ramche Hyper Hydrodown Jacket £230 – Again, another one for the sportier, more active types… although I’d totally still wear this, and just pretend I was one of those kinds of people, ha. This loooovely bright pink coat looks like it will keep you warm without weighing you down, and will make sure you’re seen if you’re out running in the dark too – health and safety, guys. :-P

So there we have just a very small selection from a handful of websites (I could have gone overboard and listed about a thousand products, but I held back) to give you some inspiration when it comes to purchasing gifts for those, like me who never seem to have enough warm clothes when it gets to winter. I think my issue is that I just like purchasing dresses to go out partying in so that I don’t get seen in the same dress in clubs too often, oh well. ;-)

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Raving Mad: Cream Birthday Part 1 and a Little Update!

You may or may not have noticed that I've been a bit of a party girl ever since becoming single last year, I have basically reverted back to type, back to how I was pre Mr Ex Beauty Scoop; and so I've decided that along with the usual beauty, fashion and lifestyle bits that I normally feature on here (and will continue to do so, even more now my internet seems stable again), that I'll also be writing about events and club nights I've been to, since they're such a large part of my life these days.

Posts that I write will be about the nights themselves, and also as 'What I Wore' fashion and beauty type features too.. so there'll still be a definite fashion and beauty element in there for you all. It recently occurred to me that I do my make-up for these nights out that I have each weekend, and you never get to see it... so I'll be showing you my favourite looks, must have products and tips/techniques for stay put make-up that will survive even the longest night out. :-)

I also have a larger article planned about my favourite events from this year so far, and events to look out for in the future in the pipeline (I'm just editing down a mass of photographs with a partially working laptop, which is taking some time and finalising the text), but this weekend I shall be raving my tush off at Cream's birthday (part 1)  in Liverpool, so expect to see what I wore and my thoughts on the night very soon.

If you're fancying a night out there yourself, then get yourself over to Skiddle for a ticket as it's due to be a biiiig, brilliant night. I can't wait.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

No Makeup for Marc Jacobs Models at New York Fashion Week!

So what do we think of Marc Jacobs models having not one single scrap of makeup on whilst on the runway at his spring/summer 2015 show at New York Fashion Week?

I love it, actual natural beauty (ok, they're models... but still) and a focus on skincare rather than hiding 'flaws'. Brilliant.

Only moisturiser was used by makeup artist Francois Nars (the genius behind the NARS makeup brand). It must have been the easiest job he's ever been paid to do too. :-)

Does this give you more confidence to go out sans makeup?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

eBay Introduces New Collections Tool - See My Collections & Tell me What You Think!

eBay to me has always been the place that I turned to when I couldn’t find an item in stock, or had baulked at paying, or just couldn’t stretch to paying full price for something in a shop/online. Yep, it’s hit and miss as to what you find on there, but that’s the beauty of it as, whilst at times it may not have what you’re looking for, you can set up alerts for these searches… and when you get that email saying something you had been looking for has been listed, it is game on!!

Sometimes though, eBay can be daunting, with the sheer volume of items on there that it can be hard to find the products you want, especially when running with a theme, or trying to match them up to other items in general. So, eBay have come up with a pretty cool solution with their new Collections tool, a way of saving, and showing items that you think work well together.

This is perfect for your own organisational reasons or for sharing with friends and family; and I can totally imagine this working well for things like birthday and Christmas wish lists, as when people are asking what you’d like, you can just point them in the direction of your collections. Clever, huh?!

In preparation for the launch, eBay asked me to make some collections of my own and so I spent a good few hours scouring the site to see what treats took my fancy. You could say this was just a more elaborate form of my usual way to window shop, where I add everything I would like to own into any given ‘cart’, see the total cost, laugh (and cry) before closing the tab in defeat – as attempting to whittle down any shopping cart like that is near on impossible for this indecisive lady. ;-)

Here are just a few of my favourite collections from all of the collections I have been making (all clickable):

Modern Twist on a Vintage Wedding

Natural Glamour.

GOLD...

Wild About Animal Print.

Girls Night Out!

All Hail The Nail.

The rest can be found HERE!

The collections format actually reminds me somewhat of Pinterest, and other similar sites in the way that you add items, and the way it appears overall, and I think it’s going to be a great addition to the site. I’m already making more collections to lust after, in the hope that I come into some money. Ha.

What do you think about the new addition? Have you seen or used the new collections tool? Could you make use of it? x

P.S: Apologies if you're using a mobile to view this post, if the images are a bit wonky - not entirely sure what has happened with that.

This post has been sponsored by eBay.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Deichmann Collaborate With Fashion Blogger, Caroline Blomst for Spring Summer 2014!

Most people have their ‘thing’ when it comes to fashion… be that dresses, hats, bags, jewellery, shoes or whatever else takes their fancy. Me? I’m an ‘everything’ kinda girl. I like things, I like lots of them and they have to meet my exacting style standards; especially as I’m also incredibly indecisive. However, it has to be said that I do hold a dear place in my heart, and my wardrobe, for shoes. You see shoes are the only things I could always rely on, even at my heaviest, to fit me.

So am I a ‘shoe’ person? Why yes, yes I am.

When it comes to purchasing shoes, I’m totally a Carrie wannabe, in that I would love to be able to say that my budget stretched to the likes of Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahniks to be worn as my shoes du jour; alas, I tend to be more of a high street girl. That’s not such a bad thing though, as the good thing about fashion these days is that you don’t actually have to spend the earth on an outfit for it to look good, or make a statement.

This is why I love brands that pull out all the stops to bring us designs that look great, but without the threat of bankruptcy, or broken hearts due to our weeping bank balances. It’s not even necessarily that you end up saving as much as you think, as if you’re anything like me, money off/money saved just means you can buy more. Half price? This to me just means I can buy twice as much!

Which brings me onto the new spring/summer 2014 collection from forward thinking European shoe brand, Deichmann, which launched today (here) and was under heavy embargo so as excited as I was to tell you, I was unable to do so!

The collection, comprising of 7 different shoe designs has been designed in collaboration with Swedish fashion uber-blogger and all round fashionista Caroline Blomst, is to be stocked in store and online by Deichmann UK, with prices starting from just £17.99 and reaching no higher than £27.99. Good news for your bank balances, girls!

Video footage of the collection, provided by Deichmann UK.

The collection was an instant hit when I saw it, and whilst I might not wear every pair of shoes myself, I think that it's bang on many trends that are current right now. The 2 styles from within the group that totally caught my eye were these beauties:

Peep toe shoe boot with cut out detail, 27.99

These boots are so flexible, and could be worn with pretty much anything from your wardrobe, from jeans and leggings to skirts, dresses or even shorts; meaning they will easily span throughout any season. The 4.5 inch heel is fairly high, and with only a very slight platform to offset the height too. However, I found these shoes more comfortable than I first thought they would when they arrived with me, largely due to the fact that the boot styling almost fully encases the foot, instantly giving much needed support to the foot and ankle (the adjustable fastening adds to the overall look of the boots and can be tightened or loosened to suit your ankle size thus avoiding the shoe slipping off the foot as you walk - safe as well as stylish?

Peep toe with drop side and metallic heel, £27.99

These glam metallic accented heels are possibly my favourite item as they totally appeal to my glam nature and weekend wardrobe of bodycons and bandage dresses. The design is also mega flattering as they instantly lengthen your legs, and who here doesn't want longer looking legs?! Metallic accented shoes featured highly at Paris Fashion week recently, so these are totally now, however I expect to get wear from these for quite some time to come! Adore.

 My final thoughts?

You can see the thought that has gone into the collection as a whole; and it's apparent that whilst style is high up on the agenda, Caroline also wanted these shoes to get a lot of wear, with comfort also seemingly factoring highly.

Her consideration that the designs were versatile, and could be styled with a plethora of different outfits, tailored to your own personal style preference, is also glaringly obvious; and I'm quite sure that this collection would not look out of place on any of the fashionistas that we all know and love.

Unfortunately my camera gave up the ghost which meant that I could not shoot the shoes sent to me in the manner I had planned, so I apologise for the stock images, but it at least ensures that you actually see the collection.

View the boot-y!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

What to Wear This Valentine's Day, with New Look!

The chance of a date for me would be a fine thing, but hopefully this information will help some of the luckier amongst us who do have plans this Valentine's weekend. x


This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Littlewoods Shopping Wishlist!

I'm a prolific online window shopper! I'm always adding thousands of pounds worth of stuff I'd like to have in my life into virtual shopping trollies... usually with the intention of whittling it all down to maybe just one or 2 things that I *must* own and that my bank balance can stretch to, but without the decisiveness to actually do so.

So, when I was asked to make a wishlist of things I'd like from Littlewoods, I jumped straight on it as this is totally my forte. As usual, when adding products to my wishlist, I went TOTALLY overboard, so I then had to limit myself to just my favourite 8 items from each of the departments I was 'shopping' from.

First stop was Littlewoods range of Jewellery, and I'd say this was probably the hardest department to limit myself to just 8 items in, due to the sheer volume of different items available added to my magpie 'shiny shiny' tendencies. I tried to do a mix of fashion and more classic products, as I do like both... they all have a place in my jewellery box, but I do love a statement piece of jewellery. The products I've chosen relate to each of the links below, numerically.

1. Lipsy Bow Stretch Bracelet, £15
2. Fiorelli Stretch Crystal Wide Bracelet, £42
3. PIECES Knot Necklace, £27
4. Sterling Silver and Purple Cubic Zirconia Ring, £55,
5. Tanzanite and Silver Ring, £117
6. 9 Carat White Gold 50 Point Diamond Cluster Ring, £326
7. 9 Carat White Gold, White Topaz, Diamond Set, Radiance Set Ring, £276
8. Sterling Silver and Pink and White Cubic Zirconia Ring, £19

Total spent: £877.

Next up I headed to Littlewoods range of Women's Jackets, since I've been desperate for a winter coat or 3 for some time now, since losing all the weight, as everything is way too big. There's a mixture of styles included here because to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure which style will suit me more these days.  Before, I used to just go for items that fit me and were quite loose in fitting so as not to show my numerous lumps and bumps. however I do like the look of all of these, and so that's why I chose them.

1. South Leather Biker Jacket, £139
2. South Fur Lined Biker Jacket, £60
3. Love Label Dolly Fur Collar Coat, £85
4 Superdry Eskimo Cape, £118
5. Lipsy Belted Coat, £105
6. Definitions Lux Military Parka, £110
7. Vero Moda Yatsy Padded Coat, £44
8. Myleene Klass Genuine Leather Biker Jacket, £160

Total spent:  £821.

Finally, I found myself loitering in Littlewoods range of Lipsy Dresses, because again, now I've lost weight, I am a total sucker for a pretty party dress; and, since we're rapidly heading towards party season, I thought what better way to warm up than by choosing some of my favourite dresses from the range.

1. Lipsy Bandage and Lace Dress, £68
2. Lipsy Bodycon Illusion Dress, £74
3. Lipsy Jersey Bodycon Dress, £62
4. Lipsy Lace Detail Bodycon Dress, £74
5. Lipsy VIP Lace Feather Dress, £142
6. Lipsy Sleeveless Sequin Lace Dress, £44
7. Lipsy Shimmer Bandeau Dress, £60
8. Lipsy Cap Sleeve Dress with Stud Detail, £62

Total spent: £586.

So, there you have it... my 8 favourites from each of just 3 of the Littlewoods ranges available online. Being the indecisive madam I am, this was actually incredibly difficult to do; and should I ever be asked to further whittle it down to less than these 8 items per department, well I just don't think that would be possible, I would be totally bamboozled and probably end up in an indecisive heap on the floor. Ha.

My only wish, is that these items were being sent to me right now, instead of still only being a distant dream in my virtual trolley.


What do you think to my choices? Are there any items from the ranges that you'd have picked differently? x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Fat Girl Slim - My Before & After Images!

2007 - possibly the only pictures of me that I've got at almost my heaviest. Below are images from Summer this year.

I used to be fat. Like 6 stone (almost) heavier. Mostly due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but still, nobody cares WHY you’re fat; they just see the large person stood in front of them. I was never happy being larger, since I’d always been a size 10-12 in the past. I lost interest in myself, didn’t see the point of trying to find too many nice clothes, since I felt horrific in anything I put on, I avoided cameras like a professional (hence why I’ve found it so difficult to find images of me whilst so heavy), and looking back at images from events and nights out I’d been to/on, it was like I barely existed at all.

• At my heaviest, I weighed 16 stone 2, possibly a couple of lbs more, I stopped weighing myself you see. I think I must have been a size 20-22 and I was miserable. Thankfully I lost 2.5 stone when I went on my medication for the PCOS (basically the reason I got large), with the weight coming off slowly but surely with that. However, this year, the rest of the weight (3 stone) dropped off me, kick started by the heartbreak diet after my fiancé of almost a decade had an affair and left in March, but continued (I think) by my active weekends in clubs, dancing off the flab.I now weigh between 9 stone 4lbs and 9 stone 6lbs. My aim is to get to 9 stone with the final bit of toning up I need/want to do.

Heavy August last year.

Me this year in the last 2 images.

Anyway, I’ve been asked a few times by people to put up before and after images and I was in 2 minds about whether to do so or not because I felt so hideous about myself in the before images, but then thought ‘why not?’ because I’ve actually achieved something pretty decent, and should be proud of this. So, this is a huge amount of images, apologies for this – as I’ve basically used all my fat photographs, and tried to find as many images as possible to contrast with them for you and show you what I look like throughout this year.

Even dresses that I squeezed into when I was larger, but not at my largest, I've been able to wear (just about) now I'm slimmer and I can't believe the massive difference in just a few dress sizes, as you can see above.

I obviously wouldn't recommend the heartbreak diet, but this wasn't in my control and I fully believe it shocked my body into dropping weight quicker than it had been on my medication alone. As mentioned above, I still want, and need to tone up, because after an almost 6 stone weight loss there is lose skin and still a small layer of fat but this is something I will be working on from now, until I achieve my goal.

I didn't even realise the difference, until I had to convince friends that I did actually weigh so much more by showing them my before pictures. Madness.

I still see myself as the larger girl for the most part, and when I buy my sized clothing, I look at it when it arrives and think 'I'm never going to fit into that'... but then I do, and I honestly can never believe it. This was especially the case with the 'Letto' dress above, by Forever Unique at Chic Boutique, which I've just noticed has been reduced in the sale from £110 to a bargainous £55, and well worth every penny as the dress is gorgeous and I always receive tonnes of compliments when I wear it - full review on this coming soon.

Have you lost weight yourself? Have you ever experienced this 'fat girl mentality' after weight loss? Do you want to lose weight? Tell me your stories. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Need.New.Warm.Clothes.

Just a quick snap whilst at the hairdressers this afternoon.

I need a serious clothes shop. I have lost weight, I have no warm clothes that fit me. This time last year I was roughly a 16 (at best) to 18 dress size. I am now a 12, possibly entering a 10 as some of my size 12 stuff is now getting a bit loose - yet I'm still not happy with my body, I need to tone up grrr.

I went out today in hot pants and the warmest, smallest sized top I could find. I was cold, even though it was still fairly mild weather in  Manchester. Brbrrrrrrrr! 

However, I have a problem, other than a lack of money from too much partying of course, ha. I made the mistake of buying new clothes earlier in the year, now with most of them being way too big for me. So do I just buy a couple of warmer pieces and hold off buying too much until I'm at a more stable dress size but then have to wear the same things a lot, or do I just go for it and to hell with the consequences?

Decisions decisions. What would you do? ;-) x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Are Care Instructions for Clothes Getting Wimpy?

Now my love of fashion has been reignited since losing weight, I've been buying more clothes in general, but also because I need to, since my older ones no longer fit me (perfect excuse). It's almost as a necessity to have a lovely large wardrobe brimming with new stuff really, to accompany the hugely hectic social life that I seem to be leading; especially when I'm being snapped by cameras and not wanting to appear to be wearing the same dress at every event.

This isn't a bad thing, I'm not complaining (although my feeble attempt of a bank balance most definitely is), but what I have noticed in buying all these lovely new clothes is that the care instructions appear to have got a bit finicky and precious... overly cautious, if you will.

Many of my clothes, or clothes that I am looking at online etc now seem to be hand wash only (without appearing to be particularly delicate to me), or unable to be tumble dried... or unable to be washed OR dry cleaned like the beautiful, expensive Forever Unique gown shown in the image above, and available here, where the care instructions say:

"Do not wash, Do not dry clean, Do not spray alcohol based products directly on garments such as perfume, Hair spray etc, Spot clean only with mild detergent, Do not bleach, Do not iron on embellishments" 

WTF?! It's made from 100% Polyester - something I thought was easily washable?! If I'm paying £550 for for an item of clothing, surely a basic requirement is that it's able to be cleaned so it can be worn again?!

In years gone by, I'm sure most clothes (bar obviously delicate materials, such as wool and silk) were generally just able to be thrown in at no greater than their recommended temperatures. Am I imagining this, or is this the clothing manufacturers and brands being wimps? Have we got so used to complaining, taking things back and suchlike that they're just protecting themselves, or are these clothes, and the materials they're made from really that delicate? I mean since when did denim get so fragile that it could no longer be tumble dried - as I recently saw on a pair of jeans I own?

Now I know washing machines can be quite rough and the insides aren't perfectly smooth, and I know that tumble drying isn't brilliant for the condition of your clothing either, but surely either technology should be able to cope with cleaning/drying clothes without causing (too much) damage, or that there are precautions that could be taken to ensure clothes stay in the best condition they can?!

Messing around... I know!

It actually puts me off purchasing items of clothing if the care instructions appear to state that you have to make a trip to mars, whilst singing a song backwards and dancing on your head just to get the item clean, ha. I want to be able to wear them, enjoy them, and wash them without hassle so I can wear and enjoy them again... not feel like I should 'save for best', just because it's a chore to get them ready to wear again.

For instance, I have a few dip hem dresses (shown in the other 2 images above, from a BBQ/party I went to not long ago), made with a chiffon-type material where the care instructions clearly state 'hand wash only' and I did hand wash these dresses... ONCE! It was so tedious, I honestly felt that life was too short for that malarkey, and so I actually didn't wear them again for a while because of it.

I then wondered if the dresses were hand wash more so they didn't catch on the inside of the washing machine and get pulls in them, than for any other reason. So, I decided to do a little experiment where I put the dresses inside an old pillowcase, used a hair band to seal them inside and stuck them in the wash on a low spin, 30 degree wash. Guess what, no harm came to them!!

Now I'm not saying these care instructions don't have their uses, or are not there for a valid reason; however, I do feel like they're being applied by brands and manufacturers that are simply wimping out by basically wrapping the garment in cotton wool so they don't have to deal with returns and refunds or some other nonsense. What do you think?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

I Don't Have a Drink Problem, But I Do Need These in My Life.

Since I've been single, my social life has been my life. I have lived for the weekends, and spent a lot of time with friends. This has made a massive dent in my bank balance, since getting tipsy in clubs and pubs isn't the cheapest way to get your tipsy on.

So when I heard about a couple of fashion items that could carry booze secretly, my interest was immediately piqued, especially as I tend to drink spirits, since they're less calorific (gin is almost healthy, since it's made with berries, practically one of your five a day, surely?! Ha!), less bloating, and you can sneak more volume in than things like wine and beer.

Unfortunately it appears that these are either available from the USA (with expensive shipping costs), or expensive full stop, so I shall be on the hunt for something similar over here/for less, in a bid to get leathered for less.

The first thing on my *need to have* list just HAS to be this fantastic bracelet from Cynthia Rowley ($225 from cynthiarowley.com/) which is made from stainless steel. You can order from outside of the US by contacting them directly here! I have no idea how much it holds, but frankly, I don't care as I love the chunky styling of the bracelet anyway. The image on the right is apparently Gwyneth Paltrow, who is also meant to be a fan, and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me. ;-)

The final thing, which I can only find on American sites is the "Wine Rack Flask Bra" for $27.59 (but works out at about $82 with shipping to UK, eek), which is genius... but I'd never put wine in it; I mean who would want warm wine?

This is perfect for spirits in my opinion, as you could buy a mixer with ice in, and top it up with your bra haha. The only concern for me would be the decreasing boobs throughout the night, and also the space left in the top half of your clothing.

Do you have any top tips for sneaking booze into events, what's the most creative you've been when doing this... or am I alone in my plight? xx

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Megan Fox Copy Cat Shoes!?

I saw this picture of the stunning Megan Fox over on The Huffington Post, looking amazing after giving birth a short time ago. I instantly found myself looking at her feet, well her shoes, actually and admiring how lovely they were. So, I set off to find something similar, and these heels from Dorothy Perkins are what I found:

They're not identical, they're peep toe for a start, but I quite like the cooler toned nude shade, and I'm a sucker for any kind of sparkle which make these shoes ideal for me; taking just about enough inspiration from the Megan Fox heels to keep me satisfied.

Unfortunately stock is limited on the Dorothy Perkins website, with only 2 sizes available. However, I've seen these aplenty in stores I've been into lately, if you fancy getting yourself a pair; and frankly their delivery service and online customer service is shocking, so it's probably a blessing in disguise.

What do you think, ladies?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Pre-Party Season Sale Picks From Dune!

I got an email, informing me of the Dune sale yesterday, which was like a red rag to a bull as I have no self control when it comes to spending. I actually need a lottery win as I've seen at least £10,000 worth of things I want to own, over a number of websites... and that is me being conservative with my online window shopping, as I have this fantastic ability to go onto a website, and see that minutes later, I have put over £1,000 worth of products in my basket. Madness.

Anyway, in a bid to save a bit of money (well, not really as I never actually save anything, I just buy more) I decided to treat myself to a few of the sale items in preparation for the (hopefully) many Christmas parties and nights out I'll be attending. So I'm showing you what I bought, and also linking to some of the items I didn't buy, even though I desperately wanted to.

You'll notice that there's a running theme with these shoes, that I only really noticed after sending my order, and that is that most of the shoes that have stolen my heart, are all full of sparkle and glitter - even the flat ones. What is wrong with me, and how much glitter and shit can I actually get away with at the age of 31 and up? Ha.

So without further ado, here's the booty info:

Dance-Tear Peep Platform Court, £38 - I actually bought these last year for about £90 after lusting after them for a couple of months before they were released. However when they arrived, they were faulty as they had been made too small and I ended up feeling like one of the ugly sisters in Cinderella trying on the glass slipper. They they just did not fit, and even if I could have shoehorned myself into them, there's no way I could have walked in them. I was gutted to find out that there were no replacements available, and thus I was given a refund whilst my heart slightly broke. So imagine my joy when I saw them available for this bargain price, needless to say, I snapped them up! I bought them in 2 sizes this year, just in case.  Unfortunately, there are only 5's and 6's available and I expect that stock is low*.

Macie Fold Up Sequin Ballerina, £16 - I bought these for that inevitable time in the night that I need to change from heels to flats (which these days is usually after about 10 minutes, once everybody has seen the pretty heels, as a gesture). I thought I might be able to fool people into thinking I still had the heels on, since they're quite similar in texture. Available in all sizes bar size 6*.

Octave D Round Toe Platform Court, £22 - I've wanted some nude-y shoes, purely because I just don't own that many pairs and with all the glitter, I felt I had to be a little bit more grown up with at least one of the pairs I bought. Plus, they're a total bargain! Available in all sizes, bar 2, 7 and 9*!

Mazzy Fold Up Glitter Ballerina, £16 - Another pair of shoes to try to disguise the fact that I've shrunk, and my legs are looking dumpier due to ditching the heels mid-evening. More glitter, but what would you expect by now?! Available in all sizes*.


And now here are just a few pairs of the shoes I also wanted to buy!

Babbington Platform Glitter Court Shoe, £64.

Dragonby Low Platfrom Peep Toe Court Shoe, £64.

BO Concealed Platform Glitter Court Shoe, £68 (shown here in Pewter, but I also had my eye on Champagne and Silver too).

And just as a final note, does anybody else think the shoes below look like they're fresh from the Wizard of Oz? I kind of want them too 'There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home' but I don't know why, it's probably because of the glitter. ;-)

Blaire Flared Heel Almond Toe Court Shoe, £42 (shown in Red Glitter).


*All stock levels correct at time of writing. However, if the ones you want do sell out in your size, then you could check over at John Lewis as they're price matching the sale items (seemingly not the cheaper, seemingly clearance items), so some of them are available over there too. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Competition: Win a £50 Boux Avenue Gift Card!

I had a rather lovely email yesterday, offering me the chance to try out some Boux Avenue lingerie, which of course I have accepted and you shall be reading about that in due course. In the same email, I was also offered the chance to give one of you, my lovely readers the chance to win a £50 gift card to spend at Boux Avenue... and of course, I accepted that too.

So, if you want to be in with the chance of winning this fabulous prize, all you need to do is follow this blog via Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, or Hello Cotton (see right hand side bar) and leave a message in the comments section, telling me how you follow me and your name that you use on said following methods.

If you follow me on all 3, you get extra entries for each extra one - but you must follow me via at least one of those. Extra entries also apply if you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook and tweet/share about the competition, and video using this message (leave your usernames in your comments):

'Wiggle and win a £50 voucher with www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk and Boux Avenue http://bit.ly/wiggleit - I've entered, have you?'

You have the opportunity to get 5 entries into this competition, should you wish to enter via all methods.

This competition ends on Thursday March 29th 2012 at 23:59pm, so get sharing. :-)

For those of you who just can't wait, you should get yourself over to the Boux Avenue website, as they currently have a 3 for 2 offer running on selected pairs of knickers... which is what the 'wiggle it' video at the top is all about, it's a bit cheeky, don'tcha think? ;-)

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Lusting After: Christian Dior's Haute Couture Gowns!

I can only dream of having a life glamorous enough to wear these beautiful gowns in - and the body to do them justice. They're from Christian Dior's Spring 2012 Haute Couture collection, just in case any of you are lucky enough to own the life that I desire. ;-)

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk