Review: Scarlett & Jo Pink Floaty Dress

I was recently lucky enough to be asked by +Evans to review the Pink Floaty Dress from their new range from Scarlett & Jo.

The hot pink of the dress is gorgeous and the fit is true to size.  I would actually probably classify this dress as a tunic myself as at 5ft 4 I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it without opaque tights or leggings.  It hits me at around two inches above the knee.

I've styled the dress today with black leggings and my new sandals which work well for a daytime look but equally the dress would be fantastic with a statement necklace, some opaque tights and skyscraper heels.  Unfortunately due to an injured foot I can't show you that look!

The dress can be found at Evans in sizes 14-26, priced at £35.00 which is a great price considering that it is a dress that can be styled up or down depending on where you are going.  I will probably use this dress as a go to for when I go out in the afternoon and want to style up in the evening, without having to go home to change.

What do you wear for the afternoon/evening look?

I have not been paid to write this blog and the opinions in the same are honest and my own.

You Get What You Pay For!

I’m doing something on the blog today that I have never done before.  A bad review.  I hate giving a bad review of something, but in this case I was very unhappy with the product and felt that I should.

 I have been buying clothes from Very for some time and have always been happy with the quality and item that I have received.

 

Unfortunately the shoes appear to be a different story.  This is a second chance story with Very’s shoes as I had previously bought a pair of boots for the Winter from South that I was unhappy with;  namely with the soles coming away from the boots and the leather coming off at the front of both boots.  I had decided that it was a one off and having not paid over the odds, I left it there.

 

Approximately two months ago I bought a pair of black glitter ballet shoes from Very for £15.00.  I have worn them no more than five times.  Here is the result.  Given the state of the soles coming away from the shoes I have had to throw them away. 

 

I realise that I have paid less than £20.00 for the shoes and if I had been wearing the pair for a while, I would have been fine with the end result.  But for a pair of shoes I have barely worn?  Unacceptable I’m afraid. 

I will continue to buy clothing from Very as I think that they have a great selection and I have never had a problem with quality on that front.  But as for the shoes and boots, a little more quality please!

 

I hate doing bad reviews......

Review SimplyBe Glamorosa Tunic Dress

I often compare finding the right dress as being similar to finding the Holy Grail.  Both being much talked about mythical objects that no one can find.

Having accomplished the feat of finding a plus size dress that is both fashion forward, to my taste and not shaped like a tent I am often thwarted at the last hurdle by the bust area.  Many times I have tried on a dress which has fit perfectly in all areas, but my breasts have either been squashed so much it looks like I have a lumpy pillow stuffed under my dress or there is far more cleavage showing than I would prefer  to show outside of my bedroom!

SimplyBe recently kindly offered me the chance to review an item from their range.  I came across their Glamorosa section which said it’s clothes were “Designed for your boobs, tailored for you”.  We’ll see I thought and decided on a Bird Print tunic dress in Voluptuous Fit.

Having high hopes I tried on the dress and hurrah!  Finally a dress that ticked all the boxes.  What I wanted from this dress was something that I could wear either at work or with the girls at the weekend.  The v neck hits me at just the right spot to be work appropriate.  With the length, if you are 5ft 4 or over, this dress may be a little short without tights or leggings.

The viscose material is light and flows perfectly, although personally I wouldn’t wear it without my trusty silk slip underneath as it is a little see through when viewed in sunlight.  After wearing it for a full day in the office, I can confirm that there was not a crease to be seen!  The bird print on the SimplyBe site appears to just be black and white but there is a smattering of pink on each bird which really adds something to the dress.

I can’t wait for the warmer weather to arrive as I anticipate this dress getting many an outing.  I prefer a belt that cinches in a little more at the waist so have substituted one of my own, although the belt has come into other uses, namely in my hair as you can see from one of the photographs!

The dress can be found at SimplyBe and is available in sizes 14-32, covering cup sizes from A - K.

Here are the pics!

I have not been paid to write this blog and the opinions in the same are honest and my own.

MUA Blusher Review

As part of being my plan for being more sensible with my money (read not buying so many shoes) I have been looking where I spend a lot of money and have been trying to cut back.

I recently did a post on MUA Mascara which was the first product I have tried from the Makeup Academy. It has become my go to mascara for the working week and works very well, for the price I couldn't be more happy.

I was looking through my makeup collection recently though in my budget frame of mind and realised I needed a change in blusher.  I have always used Dandelion by Benefit which I used as a double up for brightening up my complexion and adding blush to my cheeks.  I adore it.  But at £23.50 a time, can I still justify it?  Probably not.

Given my good experience with the mascara, I once again raided the MUA section of my local Superdrug.  For the unbelievable price of £1 I bought the MUA Shade 2 Blusher and have been roadtesting it for over a week once.

The blusher goes on well, without being too heavy.  It has a good staying power and I have nothing bad to say about it at all.  In fact considering the price I ended up with two as I keep one at home and one at the office (sometimes a girl just have to retouch).

The blusher has a very good level of pigmentation and as a result, you only need to dab your blusher brush once onto it in order to get the appropriate amount of blusher to apply.  I learned this at my peril after using for the first time and ending up looking like Aunt Sally.

Making a saving of £22.50 is a definate win in my budget task, although I still need to retrain my brain so I don't think "Oooooo, what can I buy instead?"

Have you found any good bargains lately?

Exciting Times

This week has been a crazy one for me and my blog.

I never really had a plan, it just gradually morphed itself over the course of a couple of years into what it is today.  Opinions, rants and plus size outfits.  My very first post A Love of my 30's, Finally feels like it was written a lifetime ago, although I'm glad the blog started on a positive note!

Over the course of the past few months I have found a little confidence and have been doing a few plus size posts.  I have experienced everything from sheer terror to complete surprise and actual pleasure in writing them.  

Taking photographs of myself, of which I'm still on a massive learning curve, was definately a challenge as I always used to hide from the camera.  I was expecting nasty comments, or more likely, no feedback at all from these posts but the reaction to them has been great.  

With this in mind, the next step I have reached in the blog is twofold.  Firstly, I promised myself that when, and if, the views in one month ever went over a certain figure, I would get a domain name.  I'm quite liking the blog being TheCurvedOpinion.com now!

The second move forward is that I have been lucky enough to be gifted some dresses for review on the blog.  I have purposely chosen dresses that are completely out of my comfort zone and not what I would normally wear.  I have been pleasantly surprised!  These posts will be up in the following few weeks.

Onwards and upwards!

Review of Clinique Moisturiser

I've tried many moisturisers over the years.  

I have combination skin that reacts fine with makeup, but for some reason, doesn't like moisturiser.  I have tried various brands over the years, from the cheapest to the most expensive.  

Putting the wrong moisturiser on my face turns it bright red and stinging.  Not a good look.  This has happened with so many that I have tried.  Nivea worked quite well for me, but I didn't like the thick consistency which took forever to sink in and I had to wait a while before I could apply makeup.  

My review today is for Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion.

The retail price is around £29.00 for a 125ml bottle from Debenhams although you can get cheaper bottles from Ebay.  Some may say that is expensive but I can assure you that for the amount that you actually use, the time it takes to use a bottle up is very cost effective.  Once you have paid for the original outlay, you won't regret it.

The moisturiser itself it feels incredibly light going on and sinks right into your skin without feeling heavy.  You can literally put makeup straight on within two minutes.  Having tried various moisturisers over the years, this is the best one I have used in all areas.  

I have had no skin reactions with this moisturiser since starting to use it, and it has even cured my winterly complaint of dry flaky patches on my face during the cold periods which nothing has ever fixed before.

If you can't afford it, get it on your birthday list, you won't regret it.

MUA Mega Volume Mascara Review

Mascara is the one item of make-up that I absolutely cannot go without.  I usually have at least three on the go, for volume, length etc.  

Having put the Benefit "They're Real" mascara on my list to Santa, I found myself needing to buy one just to keep me going until Christmas.  I had heard a few things about MUA make-up before, but to be honest, I usually stay well clear of cheap make-up as I have never had good experiences the lower priced items.

Given that I only had a few weeks to wait and the good things I had heard however, I found myself over at the MUA counter in Superdrug.  I settled on the Mega Volume Mascara in Black/Brown for the tiny price of £3.00.  I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much.

Turns out, everything I had heard about MUA is true.  The mascara is very good quality and goes on like a dream.  It gives me the lift and length I require with added volume.  The brush is easy to use, unlike some of the more expensive mascaras I have used over the years which require a degree in engineering to figure out.

This mascara has gone from a mere "tide me over" mascara to something which has been added to my daily make-up look and I will definately buy again.  Here are a few pictures with the before and after.

Excuse the hair - it's in it's pre GHD state

Here is the mascara - the fact that the packaging is pink I confess is what drew me to it!

The brush is easy to use and doesn't overload with mascara

Here is the link to the MUA mascara on the website where you can find this mascara and all the other ranges.

Give it a try, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised!

From an Apple to a Berry

I was going to do a phone review for my new Blackberry 9900 but then I wondered if there was any point.  The phone has been out for a while now, there are tons of reviews out there already, written and video and all the information is at your finger tips. 

I’m a firm believer that if you are to commit yourself to something, particularly technology, you need to do your research first.  I hate the people that buy a product, be it a phone, laptop whatever and then complain after purchase that it doesn’t do this or that.  If you had done your research, you would know what you are getting.  I knew for example that the battery wasn't great and would need charging once a day.  Coming from a phone I used to have to charge twice a day, that didn't faze me.

The reason I decided to do this post in the end was the amount of people who have been surprised, some shocked at my decision to move from Iphone to Blackberry.  I don’t see my decision as shocking, although as it is my decision, I guess I wouldn’t.

I wrote The Defection a few weeks ago before I committed and bought the 9900.  I said at the time that time would tell if I loved it or hated it.  Would I miss the full touch screen, would I miss all the apps?  The answer, no.  I am in love with this phone.

My requests from my new phone were clear cut.  I wanted a keypad but still with a decent touchscreen.  I wanted to still have the apps I used to have on my Iphone.  I also wanted to still be able to have all my music. 

The 9900 suits me down to the ground.  I love the keypad.  The geek in me loves all the lists, the countless options.  Anything I want to do on the phone, it can tell me how.  I have a media card in the phone so all my music is there, and unlike with the Iphone where you might have to limit yourself to an 8G due to the price of the phone, with this you can have 64G for a the price of a SD card.

Everyone told me I would regret it, that I was crazy to change.  But come on people, it’s only a phone.  It isn’t a life changing decision.  You decide what works for you want and you see what is out there that fits your specifications.  You shouldn’t have to limit what you want to fit with “the brand”.

I am slightly worried about myself however, now and again I find myself just looking at it, stroking the keys.  I may need to go Blackberry addicts anonymous.  But who cares, it’s mine, and I love it.  Plus, now I get to see this every time, am a McClaren girl through and through.