Curve Fashion Festival - Liverpool

Hello there,

I can't believe it's nearly 3 weeks since The Curve Fashion Festival was held in Liverpool. I missed last years, but after going to the 2015 one which was held in Manchester. I was determined not to miss another!

After an epic drive up from Southampton (transportation Star Trek style would be a marvelous thing...) we arrived in Warrington. I say we, my other half was with me, but had his own plans for the day.

The plan was for a leisurely morning and a short trip from Warrington to Liverpool. I hadn't quite planned on such awful weather and a scenic detour through the back roads of Liverpool though. Eventually, flustered and slightly soggy, we arrived.

The obligatory nervous hotel room selfie before the event, and the soggy view from the window.

There seemed to be so much more to look at than I expected, so the I think the best thing I can do is give a visual summary of all the things that caught my eye and the lovely people I met.

The first stand I stopped at was Lindy Bop - so many new prints coming soon (unicorn shoes anybody?).

The very lovely Hayley from Curves and Curls was on the Studio 8 stand

The main sponsors New Look had a huge stand at the end of the hall, I could have spent a small fortune here

River Island (as usual) had some beautiful items

Some other bits and pieces that I loved on the day

And as I always say, the best thing about events like this is catching up with friends and making new ones.

There's always that person who goes to the wrong place for the group photo and then has to run and squeeze in on the end...oh wait...that's me! Oops.

And finally, I need this wall for all future blog photos. It's much nicer than my side wall.

My outfit details were: dress from TU at Sainsburys, size 22 (old), cardigan from Primark, size 20 and trainers from Converse.

The whole day flew by, I met so many people, missed so many people (next time!) and can't wait to do it all again next year (without the rain maybe please).

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

A Primark haul - and a few shoes!

Hello there,

Question for you all - how many pairs of shoes is too many? Reason I ask is because I ambled into Primark for a quick look around - and ended up leaving with 3 pairs. And if that wasn't enough - I then popped into New Look and bought another pair.

In my defense - I really did need some new flats (but 4 pairs - seriously?) Anyway - here's a look at some of the goodies I got.

3 espadrille style shoes at £4 a pair. They seriously feel like slippers and have already been well used. They're perfect for wearing with jeans or a summer dress (did I mention they are SO comfortable?)

Primark slouchy tees are the best. At £2 each they're perfect for layering up under jumpers or cardigans during these chilly spring evenings. 

A sleeveless navy blouse for £8. I think this will work well as a blouse or worn open with a vest top during summer. Plus it's that great material that never creases (ideal if you hate ironing as much as me!).

There's a bit of a blue/navy theme with this haul. I've been looking for navy cushions for a while and these were 2 for £6. Lovely soft velour finish and very cuddly and comfy.

And finally for Primark, something I always get, a few packs of their cosmetic cotton pads for 50p a pack. I also picked up a new blending brush - I've seen these around for a while now and I'm interested to see how they feel (so far it feels a little like using a kitten's paw....).

And if that wasn't enough shoes...I'd seen these shoes from New Look online, but often things online never look as good in real life. Well, these were better. And after wearing them for a very long day of walking, I can confirm they are a winner. 

So that's my little (or not so little) shopping haul. You know it's a biggish shop in Primark when they give you two bags.... oops!

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx

Mini shopping spree - jewellery, nail varnish, lips and shoes

Hello there,

I'm trying so hard to be good and not spend much as I'm off on holiday soon over to Belgium. Well, that was the plan anyway. As you'll see below I didn't succeed, but I love what I bought anyway.

I'm a real magpie when it comes to jewellery and anything sparkly. I can't seem to walk past a shop without stopping to see what's for sale. I'm seriously starting to run out of storage room for it all - I think that's definitely another blog post for the future.

These little sparklies were part of 2 for 1 offer at New Look. So it was easy to persuade myself and my mother to buy a pair each.

I fell in love with this necklace from Dorothy Perkins. I love long, feature necklaces and this feels so tactile. I wore it yesterday and couldn't stop playing with it. Sainsburys are also selling the exact same necklace but for 50p more

Rings - the bigger the better! I have a love for all things coral and peach at the moment and this was a perfect buy from Peacocks. For only £2 you know you're not getting anything high end, but I really don't care. It's fun jewellery and makes me smile

After all that jewellery shopping, another favourite of mine - Poundland. I had heard about the CK lip glosses for sale in there. Now I'm not a fan of lip gloss - or any lipstick really. But for only a £1 each, it was worth a try.

The dark colour was a bit of an eek moment to be honest. I doubt it will get much use and will be destined for an evening/party look only. But the paler shade was so pretty. Plus the little pots are perfect for popping into pockets and small handbags.

No shopping trip seems to be complete without a purchase from Barry M at Superdrug. I needed a new base and topcoat and how beautiful is this glitter polish?

And finally Primark. I'm very lucky that I don't really have wide feet (just wide ankles!) so many of their cheaper fashion shoes fit perfectly. These were £4 each so I didn't feel too guilty buying one of each colour.

So often on shoes like this, I find the ankle strap isn't big enough for wide ankles. These are fine though with a bit of room to spare.

Hope you you liked having a peek at what I bought - I really must be good now though!

Cathy
xx

Keeping cool and keeping smart - impossible?

Hello everyone

Is it hot enough for you all? I must admit I love the heat. I think I was born to live in a hotter climate.

But sometimes, it's hard to look smart and keep cool. Esp when all you want to do is put on your loosest, coolest top and your comfiest shorts (shorts! that's a post for anther day...).

Well, in my last post I discovered the joys of a maxi dress but as smart as some people make them look, I wanted something a bit more dressy.

Cue this fab dress from the Inspire range at New Look. I picked this up in the sale for £12 a few months ago and as soon as I saw it, I fell in love.

Dress - New Look Inspire (size 22)
Shoes - Primark

 

 The dress didn't come with a belt, so I played around with a few colours. I think anything would go with this print and so far the blue and silver belts have been my favourites. Which ones do you like?

 

 

Blue belt from Marks and Spencer (old)

Silver belt from New Look

Brown belt from Primark

 

 

So far I've worn this dress with black pumps and in the hotter days, some purple strappy sandals. It's managed to make me feel smart and not get too hot and bothered! It never needs ironing and isn't too short. It's fast becoming my very favourite dress (until the next time I hit the sales).

 

 

Thanks for reading and hope you're all keeping cool :-)

 

Cathy

xx