Five Hot Summer Sales Picks

The summer holidays are upon us. Like most people I’m staring into the dark wintery abyss of my wardrobe and wondering what to pack for my summer holidays. It’s time to go shopping for something a bit more summery and a bit less cardigany. I’ve been checking out the Joules sale at lovethesales.com and I’ve picked out my 5 hot summer sales picks for 2016.

Every summer holiday needs a new summer dress. Something you can just as easily throw on over your costume on the beach, or wear of an evening sitting in the hotel bar with a glass of something cold and refreshing. This Sade midi dress from the Joules sale caught my eye. It’s been reduced to just £19.95 and it’s bang on trend with the crochet detail and I do love navy.

joules sale

I love this chic Joules amaris top, it is a loose fitting casual style blouse . This shirt features a rounded collar with frill detail and cuff sleeves. It’s just £24 and could be dressed up or down very easily. joules sale

I live in flip flops over the summer and these are just beautiful. These “Sandy Flip Flops” are just £9.99 and would brighten up any beach wear and look great with jeans too. joules sale

This Joules Lizzie Empire Line Jersey Tunic is just the job for a casual evening out. The panel detailing in this empire line jersey tunic makes it a truly flattering piece that’s great for wearing with bare legs and layering up with tights or skinny jeans once the weather turns chillier. It’s reduced to just £32.95 in the Joules sale – which is a bargain for such a lovely tunic top.

joules sale

My last pick is a new swimming costume. I really like this one the flattering tummy control and adjustable ties give this all-in-one swimsuit a made to measure feel. Very flattering this one-piece wonder perfect for the beach or pool. This is a lovely dark denim colour and it’s a beach bargain at £22.95.

joules sale

There are some really lovely bargains to be had in the Joules sale at lovethesales.com with some items having up to 80% off. Joules is known for it’s bright, colourful eclectic range, and quality clothing, perfect for a summer holiday shop!

= Disclosure: via lovethesales =

Review: Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet

When hubs recently reviewed a Scruffs Expedition Tech Jacket he fell a little bit in love with the brand. He really liked the quality of his jacket and how cosy it was despite being very lightweight. He’s worn it to death over the winter and it’s still looking smart. He was sent a Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet to try out, which was ideal now that we’re moving into (hopefully) warmer weather, here’s what we thought.

Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet

One surprisingly springy day we headed off to our local community farm. It wasn’t warm enough for shirt sleeves so he chose to put on his Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet. It’s a cosy but thin padded gilet which looks great with jeans and is easy to wear.

Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet

There are lots of large pockets which are handy regardless of whether you’re out with the family or at work needing to keep useful things close at hand. It has a large hood which when pulled up would keep his head warm and snug against the elements if need be. Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet is generously sized, this is an XL and we thought there was plenty of room underneath for a nice thick bulky jumper.

The Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet uses 3M Thinsulate technology which provides a lightweight solution to keep your body warm. It is made with hard wearing mini ripstop fabric making this lightweight bodywarmer more durable. The gilet is available in black or blue, we chose the blue with the orange detailing. The stitching is good quality and it seems like a robust bodywarmer.

Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet

Matthew works in a building without heating, so in the winter it gets quite cold and never really seems to warm up until the hot hot days of summer. This is ideal for him to wear whilst he is at work, warm enough to help maintain his body temperature, but thin enough so that he can move about freely without it getting in the way. I think it’s pretty smart looking too, ideal for casual days out with the family as well as for work.

The Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet is priced at £39.95 which we thought was good value for a gilet of this quality. With the thinsulate and ripstop fabric this should last longer than a high street equivalent and will keep him warm at work until summer eventually decides to arrive.

For more information, or to buy Scuffs Workwear, visit their website.

Note: We were sent the Scruffs Expedition Thermo Gilet free of charge for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Review: Scruffs Workwear for Men

When it comes to fashion my lovely husband is a creature of habit. His work clothes (he runs his own printing business in Didsbury) generally consists of sturdy boots, jeans and a black t-shirt or jumper. Despite considerable modernisation in the printing industry, it can still be a pretty dirty and physical job, so he wears clothes which are quite forgiving if splashed with ink or chemicals, as well as boots which will protect his feet from heavy machine parts and such like.

He needs decent, hard-wearing clothes which can stand a bit of rough and tumble as well as being smart enough for him to do business in. He goes out and about a lot to meet clients, so a smart but practical coat is always a priority. He was asked by workwear brand Scruffs to put their Expedition Tech Jacket to the test.

scruffs

The Expedition Tech Jacket is a black jacket with orange detail and an orange camo lining. The jacket is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and has taped seams and a waterproof membrane to provide high levels of protection from the rain when working outdoors.

The orange camo lining is made with 3M Thinsulate which makes it extra cosy, but still thin enough for you to be able to move about in it easily. The Expedition Tech Jacket has lots of pockets of varying sizes and includes a defender array torch, a super bright LED torch which is made from tough aircraft grade aluminium. This would be handy if you ever need to inspect something in low light, or in his case, fumble in the dark putting the key in the door.

scruffs

The jacket has been well thought out and has been carefully designed to meet the needs of people who work outside a lot. Plus it’s smart enough to be worn ordinarily too. The jacket also has adjustable cuffs, hem and hood which help it to be a snug and weatherproof fit.

But what did he think of the jacket? He is a man of few words but he said it was very warm and cosy, he tested it on a very cold, damp and snowy weekend in Manchester and he was the only one of us who wasn’t red nosed and shivering, so I believe him. He also liked the array of pockets and thought the torch was a nice touch and handy to have especially during these darker winter nights.

scruffs

He ordered the large size and although he’s packing a little extra post-Christmas timber, it fits him well. The material has been designed to be hard-wearing and it is, it seems robust and I think this jacket will last him for a few winters at least. I think it’s pretty smart looking and looks great with jeans.

He wore it while shopping in the village, he wore it on a night out, he wore it when he took the small boy sledging and he now wears it to work every day. He looks very smart in it and I know that he’s warm and comfortable too.

Note: We were sent the Scruffs Expedition Tech Jacket for review purposes. All Images and opinions are our own.

I wore a dress last night and didn’t die

I wore a dress last night and didn’t die. I haven’t worn a dress since *counts on fingers* pretty much primary school. I am not a girlie girl, I live in jeggings and t-shirts and am very happy thank you very much. However, I was invited to a swanky do and I needed to wear something I’d not had to sponge the stains off, something a lady might wear. So stand by people, I’m writing a fashion blog post. This may never happen again so savour the moment!

Not being accustomed to frock buying, I enlisted the virtual support of my friend Daisy, she’d recommended ASDA as a decent place to buy nice dresses which were comfortable and more importantly pretty cheap. I was going to a fancy do where I needed to cover up a bit but still look moderately bang tidy.

With her help I chose a lovely maxi dress from ASDA, it cost me just £18. As you can see from this hasty and rather unflattering snap taken by hubs (and I’m stood in front of a pile of socks which are waiting to be balled up), the dress is sleeveless which wouldn’t do, so I bought a large scarf from Primark (£3) to wear as a wrap, the wrap is artfully strewn on the bed beside me. I’m a total pro at this fashion blogging lark!

The dress had a very flattering and quite respectable neckline, perfect for the occasion. I teamed my posh dress with a necklace, also from ASDA which cost me £6 but I really like it and think I’ll wear it again and again. I added a pair of pearl (ish) earrings I’d had tucked away (not pictured).

Probably my favourite thing was my Primark envelope clutch bag which cost £4, someone (a man) helpfully pointed out that it looked like an ipad carrying case, and yes my ipad does fit and no I won’t be using it for that. The bag had a slight rock chick edge to it which I liked, making the outfit fractionally more me (blundering, ageing indie kid).

I rarely wear make up, so made a special effort for the night, one big thing I did was paint my nails. I bite my nails so decided the week before to paint them to stop me nibbling, it worked and although my nails were short, they didn’t look terrible. I am a big fan of the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail varnishes (£3.99 each), I have a lovely blue one, but I treated myself to a slightly more respectable colour, this is Papaya, which is a nice bright coral colour, perfect for the summer.

So that was my look. I managed to survive an evening in a dress, I didn’t disgrace myself and I didn’t chuck my dinner down my front. I’m calling all that a win. I just need another occasion to wear my posh dress to now!

I will wear what I want #WeAreTheThey

I am not a UK standard size 10. In fact I’m not entirely sure what size I am and every shop is different, but I’m definitely at the larger end of the size range. I am no fashion expert. I do not care what’s hot on the high street or what’s sending waves down the catwalk. I am a busy Mum and my main concern is do I look god-awful or not and is this clean (or clean enough?).

I usually wear leggings or jeggings with a top, maybe a cardigan too. See, I am NEVER going to set the fashion world on fire. I wear stuff I feel good (or at least ok) in and I try and wear stuff which enhances my good bits. In my case my good bits are my boobs and my legs. I try and disguise the bits I’m less keen on (mainly my tummy), but I’ve learned that trying to cover up by wearing tents only makes things look worse than they are.

I do most of my shopping in Asda, Matalan and Primark with the occasional M&S purchase. I’m grateful that I can find some clothes which I like in my size in these shops. I am aware that there are some fashion rules for big girls but I ignore them and wear what I want. I have my own rules (or fussy preferences, whatever) and my own personal fashion hates (why is EVERYTHING made from polyester and why is EVERYTHING so bloody flowery?).

My style may be casual, I dress a bit boy-ish, but I have some curves which I love and I’m making the most of them in my own way. Fashion rules about horizontal stripes, or the cut of a neckline or the length of a skirt can sod off. I’ll dress how I want and I’m comfortable doing so.

I wear horizontal stripes because they suit me, I (increasingly) wear animal prints because I think they are quite playful and fun, I rarely wear skirts or dresses, but I’m trying to like them. I like being the scruffy side of casual. I have an obsession with underwear and love really fantastic lingerie, especially stockings and hold ups. My husband thinks I’m sexy and gorgeous and do you know what, I am. Every woman is. Wear what you want, rock the body you’ve got. You are adorable. You really are.

You might also be interested in my blog post about body confidence in which I am wearing just underwear (or you might not, I dunno).

For more information about the #WeAreTheThey campaign please visit their Facebook page.

My Summer Holiday look with Joe Browns

We usually holiday in England and it can be pretty hard to pack for, as you never know what the weather is going to throw at you, in this case layers are usually your friend. For most of my English holiday I can get away with shorts (because legs dry quicker than trousers), but it’s good to have a few nice things to take with me, just on the off chance I get taken out somewhere posh.

I love hats and scarves. A scarf is a really practical item whatever the weather; shading you from the sun or helping to keep you cozy if it’s cold, and hats make me look adorable, so I’m never too far away from a hat. I’ve long been an admirer of the slightly hippy boho-chic style of clothes from Joe Browns so I was excited to be given the chance to style up my own summer outfit.

I chose this beautiful maxi dress, it’s a really happy, summery colour, hides a multitude of sins and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Perfect for packing as it folds up to virtually nothing. I wore it on a night out and was told by the small boy that I looked like a princess. Bless him.

Joe Browns

I loved this handsome, practical Santorini scarf and it contrasts with the dress, but I also know that it’ll be in year round use. It was always in my bag on holiday, ready to pull out to shade my shoulders, or wrap around me and the small boy if the clouds gathered and it got a bit chilly.

Joe Browns

Likewise the hat was awesome. It’s a funky but feminine trilby and I looked pretty cool in it, but the small boy was forever stealing it for himself. I have a thing about shading my face from the sun, it’s a bit moley so I’m always cautious, and I know that sun ages the skin. If it’s sunny I’m always in a hat and this cute one will go with pretty much any outfit. I love it.

Joe Browns

I like Joe Browns, you can always find something a bit different, something funky and practical. I’m not a girlie girl, but I like that I can find clothes that I love there, things that will make me stand out for the right reasons. So what do you think of my summer holiday look?

Disclaimer: Joe Browns were kind enough to send me the above items free of charge for review. This has not swayed my opinion on the items either way.