Navabi Blogger Award

There are hundreds of amazing blogs voted for the Navabi Curvy Blog 2013 Awards - of which I am one (a nomination at least, not sure about the amazing part)

Anyway - you should most definitely head over to the page to find some more blogs that you like the look of - I will be!

While you are there, you can give me a cheeky vote if you like! (I'm number 286)

Just click on the blog(s) you would like to give your vote to and then fill in the captcha at the bottom of the page!

Thanks

Debz xx

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My Weekend: Manchester, Hen Party, Cocktails, Makeovers and an Amazing ASOS Curve Dress

I spent this weekend in Manchester at the hen party weekend of my very beautiful friend Gemma :)

14 of us packed into a two bedroom apartment - yes it was chaos for a pyjama party on Friday night. Such a lovely night full of onesies, wine, pizza, silly games and some of my favourite people in the world - what more could a girl need?

On Saturday we went to the MASSIVE boots store in the town centre for makeovers. I was put on the Max Factor counter and asked by the lovely girl what I wanted. Apart from not very 'orange' foundation I basically gave her free reign to do what she wanted - to say I was happy with the results in an understatement - I loved it!

Before and After :)


For the Saturday night we went for dinner and drinks in the Printworks in Manchester. 

I opted to wear this noughts and crosses from ASOS Curve which I bought a few weeks ago and hadnt had a chance to wear yet. I loved the pattern and thought it would be the perfect dress for a weekend of celebration.

I have to say - I loved the dress when I wore it, but on reflection I'm not 100% happy with the style. I think the neck comes out to wide which makes me look much broader than I am. I did love wearing the dress and its a great fit (I sized down from what I normally wear) it's just the neckline that puts me off!

I had a fabulous weekend though! What did you get up to?

Debz 

The Liebster Award

I woke up this morning and checked the blogs that I follow - nothing new for a Sunday morning really! I am excited that I can add my friend Helens blog to the list, because she has finally started blogging! About time really :) Check out Candifloss Clouds when you get 5 minutes, well worth a read!

Anyway, her newest post was something called the The Liebster Award where you basically nominate your favourite blogs for an award, help spread the word and give 'under rated' blogs the chance to get a bit more exposure! 

The Liebster Award is given to new, up and coming blogs who have less than 200 followers. Awards like these are a fantastic way to spread the word about new blogs who may be struggling to make their name amongst other blogs.

Liebster is German for dearest, kindest, sweetest, lovely, valued, endearing and welcome. Sweet, huh?

We all know that blogging is all about sharing, connecting and building a community. And these kind of awards are a great way to help promote smaller blogs, and to get to know the person behind the blog.

There are of course some rules, these are as follows…

1. Show your appreciation by linking back to the person who nominated you.

2. List 11 facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.

4. Nominate another 11 blogs, preferably with less than 200 followers, to pass the award on to.

5. Compile 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

6. Notify the bloggers you have nominated.

I was thrilled to see that she had listed me in her list of recommended blogs - Thank you chick! xx

So. 11 Facts About Me:

1) I don't really like meat on the bone, or meat that has been minced. YUK!

2) I live with one of my best friends and her boyfriend

3) Until April 2012 I had never really, ever worn a dress

4) One day I would love to adopt a child

5) I don't ever want to grow up

6) If it's a boyband, chances are I love it

7) I can only drink wine mixed with lemonade (sophistication right there!)

8) I don't think you can ever take enough photos

9) I lived in Essex once, for a grand total of 12 weeks

10) I am scared of flying

11) Until this year I had never eaten sushi

And the questions Helen asked me:

1. What would be the song for your 1st dance at your wedding?

I am not sure I am ever getting married, but probably something by Adele or 1000 years by Christina Perri.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

I live here already

3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I have no idea, maybe I'll be a grown up by then?

4. What is your dream job?

Boyband manager/promoter

5. If you could go back and re-live one moment in your life what would it be?

My 30th birthday... or my 25th! I dunno!

6. Favourite band?

Far too many to list and I can't pick one!

7. Who would be your fantasy dinner party guests? (pick 7 people)

Adele. Can I just have dinner with Adele? No? Ok.... Adele, My sister, Tess Munster, Lee Brennan, Channing Tatum, Taylor Swift and Natasha Devon.

8. Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Don't really holiday, the whole being scared to fly thing puts a stop to that!

9. What's your favourite film?

A Walk To Remember

10. What is your favourite clothing store?

ASOS Curve

11. Who is your style icon?

Anyone who wears what they want without worrying about what other people think.

My Nominations (some have more than 200 followers but they're the blogs I read the most!)

Loose Lips & Skinny Hips

Ginger Girl Says

U Cant Wear That

Diamonds'n'Pearls

Danielle Vanier

Just Me, Leah

Does My Blog Make Me Look Fat?

From The Corners Of The Curve

The Curved Opinion

Pocket Rocket Fashion

Arched Eyebrow

My questions are:

1) What made you first get into blogging?

2) What is your favourite thing about being a blogger?

3) What makes you want to sit down and read a blog?

4) What tip would you give someone who wants to get into blogging?

5) What is your favourite item of clothing?

6) Who are your fashion and style icons?

7) Where are your Top 3 places to shop?

8) Facebook or Twitter?

9) Birthdays or Christmas?

10) What 3 things would you take on a dessert Island?

11) What song do you recommend I download? 

So, there you have it! Be great if you all want to join in, no stress if not! 

If any of you haven't read the above blogs, please do - they're fabulous!

Debz xx

How Important Is It To Be Liked? A Look At Social Networking

It pains me to say it, but I don't know much about growing up in this modern world - it has been a very, very long time since I was a teenager trying to find my place in this world. What I do know is that gone are the days when your main worry was being picked last for the rounder’s team during PE - whoever devised that as a good idea for school children needs a very stern talking too and possibly detention.

Now we have the whole new world of social media, whereby we're competing for likes and follows and shares on our photos and funny stories. If we post a photo and only 4 people like it, does that mean we're fat and ugly?

I am a social network whore, quite possibly to unhealthy limits but I love it! Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram - I have, use and love them all. 

However as an uncertain 14 year old I am not sure that my love of all of these pages would be the same? I can imagine being an unsure teenager and posting a photo of myself - if none of my classmates liked it, I can imagine the devastation that could follow. All you want is the guy that sits at the back of the class to notice your photo and like it - is that really too much to ask!? Gone are the days when you can imagine that he smiled at you and that would be enough - now we need the physical evidence that someone LIKES our photo almost as a validation that they like US! (I am talking in very broad terms here)...

Without being dramatic I can imagine it being a slippery slope - your classmate posts a photo of her pouting and wearing too much make up, you go one step further and post a photo in your bikini, or some proactive pose just to get more likes that her. It seems like harmless fun and in many cases it is - but I feel we should be teaching our younger generation that the only 'like' they really need in this world is their own! The truth is that as a 14 year old, the people we rely on so heavily to like our photos probably won’t be the same people we celebrate our first pregnancy with or when we sign our mortgage, so the grand scheme of things they really don't matter.

Then we have the flipside that the confusion of these photos can cause - a boy posts on your photo "wow, sexy" and you like it - have you given him permission to look you up and down and take in every inch of your body when you see him? No! But the posting of your photo and the liking of his comment might lead him to think so!

I am sure that there has always been proactive poses and boys calling girls sexy, but it seems to me (and I am by no means an expert) that this is so much in our faces now... Boys and growing up to be men who think it's ok to message a girl on a dating website and ask to see her tits or to pass her in a bar and smack her on the bottom. I know that this has absolutely always happened, but I think the openness of social networking has let the problem grow. We now have men who think that they can talk to women in a manner they would kill someone for, if they spoke to a female in their family in the same way - who think its ok to grope a woman as they walk past her however young she might be or to simply tell her she isn’t likeable enough. It is absoluetly not ok for men to do this and we need to make a stand and teach our children the right way to behave, so that they can grow up to be adults we're proud of - not lecherous men or unsure women, who behave in such a way that they're damaging other people with their actions.

I love, love, love social networking - the world of social media and bloggers has been an inspiration to me and so many others. It has bought me new friends and opportunities I never know - but I just hope that the trend of wanting 'likes' so badly doesn’t damage our younger generation, because as long as you love yourself the rest will fall into place - you do not need the validation of a certain number of Facebook likes to tell you that you are beautiful, any mirror anywhere will do that for you.

What have your experiences online been like?

Debz xx

P.S I fully understand that this article is in very broad terms and that both genders can be affected in much the same way. I am no expert in this field and this is just an opinion piece and nothing more - thanks for reading!

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Breaking Barriers in Belgium

Yesterday, I went for a day trip to De Panne in Belgium. When we booked it, it was supposed to be a lovely day, on the beach in the sunshine! However, the great British summer did it's best to ruin it for us! Despite the rain though, it was a lovely day!

While walking through the main town centre in De Panne spotted a shop that seemed to have plus size mannequins in the window (WIN!) so we wandered in. To be honest, I wasn't convinced they would have anything in my size (on a high street.. surely not!) but I was drawn in by the amazing colours of all the clothes they had... I know, plus size clothes on a plus size mannequin in a colour other than black... MIND BLOWN!

Breaking The Barriers

Anyway... All of the clothes were labelled in S, M, L, XL etc so I had no idea on what the real sizes were... But remembering my 'Dress Sizes Are Pants' post, I decided that didn’t matter and I would simply see if they fit me rather than pay attention to the sizes of the label.

The great news is that I came home with two amazing t-shirts (I could have shopped more but we were pushed for time). As you'll see from the pic, the colour and slogan on these is right up street.

I really love the colour and print on both of these t-shirts! They're a bit short to wear with leggings (personal preference) so I shall be investing in some jeans to wear this with! I haven't worn jeans in over a year, but I figure it's all about breaking barriers so I'm going to do it! I'll do a proper outfit post when I have the jeans and give these amazing t-shirts their debut!

I came away with some other amazing bits and pieces from the trip... I arrived back in London last night a very happy girl :)

I'd love to hear about you breaking the barriers clothes purchases & style choices!

Hope you all had a good weekend

Debz xx