Simple, Fabulous, Shimmering Gold!

Ever had one of those moments when you have no idea what to wear? Either the choices are infinite or you simply hate everything in the wardrobe! I am 100% sure that every woman has found themselves in this situation!

I decided to put myself to the test and see how fast I could pick out an outfit! My reason, my schedule these days can be pretty unpredictable and a few times I have been caught short and unable to decide on what to wear! It's not all the time we can have our perfect outfit preselected right? 

My task was to pick something with a bit of glitz and glam. On my way home from work yesterday I decided that I would see what I could do outfit wise in the space of 5 minutes! I quickly ran through my wardrobe in my mind (or least what I could remember owning) and decided I was going to wear a skirt of some kind. 

By the time I got home I quickly leafed through my skirts and stumbled across a black pencil skirt by So Fabulous with shimmering gold front and back panel; I had my glitz quickly taken care of! 

I decided that I would keep the skirt as the focal point to my outfit and so I picked a simple black tunic with V front detail that I picked up from Simplybe about a hundred years ago lol. That's the thing I love about staple pieces, you can make them work for you pretty much all the time and can play around with them however you want! I tucked it into the skirt, added a Primark cinch belt and I was good to go! If had a pair of gold heels I may have worn them as another accent to the ensemble but you guys know me I love my black heels!

We all have our signature accessories and 2 that I have used for many years now are large hoop earrings and hair scarves. I have always loved hoop earrings as they are simple, timeless and work with almost everything! We ladies often have those days when nothing works and you simply can't tame those locks. For this reason I find hair scarves to be a complete god send! They save me when I need to get my routes done or I'm simply short for time and can't spend 45 minutes with the straighteners. As my theme for this outfit with simple and fabulous I thought these accessories were fitting and once again quick to select and get on!

My Boudoir Shoot With Chiara Aprea

One of the hardest things for any women out there to do is to look in the mirror and absolutely love what she sees! About a year and a half ago I pretty much hated myself physically. I would poke holes in my appearance, jump in with insults before others could and like many plus size people, I would hide away in black clothing hoping to blend into the background. I would do things to make myself feel better like get my hair done or my nails but I would still find fault with myself. Those who have known me for quite some time will know that I may be confident in my personality and with my talents but my image was the one area that had always taken a beating leaving me with limited self confidence. 

When you spend years of you life listening to the comments of others and telling yourself that being big makes you ugly it can be hard to have any real level of self esteem. What changed for me was when I reached my mid twenties. I decided that I had spent more than enough time hating myself and that if I didn't "pull myself together" I would spend way too much of my time beating my own confidence into the ground. I experimented with different styles of dress, playing around with fashion and make up and have now reached a place where I can look in the mirror and actually like what I see!

When I was at Plus London last year I met an amazing girl who not only is a stunning plus size model but amazing photographer! Chiara Aprea is fast making a name for herself specializing in plus size photography with an aim of building confidence in her clients. When I saw the gorgeous photoshoots she had done of some of my friends I thought you know what i'm gonna call her and try this out. I dropped her a message and we made plans to do a boudoir themed shoot...

I arrived at her home with a suitcase full of vintage inspired clothes and some lingerie. I was full of nerves but excited to get all dolled up for the shoot. Chiara worked on my hair and make-up and transformed me into a vintage sex kitten! We were soon ready to get snapping away and I went in with a mind set that even if I don't like how I look in some of the shots, the experience would do me some good... 

Just some of the pictures taken with Chiara. 

Hair and MUA and photography by Aprea Chiara
Styling by Chiara and myself.
Please do not copy or edit any images without permission from model and photographer.

As we first got started I was really nervous and self concious and Chiara convinced me that I looked good and that I had nothing to worry about. She directed the shoot giving me hints and tips on how to pose. We played around with different hair styles, clothes and backdrops, always fun for any girl who likes playing dress up! For me I found this experience extremely daring! I had posed in as little attire as a sheer sheet and my underwear, right the way up to a corset and cape with petticoats on. I started out as a shy woman doing something for a little fun and ended the day feeling revived, confident and fabulous! From start to finish Chiara made me feel comfortable, in control and beautiful. She would give me sneak peaks of some of the frames and in truth I looked one hundred percent better than I could possibly have anticipated! 

Not only did it feel good to have a friend on the other side of the camera, I felt confident that she would be able to get the best out of me. As a plus size model herself with some beautiful photos I knew that she was able to capture me how I wanted. Looking back in hindsight I really believe that what had me nervous in the beginning were my former doubts trying to creep in! 

When the shoot was done and we went to review the pictures I expected to pick out maybe 5 or 6 that I liked and I ended up wanting to purchase almost every single frame taken in the shoot! I had never thought I could look so good and I am so glad I did it! Putting myself in a new situation that was totally out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to try something new has given me new insight. You have to be willing to take more risks, you may love the end result!

Myself and the gorgeous Chiara after a fun day of shooting

If any of you have considered doing a shoot of this kind and you live in the UK you really should drop Chiara a message and book in your shoot! You will not be disappointed! 

You can find her on facebook here.

The Hamburger Queen Grand Final

We all love to see is our friends doing well and making huge strides in their life. One of my old friends, who I wish I got to see more often has been busy carving out quite a name for himself in the entertainment biz and it's no shock for me to see him stepping out into his own...

Many years ago when I was doing a lot of improv and musical theatre I met one of the most exciting, flamboyant and talented people I have ever worked with! Through various projects with the Camden People's Theatre and London's famous Roundhouse he and I collaborated and shared the stage together. After all this time it's such a great thing to hear him feature on radio shows and see his many appearances on TV shows and in magazines. I'm sure many of you will be familiar with his work and may have even seen his current show Palava at the Roundhouse.  

Image Courtesy Of Scottee

Scottee (or Scott as I know him) has never been afraid of being himself and encouraging others to do the same. We first worked together when we were about 14 years old and even back then he was pushing for greatness! When I first heard that he was spearheading a beauty pageant/talent show for plus size people I was thrilled! Scott has always been the kind of person eager to have a laugh, embrace himself and encourage others to do the same so this event is more than fitting to his character. 

Image Courtesy Of Scottee

Hamburger queen is back and this Thursday is the grand final! The finalists will battle it out at the Bloomsbury hotel for the grand prize! I love the idea of the event and I wish I had been able to take part in it. Those of you who are familiar with my blog know that I really want people to embrace themselves, be as confident as possible and have fun with who they are so you can understand why this fun, exciting and wild event is something I would want you to check out. Hey you never know seeing a group of fun and vibrant people showcasing their talent might just tickle your fancy! 

So what can you expect from this amazing event?

Scottee welcomes you back for a fourth and final, super sized helping of his infamous talent show for fat people Hamburger Queen!

Over three heats and a gang of plus size punters has been whittled down in a game show designed to find the perfect fatso, and now it's time for the Grand Final. Each chubby contestant will endure three rounds: Trend (flaunting your fat fashion), Taste (your signature dish served to our celebrity judges) and Talent (light entertainment for heavy weights).

This years head judge is international plus size model and 'British bombshell' (Vogue)
Felicity Hayward!

The winner will receive £500 cash, £300 worth of prizes from Tatty Devine, Paul A Young, Mr Bake as well as Bestival tickets, a bottle of fizz, the coveted Hamburger Queen medal, the legendary Golden Unhappy Meal and the 2014 title!

More? Resident disc jockeys Unskinny Bop, guest performance from Le Gateaux Chocolat, 'What's Jude eating this week?' and the world debut of our in house tap dance troupe The Cholesterols! Lest we forget to mention we also have a pop up diner from Mr Bake - anyone for a burger in a donut?!

The search to find the perfect plus size porker is nearly over.
Who will become the final Hamburger Queen?

For more information and to purchase your ticket click here! 

If you would like to see more from Scottee check out his website where you can find his social media links and see what he's getting up to.