Nancy Whittington-Coates

This is one of those outfits that's a little kooky and was born out of the want to wear two new purchases at once even though the patterns wouldn't usually be the kind I would wear together. Sometimes I end up looking like a crazy person but this time I really like the result. I think as the pink in the print of the dress is so bright and neon the grey silver of the cover up works to make it seem more subtle despite both pieces having really prominent patterns.

You wouldn't believe how much I've worn this longline cardigan/cover up since I bought it a few weeks ago, it's already become a staple piece in my summer wardrobe. The tribal pattern is really great and I love the burnout effect with the black flocking and the deep grey-silver background - these colours make it really easy to team with lots of different colours. The shape is also wonderfully flattering and the long dipped length to the back gives it a luxurious feel. I got it at my local Simply Be in Leicester and the girls in store told me they had only got it in two days before but only had three left, so I wouldn't wait around on this one ladies!

Burnout Extreme Dipped Cardigan - Simply Be - £40.00*

Neon Leaf Print Cami Dress - Clothing at Tesco - £14.00

Lace Trim Cropped Leggings - Yours Clothing - £8.00

Silver Bow Sandals - So Fabulous! at Littlewoods - Old

Pink Basket Bag - H and M - £5.99

Sunglasses Necklace - Gift

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*This post contains items that were gifted. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

Hi lovelies! I'm not sure if all of you know, but I have a little business called Miss Whittington's Vintage Beauty Parlour - I attend vintage fairs and do private appointments and parties doing vintage hair styling. I'm completely self taught and learnt my skills by purchasing old hair dressers magazines from the 30's, 40's and 50's, by watching tutorials online and with lots of practice re-creating my favourite looks from the silver screen.

I usually do around five or six fairs a year and my most recent one was this last weekend in beautiful Matlock, Derbyshire for The Vintage Suitcase. Here are three of my favourite styles from the day...

If you'd like to get more info on my styling services and prices and to see photos of other styles that I have created just click here!

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I've said it many times before but pink is my colour for Spring and Summer. I'm lucky in that pretty much any shade of pink suits my fair skin and my bleach blonde hair is so pale I don't have to worry about colours going well with it. A lot of these lipsticks are budget friendly costing less than £5 as lipsticks are usually something I buy on a whim, although the Illamasqua lipstick I purchased after reading lots of great reviews.

1)Seventeen Lip Crayon in Knockout - £4.99 - A twist up lip crayon with a great texture and amazing colour pay off that has the impact and shine of a thick gloss but the lightweight texture of a lipstick. It has a great sparkle to it too and it lasts all day.

2)Illamasqua Matte Lipstick in Immodest - £18.50 - The first of two matte lipsticks and the palest of my picks, with a nearly neon look when layered. Some find this lipstick hard to wear as it can highlight imperfections in your lips but a thin layer of balm underneath will sort that right out. Wear a thin application for a sheer stain like colour or layer up for a bolder look.

3)Seventeen Lasting Fix Lipstick in Dusky Rose - £4.29 - This baby has a lovely pearly finish and is the peachiest shade of the bunch but in certain lights has a bluish sheen. This is great for a real English rose look and is easy to wear with lots of other colours.

4)Avon Ultra Colour Rich Rubies in Fuchsia Fame - £3.99 - This was a limited edition but can still be found on eBay. I wish I had purchased a few as I wear this an awful lot. It's not amazingly long lasting but gives your lips a great shine with some added sparkle. The blue toned pink also helps to make your lips look a little whiter which is also a bonus!

5)Seventeen Stay Pout Lipstick in Delinquent - £4.49 - A great bright, hot pink with real staying power. It's a rich and creamy formula glides on easily and dries slightly to a near matte finish - because of this I find it can be a little drying to your lips but that's nothing a little lip balm can't solve.

6)MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Criminal - £3.00 - Offensively bright pink and I love it! A liquid lipstick that dries to a matte finish, these can take a little while to get used to as you need to be very neat and precise with your application but the does foot applicator helps make this a little easier. If I'm working a vintage fair, going to an event or going out shopping for the day lip lacquers are what I reach for as the colour does not budge and you don't have to worry about re-application.

Do let me know if you try any of these, I'd love to know what you think!

Like Audrey Hepburn said, "I believe in pink"

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Oh my am I a sucker for a pretty hair flower, but up until recently I'd been immune to the lure of the flower crown... that is until I saw Gypsy Rose Vintage at the vintage fair I worked at last weekend!

As you can see from the pictures above these babies are a step up from the most that you will have seen before, using much more interesting colour palettes and mixing sizes and flower types to create beautiful statement head pieces that will surely set you apart from the crowd.

Flowers aren't the only pretty thing to be added to these crowns, pearls and gems are also added to some of the styles for a little added sparkle - the crystal droplet head band above is just gorgeous and would be perfect on a vintage styled bride, as would the wonderfully dainty gypsum flower band. Can't you just picture a band of pretty bridesmaids each with a matching flower crown? Just darling!

I'm desperately trying to find an event that requires me to wear one of these babies so feel free to invite me to something fancy so I have an excuse to buy one!

As if the pictures above weren't enough to tempt you into making a purchase, the lovely Rebecca who is the creator of Gypsy Rose Vintage has very generously given me a discount code to offer you lovely readers which is valid for seven days!

Just head to www.gypsyrvintage.com/shop and enter the code GRV10 at checkout

to receive 10% off your entire order.

You can even contact Rebecca and work with her to create a beautiful custom piece for your special day or event! Here's the lovely Sophie May, semi finalist from TV's The Voice, rocking a beautiful customer Gypsy Rose Vintage flower crown!

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Lace and satin. Satin and lace. Is there a more fabulously sexy fabric combination? Well I depend what floats your boat but I love a good bit of silky smooth satiny lounge wear. This particular pretty purple number is by Nine X Lingerie and I just love it! So so comfortable and cool in this hot weather, one of the best points is how soft the lace over the shoulders is - there's nothing worse than stiff, rough lace detailing that while it looks pretty irritates the skin a treat. Well there's none of that here, just smooth stretchy lovely lace to skim your shoulders and meet over the bust with an adorable satin bow!

As I'm sure most of you know, lingerie can be a pricey business and it can be hard to find plus size pieces that are more, ahem, tasteful so to speak. Nine X's pieces are not only sexy and stylish without being trashy, but are also amazingly priced. This lovely Florrie Satin Flared Babydoll* is just £11.99 but they have others on sale in their eBay shop for as little as £6.18. I think I'll be ordering this long satin robe next!

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

Ever since I hit my teens I have had trouble with my skin and I have never been able to successfully shift it no matter what I tried. Since changing birth control methods the problem has got worse and worse and after trying many different skin care products and makeups I think I have finally got a routine that's working for me. A big part of my new routine is this foundation, Clinique's Anti Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup.

Despite hearing so many times that Clinique's products are pretty wonderful (not only because they're allergy tested and 100% fragrance free) I've never taken the leap. I think the higher price tags kept my purse strings shut, but after trying pretty much every budget/drug store foundation out there I've now come to accept that if I want something that will work with my troublesome skin I need to spend a little more. This foundation is £24.50 for a 30ml bottle, but I can honestly say as this blends so easily I've used literally half as much for each application as I would with my other foundations.

This foundation has a silky smooth formula and a lightweight texture that you be forgiven for assuming would mean a light coverage, but that is not the case. I have a lot of redness on my cheeks because of my acne and usually I'd need a good layer of concealer to cover this, but now I just use this foundation and my setting powder and I'm good to go - unsurprising as it promises to neutralise redness and blend away bumps. The coverage is excellent and it feels comfortable on your skin, the best of both worlds, and it blends so easily that you get a lovely natural looking finish.

It's an oil free foundation which is something I always try and look for. One of my favourite things about this product is that I stay shine free for so much longer than I have with any other foundation and I can happily wear it all day. Before when I got home after work I'd be desperate to take all my make up off and let my skin breath again, but not anymore. Clinique also promise that the foundation contains targeted ingredients to help treat existing breakouts and keep them from coming back and I really think this is helping keep my spots and acne under control.

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So I guess you're thinking why the hell is this crazy lady writing about boots when it hit 30 degrees the other day and I really wouldn't blame you for thinking that, but come on guys, this is England. We all know we'll have some showers again real soon and those flip flops will have to be traded for something waterproof. In a less defeatist attitude, even if the weather is nice and bright if you're going on a walk through the countryside or to somewhere pretty like my local Bradgate Park you need something sturdier than a gladiator sandal or you're getting dirty thorny tootsies for sure.

This would be just fine if it wasn't for my wide feet. I just can't get into most regular fit boots and this makes sturdy shoe shopping reeeeally difficult. Add in the need for something taller than an ankle boot and the difficulty multiplies when trying to find something that will fit my chubby calves. Fashion World have made this chore so much easier for me now, offering an awesome range of fashionable and practical boots for us plus size ladies in a wide range of foot and calf width fittings. To make things even easier if you head here you can watch a video that shows you how to accurately calculate your shoe, width and calf size using this here chart.

The boots I'm wearing above are the Catwalk Collection Biker Boot* which are available in an EE or EEE fit. They have a leather upper and oh my is it soft! Seriously, soft like butter and so comfortable. I hate buying boots and the leather being so tough that it rubs your legs. Unsurprisingly my favourite thing about these boots is the shiny gold detailing in the zip, buckle and heel guard. It's such a small detail but makes all the difference, and the fact that it's gold and not silver gives the boots such a luxe feel. They feel really sturdy and well made too and as someone that believes in investing in good quality winter wear I don't think the £69 price tag is over the top, especially as the leather is so lovely.

As you can see from the pictures they also have a very clever insert of leather behind the golden zip which allows you to easily and stylish adjust the size over your calf. A lot of the time in order to do this a bit of elastic will be added or an adjustable buckle but these are pretty obvious ways of doing it. You wouldn't know that this insert is there to adjust the size as it just looks like a styling detail, which makes it even smarter!

If you're in the market for some gorgeous and oh so cosy new boots I seriously recommend you check out Fashion World's collection, I'm sure you'll find a pair you love!

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

I don't know if it's because I'm more aware of the media since I started blogging and got involved in more groups and conversations about body confidence or if there really has been an upsurge in media pieces on plus size models/people/fashion etc but it really seems to be a hot topic. Although I love the amount of positive pieces I'm also finding myself being exposed to an awful lot of negatives and it really makes me sad and to be honest, confuses the hell out of me. I've always been fat and I've never exactly blended in with the crowd where fashion is concerned, and I have never been able to understand why some people find joy in pointing out what they consider to be people's flaws and making them feel bad about it. I can only assume that they do this because they're unhappy with themselves and it makes them feel better to cause other people pain and hope that it takes the focus off their own flaws.

Anyway, the point I'm getting at is that you shouldn't listen to naysayers and meanies and please please please don't let the fact that the media tells you that you should be a size six/have perfect skin and teeth/have a zero tummy rolls etc to have a meaningful life affect you and make you unhappy with yourself. You're beautiful. You're probably thinking 'oh well what about my *insert not cosmetically perfect body part here* that's not beautiful'. Well, why not make a list of all the things you do like? Do you have gorgeous plump lips? A pretty laugh? Lovely silky hair? A great sense of humour? A peachy smooth tummy? I bet there are lots of things you like about yourself and you don't even realise it because you're too busy concentrating on your flaws.

One of my biggest peeves is when I see 'advice' in magazine and online telling you what fat girls should and shouldn't wear. I say, where whatever the hell you want! If it makes you happy and feel beautiful and magic then wear that tight dress, dye your hair bright pink, wear that sexy red lipstick, get that awesome new tattoo! Go you!!! Wear clothes for you, not for other people and if anyone makes a comment, just flash them a big smile to show them you don't give a damn what they think because you know you look freakin fabulous.

Here are some things that fat chicks are told they can't wear, but I say screw that!!!!

1) Fat girls shouldn't wear horizontal stripes. YES WE SHOULD!

2) Fat girls should wear bright colours. YES WE SHOULD!

3) Fat girls shouldn't wear crop tops. YES WE SHOULD!

4) Fat girls shouldn't wear leather. YES WE SHOULD!

5) Fat girls shouldn't wear sleeveless tops. YES WE SHOULD!

6) Fat girls shouldn't wear tight dresses. YES WE SHOULD!

7) Fat girls shouldn't wear attention grabbing clothes.

YES. WE. SHOULD.

Do more of what makes you happy, you deserve it.

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I'm embarrassingly late to the party when it comes to eye creams. I only starting using them about a year ago and only seriously made an effort to use them twice a day when I was watching Micheline Pitt's DVD and she said how important they are and that it's good to start using one as young as possible. They don't have to be anti-ageing products but the skin around your eyes is so thin and sensitive that you need to keep it moisturised to help delay the inevitable wrinkles, but the trouble is that a lot of moisturisers (even facial moisturisers) just aren't delicate enough for your eye area so you really do need a specialist eye cream. The main trouble I have is that I get dark bags under my eyes really easily and most of the time so bad that even the thickest layer of concealer won't hide.

Clinique All About Eyes is a cream gel that claims to diminish the appearance of eye puffs, darkness and fine lines. Now when I saw that this was a lightweight formula I was a little worried as I tend to go for richer, creamier products usually - it is indeed very lightweight and gel like and does feel lovely when you apply it, although it doesn't feel quite as luxurious as my usual product. It also claims to actually help eye make up stay in place which is an added bonus and I did give this a test and skipped my eye primer the other day to see if it worked and it sure did, my eyeliner and shadow stayed in place just as well as when I use my normal primer and much better than if I had used nothing at all.

But the real question is, does it work? I've been using it for a few weeks now and although it is very moisturising and because of this would surely help reduce fine lines, I can't say that it has really helped get rid of my dark circles as well as my usual eye cream. As I don't tend to get puffy eyes I can't comment on how well it works in that department, perhaps it's better at tackling puffiness than dark circles. It is a lovely feeling product though (especially if you pop it in the fridge for a cooling effect too) and if you don't actually have any particular issues in this area I'd recommend it as a nice moisturising eye cream, but at £26 per 15ml pot it is quite a premium price to pay if you're just looking for a simple moisturiser.

I'm going to keep going and finish the pot so I'll report back if prolonged use changes my opinion. I'd love to hear what your opinion was if you've tried it!

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I don't know why but some Sundays I just fancy dressing up real nice, even if all I have to do is a few chores. Today it wasn't just chores as Pete and I had a lovely afternoon in out in a beer garden with our friends eating nachos and drinking tasty mocktails. It was a hot day but there was a bit of a breeze so I was in need of something to cover up my shoulders that was light and naturally, fabulous looking. I decided to go for this gorgeous floral print longline kimono from Yours Clothing which I had instantly fallen in love with when I helped out with their photoshoot with Hayley Hasselhoff a few months ago.

I have a good little collection of kimonos going on now but I loved the longer length and the fringing detail of this little beauty. I also adored the floral print and the mix of peach and purple tones, so delicate but bold against the black background. At £30 it's a real steal compared with similar styles I've seen online and it's so versatile - I'll also be wearing it on the beach as a nice cover up to help protect my pasty skin from the sun!!!

I wanted to let the kimono take centre stage today and so I went with an all black foundation to the outfit with my trusty black velour skirt and pretty gold studded vest. I picked out the gold in the top with some gold gem studded slipper shoes and midi rings and set the whole thing off with a bold deep red lipstick - it's one of the Kate for Rimmel shades but sadly the label has come off the bottom so I don't know which it is, but I think it's shade 107.

Black Floral Print Sheer Longline Kimono with Fringed Hem - Yours Clothing - £30.00*

Black Sleeveless Top with Gold Stud and Shredding Detail - Yours Clothing - £15.00*

Claire Richards Black Velour Pencil Skirt - Fashion World - No longer available

Gold Gem Studded Slipper Shoes - New Look - No longer available

Have you done anything fun this weekend?

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

On my path to body acceptance I have learn to love my chub, my stretch marks, my peachy soft wobbly tummy. Most of the things that we're told are faults that should be fixed or hidden I have come to embrace, but there are two things that I just can't accept as they are and wish I could find a cure for. One is my acne and the other is the facial fuzz caused by my PCOS. I'm working hard to find a way to control and hopefully get rid of my blemishes and acne but I can't seem to find a way to stop the problem of excess face fuzz and so use various methods to remove it, most lasting maybe a week. As you can imagine this got tired really quickly and so I was very excited to hear about the Hair She Goes hair removal kit from Bella and Bear, an established brand in the US that is now releasing products to the UK market.

The Hair She Goes kit includes two products, a pretty peachy pair of angled tweezers and a springy flexible contraption with little plastic handles at each end. It's a bit daunting looking but is really easy to use as you can see from the picture above - you just hold a handle in each hand, bend it into a U shape, place it against your skin and roll each handle back and forth in your fingers as you move it across your face. This makes the coils of the spring rotate and catch those naughty little hairs that you want to remove!

I'm not going to lie, it is painful - it's pulling hairs out of your face after all - but after a while it gets better and once you've done it a few times you just seem to get used to the feeling and it's not as bothersome. It's like getting your legs or eyebrows waxed, you know it's going to hurt but the results will be worth it! Also, because it's removing the hair from the roots the results last much much longer than if you used a hair removal cream which just takes the hair off from above skin level, plus you don't risk burning a few layers of skin off en route to a fuzz free face! I used the hair removal tool on my chin and moustache area and the results lasted a good 3-4 weeks compared to my usual one week max with a facial hair removal cream, plus it's nice to not have to put yet another chemical on my face!

On top of the great results form the product itself I also like the look of the kit which is a lovely neon peachy shade. The packaging was also really cute and eye catching with a vintage shabby chic-esque style, all polka dots and florals in pastel colours - definitely gift worthy packaging. There is also a 100% money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with it so you can't really lose!

You can buy the Hair She Goes kit here for £14.99*

Bella and Bear will also be releasing an eye lash curling kit to the UK too soon so keep your eye out for that hitting Amazing very soon!

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

It's pretty awful to admit but Pete and I have been meaning to do up our office since we moved in to this house... three and a half years ago! There's always been something that seemed more important or something else that we should be spending our money on but since blogging became such a big part of my life and Pete signed up for his OU degree we knew we needed to do something to make this a more work friendly room. We didn't however want to spend loads of money on the makeover because we're saving up for our holiday and so I started looking around for a reasonably priced desk that was big enough to hold a second screen. This turned out to be harder than I thought as most were really pricey and so I decided to look for separate legs and table tops so we could build our own desk, I'd seen a few different tutorials on ABM for tables and figured that with the help of a Dad we could get this done pretty easily.

It turned out that we didn't need any Dad power after all as I found us a table top and legs at the right dimensions for the space for just £29 at IKEA! Much much less than we had been looking at for a 'proper' purpose built desk but perfect for our needs, plus it was white which was just what I wanted to add an extra bit of brightness to the small room. The desk was seriously easy to put together (much easier than my attempting to take apart the old one on my own, but enough of that story...) and the legs just screwed on to the table top - it took five minutes to put together.

As you can see from the first picture up top there were some seriously ugly curtains in the room which were there when we moved in and never got changed - ivory with daisies embroidered on *puke*. Naturally these got changed for something far more fabulous, black curtains with fuchsia sparkles and pictures of Vegas show girls on! I snagged these babies for £6 on sale from Littlewoods about a year ago and knew they'd come in useful someday, they were meant to be for a little girl's bedroom but I guess most people are of the same opinion as me and don't think that's exactly a kiddy appropriate print! Worked well for me though as I got them super duper cheap and they're even the perfect size for the window! Sadly I can't find them online anymore but this type of tab top curtain is easy to make out of any fabric you find and like the look of.

As this window faces out over our little garden and the walkway and car park behind our house I thought it would be wise to also add a net half curtain for a little more privacy. This super cute polka dot netting was just 75p per metre at IKEA and I only needed two metres for the whole thing - I just did a slip stitch hem and strung through some elastic before ruching it to the right size for the window and using picture loops on either side of the window frame to hold it in place. Easy, adorable and it cost less than £4!

I think it's improved the room no end and I feel far more inspired and motivated to work now it's brighter and lighter and less cluttered. Have you done any room revamps of decorating recently? I love a good house tour post so do share if you've done one!

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The melancholies. I get a severe case of them at least a few times a month, even if there's no reason I can think of for it. I have done ever since I was little and as I've grown older I've realised that in order to cheer myself up I need to do a few things - spend some quality time with my guy, eat a delicious baked good, listen to some music that makes me feel like a badass, do my hair up nice an put on some lipstick. The final thing I need to do is look at something inspiring and to me that means looking at photographs of beautiful glamorous women and dream that one day I might be that chic and elegant and seemingly perfect. Sure it might seem weird but hey, pretty things make me happy.

Here are a few selection images from my collection, some modern and others dating back as far as the 1920's. Unfortunately as I just save these pics to my hard drive I don't have links or info to credit them, however if you can let me know the details of any of the pictures please do so I can add a link back!

Hi babyloves! It's fiiiiinally Friday! Ach this week seems to have lasted forever, it always does when I'm on a late shift week but we're finally here at the start of the weekend. As I am clearly very ecstatic about this I think my outfit today is real appropriate as it's bright and colourful and bold and crazy and fun.

You've probably spotted an awful lot of mesh detailed pieces around at the moment, it's definitely a key trend at the moment and I for one am a big fan. Just that little touch of see through fabric - so subtle but so sexy - adds such interest to a garment and elevates this skater dress* from Yours Clothing to something very special. I'm also a very big fan of bardot neckline that this dress sports, a classic retro style that I am oh so glad has come back into fashion.

The dress itself is made of a nice thick scuba style fabric with lots of stretch and features such a lovely painterly floral print in a palette of that wonderful colour clash, orange and pink. I just love this incredible colour combination, it takes me right back to being a little girl and my parents taking me to the Belgrave Road in Leicester, looking at all the stunning saris and glittering jewellery and thinking it was the most magical beautiful place in the world! I was so happy when my mum bought me a sari for a birthday present one year, it had a metallic gold little top with an orange underskirt and a bright fuchsia sari wrap edged in metallic gold with gold embroidered paisleys all over - I even had some little gold slippers with pink gems to match! I wish I still had it, it was so gorgeous and special.

I definitely think this dress will be great for my holiday later in the year but I know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it before then, most likely with a pair of leggings to make it a little more casual to be worn on shopping trips - it's so comfy and easy to take on and off that it would be great for shopping in!

Neon Floral Print Off The Shoulder Skater Dress with Mesh Insert - Yours Clothing - £35*

Peach Suede Bow Mini Heels - Office - No longer available

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

I've been collecting tattoos for quite a long time now (just under ten years in fact) and throughout that time I've been told many different tips on the best way to heal and care for your new tattoo. It's only fairly recently that I've found my preferred method that works the best for me and I thought I'd share it to save some of you from making some of the same errors I have in the past. So, here's what I do and the products I use:

The most important thing is to keep your new tattoo clean! Just like you would say if you'd scraped your knee or got any other skin wound. If you don't do this it will get infected and this won't only be painful and irritating to you but it will ruin your beautiful new tattoo, most likely pulling out some colour and even blurring areas. Keep the protective covering on your tattoo for as long as your artist tells you to and make sure your first clean is thorough and gets off all the goop that will have collected under the cover.

After seeing Valerie Vargas recommend it a while ago I started using Dr Bronners Organic Liquid Soaps to clean my new tattoos because it's a high quality, completely natural product - my local TK Maxx pretty much always has it in but you can also find it in select Holland and Barrett stores and various online retailers including the company's own website. Although it may seem like a good idea to use an anti-bacterial or moisturising soap this actually isn't a great plan, you'll just be putting unnecessary chemicals into your system that will hinder your skin from doing what it wants to do and heal the wound. Your skin is smart, it's one of the most resilient organs you have (yes, your skin is an organ) and it knows what to do when it's compromised. Use hot water, not so hot that it hurts but as warm as you're comfortable with so it really gets all the grime out and opens your pores. Don't soak your new tattoo, just clean and rinse and when you're done pat it dry gently with a clean, fresh cloth or towel - don't use a paper towel or kitchen towel as this isn't very hygienic and can leave bits of paper stuck to your skin. Do this two or three times a day until your tattoo is starting to scab over, at which point you can go down to less regular washes say one in the morning and one at night.

Don't over moisturise your new tattoo! This is an important one and a mistake that I made with my first few tattoos. I was so concerned with not letting my new tattoo get dry that I would apply several layers of Savlon a day - all this did was attract more dirt and stop the skin from healing as it just soaked up all the moisturiser. Those first few tattoos of mine are kind of patchy and the lines are not very crisp, not because of age but because the colour was pulled out by over moisturising. I now use Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment on my tattoos at the recommendation of Jo Harrison and I only use a tiny amount, at most twice a day. I would really say only apply it once and only a very thin layer so it isn't sticky to avoid it collecting dirt, especially on your legs which are nearer the ground where most of that grime and dust lies! Another product which has been highly recommended to me by lots of artists is Hustle Butter Deluxe, although I am yet to try it out myself.

Protect your new tattoo from the sun! We all know the sun is damaging to our skin, but it's even more harmful to skin that is already damaged. I know lots of people who like to get tattooed on holiday and if you're planning on doing this takes precautions - sea water can really dry out your new tattoo and flying with a new tattoo is not advisable due to the risk of swelling etc in the high pressure and he main cause of tattoos blurring is exposure to sunlight. I've been told this is because it disperses the pigments in the ink causing them to spread and blur and as you can imagine this is much more likely to happen before the tattoo has even been allowed to initially heal! Always use a good quality high factor sun cream on your tattoos, throughout your whole life not just at the beginning.

If you have any questions do feel free to ask away and I'll try to help as best I can, if I don't know the answer I'll ask one of our tattoo artist friends for their advice!

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Go for the luxe look with this incredible gold and black baroque style skater dress! Some simply strappy shoes and a plain clutch would be best with the intricate dress, but you could add a little extra sparkle with some fancy earrings!

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Take the fanciful 1920's flapper look into the 21st Century with this beautiful layered dress from Anna Scholz. Keep the vintage look with some satiny shoes and a matching bag both with a darling three dimensional rose embellishment and take the outfit to Gatsby worthy heights with a diamante star headband.

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You'll shine like a star in this super sexy cutaway illusion dress! Take the look galactically gorgeous with metallic silver and gemstone accessories so you look as beautiful as the sky up above.

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You just can't go wrong with a cute like candy all pink outfit - set it off with gold detailing to your jewellery and accessories and don't forget the matching pink lipstick! A quick messy beehive and a slick black cat eye will ensure your place as best dressed at the party!

I don't know about you but I just love baking birthday cakes for my friends! Unfortunately a lot of my buddies have moved away over the last year which has made it real tricky to get a baked treat to them in time for the big day. I was always too worried to try posting one of my cakes in case it got smooshed or my friend wasn't there to accept the delivery, but now I've found the perfect solution - letterbox cakes from Bakerdays!

Not only can you now order a gorgeous little cake that will fit right through your recipients letterbox to arrive safe and sound but you can also personalise your cake with custom text or even a photograph! There are loads of great templates to suit birthdays or pretty much any occasion you can think of or you can send in an image of your own to be printed onto your sweet treat. I decided to get a little letterbox cake done for my lovely boyfriend to celebrate his starting a degree with the OU and so sent the Bakerdays team a San Francisco Giants logo as that's his favourite sports team. It was just the round logo that I sent and the cake designers added the stripey orange background which looks just amazing! They even made me a cake with no jam to suit Pete's jam-a-phobia!

The cake came wonderfully packaged with a gift card and a little bag with candles, balloons and a party blower - perfect if you've ordered it to surprise a work colleague or family member! The cake itself was packaged in a cute tin that fit it perfectly stopping it from getting squashed or damaged in the post. For £14.99 you get a really great fresh beautiful cake and the extras in the packaging make it extra special!

The cake was just great, lovely soft madeira sponge with creamy buttercream icing. The fondant printed icing was great too which really surprised me as I'm usually not a fan and peel it off, but this was just the right thickness and not cloyingly sweet. There are several other cake flavours available to choose from too including gluten free and dairy free options and if you'd rather order a full size cake Bakerdays have still got you covered with three other cake sizes available. You can even order personalized cupcakes!

The lovely team at Bakerdays have offered two lucky readers a free personalised letterbox cake of their own! If you'd like to win one just enter using the Rafflecopter below - the two winners will be chosen in a week's time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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*This post contains items that were gifted for review. For more information head to my disclaimer page.

If you've been following me on Twitter for some time now you'll know that my first blog before Sugar, Darling? was a recipe blog called The Inky Kitchen. I wasn't hugely dedicated to it but I did really enjoy sharing my kitchen adventures and loved it when people told me they had tried one of my recipes! I haven't update that blog in years and a planning on removing it in the near future but before I did I wanted to share some of my favourite recipes and share them in a more user friendly format for cooking at home. I'll share a few recipes at a time and will have them available to download as a printable recipe page - nice and easy for using at home so you don't have to worry about splashing your laptop/iPad/whatever with hot food while you're cooking!

This week I'm sharing four of my favourite savoury recipes as shown above, just click the name of the dish below and you'll be taken to a Scribd page where you can view and print the recipe sheet or save it for later!

Nancy's Best Nachos with Mexican Pulled Chicken

Nancy's Best Macaroni Cheese

Moussaka Lamb Burgers with Fried Aubergine Slices and Tzatziki

Crispy Calamari with Samphire and Ginger Aioli

I really hope you like these recipes and I'd love to hear what you think if you give any of them a go!

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Hey guys! This week has been a real bummer for me, I really hope you've all had a better one than me. I'm so looking forward to my lie in tomorrow I can't begin to explain it! Despite the suckiness of the week I have a lot to look forward to over the next few months so I'm just trying to focus on that - Plus North, new tattoos, a weekend in Bruges, a week in Greece and my birthday in London. I really can't complain with all that to be excited about!

Another thing that perked up this week a little was receiving this beautiful dress that I ordered from the Simply Be sale. It's the Abbey Shirt Style Dress from the Project D line and caught my eye a long time ago but as I didn't have a reason for buying it I tried to forget it existed so I wouldn't want it any more! Naturally more dresses came along and this blue beauty was pushed to the back of my mind until I spotted it in the latest Simply Be sale listings and my love for it came flooding back! It was reduced to just £19.50 and at that price I just couldn't say no.

The detailing to this dress is amazing with lots of clever pin tucking and stitching and beautiful little mother of pearl buttons - I adore how it's a very formal and old fashioned style but made from a crazy psychedelic fabric! The fabric is really cool and light feeling and it hangs beautifully so despite the long sleeves and high neck it's actually really comfortable even in the warm weather. I don't think I would have liked it anywhere near as much without the waist tie to define my waist but if you're a fan of smock dresses you could easily wear it without the tie for a looser more tunic like shape.

I took the obvious option and went for red accessories with the blue and white of the dress, because I think it's such an eye catching colour scheme that makes me think of the 1960's almost as much as the style of the dress! Both the shoes and bag are old so unfortunately I can't provide links to them sorry!

What do you think of this style dress? Is it something you'd wear too or is it too old fashioned a shape or too bold a print for your liking?

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I live in a world of created beauty, I bleach my hair and I won't leave the house without a full face of make up, I wear bust emphasising bras and I am building up my collection of tattoos. I have never and still do not consider myself a natural beauty (which I am perfectly fine with by the way) and so when I meet someone who naturally has a perfect pretty face and a beautiful body I just love it. Marie is one of those ladies.

I first met Marie, ever so briefly, back in February at an event held by Simply Be at the Anna Scholz studios in London. She looked ever so stunning and when I got home I couldn't stop gushing about the tall girl with the wonderful curly hair and gorgeous, big, kind eyes. At that point I wasn't overly familiar with Marie and her writing although I knew I had seen photos of her before and so I found her blog and read pretty much the entire archive of posts.

Marie's writing is inspiring and imaginitive and I love that she references her favourite books, films and tv shows and shares lots of memories from her childhood - I love a bit of nostalgia! Marie has her own style and wears what she likes, not what the current fashion dictates, and I love and relate to that so much. She's also a big fan of pretty vintage things and cream cheese, just like me!!! Not only does Marie write her blog Migg Mag but she also contributes to Bustle, Simply Be, Huffington Post UK and Volup2.

If you don't know Marie's work I seriously recommend that you have a look through her blog and check out her articles, her pieces make me feel happy and empowered and wonderful and confident in my own skin - you won't be disappointed I promise.

To keep up to date with my future posts and other adventures just follow me on

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Pattern Parade

Miss Whittington's Vintage Beauty Parlour - Matlock Imperial Rooms July 2014

Six of My Favourite Pink Lipsticks

Fantastic Floral Fun with Gypsy Rose Vintage

Passion for Purple - Nine X Plus Size Babydoll Lingerie Review

Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup Foundation Review

Wide Fit Biker Boots // Catwalk Collection at Fashion World

BUT SERIOUSLY... If you're fat, you can still wear whatever you want.

Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream Review

Dark and Delicate

Bella & Bear 'Hair She Goes' Hair Removal Kit Review

Office Makeover on a Budget

Today I need something beautiful

I'm so fancy

Tattoo Aftercare Tips with Dr Bronners Organic Liquid Soaps

Party Time! Four stunning celebration looks with Simply Be!

Bakerdays - Birthday cakes that fit through your letterbox!

Recipe Roundup - The Inky Kitchen Archives Part 1

Blue Flower, Red Thorns

Style Icons - Blogger Edition #3 - Marie Southard Ospina