Friday, December 14, 2012

Aussie Curves - Mixing patterns!

Hello!

Wow, what a LONG and super busy week I have had..
Words cannot describe how tired I am haha, working fulltime (shift work) + volunteering for events + personal training sessions + squeezing in time to see my loved ones. It's been VERY busy but I'm glad that it is almost over.

So this weeks topic is mixing patterns. I did have a couple of outfits in mind however they were all quite plain with 2 different patterns but the same colour both top and bottom, so here is something completely different, something I would have never worn until I actually put these 2 things together (now I think that it is amazing!!)


So here I am, the weather this week has been up and down in Melbourne, so this is a kind of 'in between' look.




What i'm wearing:
CC black cami
Torrid floral top with lace pocket
New Look (Inspire) animal print leggings
CC black bow flats

On my face:
All i've put on today is some tinted moisturiser as I know i'll be running around and since it's raining, don't need any running mascara!!




Saturday, December 8, 2012

O.P.I Purchase & Review

After waiting about a month, I finally recieved my O.P.I nail polishes in the mail.

Purchased 4 O.P.I polishes from BrandsExclusive.com.au as they were all marked down to just $10!!

From left to right: Coney Island Cotton Candy, Barefoot in Barcelona, My Private Jet and Goldeneye (007 collection).

Recieved them today (on a Saturday?!) and thought it was a wonderful start to my weekend. All colours seem very pigmented and great quality, as all O.P.I's generally are!

I decided to paint my nails in the colour "Barefoot in Barcelona". It's a browny pink colour and is just really subtle and beautiful. Just 1 coat would have been substantial however I like to always apply 2 coats. The brush is fantastic, no problems at all! Definitely recommend O.P.I as a brand of nailpolishes, although they are quite pricey, I think they are worth having (a girl needs at least ONE bottle!!)

Friday, December 7, 2012

Black Friday Torrid Sale

Hello everyone!

My Black Friday purchases from Torrid arrived in the mail this week so i've taken a couple of amatuer photos to show you what I bought. Everything on the website was 40% off and clearance items were reduced 50% as well. A few of these photos are terribly taken outside as there was a little sun so my face is not very flattering but doesn't matter!! I absolutely love every item I bought except for a baseball style top that didn't fit very well so i've put it up on my eBay, you can view it here: Bruce Springsteen baseball top
The prices mentioned are already marked down :)


Sugar skull glitter top with cold shoulders - $14.99
The black Chloe shorts - $11.49

Purple sequined lace dolman top - $25.50
The black Chloe shorts

Black overlay lace tank top - $14.99
Grey leopard ruched sleeve blazer - $35.10
The black Chloe shorts 

Nude lace and black tank dress - $38.70

Hematite and silver bow stacked ring set - $7.50

I also purchased a black basic knit cardigan which i didn't take a photo of but did cost $20.74. (Needed a new cardigan after my ASOS one has completely stretched out!) 


And these are my freshly painted nails by Butter London in the colour "Dahling"
Which I purchased through Catch Of The Day a while ago.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

OOTD

Yesterday I did not start work till the early afternoon so I took the opportunity to venture out into the Melbourne CBD to make a couple of sneaky purchases. Here is my outfit for the day:

I quite like this outfit, it is very comfortable and simple yet still stylish. I ended up pairing this outfit with a grey jacket from Sportsgirl as it was a little cold and windy yesterday.
The pants are "harem style" as they tie up at the bottom make the pants appear as if they were harem pants. They are quite thin so perfect for summer!

Black top: Avella by Big W
Pants: H&M+ (purchased whilst in Europe)
Flats: Spend-less Shoes


And here are the yummy treats that I bought:

Lindt Macarons (4 for my mum, 1 for me :) )
Nespresso coffee pods for my coffee machine!


Don't forget to check out my eBay items: Natray101

Monday, December 3, 2012

Aussie Curves - Orange Week

This is my very first post for Aussie Curves, I found out about it after stalking a few Aussie bloggers.
Although my lovely pic is a mirror shot selfie, I will still enter myself into the blog hop :)
Apologies for the lack of experience, i've got my L plates on :-p

I realised that I have absolutely NO orange in my wardrobe except for this dress, which i've never worn, EVER. I just don't think orange is my colour nevertheless here it is:


Dress: Monroe size 20
Belt: Torrid (from an old dress)
Heels: Williams size 11
and my little doggy on the bed :) hehe.

If you have any tips on taking photos on your own without the mirror please comment!! 


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Shopping at Myer, OOTD and eBay!

Hello! Had the day off on this glorious Saturday so i decided to go shopping at Myer Bourke street.
Here are some photos of what I tried on however only managed to buy 1 thing, which is a bit depressing.
Myer's plus size range is not always 'on trend', I remember when i first started looking at plus size clothing, at Myer EVERYTHING was catered for older plus size women. It was quite hard to find something trendy, even back in the 'Big City Chic' days, a lot of the clothes were very bland and boring.


Piper shirt dress - $109.95
I quite liked this, but definitely could not justify the price, might wait for it to come down a little!


Piper striped top with neon coloured shoulders (also came in neon pink) $49.95
Would definitely come back for this.

Mink Denim striped top, RRP $69.95, I paid $35. This was the only top that I bought!

I don't remember the exact brand, possibly Estelle, RRP $69.95 on sale for $40



And lucky last, this was my outfit for yesterday.
Not something I would usually wear but thought I'd pair this top with some shorts as it was quite warm.
The shirt is quite long, it reaches the bottom of my shorts so it had to be tucked in.

Shirt: H&M + (purchased in Europe)
Black singlet: City Chic
Shorts: City Chic
Belt: Torrid (from an old dress)
Sandals (which you can't see): Diana Ferrari



Please take a look at my eBay, as I am constantly putting things up for auction. All of my bids start at 99cents and items range from dresses, pants, tops, bags, accessories.
Brands include: Torrid, Dream Diva, City Chic, Autograph, Crossroads, New Look, Sportsgirl.
Sizes range from 18 - 24, M - XL
Most things I sell are either brand new or have been worn once or twice, on the odd occasion I have things i've worn a few times but are still in really good condition.
My username is: Natray101

:)

Friday, November 30, 2012

Bioderma Sebium H20 cleanser Review

Hello all,


At the beginning of this week I hunted down stockists of Bioderma in Australia.
After reading and hearing about Bioderma through various beauty bloggers and vloggers, I decided that I NEEDED to try it out. I contacted Cosmetiques de France (http://cosmetifrance.com/) who are the main contact for French skincare brands in Australia and they had sent me a list of stockists in Victoria. (Yay!)

Although i can buy it on eBay and other sites, I opted for going in store as i didn't have to pay a shipping fee.
The one that i purchased is from the 'Sebium' range, which is specifically for Combination/Oily skin.

(Just to let you guys know, I have very oily skin which is prone to blemishes. I don't get dry patches during winter and all that jazz, I am 365 days oily!)

I have been using the Sebium H20 cleanser over the last few days for makeup removal and i already swear by this product. With 2 or so cotton pads, it takes off my makeup with ease (including waterproof mascara) and also leaves my skin feeling fresh.

Here is a list of stockists in Melbourne:

- Demarte's Amcal Pharmacy, Shop 5, Lygon court Shopping Centre, 380 Lygon Street in Carlton
- Newton + Leung's Pharmacy, 272 Smith Street in Collingwood
- Thao Nguyen Pharmacy, 124-126 Hopkins Street in Footscray
- Malvern East Pharmacy, 332 Waverley Road in Malvern East
- Creelman's Pharmacy, 236 Bourke Street (Target Centre) in Melbourne CBD
- Collins Place Pharmacy, 45 Collins Street (Collins Place) in Melbourne CBD
- Good Health Pharmacy, 30 Como Parade in Mentone
- Bay Street Pharmacy, 361 Bay Street in North Brighton
- Pharmacy Healthmart, Shop 5, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street in Parkville
- U Pharmacy, Shop 11 Prahran Central in Prahran
- Commercial Road Pharmacy, 1/212 Commercial Road in Prahran
- Richmond Pharmacy, 246C Victoria Street in Richmond
- Southgate Pharmacy, 3 Southgate Avenue, Southgate Shopping Centre in Southbank
- Clarendon Pharmacy, 343 Clarendon Street in South Melbourne
- Terry White Pharmacy, 265 Clarendon Street in South Melbourne
- Como compunding Pharmacy, 299 Toorak Road in South Yarra
- Oggs Pharmacy, 189 Toorak Road in South Yarra
- Strathmore Pharmacy, 23 Woodland Street in Strathmore
- Amcal Wattle Park, 1123 Riversdale Road in Surrey Hills
- Trentham Pharmacy, 43A High Street in Trentham
- Preston Pharmacy, 548 Murray Road in West Preston

I called the places which were nearby me to double check that they had what I wanted in stock.
I ended up going to the Terry White Pharmacy in South Melbourne (which is nearby my workplace).
The ladies there were really helpful, they even helped me out with a couple of free samples of the Sebium range (there are scrubs, moisturisers and cleanser.)


If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

xo

Thursday, November 29, 2012

City Chic Sale Purchases

In conjunction with the (failed) "Click Frenzy" online sale campaign that happened last week in Australia and along with the Black Friday sales that happened in the USA and UK last weekend, i went a little bit crazy and bought a few things at various stores online.

City Chic was having a sale up to 50% off their clearance section. As you could imagine, the website almost crashed but i managed to get 2 things that i REALLY wanted at almost half price, YAY! ( www.citychic.com.au )

The first top:

So basically, I have this top in black and am absolutely in love with it. When i found out it came in pink, i almost died. However the RRP is $79.95,
i decided to wait... 
Lucky i did because i bought it for $39.95 on sale.
It is an XL, it comes with a belt however i never use the belts... so i've done 2 pictures to show what it looks like with and without one, however I actually don't mind the way it looks with a belt! It's not a stretchy material and it has 2 breast pockets. It's SLIGHTLY shorter at the front and longer at the back however it's not too dramatic.






The second one is:

Not too sure about this one, it is JUST the crop top (it is quite loose though) RRP $69.95 (JUST FOR THE CROP TOP!!!) and i bought it for $29.95.

It would look good with most coloured singlets, black, grey, white, navy. I couldn't find my black singlet so i just paired it with the first singlet i could find, which just so happens to be a little tight :)
Definitely looks good paired with shorts or leggings and is just a casual top in general.



I love both tops as I do most of my CC clothes. Be sure to keep checking back as a lot of my outfits are compiled of CC clothes and i'm bound to be adding more to my collection :)


* Please note that I will be taking mirror photos until i figure out how to take camera photos with nobody to help me. But the iphone camera is pretty good quality :)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Bellabox November 2012 review




So i signed up to Bellabox after being with 'Lust Have It' for several months.
Lust have it was pretty good at the beginning but as month went by i kept seeing very similar things or things that didn't really interest me at all.

Bellabox seems to be pretty good as it allowed me to create my own profile which meant I could customise what i receive depending on what sort of skin/hair i have etc.

This month's Bellabox named 'Soiree Season Staples', I received:


I'll have properly taken photos next time, I was too excited to write my first review that i couldn't wait!
Going in order from the top, left - right, i will write a quick description of what the product is and will include my own little review for each one.

1. John Plunkett Essentials Multi Vitamin Moisturiser
- Vitamins A, C, B3 and B5 provide serious protection against ageing and the environment
- Suitable for all skin types
- Skin is hydrated, younger looking and free of discoloration
Have only tried this once at the moment, seems quite good. The moisturiser is light weight and blends into the skin easily. I do however mostly look at moisturisers for oily skin as that is my skin type, but this moisturiser is apparantely good with all skin types so we'll see how we go!

2. Swiss Hand Cream with Vitamin F and Pomegranate
- Shares the high quality of ingredients that the Swisse vitamin range contains
- Contains Vitamin F to help preserve the skin’s natural barrier
- Pomegranate oils work to improve skin texture
So i've tried this product over the last few days as coincidentally i've had dry hands. To me it smells of citrus (which i don't mind at all!). After the first try, I must say, my hands are feeling really soft and nourished and the cream blends into the skin perfectly leaving no oily residue. Really liking it!!

3. Palmolive Body Butter Body Wash ( I received the Strawberry one)
- Two decadently rich and creamy body washes from Palmolive
- Two deliciously fruity fragrances
- The Strawberry Smoother formula contains small exfoliating particles
- The Luscious Mango formula provides long-lasting moisture and hydration
I've actually got this body wash at home and use it on a daily basis (exact same flavour too!!)
I absolutely love it, a small amount goes a long way. It smells FABULOUS and makes my skin soft! Definitely recomend this product.

4. 4me Nail Polish Remover Pads
- Convenient pads to quickly remove nail polish
- Conditions nails and cuticles
- Acetone and alcohol free
- Perfect for travelling
Have not tried these as i havn't had to take off any nail polish. I think this is a brilliant idea as it saves having to pour liquid onto a cotton pad as the pad already contains the polish remover. It's also good because being acetone and alcohol free it won't harm your skin/nails. I have tried the E.L.F ones and thought that they were not very good as I received them quite dry, they didn't remove my nail polish very well, but I shall keep you updated on what i think about these ones.

5. Bioderma Crealine H20 liquid cleanser
- DAF Patent makes skin stronger and more resilient
- Micelle technology cleanses the skin gently and effectively
- Cucumber extract soothes skin as Crealine H2O cleanses

I have heard many Youtube Beauty Gurus (yes i am a youtube fanatic) rave about this product earlier this year. I wanted to try it however it was not available for purchase in Australia (which sucks!). So finally i got my hands on it in this beauty box. I tried it for the first time last night to take off my eye makeup which consists of eyeshadow and waterproof mascara. A couple of drops on a cotton pad and i held it to my eye for a few seconds, wipe it away and it was like a miracle had occured! My WATERPROOF mascara was coming off no problems. I have found a few stockists around Melbourne and am waiting to be able to go and buy some, apparently Australian stockists only sell the 250ml bottles for roughly $29.95 whereas anywhere in Europe you can get up to 1L bottles for dirt cheap.

6. Bloom Glitter Eyeliner
- Loaded with micro-glitter particles to amp up any look
- Unique gel-based formula that is fast drying and long lasting
- Can be worn alone or over eye pencil for extra intensity
- Available in 4 gorgeous sparkly shades

I received a silver colour which seems really nice, i do have the same thing in gold that i received in another beauty box. The silver specks spread out really well on my eyelids, definitely looks good on top of black eyeliner or just in the outer corners of my eyes for a little bit of glitter!

7. Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack
- Contains natural ingredients and witch hazel

- Remove excess oils, control future production and reduces pore size

- Creates a perfect base for makeup application

I tried this last night, i'm not too sure with pore patches however I used it according to the instructions. It seemed like the oils on the patches left my skin feeling softer than before, not sure if it did anything to my pores. It says to leave the patches on for 10 minutes, however after 15 minutes the patches were still very moist ( i believe a pore patch is supposed to dry a little on your nose so that you can take it off?) Please correct me if i'm wrong as i am quite new to this stuff.)



:) xo





My story

Here goes nothing!

I'm a 23 year plus size female who absolutely loves shopping, both online and instore.
Into beauty, fashion, movies and 'going out' i guess (i'm sure most of you enjoy the same things).
Currently living in Melbourne, Australia and am well travelled, mostly around Europe.

I've decided to start this blog because I seem to be getting more interested in fashion and beauty and want to let the plus size women of the world know. I've always been 'that bigger girl' back in highschool, have coped the bullying and criticism for being 187cm tall (6"1) and larger so I know what it can be like to walk into a room and feel immediately intimidated because you are the tallest and biggest in your class. In recent times i've had a massive brain wave and began taking care of myself better which means: taking care of my skin and hair, eating better (I started Lite n Easy in October 2012) and exercising more. Now, with exercising I lose motivation VERY easily so I have started going to a personal trainer who just so happens to be a friend from highschool.

So far I have lost 6 kilos in the last month, which I think is fantastic. I'm starting to feel more energetic and am feeling generally happier.

I guess what i'll be putting up on this blog is various beauty reviews, OOTD's and updates on my lifestyle (changes).
Please don't be shy to comment as i'd be happy to hear from other lovely ladies in similar situations to me!

Hope you enjoy :) xo