Wardrobe Weekly - A very snotty christmas

This Christmas has been a bit of a wash-out really - I'm happy I got to have my fake Christmas with the other half before I was stuck down by the worst head-cold I've had in years! To think I thought I would be okay after having the flu jab.... this isn't quite flu, but my god it's nasty! Anyway, before the snot came...........

Tuesday

 This is the outfit I wore home, consisting of the dress and boots that my boyfriend gave me for Christmas!

 You may remember that I tried this dress a while back but sent it back because I wasn't allowed to keep loads of my order (sometimes I do think about money and space issues.... sometimes!) but I regretted sending it back because it's so damn cute!

 I knew I wanted the boots because I already have some of these in tan! It was pretty mild at the start of the week so I packed layers!

 Dress 24 - Asos curve (now only £19 typically!)

Boots 7EEE Extra Curvy plus width - Simply Be

Leggings 20 - Very / South

Cardi 24 - George Graduate collection

Earrings - Top Shop / Central Saint Martins

Wednesday - Christmas Eve

 Okay, starting to feel ill now!

 The full awfulness hadn't struck me yet so I got up and got dressed in my planned outfit and tried to get on with the day.

 Basically me, my mum, my sister and my nephew were all ill, and Christmas eve was pretty low key. My sisters bedroom mirrors are ace for pics huh?!

Dress 24 - Deth ditto for Evans

leggings 20 - South / Very

Boots - as above

Earrings - Primark

Thursday - Christmas Day

Totally ill now and feeling both snotty and tired - I can see where one of my eyes was all watery.... that's why one side is curled and the other has gone all straight! BLURGH!

 So my plan was to wear my lovely green velvet dress on Christmas day and a nice prom-style one on boxing day (when my gran was coming round!) but I felt like death so I wore sparkly joggers and a Christmas t-shirt. Thank god I packed them 'cause it was like wearing pyjamas all day.

 Totally see-through, but stretchy and glittery so I didn't actually care!

 I'd developed a couple of teenager style spots overnight, but this is just before my face dissolved into a snotty, red-raw, nose-blowing, chapped lipped, crusty nightmare!

 Gingerbread man earrings. Made a bit of effort!

 Earrings, socks and t-shirt (20) - Primark

Trousers 22 - Dorothy Perkins

 My nephew completely knackered my sister out this Christmas, but if he felt as bad as I currently do then I'm not surprised he cried the whole time. I almost did the same by the weekend!

I got a massive wok and a big flan dish thingy, but  here is the rest of my Christmas gift mountain - I'm such a lucky girl!

 My dad got me, my sis and my mum one of these light-up mirrors with tweezers. I think he's been watching QVC or something. It's handy, but amusing..... I think he wants us to sort out our facial hair!

 My sister bought me this awesome LYDC mini-stachel. Errrrr.... holographic much?! Totally ace.

 It's even more vivid in real life (if you can imagine such a thing!) and I'm well chuffed with it!

 It's a good size for me because it should hold about the same amount as my mini-rucksack. I'm trying not to take big bags out and about with me because it hurts my back, so this is ideal!

 You can get this bag here, but they have other holographic bags too, so check out the whole website!

Friday - Boxing day

 I chose to wear this for lunch with my gran rather than the prom dress because this is more comfortable. Still felt like death warmed-up!

Dress 24 - JD Williams

Jacket 22 - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Simply be

Saturday - Christmas come-down

 Roughest day so far! Also really cold so thank god I bought my big jumper with me!

 Jumper 20, boots & necklace - Primark

Jeans 22 - Dorothy Perkins

Sunday - Show me the way to go home!

Bless my Mum and Dad, they took such good care of me while I was home, and they really made the best of a Christmas that was put on hold by snot(!). I loved seeing my family and hanging out with my sister, but I couldn't wait to get home to my own bed. I've been in bed for most of today, and every-time I get up to do something and then get back in, I revel in how cosy and comfy it is.... there's nothing like snuggling into your own bed when your ill, and having a partner who tells you you're beautiful even when you look like you've just been dug up helps immensely too! I'll be back soon with a post about my asos curve sale-hauls, but right now I'm getting the hell back into bed and hoping that this bastard cold has loosened it's grip on my sinuses before New Years Eve!

Jumper, jeans & boots - same as above

Earrings - Forever 21

Christmas with JD Williams

Oh guys... you know how I feel about velvet at this time of year. It is just the most Festive thing in the world! When I say Velvet, technically I mean velour which is the much more wearable modern equivalent, but it's still luxurious and always makes me feel fancy! 

When JD Williams offered me a Christmas dress to review, I knew instantly which one I would plump (ahem!) for and then I just had to choose the colour.....

 It just HAD to be Green! As tempted as I was by the blue, I always think red and green are Christmas colours, and as I have a red velour dress (Some of my readers will remember that I wore it on Christmas day last year!) I thought Green was the best option.

 And what a dress it is! I knew I would love this, it has all the things that I love in a dress - it's fitted, it's stretchy, there's ruching and it has a fabulous bodice for a large bust! This is a size 24 and it's the perfect size for me. I could have fit into the 22 but I like a bit of room to breath,  if you want extra va-va-voom then the smaller size would be the right choice!

When it comes to Christmas dresses I want 4 things...

Rich colours

Sumptuous fabrics

Old-school glamour

Comfort

It's all very well looking fantastic, but if like me your parties involve a fair bit of yummy food then comfort is key!

This dress fits all of my criteria. It's got the perfect amount of stretch to make it comfy and body-hugging, but it's thick enough to not cling to every lump and bump the way that some fabrics do.

I always think that velour is a rather forgiving and flattering fabric. There is something about the matte sheen that looks fantastic on all body shapes.

I'm so happy in this that I've created my own rainbow! 

 The ruching on the bodice is lovely, and more importantly if you have a large bust it will certainly stretch with your shape rather than crush or flatten your assets!

 I'm just wearing a regular bra and tights with this dress - no shapewear at all, so you can see how flattering it is....

 When I first tried this on (when it arrived and I had no makeup on, and my hair in a librarian bun!) my boyfriend was very excited, and as he doesn't take much notice of clothes I'd say that's a good sign that this is a sexy dress. I feel sexy in it, and you just can't beat that feeling! I think it's a perfect dress for a party!

 I went for a classic and lady like look for these pictures, but I am already imagining this dress styled in other ways - I'm thinking a loose glittery jacket and some knee high boots for a more casual look, or green smokey eyes, pale lips, a little belt and some higher-heels for a flat out sex-kitten look! 

I haven't decided whether this will be a) my works Christmas party dress (in which case I'll be smoky eyes all the way) or b) my real Christmas dress (in which case I'll take a more casual approach!) but either way, I can't WAIT to wear this out for real!

 As I said, the 'Together Velour dress' is also available in Burgundy....

..... or midnight blue, and I think it's pretty much the perfect Festive season party dress! Get it here!

Happy Parsnip!