Pink Haired Princess

ASOS have been quite generous with discount codes over the past couple of months, so I've been ordering rather regularly. I thought I'd share some of my purchases, starting with a smallish order a couple of weeks ago, which included the wiggle dresses I reviewed last week (Tall and winter floral crepe ones). 

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas? Our house was pretty quiet and I got to spend the day in my jammies because I was too tired to get dressed. I got lots of lovely things, including loads I didn't know about (Santa had a little help this year, getting my main pressie). On Boxing Day, my sister and her family came and it was manic . All three of my nephews went from nice to naughty at different points throughout the day and they were staying over (minus their Mum and Dad), so there was no let-up. Too much noise for too long and I've been knackered since! I'm glad to start getting back into my routine, beginning with a new Bought & Thought.

Hola!  A funny one for you this week, jogging bottoms! Bet you didn't see that coming.

Golly, I can't tell you the amount of half written posts I started last week. I keep finding something more important to write about, then ditch that for something else. I'm annoying myself! I've had ASOS orders arriving almost every day (not joking that much) and in amongst them has been even more 'wiggle dresses'. Uh-huh, more than the zillion I already have. So instead of dragging it out each week in Bought & Thought (which would likely last until next summer), I figured I'd do a massive compilation in one post with reviews of each one. A lot of these have gone into the sale right now (which is why I thought you'd appreciate a review now) and some have only come out in the past couple of days. I'm going to start with some of the more recent ones, because they are freshest in my mind and the amount of photos for older styles vary as I didn't have the foresight to know I'd write this post!

This dress was half price for one day only, so I took the opportunity to snap it up, having had my eye on in for a couple of weeks.

Set your alarms ladies, as the Boots star gift this week is Soap & Glory !

Shift your eyes away from those wonderful shoes for a wee minute, because it's the leggings I'm talking about today.  I bought a pile of new clothes recently, mostly from the new plus-size range at Wallis .  I've spent almost all year in my jammies, so splurging on clothes seems a bit of a waste when I can't or don't wear them.  However I've started at physio again (think it's around 10 years since I've been) and the first thing out of my mouth when the doctor mentioned the referral was "what am I going to wear?"  Yes jammies are not suitable outdoor attire!  He passed that anecdote onto the physio who said as soon as I came in "oh you found something to wear then"!  I know I make life difficult, but I like to stay true to myself and I didn't want to suddenly start wearing tracksuit bottoms and a sweatshirt because that's what I "should" wear to the gym.  It's really not me, I'd be self conscious, uncomforta...

I've spoken a lot about my adult acne and the numerous products I've trialled, but the one thing I hadn't used before was a supplement.  So I was very intrigued when I was contacted and asked to review Help:Clear Skin * for the blog.  Basically the box contained 28 sachets (one to be taken daily) of fine, white powder, which is diluted into water, drinks or soft food.  Sounded pretty simple to use and it was.

How crazy is this Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal?  Not quite sure I agree with the UK 'adopting' it, as it has no relevance to us (linking with Thanksgiving in the US which we don't celebrate).  I just think we are in more need to celebrate our own 'holidays' rather than picking and choosing the popular ones and saying things like "happy holidays" which we didn't used to.  St. Andrews Day on the 30th anyone?  So I wasn't going to write this post as many shops changed their dates and some didn't want anything mentioned until the minute it started, however I've put all the discounts together in one post for you.  Helpful I know!  These are some of my affiliate companies and the easiest way was to go through them alphabetically and methodically and list them for you. Yes I know there are other places doing discounts too, but there's a limit to how much of my day can be spent on this!  This post took a long time to compile, so please don...

Yo, yo, yo, prettiest unicorn on the planet here! At least that is what my human Mummy calls me (usually followed with "yes you are, yes you are"), she says you'll all be mimicking the voice she does at that point. I don't say much back, for fear of bursting my stitches, but I can see how much I mean to her.  She says there's no way anyone will fit all their crap in here, not sure I like the sound of that, but then she does that loving, drooling look and everything is good again.  Mum says you'll meet my brother soon.  He's kinda mysterious, all glossy black with a gold mane.  Don't tell him this, but Mummy prefers me to him, I can just tell.  Plus I change from blue to pink depending on the light, pretty cool huh?  She says you'll want to know that you can buy me from ASOS here and New Look here  for £12.99 and that everyone needs one.  She even has a 20% off code for all full price items at ASOS that she wants to share with you, because she...

Happy Friday!  Today I have a bag I bought months ago, that I'd almost forgotten to show you.  I'm sure I've said this before but the Love Moschino 'Charming' girls range just keeps getting better.  I literally want every single design they release.  This seasons snow scene is absolutely adorable.  I love the chic wee lady in her fluffy red coat and hat, walking through the snow in her high heels.  Look, she even has a big ring on her finger and is carrying a little clutch!  "Love Moschino" is written in the snow and there's a church and some buildings in the night skyline with snowflakes falling all around.

Hello my lovelies, how are you today?  I have the most wonderful lipstick to show you.  Isn't that just the prettiest thing you've ever seen?  Even my Mum was impressed and she doesn't wear makeup!

You may recall I reviewed the new La Roche-Posay Effaclar Anti-Blemish System * back in September.  I'd been using the set for around 6 weeks at that point.  My results hadn't been overly good by then, but I felt at least 12 weeks were required before making final judgements.  I've now completed my trial and this is a little update as to how I got on.  Just to remind you, I was solely using these products, wearing no makeup and applying nothing else to my face other than lip-balm and eye cream/gel, for the fairest possible test conditions.  The box contains 'up to 6 weeks' supply and I did have to purchase another moisturiser around week 9.  I still have a little toner left and a little bit (less than the toner) of the cleanser, so for value for money I think it's great.    

Growing up, I was obsessed with Sindy dolls, like proper ' all I ever wanted ' obsessed.  Royal couturiers 'The Emanuels' (David and Elizabeth, famous for designing that wedding dress for Princess Diana) produced a collection of Sindy outfits. Beautiful full length, frilled, taffeta gowns with velvet capes and coats all shrunk down to miniature size for my favourite doll (don't worry this is leading somewhere). Even as a small child, I knew those outfits were epic . I even had a VHS (probably still do somewhere) of a Sindy documentary (featuring David and Elizabeth talking about their dolly creations) that I watched over and over, until it got a bit 'jumpy' in bits. Nowadays David is probably known outside of the fashion world for I'm A Celebrity (I didn't watch it) and he also has a clothing line at Bonmarche.

Hmmm, a bit of a mixed review for this one. I've been a fan of Soap & Glory skin and body products for years, but this was my first time trying the Glad Hair Day Shampoo £5.50.

Erm, ok, so I was kinda a lot naughty on Friday and ordered three pairs of the new gold heels from Irregular Choice. You know you've spent a lot when your order is put on hold until you confirm your details, muahaha! I've actually been saving money for once though; this never leaving the house malarkey has a gold silver lining. As usual they were released at 12pm and it doesn't happen every time, but I got myself into a right old panic. I just felt there was a lot of hype surrounding these, IC had only released images of two of the seven styles and I just had a feeling I was going to miss out on the ones I wanted.  I barely slept the night before and felt sick most of the morning.   

The second Cut for Evans collection has just launched. Working with design students, who were asked to create a 6-piece collection for a plus size woman, the judging panel managed to whittle down the entries to two winners, whose collections are in select stores/online from today.  Eve Turley, a 2nd year BA (Hons) Fashion Design student from Kingston University created a stunning collection of knitwear, taking inspiration from vintage fabrics.  I love the illusion hourglass shapes created by contrast panels and prints.  

So I've bought dozens more 'wiggle dresses' from ASOS recently (well, maybe a slight exaggeration) and because they're experimenting a little with some of the details and more notably, the fabric, some have fitted and some have not.  One of the best ones for me is the animal print wiggle dress £50 (in a size 18, also available in Tall here ).

Hello peeps, where do I even start with these shoes? Irregular Choice have been producing their 'statement heels' for a good few seasons now and aside from one, I've bought at least one pair from each release. Then came the news that they'd upped their game yet again with the ballerina heel . There's a tiny little ballet dancer (similar to those old cake toppers you used to get-I was ballet obsessed so had them on my birthday cake every single year), encased in a see-through wedge heel.

I've had a little re-jig of Bought & Thought this week, because my Mum came home with this today and as it's on offer, it's important I share it now. It's the Boots 'Star Gift' (yes the countdown to Christmas has proper started!) and runs until Thursday.

Last month I spoke about the welcome expansion of plus-size ranges at House of Fraser and today I'm featuring another one of those brands, Lipstick Boutique. LB's main range comes in sizes 8-16 and features celebrity collaborations with the likes of Amy Childs, Binky and Jessica Wright. The 'curvy' range comes in sizes 18-24 and very much adopts the same ethos as the main range, with bodycon silhouettes, lots of floral and lace and that same party-girl feel. That's not to say there's nothing suitable for daywear, I find the range easy to wear and it can definitely be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.

It's always exciting to see brands expanding their ranges to cater for plus-size ladies and high-street chain Wallis are the latest to do so. It comes after much interest and demand from customers and I'm really glad they've listened to that. The Live Unlimited range comes in sizes 16-24, designed exclusively with curves in mind and to celebrate that shape. There's quite a bit of talk about "flattering" garments and silhouettes, which I know a lot of plus-size ladies take offence at or don't like to hear. Personally I buy what I like and what I think will suit me and don't pay much attention to specific product information regarding how it should be worn and why it was designed this way, so it doesn't bother me.  I'd ignore the words and concentrate on the garments instead!

Hello my lovelies, today I'm talking handbags! I've been bag OBSESSED lately. I guess for years the bag trends weren't to my taste, but now I see loads I love and can't stop buying them. At this rate, I need a dedicated room for them , never mind my shoes ; )

I had a rather massive splurge at ASOS the other week, so I've got plenty of new buys to keep you amused with over the next couple of months.  I have to admit to typing 'unicorn' into clothing website search boxes just to see what comes up.  On ASOS, I do it daily.   Maybe even more than once!

With the nights drawing in and winter looming, the shops are filled with new season clothes-my favourite time of the year! I'm not sure why, but A/W fashion always gets me much more excited than S/S. John Lewis have launched their fashion magazine online , brimming with new pieces and trends (it's also available free via the app store if you have a fancy phone/tablet/whatever new thing has just launched-'fraid I'm not that tech minded) and they've asked me to pick out my favourites. Hard job, but someone has to do it, wink, wink! I'm happy to see what I'd consider staples and classics rather than entirely 'new' trends and this little lot has me wishing I was instore trying and buying right now!

Reviewing skincare isn't the same as reviewing makeup. You put mascara on and instantly know whether you like it or not, the same with lipstick or eyeshadow. After one day wearing foundation you know how it functions and how long it lasts and can pretty much write a review there and then. Skincare though is a whole other ball game because your skin's reaction rather than your personal opinion usually dictates and shapes the review. So I always like to give myself as long as possible to evaluate my findings. I actually postponed this post the other week and I'm glad I did (thankfully without someone breathing down my neck saying I hadn't completed it in time!), because there's been developments that need to be included here. Ok so I'm not kidding when I say this product couldn't have been released at a better time. I was in the midst of suffering one of the worst (if not the worst) breakout I've ever experienced, when I got an email to say there wa...

Hey ladies (I can't say that without adding "hey fellas, you know you're doing good 'cause they jealous", I used to love that song!), anyway, I have something you want to see... a new colourway of the 'Cherry Deer' fawn heels from Irregular Choice! I'm very excited because I haven't seen them in any of the previews, so was taken aback to find them today.  They are a muted, peachy beige with wine trim and just feel sooo perfectly autumnal.  The bow and cherries blend beautifully with these colours and the fawn heel fits in well, with it's earthy tones.  

Hola!  Bit of a funny story for you with Bought & Thought this week.  So you know how I'm a massive fan of the ASOS 'wiggle dresses'? Well I was uber excited by this new one .  It was selling fast and I did the usual, it sold out, but eventually managed to get my hands on it.  It's made from this weird textured fabric, can't say I'm thrilled with the feel of it, but it doesn't look too off-putting in the flesh.  The colour is gorgeous , the bold rose print is beautiful .  So now to the funny bit.  I tried it on when it arrived (nobody home) and managed to get stuck in it!  I do this thing where if I can't get a dress on with the zip closed, it's too small.  I always think if I get into it with the zip open then I'll be really scuppered if it's too tight, because I don't have a zip to open for extra room to get out (hmm, not so great thinking there).  Obviously the waist is the smallest bit, so it was getting that over my chest that...

I've been wanting to write this post for some time, considering how much my beauty regime has changed this year, but to be truthful I wasn't sure if it was of any interest to you . I've had to learn and deal with a lot of changes in my appearance over the past few months and of course that's had a knock-on effect to my confidence.  So I decided any pro-self-esteem post was worth writing if it helps anyone else out there. For a little background and to hopefully clear up those " the shoe girl diaries illness " or " what illness does pink haired princess have " searches that are leading to my blog, I have M.E. I know I still haven't finished my (When Life Sucks) posts about my illness and how it came about, but it's not forgotten I promise. I've been ill for over 12 years now and finally got to a point where I was able to get dressed up and 'look' ok, even when I wasn't feeling that great. This year though, my iron dipped ...

It's always good to see more places catering for plus size ladies and House of Fraser are the latest, with a selection of popular plus size brands like Anna Scholz, Evans, Chesca, Lipstick Boutique, AX Paris Curve and Little Mistress Curvy. Alongside that, is in-house brand Dickins & Jones, which come in sizes 8-20 in their main range, with a selection of styles in sizes 22-26. I think it's brilliant to see HoF reaching more customers and understanding that plus size women are like everyone else; shopping on different budgets and looking for a variety of fashionable styles. It's always nice to know there's somewhere else on the high street that we can walk into and try things on (often very rare for plus-size customers) or of course shop online and try at home if we choose.

This is a true story, for anyone thinking I'm getting creative for 'review purposes'.  When I first opened Colgate Max White One Optic * toothpaste, I couldn't help but "ewww" at the silverish grey colour! It's not exactly standard for a toothpaste is it? Then my "ewww" turned to 'oooh' as I realised it looked kinda sparkly and rather cool (yes I may have slathered it on the back of my hand like a makeup swatch-beauty blogger problem!).  I showed my sister who was nearby at the time, that I had this new toothpaste to try (yes disclaimer, technically there was no 'Bought' in Bought & Thought this week).  I explained it would apparently instantly whiten my teeth, but other than the colour of the toothpaste, she was rather disinterested (not unusual for her, she is not the beauty addict I am-beauty blogger problem part 2)!  I tried it, showed her my teeth "do they look whiter, can you see a difference?" I asked, she lit...

As is usually the way with my shopping habits, I really wanted something but didn't have money for it at the time.  Watched it slowly sell out, sad face, moan, moan, moan, stalked it until I eventually found one in my size and yay, bought it!  It happened a couple of weeks ago and it gave me the opportunity to try out the new Sunday service from ASOS .  I've always been a big advocate for the ASOS UK Premier service, which I've used for years (I promise I've not been asked/paid to say any of this).  If you don't know it's a yearly subscription and in return you receive free unlimited next/nominated day delivery, free returns (courier alongside the usual Collect+ or Royal Mail) along with every issue of the ASOS magazine, special sales, discounts and previews before regular customers.  Lately with free postal returns and free shipping (albeit by a slower method), I've been thinking they might see a reduction in those taking up the offer.  Personally I love t...

I've been making a real effort to work my way through all the travel sized skincare products I own before buying anything new.  You sure can rack up the stock, especially when you buy into GWP's the way I do!  Before this one, I'd been using the purple ( Renergie Multi Lift ) and got on really well with it.  I'd describe the scent like a masculine marshmallow (randomly) and again the Renergie Lift Volumetry worked well for me (scent was more subtle on this one).

With reviews and hauls over the past couple of weeks, it's been a while since I've done a simple 'Bought & Thought' post.  I can't recall where I first spied this dress, in some magazine I think and I had to track it down, because it looked  so  gorgeous.  It's from Boden and I buy a lot for my youngest nephew from there but haven't paid much attention to the adults section if I'm honest.  I therefore didn't know anything about their sizing or if they even went up to my size.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the dress in stock, in sizes 6-22 and bonus, it was in the sale!  I'm usually an 18-20 though I'd say a 20 has been more accurate recently, so I thought I'd read the reviews to see if I should size up, down or what!  I was completely overwhelmed by them, there were just so many and all with conflicting opinions and points!  I did that internal thought process of trying to make myself hate it "it likely won't fit me a...

Do you remember the ' blind micellar water trial ' I took part in last year?  Well Escentual thought I'd be interested in trying the latest micellar water (MW) on the block , given that I'd enjoyed the blind trial so much.  That product is Eucerin DermatoClean Micellar Cleansing Fluid 3 in 1 £9 (currently reduced to £7.19 in their sale which ends tomorrow).  It comes in a 200ml bottle, the lid unscrews to reveal a small hole.  You simply apply to a cotton pad and onto the skin without rinsing.  I was a little concerned that the liquid would pour everywhere and I'd waste lots, thinking something like a pump applicator would have been more practical.  However the stopper in the neck of the bottle prevents over-pour (pretty sure I just made that word up).  Basically, I had no issues with it, in fact I felt in control of exactly how much or little I wanted for each application.    

I had a rather disruptive sleep last night due to the remains of hurricane Bertha hitting Scotland! We've had winds and torrential rain from Sunday afternoon and it's only just stopped in the last hour or so (the rain, not the wind or cold). Anyway, I was so excited when I eventually got up, to find my parcel had arrived from Irregular Choice! Before I start, I'll apologise for the slightly intrusive tags on each photo, but despite my best efforts, it seems eBayers would rather spend their time trawling google images and stealing my photos then cropping my name out (yep, really!) than take a few snaps of their own. Sad.

This post has been neglected for so long! I ordered the stuff back in May and each week it's been 'carried over' into another week because I've not had time.  My health woes this year have been well documented, but this past week I've been struggling with motivation and fighting extreme tiredness on top of hospital appointments and having my nephews here 3 days a week.  Blogging has just been a no-go unfortunately.  I'm still completely shattered today, but have given myself a wee pep talk and the first thing to tackle was this post. There's so much editing and writing required, that's why I'm unable to post them as regularly as I used to.  Anyway enough blethering, on with the Debenhams/Lancome haul. My main only reason for buying was because they had a rather spiffy GWP, but I dithered for so long on what to get (actually I was holding out waiting for the summer collection that never happened), that the couple of things I'd wanted went ou...

Mid Week Must Haves (Framed Bags) by pinkhairedprincess Mid Week Must Haves time again and this week it's the turn of structured handbags and oh, it's a goodie.

I wish I was writing this with appropriate themed weather, but we had the loudest, most violent thunder, lightning and rain that I've ever seen or heard earlier. I was actually super excited! Anyway I wanted to share this offer of free flip flops, but first I can't keep the bargain of the century to myself.

Hola, how is this week treating you so far? I'm pretty wrecked, but plodding along. Whenever I saw this High End Hottie in an email, I instantly knew it had to be included in MWMH. So I racked my brains trying to find a High Street Honey worthy of sitting alongside such a magnificent find. I spent ages ...then it dawned on me, I had the perfect pair already on my wishlist*. Waste of time, silly me! Mid Week Must Haves by pinkhairedprincess

I hadn't planned this post, but whenever I spotted the sale prices this morning, I thought it only fair to share! It's not often you find Irregular Choice heels for £26 after all! Starting with my 'under £30' picks, there is A Night Under The Stars (Irregular Choice) sequin heels with 60% off at £26 available in both colourways. The black courts are Kristina by Ravel and also £26. The pink floral wedges are Eden Eflora £28.80 and I'm sure you can forgive me for not quite being under £30, with the Unicorncopia platforms by Iron Fist, 60% off at £30.40. Another couple of pairs of Irregular Choice worth a mention (but not pictured) are the Bowtiful (knitted bow) courts in red with 60% off at £32 and floral Ozzy (perspex bow) in navy for £33.80.

Graphic bodycon dresses for Mid Week Must Haves this time. My high street honey is this adorable but slightly crazed Disturbia 'Bunnies' dress £31.99 from Pulp. The print comes in several pieces for summer and I really love those crazy-cute buns. My high end hottie is this House of Holland 'Cock Tale' dress £125. Henry Holland has turned cult movies, such as Cocktail and True Romance into slightly disturbing prints for his pre-fall collection. Just look at that print close-up, who doesn't want a googly eyed Tom Cruise all over a dress?! Too kitsch? Is there even such a thing? Mid Week Must Haves by pinkhairedprincess Post contains affiliate links.

I don't know what happened to Bought & Thought last week, I missed it! I've not been keeping to my schedule as well as I'd like, but I'm not going to dwell on it. So, I bought these dresses a while back when I had a discount code. If you follow The Shoe Girl Diaries then you'll know I'm fond of the ASOS wiggle dress ! I've bought them in every print and colour that has fitted (and sadly sent back several that didn't). As much as I love the style, one thing that I'd sometimes like to change is the longer length (it's just past mid-calf on me).  You have to consider which shoes to wear with it proportion-wise. So I was mega excited to see some 'mini' versions of the style. They looked really short on the model, but then the longer version looks shorter on them too (I'm not exactly model height), so I assumed they would be a little longer in real life. The middle and right in the photo below are the shorter lengths (sorry for...

So I'm supposed to be looking at shoes on the Sarenza site, but I notice a bag in the sale that I like, then spy another pretty bag and another....! We all know about my shoe obsession, but one that comes and goes is my bag obsession. Over the years I've gone through phases of buying handbags non-stop, then not liking any of the 'trends' and therefore buying none. Lately though, all I see is pretty bags!  You'll recall my Irregular Choice unicorn and cat bags . My first ' mid week must haves ' contained guess what? Two cute bags! However I keep finding more I want to share, so I've put together some of my favourites in this post and also how I'd style them.

Hello, hope you're well? For my 'mid-week must haves', I turn my attention to shoes. Well it was only a matter of time really, wasn't it? Wedges in fact. Starting with the 'high street honey', which are by Iron Fist. I've had my eye on the Buns N' Roses range since before it launched and have made it my mission to own almost every item in the collection. Not only do I love the name, but florals and "bunicorns", hello!! So at the weekend I ordered a top and three pairs of shoes directly from IF (including these wedges), only to be slightly disappointed with my order when it arrived (super speedy delivery, I'll give them that). The top was fine, the shoes I really wanted were out of stock and the other pair don't fit, grrr. This pair were ok-ish in fit, I'm actually starting to think my feet have grown in the past few months of non-shoe wearing (gasp, say it isn't so). I'd have to pierce another hole in the strap and...

I can't believe it's the third day of my new routine and I'm so far sticking to it, ticking off what I have to do each day.  Just shows how much you can get done when you are focused!  So this is another new feature and it's pretty self explanatory.  They aren't exactly must must haves, I mean we aren't going to die without them are we? However for alliteration purposes 'must' sounded better than anything else! It's aimed as a mid-week 'pick me up' really and will include two items, one from the high street and one designer. They will be loosely themed (as in 'shoes', 'dress' etc) but are not intended to be 'dupes' or replicas of each other. They are just two bags I thought were cute! Mid Week Must Haves (Bags) by pinkhairedprincess featuring clutches

The first of my new 'Bought & Thought' posts featuring something I've purchased recently alongside an inspiring or encouraging quote to perk us up.

A picture heavy but chatter light post today, because I'm absolutely pooper-scoopered, but thought you'd want to see the wonderful new arrivals.

It was my birthday last weekend. My parents were away on holiday, so my little sister did her best, but I was unable for visitors, an outing or any fun celebrations really.  It turned out to be a really uneventful and pretty boring day to be honest (other than the hour of watching 'Most Haunted'-totally my guilty pleasure).  I know my health and ability hasn't been great for 12 years, but this year has just been horrid and I hope things turn around soon.  Anyway, Mum had asked if there was something I had in mind for my birthday and I knew of the perfect thing.

Now that the building work is finished on our house ( thank goodness, feels like forever ), we're at the point of sorting out furniture and starting to move into the new rooms. My shoe-room is still some way off, as it's currently a makeshift bedroom for my sister. So once she moves into her new bedroom and empties the old one, I'll start deciding on paint and furniture for it and then once that's done, the fun begins! I honestly can't wait, as the thought of having to do the 'seasonal switch' and constantly fight a losing battle against leaning floor to ceiling shoe box towers is enough to make me want to wear the same pair of shoes forever! Anyway I'm starting to browse furniture and storage ideas online for inspiration and then I got totally sidetracked by this lovely lot from John Lewis (as I do)!