In a previous post I mentioned the new course of laser hair removal that I am doing. It’s going very well, and it’s time to give you an update.
I’ve had one more session on the face since then, but this post is an update on how successful the sessions on the tummy and bikini line have been.
Recently, one of my colleagues wore the most GORGEOUS pairs of shoes to work. They were a pair of either black or dark Navy court shoes in a Mary Jane style, in material / fabric, with an ankle strap and a bow on the ankle, in a kind of vintage retro style.
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Initially I didn’t think it would be appropriate for me to talk to her about them in guy mode, but as luck would have it I bumped into her in the canteen mid-morning whilst we were both waiting to be served, and it was nice and quiet with nobody else in earshot, so I simply blurted out “OMG I love your shoes so much” and fortunately she was brilliantly positive and shot back “I know! Aren’t they fab!”. She wasn’t at all fazed by me wanting to chat about them, nor by me asking what make they were and where she bought them.
Turns out that they are by Ruby Shoo, who I must confess I have not heard of before, but from looking at their website I can see that they specialise in quirky fun shoes with a hint of vintage about them, and that is definitely my style.
When I had a moment, I started google image searching for “Ruby Shoe” (since that is what I had misheard) along with various attributes of the shoes my colleague was wearing, and I very quickly homed in on Piper in black by Ruby Shoo. It had to be the black because hers were plain with a floral bow, whilst the Navy blue version is polka dots all over. I surreptitiously checked her shoes a few times as I saw her around during the day to make sure I had correctly identified them, and I am absolutely sure I have.
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I’m a UK 8 for shoes, and initially was gutted to see that on Amazon they only go up to 6. But then I went onto the Ruby Shoo website direct and saw they actually go up to size 9 (unusually). Size 8 was out of stock but they did have a size 9, so I took a chance on that and ordered since they were the same price as on Amazon. Even better, I got a 15% discount for signing up to their newsletter so got them for £37.50 including postage. That seemed quite reasonable to me.
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The very next day I got an email and text to say that the shoes had been despatched and would be delivered the day after and they indeed were.
They’re gorgeous and I love them, but unfortunately they are way too big and I really do need a size 8. Currently I am waiting for a reply from Customer Services as to when (or if) they will have size 8 back in stock and if I can exchange. I so hope they are not permanently sold out or I will be so upset!
[22-Oct-2015]
Ruby Shoo responded to my email (and also posted a nice reply to my Facebook post) saying that Piper has been an extremely popular choice this season and subsequently has completely sold out in size 8 and that they are not expecting any more stock of this style and colour. However, they did identify a stockist for me who did still have stock; a company called My Vintage. I went to their website and found that they did, but that they wanted £40 + £4.95 postage for them, which seemed excessive to me. I sent them a polite message asking if they would give me a discount code and received a prompt reply saying that they would not. However, I then found another stockist called Scorpio Shoes who not only had stock, but had free delivery, and even better had them in a sale, and they were reduced to £31.20! So I’m over the moon about this, as you can imagine.
I just need to return the size 9 to Ruby Shoo for a refund and keep my fingers crossed on the size 8.
[27-Oct-2015]
The size 8 from Scorpio Shoes arrived today (actually yesterday, but I wasn’t able to pick them up until today). They fit absolutely perfectly and I love them!
I also received the refund from Ruby Shoo direct. I was a little disappointed that the refund was less postage, however they only deducted the price of postage in one direction rather than both directions, so that’s something.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I had been planning a night out with a friend and had bought the “Two-Tone Sequin Bodycon Dress” by Top Shop in anticipation.
That night out was meant to be last Friday and was to have been the December BNO at Pink Punters, but for one reason and another I had to drop out and not go. If I’m absolutely honest, then I have to admit that cold feet was one of the reasons.
The dress
On Sunday, after I got back from the Take Five fair at Woking, I thought I should try the dress on again in order to decide once and for all if I should keep it for another time or take it back for a refund.
I tried it on, and it was really easy to get into. I particularly like the fact that the zip is long, robust, has large metal teeth which do not jam or snag, and also has a long tag on it which makes doing it up on your own quite easy. So many dresses with back zips are a real struggle to do up on your own and seem to be designed for someone else zipping you up.
Once on, it is really comfortable and fits me absolutely perfectly across the shoulders; it almost feels as if it was tailor-made for me. However, I simply can’t escape the fact that this dress simply does not flatter me and is really rather shapeless. Despite being a size 14, I think that it makes me look a lot bigger. I also feel that, although the flip effect is fun, it only takes brushing against something to alter how it looks and make it look messy. So, really, I just don’t think it’s “me” because for one thing I would be stressing about that all the time!
Dress + jacket
As a result, I think that it really has to go back for a refund which I will be doing ASAP as I only have until 29th December to get a refund according to the receipt. That means I either have to brave Basingstoke’s Festival Place on the last weekend before Christmas or else brave it immediately after Christmas when the sales are on. I’m not sure which will be more busy and stressful!
I also tried the Snow Leopard Faux Fur Jacket that I bought from Select Fashion. I think I will keep that because I really like it and it’s so glamourous. I’m sure I will be able to wear it next time I have a night out. It’s certainly nicer than that overcoat that I bought which I have never worn and, with hindsight, I think I probably never will either.
Dragonfly earrings
Finally, just as a follow-up to my post about the Take Five fair at Woking, I went on Amazon last night and found a lovely pair of Dragonfly earrings that look to be virtually identical to the ones I declined to buy at £19 at the fair (and which the seller had been asking £20 for initially). They cost me £15.20 including postage. Just shows that you have to keep your wits about you when attending fairs and know what is a bargain and what is not.
The earrings arrived today and, in fairness to the seller at the Take Five fair, I should say that these are smaller than the ones he was selling. However, they are hallmarked silver and I’m not sure if his were. But they’re just the right size and I really like them. So expect to see them in a future pic!
On Friday I had the day off and decided to go shopping to look for a party dress as I am going out with a friend in a couple of weeks for a night out and need one.
‘Stripe Sequin Dress’ by Next
The first that caught my eye was in Next. I spied it on a wall poster and then spent ages trying to find it on the racks because it looked really good in the pics and I thought it was worth searching for. Eventually I found it on the other side of the shop. I hate that. As it happened, they didn’t have it in my size – there were only two left and one was way too small and the other too big. Also it was £75 which was a little more than I was planning to spend, so I mentally marked it as a “possible” and moved on.
It’s on their website listed as “Stripe Sequin Dress” but currently showing as sold out.
‘Two-Tone Sequin Bodycon Dress’ by Top Shop
The next shop that I went into was Top Shop, and two dresses caught my eye. One was a simple black dress with silver woven into it that I really liked, but they didn’t have my size.
Then I saw this dress (pictured) and it absolutely wowed me. It’s listed on their website as “Two-Tone Sequin Bodycon Dress” and is sequinned all over, but the sequins are reversible. On one side they’re silver and on the other side they are a bronzey-gold. You stroke the dress to flip the sequins over, which means you can draw your own patterns and designs on it. Even better, it fit me perfectly when I tried it on.
My only reservations were the price (£68, and sadly not in the Black Friday sale) and the fact that it is a little shapeless and not especially flattering. However, the reversible sequins swung it for me and I bought it.
Now that I have it home, I’m not 100% sure I’m going to keep it due the aforementioned issue of it being a bit shapeless. I’ll need to try it on again and have a really good think about it and then decide. Maybe I will post a pic up of me wearing it for the purposes of critique and opinion.
If I do keep it and do wear it for my night out, then I’ll have to be careful that people don’t doodle on it, or draw a cock on my back! 😀
I then popped into Select Fashion. I like their stuff (as I have mentioned in the past) and can often pick up something nice in there for a reasonable price.
On this occasion, I saw a Snow Leopard Faux Fur Jacket that I rather fell in love with. At £34.99 it was a bit of an extravagance, but it should go with a party dress really well. Also, it turned out that it was eligible for 25% off due to Black Friday which means I ended up being charged £26.24 which softened the blow somewhat.
‘Gold & Grey Mesh Flower Print Dress’ by Quiz
The next shop I went into was Quiz, and this is where I struck gold as far as a bargain was concerned.
I spotted a lovely dress that I was immediately drawn to as it had an Art Deco vibe to it (in my eyes anyway). I’ve since found it on their website where it’s described as “Gold and Grey Mesh Flower Print Dress”. I decided I should try it on, so did so and whilst I was in the changing room I took a pic of myself in it.
Selfie time!
I was really happy with the look and the fit. The price was marked as £75 but it had been hand-amended underneath to £49.99 with Tippex and biro. I checked the other dresses to make sure they were the same, and they were. I also noticed a Black Friday sign saying “£20 off all original prices” but I wasn’t entirely sure what the final price was going to end up as it was unclear which price they’d be taking the £20 off.
After rather a long time queuing for the till, where it seemed they needed two people to operate one till, I got served and initially they wanted to take £20 off the un-discounted price of £75 and charge me £55, but I pointed out the £49.99 price. They were initially a little sceptical (I wasn’t offended – it’s possible somebody could carry around a bottle of Tippex and a biro), but when they saw all the dresses were similarly amended they honoured it. And then they took the £20 off that price as well, so I got it for £29.99 – barrrrrgain. That pretty much made my day I can tell you.
Looking on Quiz’s website shows that the on-line price is £59.99 so I definitely did well there.
By now my feet were starting to hurt and I was beginning to feel a bit “shopped out” so I stopped for a coffee, and then went looking for a handbag. However, I didn’t find anything I liked and my feet were really starting to complain by now so I decided to head home.
Casual
What I should have done when I got home is take proper pics of me in my new purchases, but I was quite tired by then and I didn’t feel like it.
However, I did take a pic of myself in the outfit that I had been “out & about” in, to go with the selfie I took in the car (which you will already have seen on Flickr).
I’m pleased with how this outfit turned out. The vest top (which is from New Look) is low enough to give the impression of cleavage, but not low enough that you can see the tops of my breastforms. It’s a close-run thing though. The short-sleeved cardigan offset it nicely too. Also it made it easy to try on dresses as I only needed to remove the cardigan, which is what I was aiming for when I put the outfit together. Mission Accomplished there, I feel.
So, all in all quite a productive shopping trip and I think I’m well on the way to getting an outfit together. I just need to decide on shoes, bag and accessories.
I’m hoping that I can get away with existing shoes. I have one pair of very elegant heels but they are agony to walk on within five minutes, so they’re instantly ruled out. The red ones from a previous pic might be contenders if matched with a red bag. I’m not sure if they are dressy enough but they’re certainly comfortable enough. Otherwise I have some black court shoes that have figured several times in these pics which might do the trick too.
I had been planning on going to the Flea and Collectables Fair at Woking on Sunday, but when I got up the weather was a little grotty and I decided that I really couldn’t be bothered. Besides, it was the final rounds of the BTCC and also there was a F1 race. So I decided to stay in. But I told myself I would get into girl mode and take some pics of the other of the two wigs; which I have not yet photographed.
Back in Black
I looked in the wardrobe for something to wear, and came up with a little outfit that I’m quite pleased with. The top is a semi-sheer shirt from Next, with a black cami-vest underneath, and paired with a simple black bodycon skirt. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out and it’s a cute little outfit.
Lisa Loeb?
A while back I bought some fancy dress glasses with an intent of doing a “sexy secretary” look with them, which I’ve never got round to doing. But I thought I would give them a go, and I really liked how it turned out. I think I look like Lisa Loeb.
I then went back to the wardrobe to see what else I could try, but nothing else seemed to grab me apart form a unisex retro t-shirt that I recently bought. Also, I have a “retro wall” in my house where I have retro posters, metal signs, and the like.
Retro
I thought it might be fun to take a photo of me in the t-shirt with that as the backdrop. The only downside is that it’s in the kitchen and the light is very harsh in there.
If you look carefully at the pic, at the parting of my hair, you can clearly see the lace front in action. It does an amazing job of making it look like a natural hairline, doesn’t it!
Keep Mum, she’s not so dumb
You can’t really see the poster to the right of the picture, but it’s one I like very much which I bought at Bletchley Park. It’s a wartime poster cautioning people not to give away secrets – saying “Keep mum, she’s not so dumb!”
On the face of it, it seems typically misogynistic in keeping with the era, but I find it strangely empowering. The woman looks very intelligent, confident and composed. And although the caption implies that men of that time considered women as stupid and of no consequence, the poster is pointing out that women can be intelligent and could be using their position to manipulate Top Brass in the Military (you’ll notice that the 3 men represent Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force) into giving away secrets. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but that’s my take on it and from that point of view it’s empowering women.
As I mentioned in my last post, I took some time off for a Staycation. Well, that was this week and I am over halfway through it.
It’s been a week of ups and downs. And in one case, an “up” that didn’t happen – namely the gliding. Sunday was a beautifully sunny day with not a cloud in the sky, but unfortunately Monday was total cloud cover and they cancelled it on me. I’ve rebooked for Friday (tomorrow) but my hopes aren’t high.
Infatuation, Glazed Auburn
On Tuesday I had an appointment at the Wig Shop. Quite a funny thing happened when I went there. They brought out the Raquel Welch “Infatuation” wig that I had asked for, but remarked that my existing wig didn’t seem *that* different in colour to it, and looked like it still had plenty of life left in it, so they were a little confused and thought that they might have got their wires crossed over my request. Yes, that’s right; the shorter of my two existing wigs (which was the one I was wearing) is “Infatuation” and I didn’t know. Now, on the face of it this makes me look a little silly, but in my defence I bought it from them and they are in the habit of not telling you what you are buying. In actual fact I have tried quite hard to determine what my wigs are with no success, so I think I can be allowed this. Anyway, I still can’t get over how ironic that is – a wig that I was sure that would suit me from pics I have seen on the Internet, only to find it is one that I have and love.
Still, much as I like the colour, I didn’t think it was worth buying the same wig again, especially as I have rather gone off the shorter style and think that it makes me look a little ‘mumsy’.
Show Stopper?
So, next up was a longer and much more expensive wig, again by Raquel Welch. Full monofilament cap, lace front, and heat resistant. In fact, everything that the “Show Stopper” wig was. In fact, it may even be Show Stopper – they were evasive when I asked which one it was and I never did find out.
I immediately fell in love with this wig. Also, I think that it being heat-resistant (and hence able to be styled) could be quite versatile and a lot of fun.
I tried on several different colours in this style, but this was the one that I liked the most and we both agreed suited me the best.
Curls
Next to try on was another Raquel Welch; again full monofilament cap and lace front, but not heat resistant. It had lovely curls in it and I immediately knew this was “the one”. Sometimes you just know when something is right.
This one was apparently so new in that the assistant conveniently didn’t know what it was called. So, again, I don’t know which one it is.
I also tried some others on, but none of them were ‘me’ and for many I didn’t even bother to take photos. Those that I did take photos of, I’d rather not share them as I didn’t like them.
So, it was decision time. And since this shop runs a “buy one, get the second half price” deal, and charges the full RRP for wigs otherwise, you pretty much have to buy two. If you do, then their prices work out quite well. If you don’t then they are expensive.
But it wasn’t very hard to decide – I bought the heat-resistant one and the one with the curls. Even with the discount, it was a fairly horrific amount of money – I’m not even going to tell you. But let’s just say that my geeky side was thinking just how much ‘tech you could buy for that. Still, never mind.
After I’d made the purchase, I chose to wear the heat-resistant one, and then went off to Camberley to do some shopping and also to get my favourite pair of guy mode ankle boots re-soled. For the second time. I bought them years and years ago, and they were only cheap – £25 in a Barratts sale (one of their many fire sales due to going into administration). But they are so comfy and I love them so much. The sole and heel wore out on both after a few years, so I got them re-soled and re-heeled at a cost of around £28 if I remember correctly. Those lasted a few more years and the heels are still ok, but I have worn the soles out again. Re-soling cost me £17.95 this time.
Whilst there I also managed to grab an absolute barrrrrrrrrrgain in H&M. I got an absolutely gorgeous polka dot skater dress for £5 in the sale. The euphoria of a genuine bargain slightly tempered the feeling of shock over how much the wigs cost. 🙂
Once I got home, I decided to take some photos of the new dress and new wigs. I only managed one wig though, because I was quite tired by then and felt that was enough.
That’s all for this post – I will continue in a subsequent one tomorrow.
‘Polka Dotty’ on Flickr
‘Curly Gurly’ on Flickr
“Tyred Out” on Flickr
I’ve had a bit of a roller coaster this weekend. On Friday I got home from work early, and I decided to get dressed and reshoot the Biker Girl look that I did a few years ago. A friend suggested that since I’d lost quite a bit of weight, it would be worth revisiting. Plus he loved my Doc Martens boots and wanted to see more of them. So of course I had to oblige.
I decided to do the shoot outdoors. The lighting proved to be quite difficult and when I came to look at the results of the shoot on my computer, I realised that things were rather washed out and, despite having quite a lot of eyeliner on, it looked like I was wearing no makeup. A professional photographer friend subsequently told me that this is very common on outdoor shoots and you really have to overdo the makeup to compensate. Or else correct things post-production, which is what I did. I mainly used the Dodge & Burn tool of GIMP to darken my brows, eyeliner, lips and pupils, and also adjusted the contrast quite a lot. I have to confess that I also rather cheekily gave myself a digital tummy tuck too. Sorry!
After that I cracked open a bottle of wine and then, as the night wore on, another, and in the end got really rather wrecked and spent time online with a friend in America and went to bed really rather late. Or maybe I should say early, for as Shakespeare’s Sir Toby Belch said: “To be up after midnight and to go to bed then, is early: so that to go to bed after midnight is to go to bed betimes.” [Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 3]
I think I crawled into bed just after 6am as the sun was coming up.
The less said about Saturday the better. I got up late, felt rather unwell for a lot of the day, watched a lot of telly, and went to bed early.
On Sunday (ie. today) I decided I would go for a drive and eat out for lunch. I ended up having a nice burger in an American diner, then stopped off at Basingstoke to visit Festival Place. I was in guy mode and I really need some new guy clothes, so I told myself NO GIRL CLOTHES and to concentrate on guy clothes. So I bought a gorgeous floral skater dress at Select Fashion in the sale for £8. ha ha. I’ll post up a pic another time.
I also completely failed to buy any guy clothes. *sighs*
Urban Decay at Debenhams
I noticed that there is now a small Urban Decay outlet in Debenhams, which was exciting for me as I like their stuff. But since I was in guy mode and it was a very small concession and the staff were busy with a customer, I thought I wouldn’t browse. I’ll come back another time in girl mode.
And finally, I bought 3 Bluray Discs for £20 in HMV. I got “Ender’s Game” (with a groovy lenticular sleeve – I’m such a sucker for those), “A Clockwork Orange”, and “Kick Ass 2”. Should be a giggle. I will watch one tonight.
So that was my Sunday. I’m back to the grind of my long-distance commute tomorrow, which is really starting to wear me down so I have booked into a Spa hotel on Wednesday to break the week up and to see if that makes things a little more tolerable. We shall see.
‘Baroque Print Skater Dress’ by Tenki on Flickr
As I mentioned in a recent post, I recently bought the ‘Baroque Print Skater Dress’ by Tenki but had not taken a photo of me wearing it. I’ve now taken one, as you can see. I can’t say I’m totally happy with the way it sits on me, though; especially in the under-bust area. Definitely not a favourite, although it’s ok I guess. I think I’m not alone in this opinion because it has gathered below-average views, faves and comments on Flickr.
‘Smoky Floral Lace Skater Dress’ by Select Fashion on Flickr
Far more successful was this lovely Smokey Lace Skater Dress by Select Fashion that I bought during a recent shopping trip to Camberley. I love how it appears sheer yet has strategically placed modesty panels. It’s really comfortable and I absolutely adore it. I think the colour and design really suit me. Again, it seems I’m not alone there as the above-average views, faves and comments on Flickr reflect. Even better, it was only £14.99 – barrrrrgain!
‘Browns & Whites’ on Flickr
Another success, bought during the same shopping trip, was a really cute brown biker jacket that I bought in H&M. It’s meant to look like leather, but close up it’s not fooling anyone. But that’s hardly surprising as it was only £34.99 and you’d expect to pay 10 times that for proper leather. But I think it looks pretty cute (as do my Flickr followers, it seems). I paired it with a skirt and belt that I bought years ago, a top that has appeared in previous pics, and my favourite Timberland boots. To be honest, the boots are a little dark for this outfit, but never mind.
Moving on to New Look I bought a nice floral body in the sale, reduced to £7. You don’t tend to see them to buy that often (unless they are as a really expensive ‘shaping body’) – certainly Marks & Spencer haven’t stocked them for ages. That’s a pity because I find them really useful and they really flatten and shape the tummy far better than a camisole or vest do.
Short Sleeve Pointelle Knit Shrug
I also bought a cute little black Short Sleeve Pointelle Knit Shrug which was also reduced to £7. I bought it because I thought it could be versatile and useful for going out, especially as the weather cools into Autumn.
Topshop earrings
Yesterday I was out shopping in guy mode for some stuff, and visited Farnborough Gate because I needed to go to Halfords. Whilst there I popped into Boots to get a liquid eyeliner, and decided to try a liquid eyeliner pen. It looks for all the world like a felt tip pen. Perhaps I could have saved some money and used a Sharpie marker instead? Anyway, I’m planning to have a go with it this weekend (the eyeliner pen, not the Sharpie marker!) and will let you know how that goes.
Whilst at Farnborough Gate I also popped into Topshop, and saw these absolutely gorgeous earrings. I love how they have an Art Deco (or possibly Art Nouveau) vibe and the chains are really delicate. Also I really like how they have mirror symmetry – it really annoys me when asymmetric earrings don’t.
Ok, not the best title for this picture, but it was the best I could come up with. :o)
“Don’t look down on me” by Joanne, on Flickr
I took this pic with my tripod on its maximum height, looking down on me sitting down.
There was quite of a lot of perspective distortion which I had to correct post-production, and there is still some even now but this was about as much as I could do without it starting to look odd.
Top – Marks & Spencer (Woman range)
Jeans – Marks & Spencer (Indigo range, skinny fit)
Boots – Timberland
Accessories – I really can’t remember I’m afraid.
Makeup – as per my ‘Getting my eye back in” post
“White Crochet Fringed Hem Top” by New Look
I mentioned in my last post that I had gone out shopping after I had done my makeup. I popped down to Festival Place in Basingstoke (Amazingstoke!) for a spot of Retail Therapy.
I bought this “White Crochet Fringed Hem Top” by New Look which cost me £22.99. It’s not something I would normally buy, but I really liked it and I thought it would be something I could wear with different things maybe.
“Baroque Print Skater Dress” by Tenki
I also managed to buy a dress not dissimilar to that Mela Loves London one that I mentioned in a previous post, only this one actually fits me. Yay! This one is the “Baroque Print Skater Dress” by Tenki and wasn’t quite the bargain that the Mela Loves London one was because I had to pay £25 for it. But that’s still not bad. I haven’t managed to do a picture of me wearing it yet, but here’s one of it on the hangar. I bought it in Debenhams but I notice that New Look also sell it via their website, which is what I have linked to.
“Woven Shoulder Stitch Block Jumper” by Warehouse
Finally, I found this cool “Woven Shoulder Stitch Block Jumper” from Warehouse for £15. The shoulder panels are sheer and the sides and a band of the sleeves are quite “holey” which means you can show off what your’re wearing underneath (or a bit of skin if you’re feeling daring) which should make it quite versatile. Trouble is that I am going to have to wash it before I wear it because I managed to get foundation all over it when trying it on. Oops.
