Okay... here goes!  I was extremely nervous about filming my first ever V-log but I knew it was something that I wanted to overcome so for my first ever V-log, I review two of Simply Be's Spring/Summer collection: the floral print woven front sweater and the peplum hem textured skirt.


My First V-Log - Review of Simply Be Spring/Summer 2014 from Felicity Hart on Vimeo.

Along with the V-log, I have also taken a couple of photos to show how these items look as a complete outfit, and as you can see, they are really lovely! Thank you Simply Be! :) 

 

Floral Print Woven Front Sweater*: Simply Be, Size 18, £35.00 available in sizes 12 - 32
Jeans: Select, size 18, £18, Ankle Boots: Tesco

Peplum Hem Textured Skirt*: Simply Be, Size 18 - £25, available in sizes 12-  28 (up to 32 currently out of stock), Top: Wallis, Size 18, Cardigan: Wallis, Size 16, Bracelets: ASOS Curve*

The second item that I was sent to review for new UK brand, Taking Shape was the "Bloom" tunic, which is available in a deep red or teal colour in limited availability.  Teal is one of my favourite colours so I was really excited about trying it on.

Tunics are something that I have never really worn before so I was a little nervous about how it would look on and I must say that I still am not 100% convinced by wearing something that doesn't have any shape.  It is a completely different experience to my usual fitted skirts, tight dresses and jeans.

The size I am wearing is a medium, and in hindsight, this tunic was slightly too big for me and I think I could have got away with a small or an extra-small which is the size shown on the model on the Taking Shape website.  I quite like the length of the tunic in the bigger size because it looks more like a dress and I'm sure that with a big belt under my bust, I would feel a lot more comfortable and be able to wear it on a day out shopping or a nice lunch with the girls.

For the purpose of this review, I decided not to wear it with a belt, to get myself out of my comfort zone and into something different.  Apart from the sizing being very generous (I have recently lost a bit of weight before my wedding which probably made a difference), this tunic is really well made. It has a gorgeous material, which has a slightly sheer property to it in certain parts.  Because of the sheer pattern, I wore a black slip underneath it and black tights.  The tunic is retailed at £50, which when you consider it is more like a dress isn't too expensive. At the moment it is on offer on the Taking Shape website and in stores for just £19. 

My first experiences of Taking Shape have overall been really positive and the damask print trousers have become a staple part of my wardrobe.  I am excited to see what the Spring/Summer 2014 collection brings and I'm not giving up on tunics, just yet! :) 

 

 

 

Bloom Tunic: £50, currently reduced to £19, Taking Shape - Medium,
Tights: Marks and Spencer, Shoes: George @ Asda.

It's time for my second review of ASOS Curve and this time it is something completely out of my comfort zone.... BODYCON!   Apart from an unworn black lace bodycon dress that I bought last Christmas that disguises all my lumps and bumps I haven't really experimented with this style before because I am quite conscious of my tummy area and wobbly bits! I decided to steer away from my safe choices and review some clothing that I wouldn't normally choose to wear.  This makes for impartial reviews rather than everything being perfect all of the time.

 

 

Bodycon dress in mirror floral print: ASOS Curve, currently reduced to £31.50,
Necklace: Unknown, Bracelets: New Look & Unknown, Heels: Next

What I particularly liked about this bodycon dress, apart from the print which is absolutely gorgeous and unique, was the length.  A lot of the bodycon dresses are cut very short and I think that the extra length gives it a bit more class.  I think that I would need a lot more confidence to wear this dress out in public without some sort of jacket semi-covering myself up.  I am wearing shapewear underneath the dress from Marks and Spencer (£29.50) to smooth out my lumpy bits.  

The reason I decided not to wear a jacket or cardigan for this review is so that you can get a full view of the print of the dress.  I am wearing a size 18 which fits perfectly and is quite tight (this also helps with smoothing out any love handles!).  The dress is made very well in a soft, stretchy jersey fabric and is available on the ASOS website in the sale currently reduced from £45.00 down to £31.50, however only a size 20 and size 28 are left in stock. 

 I think that this dress is worth the price tag as it is well made and beautiful but I think I need a bit more experience in bodycon and confidence to be able to rock it as well as the model on the ASOS Curve website (Mr FH doesn't agree with that statement and he absolutely loves it!).  I have one more item to review for ASOS Curve but I am very impressed with the quality of their items and I aim to make them a regular on the site :) If you haven't already checked out their ever changing range of clothing made especially for a size 18 to 26/28, you won't regret it... it's awesome!

Whenever I think of ladies swimwear shopping there is immediate dread across my face because there's no way to hide any lumps and bumps that are on my body and I am quite conscious of my tummy and big arms.  

I do wear swimsuits when I am on holiday but I'm going to let you into a little secret of mine - I can't actually swim and never learned how to as a child.  I have always bought swimsuits that have secret hidden panels in to suck in my tummy and I have never worn a bikini EVER!

Sports Direct got in touch with me to see if I would like to review their swimwear range and at first I was a little hesitant due to having to post photos of me in the swimsuits then I decided that I would face my fear and have a go!  I must admit I'd never considered looking in sports direct for swimwear before...

The lovely people at Sports Direct let me choose a couple of items that I thought would suit me so I chose a polka dot swimdress (I've never worn one of these before) and a simple black halterneck swimsuit both by the brand Ocean Pacific (Op).  I was surprised by how much choice they had in their ladies swimwear range, but I wasn't brave enough to try a bikini!

First up, the polka dot swimdress.  I love the idea of these as they cover slightly more of my upper thigh than a normal swimming costume.    Their swimdress comes in two colours, plain black or navy blue polka dot.  I chose the blue as it reminds me of the retro look and I thought it would look really cute with a pair of kitten heels for walking around the pool in! I chose to wear this swimdress with a pair of white low wedges from Marks and Spencer (previous season).

 

Ocean Pacific (Op) Polka Dot Swimdress*: Sports Direct, £9.99,

Wedges: Marks and Spencer

I am wearing a size 16 in this swimdress which helps to hold my tummy in a little.  The material is very good quality and overall I think this swimdress has been well made.  It also has spaghetti straps and padded underwired bra cups.  The only downside to this swimdress was that even though the cups were padded and underwired I still felt like they didn't give me much lift or boost and that I was maybe a little flattened by it in the chest area. 
I mentioned this earlier, but I really love the length of this swimdress as it hides my upper thighs and I would be happy to wear this in / around the pool.  I don't even feel like I need to wear a kaftan to cover up in this swimdress.  I think that swimdresses are a style I will be definitely beinvestigating more in the future. This Ocean Pacific (Op) swimdress is available from Sports Direct at an extremely reasonable price of £9.99 and is available up to a size 18.   

The second item that I chose from the ladies swimwear range at Sports Direct was a black halterneck plunging neckline swimming costume again from Ocean Pacific (Op) at Sports Direct.  This swimsuit is plain black  but is also available in a black and white floral print.  I opted for the black because of it being a little more slimming.

 

 

 

Ocean Pacific Halterneck Swimming Costume*: Sports Direct, £7.00,
Wedges: George @ Asda, £7.00

I really love this swimming costume even though it doesn't hold my tummy in and would benefit from a slimming panel.  At £7.00 you can't really expect that though and I am impressed by how it looks on.  This swimming costume feels extremely flattering and the neckline is super sexy. Perfect for the honeymoon!  I am wearing a size 16 again in this swimming costume.  The halterneck can be adjusted to make it tighter or looser and this swimming costume also has underwires and added padding in the cups.

I think that I would probably wear a sarong around my waist while walking around the pool just to cover up the tops of my legs but the good thing about this costume is that it isn't particularly high cut in the legs.  There is perfect coverage for my rather big bottom and it isn't too low cut in the back.  This swimming costume is only £7.00 which is unheard of in my world!  For the slimming panel swimsuits I have previously bought I have paid up to £40.00 each which really is quite a rip off when Sports Direct are selling equally comfortable and beautiful swimming costumes for a fraction of that price.  I am very pleased with my choices for review and think that I will venture into a Sports Direct a bit more often than I used to as generally it was for Mr FH rather than myself!

Check out Sports Direct's full ladies swimwear range including tankinis, bikinis and swimming costumes.  Please note, I have not been paid for this review and all opinions are 100% my own as always! :)

Not long after I wrote an article about the new range of ASOS Curve jewellery that is due for release in August 2013 I got in touch with ASOS Curve and they were lovely, they sent me a few items to review.

I must admit I was very excited about this *insert squeal here* because although I have ordered accessories from ASOS before and one dress from their main range, I had never experienced ASOS Curve and I really love their fashion forward pieces.  For these reviews I decided to be a little more adventurous and instead of choosing things that I knew would suit me straight away I chose three items that were very different to my style even though there were three dresses I loved.  I have the opinion that if I always choose things that I am guaranteed to fall in love with it doesn't make very impartial reviews.

The first item I was sent to review is the ASOS Curve Quilted Jacket in Floral Print.  I was very unsure about the sizes since I've never tried any of their products before so I opted for a size 18.  I was delighted when it turned up - it fit perfectly, no gaping on the bust line due to my massive back.

This jacket is black with a multitude of different coloured flowers on it.  Pink, blue and orange are the other main colours that stand out on this jacket. It is very striking to look at and super comfy - made from polyester and a cotton lining it feels really smooth on your skin and although it isn't a lightweight jacket it doesn't pull you down with its weight and feels like it is a really high quality jacket.

When styling this jacket my first thoughts were to pair it with some skinny jeans and a black tank top however I noticed that this was how the model wore it on the website.  I took photos of this look anyway to show you all what it looks like on my frame/shape.  This jacket can be worn as both a casual jacket and a smart one though and is very versatile!  Try wearing it with a pencil skirt and the whole look changes completely just from changing one item of clothing (and shoes of course!).  

ASOS Curve Quilted Jacket in Floral Print *: ASOS Curve, currently £36.00,
Skinny Jeans: George @ Asda, £8, Tank Top: Select, £3, Cross Necklace: Select, £5.99, Ring: Unknown, Shoes: George @ Asda, £6. 

ASOS Curve Quilted Jacket in Floral Print *: ASOS Curve, currently £36.00,
Textured Pencil Skirt: Select, £8, Tank Top: Select, £3,
Ring: Unknown, Necklace: Star by Julien Macdonald @ Debenhams, Shoes: Morgan

This jacket is available over on the ASOS Curve section of the website in sizes 18 to 28 and is currently reduced from £45.00 to £36.00.  I would say that even at full price this jacket is worth every penny and will be a perfect addition to any Autumn wardrobe now the weather is cooling down substantially.

So far my experience of ASOS Curve is a very positive one and I actually went to place an order the day these review items arrived but unfortunately the dresses I had been drooling over previously were all out of my size so I am trying to decide what to order potentially to wear in the daytime at Plus North.

I have wanted to try out the Gemma Collins Collection at Simply Be for a while now and Simply Be have been kind enough to let me review one of her dresses.  I decided to go for a dress from the previous collection and try something a bit different that strays from my normal "safe" style!  Although the piece I decided to try is still a dress and I do seem to live in them, it has a really bold animal print in browns and blues and I must admit I was a little nervous about seeing it on.

The "Gemma Collins Printed Sun Dress" arrived at the end of last week and thanks to the freak weather we are having at the moment I had to wait until Sunday to get some photos of me wearing it.  I am wearing a size 18, which is very roomy.  I'm not sure if it's across the board or just due to the style of the dress.  The first thought I had when I tried on the dress was to team it with a pair of strappy wedges but then looking at the Simply Be website I realised that Gemma Collins had done that, so I wanted to try a completely different look that was outside my comfort zone and run with that instead.  I think it has paid off...

Dress: Gemma Collins Collection @ Simply Be, £45, size 18
Boots: Unknown (years old!), Bracelets: New Look

Originally I wore the dress as it was, with a pair of ankle boots. I'm not normally the kind of girl to wear boots with dresses but it's a style I've always wanted to try.  I added a bracelet set from New Look to accessorize.  The print and neckline of the dress it really stunning.  I keep saying it but I am convinced that the photos on the website don't do the clothing justice and that this dress is so much prettier in real life.  The neckline consists of lots of delicate gold coloured sequins and seed beads and the colour of the dress goes from an almost burnt orange colour through to a blue coloured leopard print which should clash, but looks amazing.  The shoulders are completed with tie-style straps which means you can make it as high/low cut as you want.

Made from viscose, the "Gemma Collins Printed Sun Dress" is very lightweight and floaty and perfect for taking on holidays, wearing over a swimsuit or bikini or for warm nights as a comfortable party dress.  It's quite versatile when you think about the occasions this dress could be worn for.  I probably wouldn't wear this dress without a belt under my bustline (although it's perfect for covering up my tummy!) unless it was over a swimsuit because I like to have a bit more shape, so I decided to try the dress with a wide black belt to see how it looked. I also tried it on with a denim jacket to see how versatile this dress really was.  I think it works well with or without both accessories!

 Dress: Gemma Collins Collection @ Simply Be £45, size 18
Denim Jacket: Primark, size 16 £16. Boots: Unknown (years old!),
Bracelets: New Look, Belt: Unknown

This dress is available on the Simply Be website in sizes 12 to 32 (a couple of sizes are out of stock) and I think that it would suit any frame due to the shape/cut of it.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this dress. I feel really sexy in it and I think I surprised a few of my friends too who are against such bold prints!  Another success with thanks to Simply Be!  

After the dilemma of what to order the other week, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy the "Lovedrobe Blue Peacock Print Dress".  I ordered from an online store called Desire Clothing as they had it in their sale at only £16, whereas at the time of buying, the Lovedrobe website had it at full price (it is now reduced to £28 on their site too).

My first experience with Desire Clothing was a positive one.  I decided to pay for next day delivery because it was only £1 more expensive than standard and I am impatient.  After placing the order on a thursday evening and not receiving any e-mail dispatch notes on friday I started to panic.  I checked their website terms and conditions and it stated that next day delivery only applies on orders from Monday to Thursday at 3pm so I thought I'd made a bit of a dumb blonde mistake.  I was wrong - the dress arrived on Saturday while I was at the beach.  So far so good for Desire Clothing.

I opened it up and it looked stunning. The colours are really vibrant and the peacock print is very quirky.  I even think the neckline is quite unusual too - Mr FH said it was very "me".  From looking at the dress it wasn't stretchy and looked quite small.  I had ordered a size 20 just in case however in hindsight I wish I had gone up a size again!  

While I was trying the dress on, I noticed that the zip was very temperamental.  It kept getting stuck on the blue banding stripe around the dress.  The dress isn't as well made as some of the brands I own however for £16 I would say that it was of a reasonable standard.  I would quite like to try some more of the lovedrobe products to see if the sizing does come up small and to test out the quality.  

This dress has a long zip up the back and also has a blue underskirt lining.  The underlining makes the dress feel quite luxurious.  I was right though - it came up very small.  I own a number of size 20 fitted dresses and this one highlights my stomach area quite a bit.  I didn't really want to waste money by sending it back and getting a bigger one so I decided to keep it (the spinner bike will be here soon and I'm hoping to lose a few pounds).   The only other point I'd like to point out is that I think this dress would crease quite easily as you will see from the photos.

Peacock Print Dress: Lovedrobe @ Desire Clothing, £16. Wedges: Internacionale

I decided to wear my Lovedrobe peacock print dress with some strappy wedges from Internationale.  I have no other shoes / accessories at the moment that will match this dress so my mum is currently on a mission to find some bracelets in new look (bless her!)

Overall, I am pleased with the dress itself.  I don't think I would have paid full price for it but for the sale price of either £16 or £28 I think it's worth it.  I am disappointed with the sizing and am hoping that my tummy area is just really bloated from this heatwave *fingers crossed*.  

A few days after discovering the Scarlett & Jo clothing line at Evans, I was contacted by them to ask if I would like to review one of their new dresses for Autumn/Winter.  This happened to be a black embellished neck line dress and I was thrilled for the opportunity to test out their clothing since I haven't been in an Evans shop for a long time.

The parcel arrived earlier this week while we were looking after my step son.  As soon as it arrived I was really excited and was already working out what I had in my jewellery collection to go with it.  It was beautifully wrapped in purple tissue paper and inside was a hand written note from Natalie which I think was a lovely little touch. I tried it on the day it arrived and Mr FH's initial reaction (without makeup and accessories I must add), was "WOW!".  It felt amazing on and looked even more gorgeous so I have been itching to accessorise this dress ever since. 

So that brings us to today and the day where I finally get to try out this dress with all of my accessories.  Firstly, please excuse my roots - I am getting them done tomorrow... :) I am wearing a size 20 in this dress - which I think I prefer because it's not so clingy on my curvy bumps, however this dress is very stretchy so if you like it tight, go for the smaller size.  It has a slinky, sexy appeal to it and is made from viscose, elastane and polyester.  The dress itself is quite heavy on and very well made with added shoulder pads just underneath the straps and an inner lining across the bust.

This dress is a perfect little black dress for any wardrobe and would suit occasionwear or date night.  I have a feeling Mr FH will be expecting me to wear it on our next meal out and I won't disappoint! I decided to wear my hair up in a bun ring, which is a new style I have been trying out, along with a black floral hair clip from New Look (£4.99).  

Accessories wise, I am wearing a bracelet from my mums jewellery drawer (thanks mum!), sparkly earrings from Select and a statement ring which I think was from Dorothy Perkins.  Shoes were a no-brainer - my high heels from Next never fail and instead of complimenting this dress with a black handbag to match my shoes I chose my silver glitter clutch.

 

 Dress: Scarlett & Jo @ Evans, £45, Bracelet: Unknown, Hair Flower: New Look, £4.99, Statement Ring: Dorothy Perkins, Shoes and Clutch Bag: Next

You really wouldn't want to detract from the detailed neckline and sparkles so I decided to go without - which is why I also chose to go bare armed!  I wouldn't want to cover up this dress unless it was cold and I wore my faux fur jacket with it.

Overall, I would say my first experience with Scarlett & Jo dress has been really positive and it is a brand that I will be keeping an eye on for future purchases.  I think that the quality of this dress is comparable to some of the more expensive luxury high street brands and the price tag is very fair. I expect their clothes would last a long time due to the quality of the stitching and embellishments.  This dress is available on the Evans website and is £45 - in sizes 14 to 26 so if you are in need of a new "little black dress", I would highly recommend it.

Thank you Scarlett & Jo :) x

I have been super excited ever since I was asked to be a Simply Be reviewer, as I have never had the courage to order anything from their website before for fear of it not fitting;  I'm not very good at buying something without trying it on in the changing room first.  I must admit I have been a little worried that the items they were sending me wouldn't fit and that I would have to ask them for a bigger size... No one likes doing that!

After waiting around for the postman like a child on Christmas Eve, my parcel arrived today. That's only 2 days after it was dispatched, which I think is very fair considering I didn't pay for next day delivery and their website states that standard delivery can take 3 to 5 days. Safe to say, I opened it immediately (like I really was going to wait!)

The first thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous scarf print maxi dress. Its colour is very true to the photo on the Simply Be website and contains a black base colour with a beautiful floral / almost boho chic style print with pinks, turquoises, purples and oranges. The colour just pops out at you! The fabric itself is very lightweight which is perfect for summer, or holidays abroad (here's hoping I get one this year!).  It is made from a very silky fabric, but without the added shine that you normally get on silk. So far so good and I am impressed by the quality of how the dress has been made.  

The size is a UK size 18, however I possibly could have got away with a UK 16 because the dress is super stretchy, thanks to the shirred elasticated bust and generously floaty design underneath. I do like how the shirring doesn't look too taught over my bust line, so perhaps the 18 was a good idea. The length of the dress was perfect for my height too, I am 5'5" (1.65 m); I tried it on with bare feet and it didn't drag the floor. Perfect :)  This dress has a halterneck strap which is optional, so I just tucked mine into the dress as I didn't want to detract from the stunning print of the dress.

This dress is available in two colours and two lengths on the Simply Be website.  I think that being blonde, I prefer the darker version and that the "yellow" version would possibly not suit me. I think brunettes would get away with either version, you lucky things!  I also prefer the longer length as it makes the dress feel much more luxurious than the shorter version. With a price tag of £36, this dress is fantastic value for money and looks much more expensive than it actually is.

I teamed my maxi dress with a bunch of pink, purple and blue bracelets, which I borrowed from my mum, and a black short cardigan to cover up my arms. Barefoot of course, since this dress is so folk inspired, I thought it was the perfect thing to do and I think it's about time I bought some new sandals...

As you can see, the dress skims over my tummy area which makes me appear a lot thinner than I actually am. It is very flattering to wear.  I don't think I'm brave enough to wear it without a cardigan over the top just yet, but maybe one day...

Dress: Simply Be* Size UK 18, Bracelets: Borrowed from my mum, Cardigan: New Look

The second item in my parcel was a pair of light peach Jacquard trousers.  These are something that I would never normally wear, as I tend to stick to darker coloured jeggings or jeans to cover up my thighs. However the photo on the model really impressed me and I love pastel colours, so figured I would give them a go...

The trousers have a slight elasticated waist which I was very thankful for, as I was worried that they wouldn't fit me.  I tried on a size UK 18 again, and they did fit although they are very figure hugging!  If you don't like your thighs they maybe aren't for you, however they are cut very flattering, so if you don't have any issues with your legs they will be fine. They are very true to size and are fantastically made - thicker fabric than I had imagined, but not too thick for summer wear. The Simply Be website states that they have a rear zip, however this isn't the case with the pair that I had arrive - the zip was on the front and the label at the back. I'm sure they will resolve this when I contact them to let them know. At £40 they seem quite pricey for a pair of trousers and this is a bit more than I generally would pay. They are very well made and would probably suit a special occasion rather than day to day wear, so the price tag wouldn't necessarily be a problem. They have a luxurious embossed style pattern on them which adds to their charm.

One thing I particularly like about these trousers is the length. They come just to the ankle and would look really summery with a pair of sandals. Another, is how fabulous my bum looks in them! I didn't think I'd ever say anything like that!

I don't think I've ever worn an outfit that didn't contain some sort of black so I thought I would be a bit more daring with these trousers and team them with a white cami tank top and a peach coloured jumper, which is just the right length and thickness for this time of year.

Accessories wise I have selected a range of bracelets and a Swarovski pearl flower hair band from Vintage Blush*. All together, as an outfit, I really like it - but am slightly concerned about my tummy showing a bit much with the white top.  It's completely out of my comfort zone but am pleased with the results and next time maybe I will team the trousers with a baggier top, or a black tank top instead.

 

Peach Jacquard Trousers: Simply Be*,  White Tank Top: Select, Peach Heart Jumper: Next, Flower Hair Band & Selection of Bracelets: Hand made by me, available for sale soon

Overall, I have to say that I am impressed with Simply Be - the service has been fantastic from start to finish and they have definitely gained my trust, and a new customer too. I am very thankful to them for sending me these products to review and can guarantee that my review is 100% accurate and my own opinion. I think that their prices are fair for well made products, their sizing is true and photography on their website is very representative of their products once they arrive. Two big thumbs up from me :)