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Next Swimwear Review

By Mum's the Word on May 10, 2013 in Fashion...that's what I want., Review

So, in my want to shape up, I’ve taken up swimming.

I know, no big deal, right?

WRONG.

This is a very big deal for two reasons:

1. I am scared of sharks. I am WELL aware of the fact that my local leisure centre isn’t in the habit of letting their pool be used by the local tiger shark swimming team nor am I under the illusion that a creature with gills could live in such heavily chlorinated water. I didn’t say it was a rational fear. But the fact is, although I am a decent enough swimmer, I panic in water and feel like there’s something chasing me, regardless of whether it’s an indoor Olympic training pool or not.

2. Swimming costumes. ACK.

I should probably elaborate on that last part.

If you’re overweight, the thought of donning what is essentially a very tight-fitting piece of shiny material doesn’t fill you with huge amounts of glee. If you have a bosom that’s so ample that the word ‘ample’ itself doesn’t even do it justice, as well as being overweight, then those two words – swimming costume – are enough to make you break out in a cold sweat. Which is not a good look when you’re wearing a swimming costume. SELF PERPETUATING NIGHTMARE.

I have a costume that I bought very cheaply last year so that I could take Sausage swimming but it’s not the most flattering garment. There’s zero support for boobage and it more or less makes me look like a mummy orca. So here’s what I did; I threw myself at the mercy of a few different clothing companies and asked if they could help. Next was the first to say yes and here’s the costume I chose (£34):

This isn’t me, but I look ALMOST identical to this in it…*ahem*

The material that the costume is made from is reassuringly good quality and the double-layered tummy control did a valiant job of holding in my paunch. There’s enough fabric covering your bottom that you don’t feel too exposed and the internal wired cups did a far better job of supporting my bust and keeping everything in place while I did my lengths. I felt confident in a swimsuit for the first time in years, which is no small achievement, and it felt nice enough to be worn on the beach or poolside, if you were looking for a flattering, well-covering suit for a holiday.

If I had a minor negative comment it would be that the halterneck, whilst flattering and pretty, meant that the full weight of my boobs were carried around my neck, but it’s one of those things that’s probably only an issue to me and let’s face it, the weight has to be distributed somewhere!

I’m thrilled with my new swimming costume and would definitely buy from Next again. Their E-G cup range is full of flattering suits and separates that offer comfort and style and they’re all reasonably priced too.

I received a free swimming costume for the purposes of this review, however all words and opinions here are honest and unbiased.

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Hotter Shoes – Review and Giveaway

By Mum's the Word on May 8, 2013 in Fashion...that's what I want., Giveaway

Hi. My name is Jayne. I’m a woman and I like shoes. I’m sorry if that statement upsets you or if this admission takes the sheen off of my feminist-lefty-pro choice exterior, but I can’t help that. I do have a few disclaimers to add though:

1. I like my shoes to look nice

2. Above all, they MUST be comfortable

Gone are the days that I teeter around all day long in 5-inch heels, my ankles just cannot take the pressure anymore and I’m not as…lithe as I was in my early 20′s. The problem I have it that most of the shoes that I find aesthetically pleasing are actually ankle-murdering, toe-binding, blister-forming nightmares and I have an awful habit of buying shoes (hello, 4-inch leopard print pumps bought for 25th birthday evening…) and wearing them only once or twice before vowing to never torture my feet in them ever again.

So, when I was offered a pair of Hotter shoes to try, having heard their reputation of style and comfort, I tried to remain open minded. These are the ones I chose:

The heel on the shoes is enough to elongate the leg and make me feel taller without being a such an oblique angle that all of the pressure is on the balls of my feet, which is a real bonus. I’m a big fan of wearing slightly muted clothes with a statement shoe and these really fit the bill and I have several outfits that I could wear them with too, so they get another 10 points for versatility. The shoes are of a really good quality too, which makes me sound a bit like my Nan, but the older I get the more stock I place on quality rather than ‘BUY ALL THE THINGS’ and have them fall apart in minutes.

The wedges have a cushioned sole, which added to the comfort factor and they’re slightly wider than your average fashion heel too, so there’s room for ALL of your toes, not just 60% of them whilst the others are squished to oblivion. All in all, these shoes are EPIC.

Now, here’s the fun part – You can win your very own pair of Hotter shoes too! Hotter have given Mum’s the Word readers a chance to win any pair of shoes from their current collection. Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below to be in with a chance of winning:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ANNNND, as if that wasn’t good enough, Hotter have been kind enough to give Mum’s the Word readers their own discount code, giving new customers 10% off of any full priced pair of shoes from the current range and free P&P on your order!

Just use the code PHAMTW at the checkout.

Good luck!

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AlexandAlexa Kids Clothes – Our Picks of the Range

By Mum's the Word on April 6, 2013 in Fashion...that's what I want., Parenting, Sponsored Posts

Sausage is getting to an age now where she’s becoming interested in clothes and fashion. Largely, that interest revolves around the frilliest, brightest pink ‘princess’ dresses that she can get her hands on, but she does have very good taste when she branches out into other areas of the wardrobe, too!

Just recently, she’s had a real growth spurt and having been ill on and off since Christmas, her appetite has suffered, so my little girl is now looking like a tall, slender reed. What this means is, the clothes she has are suddenly big on her waist but short on the ankles, so it’s that time when Daddy has to flash the cash (what with Mummybeing a jobless layabout ) and get Sausage some new duds!

We were kindly pointed towards the AlexandAlexa website, which carries some gorgeous branded kids clothes, so I thought I’d pick out a few outfits for Sausage and show you what’s on offer.

OUTFIT ONE

OUTFIT TWO

OUTFIT THREE

OUTFIT FOUR

What do you think of my choices? What would you choose from the range?

Sponsored Post

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Global Kids Fashion Week

By Mum's the Word on March 28, 2013 in Fashion...that's what I want.

Global Kids Fashion Week was a brand new event, and a highlight of 2013’s fashion calendar. The event saw a gathering of some of the world’s best-known designers, as well as up-and-coming talents in kid’s fashion. Labels such as Chloe, Tommy Hilfiger and Burberry showcased their children’s collection on catwalk shows, alongside smaller brands like Jottum, Wildfox and Mischka Aoki. As well as the shows, there were playful activities for kids and adults and fundraising for GKFW’s official charity Kids Company. Catch up with the highlights of the four day fashion fest, with our pick of its highlights.

Experts and celebs were among the guests

Industry insiders attended GKFW to give their guidance and opinions on the shows, as well as celeb mums looking to pick up tips for how to dress their little ones! Ambassadors of GKFW included Sarah Curran, founder of my-wardrobe.com, Tanya Kazeminy Macaky, founding partner Mama Mio and model Portia Freeman. Model Jodie Kidd also attended, and was seated next to Kate Moss’s make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury. Jodie’s celeb sister was also a guest, and both sisters went along with their young children – sporting cute outfits with brown riding boots and black shoes.

Muted colours look demure and cute

Kids clothing has come a long way from plain primary brights, and instead, many designers featured toned down colour palettes – perfect for spring. Robert Cavalli’s collection for kids is a prime example: included in the collection were a pale grey suit with jersey jacket and a printed floral dress in washed out colours. For the boys a pristine white shirt lifted the grey and, for the girls, patent nude shoes added sheen to low-key tones.

Streetstyle is back!

The clothes on the runway weren’t all about smart attire for special occasions. Kenzo showed how laid-back streetstyle and urban wear looked cool and funky for kid’s everyday wardrobes. For the boys there were bright blue quilted puffa jackets and contrasting red caps, worn at an angle. Bright colours were also a feature of Kenzo’s girl’s collection, with one model wearing an orange dress and clashing blue checked jacket. Chunky Dr.Martin-style shoes finished both these looks brilliantly.

Old-fashioned chic

A number of more old-fashioned finishes were trialled on the runway, which avoided looking frumpy on such cute and youthful outfits! Oscar de la Renta went ultra-traditional, dressing one model in black leiderhosen-style dungarees. 1950s-inspired pussy bow collars were also seen, in collections by de la Renta and Billie Blush.

The event had something for parents and their children, though there were elements which could be improved on. The amount of celebs and industry insiders attending the event meant that ordinary mums could easily have felt excluded, and shied away from buying a ticket. Making the event seem more accessible could have attracted stylish mums from all walks of life and made for a more diverse event.

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Daxon’s VIP Fashion Bloggers

By Mum's the Word on December 30, 2012 in Fashion...that's what I want.

The lovely folk at Daxon are offering the chance to become one of their VIP fashion bloggers and bag yourself a £50 Amazon voucher in the process. Just visit this page for more details and to grab your very own Daxon Blogger Network badge. But hurry, it’s only open until TOMORROW!

Here’s what you need to know about Daxon:

We are part of Redcats, which is the 3rd largest home shopping organisation in the world. We specialise in top quality clothing, for all occasions, to give you effortless style. We aim to find the perfect fit for you. We don’t believe in compromise when it comes to fashion!

I’m starting my new job on 14th January and they have some great workwear on the site. I’m thinking of treating myself to this gorgeous tailored dress, which I think would look absolutely FAB with the shoes below:

I’m a Daxon VIP Fashion Blogger

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Feldspathoid Silicate Minerals are a Girl’s Best Friend…

By Mum's the Word on November 1, 2012 in All About ME!, Fashion...that's what I want., Opinion

A few months ago, someone on Facebook mentioned that they were looking at the Tiffany’s website and being the curious gal that I am, I sauntered over to have a nose.

After picking my jaw back up when I saw some of the prices (I know, naive of me, but I’m a simple gal with simple tastes), I noticed this:

This is the Elsa Peretti® Cabochon ring which retails for £1025. Let’s not be silly, I don’t have a spare grand to spend on the ring, but to be honest it’s not really the ring that’s the appeal, it’s the stone. It’s called Lapis Lazuli and there’s something about the deep blue that really spoke to me. Then I did some reading up on it and found this on Wikipedia:

Lapis lazuli was being mined in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan as early as the 3rd millennium BC,^[2] and there are sources that are found as far east as in the region around Lake Baikal in Siberia. Trade in the stone is ancient enough for lapis jewelry to have been found at Predynastic Egyptian and ancient Sumerian sites, and as lapis beads at neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan asMauritania.

I don’t know why, but this made me want it even more, something about the age of it and the earthiness. I know we’re all supposed to go mad for diamonds, pearls and all the other shiny, sparkly gems but I’d take Lapis Lazuli over them any day of the week. I’m SO not a diamonds girl. I know they’re like, well valuable and stuff, but I just don’t see the appeal. Even it I was a trilliontiaire, I wouldn’t be dripping with diamonds and jewels. It’s almost like this stone has character…oh, I don’t know, I just know that it’s spoken to me and now I must have it!

There’s some great examples of jewellery made using Lapis Lazuli on Etsy, and I think this ring is my absolute fave:

Click the photo to link to the sellers page

I love the fact that it’s not quite perfectly round and at just over 80 quid, it’s a little bit more in my price range! Also, I have enormous man-hands, so I have to wear large rings, dainty ones just look daft on me!

So, is it just me who’s not all about the diamonds? I can’t be the only woman challenging the stereotype of anyone with a vagina swooning at the sight of strong covalent bonding between carbon atoms, surely?!

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Jubilee Outfit Emergency!

By Mum's the Word on May 30, 2012 in Fashion...that's what I want., Style

Don’t you just love that thing that kids do?

“Mum, can I have a drink please? Oh yeah, by the way, I’m going to a party tomorrow…”

Cue parental panic and frantic searching for details of said party, but after a quick phone call to Nursery, we discovered that the party is in fact on Friday, but there is a Jubilee theme, so the kids should be accordingly attired.

Right. Okay.

Off we went to town to look for something for Sausage to wear. First stop, Next. They had loads of pretty dresses, shoes and what-not made of various Union flag print material, but we wanted to get her something that she’d wear more than once, so we went for this:

Which will be teamed with these:

and maybe some Union Flag hairclips and white ankle socks. What do we reckon? Jubilant enough?! It’s nice for little girls to wear dresses and I can be quite old fashioned with Sausages clothes at times but I thought this was a funky little outfit that she can wear all of the items of again and again.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

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Huggalugs – Review and Giveaway!

By Mum's the Word on February 18, 2011 in Competitions, Fashion...that's what I want.

Anyone who has a toddler knows that one of the biggest obstacles to overcome when potty training is teaching them how to pull their bottoms down properly before they sit on the potty or toilet, which can result in a real unholy mess! So when the lovely folk at Baby Allsorts, the fantastic retailer that brought Tummy Tub to the UK market, asked us to test out one of their most popular products, Huggalugs, we jumped at the chance.

The idea behind the multifunctional Huggalugs is that they can be worn with clothes, as a leg warmer, but can also be used in lieu of trousers, to make potty training easier, as you toddler can keep their legs warm, without having to worry about pulling their bottoms down when they need to use the potty.

'So Pink' Legruffles, 'Retro Rainbow' Leghuggers and 'Ice Cream Cake' Leghuggers

We were sent two designs to try, the ‘Ice Cream Cake’ Leghuggers and the ‘So Pink’ Legruffles. As soon as I got them out of the packaging, Sausage started getting excited, as the designs are really vibrant and pretty, and she wanted to try them out right away! They’re made of super-soft 80% cotton, one size fits age 2-10, and really do look lovely on.

One thing that has always been really important to Husband and I is that everything that Sausage wears is comfortable and functional, and we’ve often chosen to forego modern, trendy styles, as they just don’t seen to be appropriate for a child. I mean, why would you put someone who spends all day climbing, running, jumping and dancing in restrictive skinny jeans, or ill-fitting shoes? This was something we were keen to monitor with the Huggalugs, but I’m pleased to report that Sausage suffered no restriction of movement in them, quite the opposite in fact, and although they’re well elasticated enough to not turn her into Nora Batty, they don’t dig in, or leave red marks or welts on her legs either.

They also look fab worn as part of an outfit, and Sausage is really into clothes and choosing her own outfits (not sure where she gets that from, I spend most days looking like I’ve been covered in Pritt Stick and chucked in a fabric recycling bin!), so the absolutely HUGE range of colours and styles mean that you could have a pair to match every outfit, if you’re so inclined!

All in all, Huggalugs have been a massive hit in this house. We’ll definitely be purchasing more, and it’s really great to know that they’ll last Sausage for so long, as they’re such a versatile item.

Now, here’s the exciting part: we have a pair of Huggalugs to give to one lucky reader! To celebrate the re-launch of the Baby Allsorts website, we’re giving away a pair of Huggalugs in ‘Retro Rainbow’ (pictured above), worth £6.99, which are perfect for a boy or a girl.

Just comment below telling me you’d like to enter!

Good luck everyone, the winner will be drawn at random at 12 noon next Friday, 25th February 2011.

(I have not been paid to write this post, however, we were sent two pairs of Huggalugs for free, and a further pair for the competition. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced by any monetary gain)

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Xenophobe? Me?!

By Mum's the Word on February 15, 2011 in Fashion...that's what I want.

In an effort to highlight the tongue-in-cheek nature of my last post, I thought I’d turn the microscope onto us Brits, and show that we’re more than capable of getting it so very wrong.

Here’s some more best and worsts from this year’s BAFTAs and Grammys.

The Best from the U.S.

Jessica Alba in Atelier Versace, with vintage Versace necklace.

Julianne Moore in Tom Ford (who was also her date for the night!)

Amy Adams in a stunning nude gown by Elie Saab

The INCREDIBLE Hailee Steinfeld, looking demure and age-appropriate! (Can you believe she's only 14?!)

The Worst of the Brits.

I LOVE Helena Bonham Carter and am loathe to include her, but the dress is rather Joan Collins circa 1985, with the puff sleeves.

Leona 'Boring' Lewis, at a pre-Grammy party. YAWN.

Art Hag, Tracey Emin.

Sarah Harding looking dodgy.

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UK vs. USA. Class? We got it.

By Mum's the Word on February 14, 2011 in Fashion...that's what I want.

Last night was a evening of glitz and glamour on both sides of the Atlantic, with the USA holding the 53rd annual Grammy Awards, and here in the UK, the 64th annual BAFTA awards. Husband and I watched he BAFTAS and it was a night largely dominated by The King’s Speech, The Black Swan, The Social Network and Inception (though we were super happy to see True Grit get an award). One thing that we noticed was, many of the women at the BAFTAs, although extremely glamorous, were well covered up, showing a fairly small amount of skin, and looked incredibly elegant.

This morning, I switched my computer on and went to all of the usual sites and news feeds that I look at, and obviously the main topic on a lot of them was the Grammy Awards (and something about Aguilera falling over? Career suicide, after Super Bowl Sunday/Star Spangled Banner-gate, I would have thought) The contrast in what the women wore to the Grammys was actually quite startling.

Here’s some examples:

Eva Green vs. Nicki Minaj

European Elegance vs. Er, Sorry, Who the Fuck is Nicki Minaj?

Emma Watson vs. Snooki

Grace and Style vs. Got Headbutted in a Club.

And finally, Thandie Newton vs. Lady Gaga

Thandie arrived in Monique Lhuillier. Lady Gaga arrived in an EGG.

Finally, I think I could have summed up the contrast by showing you just two pictures. By comparing arguably the most important and prestigious award at each ceremony, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the BAFTA Academy Fellowship.