Review: Glasshouse Fragrances Bora Bora Candle & Body Bar

I got a gorgeous surprise in the mail the other day - a candle and body bar from Glasshouse Fragrances, in the "Bora Bora" scent.

These are scented with Cilantro & Orange Zest, a deliciously spicy and heady combination. The smell of this candle is super strong, I had it burning in my bedroom for about 10 minutes or so and the whole room smelt like heaven.

There's something gloriously romantic about candles in the bedroom, and even at the pricier end of things like these they really are a very reasonable indulgence when taken on a cost-per-use basis... it really does feel decadent and lovely to have one of these scenting the room. 

I also got the "body bar" which is a lovely fine milled soap.. it's nice to use it in the shower  before bed, and then you have the scent from both the soap and the candle working in tandem.. I really can't be held responsible for what you might get up to with your head swimming in these lovely smells.. 

I'm not sure that these are QUITE as nice as a getaway to a tropical paradise would be, but they'll certainly do for now until plane tickets magically appear.. I am delighted to add this little touch of indulgence to my routine. 

Aussie Curves: Sequins

Another theme in "home territory" for me - I do so love a bit of sparkle! Sequins are often thought of as a  modern embellishment - but the truth is they have been around for a long, long time, in one form or another.  Archaeologists have found solid gold sequins in the Indus Valley dating back to 2500 BC - now that's old school fashion!

Of course nowadays sequins are mostly made of plastic (though you do still see the metal ones from time to time) and they are the epitome of glitz, glamour.. every Diva must have her sparkly gown.

Sequins are designed to sparkle in the spotlight - they are there to attract attention. Plus sized people are often told to try and blend into the background with "flattering" outfits -you're often cautioned against drawing attention to yourself with anything shiny or sparkly - well, bollocks to that say I!! 

This might look like a sequin dress, but it's not - it's a cropped jacket/bolero from Crossroads paired with a sequin pencil skirt from Cult of California. You might remember me saying I was picking up a couple of items, and this one arrived just in time for the theme.. I was so thrilled to see it come in the post!

I've belted it with my City Chic jewelled belt, and paired it all up with my red Autograph riding boots.

There's something else awesome about this skirt.. it comes with built in shorts! No more "chub rub" problems, you could dance the night away in this and never worry about any nasty chafing. Such a clever addition, really makes the skirt special - it's also fully lined so there are no sequins scratching against your legs either. Comfort and Sparkle? Sign me up!! 

There's lots of gorgeous sequined stuff in the stores at the moment, here's some shiny goodies you might like:

Aussie Curves: Leather

I dug out some of my favourite leather and pleather to show you this week, with the Aussie Curves theme of "Leather" on the table, I was spoiled for choice.

I was going to wear my gorgeous new pleather skirt from Harlow that I adore, but a couple of other ladies have worn it this week, so instead, I wore a "new-to-me" skirt, originally from Asos, that I picked up at the Hey Fatty plus size clothing market. It's lazer cut so has a really interesting pattern on it - I find it adds an interesting element of texture to my outfit, and it fits me really nicely.

Over the top I am wearing a pleather peplum belt, also from Asos - I am loving this and have been wearing it heaps since I got it. It has a bronze/gold coloured metal panel at the front, so it's great for wearing gold jewellery with.  Over the top of that - my old favourite, a leather military jacket I picked up at Sportsgirl  years ago.. it's only a 16 but somehow miraculously fit - it's gotten more battered over the years, but because it's real leather this only adds to it's charm - like me, it's getting better with age! Under that, an old lace top - because leather and lace is a classic for a reason.


I think this outfit totally needed boots, so I'm wearing my Autograph fake-leather alligator print boots, they are so comfy and heaps of fun to stomp around in. I will be wearing these beauties all winter long. If you squint you might be able to see my red leopard print tights from Target peeking out. These are almost at the end of their life, I am going to be so sad when they finally die.




So here I am, in my leathers, lurking in an alleyway like a total badass.. okay, it's the side of my house, and the birds were tweeting, and the sun was shining, and the children were laughing and singing as they bounced on the trampoline.. so maybe not that badass really.

That's the joy of leather though.. no matter what you're doing, if you're wearing it, you do feel just a little bit more edgy and awesome.

For me, wearing leather is about being a bad girl - in a good way. I think, as women, there is a lot of pressure on us to act in a "seemly" fashion. "Be Ladylike", we are often told.  (whatever that means.) Sometimes? Being "Ladylike" is not what the occasion calls for. Sometimes, you need to get angry, shout, and kick doors down. Be a Bitch. Say what you think, even if makes people uncomfortable, sometimes.

Sometimes, you need to wear leather.

I only recently did a post about Plus Size Leather and shared some of my favorites - here they are again in case you wanted to pick yourself up something slick.

Be sure to check out the other Aussie Curves Leatheriffic outfits in the blog hop below!

Kiyonna - Gorgeous and on Sale

I just got sent this voucher to share with you - by using the code you can get an additional 50% off the sale prices at Kiyonna.. 

The style of Kiyonna's stuff has always really appealed to me, this seems like a perfect opportunity to pick up some gorgeous pieces.. I don't think I'm going to be able to resist! 

Here's some of my picks from the sale stock:

What do you think? Do you like what I chose?

Review: Bellabox Sample Box May 2013

The bellabox has arrived!  Any good this month?Well, the best way I can describe this months effort is with an anecdote that makes me sound like an idiot.. I've never shied away from those before now, so here goes..

When this showed up I did my usual thing of ripping the bag open with wild abandon, and opening up the box, and pulling out all the goodies going "oooOOOOh!" and "Aaaaaaaah!" and "What the heck is this?".. after examining everything, I found it quite impossible to fit it back in the box. I am still not sure how they got this much product into the cute little box they ship it in. Clearly the hardworking folk who pack the bellabox are much better at beauty sample tetris than I am!

The point of all that is - there's a LOT in this month's box. And it's good stuff too.. click below to find out what!

Review: Innoxa Antioxidant Lip Glazes - Guava and Apple

With the colder weather here to stay, I have really been getting into lip balms and glosses - they seem to leave my lips feeling a lot nicer than the long-lasting lipsticks and matte lipsticks that I usually prefer. I've found though that I need to give my lips a bit of a rest, and I've been trying to be kind to them by using gentler products.

It was perfect timing for these to land on my doorstep - they're the new antioxidant lip glazes from Innoxa. They are all named for fruits - Guava, Berry, Tangerine, Apple and Plum. I got sent Guava and Apple.

Guava is a light baby pink colour, a colour quite close to my natural lip colour.   Apple is, predictably, red, which comes across as a light shade on the lips, just a touch of red. 

These smell and taste really good, and they're not too sticky on the lips, but they're still nice and shiny. I'll be making good use of these during the winter. 

Omega's Picks: Plus Size Luxe

It's been a while, so it's high time we had another little glimpse of luxury, don't you think?

This is a collection of beautiful things - all available in at least a size 20 and all shipping to Australia, as is usual around here.. every one of them utterly gorgeous, and some of them not quite as expensive as you'd expect.

These are investment pieces - made to last, with exquisite fabrics and a keen eye for the details.

Which one is your favourite? Tell me in the comments! 

Review: Savi Wellbeing Organic Body Cream

Here's something lovely - I got this sample in the Lust Have It Eco box, and I've only started using it recently, but I'm glad I did. This is a body moisturiser, thick and rich, and it smells totally amazing. 

It's got lots of goodies in it - Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Rose Oil and Ylang Ylang Oil, all of them certified organic. I'm presuming it's the Ylang Ylang and/or Rose that gives it the amazing scent, but it doesn't smell too floral, it's a heady, spicy sort of smell.

Using this after a nice shower would be a delightful way to pamper yourself, it seemed to sink into the skin quickly and does a good job - this is probably a bit rich to use every day, but in the wintertime it's just the thing, I have found it especially good on my knees and elbows.

If you're a fan of really good smelling goodies, you will want to try this one for yourself. 

Review: Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion

If you want a light and milky moisturising lotion that doesn't feel greasy and gets the job done, and is nice and cheap, you are going to want to get your hands on some of this stuff - it's Aveeno's Daily Moisturising Lotion.

I like the light texture of it and the fact that it's fragrance free -  it doesn't compete with any of the scents I choose to wear, just does it's job nice and quietly in the background. 

I have to admit I chuckled a bit when I saw that the "star ingredient" for this product is "Colloidal Oatmeal". Seriously? Colloidal means "finely ground bits in water", so in this case, that would be gruel. I guess "colloidal oatmeal" sounds a bit nicer than gruel, but still.. 

Oatmeal is great for your skin, natural and gentle, so no arguments with its inclusion here, but the endless inventiveness of cosmetic manufactures when it comes to ingredient descriptions never fails to amuse  (See also "Aqua" instead of water, because if you say it in Latin it's soooo much fancier!")

This is a really nice, no-frills, gets the job done sort of product with a price tag to match. It's readily available and comes in a generously sized bottle, so you can even let the rest of your family use this stuff without weeping into your wallet. 

Use it or Lose it: Cult of California

If you're a regular reader you will have seen me rave about Cult of California before, they are another amazing indie clothing brand.  They stock exactly the sorts of clothes that other brands refuse to make in plus sizes - body con dresses, workout gear, all sorts of gorgeous stuff you just can't find anywhere else.  Recently the creative genius behind this brand let us know that her investors, after just one year of trialing these clothes in the market, were pulling their funding.  Anyone who knows anything about the fashion industry knows that 12 months is hardly a fair trial of anything - but who said life is fair? What this brand needs to survive now is your support - your dollars. If you have been considering picking something up from them, now is the time, because if you don't do it now, they simply won't survive.  Shipping to Australia is really reasonable  and a lot of the store is on sale right now.  I'm putting my money where my mouth is and picking up a couple of goodies from them today. If you do the same, and tell your friends, this great store may yet survive! 

Review: LUK Beautifood Lip Nourish "Chai Shimmer"

LUK is a great Australian indie beauty brand (you know how much I love those!). They are all about the natural ingredients and making cosmetics that can actually be described as "food" because of their benign ingredients.

These "Lip Nourish" lip balms are no exception, with the main ingredients being sesame, avocado and jojoba oils and cocoa butter - that's got to
be better for you than all the chemical stuff that's in most of the lipsticks we all use.

I was quite impressed with this, it isn't sticky or nasty feeling like some lip balms can be but looks really nice on, and seems to do the job rehydrating your lips. I like to use balms when I have been wearing long-lasting or ultra matte lipstickls, both of which I love, but both of which can be quite harsh on the lips. When I use lip balm I have much less feathering and small lines around my lips, making the perfect pout a lot easier to achieve,. 

The one I got in the bellabox is a nice gold colour called "Chai Shimmer". The amount of glitter in it gives a very subtle effect - this is a very sheer, barely-there sort of tint, which is why my daughter immediately stole this to wear to school - she is all about the "my lips but better" sorts of products.

If you like natural cosmetics as much as I do, you will want to watch out for this brand.