How to Look Better in Your Clothes

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Do you look at your wardrobe and despair about what's inside? You might have a large collection of clothes but feel like none of them really suit you or you never feel great when you're wearing them. Or maybe you think that your clothes make you look ok, but what you really want is for them to help you look amazing. Looking better in your clothes doesn't have to be difficult to do. When you use the right techniques, you can ensure all of your outfits make you look and feel great. Take a look at these tips if you want to look better in your clothes.

Buy the Right Clothes

You don't necessarily have to rush out and buy a whole load of new clothes right away. It's best to start working with what you've got before buying anything new. But next time you're shopping for new clothes, it can make a big difference to keep a few things in mind when you're looking for the right clothes. Don't just buy what first catches your eye or even what you think you should be wearing. What's most important is that you think you look good and you feel comfortable in what you choose to wear.

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Know How to Build an Outfit

Putting together an outfit is a skill in itself. It might be easy to grab a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but can you really build an outfit that makes you look and feel amazing? There can be lots of different elements to any outfit, from which clothing pieces you pick to how you choose to wear them and how you accessorise them. Understanding how to layer different elements can really help if you want your outfits to make you look incredible. There are lots of tips you can pick up from watching others or by looking online.

Change Your Body

Sometimes it might not be your clothes that you feel don't quite work but your body. If you want to look and feel better in your clothes, you might consider making a change. This could be done in a few ways. One way is to simply choose the right underwear. Having the right foundation under your clothes can give you a better silhouette and help you feel more confident in your clothes. You could also make changes to your body, whether it's through a tummy tuck or making an effort to lose weight. Of course, not everyone wants to make drastic changes to their body to look or feel different.

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Wear Your Clothes Confidently

It's not always just about what your clothes look like, sometimes it's the way you carry yourself when you wear them. If you wear your clothes with confidence, you can look and feel more comfortable in them. In contrast, if you feel awkward, you could look pretty awkward too. Choose clothes that you enjoy wearing and that make you feel good if you also want them to make you look good.

When you want to look and feel better wearing your clothes, choose outfits that give you confidence.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Dressed to Impress with Samuel Windsor

When it comes to men's clothing, it is usually me that purchases the majority of clothing for my hubby, mainly because he absolutely hates shopping in all its forms and because he happens to be colourblind to the point where the answer is usually "You are not wearing those together".  Having been challenged to pick an outfit from Samuel Windsor, where there is currently a sale, I found it much harder than I had anticipated.  If you haven't come across them before, Samuel Windsor specialises in quality formal menswear, available both online and from their mail order catalogues.  

Samuel Windsor isn't a brand I am too familiar with, in fact, I have never ever purchased an item from the website ever.  What I like is how easy it is to navigate your way around, each category is clearly labelled, so should you be looking for shirts, jumpers or jeans, you will be able to find them without spending hours looking through hundreds of pages.

I had £75 to spend which had to include postage and packaging, so I set about looking at the items I thought the mister would wear and of course, I sent him the link to the site to have a look at some items too.  

Always complaining he cannot find his scarf, the first page I went too was the accessories page to look at the scarves on offer.

I quickly opted for the Grey Pure Lambswool Scarf (£15) which is incredibly soft to the touch and large enough to be wrapped around the neck and tucked into your coat to keep warm.

Next comes trousers and I couldn't decide whether or not to get some smart chino type trousers or opt for something less formal which would get more wear such as Jeans, so I chose the Stretch Jeans in Indigo (£20) as the black was out of stock in the size I needed.

What I liked about being able to choose jeans was the option to choose leg size as well as that for the waist - when you have a hubby who is just over 6ft tall, finding jeans on the high street which fit his leg size, as well as his skinny waist, is exhausting at times. Featuring a 98% cotton and 2% elastane construction, so they have a slight stretch to the fabric when worn.  They have a zip and button fastening and feature two pockets on the front and back of the jeans.

At this time of the year, with the weather still being really chilly, you can never have too many jumpers and pieces of knitwear, but for work, they need to be smart.  So between the two of us, we chose two jumpers.  The first jumper is the one I chose and it is a classic black button neck jumper (£19) and I was drawn to it for its waffle knit pattern because it looks warm and cosy.  

Made from 50% cotton and 50% wool-mix, I opted for the large size using the guide given by Samuel Windsor and it is the perfect fit in both the body and the sleeve, with enough room to wear a T-shirt underneath for added warmth.  The buttons can be worn open or fastened depending on preference.

The second jumper is the one the mister chose for himself and it features the Argyle Pattern and is in the colours Wine and Grey (£17.50). 

Again made from a 50% cotton and 50% wool-mix, this jumper has a v-neck finish and opting for the size large, it again gives enough room to wear a T-shirt underneath.

What we have found since ordering from Samuel Windsor is that the clothing is really good quality, the jumpers are soft on the skin, the jeans fit snuggly without being too tight and the scarf is definitely a winner, especially with the cold weather spell we are currently experiencing.  I am also impressed with the price of clothing and despite the postage and packaging being £5.95, if you order before 3pm on any given day (excluding Sunday) your package is ready to be sent the same day.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Christmas Pyjama's Wishlist + Traditions

I love reading about people's Christmas traditions, everyone I know has their own tradition or 'thing' that they do - be it opening one gift at midnight, not eating Christmas Dinner until after The Queen has spoken or even creating a Christmas Eve box for the kids.  

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For me, I do have traditions in lieu of Children but ones I have quite possibly, without realising continued to do into adulthood that I did as a child.  I always watch Santa Claus The Movie on Christmas Day morning, it is usually on at 7am on a random channel and no matter where it is on, I am watching it before I get out of bed.  Breakfast is always scrambled egg with salmon, I eat this most weekends but I also have it on Christmas morning.  The one thing I do before doing any of these is to buy a brand new set of Pyjamas and they have to be Christmas themed.  This year I have been on the look out for a good few weeks and admittedly the choice is currently rather rubbish, but I have managed to find some I like and here they are:

I absolutely love Disney and haven't long been back from a week at Disneyland Paris On my wishlist there are three options for Disney themed pyjamas which come from high street stores.  Ultimately for me this year it is the Supermarkets who are winning the war when it comes to Christmas Pyjamas. Having spent a good few hours on one of London's busiest streets yesterday, I found just two pairs of pyjamas I would wear or would want to wear that are Christmas themed.

Mickey & Minnie Mouse Christmas Pyjama Gift Set £16 from Matalan and it features Mickey and Minnie Mouse with the slogan of Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe.

I think everyone has seen ELF and the OMG Santa! I know him.  From Dorothy Perkins they are priced at £25 and have cuffed pyjama bottoms and are made from super soft cotton.

I used to collect Tatty Teddies in my teens and still have loads and loads of then hanging around.  These pyjamas are from Asda and are priced at just £15.  I like the long sleeve top option and the snowflake design bottoms are crafted in a soft fleece.

Minnie Mouse is featuring again in pyjama set number four and again from Matalan this time there is a motif, which reads 'If it’s Snowing I’m Not Going' and that pretty much sums up how I feel about snow! Priced at just £15  and my current favourite set.

Finally and staying with the Disney theme are the 'Disney Crew' pyjamas and they are in Asda for just £15.. Featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy they are my second favourite option.

So there are my options this year for Christmas pyjamas and as soon as mine are purchased, you will be seeing them on my Instagram so keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Do you have any Christmas Traditions?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Spring Formal Office Wear

Office wear is something I have to think about every day and I can do smart/ casual on most days, but there are other days when I am going from meeting to meeting between my office, HQ or another associated office and I need to be a little smarter. However, travelling around London can be quite a hot and stuffy nightmare and wearing a suit is just not for me, I am more of a dress, tights, flat shoes and blazer kind of girl.

So, I have created an office wear wishlist that would see me both comfortably cool without a blazer and not to hot and stuffy when I do need to wear one and the blazers in this collage I actually own, so picking dresses to go with them was quite fun to do.

There is a lot of choice when it comes to buying office wear both online and on the highstreet and there are always a nice variety of styles to suit every one.

• Hale Bob UK Body con dress in black to the far left of the collage is the most expensive dress but I love that it goes from being a classic LBD but with a slight twist, it can be dressed up for going out with just a pair of boots and would work well with a leather jacket! 
• House of Fraser caught my eye with the Dickins Jones Fit and Flare Dress which is currently in the sale here and it again has a slight twist in that the top half is detatchable, so you can again dress it up or down.  
• In the middle is a black ruched sheath dress that I saw in TK Maxx at the weekend and almost bought, but I have one which is very similar with longer sleeves. What I love about these types of dresses is that when you are having one of those 'meh' days and nothing fits right, these dresses always make you look fabulous and again it is perfect for the office or going out afterwards.  
• The Evans Jersey pocket dress is the only one with pockets and I love the shape and design of it, perfect for wearing to work and is a dress that can be glammed up for a night out.  
• The final dress is from New Look and is a black scallop hem Tunic dress which has a v-neck, cap sleeves and a scalloped hem and is again perfect for the office, adding a blazer too or going out in.

Now that I have my office wear sorted, it is time to find some suitable shoes!  

Top UK Music Festivals 2014

The UK comes alive though the summer with some amazing music festivals. There are the biggies like Glastonbury, along with the less well known ones, offering music to suit all tastes. So grab your tent, pack your maxi dresses and head off to one of the great festivals around the UK this year. Why not take a look at what's on to find your favourite:

V Festival

Held at two locations in the UK, Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in Staffordshire, over the weekend of the 16th and 17th of August 2014, this is a massive concert featuring huge names and a great atmosphere. Expect to see Justin Timberlake, The Killers, Lily Allen, Ed Sheeran, Paolo Nutini, Example, Bastille, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Blondie, Rizzle Kicks and so many more. It's a real mix of music genres with old favourites and great new bands and singers sharing the stage. A brilliant weekend full of music and dancing.

Accommodation wise, there are so many options. From yurts to beautiful old gypsy caravans, stunning American style Airstreem caravans and wooden huts, to exotic Bedouin tents and Luxury Emperor Suite tents, to colourful village style accommodation, you'll find the perfect accommodation choice for you.

Wireless Festival

Another festival held in two locations over two dates, the Wireless Festival is now in its eleventh year and still going strong. Featuring the best pop, rock and dance acts combined with a great festival atmosphere. You'll find a festival village here featuring a huge beer garden, food stalls and chill out zones. You can't camp here but as the festivals are held in London and Birmingham, you'll have no problem getting in and out of town thanks to the readily available transport and hotels.

The line-up this year features acts like Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Drake, Rudimental, Knife Party, Bruno Mars, Outkast, Salt n Pepa and Ellie Goulding. You'll find it In Finsbuy Park in London and Perry Park in Birmingham on the 4th, 5th and 6th of July 2014.

Racing Rocks

Rockington Motor Speedway will play host to Racing Rocks on the 17th and 18th of May this year. It’s an eclectic music mix, including folk, country, rock and cover bands, combined with a beer festival, where you'll find 40 hand crafted beers and ciders. There’s also a food fayre including cookery demonstrations as well as street vendors and artisan foods and, of course, plenty of motorsport action. It's a two day extravaganza that's great for rock and racing fans.

With lots of hotels and B&B's in the surrounding area and even a free prebookable campsite, there are plenty of opportunities to stay and enjoy the whole weekend of the festival.

Festivals are of course a great excuse to buy some of the great maxi dresses at George and rock that festival style. Also popular this year are dungarees, bright patterns, teeny shorts, comfy sandals, Aztec ponchos, pretty playsuits, flowery cover ups, big sunglasses, pinafore style dresses - and don't forget to pack your wellies too. Get ready to rock, dance and party in style!

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