Hi guys,
I've been thinking a lot about underwear this week. Summer dresses tend to have unusual straps (particularly the ones you wear on holiday) so finding the right bra has been quite a mission I also tend to wear control pants more in the summer where I don't have tights or leggings on to hold everything together! Wobbly is not a good look for me!
This year the bra is 100 years old and, frankly, I don't know where I would be without it! As a bigger boobed gal I really do appreciate the importance of a well fitting bra and I know how important is to get fitted regularly. To celebrate the bras very important anniversary, and all things underwear, Triumph has launched 'Stand up for fit', a commitment to provide free bra fitting to over 100,000 women around the world and educate them on the importance of getting the right bra fit. You can find updates on the campaign using the hashtag #StandUpforFit. You'll be amazed at the difference a correct fitting bra will make to the way you look and feel: it can even solve potential health problems, such as chronic back pain!
It's easy to forget about your underwear because you wear it under your clothes. And that new dress looks so much more tempting on the shelf than nude control pants and a strapless bra! In fact, the average woman only spends £88 on underwear every year. But without those key pieces of structural undergarment your clothes just won't sit as nicely. I swear by them!
When was the last time you bought new underwear? Does your knicker drawer need an update, and is it time you had a bra fit?
Love Tor x
*Post sponsored by Triumph
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Holiday Beauty: Pale is Interesting!
Hi guys,
My mum always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say then you shouldn't say anything at all, and that's the ethos I've followed when writing this blog. So when I had a disastrous experience with Dove's summer glow lotion (a gradual tanner that left me with orange legs after just one application) I had no intention of writing about it: after all, given I've never used it before I could've just done something wrong! But then I got thinking about why I, the palest woman in the world, thought I needed to have tanned legs before I go on holiday and realised it probably would make an interesting post. Just not about the pros and cons of gradual tanning lotions.
Pretty much as soon as the first rays of Spring sunshine dapple the lawn we are bombarded with images of tanned people everywhere we turn. Lithe, sun kissed girls dance across our television screens with their big toothy grins. Women with seriously healthy tans jump from magazine pages advertising everything from razors to swimsuits to wide screen TVs. The subconscious message of all of this is that to have fun in the summer you have to have a tan, which probably explains why I succumbed and had my first unsuccessful experiment with tanning lotions of any kind! And I'm not the only one feeling the pressure not to be pale.
I read an interesting article that said in many US cities there are more tanning salons than coffee shops. Given the fact that skin cancer (in fact, all kinds of cancer) are on the rise, it seems mental to me that women are jumping on sunbeds to achieve 'perfect' skin: what's wrong with the skin you're in? It might be the norm to be tan if you live by the beach in California, but we're British! We're a nation of sun starved folks with skin that looks transluscent and grey after a long winter under wraps. Where are all our pale summer icons? I can only name a handful of pale but interesting British style icons and dozens more that turn to sunbeds or bottles to achieve an unnatural colour.
Me? I'd rather be pale than orange. And as I spend another hour in the shower scrubbing away at my seriously stripey legs I wonder whether if more of our role models and examples of popular advertising didn't promote the need to tan, we might all feel a little more comfortable in our own pasty skin.
Do you fell better with a tan or are you happy to embrace your pale and interesting self? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Love Tor x
My mum always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say then you shouldn't say anything at all, and that's the ethos I've followed when writing this blog. So when I had a disastrous experience with Dove's summer glow lotion (a gradual tanner that left me with orange legs after just one application) I had no intention of writing about it: after all, given I've never used it before I could've just done something wrong! But then I got thinking about why I, the palest woman in the world, thought I needed to have tanned legs before I go on holiday and realised it probably would make an interesting post. Just not about the pros and cons of gradual tanning lotions.
Pretty much as soon as the first rays of Spring sunshine dapple the lawn we are bombarded with images of tanned people everywhere we turn. Lithe, sun kissed girls dance across our television screens with their big toothy grins. Women with seriously healthy tans jump from magazine pages advertising everything from razors to swimsuits to wide screen TVs. The subconscious message of all of this is that to have fun in the summer you have to have a tan, which probably explains why I succumbed and had my first unsuccessful experiment with tanning lotions of any kind! And I'm not the only one feeling the pressure not to be pale.
I read an interesting article that said in many US cities there are more tanning salons than coffee shops. Given the fact that skin cancer (in fact, all kinds of cancer) are on the rise, it seems mental to me that women are jumping on sunbeds to achieve 'perfect' skin: what's wrong with the skin you're in? It might be the norm to be tan if you live by the beach in California, but we're British! We're a nation of sun starved folks with skin that looks transluscent and grey after a long winter under wraps. Where are all our pale summer icons? I can only name a handful of pale but interesting British style icons and dozens more that turn to sunbeds or bottles to achieve an unnatural colour.
Me? I'd rather be pale than orange. And as I spend another hour in the shower scrubbing away at my seriously stripey legs I wonder whether if more of our role models and examples of popular advertising didn't promote the need to tan, we might all feel a little more comfortable in our own pasty skin.
Do you fell better with a tan or are you happy to embrace your pale and interesting self? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Love Tor x
Friday, 25 April 2014
A Style Evolution!
Hi guys,
Style is one of those things that's constantly evolving. One day your hair is long, the next it's short. One day your a little girl who wants to wear everything pink, the next you're a surly teenage in a Nirvana tee. But I think my biggest style evolution has happened recently, when I became a mummy.
Before Wilbur I had all the time in the world to paint my nails, shop for exactly the right dress and visit the hairdressers. How I looked every day was an important part of determining how I felt. After Wilbur, I give my hair a quick brush and throw on my jeans, ready for a day of playing and running around after my energetic little man. My appearance comes secondary to his happiness and well being. Style is still really important to me, and I love any opportunity to get dressed up, but it isn't an important part of my day to day life any more.
So here it is. The evolution of my style. We start with a little girl in white socks and T bar shoes who loved costume parties, travel through the questionable hair of my university years, make a stop via the curls and beads I sported seven years ago (has it been that long?) at my first ever blogging event, travelling through some of the happiest years of my life, living in London, and ending up here. In my own little corner of the world. As a mum that stills loves fashion, but that wears jeans more than frocks. And things have never been better. I wonder what my next style evolution will be!
This post has been written to celebrate Zalando's 3rd Birthday, and the evolution of their style in the three years since the site launched, and the three years I've been a regular Zalando shopper. How has your style evolved over time? And how do you feel when you look back at pictures of yourself from yesteryear?
Love Tor x
Style is one of those things that's constantly evolving. One day your hair is long, the next it's short. One day your a little girl who wants to wear everything pink, the next you're a surly teenage in a Nirvana tee. But I think my biggest style evolution has happened recently, when I became a mummy.
Before Wilbur I had all the time in the world to paint my nails, shop for exactly the right dress and visit the hairdressers. How I looked every day was an important part of determining how I felt. After Wilbur, I give my hair a quick brush and throw on my jeans, ready for a day of playing and running around after my energetic little man. My appearance comes secondary to his happiness and well being. Style is still really important to me, and I love any opportunity to get dressed up, but it isn't an important part of my day to day life any more.
So here it is. The evolution of my style. We start with a little girl in white socks and T bar shoes who loved costume parties, travel through the questionable hair of my university years, make a stop via the curls and beads I sported seven years ago (has it been that long?) at my first ever blogging event, travelling through some of the happiest years of my life, living in London, and ending up here. In my own little corner of the world. As a mum that stills loves fashion, but that wears jeans more than frocks. And things have never been better. I wonder what my next style evolution will be!
This post has been written to celebrate Zalando's 3rd Birthday, and the evolution of their style in the three years since the site launched, and the three years I've been a regular Zalando shopper. How has your style evolved over time? And how do you feel when you look back at pictures of yourself from yesteryear?
Love Tor x
Accessories: A Bag on a Bag!
Hi guys,
I love leather accessories. In fact, if it's not made of soft, supple delicious-smelling leather then I'm just not interested. Pleather doesn't have the same texture or appeal and I've never really been a fan of cotton totes or purses; they seem cheap to me somehow. With our first 2014 holiday less than two weeks away though, I knew that I couldn't carry an expensive leather bag on the beach and something lightweight, malleable and (gulp) constructed in washable fabric was going to be the order of the day. Enter my new Ciryiel bag from David Jones!
I know it's been done by other designers before, but I really loved the tongue in check touch of this lightweight cotton beach bag having a print of the lovely leather snakeskin bag I'd much rather be carrying on it! I chose my version in this shade of orangey red, but the bag also comes in blue, green, beige and a metallic silver.
The straps are long enough that I can carry it over my shoulder, making it easy to tote around the pool or beach. It's fully lined in a thick black material and it has a zippable pocket inside and although it doesn't look it, this bag is big! There's plenty of room for my sun lotion, a towel, book, drink and (in my case) a spare nappy and some wet wipes too. I wasn't expecting to be that impressed by this bag but actually, I really am. And I think it's a snip at just £27.99.
What kind of bag do you carry when you're on the beach? Any suggestions for other great bag styles or brands to look at?
Love Tor x
I love leather accessories. In fact, if it's not made of soft, supple delicious-smelling leather then I'm just not interested. Pleather doesn't have the same texture or appeal and I've never really been a fan of cotton totes or purses; they seem cheap to me somehow. With our first 2014 holiday less than two weeks away though, I knew that I couldn't carry an expensive leather bag on the beach and something lightweight, malleable and (gulp) constructed in washable fabric was going to be the order of the day. Enter my new Ciryiel bag from David Jones!
I know it's been done by other designers before, but I really loved the tongue in check touch of this lightweight cotton beach bag having a print of the lovely leather snakeskin bag I'd much rather be carrying on it! I chose my version in this shade of orangey red, but the bag also comes in blue, green, beige and a metallic silver.
The straps are long enough that I can carry it over my shoulder, making it easy to tote around the pool or beach. It's fully lined in a thick black material and it has a zippable pocket inside and although it doesn't look it, this bag is big! There's plenty of room for my sun lotion, a towel, book, drink and (in my case) a spare nappy and some wet wipes too. I wasn't expecting to be that impressed by this bag but actually, I really am. And I think it's a snip at just £27.99.
What kind of bag do you carry when you're on the beach? Any suggestions for other great bag styles or brands to look at?
Love Tor x
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Jamie London Competition: And The Winner Is.....
Hi guys,
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and gorged yourself on chocolate! I didn't get a single chocolate egg (sob!) but I've spent most of the day 'sharing' Wilbur's chocolate eggs instead, so i've still managed to give myself a chocolate tummy ache: where there's a will there's a way!
Now for the fun part: choosing the winner of my Jamie London bracelet give away. I used a random number generator, and the number that was chosen was number.....1! That's 'daisychain' who wrote that she would choose to wear the bracelet with something girly and pastel. I've been wearing my bracelet all weekend and I love it, so I hope you like it as much as I do! You'll be receiving an email from me shortly.
If you didn't win but you'd still like one of these bracelets for yourself then they're available over on the Jamie London website for £35, complete with two charms of your choice. I'm considering buying a couple of extra bracelets with different charms so that I can stack them together for a summery boho look.
Anyway, I hope you've all had a great Easter weekend! There'll be another competition coming up at the beginning of next month, so keep checking back for details.
Love Tor x
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and gorged yourself on chocolate! I didn't get a single chocolate egg (sob!) but I've spent most of the day 'sharing' Wilbur's chocolate eggs instead, so i've still managed to give myself a chocolate tummy ache: where there's a will there's a way!
Now for the fun part: choosing the winner of my Jamie London bracelet give away. I used a random number generator, and the number that was chosen was number.....1! That's 'daisychain' who wrote that she would choose to wear the bracelet with something girly and pastel. I've been wearing my bracelet all weekend and I love it, so I hope you like it as much as I do! You'll be receiving an email from me shortly. 
If you didn't win but you'd still like one of these bracelets for yourself then they're available over on the Jamie London website for £35, complete with two charms of your choice. I'm considering buying a couple of extra bracelets with different charms so that I can stack them together for a summery boho look.
Anyway, I hope you've all had a great Easter weekend! There'll be another competition coming up at the beginning of next month, so keep checking back for details.
Love Tor x
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
More Summery Loveliness From Primark
Hi guys,
If you want to see some images that will immediately have you craving some summer sun then these newest press shots from Primark definitely won't disappoint. I can only buy cup sized swimwear (which pretty much limits me to shopping in Bravissimo) and this is something I curse every summer. But it is a new experience to be cursing my body because I'm craving after swimwear from Primark! There is some serious swimsuit hottness going on, and at prices so affordable that you could have a different one for every day of your holiday!
Picture 1: Swimsuit £10, Skirt £10, Bag £8, Earrings £1
Picture 2: Bikini top £8, Bikini Bottom £4, Earrings £1
Picture 3: Bikini top £6, Bikini bottom £5, Sunglasses £3
Picture 4: Shirt £10, Bikini Bottom £4, Sunglasses £3, Earrings £1, Rings from £1.50
Picture 5: Bikini top £6, Shorts £7, Sunglasses £2, Earrings £1
Picture 6: Swimsuit £10, Skirt £10, Earrings £1
I love the Prada-style pineapple print bikini with the high waisted bottoms: It's almost worth buying those bottoms to pair with a plainer top! I also love the casual styling of the short sleeved boyfriend-style shirt with the bikini bottoms. Maybe it's because I'm going on holiday in a fortnight and maybe it's because the sun has started shining, but I can't remember the last time I had such positive feelings about swimwear!
What do you think of the latest Primark swimwear picks? And have you picked up anything fantastic in store lately? It's been a while since I popped into my local Primark, so I have no idea what's in store!
Love Tor x
If you want to see some images that will immediately have you craving some summer sun then these newest press shots from Primark definitely won't disappoint. I can only buy cup sized swimwear (which pretty much limits me to shopping in Bravissimo) and this is something I curse every summer. But it is a new experience to be cursing my body because I'm craving after swimwear from Primark! There is some serious swimsuit hottness going on, and at prices so affordable that you could have a different one for every day of your holiday!
Picture 1: Swimsuit £10, Skirt £10, Bag £8, Earrings £1
Picture 2: Bikini top £8, Bikini Bottom £4, Earrings £1
Picture 3: Bikini top £6, Bikini bottom £5, Sunglasses £3Picture 4: Shirt £10, Bikini Bottom £4, Sunglasses £3, Earrings £1, Rings from £1.50
Picture 5: Bikini top £6, Shorts £7, Sunglasses £2, Earrings £1Picture 6: Swimsuit £10, Skirt £10, Earrings £1
I love the Prada-style pineapple print bikini with the high waisted bottoms: It's almost worth buying those bottoms to pair with a plainer top! I also love the casual styling of the short sleeved boyfriend-style shirt with the bikini bottoms. Maybe it's because I'm going on holiday in a fortnight and maybe it's because the sun has started shining, but I can't remember the last time I had such positive feelings about swimwear!
What do you think of the latest Primark swimwear picks? And have you picked up anything fantastic in store lately? It's been a while since I popped into my local Primark, so I have no idea what's in store!
Love Tor x
Thursday, 10 April 2014
My summer staple dress from Oasis
Hi guys,
We're now T minus 3 weeks away from our first holiday of the year - a week in Greece with Mike's family. I don't usually commit to summer clothes too early in the season, but because this holiday is fast approaching it meant I had to shop for my summer clothes whilst there was still frost on the ground this year! Luckily for me, my luck was in during an impulsive pop into Oasis, where I fell in love with the very first dress that I tried on: in fact, I liked it so much I got it in three different colours!
Stripe V neck maxi dress, £38
Coloured V neck maxi dresses, all at £28
Palm print V neck maxi dress, £40
I have the navy and white stripe, the black and the grey. They're super stretchy (but not form fitting), lovely and lightweight, and although they will look nice on holiday I got them because they will look just as good teamed with a jacket for the cooler spring days we get here too. I can also run around the park all day in them without having to worry about flashing my bum when I bend over to scoop up Wilbur: a win win situation for everyone involved!
I don't find summer clothe shopping easy, because my style involves wearing lots of layers and interesting details. So I was really pleased to discover these super versatile and easy to wear jersey dresses: definitely highly recommended by me!
Love Tor x
PS - Don't forget to enter my competition for your chance to WIN a gold plated bracelet from Jamie London.
We're now T minus 3 weeks away from our first holiday of the year - a week in Greece with Mike's family. I don't usually commit to summer clothes too early in the season, but because this holiday is fast approaching it meant I had to shop for my summer clothes whilst there was still frost on the ground this year! Luckily for me, my luck was in during an impulsive pop into Oasis, where I fell in love with the very first dress that I tried on: in fact, I liked it so much I got it in three different colours!
Stripe V neck maxi dress, £38
Coloured V neck maxi dresses, all at £28
Palm print V neck maxi dress, £40
I have the navy and white stripe, the black and the grey. They're super stretchy (but not form fitting), lovely and lightweight, and although they will look nice on holiday I got them because they will look just as good teamed with a jacket for the cooler spring days we get here too. I can also run around the park all day in them without having to worry about flashing my bum when I bend over to scoop up Wilbur: a win win situation for everyone involved!
I don't find summer clothe shopping easy, because my style involves wearing lots of layers and interesting details. So I was really pleased to discover these super versatile and easy to wear jersey dresses: definitely highly recommended by me!
Love Tor x
PS - Don't forget to enter my competition for your chance to WIN a gold plated bracelet from Jamie London.
Monday, 7 April 2014
WIN: A gold plated bangle from Jamie London
Hi guys,
It's been a while since I've done one of these, so how about a little competition to brighten up what is, frankly, a very gloomy Monday! I have been sent this gorgeous gold plated charm bangle from Jamie London (worth £35) and I have another one to give away! I've been wearing mine all weekend: it's lightweight and it looks great worn above my chunky gold watch. I always have been a sucker for all things gold, and trinkety charms are my weakness, so I knew I was going to like it as soon as I saw it. It would look great stacked together with loads of other skinny bangles too: more is, after all, more!
Want to win one of your own? Here's how:
The usual comment and follow entry procedure applies. Simply make sure you're a follower of the blog (hey, why aren't you already?) and leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what outfit you'd like to wear this bracelet with. You can also check out the rest of the Jamie London jewellery collection here.
The competition will close at midday on Tuesday 22nd April, and the winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator. Good luck!!
Love Tor x
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com
It's been a while since I've done one of these, so how about a little competition to brighten up what is, frankly, a very gloomy Monday! I have been sent this gorgeous gold plated charm bangle from Jamie London (worth £35) and I have another one to give away! I've been wearing mine all weekend: it's lightweight and it looks great worn above my chunky gold watch. I always have been a sucker for all things gold, and trinkety charms are my weakness, so I knew I was going to like it as soon as I saw it. It would look great stacked together with loads of other skinny bangles too: more is, after all, more!
Want to win one of your own? Here's how:
The usual comment and follow entry procedure applies. Simply make sure you're a follower of the blog (hey, why aren't you already?) and leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what outfit you'd like to wear this bracelet with. You can also check out the rest of the Jamie London jewellery collection here.
The competition will close at midday on Tuesday 22nd April, and the winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator. Good luck!!
Love Tor x
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Shoes: Crazy For Kenzo Sneakers
Hi guys,
I'm a sucker for an unusual shoe: I like my footwear to make a statement! So it's easy to see why I'm currently completely obsessed with these Kenzo trainers with the espadrille sole. The colours, the mixed patterns, the flatform-style base: these shoes were just made for the park in the summer!
Kenzo shoes are having something of a fashion moment at the mo: I remember lusting after those logo pumps last season (along with everyone else in the country, apparently) and there are some pretty tasty brogues in this season's offerings too. Sports Luxe isn't really a trend that suits my figure or my style, but there's something about these shoes that I just haven't stopped thinking about since I saw them a couple of weeks ago.
If you like this model as much as I do then they can be yours from Spartoo for £309.99. Admittedly it's a lot more than I would usually spend on a pair of shoes, but can you really put a price on style (apart from, obviously, just over £300 a pair!) What do you think? Will these lovelies be making your lust list?
Love Tor x
*Post written as part of a partnership with Spartoo shoes
I'm a sucker for an unusual shoe: I like my footwear to make a statement! So it's easy to see why I'm currently completely obsessed with these Kenzo trainers with the espadrille sole. The colours, the mixed patterns, the flatform-style base: these shoes were just made for the park in the summer!
Kenzo shoes are having something of a fashion moment at the mo: I remember lusting after those logo pumps last season (along with everyone else in the country, apparently) and there are some pretty tasty brogues in this season's offerings too. Sports Luxe isn't really a trend that suits my figure or my style, but there's something about these shoes that I just haven't stopped thinking about since I saw them a couple of weeks ago.
If you like this model as much as I do then they can be yours from Spartoo for £309.99. Admittedly it's a lot more than I would usually spend on a pair of shoes, but can you really put a price on style (apart from, obviously, just over £300 a pair!) What do you think? Will these lovelies be making your lust list?
Love Tor x
*Post written as part of a partnership with Spartoo shoes
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