Showing posts with label PSBloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSBloggers. Show all posts

Sunday Stripes

A few weekends ago I was invited out for a Sunday carvery with a friend of mine and jumped at the chance. Sunday dinner is without a doubt my favourite meal in the world, so being able to do this in a countryside pub sounded perfect! Luckily a few days beforehand the lovely lot at Lovedrobe had sent me this beaut of a dress so I knew exactly what I wanted to wear.

Slowly but surely Lovedrobe are starting to get more clothes in sizes 26 and above. They actually have a pretty decent selection of size 32 dresses in at the moment, which is always good news if you ask me. I'm a big fan of these style of dresses, where it looks like you're wearing a top and a skirt - I have a few older ASOS ones and it's something that Scarlet and Jo do extremely well too!

 I liked the pale pink and black of this dress, because it is lovely looking without being too bright. I love bright colours don't get me wrong but I thought this made a nice change. It has a tiny little bit of netting inside the bottom of the skirt which I really liked too.

Size wise it was a tiny bit tight but I actually preferred it that way. I liked the shape it gives me and the fact that the skirt flairs out a bit is a shape I enjoy. If you're much bigger busted than me you might struggle or need to size up, if you're able to.

 I have to share with you the dinner I had, at The Forest Pub in Feckenham - it was absolutely beautiful! I had this dinner washed down with a glass of really nice rose and to be honest with you I went home a very happy girl. I am by no means a professional food blogger but I would recommend this place if you're in the area, it was lovely!

What have you all been up to? 

 Debz xx

 If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts... You can do so here:
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*gifted item but all opinions and my own and I am always honest and upfront

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Sunday Stripes

Sorry for the lack of decent blog posts lately, as most of you will know I moved house a month ago so things have been a bit up in the air. I am a lot more settled now so I am hoping to be able to get my head down a blog a bit more often.

 Last weekend I was invited out for a Sunday carvery with a friend of mine and jumped at the chance. Sunday dinner is without a doubt my favourite meal in the world, so being able to do this in a countryside pub sounded perfect! Luckily a few days beforehand the lovely lot at Lovedrobe had sent me this beaut of a dress so I knew exactly what I wanted to wear.

Slowly but surely Lovedrobe are starting to get more clothes in sizes 26 and above. They actually have a pretty decent selection of size 32 dresses in at the moment, which is always good news if you ask me. I'm a big fan of these style of dresses, where it looks like you're wearing a top and a skirt - I have a few older ASOS ones and it's something that Scarlet and Jo do extremely well too!

 I liked the pale pink and black of this dress, because it is lovely looking without being too bright. I love bright colours don't get me wrong but I thought this made a nice change. It has a tiny little bit of netting inside the bottom of the skirt which I really liked too.

Size wise it was a tiny bit tight but I actually preferred it that way. I liked the shape it gives me and the fact that the skirt flairs out a bit is a shape I enjoy. If you're much bigger busted than me you might struggle or need to size up, if you're able to.

 I have to share with you the dinner I had, at The Forest Pub in Feckenham - it was absolutely beautiful! I had this dinner washed down with a glass of really nice rose and to be honest with you I went home a very happy girl. I am by no means a professional food blogger but I would recommend this place if you're in the area, it was lovely!

What have you all been up to? 

 Debz xx

 If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts... You can do so here:
Facebook / Twitter / Blog Loving / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr /

*gifted item but all opinions and my own and I am always honest and upfront

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Plus Size Shopping As Simple As It Should Be

I have mentioned the plus size shopping haven of Westfields in Derby and I will no doubt mention it again. A couple of months ago one of my favourite people in the world (Lucia from U Can't Wear That) moved to Derby, so of course I have visited her a few times. Whenever I go, we pop to Westfields and I am never disappointed. The shopping centre itself has a Simply Be, Yours Clothing, Evans, New Look Inspire and Primark - what more could a girl want?

 When we popped into the Simply Be store this time they had rails and rails of sales clothing, all with an extra 20% off, you're a better person than me if you could resist that! The Simply Be changing rooms are lovely, so trying on clothes there is a pleasure!



These are some of my favourite items I tried on. I brought the swing dress & the red dress which no doubt will turn up in a blog post soon. I wish I had bought the flower print dress, but I had to try and be at least a little bit sensible!

If you live in the Midlands or anywhere near a Simply Be store then make sure you pop along. Being able to clothes shop where you can try them on rather than have to guess your size online is a novelty I'll never get bored of!

 Have you been to a Simply Be store before? How was it?

 Debz xx
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A New Look At Fashion

You might have seen a post I did before with Simply Be, looking at how you can dress the same as your smaller friends - even if you are plus size. I wanted to show this in a different way and the lovely team at New Look were happy to help and kindly sent me and my sister a dress each!

 Once again I roped in my sister to help me and we set about choosing items to wear from New Look. It's great that we have a choice of using the same retailer even if our bodies are so different. With this post we decided to do something different and choosing non-matching items. 

 I wanted to show that you can dress however you want, even if you are different sizes. My sister and I want to dress differently, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't enjoy a shopping spree in the same place - as you can see, New Look lets us do this!


 Lisa choose this Mela Navy Stripe Floral Skater Dress, which is out of stock now but there are plenty of patterns like it. It is a material that has no give or stretch in it, so that's worth remembering when you do order. It's only £24 too so bit of a bargain!

 I chose this palm tree print dress from New Look Inspire and I love it. The dress is a lovely material and I found it to be a very generous size. I like the fact that it's black as I don't have many dark colours, but the pattern is also lovely and really breaks it up - and the dress has pockets, which I know so many of you love! It's less than £20 too! YAY!

So there you go, another way you can your friends can all shop in the same place :)

 Thanks for reading

 Debz xx
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Woohoo For Boohoo

I know - the title of this blog post could not have been more cheesy, but it;s the best I could come up with! 

 I am sure by now you have heard the whisperings about Boohoo and their brand new plus size range. They actually first launched a few months ago, but with most of the items mirroring that of Pink Clove, most people didn't pay much attention (Sorry Boohoo!).

Anyway, over the last couple of weeks they have proved us wrong and Boohoo Plus have come back with a proper banging new range - which everyone is so excited about. If I have anything negative to say about the range it's that they only go up to a size 24... I would love for them to extend that in the future, so keep your fingers crossed!


As you would expect from a fashion range like Boohoo, they really have some fashion forward and on trend pieces. In fact some of the pieces on the site are available on both the 'normal' range section and on Boohoo Plus, which is a massive positive in my eyes.

 Just before I moved, the lovely team at Boohoo offered to send me an item to try for myself. I choose jeggings as they only go up to a size 24 and I wasn't sure how I would be able to make the rest of the range work for me. That said, I have seen lots of reviews and I have my eye on more than a few items to buy in the future! The Kara Floral Jeggings are a great fit and really comfortable to wear. 

They're a tiny bit long on me but then I am really short - they're perfect to wear with boots though! I really love the pattern and vibrant colour of the jeggings and they feel a really nice thick, quality material which is always a bonus!


Have you tried anything from Boohoo yet?

 Debz xx
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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very grateful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!
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Back At Home For Mothers Day

You might have seen that in the last week I have moved back to Lancashire. After 2 years in the busy, Big Smoke it's a massive change. One of the nicest things about being back is being near my family again especially for Mothers Day.

 The lovely team at Fashion World sent both my mum and I a dress to wear on Mothers Day and it's such a treat! Being able to let my mum pick out a dress of her choice and give her an excuse to get all dressed up was lovely. She choose this Short Beaded Dress and I think she looks bloody lovely.


I asked mum what she thought of the dress and she loves it. She really loved the material and fit of the dress, it;s comfortable with a bit of glitz and you can't go far wrong with that! The length of the dress is perfect for her too - she really is over the moon with it! It's currently on the site, up to a size 32 for just £60.00!


When it came to choosing my dress I thought I would go for something a little different. Maxi dresses are certainly something that my wardrobe is lacking so I went for this Floral Maxi Dress by Jeffrey & Paula. 
I am a shortie but the length is great on me, especially when I belt it up as I so often do with my dresses! It's on the site up to a size 32 (I always find Jeffrey & Paula dresses to be a generous fit so you can easily size down) and is only £55.00!

What are your plans for this Mothers Day?

 Debz xx
If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts... You can do so here:
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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very grateful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!
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A Meshy Night Out With Friends

A couple of weeks ago, the lovely team at New Look gave me the chance to choose a couple of items from the Inspire range. You may remember the first item I received, the pink tartan dress. The other dress I chose I saved for last Saturday, which was my leaving do for moving away from London. I chose this Inspire Teal Floral Mesh Panel Dress and I love it!


I can't believe that I managed to pick up the dress for the bargain price of £8.00! I actually picked this up at the Tottenham Court Road store and it's showing up as out of stock on the website at the moment, but please keep your eye out for it! 

 Believe it or not, I am wearing a size 24 dress... The elasticated underbust is VERY stretchy, I could have gotten away with a 22 just as easily. I have to say that this dress is a little different to what I usually wear but I love it! I love that it's from Inspire, which is doing more and more items all of the time - which is only ever a positive thing!

 You might notice that my hair looks a little different in the photos. I actually had a hairpiece fitted and made (it's clip in) by the very talented Campbell Wigs... a full review of that will be coming next week, but make sure you check out their page!


As you can see, it was a brilliant night!


Have you shopped at Inspire lately? What caught your eye?

 Debz xx
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Marvellous Matalan

For quite a few years now Matalan have had the Rogers and Rogers collection, offering up to size 30 clothing. I am sure Matalan will forgive me for saying that up until now their collection hasn't really been saying much. I have bought the odd staple item from Matalan but nothing that really excites me! However, one thing that did catch my eye today was their exciting announcement on Facebook today.

Of course, I immediately hot footed it over to the website and I was really impressed! They have loads of dresses, tops, jackets and more. It's great to see fitted items, bright colours and another choice for plus size clothing - I can't wait to visit a store and see what the selection is like on the high street!



The two skater dresses immediately caught my eye and at just £16.00 each they seem like complete bargains. 



Have you tried anything from the new Rogers and Rogers collection? I want to hear all about it if you have!

Debz xx


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George High Summer 2014 Offerings

Today I was lucky enough to be invited to the press day for the brand new George at Asda offerings for the summer season. Sometimes it can be hard to know what you'll get at these events which aren't specifically catering to plus size, but it was great to see what they're going to be offering this summer.

The one thing I loved about what they showed is colour. There are some amazing, vibrant prints coming out in the new George collection and that is something that really excites me. Even if the clothes don't go to my size (I keep meaning to try their skater dresses as everyone says they're very generous) their accessories were fabulous!

 Of course - I took loads of pics for you all, so you can have a sneaky peak too!


And don't forget I am shopping my wardrobe - so here is a dress I don't wear nearly enough from Yours Clothing! Forgot how much I like it!


What clothes are you looking forward to wearing this summer?

Debz xx

 If you haven't used Yours Clothing before then you can use the code 'blogger6' to get £10 off of a £20 spend. New customers only but what better excuse do you need to give them a try?

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Sweet Like Chocolate - Simply Be Dress Review

Last week the lovely team at Simply Be offered to send me a dress... how exciting! I spent AGGGESS going through the website trying to decide what to get. I am at stage now where I love dresses but I want something a bit different. You'll know from previous posts that most of my dresses are bright, colourful, full of pattern and eye catching, so I thought I would go for something a bit different. That said, I couldn't bring myself to get a black dress so I choose this chocolately little number instead.

As you can see, I went for the big hair again. I don't know why but I am really loving that at the moment! I really need to find a way to get it bigger, probably learning how to plait nearer to my head as I am not very good at that at the moment.

 I struggled to know what accessories to wear with this because lots of my shoes and all of my belts are black... in the end I decided it didnt matter. I went for beige shoes (Primark), a black belt and my trusted Lovely necklace from Primark.

I haven't worn anything from the Jeffrey and Paula range at Simply Be before, which is where I got this from so I ordered my normal size. It's a lovely thick jersey material which is really generous size, I could easily have sized down at least one size, maybe two! I am so glad I went for this dress for a bit of a change, it's a welcome addition to my wardrobe! It's currently £40 on the Simply Be website - http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/jeffrey-paula-jersey-print-dress/uc829/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=9985

 I wore it to a night out where I drank too much vodka and danced all night - it was comfy to wear all night & lots of people commented on the gorgeous colours in the dress.

On a slight side note, a few weeks ago Alibi health drinks sent me a crate of their drinks to try. I am not usually into health drinks like this but they're sparkling water in either Pomegranate or citrus flavour - they taste surprisingly nice. In one can you get most of your daily allowance of vitamins and minerals which is always a bonus. 


It might not be the aim they are going for, but after a night out one of these cans in the morning really sorts me out & fixes the fuzzy head I have caused by one too many lemonades the night before ;)

 Debz xx

If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts... You can do so here:
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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very grateful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

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My Look At Cut For Evans

I have blogged plenty about Cut For Evans, so this is a very picture heavy post! I don't actually love these photos - I had been to have my eyebrows done just before and had taken all my face make up off - booo!! But anyway, I finally got the chance to go to Evans at Marble Arch and thought I would try some of the Cut for Evans stuff on - so, here you go!

I really like the fit of the skirt and it feels like great quality! I would probably style it differently to how it was designed though, and wear it a bit shorter (see right hand picture)
The cardigan didn't suit me as much as I hoped, but I do still love it!


I love the skirt - but again, I would probably wear it shorter than it was designed.

I spoke to the staff at Evans and they said the Cut For Evans collection had gone down well - YAY! What I love about the collection is that you can style it as bold or as subtle as you like.


Do you have any Cut For Evans stuff yet?

Debz xx


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Fat Women Real Talk - Cosmo Questions... What Being A Fat Woman Is Really Like!


If you have been reading twitter, blogs or general social media over the last few days, you might have stumbled across lots of people talking the recent Cosmpolition article "What Being A Fat Woman Is Really Like". The article asked two women a set of questions about their life, dating, relationships and more and how they feel fat has affected them - it makes an interesting read! According to the general twitter-sphere, lots of people could relate to the article and it got people chatting! When Claire/ChatterMonkey suggested that bloggers should set about answering the same questions I knew straight away that I wanted to be involved! This is done as a bloggers challenge, so we're all posting them up at the same time! Be sure to check out the links below to read all of the other ladies answers. You can also check out the original Comsopolitan article here.

 How do you feel when other women around you complain about feeling/being fat? 

 Sad. Sad for them that they don't love the skin they are in, although I know that self-acceptance is a long and hard journey. I know that many people feel angry that someone smaller than them could possible complain about being fat, but I don't mind that. I get that not everyone likes their body and to many people being fat is not something that they would ever be at ease with - and that is OK! I try to tell people the things that I like about their body in the hope that a little bit of my positivity rubs off on them. Generally speaking how others feel about their body doesn't affect how I feel about mine.

 How has your body image changed since high school? College? 

 I have always been fat, but I don't think I have ever thought too negatively about it. I would say growing up that I was indifferent to my body which meant that it stayed a pretty blank canvas. I didn't hate my body but I didn't really care enough it to do anything with it. It is only over the last 5-7 years that I have come to realise that my body is something to be liked and I now pay more attention to body image, what I wear, how I look etc - which is a lovely place to be in. 


Have you tried dieting? What happened? 

 Of course... I have dieted in the past, although never fad-dieted really. Dieting is great if it works for you. It never has for me, because I don't dislike my body so I don't really have the motivation to change it. 

 Do you think in your case your weight is partly or entirely genetic? 

 No. My sister is a size 10 (and works hard for the body she has) and I am the biggest in my family. I take full responsibility for my weight and realise that my diet and lifestyle play a role in why I am the size I am. If I wanted to be a size 10 I could go to the gym every day and eat well, but I don't have the slightest inclination to do that.

 Do you consider yourself healthy? Have there been instances where people assumed you were unhealthy? 

 Yes. I would say I am healthy. Of course people assume otherwise, because fat is the demon and it is something that kills us all. I am not naive enough to think that my weight doesn't affect my health, but everyone's lifestyle affects their overall health so I am not unique in that. Generally speaking my health is good and I very rarely have to go to the doctor. *touch wood*

 Are your parents both supportive of you at the weight you're at? Have they always been? 

 Yes. They don't pressure me into anything. My life is just that, my life to live with my choices. 

 How do you think retailers can improve clothes for plus-size people? 

 I think clothing can be improved for everyone, not just plus size people. I hate that people assume that plus size is a problem, when it isn't. There are plenty of bodies that cannot find clothes to fit them perfectly - the very thin, the very tall, the very short, those with big thighs and small waists, people with broad shoulders or with bigger feet. Generally speaking I think clothing ranges need to be changed across the board. We need to recognise that people aren't designed to fit into boxed and categories and that we should offer solutions to fit them & not the other way round. 

 Do you think plus-size women are judged differently than plus-sized men are? How? 

 I guess generally speaking, women's bodies are more sexualised so our shape is paid more attention to. That said ,I don't think we can take away from the fact that men have body issues too. We can't assume that it is a female only problem, because that is not the case at all. I think women assume men are judging them for the way that they look, because women are judging but actually more often than not it is us putting pressure on ourselves rather than other people paying that much attention to what we look like.  But I do think that both genders have their problems - people judge and they don't realise the affect their words often have.


Do you think there’s an assumption made/stereotype that exists about plus-size people? How would you respond to it? 

 Yes. There is an assumption that we hate our bodies and would do anything to change. Would I like to be thinner? Yes. Do I want to change my life to be thinner? No. The assumption that I hate my body is wrong - I do not. I embrace it and I love it. I dress it up and I look after it, because it is mine and no one else's. I would be thinner only for ease of life (shopping on the high street, finding a bra that fits etc) but not because I am unhappy. 

 There is an assumption that if you are fat, something or someone put you there - a bad experience, an unhappy childhood, a deep hidden secret that you are comfort eating your way through and that is  not the case at all. I know many, many fat girls that are fat just because they are and they totally live life that way, loving every second of it. 

 Do you think there’s ever a right way or time to express concern about someone’s weight?

 Yes. When someone asks for your opinion and no other time. 

 What are the worst things people have said to you about your body? 

 To be honest with you, the insults are not very imaginative. Fatty, fat bitch, wow look at the size of her - that's about the extent of it. Are they the 'worst' things? I guess so. But when you're telling me I am fat I don't really let it bother me, because they're not really telling me anything I don't know. 


How did you respond? 

 Usually I pull people up on it. A man called me a fat bitch under his breath in a supermarket once. I stopped him and asked him very loudly why he would assume I was a bitch just by looking at me? I told him that he could ask any of my friends and they would tell him I am lovely and not a bitch at all. The shop stopped and everyone looked, but I didn't care. I am strong enough to deal with something like that but others are not, so I stand up to it when I can in the  hope that it stops that person insulting someone else in the future. 

 Do you find yourself hanging out with women who are closer to your size?

 Of course - who doesn't have friends of a variety of sizes? If you don't then you might want to look at yourself and wonder if you are shallow. I have lots of amazing friends who vary in size from a size 10 to a size 36 (estimates, I have no idea about clothes sizes) and I wouldn't have it any other way. They're all my friends for different reasons and all bring different things to my life, just the way it should be.

 How has your weight affected your sex life, if at all? 

 I wouldn't say so. Of course it affects the people who are attracted to me - but that is the same as anyone else. Their body and the way they look affects who they are attractive to, nothing out of the ordinary about that.

 When you've been single, has your weight affected your dating life?

 I could write a book about my dating life - and in fact many people tell me 
I should! I have had a very chequered past when it comes to dating, but I don't put that down to my weight at all. The world is full of weird and wonderful people, I think most of the weird ones I have either dated or they are blocked on my Plenty of Fish account. 


Do you feel weird if the guy you’re with only dates larger women? 

 Nope. Would a slim girl feel weird if a guy only dated slim women? We have to accept that men find our bodies attractive. Yes it is about personality and clicking with someone, but you have to find them attractive too - so if they like you and you're fat the chances are they like fat girls too!

 Do you feel weird if he's only dated slimmer women before you? 


 Not really. I would talk to him about his attraction to me and where it has come from. Sadly lots of men aren't comfortable dating a fat girl and wait a while to get out there and do it, so it wouldn't bother me if I was their first.


So there you have - I have a feeling a lot of my answers will be different to others but there you go. Please don't forget to check out the other ladies doing the posts too, they'll all make interesting reads!

Debz xx


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Cut For Evans - Exciting New Collection

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the Evans store at Marble Arch for the launch of their new Cut For Evans collection. You can read all about the collection on the website, but basically it was an initiative that allowed two fashion students to design their own collection. You can read all about it here.

Being just a small fish in a very big pond, I always get a little nervous at attending these events, but I had a great time. If you love big, bold prints and unapologetic splashes of colour then this collection is well and truly for you.

 There are two sides to the collection, the big, bold prints and a really funky knitwear collection (including a knitted skirt that I fell a little in love with). The collection was on display in the store and it was great to see loads of the bloggers and guests trying the items on - seeing them on bodies rather than hangers made a massive difference.


I'll be honest and say at first glance this collection isn't really 'me'. Don't get me wrong, I love the collection and I think it's amazing that Evans would take a massive leap into this, but I couldn't see anything when I looked on the website that I would wear. Now that I have seen the collection, felt the items and seen people wearing them, my views have definitely changed. I was always excited by this new Evans collection, but now I am excited because I can see how I would wear a few of the items - and I'll be investing when I get the chance for sure!

I love that plus size retailers are listening to the fact that we don't all want big tunic tops and trousers to flatter our figure. We want to stand out, we want figure hugging, fitted, bright patterns and everything that 'normal' fashion lovers want, hopefully the new Cut For Evans collection is the first step in the right direction to making this happen!


The event was great and I got to meet lots of my favourite bloggers which is always lovely!


Have you looked at the Cut For Evans collection? What are you loving about it?

 Debz xx

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Not So Mini Mouse

Yes... The typo is on purpose! I know, I am THAT funny!

 Just a very quick post today on a lovely polka dot dress I picked up in the ASOS Sale. It's currently only £13, bargain! (It seems to be out of stock upon checking, but they have the lovely navy one for only £22! http://www.asos.com/ASOS-Curve/ASOS-CURVE-Exclusive-Skater-Dress-In-Spot-Print/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2995287&WT.ac=rec_viewed)

I love the skater dress because it is a longer length - although I have tucked it up under the belt because I wanted it to be a bit shorter for the night out I was going on. I love the versatility. Teamed it up with a black belt that I picked up at the Plus London Plus Size Market for the grand old price of 50p!

I managed to do the whole of Saturday night out sober... partying and dancing til 3am. I was quite proud of myself - Dryathlon/Cancer Research you should be too! http://www.justgiving.com/Debbie-Aiken-dryathlete

 If you're looking for a dress or two for a bargain price, I really can't recommend the ASOS sale enough at the moment.

 Have you bought anything?

 Debz x

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