Mavala holla...

For years now I have been scouring the shops for the perfect peach tea nail varnish. Every time I thought I'd found it it turned out to be too safe, too muted, too pearlescent or just too plain pensioner. I came across this jackpot of a colour, Mavala's 'Sweet', in London's free women's mag Stylist, and when I read about it Elle a few weeks later I took it as a sign and started to hunt it down.

Mavala isn't a brand I'm massively familiar with, its only really stocked in John Lewis over here and they didn't have the right shade. I found a great store on eBay - Revival Beauty, and it came to a pretty respectable £6 including postage (the RRP for this brand is £3.95).



To cut a long story short, its BRILLIANT. The shade is exactly what I was looking for, it goes on perfectly and last time I had it on it lasted for eight (eight!!) days without a chip. You can even get away with just the one coat. Apart from the slight hassle of getting hold of it I would heartily recommend it. The bottles are on the small side but when do you ever use a whole bottle anyway?! Its the perfect summer polish.



(Apologies for my blurry nail photography - basically its the exact shade it appears in the bottle.)

The last straw

So, summer’s here and I want an appropriately beachy holdall.

The nude satchel I’ve been toting is great and all, but I fancy something a little more laid back for afternoons at Broadway market, and it needs to be big enough to stuff a few thin layers in, to cover up when the sun subsides.

So I’ve settled on straw. There are a few options out there, but I think my favourite is the lovely h and m shimmery holdall… shame I haven’t seen it anywhere in London…

From left to right: Cath Kidston at ASOS £30; h and m £12.99; Tesco £11.25

My lovely lady lumps

So, the number one hurdle to dressing for summer, when you're a lady who likes to lunch, is boob room.

Pretty much everything designed for dreamy sun-filled days is flimsy, spaghetti-strapped or halter, leaving large-breasted old me unsupported. So God bless the ladies at Evans for these beauties.

The retailer for women with wiggle has launched a lovely line of summer dresses with Ruby Belle, and they are perfect for picnics and summer parties.

Evans ladies, where were you last year when I spent internet hours trying to find size 14 summer dresses that would accomodate a bra?

Sadly, I think I did this look to death last year, and still have the pretty patterns to prove it, so this time, I can't allow myself to invest. But I certainly day-dream about prancing through a hazy fun fair in the beautiful checked number -- it's so Allie from The Notebook!

Do I need to offer style tips here? Probably not but I will -- team with a washed out denim jacket and strappy colourful flats on the weekend, and enjoy a comfy, breezy look, with LIFT!

The A/W2010 looks freaking awesome. Check out fatgirlslikeniceclothestoo for a preview.

I must say, I've never actually invested in Evans before; their clothes were always pretty tame and uninspiring. But ladies, this might be your year!

To the maxi

My mission for the next two weeks is to secure myself a couple of blinding jersey maxi dresses for summer.

I sadly overlooked the holy grail – a charcoal grey and peachy pink tie-die number from River Island that sold out in my size before I decided to ignore my curves and embrace the trend… I now have to watch a friend wear it – perfectly accessorised with a baby bump – throughout the summer, as I bagged her the last size 12. I know, so selfless!
So there are a couple on my radar, including the puppies above and below, all from ASOS…

The first two are in my price bracket, but I fear the somewhat empire line of the bust will not look great on your truly... but that Seneca Rising tie die beauty below is a financial long shot (getit?!) at more than £100.
Going to order the thriftier versions and will let you know how they work out, in what I’m calling ‘Project Bumskimmer’.