Black Milk Clothing x Animal Crossing

This has been a blog post I’ve been pretty excited to write and share with you considering it contains Animal Crossing related goodies!

If you don’t know by now I LOVE Animal Crossing and with the release Animal Crossing: New Horizons back in March I have been even more obsessed than usual.

I’ve also rediscovered my love of Black Milk Clothing in 2020 thanks to the Pokemon collection that came out in the summer. You can read about all the goodies I picked up from that collection here.

October 5th and less than a month after my Pokemon goodies arrived, Black Milk Clothing announced they were releasing an Animal Crossing collection and it would be released just over a week later on 13th October! I was all over it and watching my Instagram page daily for sneak peaks and reveals of what the pieces looked like that were going to be part of the collection.

I’m not going to sugar coat it… I was incredibly disappointed by the Animal Crossing collection and I know I’m not the only one either. Some of my friends and people on social media gathered to express their disappointment. It just felt like Animal Crossing was cheated, as the Pokemon collection was amazing.

At the same time though I was kind of pleased due to how much money I’d already spent on the Pokemon collection, as well as one piece I picked up from the Halloween collection as well.

I won’t moan too much about the pieces I didn’t like, but I want to be honest, which I know you guys appreciate!

The one piece that everyone commented on is the Pocket Skater Skirt that is literally the box art for New Horizons. This was in very poor taste and felt kind of… Lazy. They could have done so much more than just slapping the box art on the skirt. It reminds me of something you would buy from a knock off of Black Milk Clothing from Wish or AliExpress.

Another complaint myself and others said on social media is how the fossil stand alone design was missing from this collection, as well as constellation designs for Celeste. The latter would have been gorgeous as a skater skirt and or skater dress design. I just felt like a lot of the collection was the same prints wise and the styles they were put against was strange. One in particular being the Villagers Tie The Knot Jumpsuit. It’s just… Ugly and random and just a big ball of no from me.

I decided on three pieces I was going to buy from the collection and was super nervous when it came to the time to put my orders in. As we all know, the Pokemon collection sold out stupidly quick the first time and even the restocks sold out after a while. I prepared myself for this collection to sell out… But I didn’t need to at all. The collection is still in really good stock with only two pieces being sold out at the time of writing this post (12/12/2020).

I ordered my pieces and waited for them to arrive. I think it took a little longer for my goods to be sent out to me (and others) due to a printer breaking. I was offered a 10% discount code, which I used to buy the Sporty Stripes Hosiery 2.0. These are amazing, but I won’t be showing them off in this post.

After I ordered my pieces, I’d heard about some issues with a piece from the Halloween collection, that was similar to one of the Animal Crossing pieces I’d bought. I’ll go into that a little more later, but let’s put it this way… I was gutted to find out that one of my pieces would arrive and after being worn would have issues with it… >.<

My pieces FINALLY arrived on the 27th November and I couldn’t wait to try them on and feel a little like an Animal Crossing character! 😀

As I stated on the Pokemon post the tracking was really good! I was able to keep up with where my parcel was and more. It did give an estimated arrival, but my goods arrived a little earlier than what was suggested, which was good!

Like when I bought from the Pokemon collection, I don’t know why I wasn’t charged customs. I don’t know if it’s due to Royal Mail delivering my parcel or what. I was very lucky and I’m grateful I wasn’t stung. I find it odd though when I spent less money on my Halloween piece I was stung for £20 customs and I only bought one piece! :S

I didn’t take any photos, but the pieces I ordered arrived in perfect condition! All the pieces I bought were made in Australia and arrived in a special bag you can throw away in your compost bin and it’ll decompose. I love this idea and more brands need to do this.

Finally the time has come to share with you the pieces I picked up… But if you were aware of the collection and all the pieces that released with it, you may have realised by now just which pieces I picked up… Seeing as I posted a photo of them all together at the start of this post! xD

I just want to add here by the way that all the pieces I bought are not sold out, but may be limited in sizes OR may have sold out by the time this post goes live. As far as I’m aware the pieces I bought, once they do sell out, they aren’t making a return. There are some pieces under the Pokemon collection that WILL return (which you can see here), so make sure to sign up for restock alerts if items that aren’t LIMITED. 🙂

Sadly there are no pictures of me in the dresses as at the time of writing this post I’ve actually really badly pulled my shoulder and if I’m not in a world of pain, I’m smothered in deep heat to try and help the pain go away. I have tried my best to show off the pieces. Not going to lie, the photos aren’t the best. 😦

• K.K. Long Sleeve Oversized BFT (link)

I’ve never owned a BFT (boyfriend tee) from Black Milk Clothing and I’m not going to lie, you can definitely size down for these as they’re oversized (as it states in the name). I bought an L, which is my go to size to order from Black Milk Clothing. It’s really big but at the same time I like how baggy it is. I could get away with wearing this with leggings and tucked into mom jeans with no worries.

It’s a black tee with a massive image of K.K. Slider on the back, on his stool and with his guitar, ready to jam on a Saturday night. On the right sleeve there are yellow musical notes and on the left it says, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons“. I do wonder if they could have instead of putting the name of the game, maybe some of the pictures of the songs in the game by K.K Slider? Then on the front on the left hand side there is another image of K.K. Slider.

I do love the BFT and I know I’ll wear it loads, especially whilst working from home. The quality feels great and I know this will be loved throughout the autumn and winter and chillier days in spring and summer.

•   Nook Gingham Evil Skater Dress (link)

I love skater dresses from Black Milk Clothing and the Nook gingham one is no exception! The only thing I don’t like about it, is it doesn’t have pockets like my Eeveelution dress. The skater dresses from Black Milk Clothing are my favourite thing to buy from them. I can wear them all the time, later them up if need be and more! I can already see me wearing this dress on Christmas Eve/Day because it’s just shouting Christmassy colours to me.

As you can see the skater dress is red gingham with images of Tom, Timmy and Tommy Nook all over, as well as money bags and DIY recipe cards. I do love this, it’s such a simple but perfect design. If you know about Animal Crossing and who these characters and items are, of course you would get this straight away. However, if people don’t happen to know about Animal Crossing, it can just look like some cute raccoon/tanuki animals. I also feel like this dress would be a conversation starter for nerds alike!

Not going to lie… I’m wondering if I can get away with wearing this dress to work when I’m eventually back in the office again. I feel it would look lovely with a cream t-shirt underneath or a cream jumper over the top for colder days. I know I really want to get a new black/navy/cream boyfriend cardigan to wear with my Black Milk Clothing pieces.

There are quite a few pieces in the collection with this pattern, including short overalls and cuffed pants. I would love the latter to wear with geeky t-shirts but I don’t know if they would suit me… At the same time, I would love to grab some cuffed pants in different designs to mix up my Black Milk Collection a little too.

• Isabelle Gingham Apron Dress (link)

This is the final piece I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection and it’s one I want to talk about in a lot more detail than the other two pieces. You know I mentioned earlier in the post that one of the pieces might come with issues? It’s this piece…

So let me get the issue out of the way first. So the material the apron dresses are made out of are rubbish. If anything catches onto them, it can make a mar on he pieces and make them look frizzy/fuzzy. I’ve heard people report that wearing a seat belt causes issues, wearing a bag with a chain strap, but with the strap adjusters on the apron dresses that causes issues too, which is what has already happened to mine. I was expecting it, so I’m not too gutted, but I am at the same time too. I just really wanted a dress with this design on it. The Isabelle tartan design is my favourite from the whole collection. They did release a Pilgrim Dress and some Cuffed Shorts but I didn’t really want either (eventually I do want the cuffed shorts…). I could have cancelled my order and reordered but… Why should I?

The main issue here is that the material used for the apron dresses is a problem and Sharkies (name for Black Milk Clothing fans) have been raising it for a while now. Not only are the apron dresses affected but I know I heard of someone who faced issues with the Rainbow Garden Long Sleeve Scoop Skater Dress from the Animal Crossing collection, which is a massive shame! I thought about buying this dress as it has some of my favourite villagers on (including Cookie!) but I’m glad I didn’t know. I can deal with buying one dodgy piece, but not two.

I’ve not raised this issue with Black Milk Clothing yet, but I fully intend to soon. I wanted to raise it on my blog post because word needs to get out. There is a material that is SHITE and you should avoid it if you can. I could have cancelled my Black Milk Clothing order and just not bought the dress, but I wanted it. Why shouldn’t I have something I want because of some dodgy material?

Anyhoo, I’m FINALLY going to talk more about the dress, because it’s gorgeous and it needs to be spoken about highly too like it deserves.

I’ve never owned one of the apron dresses before and they’re… Interesting. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not used to them or what, but I’ve found it a tad awkward to wear. I have big boobs and a big bum, so trying to balance both of those factors with this dress is tricky. Plus I didn’t want to keep playing with the strap adjusters in case it damaged the dress anymore than it already has. The chest doesn’t feel covered enough for me, but then my bum won’t feel covered enough. When I eventually wear this properly I think I’m going to wear a long sleeved top underneath, or maybe even a shirt or jumper and instead of tights, I’d wear leggings due to the length of the dress.

The design on the dress is gorgeous and as I’ve already said, my favourite from the collection! It’s a green gingham with images of Isabelle, a white daisy (cosmos in Animal Crossing) and the classic Animal Crossing leaf. It’s just so perfect! In Animal Crossing: New Leaf Isabelle would wear a green gingham dress (as shown above) so this is perfect in every way, shape and form! If anything I wish they’d brought out a skater dress with this design on it! One thing I love is that this has pockets too! Pockets on dresses is definitely a way forward.

I feel like I won’t properly wear this dress until a special occasion. I could wear it New Years Eve around the house, my birthday in January or maybe anniversary in June. It’s a dress I’ll be cautious about wearing… But I won’t NOT wear it. Otherwise it’s a waste. I get why people have stopped buying the material in question that is having issues and I don’t know if I’ll buy it again.

So, those are all the pieces I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection! Although pieces are mostly limited, there are some limited and permanent pieces that I would love to pick up in the future, including – Isabelle Gingham Cuffed Shorts and Collectibles Cuffed Shorts. I’d love to wear these with sweaters and thick tights!

Overall I am really happy with the pieces I picked up from the Animal Crossing collection I do wish they’d been a bit more creative in regards to the pieces they released.

It’s a real shame to have seen the Pokemon collection do so well (it’s not on it’s SECOND restock!) and the Animal Crossing collection do so poor… It just goes to show the designs really didn’t do as well as they could have.

What do you guys think of Black Milk Clothing? Do you own any pieces by them? Are there any pieces you like the look of? In the New Year I might do a massive post showing off all of my Black Milk Clothing pieces! Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, stay safe, take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Wish List Friday – Killstar

Now I know I usually post my wish lists on a Wednesday and at the start of each month, but I decided to change it up for a change. Change is good. 😛

I was kind of stumped for what I wanted to write for today and was thinking over and over about what I wanted to get out there and then I thought, “Hey! Killstar have brought out loads of amazing stuff. I wonder if my readers would like to see what I want to buy?” and here we are. 😛

The last time I made an order with Killstar I ended up sending everything back because all the stuff I ordered was just shit. I mentioned on my March wish list here about one of the dresses I was after. For mine and Dane’s anniversary I decided to order the dress so I could wear it out for a meal and you know what? I was so disappointed. The sizing was awful, it was far too short and just shocking. I sent it back and was more annoyed that I had to pay nearly £5 to send the fucking thing back! I also ordered a belt, which was one size but that one size felt like a size 1!

I was gutted to say the least and have decided moving forward that I will either only order when there are sales or free shipping/returns from Killstar themselves, or order from someone else who always offers free shipping AND returns… Aka Kate’s Clothing.

I would like to grab some nice dresses to wear for my holiday to Japan, so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on the gorgeous pieces I’ll be showing off on my post today!

I hope you like everything I mention on this list, it will mostly be dresses to be honest with you, but I don’t have a problem with that! 😛

All images taken from the Killstar website.

• Moonscape Skater Dress (link)

I love a good skater dress and this one is simplistic and something I could wear for both personal, as well as at work. It’s a cute peter pan style with the white collar and has a gorgeous stars, moons and star signs pattern all around the bottom of the dress. This is a decent price too for Killstar. It’s a dress I would definitely love to rock with loafers for work and my Dr Martens boots for personal.

• Cathedral Skater Dress (link)

This dress is gorgeous and shouts Wednesday Addams vibes and more! I still want the Wednesday dress from Killstar, but the only problem with that is I’m not sure if it would suit me. However, I feel like the Cathedral dress would definitely be for me considering it’s a skater dress and these flatter me the most. The only problem I’m having with this dress is it looks really short on the model, as well as people who I’ve seen buy and try it on on YouTube.

• Tartan Darklands Doll Dress (link)

I love a good bit of tartan in my life and I wear it weekly through my tartan trousers. This is a “doll dress” so whilst it looks similar to the skater dress style, I think it’s a bit different all the same. As of yet I’ve not tried one of Killstar’s doll dress styles so I’m worried how this would end up looking on me. Either way though this is cute and to jazz it up a bit I’d probably wear it with fishnet tights and loafer shoes! This would definitely look cute with my rainbow cardigan. 😛 I especially love the little moon on the left hand side. (FYI I actually ordered this dress before posting this up on my blog :P)

• Darklands Doll Dress (link)

This is exactly the same as the tartan variant, but this is obviously black! The black dress has a PVC collar, whilst that tartan has a more fake leather collar. I have a dress similar to this one by Killstar already (Coven Cutie) so I feel like this would be a nicer variant that I could wear for work. The Coven Cutie dress has a zip on the chest with a crescent moon attached to the zip, which I LOVE but this dress isn’t appropriate for work sadly. I feel like this one would be. 🙂

• Amaya Skater Dress (link)

I mentioned this dress on my wish list at the start of the month and I STILL want it so badly! I’m not going to go over old ground, so I’m just going to copy and paste what I said on my August wish list… I love a good skater dress, especially one from Killstar. This is from one of their new collections, which represents Japanese school style fashions and manga/anime designs too. This is something I’d love to be able to wear for work but due to the style of the dress (mostly the back with the hanging part) I doubt that would be doable… At least not during the warmer months when I don’t need to wear a cardigan, jumper or my work fleece. I’ll be keeping my eyes on it though, this is something I’ll definitely be picking up in the future.

• Moonscape Long Sleeve Top (link)

The final item on this list is actually a top! I love everything about this top, the style, the material, the white collar on the neck and the wrists and even the moon design on the left hand side. It looks really comfortable too and this is something I would probably wear for work more than anything. I don’t think it’s something I would really wear for personal… I don’t think I have anything it would look good with. 😦

So that’s all the items I’m lusting after at the moment from Killstar. I would love to gradually pick up all of these pieces to add to my wardrobe, especially for work. I really do love wearing dresses for work as they’re comfortable and make me feel pretty!

https://prz.io/1kdxeEt0

If you like the look of anything from the Killstar website then make sure to use my 5% code next time you shop! I’ve popped the code above in bold.

Do you like Killstar as a brand? If so do you own or have anything on your wish lists from them? Let me know all in the comments!

Anyhoo I hope you’re all having a lovely Friday afternoon. I honestly cannot wait for bank holiday to start. I plan to do sweet FA. 😛

Until next time, take care all!

Wish List Wednesday – Killstar

If there is one brand I have really come to love over the past couple of months, it’s definitely Killstar! I’ve loved Killstar for almost 3 years in all fairness but I feel like only of late have I made more purchases with them. Throughout 2019 I’d love to buy even more pieces from them as I love wearing the two dresses I picked up in the sales (which you can see here) for both work, as well as in my own time after work and for my weekends off. 😀

For now though I’m going to show you guys what items Id love to pick up from Killstar soon! 😀 There will be a mixture of items from the website, obviously including clothing as well as footwear and home.

• Wednesday Addams Dress – (link)

This is a dress I’ve wanted for years and STILL I haven’t bought it yet, which sucks. 😦 I actually bought it second hand off of someone via Depop, but I ended up being scammed. Meh. So I am still on the hunt for this dress! When my size is back in stock on the store I may just take the plunge and order it. I’m sick of not having it now and would love to wear it for work, as well as meals out with Dane and friends! Can never say no to looking like Wednesdays Addams. 😛

• Hellda Knit Dress – (link)

This is a dress I wanted for a while like the Wednesday Addams dress, but the more I saw it in my wish list on the website, the less I wanted it. I thought it wouldn’t suit me, or that I already had something like it, which I doubt would be the case. So when I saw the gorgeous TheFodFairy over on YouTube showing it off on one of her latest videos, I KNEW I had to re add it to my wish list! I really want it for work in the colder weather! I do have a knitted dress just like this one, but I’ve owned it for over 5 years now so I need a much needed replacement.

• Luna High Tops – (link)

If there is one thing I DON’T NEED it’s shoes. I would love a new pair of high tops as my white DC ones have seen better days and I’ve owned them for about 10 years now. How they’re still in one piece I don’t know! I’m not quite sure what it is I love about these high tops, other than everything! I feel like they’re an awesome cross between Vans and Dr Martens, which are two of my favourite brands. I’d love some of these to wear with dresses as well as skinny fit black jeans.

• Starmap Comforter Set – (link)

I haven’t long ago discovered that this bed set exists and now I have, I REALLY want it! I have seen the price though and it hurts my soul just a little. 😛 It’s definitely a set I’m going to keep my eye on though as I really love the look of it. It’s called a comforter set because it’s really soft and fluffy, which would make it perfect for during the cold winter months! I wish it wasn’t like this though all the same, as I’d want to use this bedding all year around, of course this wouldn’t be doable during the warm summer months. As I mentioned, this isn’t cheap and although I love Killstar, £90 for some bedding is rather daft…

• Wonka Knit Sweater – (link)

Finally we have another piece of clothing and alas the last thing on this wish list! The first item I bought from Killstar was a striped jumper, which I still own and wear to this day! It’s actually the jumper I wore in the photos that TV Trev took of me (which you can see in this post). It’s a nice oversized jumper that can be worn on its own with thick leggings or some jeans. I love to wear them when relaxing with friends as well as my weekends off work. They have quite a few different colour schemes for this jumper, but I rather love the look of the purple one to be fair! I’d love to get all the different colour versions though. 😛

If there is ever a time where you finally decide to take the plunge and make a first order with Killstar, then feel free to use my unique code and save yourself 5% off your first order! 😀

What do you think of the brand Killstar and the items I’ve popped onto my wish list this evening? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

I do apologise if this is a rather short post, but I wanted to get a wish list Wednesday post up today and the first brand that came to mind to feature on here today were Killstar.

I know my blog has been a bit on the bland side lately, I’ll be talking about this on Saturday. 🙂

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely week so far!

Joanie Clothing – Review

I want to first of all say how I wanted to come up with something witty for the title of this blog post this morning, but alas I failed. This is a post I’ve wanted to write for a while now, but I’ve just recently realised what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.

Let me just warn readers, this won’t be an amazing review. It’ll be one of those honest reviews that have a mixture of positive and negative thrown in there. If it wasn’t for my recently order, I probably won’t have written this post just yet. BUT whilst I’m fresh and ready to write about this, I NEED to get it down.

I can’t remember exactly when I heard about Joanie Clothing for this first time, but I have a feeling it was around Christmas just gone and it was through someone on Instagram talking about some of their dresses and jumpers.

Recently I decided I wanted to order myself some new dresses for work and in general. I took ages researching about the company and looking at all their clothes on the website before decided on a couple of pieces.

I want to first of all explain my understanding of Joanie. NOW to my knowledge, Joanie create vintage inspired pieces for all sizes. I’ll post a part from the about us section on their website below.

From an idea first sparked in December 2015, Joanie was born out of a desire to create vintage-inspired style for the modern wardrobe, with fun, flirtation and femininity at its heart. Our brand is inspired by our Designer’s Great Aunt, Joanie; a glamorous woman who tapped and twirled her way through the fifties and sixties. She was always well-turned out with perfectly coiffed red hair and to this day, Joanie enjoys nothing more than an afternoon of tea dancing, indulging in high tea with friends, and an ice cold glass of ginger beer.

We’re passionate about making beautiful clothes, lovingly fashioned with a pinch of playfulness, a splash of quirkiness and a healthy dose of nostalgia. Whatever the occasion, our girl exudes an undeniable, effortlessly cool aesthetic and stands out from the crowd without making noise. The quintessential Joanie gal is quietly confident, witty and full of wonder – with an infectious fervour for life’s little pleasures. She wears her heart on her sleeve, is loyal to the end and prides herself on being a great friend. Believing that our look is for every body, Joanie’s pieces are always available in sizes 8-22. We are inclusive, not exclusive and celebrate individuals who know their own style; bringing them together as a united community where everyone is welcome. As a brand, we’re inspired by decades past and life’s surprising details; whether it be an intricate print on a china tea set, pretty embroidery on a collar or the pastel washed houses lining sea front villages on the Italian Riviera.

Joanie delivers the perfect antidote to run-of-the-mill fashion with a fun, youthful take on the vintage look, underpinned by timeless feminine silhouettes. With ranges of stand-out dresses, printed tops, cute skirts, novelty knits and unique accessories dropping regularly online, there’s always something new to be captivated by and covet. As Great Aunt Joanie would say, “that’s champion!”

I love what Joanie is about, I really do but as you’ll read in my review. Meh… You’ll see.

I decided to order two dresses from Joanie after much research via Google searches, Instagram posts and even asking a couple of bloggers on Twitter.

One of dresses was the Zooey Floral Collar Dress and the Calista Geometric Bee Print Dress.

The Zooey dress I grabbed in their sale and the Calista dress I got 10% off due to this being my first order from Joanie. I was chuffed by my discounts and savings and couldn’t wait for both the dresses to arrive! I had read on a blog post how the Zooey dresses can pull and gape a little across the bust, which was annoying to read but I hoped for the best!

When the dresses finally arrived I was so excited to get them out of the bag and try them on! The parcel arrived quite quickly and I saved money off of my postage due to ordering over £60, otherwise it’s £4.00 postage.

Dane came upstairs to look at the dresses as I tried them on and I am so glad he was there as a second pair of eyes. When I ordered the dresses he helped me decide. He loved the red Zooey dress I ordered, but hated the Calista Bee one. I loved them both, of course.

Image taken from Joanie Clothing

Image taken from Joanie Clothing

I tried the red Zooey dress on first, which I ordered a size up of as they didn’t have my own size left. I was incredibly disappointed by this dress for various reasons, which I also stated on my review of this dress on their website. I was sad to learn that what bloggers has been complaining about online, happened to be true. Due to it being a size too big I had no issues putting the dress on, but when it came to moving about in it, it was just a no no. The bust area of the dress is closed by buttons and I only moved a fraction and ALL the buttons popped open at the same time. I tried this over and over again to make sure it wasn’t just the once, it happened all 3-5 times I tested this out. My bust isn’t the smallest, but it also isn’t the biggest either so the fact the dress was a size up and this was occurring, I was really disappointed. Not only this, the dress made me look MASSIVE. It sat on my hips and it made me look like I was 3 sizes bigger than I actually am. It really did knock my confidence. Thankfully I had Dane there to encourage me and make me feel better.

Sadly this dress was sent back for a refund, which Joanie were really quick to sort out. You just get a receipt when you take the parcel to the Post Office to keep as proof of you sending it back. Joanie don’t offer exchanges, only refunds but this doesn’t stop you from just re ordering another size, or even a totally different dress.

Then it was time to try on the Calista Bee dress. This was gorgeous and I fell in love with it as soon as I put it on. This dress scream 70’s to me, which is a style I absolutely adore. The fit of this dress is comfortable and yet glamorous. The length is perfect and goes right to the knee and depending on your height, even past it. I did worry about the buttons on the bust due to the issue I had with the red Zooey dress, but I didn’t have any issues… At first, but I’ll go into that in a while. This dress is a perfect cross between a mini and a maxi dress and is perfect for spring, summer and autumn!

Since buying that dress however, I have encountered some issues! The first time I wore it was during a shift at work. I got nothing but compliments on it and I loved it so much! Later that day I wore it out for a shopping evening with one of my friends and sadly that is when I encountered some issues. The buttons started to pop open, but thankfully I had my coat on over the top so no one would have known apart from myself. I got home and find all the buttons undone, which I knew was the case anyway.

I went to wear this dress again for mine and Dane’s date night last week when we went to see Deadpool 2 and sadly I couldn’t even get out of the house in this dress without all the buttons popping undone with any sudden movements I made. I was so angry and flustered. What the fuck had happened in such a short space of time?!

I’ve now bought some safety pins to use to keep the buttons closed and sadly I haven’t given this a go yet, but I’m pissed off that I HAVE to do this. I could send the dress back, but I kind of love it too much to do that to it. I’ll make it work, but my point is I shouldn’t have to.

Image taken from Joanie Clothing

Image taken from Joanie Clothing

This didn’t put me off however and about a month later I found myself making another order from Joanie for a dress I’d had my eye on since my first order! I had a 20% discount code so I decided to use this. I ended up ordering the Gogo Blue Floral Dress which reminded me of the 70’s yet again. It looked a perfect summer dress and I thought how lovely it would look for a wedding I’m going to at the start of July. Again, like the previous order I’d made I was SUPER excited for the dress to arrive.

The first thing I did when I got home from work was open the package and get the dress out to try. I was a bit taken back when I took it out of the packaging and held it in my hands and felt how thick and heavy the dress was. Considering it’s meant to be a summer dress, it didn’t exactly feel like it. Oh man, I had so many issues with this dress and I knew straight away it was going to be sent back.

As you’ll see from the image, this is a long sleeved dress, which I knew I was buying but come on Joanie, a thick material for a summer dress with long sleeves? Really?!

Like the red Zooey dress, this dress made me look bigger than I actually am, as it hung on my hips and made me look really wide. It just made me feel horrible to wear due to the thick material too. Due to how warm it has been lately when I tried this on I felt like I couldn’t breathe due to how hot I was, I couldn’t wait to get it off due to that alone.

Now I didn’t realise that this was a wrap around style dress, I thought it was a V neck style. Oh how wrong I was. I didn’t think it would be a problem though when I put it on, but in actual fact it was awful! My chest was constantly on show and if it wasn’t that, the dress was folding over itself and instead of showing off the gorgeous floral pattern, it was showing the white material that’s obviously inside the dress. Not good.

Due to the band bit where the tie at the back of the dress is, the zip struggled to do up and undo and I was worried this was due to me not fitting into the dress, but when I asked Dane for help, he confirmed that it was the dress itself as he could see that the dress fit me fine. If I had of been on my own I wouldn’t have been able to do or undo the dress.

This dress was just such a disappointment and I had such high expectations for it. I’m quite gutted and this is the dress that has put me off ordering from Joanie Clothing anytime soon, if ever again. This was send back the next day.

I cannot tell you how incredibly disappointed I am about the two dresses I’ve had issues with. I haven’t been feeling too confident about my body and my weight recently, so of course you order a dress or two to cheer yourself up. You know, retail therapy and all that shit. So when they turn up and make you feel WORSE than you already did. It sucks. I know this isn’t Joanie’s fault by the way. Their dress styles are gorgeous and something different that I fell in love with, BUT they aren’t designing with larger busted women in mind and I think that’s pretty shit. I also think the pockets that they include into some of their dress styles cause the issues of dresses hanging funny on hips and making people look bigger than they actually are. I assume this much because my Bee dress doesn’t have pockets and I haven’t found this issue. Plus the buttons they use on some of their dresses are complete shite, yes I said shite and I don’t care. You’re paying almost £40 for a dress, I expect the buttons to at least stay done up all day!

I’ve read on the website on reviews for certain dresses that it isn’t just me who has had issues with the style and cut of Joanie’s dresses, others have had similar if not exactly the same problems.

I’m not meaning to bash Joanie Clothing in this post, but merely highlight the good and the bad things about the clothing. I like to think I’m “real” on my blog and talk about both good and bad things I’ve used/worn from lipstick, clothing and even customer service!

I really hope you enjoyed my post today however. I’m sure I’ll give Joanie Clothing another go in the future, but I doubt it’ll be dresses.

Have you shopped with Joanie Clothing before? If so, how were their dresses for you? Make sure to let me know in the comments!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having an awesome bank holiday weekend!

Wish List Wednesday – Joanie Clothing

Oh man, I don’t feel like I’ve done a wish list Wednesday post for the longest time… *looks* Nope I haven’t done one since towards the end of November (which you can read here if you want to) which is probably due to have zero money… Not that I have free spending money now. 😛

Ages ago through a blogger I discovered Joanie Clothing and recently I’ve been looking into the brand again to buy myself some nice dresses for work. Over the weekend I ordered myself a couple and I AM EXCITED to get them! I’m just hoping they fit well for how much they cost to be honest. I’m kind of fed up of buying dresses off of the high street and not lasting very long.

I decided it would be a good time to do a with list Wednesday post and why not do it about Joanie Clothing?!

As with all my wish list Wednesday posts, I’ll talk about each item in enough detail as I’m happy with.

So, on with the wish list! 😀

• Martha Cat Print Dress (link)

I actually saw this dress second hand on eBay, which I wanted to pick up but sadly I didn’t get to it in time and missed out. Due to this I was going to pop it into my basket when I made my order as it’s currently on sale, but left it due to it being on eBay. This is a gorgeous blue dress with kitty faces all over. I especially love the collar, I’m always a sucker for stuff like this. This would for sure be lovely to wear for work, as well as in general for weekends out with Dane in the sunshine with a chunky cardigan over the top. My main worry with the dress is sizing on the bust area, I’ve seen some fellow bloggers review and post about this dress online and I’ve seen gaping across the bust area… BIG NO NO!

• Zooey Swan Collar Dress – Pink (link)

I’ve ordered one of the Zooey style dresses in the sale and honestly I am in love with the style of this dress! They have quite a few different colours, but I really love this peachy pink shade the most. It’s just very spring/summer looking and is definitely the sort of colour I need for my wardrobe! In all honestly though, I also love the blue version (which you can see here) and I think deep down I would feel more comfortable wearing this one. But who knows, we shall see! 😛

• Edith Scallop Stripe Tee – Yellow (link)

I’m always after some short sleeves t-shirts when it comes to work to wear with both skirts and trousers. This tee is so adorable and would go with my hounds tooth and checked trousers so well, especially throughout the spring, summer and autumn months. The only thing I don’t like about this tee is the price. It’s pretty expensive for what it is and in all honesty I could grab something similar if not the same for a much cheaper price on the high street.

• Martie Navy Stripe Shirt Dress – (link)

I’m partial to a nice striped dress and t-shirt every now and again and this dress would be great as an all year one to wear on weekends off and at work. I love the colours of it but I mostly like how the stripes are horizontal across the top part and vertical at the bottom. It makes a nice change from stripes just being in one direction… If that makes sense? 😛

• Clara Polka Dot Dress – (link)

Alongside stripes, I also love spotty dresses! This navy dress with white spots and peter pan collar is adorable and one that can be worn anytime of year! It also has pockets, which is what I like to hear when it comes to dresses! I’m a massive fan of peter pan style dresses, especially skater dresses too, which is what this is. It’d look adorable with a black or burgundy cardigan and some brown brogues in the summer.

• Gogo Blue Floral Dress – (link)

This is the last item on this wish list and one I’ve ummed and ahhed about for a while as to whether to add to this list or not. I just had to thought. It’s such a 70’s inspired dress and I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about that time that I love and wish I could go back in time to enjoy. I especially love the fashion styles and prints from then and this dress just shouts 70’s summers in the UK and discotheques! This dress seems to nice to wear in general, but I’d totally rock it whenever possible. The print just looks so cheerful and uplifting. The perfect dress for a Monday morning when you need a pick me up, or a Friday shift before the weekend strikes!

So that was my wish list Wednesday about Joanie Clothing! As I write this I am incredibly gutted that I missed my parcel with my Joanie Clothing goodies in. I’ll now have to wait until tomorrow morning to pick said parcel up on my way to work and try them on when I get home. MEH!

I’m hoping the two dresses I bought are okay… I plan to write a post about what I bought, as well as a review of the company themselves!

Do you like Joanie Clothing? If so which piece(s) do you own? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having an amazing week so far!

Swing & Smock Dresses Wish List

I won’t lie, I used to HATE swing and smock dresses when they first hit the shops. I thought they looked unshapely and caused anyone who wore them to look pregnant. However after seeing a couple of fashion bloggers posting about them I came to realise that maybe they weren’t all that bad and in some ways they were actually flattering.

For my 24th birthday (at the start of this month) my Mom asked if I would like any clothes for my birthday and I had a look at what was out there. I ended up ordering a pair of boyfriend jeans, some new DC trainers and a Fearne Cotton swing dress. I worried that upon trying it on when it arrived that it would make me look bigger than I actually am… Or as if I was carrying a small person inside my belly but instead it was rather flattering and both my Mom and my boyfriend said how lovely it looked.

Since then I have been HOOKED and have my eye on a lot of these dresses now to buy myself as a treat or even when my spending ban in over as I hope they will all be in sales by then!

So I thought I would share with you the dresses I’ve spotted!

There are five dresses in total that I’ll be talking about and each is different in all sorts of ways. I’ll be going from left to right, starting on the top row and then going onto the bottom row. I’ll be linking to each dress anyhoo so if you get confused on which dress I’m talking about, just click on the link!

• Boohoo Ella Tartan Collar Smock Dress – £18.00.

I love tartan, no matter what time of year and as I usually go for the standard red, it’s nice to mix it up a bit with some blue and green in there. This one has some blue and red going on, which I really like! It’s a long-sleeved smock dress with a cute black collar around the neck. This would be lovely to wear during the day if I’m going out somewhere nice and then onto the evening if I was out for a meal or at the pub with my boyfriend and/or with some friends. I think this would even work well during the summer as it doesn’t look like a thick dress, so I’d make sure to wear this with some thick tights, a wooly cardigan (hell, maybe even a jumper!) and my chelsea boots. £18.00 for this is a real bargain and that’s why I love Boohoo so much!

• ASOS Smock Dress With Cute Fox – £28.00.

This out of all the dresses on this list is the most expensive one, but it’s also damn cute! As you’ll know if you’re a regular reader of my blog, I LOVE foxes, so much so of late that I’m tempted to get one tattooed on my body… But I’m going off topic! Every now and again I shall search my favourite (*cough* all) clothing shops for fox related garments and I usually find one thing that I like the look of. I’ve seen a few things on ASOS that I like the look of in regards to foxes, but this one is the most affordable. It’s a nice dark olive-green shade with cute little foxes all over it, so cute! This would look so nice for the autumn and winter with my brown houndstooth coat, some thick tights, possible a grey cardigan and some chelsea boots, or maybe a pair of flats. This isn’t the highest on my wish list, but that’s due to the price, as I’m trying to save money! 😛

• Matalan Floral Print Long Sleeve Swing Dress – £12.00.

I rarely look in or online Matalan for clothes as it’s not that I dislike them, but I often forget they exist, only remembering when someone tells me how they’ve gone there recently for some clothes. Then I’m usually told how they grab bargains and how Matalan are better than Primark for the same prices. So I thought I’d have a mooch on their website and one of the first things I spotted, I knew I had to have! It’s a gorgeous black swing dress with pink and purple floral print. This will be perfect for when spring is back upon us again and I’d be wearing it with a grey cardigan, thick tights and my good ol’ chelsea boots! As this is a jersey fabric it’d be nice and warm so I could even wear this throughout the rest of winter whilst the weathers a bit nippy! I’d wear this dress for all sorts of occasions, both day and in the evenings. I’m really loving long-sleeved dresses at the moment and this one right now is number one on my wish list. I know I’m on a spending ban but after I’ve finished writing this post I’m actually popping over to Matalan to possibly pick this up… I’m naughty, I know but come on, it’s only £12!!!

• New Look Cameo Rose Red Tartan Check Swing Dress – £17.99.

I have to add with this dress that I wouldn’t wear it the way it is shown on the picture. It’s WAY TOO COLD to wear this with nothing underneath so I would ensure to pop a white or black long-sleeved t-shirt underneath this to give it a more grunge/punk look to it. As it looks quite short on the model on New Look’s website, I’d probably wear this with some shorts underneath to keep my dignity but of course if this wasn’t too short I would wear it with some nice thick leggings and some flats. I’d keep it nice and simple! I’d probably wear this loads during the summer time, as if it got too warm I could just take the t-shirt from underneath off. This is at the bottom of my wish list to be fair, as I’m not a huge fan of it but I like the idea of wearing it with a t-shirt underneath, as that look is rather cute, if I do say so myself.

• Boohoo Lily Daisy Collar Smock Dress – £15.00.

This dress is number 2 on my wish list and I’ve been so tempted to order it this weekend, as Boohoo currently have 20% off all their dresses until tomorrow! This dress just reminds me of when I was little and the style of dress my Mom would have dressed me up in for parties and such. I probably did own a dress like this as a toddler and if I ever find I have a little girl, I want to put her in a dress like this! It has a gorgeous daisy pattern on it, making it the perfect floral dress and it’s finished off with a gorgeous black collar around the neck. This dress would be beautiful with a jumper thrown over the top of it and it would keep you toasty and warm during the rest of the winter month. This is a dress you can wear all year-long and I’m probably going to end up ordering it whilst I can save some pennies! I’d wear this to death with some thick tights, my chelsea boots, a jumper and my red duffle coat.

So those were my choices for my shift and smock dress wish list!

What do you think about shift and smock dresses? Yay or nay? Let me know what you think in the comments down below!

Well I’m off now to go and see if I can find that dress in Matalan… And maybe order the Boohoo dress while I’m at it!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend!

Black Milk Clothing Wish List

Image taken from blog.slangmag.com

This post has been a long time coming! To be exact since I first started my blog 2 years ago! Crazy huh?!

Ever since finding out about Black Milk Clothing back on a forum I used in 2011, I’ve been craving a pair of their leggings ever since! However they are pricey starting at $70.00 Australian dollars (£37.44) and the most expensive pair I can see on their store right now being $90.00 Australian Dollars (£48.14).

The thought of paying these prices for a pair of leggings somewhat makes my nose bleed, but at the same time if you haven’t seen a pair of Black Milk Leggings, you need to, as soon as possible! These are some crappy garments you can pick up from your local market, oh no! Each garment you buy from Black Milk Clothing is made for you and will be made of a thick material with an amazing print on.

I’m pretty sure if you’re reading this, you’ve heard of Black Milk Clothing and I’m just rambling on. 😛

AND whilst I don’t have the funds (plus the fact I’m on a much-needed spending ban!) necessary to buy any Black Milk Clothing garments, I thought I would share with you what I would buy if I did however possess this sort of money, so without leaving it for another year to be written and posted about, let me show you my wish list!

Black Milk Clothing are pretty cool and as well as having some pieces they thought up ideas for themselves, they’ve also taken popular TV shows, films, artists, etc to use to make some amazing pieces!

Adventure Time Collection.

As regular readers of my blog will know, I LOVE Adventure Time, so when Black Milk Clothing announced before Christmas that they would have a collection dedicated to the show coming out, I jumped in happiness! However my heart broke when I looked at the prices, however I am DETERMINED to get a piece from this collection in the (hopefully) near future.

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

Lumpy Space Princess Leggings – $85.00 AUD.

I love Lumpy Space Princess, she’s by far my favourite in Adventure Time and I just couldn’t say no to these leggings when I saw them up for sale, as well as another piece which I will soon be showing you. I’ve always wanted a pair (or two) of Black Milk Clothing’s leggings and these are just funky! I’d wear them with a long black t-shirt or a just a nerdy t-shirt like my new Pokemon related one, which I shall be showing you all soon enough! Sadly these leggings aren’t cheap and at $85.00 AUD I’ll have to wait quite a while until I can afford them. *sigh*

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

Bro Hug GFT – $60.00 AUD.

This is probably my most affordable item from Black Milk Clothing and it’s this amazing t-shirt with Jake and Finn on it! I mean look how amazing it is, come on! I love how Jake can change into anything he wants, it’s so cool and amazing and all thanks to a muddy puddle when he was a puppy. This just looks so cute the way he’s cuddling with Finn and in a corny way it reminds me of me and my boyfriend, who is the most cuddly person ever! I’d wear this with everything and anything so that $60.00 AUD would soon pay for itself!

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

Lumpy Space Princess Reversible Skater Dress – $95.00 AUD.

The dresses from Black Milk Clothing have always astonished me and this one is just pure amazing and fills me with joy! But when I see the price of it, my heart breaks… It’s so damn expensive! I love skater dresses, they flatter my figure beautifully and this one would be a joy to wear out in the evening to gigs or for a night out with friends, but for how much I would be paying for it, I’d end up being far too scared to even wear it! This isn’t my most wanted item in the Adventure Time collection, but I wouldn’t say no if I had the cash to waste! PLUS it’s reversible so you’re getting two dresses for the price of one. 😉

Leggings, Dresses & Shorts.

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

Mermaid Chameleon Leggings – $80.00 AUD.

I have wanted these leggings ever since they came out and for a while but in a purple shade, but those have since been discontinued and when I spotted someone wearing these on my Instagram I thought how gorgeous they looked. They also have these in a light blue shade, multicolored jelly beans, a musk shade and a bright blue shade.

They’ve had quite a lot of mermaid related pieces on the website which are not discontinued, such as a Reverse Dress, Cap Sleeve Bodysuit, Skirt, Catsuit, Silver Leggings (which are gorgeous!), Crop Top, Purple Leggings (my number one wish list item!) and finally Merman Leggings.

I love any aspects to do with water and I’m not a hipster girl who wishes she was a mermaid, I just love water. It’s gorgeous to look at, I enjoy drinking it and although I don’t do it as much anymore, I do really enjoy going for a swim if I get the chance to. A lot of my writing involves water into it in some way or another, to the point I created an evil based water character in one of my novels in 2012.

I would wear these leggings to death and if I ever get the chance to buy a pair of the Mermaid Leggings, I’ll be grabbing them with both hands, VERY tightly and shouting, “PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!”

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

Artoo Dress – $95.00 AUD.

Okay I have wanted one of Black Milk Clothing’s R2D2 Swimsuits or Dresses for a long, LONG time but for how much they are, I don’t think I could even pay that much for something I probably wouldn’t wear that often. But this is a wish list, I’m allowed to wish if I want to!

I’m such a nerd, as many of you probably know or have at least realised by now I’m a massive NERD and love anything any typical nerd will like. I’m the type of nerd that as soon as I venture into a Forbidden Planet I want to buy most of the store… This doesn’t include Dr Who, Harry Potter or Supernatural btw… Although Harry Potter is cool!

My brother is a huge Star Wars fan, so when Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace came out in 1999 he threw everything Star Wars related at me and although I had watched the films that came out years before this one, I fell in love with R2D2 with this film and since then whenever I see anything R2D2 related I want it for a majority of the time… So much so I’m trying to get myself a cheap (but official) R2D2 case for my iPhone 5.

So to walk around wearing an R2D2 t-shirt, vest, dress, etc I would feel awesome and more nerdy than I feel when I wear my Pokemon and Star Wars t-shirts right now.

BUT for how much this costs, it’s definitely just an item I will wish and never buy as for what it is, it’s bloody expensive.

Image taken from blackmilkclothing.com

The Awesome Shorties – $50.00 AUD.

This is probably the cheapest item on this wish list, as well as the last item. I love a good pair of shorts to wear throughout the year and these would be worn a lot and at £26.74 these are well worth the money! That doesn’t include shipping btw. 😛

They’re gorgeous black shorts with a pretty cut out pattern at the bottom. I’d tuck a geeky t-shirt or a baggy t-shirt into these to wear during the summer with my spiked flats or even my Chelsea boots.

If these are still available in the summer and I have the cash to splash, I could see me buying these! They’re just a standard pair of shorts which can be worn all year around with anything and everything!

So that was my Black Milk Clothing wish list! There are so many more products I would love, but sadly they’re all discontinued, which is sad times.

Do you like Black Milk Clothing? If not, why not? Do you own any Black Milk Clothing pieces? If so which pieces do you own or what pieces are on your wish list? Let me know your answers in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all!

Win £200 to spend at Chi Chi!!!

etailPR are holding an amazing new blogger competition for a lucky beauty blogger to win a £200 voucher to spend at Chi Chi.

With only one day to go, I thought I’d give it a go myself, as well as encourage fellow beauty bloggers to give it a go!

Like the sound of this competition? Well it doesn’t take long to enter, I’m going to tell you just how to go about it yourselves at the end of this post!

1. Krista Dress – £39.99.

2. Jana Dress – Was £49.99, now £22.99.

3. Gala Dress – £44.99.

I looked at all the dresses on Chi Chi’s website and I found myself more drawn and attracted to these three dresses than any of the others on the website. Coming in at £107.97 altogether, I would use the £200 voucher to buy these, that’s if I’m lucky enough to win the voucher! I love their new autumn and winter collections and especially love their maxi dresses, they’re so elegant and gorgeous. The Krista Dress would be perfect teamed up with some spiked flats and a spiked biker jacket to match to give it that edgy rocker feel. I really love the red of the Jana Dress and this would be perfect to wear on evenings out with friends with some wedges and a cute little shrug over the top. The Gala Dress would be worn on nights out with heels and a blazer to smarten it up, I’d add a neon pink clutch with it to clash against the pretty pastel pink skirt on the dress. I love all of these dresses for different occasions and I know I would wear them all to death, especially the Krista Dress.

Now, onto how you can try for this competition yourself!

Create a wishlist style post of your favourite Chi Chi pieces.

Your wishlist can include as many items as you like, we’d just like to see your favourites! The wishlist does not have to equal £200.

In your post you need to link to the Chi Chi website using this link: http://bit.ly/14o2Z8b

Also link back to etailPR’s original blog post, which you can find here.

Once your post is live, please email the link to bloggers@etailpr.com.

And hey presto! You’ve entered yourself into the competition!

Please make sure to email your entry over by 5pm on Wednesday 21st August, otherwise your entry won’t be counted! The winner will be announced on Thursday 22nd August.

If you wish to find out more about this competition then please head over to etailPR’s blog!

Good luck everyone, may the best man… I mean beauty blogger win. 😉