Some people may be able to pull off double denim, but as you are probably well aware, i’m just not a fan of denim. I am however a lover of all things sparkily & glittery. This weeks Aussie Curves theme is Sequins, so here I am rocking several selected sequin separates! 

Yeah, this top is a little tongue in cheek, but I could not resist it. It amuses me to no end for a few reasons. When I was in my teens I had 2 similar tees that I’d wear often. One read “Sorry I missed church, I was busy practicing witchcraft & becoming a lesbian”, the other “I found Jesus, he was behind the sofa the whole time”. Ah, the teenage years. I no longer poke fun at religion, but I do enjoy a funny tee.

Not to mention, some slight VBO! I love this skirt & I knew as soon as it arrived I’d use it for sequins week, but I don’t think I’ll be the only one wearing it!

Shirt – Unif | Jacket – Crossroads | Skirt – ASOS | Shoes – ASOS | Necklace – Colette
Eyeliner – Lime Crime Uniliner in Lazuli

Depression often leaves me wanting to never leave the comfort of my bed, let alone the comfort of my pajamas  but life goes on, and sometimes the simple act of getting up and getting dressed can make you feel a little better. It’s all about comfort though, I don’t want to get frocked up, I want to still feel like i’m in my pajamas, but be more presentable.

Oh yes. I am wearing leggings as pants! I’d been lusting after these beauties by Harlow for awhile now, and in a moment of weakness I ordered them. I’m glad I did, they are SO comfy! I ordered the size L and I probably should have gone for the M, but i’m kind of in love with how comfy they are being just slightly too big. But I thought i’d mention sizing in case you want to buy yourself a pair.

When this jumper first came up on ASOS I let out squees of glee, SO CUTE! I ended up buying it was a $50 voucher I had. I think this will be getting a lot of wear in winter because it’s SO warm. I was actually surprised about the quality of the jumper actually, I mean, I love ASOS, but for $50 I wasn’t expecting something so thick, warm and lush!

Jumper – ASOS | Leggings – Harlow | Boots – Betts

Do you have any ‘go to’ comfort clothing?

May is BPD Awareness month. It’s oddly fitting that I seem to be in a black hole of depression at the moment.

I’ve talked about my mental health a few times on the blog, I sometimes worry if I share too much, but when I get an email from a reader thanking me for being open about it, I know I’ve done the right thing. Mental illness has a certain stigma attached to it. It often makes people automatically think i’m crazy, bad, insane, and hey, to some I might be, but that’s not all I am. Everyone has layers.

I struggle a hell of a lot. I understand that a lot of people do, I know that there are people out there that have worse lives then I do, and I actually feel guilty about it. I hate that most of the time I find just living hard. It frustrates me that I have problems, that I get anxiety and I can’t live a full life. That I can’t go out and catch a bus, that I can’t have a full time job, that I can’t go to the movies by myself, meet new people, the stuff most people take for granted every day.

I’ve been seeing councilors, therapists, psychs, since I was around 10. I was diagnosed with depression, then Bipolar, then that was changed to Borderline. I feel lucky in many ways that I’ve learnt from a young age many coping mechanisms. It’s what has let me come so far. At one stage my Mum told me she didn’t think I’d make it to 18 I was so badly depressed. I’ve always felt a bit different, more, I dunno, MORE. I used to wake my parents up every night until I was around 10, just to make sure they were ok. I’ve always felt scared.

I’ve pushed through many things. I used to self injure, almost every day. I don’t anymore. I sometimes slip up, but I sometimes go over a year without hurting myself. I’ve learnt to recognise my emotions and try to rationalise them. I’m often telling myself “It may FEEL like the end of the world Natalie, but it’s not”.

While it was good knowing what was wrong with me, in regards to getting the right help, it’s hard having a ‘label’ thrust upon you. I don’t have all the symptoms they list and that is always something to remember, every person has their own special concoction of illness. I am not an angry person, at all, I will go out of my way to make others happy, to the point of making myself miserable. One of the big criteria is ‘reckless behavior’, and on a list with things like, substance abuse, reckless driving, promiscuous sex, my main ‘reckless’ areas lay in spending and binge eating.

The statistic that scares me the most is the suicide rate. 10% of people with BPD will commit suicide, it’s the mental illness with the highest suicide rate. 70% of people with BPD will at least try. So if you put 10 people in a room, 7 of them will have tried, and one will be successful. I am one of those 7, but I will NOT be that 1.

If you ever feel suicidal, or suffer from depression, don’t be afraid to get help. It’s hard to reach out, but please do. There are many specialised groups, lifelines etc in most countries & are easy to look up online. Don’t be afraid to try medication either, for some people one pill can help a simple chemical imbalance in the brain. Also, don’t forget that you are never alone.

Sunday was Mothers Day here in Australia! Yay! I hope all the mothers who read this blog had a great day!

I was awoken by Tonka meowing at me, and then Frodo coming up and giving me kisses. It’s a bit of a daily ritual that when I wake up we all play in bed for awhile before I get up.

 Mum decided she wanted to go for a little drive and look at the markets at a near by winery.I’m loving living just this little further ‘out’ from the city. You can drive 15 minutes and be in the middle of bare land, grazing cows, goats, horses. I’m so at peace when i’m near nature.

We visited Vicary’s Winery, were we looked at the markets, watched the Thomas the Tank train carry laughing children around and around, and then I went & tried the Port! I don’t like wine, but I do enjoy Port. I tested 4 different kinds and picked the 75th Anniversary one as my favourite, which my Dad then bought me as a Mothers day present from Frodo and Tonka.

We then continued on our drive and stopped by the Warragamba Markets, and then on to one of the viewing platforms to have a look out at Warragamba Dam. It’s been soooooo long since I remember going, it’s changed so much. Well, not the dam itself, but all the surrounding areas.

I’ve been struggling with my depression and I’ve really been just going for ‘comfort clothing’. I seem to have made a uniform of body con dress/ sheer tunic over the top / boots.

Once a tree hugger, always a tree hugger!

This weeks Aussie Curves theme is “LEATHER”. I don’t really own many things that are real leather, I much prefer faux leather. The only item that I could think of that I knew 100% was leather are my UNIF hellraisers. So I decided to just do my outfit with faux leather / pleather.

These stockings, along with another pair that i’ll show another time were sent to me from Donatellas. I love them, this is actually the 2nd time i’ve worn them. They are really comfortable. Take note of the sizing though, these are the XXXL and wouldn’t fit anyone with thighs much bigger then mine comfortably. I’m actually going to order THESE next pay.

I probably wear this Sportsgirl necklace WAY too much. It’s one of those necklaces that just seems to go with everything, I always seem to be throwing it in. I’m loving that it’s starting to get cooler so I can start wearing my boots again!

Top – City Chic | Skirt – New Look | Stockings – c/o Donatellas
Boots – Payless Shoes | Necklace – Sportsgirl

It’s weird, I like to think of this blog as a ‘body acceptance’ blog, I’m fat, I like who I am & I don’t have too many body issues. I am me. Yet I still find it hard to embrace the VBO*. I see Rachele rocking hers and I think “damn she looks amazing!”. I’m scared, I’ve been layering my body con dresses, i’m taking baby steps.

I actually debated sharing these photos, but after looking at them a couple of times, and seeing all the amazing ladies who do rock VBO I decided to just go for it. I’ve shown off my belly in a crop top and underwear (here), why can’t  I do it in a tight dress? I felt good, I think I looked pretty good & if anyone can accept seeing my belly, I’m sure it’s people who read my blog.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who dresses up now and then to try on new outfits? I didn’t go out wearing this, I just wanted to figure out some styling options for my new Galaxy Cape! Yes! I AM IN LOVE! It’s reversabe, one side black, the other an awesome galaxy print. It also has a hood!

I kind of feel like some kind of superhero wearing it! It is so swishy and the motion it makes when you walk. I can just imagine someone wearing it in a movie, they walk in slow motion and it just billows out behind them. Yep. Love.

Dress – Suzanne Grae | Cape – Black Milk | Shoes – Wanted | Body Harness – Made by me

 *VBO - Visible Belly Outline

This weeks Aussie Curves theme is ‘Time Saver’. I have two go to dresses when I’m in a rush. You’ve seen the other one before HERE, so I thought I’d show off my 2nd favourite.

This dress is super comfy! Because of the style, it makes my hips look a little larger, but it helps create the illusion of curves. I’m very straight up and down, so I like that!

It’s starting to get colder so I threw on a cropped cardi, however I ended up wearing sandals. I’m trying to get as much wear out of all my open shoes as much as I can before I have to start keeping them warm. You can just make out the slight tan marks from my holiday.

I don’t wear make up most days, so that is a time saver in itself! Generally my make up routine is mascara, lip balm & a little brow zing.

Dress – Katies (Size 2xl) | Cardi – Some cheap store in Adelaide | Shoes – ASOS | Necklace – c/o Nicole Fendel

Lillian Cardigan | Anna Tee | Andrea Blouse | Ashley Tunic | Jenna Cardigan

The above items are available to a US 4x (26w) and often in a few different colourways. Like your leopard print cardi with orange instead of black? They do it!

Given the chance to pick what I’d feel most comfortable in, I’d choose a dress. I’m a dress a wearer. I love the fact you can dress them up or down to the occasion. You can wear it alone in the summer, or add some stocking & a jacket in winter. At the moment, I’m in love with the range available from Spiegel.

Mallory | Melanie | Isabella | Sequin Stripe | Faux Leather Shift | Knot waist 

 They have some really on trend designs at the moment. The structured shoulders of the Mallory dress, the very popular shirt dress combo in the Isabella dress. Faux leather, yep & don’t forget about some brilliant colours!

The dresses above are from the straight sized section, which some items go up to US 18 (Australian 22).

Which dress would you choose?

This is a sponsored post.

• THE ULTIMATE BIRTHDAY PACKAGE!! Return tickets to my spiritual homeland, aka New Zealand, to attend the Armageddon Expo with the “You shall not pass” Hobbit tickets. Accommodation for a week. Visits to Weta and some Lord of the Rings tours. Also getting to meet Ezmae! (Optional extras I would not say NO to would include a night with Richard Armitage or Dean O’Gorman).
• Zana Bayne Leather | ZB stuff  has appeared on my wishlist a few times. I’ve been following Zana online for years and it’s been amazing seeing her get all the success she deserves. Her items are amazing! My top two wishlist items are the CC-Harness – $115 & the Gemini Harness – $210.
• Noir Sunglasses by Miu Miu | I’d love these is the red, pink, blue or silver glitter. I’ve wanted these glasses forever, so much so, that when you google Miu Miu Noir glasses, or sunglasses, my blogs on the first page, and in the images. I NEED THEM!
• Giant Dinosaur necklace by Tatty Devine - £135.00 | An item i’ve wanted for what seems like forever. Sadly, the AU$ is crazy. It’s better then it has been, but it still makes the necklace $205au. But isn’t it AMAZING!?
• Pentagram Ring by Pamela Love - $161 | I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this ring. I don’t mind it in the bronze either, which is $92, oh and course the $1610 diamond version is beautiful!
•  Buckle up boot by TS14+ - $269.95 | In red! LOVE these! I have one pair of tall boots for winter, oh two if you include a pair that need to re-soled. But the red in these are just fantastic! I’m enjoying wearing red now that I’m no longer pink-haired!
• Benefit Cosmetics – I love Benefit Cosmetics, I only have 2 full products, but I’ve used a few of their samples, but I love them. A couple of my most wanted products are The porefessional, Watts up, Fake Up & It’s Potent.
• City Chic Voucher – I’m really liking a few of the items up at CC at the moment. My favourites being THIS one and THIS one. (Oh, and I also wouldn’t say no to ASOS vouchers!)
• Mouse Ballerina Flats by Marc by Marc Jacobs – $248 | Urgh, seriously, how ridiculously cute are these shoes! I think I may be a bit scared to wear shoes worth this much money though, but hey, at least they are flats, so they would get worn more often!

I also have 2 wishlist boards up on my pinterest, which I update regularly with all my wishy wanty goodness. So make sure you check out my Fashion wishlist & Non fashion wishlist.

I never expect presents, but I do like cards. I grew up being taught to appreciate cards, so cards mean the world to me. I’m pretty easy to buy for though, I love everything. Anything that glitters. Stickers. Shoes. Stationary. Candles. Owls. Fandom (Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, Doctor Who, to name a few). Jewellery, I’m a silver wearer, but i’ve started wearing gold & I love natural gemstones. Make up. Clothes.

Happy May the 4th everyone! For those of you who aren’t a bit geeky, today is a day to celebrate all things that is Star Wars! So of course I had to wear one of my Star wars shirts!

In case you’re wondering the top is from the teen boys section at Target, I then cut the neckline. The skirt is an old item from 17 Sundays.

Todays itinerary was to look at lounges for the Darling Den. I was in love with this one from King Furniture, but even on sale, I couldn’t really afford it. So, I went to look at Plush, which is where my parents bought there current lounge from and it’s held up so wonderfully.

Well, in around 12-14 weeks, I will be the proud owner of a brand new fancy lounge! I do love the modulars with a chaise, but I thought it would take up too much room, so I went with a 2.5 seater. The style is the one above. It is so very comfortable.

This will be the colour it is in! It’s a light blue called ‘sky’. I had begun to think about colours ages ago and I was hoping to go for a grey or a blue, and while this is a little lighter then what I had imagined, I just LOVED the colour. I also bought the rug that’s in this photo. It’s a gorgeous grey called ‘rhino’.

 I feel like a ‘grown up’. Buying a lounge! This is the first real ‘big’ piece of furniture i’ve bought by myself. I’m super excited!

May the fourth be with you!