Dressing Your Now Body Chit Chat Video

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled Dressing Your Now Body.  I found out a lot of you feel the same way as me, so I filmed a little chit chat video about it. I'd love if you'd check it out and join in on the discussion. We can all support each other on our journeys!

View the video HERE!
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Dressing Your Now Body

I've had this post simmering in my head for a long while now. It's something I have often contemplated, have been bound by in the past, and now have moved to acceptance of and past my hang-ups about the subject. Now, I will be writing this from my perspective as a "plus-sized' woman, but I think that this is something that we can all relate to, no matter what shape or size.

Over the years, as I have struggled with my weight, I have conversely struggled with dressing the body that I have. After the birth of my children and the immediate years following, while I was in the thick of my struggle, I couldn't bring myself to buy clothes all that often. In fact, my mantra became...

 

I'll buy clothes when I've lost weight.

 

In my mind, there were two parts to that statement . One was that I didn't want to spend tons of money on clothes if I was just going to lose weight and then not be able to wear them. Two, I thought that it would motivate me to get the weight off. I would refuse to buy a pair a pants in a certain size, vowing that I would only spend the money on them when I had lost X amount of pounds. I told myself that that made me wise about money, when in fact I was really just punishing myself. Weeks turned into months, months turned into to years of this nonsensical way of thinking. I'm not against rewarding yourself for hard work...in fact I think that if you are on a weight loss journey and go down a size you should reward yourself. Go buy that new outfit and celebrate! But, I had taken my way of thinking to the extreme. I'm sure my friends and family were absolutely sick and tired of seeing me wear the same things over and over and over. I had very little in the way of clothing, not because we couldn't afford it, but because I just plain refused to buy clothes until I had reached certain goals. I'm not kidding when I say that I didn't have many clothes. My closet was very sparse and it was all my own doing. Crazy way of thinking, but I was stuck there for a long time.

 

Now, I'm not one who thinks that dressing nicely is the be all end all. I don't think that, at the end of the day, it holds a lot of clout against who a person is on the inside. Please hear me on that. BUT, I do think that what we wear can affect us. What's wrong with wearing something that makes you feel good or more confident or pretty? What's wrong with our clothing being a means of self expression? Nothing. What we wear, whether we want to admit it or not, sends a message. We can't stop the fact that we are often judged by what we are wearing. We judge others ourselves, in an instant upon seeing someone, and without even thinking about it. It's automatic.

 

 

 

Somewhere along this journey to getting healthy that I'm on (and will be on for the rest of my life), my view shifted a bit. It's not that I didn't like to dress nicely before. I have always had a love for fashion and makeup. But I did finally get to the point where I decided that I was going to put my best foot forward where I am right now.  No more of this punishing myself and withholding a cute outfit simply because I am in a larger size than I wish. No more waiting to dress the body I hope to one day have....

 

It was time to dress my NOW body.

 

There are two things that I think helped me shift my way of thinking when it came to dressing my now body.

1). I stopped putting as much emphasis on a SIZE. I used to get so hung up on what size I wore. I refused to buy a certain size pair of pants simply because of what the tag said. Once I let that go, it really did free me up to buying things that looked good on me, and were flattering my size and shape. I have a pretty large array of "sizes" in my closet right now, things that all fit me. That's because of the difference between sizing in any given store, brand, or manufacturer. I may wear one size at one boutique and have to go up two sizes at another. Is it because I magically gained lots of weight between one store to the next? No. It's simply because of how different brands label their clothes. Also, we all are different shapes, heights, and sizes, and to try to apply a set amount of size charts to the masses is so silly. Try to not get hung on the size, and pay attention to how things fit you.

2). I stopped wanting to hide because of my size, but embraced where I am now. Granted, I am a couple sizes smaller than when I started trying to get healthy, but I still had my same hang-ups about it. I realized that I should stop being embarrassed and start embracing where I am on my journey at this moment and put my best foot forward TODAY! Do I still have a long road ahead of me to reach my health and weight goals? Yes. I haven't lost sight of that, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to be the best me I can be and be proud of that at this moment.

 

 

I could go off on a tangent and talk about the difficult logistics of finding cute clothes in plus sizes, but that is another post for another day. We'll stick to the topic at hand. I may be the only person who has ever thought this way, but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'm not. Not matter what your size or shape, or what journey you are on, I want to encourage you! Stop trying to hide until you are at your goal weight, are a certain size, or look a certain way. Stop waiting to dress the body you see in your mind's eye. Go ahead and dress your NOW body!





Jammin' Out

Have you tried Jamberry nail wraps? Or even ever heard of them? Up until about a month ago, I never knew they existed! But once I saw them, I must admit I was intrigued. 

 You see, I am not one to paint my nails or get manicures all that often. At all. Like, hardly ever. I like the put-together look you can achieve when your nails coordinate with your outfit, but I just rarely take the time to do it. I mean, painting my nails and waiting for them to dry is the equivalent of waiting in line at the DMV to me.  I just don't like to do it. 

But, thanks to Pinterest, I have been drooling over all of the uber cute nails that it seems every woman in the world but me are taking the time to apply. I just don't have two hours to spend on my nails, people, to get those fancy schmancy designs.  Ain't gonna do it. 

So, then I found some nail wraps at Ulta. They were so cute! And were fairly easy to apply. But then they peeled off two days later. Then, I found some nail wraps at Rite-Aid and decided to give those a try. Seriously, they peeled the very same night I applied them! Boo!

Then enters Jamberry Nail Wraps. My old college friend, Rachel, is a Jamberry Nails consultant.  She sent me a trial sheet to try out.  I was already smitten over all the designs, so I was more than happy to give it a go, really hoping that these would stand up to the test!

What makes Jamberry different from other nail wraps is that they are a high-quality vinyl, heat and pressure sealed wrap that lasts for a couple weeks.  They sell all the tools you need through Jamberry, but since I just had a sample set, I found everything I needed to apply them at the Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart.   I used my hair dryer to heat-set the nail wraps. 

I used my two girls as guinea pigs first. Katlyn picked out the rainbow colored cheetah print and orange polish for her other nails, and Ashlyn picked out a pink/blue design and blue polish for the rest of her nails. (We just did a couple fingers since we only had a sample pack.)  They weren't difficult to put on and my girls loved them! (Jamberry sells Juniors and Mommy and Me selections.)

Then, it was my turn.  I had a few black and white options so I decided to combine them for unique black/white look (the pinkish red color is just polish). I loved how they came out. And once they were on, heat sealed and pressed on tight, they weren't budging. 

I mean, once you get these things on, you're going to want everyone to see your "jamicure"! So, I thought of  four of ways you could ever so nonchalantly show them off. Here they are. 

1. I got five problems but a bad manicure ain't one!

2.  What? The Blacklist won't be back on until the fall? Oh, my!

3. Which Jamberry wrap would I like to try next? Hmmmm?

4.  I saved so much time on my "Jamicure", I have time for a nap! *yawn*

Katlyn and Ashlyn wanted to show off their jams, too!  They loved them!

Here are a few of my favorite nail wrap selections available right now that I found while browsing the Jamberry site. (The ones that are smaller are the Mommy and Me ones.)

They have so much to choose from for you or your little ones. They have anything from solids, sparkles, and stripes to florals, geometric, and collegiate designs. I am currently hosting an online Jamberry party! To go check out all the fun designs or shop my party, click here! Take advantage of the Buy 3 Get 1 Free sale!  

I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Curvy Girl Fashion

Shopping Guide

 Finding on-trend, hip, plus-size fashion can be a challenge, especially in the rural area I live.  I want to dress nicely just like the next girl, but sometimes it seems like finding an outfit for my curvy frame is almost as easy as making lemonade from a watermelon. 

It can be frustrating to walk into a store, seeing all the uber cute clothes in the enormous misses' and junior's sections, then walking to the plus-size section that is maybe half the size and picking through five racks that hold jeans that belonged to the 1990's and shirts and sweaters that your grandma would wear.  It's almost like department store executives got together and said, "You know the plus-size section?  Let's make it really small and out of style so that those gals don't have a choice but to go on a diet to find something to wear. Mwahhahahah!" (maniacal laugh)

Ok, so that's probably not what they are doing, but it feels like it sometimes.  I mean, all I want to do is wear clothing that is flattering,  well made,  and is on point with current trends. You feel me?

Sometimes, I've had to look a little harder, search a little longer, but the avenues to find trendy, boutique-style clothes are out there.  And I wanted to share them with you today. You know.....just in case you just walked out of a department store empty handed again and are looking for some new places to shop.  I'm looking out for you, here!

Torrid

Torrid is the place to get fashion forward plus size clothing.  You can just about find anything you need from casual to dressy.  I have ordered from Torrid and loved the quality and style!  In need of a new swimsuit?  Go check their selection out. Right now everything is BOGO 50% off, even on clearance items using promo code SUNNY50. Sizes 12-28. 


Maurices

Maurices is my go-to place for casual clothing.  We have these stores locally, so it is a lot easier to drop-in there and check out what they have.  Also, they have an even bigger selection online. Online only right now everything is BOGO 50% off using promo code ALLBOGOMAY14.  


Blondellamy'Dean

If the boutique style clothes are what you are looking for, then Blondellamy'Dean is just for you! You can find anything from patterned leggings, palazzo pants, piko tops, and the prettiest dresses around!  Shop online or if you are in South Alabama, go check out the store in Dothan.  Sizes 10 and up. 

I got this adorable orange top at Blondellamy'Dean!  So comfortable and flattering. 

Gwynnie Bee 

Want to try it before you buy it?  Then Gwynnie Bee is for you! Fill your virtual closet and items are shipped to you to try, wear, and send back when you are done with them with the option to buy if you want as well.  You can try it free for 30 days.  Sizes 10-32.

A couple of other places that are more well-known are Lane Bryant and TJ Maxx.  You could always try there, as well. 

Do you have any other sites/stores you shop at for Plus Size clothing? Please do share in the comments below. I am always on the lookout for something new!