Cute USA 4th of July Outfits from Plus Size Babes in 2017

July 11, 2017 By sammy 1 Comment

As far as I’m concerned, the Fourth of July is for not just hot dogs, illegal fireworks and socialising. It’s the perfect time to dress in a super cute patriotic outfit. I was meant to fly home from the USA on the 1st July but extended to stay another week just so I could experience 4th of July in America.

The day started off with a BBQ, bocce ball and all things G rated. And it ended in lighting illegal fireworks and drinking huge tequilas shots in a bar with locals listening to country music. I also introduced them to my style of drinking, vodka shot followed by an apple juice chaser shot. A great day! Although I must say the next day was a little rough (ha. because. hungoverness)

Here are my fave no-fuss outfits from USA curvy babes, incorporating red, white and blue in the chillest way possible.

@eclectickurves

Cassia DeMayo @casdemayo

@loralyee

Lisa Rachel @lisarachelplusmodel

Paola @chubbybabe_

@marinetd

Nakitende Esther @nakitende_esther

Allie @allisonkimmey

Jazzmyne @jazzmynejay

Troy Solomon @abearnamedtroy

Joy @enjoycurves
@mollyclutts

It’s been on my bucket list to be in the USA for the 4th of July. I had the best time, BBQ with friends, lit some fireworks, tried a firecracker icy pole (which was delish) and played bocce.
Hope you all had an amazing Independence Day too and loved my top plus size fashion pics from the day.
Love CurvySam (Australian Skorch Editor)

Australia’s First Ever Society+ Brand Ambassador {its me}

July 2, 2017 By sammy Leave a Comment

I’m SUPER proud to announce that I’m Australia’s first ever brand ambassador for USA based plus size fashion brand Society+

I’ve been posting about Society+ since Jessica Kane launched the brand with her friend Michelle Crawford back in 2015. They’ve created a full lineup of contemporary, stylish, and fun clothing for fashionable plus size women.

Let me tell you why I’ve been a long term supporter

Garments are designed with silhouettes, colors, patterns you can’t find anywhere else – plus size skater dresses, plus size crop tops, and their famous plus size tutu.
They carry extended sizes, all the way up to a plus size 32.
Affordable prices
International shipping (yes even to Australia and it doesn’t take forever like other brands)
Honest sizing
Model Diversity

In the last two years here’s a few of my fave outfits. Most of the items have been so popular they have been re run and are available so click the image for prices and further info.

(not available anymore)

If you are looking for plus size fashion, Society+ is your gateway to community and confidence.

Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links

Testing Out ‘Root Blur Hair Colour Concealer’

May 12, 2017 By sammy Leave a Comment

If you’ve been following a while you will know that I love to travel. Whilst I LOVE being a blonde bombshell, I’m also one of those girls who really hates having their hair done. (I know shock horror)

Every four weeks or so I get a scalp bleach but when travelling it can be a little tough to get someone to do this. And lets be honest I don’t have the skills or desire to do it myself. I know having dark roots is ‘in’ but I’m just not a fan of that look on me.

After being in Nepal I spent Christmas in the UK and because I didn’t book a gazillion months in advance I just couldn’t get an appointment. Because. Christmas sends everyone festive crazy.

This led me on the hunt to conceal my roots which felt black against my bright blonde hair. I found this at Boots UK & I’ve heard it’s also available at Priceline for all those Aussies. Was I skeptical about this, YUP. But desperate times my friends. Lucky this stuff was amazing and totally saved day.

Firstly, I sticky taped my phone to a mirror and made a tutorial video. High end tech haha. Or scroll for photos

It comes in a cute compact with a brush and two shades. I only ended up using the lightest shade.

You apply it like this. SO EASY.

As you can see the results aren’t the same as getting your hair done but I totally rate this as a good cover up to get you through.

Since I made the video at Christmas John Frieda has come out with a few new shades (see below) or click the images to be taken directly to the site where you can check it out.

What I Wore ~ GabiFresh Athena Swimsuit

April 22, 2017 By sammy 6 Comments

I must admit I’d been eyeing off Gabi Fresh’s swimsuit range (especially the GabiFresh Athena Swimsuit) when it launched last year.

I was tempted but was waiting for something a little more out there and unique. The second drop of styles has certainly delivered thats for sure so I eagerly ordered the Athena Underwire Swimsuit from SwimsuitsForAll.com.

GabiFresh casually being a total babe

Buying swimsuits online can be a bit of a risk especially from Australia because lets be honest postage isn’t cheap and plus sizing differs so much depending on who’s making them.

I’m so grateful that brands are using plus size bloggers in their campaigns. It’s refreshing to see women that I can relate to body wise, I’ve personally met Gabi before so I know she is my size and we have a similar sized bust. And she wouldn’t wear something that doesn’t fit her. Plus its SO COOOOOOOLLLL. Fashion + Swimwear = happy Sam.

If you want to follow people that may look like you – heres a list of 50 plus size babes you should follow

Whats also great is that you get to see photos of the swimsuit in a smaller plus size model and a real plus babe with lumps and bumps. Both equally as beautiful but its nice to see some size diversity.

I ordered the 18F and I wear a size 18G cup inAustralia. I didn’t see the G/H cup online when I ordered {whoops} which would have fit better but the 18F cup still fits me. I did bulge a little on the sides but it was manageable.

So if you’ve been following me on social media you’ll know already that I’m moving away from my tropical home in Far North Queensland and moving to Brisvegas. So in my last few weeks here I’m lapping up as much tropical goodness as possible. I’m not one to style photos, my photos are taken in the moment having fun.

Being an Aussie, I always have a set of bathers and a towel in the boot of my car for occasions just like this. A Sunday drive with no set destination that ended up at Millaa Millaa falls with my friends. Like to note here that I wasn’t hungover at all but poor Monique in the back was on struggle street topping up on gatorade.

These falls are the home of the herbal essence TV commercial {where bikini clad babes flick their hair back in the water} AND Peter Andre filmed mysterious girl there. Ha. It’s FNQ’s claim to fame and we all tell everyone the story.

Because it was a rainy day we ended up having the whole place to ourselves. The water was slightly chilly but the outside temperature was still 28degrees so lovely and warm.

Now gals. Boob and tummy support is important for me. I like to be held in firmly and be super comfortable. I do wish I had of sized up to a 20G for the bikini top. The size 18 was perfect for my body and I really feel that Swimsuitsforall for all have taken on board all the feedback customers provided last year with the sizing running small for the first release.

Aussies – allow for a few weeks for delivery. I’m going to be honest with you, this isn’t a sponsored post in any way out of a $430 AUD order for three top of the range swimsuits plus a hefty delivery fee, that I paid for myself, I’m only retaining this one. Make sure you sign up for their newsletter because they have SUCH GOOD SALES! I ordered the day it came out so I paid full price however I’ve ordered from them many times and scored some absolute bargains.
Oh. And in case you are wondering. When swimming and exploring in FNQ I swim with my shoes on because there’s rocks, oysters and submerged trees. Plus touching squishy seaweed with my feet freaks me out. As do crabs. Ha.

I’m heading to the USA and this cute swimsuit will certainly be coming the a Vegas pool party.

SHOP THE LOOK

Sunglasses – Vision Direct – Tom Ford JANINA {gifted}
Shoes – Ipanema
Swimsuit – Swimsuitsforall – Gabi Fresh Athena

Behind The Scenes ~ BeMe

March 4, 2017 By sammy Leave a Comment

Reunited with Bel @missboi

Straight off the plane from travelling OS I popped past the BeMe HQ in Sydney to meet the team and say hi to my beautiful friend and model Belinda Morgan whilst she was shooting their new Autumn range.

For those of you who are wondering who BeMe are. BeMe are the plus size range available in Rockmans. Now whilst their plus ranged is aimed at an mature demographic there’s quite often a few funky pieces that I love to wear. What I like about their range is that it’s great for basic staples too. Women of every shape and age can shop instore at Rockmans and find something they can look fabulous in.

Here’s a look behind the scenes

Check out all the shoes in the background! And that was only half of them

SO much goes on behind the scenes, its fun, fast paced and super organised. I’m always impressed with how organised the team are – and they have to be because theres just so many garments to keep track of.
Excuse the lack of correct technical job titles here guys.
Other than the model, makeup artist and photographer, there’s generally a person watching the screen to ensure that the garments have been captured in the right way (e.g. collar is straight).

Then there’s someone prepping the garments and generally another person keeping track of what has been photographed using a number system. Every now and again other people pop in to see how it’s all going. All hands on deck as they say!

It’s like being apart of one big fashion family. This is why I love working with BeMe. They are all nice people who want women to look and feel good.

The beautiful and talented Belinda Morgan represented by Bella Models

In stores 13th March

The BeMe team had it totally down pat with their organisation that’s for sure. Not that I was there to judge at all, I go to so many shoots and everyone does it differently. Check out BeMe for their new arrivals

Disclosure – this is not a sponsored post

Nike Goes Plus ~ up to a 3X

March 2, 2017 By sammy 1 Comment

If you follow me on social media you’ll see that I’m an active and adventurous gal. But shopping for active wear at Australian retail stores (outside of a city where they seem to have more) is a NIGHTMARE when you are plus size. Most of the time you are limited to boring black leggings and without naming any names the quality isn’t great. (lucky there are many amazing options available online for us curvy babes)

15 years ago as a teen Nike was my go to sportswear. As I got older and rounder I had to settle with just wearing Nike shoes. And you know what. It’s so frustrating to want to be fitter and not being able to buy workout clothes at fitness stores. God forbid fat people work out…..

So I’m SUPER excited to see a mainstream brand extend their sizes. Nike teamed up with some bangin plus influencers Grace Victory and Danielle Vanier to front the campaign to launch the range which goes to a 3X

Photography by JKG | jkgphotography.co.uk

(Click here to see Dani breakdown what she’s wearing on her blog)

Explaining their reason for expanding their size range Nike said:

“Nike recognises that women are stronger, bolder and more outspoken than ever. In today’s world, sport is no longer something that she does, it’s who she is. The days where we have to add ‘female’ before ‘athlete’ are over. She is an athlete, period. And having helped fuel this cultural shift, we celebrate these athletes’ diversity, from ethnicity to body shape.”

Photography by JKG | jkgphotography.co.uk Visit http://www.graciefrancesca.com to read about the launch

Now I know we’ve seen brands do this before. “Ohhh we are making plus size, we now go to a size 18” – when all they do is increase their proportions to make their products slightly larger. This time I know its different, one of the perks to working with bloggers is that we trust their voices in the community. If we as plus bloggers don’t believe in a product we don’t work with that brand.

A spokeswoman has also acknowledged that plus women hold their weight in different places so they have tried and tested many designs to get the best and most supportive fit. For me its the upper thighs and tummy region that I like to be firm.

Now there’s a strong black and white theme but I have my eye on these.

NIKE PRO HYPERCOOL

Now let’s talk about their sports bras – by the looks of it they’ve gone up a size but not cater for a larger plus size bust. Which I for one am SO disappointed in BUT this is the start of good things to come.

Shop the Nike plus size range here

Photo courtesy of Nike.com

Plus Model Ashley Graham Gets Her Very Own Lookalike Barbie (omgeeeeeee)

November 15, 2016 By sammy Leave a Comment

Like thousands of others, I follow plus sized model & swimwear designer Ashley Graham on SnapChat (total fan girl since meeting her at NYC Full Figure Fashion Week years ago)

But seriously, she’s reached new levels of amazingness by collaborating with Mattel to release an Ashley Graham lookalike Barbie, with thighs that touch. LIFE GOALS PEOPLE.

“Does any little girl imagine they’re going to have a Barbie made in their likeness?” she asked.

When Ashley gets excited about something on Snapchat you know its going to be good and boy did she deliver! Just as ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘epic’ as she hinted at during her backstage live snaps.

Image from TheAshleyGraham snapchat

The Barbie was unveiled live on stage at Glamour Woman of The Year Awards with a behind the scenes clip of the design process being played to all guests. This is pretty groundbreaking news guys!

Earlier this year, after 56 years of business Mattel, released a range of tall, petite and curvy variations of the worlds best selling doll, Barbie. This also included seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.

It’s what we have all been wanting. DIVERSITY and totally makes the doll more relatable for girls everywhere.

Graham proudly stood on stage saying that the days are gone where you lusted after looking like Barbie. “Everyone can be Barbie”. If you already follow Ashley you’ll know that #thickthighssavelives is one of her fave hashtags to use. So personally, as a fellow curvy babe with thick thighs I’m stocked to see a Barbie with legs like mine.

AND to make it even more real they even made a cute set of lingerie from Ashley’s range.
Well done Mattel.

“[Ashley] challenges the conversation around body norms, and we think that’s a really important message for girls,” said Lisa McKnight, senior vice president for Mattel’s Barbie brand.

Ashley’s doll will be added to Barbie’s group of Sheroes, a line of dolls that’s featured strong women including director Ava DuVernay, Zendaya, Misty Copeland and Gabby Douglas.

That time I had injections in my face to be less sweaty

June 30, 2016 By sammy 9 Comments

Being a little larger than the average person, it’s fair to say that you sweat a little more. Clinically it’s called Hyperhydrosis. AKA sweaty McGee. When I get hot and sweaty, my hair goes curly, makeup melts off my face, eczema makes my lips swell because I scratch it when I get hot. Sweaty mess. Oh and then I get cranky.

Six months ago I had a form of Botox called ‘Dysport’ injected into my face and it’s significantly improved my life so I thought I would share my experience with you guys. Straight up, I’ll tell you now that I paid $800 over two sessions.

I didn’t really document the process with photos but I wanted to share my experience with you because it’s CHANGED MY LIFE.
To keep it real, I’m going to show you some photos of myself that I had handy on my phone, photos I’d prefer no one to ever see. Might as well put them on the internet hey?

For me, moving from chilly Melbourne to the tropical Whitsundays years ago was a game changer. Not only is it warm all the time, it’s disgustingly humid for 5 months of the year.

The sweatiness effected me the most whilst working at a five star resort coordinating some of the most prestigious celeb events, which was a nightmare because I was constantly outside in my business suit. I’m talking BIG name celebs here guys. I wish I could drop some names.
I had secret stashes of tissues down my bra where I would discreetly turn away from clients to wipe my sweat stash off my face every few minutes.

Seriously it was impossible. And I constantly felt embarrassed and gross.
Luckily I was good friends with the Chefs who let me stand in the empty cool rooms in between meetings.

Right. Sweaty photo time. Bear in mind this was taken after a 14 hour flight where I went straight into volunteer at an animal shelter in the Middle East 50degrees Celsius (I was too excited to sleep)
Short term, there are many facial antiperspirants out there that you can put under your makeup. They are pretty thick and in all honestly not that effective. Which when you live in a hot climate kinda sucks that it was the only option.

I spoke to my doctor about it and he pretty much fobbed off my concerns and said I just needed to loose 30kgs and my body would be back to normal.
URGH. (he’s not my doc anymore)

So for years I suffered with it and wore gluggy face antiperspirant under my makeup. I threw away my mascara and wore eyelash extensions just so I wouldn’t get panda eyes.
Through work, social situations, sex, dancing, as soon as the temp changed sweaty face Sam appeared.

Six months ago I bit the bullet and visited a cosmetologist to discuss my options.
(also like to note here that I in no way wanted to alter my appearance)

I met with a team of industry professionals who took the time to understand what was going on. A dye was placed on my face then talcum powder was placed over the dye to show the main spots I was perspiring from.

The cosmetologists did their research, spoke to other industry professionals and a month later they came back to me with a plan which involved injecting small amounts of dysport in my face, not to alter my appearance but to effect the sweat glands.

I’m terrified of needles. Like I panic and faint. (thanks to having needles under my feet as a 10 year old being held down by four adults, totally traumatised)

Basically I laid down, was given some happy gas (which takes the care factor away just like drinking a bottle of bubbly), closed my eyes and had two wonderful women assume me that they weren’t using needles but ‘magic wands’ that wouldn’t hurt me. Small amounts of dysport was injected into various spots in my face. My upper lip, hairline (which hurt the most), under my eyes and my brow. It stung but I had someone holding my hand and an ice cube in my other hand to distract me.
I’ve had two treatments a month apart and have full movement in my face. It hurt for a few minutes but it was worth it.
I still sweat on my face, it doesn’t magically disappear. But I no longer bead and drip sweat the second I step into the heat.

My face still goes pink when I work out. I’d say I sweat more on my neck now or maybe I’m just noticing it more. After a massive gym session, I was so hot that I jumped straight into the pool fully clothed when I got home. In this photo you can see where they’ve injected my Dysport (white dots). I think the cold water shocked my skin so it was a little more noticeable.

If this is something you would consider. Don’t get someone who just has the license to inject, like a dentist or a GP. See an experienced professional who deals with cases like this everyday as your underlying facial expression muscles will be affected if they stuff it up.

How to make homemade dumplings {Gyoza}

May 18, 2016 By sammy Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since I’ve done a food post. Just one of those things that are on the to-do list that I think of frequently.

Anyway guys I made a video! Fancy hey? {I did film it A WHOLE YEAR ago, thats how long its been on the list} Worst blogger ever, I know.

This demonstrates just how much I love gyoza. Or dumplings. Same same.

I’m constantly making them for friends and teaching them how to make them. So from now on, if anyone asks me how I make them I’ll be texting them a link to this post. They are fresh, light and SUPER easy to make.

Here’s the video {warning to turn sound down a little bit}

Ingredients
– 400grams pork or chicken mince
– 2 garlic cloves peeled and cut finely
– 3cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
– 2 spring onions, white part cut finely
– Small bunch of coriander
– Gow gee wrappers
– 1 red chilli (optional and I forgot to add this in the video)
– 1 teaspoon sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Method
Step 1: After everything is chopped as described in the ingredients list, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 2: Lay out gow gee wrappers onto baking paper. This helps them not stick to your bench.
Step 3: Place a teaspoon sized amount into the middle of each wrapper and seal by adding a little bit of water to the edge. Follow the video to see how to fold them. They don’t have to be perfect but they do need to be sealed tightly so the mixute doesn’t fall out when they cook.
Step 4: Heat a pan on medium to high, place another teaspoon of sesame oil into the pan and have a lid handy. Cook on one side until browned then add 1/4 cup of water. Be ready for the pan to steam and sizzle quickly so pop the lid on and cook for another 3 minutes. This makes them nice and soft. Stand for 1 to 2 minutes

You can dip them in whatever sauce you like. I love sweet chilli sauce but many people prefer soy or teriyaki sauce.

The good thing about this recipe is you can add or remove the ingredients to suit your tastes. Quite often I will add fresh chilli, lemongrass or even shredded cabbage.

Also, they freeze well. So anytime you want a quick lunch its easy to grab out a steam basket and leave them for 10mins.

What else should I make a video of?

Dear gym, I’m leaving you

April 20, 2016 By sammy 2 Comments

So, I joined a gym three months ago and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m hating it. And I’m not in the least bit concerned about walking away and trying again somewhere else. Ten years ago would have felt bad and had it in my mind that I was giving up. Nowadays I have the confidence to realise what’s best for me, and all that matters is what I think.
If something isn’t working for you, then it’s totally okay to move on.

I moved to a new town and don’t know very many people. It’s SO disgustingly humid this time of year. Walking up the local hill actually makes my face look like this (kinda purple I know). Walking is my staple exercise. I live in SUCH a magical location so it’s worth a couple of months of humidity.

The pretty rainforest hill walk I do – and my sexy sweaty purple face an hour after going to gym.

After concurring the local hill, and almost passing out from the extreme heat and humidity (which has unfortunately happened a few times), I drove straight to the airconditioned gym, signed up without even doing a walk through. My friends go there so I’d already decided in my head that even though it was a body builder’s (intimidating) manly gym, that I’d make it work. I just couldn’t be bothered with going through the sales jargon walk around yada yada. I was just hot and needed to be cool.

For me, a gym membership itself is nothing more than the right to enter and exit an airconditioned space freely. I had the expectation that it would be like all the other amazing gyms I’ve been a member of when I lived in large capital cities. (Like Goodlife and Genesis)

Major fail. Because the gym I joined does not have ONE FAN. NO AIRFLOW. Air-conditioning yes. Fans no.

And for me. That is a killer.

via GIPHY

So whilst my two friends that go there highly rate the facilities, I’ve realised now that we have different needs. (by the way the staff there are amazing and acknowledge that its a little cramped and fans are needed)

Lucky for me I only signed up for three months to get me through the humid season.
I had overlooked that
– The cardio area is tucked away in a corner facing a wall. The equipment is great but I guess I had the expectation that it would have those inbuilt fans in the machines. NOPE.
– There’s no stretching area. Members are ‘welcome to find their own space in between the machines’. Meaning a body building man, that is sweating to the extreme may or may not flick sweat on you whiles you are stretching. This happened guys, more than once.

So the point of this post is to say that I’ve given it a go, it wasn’t for me and now I can move onto something different. There’s no need to feel guilty or ashamed.

Sometimes things just don’t work out. We worry so much that it will reflect us badly by cancelling a membership, but at the end of the day, I know that I was only there for myself and only my opinion matters.

Next time around, if I decide I want to join a gym around I will stick to my normal plan of doing a walk through to check out the facilities or even completing a free weeks trial before signing the dotted line. Definitely learnt my lesson.

Since then I’ve been testing out group classes elsewhere and loving it! There are so many amazing things to experience out there in the world, don’t let one crappy experience hold you back from getting out and having fun.

I’ve also made a new bunch of friends and hopefully be midyear (when it’s cooler) I’ll be ready to conquer this epic hike up a pyramid mountain (pictured). OMG. I know. EPIC. Nervous and excited..

Like this post? Here’s another one about ‘When strangers offer encouragement whilst exercising’

I’m SUPER proud to announce that I’m Australia’s first ever brand ambassador for USA based plus size fashion brand Society+

If you are looking for plus size fashion, Society+ is your gateway to community and confidence.

I must admit I’d been eyeing off Gabi Fresh’s swimsuit range (especially the GabiFresh Athena Swimsuit) when it launched last year.

What else should I make a video of?

Have you ended a gym membership before? How’d you feel?