Confidence in Denim: How to Feel Your Best in Your Favourite Pair of Jeans (Brand Collaboration)

Confidence in Denim: How to Feel Your Best in Your Favourite Pair of Jeans (Brand Collaboration)

If there's one wardrobe staple that we can all unanimously agree on, it's jeans. The quintessential piece of clothing that effortlessly fits into every style scenario, whether you're dressing up for a weekend bash or dressing down for a casual coffee meet. 

When you don a pair of well-fitted jeans, it instils an undeniable sense of confidence within you. However, feeling and looking your best in your favourite denim requires more than just picking out a random pair from the shelf. It demands an understanding of your body type, pinpointing the right style, and accessorising it appropriately. 

Ad | Why Cargo Pants Are the New Must-Have for Every Wardrobe

Fashion is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging and old favourites making comebacks. One of the most notable resurgences in recent years is the rise of cargo pants. Once associated with purely utilitarian purposes, cargo pants have transformed into a staple for anyone seeking comfort, versatility, and style. Here’s why cargo pants should be an essential part of every wardrobe, whether you're dressing for work, a casual outing, or even an evening event.

Ad | How can a long dress be sexy?

Personally, as someone who loves long dresses, I can't find fault in this guest post. A long dress can instantly make you feel 'dressed up', whilst hiding a multitude of bumps and lumps. It's been a little while since I went on a date though... 

Nothing beats the feeling of butterflies in your stomach in the days and hours leading up to a date, but many women put themselves under enormous pressure to find the right outfit, often disproportionately so!

As a result, this often ends up in panic-buying, where you end up with a dress that doesn’t suit you at all – and which you may even not like! – and the date starts off with you in a bundle of nerves, rather than cool, calm, collected and ready to enjoy yourself.

Vanilla Underground Review - Merchandise For All The Family (sent for review)

Vanilla Underground call themselves the home of officially licensed merchandise for all the family and to prove it have sent us a big bundle of items - including something for everyone here. Favourite TV, movie, book, music and game characters on pyjamas, t-shirts, stationery, backpacks, lunchboxes and more...

I gave Vanilla Underground a rough idea of what sort of things we like, plus some sizes, and so our package was mainly a surprise parcel. It was a pleasant surprise too - we were delighted! First up, our 9 and 10 year old boys. Minecraft Pyjamas for the pair of them.

A big hit - I've already washed both pairs twice. No runs, loose threads or shrinkage, I'm pleased with the quality. My 10 year old's pyjamas are quite thick too, ideal for Winter despite the short sleeves. The same goes for the 5 Nights At Freddy's pyjamas in the photo below - great cold weather lounging pyjamas.

Modelling so that you can actually see the pictures on the pyjamas isn't their strong point...

Treads Boys Black School Shoes 1 Year Guarantee Put To The Test

I promised I'd be back and I am! Treads are a relatively new company who make their children's school shoes as durable as possible. They're so sure your child won't go through the toes or scrape through the leather that they offer a 1 year guarantee. My boys Treads shoes still fit and they are now 9 months old... so what do they look like now?

To refresh your memory, Treads make shoes in sizes from 12 1/2 to 'big foot ' 11, so fit most junior/Key Stage 2 children or older. This is what the Treads school shoes looked like when I first reviewed them and they were brand new - you can find my initial thoughts and an explanation of some of the technology in my Treads School Shoes Review.

My youngest son chose a quite traditional style with an easy to use 'hook and loop' Velco-type fastening.

Party Season Women's Clothes with Fashion World

Fashion World is an online clothing store which promises great prices, huge range and good quality clothes.  Before Christmas they sent me some lovely items which I was really excited about wearing - then I got flu. My clothes remained in their bags while I was ill, all I wore for 2 weeks over Christmas was pyjamas.

Finally I am almost human again, although running a cracking temperature and a bit red-faced still, but dressing up makes anyone smile. On Sunday (which also happened to be 12th night) my partner and my 10 year old took some photos of me in my new outfits. Please excuse the fluffy socks, that didn't occur to me until we'd taken half the photos, and my male family members clearly aren't bothered by labels or hanger straps!

The Pyjama Factory Winter Nightwear Review (Sent For Review)

Pyjamas are probably the UK's most overlooked and yet most loved Winter wear. We have such varied weather we can even manage without in Summer, but once Winter arrives there's the whole cold and frosty vs warm and snuggly thing and pyjamas are a necessity.

Once everyone is home and has settled for the evening, there's little better than to get into your pyjamas and truly relax, so I'm very happy to say my boys and I have all been sent new pyjamas for Christmas by The Pyjama Factory.

My two boys both took very little time to choose pyjamas, the range is pretty broad, with Harry Potter, Gaming, TV, movies, sports, dinosaurs and all sorts of children's pyjamas. There will be something to please any child and my almost 9 year old went straight to the gaming section.

Staying Warm This Winter With Modern Fabrics (Sent for review)

Winter is approaching fast and the zero temperatures mean a change of clothes. Some of the best ways to keep yourself warm are by wearing sensible shoes and layers, and fabrics have become so clever that this is far more comfortable than ever before...

Jacamo Men's Everyday Clothes review ~ Sent for review

Jacamo sell a huge range of clothes for any occasion, including everyday wear. As you will probably be aware if you've heard of them, they sell a good variety of sizes including clothes for big and tall men. My partner was offered a selection to review and although he's 6ft tall, he is now quite slim and wasn't convinced Jacamo would have his size. They do. .

If I start by saying he's really happy, he's worn them to work and to go visiting, he's let all his mates have a feel of his hoodie and coo over his trousers and one of them has already placed an order off the back of it... that probably sums up my review in a nutshell.

My partner chose his own selection and went for a pair of black jeans, a burgundy hoodie and a really smart pair of desert boots for work and 'any time we go anywhere not muddy'.

This time of year a good hoodie is essential and the Tog24 Barlow Mens Deluxe Zip Hoody really has pleased my partner. He chose 'Purple', which is a dark plum colour with grey lining. It is a really nice hoody, very well made and finished with good thick material and quality cord at the neck.

Children In Need with Blacks and the Yellow Bobble Hat (Sent For Review)

For the second year running Blacks are teaming up with popular weekend TV show Countryfile to support BBC Children in Need, raising money which will support disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Special BBC Countryfile rambles will take place all over the UK, this year hoping to amass over 18,000 miles in total, walked by ramblers getting outdoors and enjoying their right to roam around our beautiful countryside.

Last year's Countryfile ramblers raised over £100,000 for the charity and this year they hope to beat that figure. For the second year Blacks have created a special BBC Children in Need Countryfile ramble hat to keep ramblers warm and raise a bit of extra money for the charity, as 50% of the purchase price is donated to Children In Need.

Jeans For Genes Day - Friday 21st September

Tomorrow is Jeans For Genes day and up and down the land people will have an extra dress-down day, when they can come to work or school wearing the world's most popular outfit, jeans and a t-shirt, and it's all in the name of charity.

We've all heard of Jeans For Genes, but do you know where your donation goes?

The money raised by our donations to Jeans For Genes goes to the Genetic Disorders UK charity, who work to improve the lives of children born in the UK with a genetic disorder. These are often rare disorders which are unable to raise money in their own name, mainly because we've never heard of them, and that makes us the lucky ones. 500,000 UK families aren't so lucky.

Treads Shoes revisited - How have they performed so far?

Treads shoes are designed especially with longevity in mind. Sensible, water-resistant shoes which have special reinforcement and a moulded sole which is firmly fixed into the shoe.

My youngest is a livewire. He never stops moving and even when he's sitting down he's kicking his feet and rubbing them across the floor. After he destroyed 3 pairs of shoes between Christmas and April, I was delighted when I was asked to review Treads.

You can see my Treads school shoes review here, I was impressed from the start, but the important thing was always going to be "will they survive?". Just how realistic is that 1 year guarantee? I promised I'd return to them and now seems as good a point as any... and I'll be more than happy to come back again if they still fit in another 4 months time...

Petit Fernand Personalised School Name Labels and Lunchboxes Review

I really like Petit Fernand's personalised products for children. Attractive and long-lasting, they have great illustrations and some nice touches. My 8 year old has used one of their lunchboxes for the last year and we are incredibly happy with it, so when I was offered the opportunity to review, my 9 year old especially was very keen I accept...

We were given a budget and chose a personalised lunchbox for my 9 year old and personalised stick-on name labels for both children. It took less than 5 minutes to create my entire order, and even though delivery is from France, we had our products within 5 days.

Hotter New Shoes For Summer! Hotter Shoes review.

Five years ago I hadn't heard of Hotter Shoes and now I'm a complete convert. I lived in Dr Marten Boots for about 20 years and in the Summer flip flops or barefoot did me. I thought there couldn't be anything more comfortable, but I'm willing to admit I was wrong.

At BlogOn conference I won a pair of shoes from Hotter and it was a win I was really delighted about. Since the loss of my last pair of 3 year old DM boots (they don't make 'em like they used to), I've been wearing the Hotter shoes that I chose for review last year. No longer relegated to fancy evenings and days out, they became my everyday shoes and I like it a lot.

Frederick Thomas London £100 Voucher Giveaway & £10 Voucher For Every Reader

To celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday 17 the of June, Frederick Thomas London have offered one of my lucky readers a fantastic £100 voucher to spend in their online store. I also have a voucher to spend on my partner, so I've been having a look around their website too.

Frederick Thomas specialise in high quality men's ties, socks, cufflinks and accessories. Even if you don't work in an office, as we head into Summer it's easy to forget you might need something other to wear than Hawaiian shirts and swimshorts. Summer is also Wedding season and the time when a lot of clubs host formal dinners and presentation evenings.

Treads Boys School Shoes Review: 1 Year Guarantee Against Destruction

When I spotted Treads school shoes have a '1 year Guarantee Against Destruction', I had to question if it was real. It is, and they're confident that their specially designed moulded soles and reinforced shoes can withstand all the punishment your little angels can put them through.

Treads asked if I wanted to review, and as my youngest is on his 3rd pair of shoes already this school year, I was utterly delighted to put them to the challenge. Obviously this post is our initial reaction, but I will revisit our shoes once my children grow out of them to see how well they did!

Hotter Shoes For Summer (Review)

Last week I was invited to the Bury branch of Hotter Shoes to take a good look at their Summer collection. A huge array of sandals, pumps and lighter shoes in a fabulous variety of colours and all with the Hotter Shoe 'Comfort Concept' sole.

I first visited Hotter Shoes almost 3 years ago and took home a gorgeous pair of blue shoes. I still love them. I've worn them a lot and they've been reliable and comfortable. No frays, holes or loosening seams and miles of walking. I even went so far as to protect and waterproof them last year in my Liquiproof review.

Wearing your creation on your head...BrickHats Review

If you are going to make something cool then you want people to see it. What better place to display your creations than your own head? BrickHats come in 6 different colours and somewhat bizarrely proved the perfect canvas for my partner to create an amazing tribute to the host of The Joy Of Painting, Bob Ross...

 

Usually I accept an item for review because I think we'll like it, but just occasionally I'm more intrigued than certain. I honestly couldn't decide about BrickHats, but it turns out they're actually brilliant...

Simply Be Spring Holiday Fashion For Curves.

I love it when a review is a treat for me, and a chance to try out 2 outfits from Simply Be's Holiday Shop is definitely one for me. Simply Be specialise in women's fashion, plus size and curves, with clothes in sizes 12 to 32, including tons of amazing brands such as Fiorelli, Figleaves and Marc Jacobs.

I'm the wrong side of 40 with 5 pregnancies and a serious hernia behind me. My last operation has left me with a swollen, lopsided tummy and a thick scar that feels much more comfortable with something soft over it. I mainly wear long skirts or dresses and loose waistlines and I still want to look nice, the same as anyone else.

Simply Be have a great selection of dresses that I really liked, including lots by Joe Browns (they have some gorgeous sundresses), but my job was to choose from the huge Simply Be 'Holiday Shop'. It was a genuine pleasure searching the site and knowing that everything came in my size.

Rockabye Originals Children's Clothes - Reversible Jacket Review

Recently I was contacted by Rockabye Originals and I'd mistakely assumed they only sold baby clothes. In fact, they sell unusual and different clothing for babies and children up to the age of 10. You can tell it's going to be good when it arrives in packaging that looks like this!

Full marks for amazingly simple yet clever design. I haven't pulled anything out of a record sleeve for years, and it took me right back... What was inside might not have been as cool as 12" 1996 remix of The Chemical Brother's Setting Sun, but it was impressive.