What to Pack for Northern Norway & The Arctic Circle

Visiting the Arctic Circle, whether in Norway or another country, is a magical once in a lifetime experience, but preparing for your trip is a level of overwhelm that I've not experienced since moving house. For someone that resides in a fairly temperate climate all year round, the concept of battling -30ºC doesn't even begin to compute. I found myself in this exact position at the end of November. Having fallen down a rabbit hole of frantic Googling, asked many people more knowledgable than myself for advice and with the benefit of hindsight after living with my mistakes, I'm fairly confident that I can offer you a foolproof guide to getting ready for your trip to the Arctic Circle.

How To Shop the Black Friday Sales on a Budget

Hey Owlets,

There’s Christmas music playing in the supermarket (earlier again this year!), Black Friday is here, there’s pressure to buy Christmas gifts and apparently 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving, because having navigated multiple lockdowns and a global health crisis, we’re now faced with the challenge of heating our homes, looking after our loved ones and enjoying the festive season with next to no budget (I write this as I’m in pyjamas and a wearable blanket, under a duvet for warmth). The pressure to spend more is huge at this time of year, and with the festive season looming a lot of people are turning to the Black Friday sales to try and make their money stretch further. 

The issue, as I’m sure most of you are aware, is that Black Friday is just one giant marketing tactic and a ploy to get you to part ways with your hard-earned cash. So before you dive head-first into the sales, here are a few tips to help you shop without breaking the bank.

Plus Size Party Look Book

Hey Owlets,

It’s getting towards that time of year where party invites are starting to mount up in my email so I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of my favourite go-to outfits to give you some style inspiration for any Christmas events you may have. I went through a phase a few years ago where I’d just started to get invited to press events, so every time I got an invite I bought a new dress. However since then my wardrobe has started overflowing with formalwear, so I’ve been making sure I wear what I already own instead of buying new, and some clear favourites have emerged. 

How to Shop more Sustainably in 2021

*This article contains sponsored content*

Hey Owlets,

Being in lockdown throughout 2020 gave us chance to see the negative effects of the things we do every day without thinking. Having had chance to step back and watch the world heal for a while, you may be wondering how you can continue to make your own positive impact on the world by way of making small, affordable and easy swaps in your day to day life. You don't have to buy Hybrid & Electric Vehicles to live a more sustainable life - small changes are just as important as big lifestyle swaps.

One of the biggest sources of pollution and waste comes from the fashion industry. It’s estimated that by 2050 the fashion industry will use up to a quarter of the world’s carbon budget, making it the most polluting industry after oil. When you buy from a big fast fashion brand you might be getting a brand new wardrobe without taking a big chunk out of your bank balance but the reality is that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and the benefit to your wallet and the brand’s profits has to come from somewhere. The cost is usually mistreating workers, unfair pay and questionable environmental practices. So, if you’re wondering how you can shop more sustainably this year, here’s a few suggestions.

A Rule-Breaking Summer Lookbook

Hey Owlets,

Summer is just around the corner which means it’s nearly time to dust off those floaty dresses, mini skirts and jumpsuits. It’s the season that most people look forward to all year round, but if you’re not so confident, or worried about being plus size during the season of revealing clothes, it can feel like a nightmare. It’s totally understandable that it might feel easier to suffer through the heat in jeans, but you are worth so much more than that. Just in case you are struggling to decide what to wear, here’s some inspiration that breaks all the ridiculous “rules” about plus size clothes.

Inside the new Bristol Fashion Week

Hey Owlets,

One of my first ever "blog things" was a trip to Bristol Fashion Week way back in 2016 only months after I'd started The Owlet - I had basically no idea what I was doing and reading back now that post is an embarrassment, so feel free to go have a laugh at my expense. That was the first and last time I posted about the show, and there's a good reason for that. For years Mum and I had the tradition of going to the show together followed by dinner, but at no point when I was watching the array of perfect women walking down the catwalk did I feel represented. While the size 8-12 models looked beautiful no one looked like me, so we stopped going. This year, however, Bristol Fashion Week has had a makeover of it's own, promising that the new look "Bristol Fashion Week Festival" would bring equality and accessibility for all, so of course I had to go take a look.

Airport Shopping with World Duty Free

*contains sponsored content*

Hey Owlets,

If you've been reading The Owlet for a while you'll know that I REALLY like shopping - I'm one of those people for who "retail therapy" is a real thing, and the only thing that improves it is getting a bargain. Since I started travelling I've managed to save a lot of money by waiting until I'm in Duty Free to top up on my favourite things.

How to Decode the Dress Code

Luxury Gift Guide: 2018

Hey Owlets,

Today I'm back with the final instalment in my gift guide series - if you've not already seen my advent calendar guide or my affordable Christmas gift guide then make sure you click through and have a read. But for now, here's my list of what to get anyone that you really want to spoil this year.

Affordable Gift Guide: 2018

Hey Owlets,

I have no idea where the last 11 months have gone, but it's Christmas gift guide season again! I've done things a little differently this time - I have an affordable gift guide, luxury gift guide and an advent calendar guide to share with you, with one product in each category because I'm not repeating the level of stress that I had last year! Today is the second of the three, which is my affordable gift guide. If you've not already seen my guide to alternative advent calendars, you can see that here. Now, I have lots of cool things to show you so I won't ramble on, time for the first gift!

Trying Alternative Advent Calendars

Hey Owlets,

Today I have a different kind of guide for you - this was actually inspired by one of you emailing me to ask if I had any suggestions for alternatives as one of your children couldn't eat the chocolate, so thank you for the idea, it's a great one! I scoured the internet for the best and weirdest advent calendars I could find as well as trying my three favourites, so here we go!

5 Ways to get Cosy This Autumn

Hey Owlets,

I can't pretend anymore, it's definitely Autumn. So since I've been ignoring the darker nights and colder days for the last few weeks I'd thought we could talk about something to make the shift a bit easier. Literally the only good thing about Autumn is getting to curl up and feel warm and cosy so here's a few ways I'm going to be doing that with minimal effort.

Packing for a Cruise: Don't Waste Space

Hey Owlets,

If you haven't already heard from the 15,000 times I've previously mentioned it, last year I was lucky enough to go on my first ever cruise. Now it may have had something to do with the anxiety of never travelling abroad before or the fact that it was booked last minute, but when I heard "no luggage limit" I ran with it, and ended up taking THREE suitcases! Yes, I know that was excessive and, I'll be honest, one of them didn't even get unpacked. My room attendant looked at me like I was mad when he knocked on the door to tell me my suitcases had arrived. So since the phrase "pack light" isn't in my vocabulary, I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the things I took but never used  and hopefully it inspires you to pack a little lighter than I did! Just to clarify I went on a cruise around the Mediterranean, so this only really applies if you're going to hotter destinations. This was going to be a "ten things..." type of post but apparently I'm paranoid about having creature comforts with me, because after several days I've still not managed to think of 10 things I didn't use - oops.

How to be Body Confident

Hey Owlets,

Today I wanted to talk to you about something that I think affects a lot of us from time to time - a body confidence crash. I actually struggled with this when I was in Birmingham a few weeks ago,  after I attended an event where I felt like I was being judged purely on my weight, and someone on Twitter asked me how I dealt with it, so what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t make a post out of it?

What I Wore to Common People: Plus Size Festival Lookbook

Hey Owlets,

If you remember last month I was lucky enough to be invited to Common People Festival. One of the the things I struggled with most was trying to decide what to wear. If you search festival fashion it brings up hundreds of photos of skinny girls in over the top outfits and it really stressed me out, when I was already nervous about being at my first festival. So I thought it was time that we change that - here's what I wore to Common People.

Getting Organised: National Stationery Week

*contains sponsored content*

Hey Owlets,

If you’ve been following me for a while then you’ll know that I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with stationery - for me I need to feel like my life is organised before I actually do anything (I know, that makes no sense but I promise it works). So this is actually my perfect week - it’s national stationery week! Every day has a different theme and I tend to have stationery but not know what to do with it, so I wanted to share a couple of tips I’ve found this week.

Creating My Bespoke Fragrance: Review

*gifted product

Hey Owlets,

These days it’s rare I bring you a straight review of a product, but when I find something I think is really cool I just have to share. I don’t know what’s happened but over the last few years I’ve gone from never wearing perfume or getting something *interesting* in a bright blue Avon bottle, to having different scents for different occasions, keeping an eye on new releases and loving trying new scents. I’ve written a whole post about my favourite spring scents, and I’ve gotten close to “the one” fragrance, but it’s never been perfect - so why not mix my own?

Choosing Scents for Spring

Hey Owlets,

I feel like I’ve been really heavy on the travel content recently so I asked on Twitter what you would like to see and I got loads of messages from you saying that you never see anyone write about perfumes, so your wish is my command! I actually asked if you wanted to see my recent perfume purchases or my favourite spring perfumes but the vote came out exactly 50/50 so I decided to cheat and combine the two!

It’s funny really - until the last few years I never really bothered with perfume, but throughout uni I’ve grown to love it. Scents are a really strong trigger for memories which is why it’s become so important to me. Jo Malone’s Cardamom and Mimosa takes me back to my graduation, Jo Malone’s Wood Sage and Sea Salt for the time I went to Ascot And Marc Jacobs Original Daisy for my first trip abroad without my parents.

Why I'm Proud to Be Plus Size - #IWD18

Hey Owlets,

Happy International Women's Day! 

I wanted to do something confidence related today to celebrate and I've been wanting to write this post for a while so it was perfect timing.

The world is so full of ignorant people. Overflowing with small-minded haters passing judgement on situations that they know nothing about. I know there are many things in the firing line but one of those that I constantly come across is the attitude towards plus size girls. The idea that once you’re past a size 16 you’re just a blob of fat who’s opinions are invalid (not my words - this is a quote from a “fan”. I won’t give them the satisfaction of being named). But I’d like to tell you something. 

I’m proud to be plus size.

Revisiting Bicester Village: Review

Hey Owlets,

Today we're having a bit of a do-over. If you remember back in August I visited Bicester village and was less than impressed. If you haven't already read that post then make sure you take a look so you know what happened before reading the update.

To give you a brief outline, I stopped at Bicester on the way back from visiting family in Milton Keynes. As a blogger I've heard so much about the outlet and it's somewhere that I've always wanted to visit. I wasn't exactly looking my finest as I was only planning to travel home, but I don't suppose you would ever think to dress up to go shopping. When I got there, I was fully aware that the centre wasn't going to cater to anyone of my size, but you know how much of a handbag addict I am, so that was what I was here for anyway! Walking round the shops it became apparent that I perhaps wasn't their usual clientele, but at the point that a shop assistant said " we don't cater for people like you", I was pretty sure I was done and not going to go back.