Lane Bryant at Citrus Park Mall Grand Opening

                                       

This week I went to a Lane Bryant grand opening to support my friend and fellow Blogger Farrah Estrella of “Estrella Fashion Report”, This is the 5^th Grand opening for Lane Bryant that she has hosted which is awesome, I'm so proud of her and glad I know her. 

I enjoyed myself at this event and was impressed, They went all out with a DJ, Photographer, Two $250 Gift card drawings (I'm sad I didn’t win by the way) Catering with servers who walked around with trays of fruit skewers and pineapples wrapped in bacon and I must say I had too many of and plenty a cheese, But don’t tell anyone.

 I don’t get a chance to go in store and I haven’t shopped online in awhile so I planned to take my time looking around with a mindset that I was leaving with something one being a new bra because I am in need of a good strapless for my upcoming Birthday in June. It was a great turn out , I even seen a few local beautiful plus size models in the building.  Below are some pictures I took and also some of my pieces that i tried on, Enjoy and until next post.




With Model Hope of Tampa, FL






***Dressing room***
 

Quick Funny, I've never seen my name spelled this way lol 
 

Earrings Of The Day " Luxebaby Accessories "

Hello loves and happy Monday,  Today I'm sharing a pair of earrings that I had my eye of for awhile before I was able to purchase them,  What attracted me to them was the Bee and glitter lol, I thought  they were  cute, unique and that I had to add them to my collection. I follow the artist on Instagram  ( @Luxebabyxo) and always adored her work,  You can shop get online store at  http://luxebaby.bigcartel.com. I'm also sharing some pieces from her collection that's on my wishlist, I hope you all enjoy. 

Earrings Of The Day

Hello loves it's Monday, Today's Earrings Of The Day will be very quick ( At Work). I love these $1.00 flea market "Africa" earrings that I purchased while in Miami for the Jay z and Beyonce concert last year, I actually purchased  about 5 pairs of these because I was afraid I would loose a pair and wouldn't be able to place them. I have a love for African print and jewelry so expect a lot of other post with African inspiration.

Q: Do you have any "Africa" shaped earrings or other jewelry? 

Selfie Saturday

Hello loves and happy Saturday, I'm just sitting around here at the hospital with my son  (More on that at a later post) and seen I packed a scarf I purchased from dress barn during a shopping trip with my mom, I had never been there before then and was impressed with some cute things  I purchased, But I wasn't impressed by their prices I'll say lol thank goodness for mommy's. Thought I'll share some selfies with this gorgeous scarf that I just had to have when I saw it, Now I'm on a hunt for more fashionable scarfs. Enjoy and be blessed.

Rue107 Wish List

Welcome Back! Plus Size Brittany is now Curvy fab Natural as you my see if you have been following, I have been away for awhile and will be updating soon on whats has been going on in my life, it's been crazy and amazing to say the least. 

To kick things off i will be sharing some favorites from my wish lists. First up is Rue 107 with a few of my favorite pieces from their collections, I love how this line show so much love to the curvy woman and that the price range isn't too bad, I'm a person who loves a sale and probably haven't paid more the $50.00 for an outfit, But i wouldn't mind going up a few extra bucks for something I really like and cant find everywhere and on everyone. Feel free to browse Rue107.com and tell me what you think. 

 

 Alia' Utilitarian Chic Full A-line Dress in Hunter Green

Do you own any pieces from Rue107.com ? Please share @curvyfabnatural by Hash tagging #Curvyfabnatural and dont forget to follow us.

                             Celine' Leggings                Heidi Midnight Black Perforated Neoprene Full Skirt

 

Robin Butter cream Cupcake Pencil Skirt

 

 Serengeti Dress

What's Next? Natural hair post and reviewing "Curl formers" Video plus Earring review. 

 
 

"Self love and Cofidence" Pt 1

Hello loves and thanks for joining me today as I share the first post of what I hope to become an ongoing series here weekly or monthly  sharing testimonials of  the good, bad and the ugly that comes with confidence, self love, weight gain and  weight loss from women like me and you to help others with their struggles with these topics. Today I am sharing a story of someone I personally have known for some years now and have watched her on her weight loss journey and seeing how she is inspiring not only me but many locally and nation wide, I hope you enjoy her story and share your positive comments and encouraging words to her. Thanks

My name is Catrina and I have struggled with my weight all my life. At my heaviest, I weighed nearly half a ton, 955 pounds to be exact. Bed ridden and trapped in my home, I thought my life was over. I was unable to walk, couldn’t clean myself, and was a prisoner in my home. I was certain that I would never be able to drive, go to college, work, or even be able to go outside and breathe fresh air. I suffered from sleep apnea, cellulites, congestive heart failure, and was literally being killed by the fat that surrounded my short 5 feet 2 inch frame. When I thought things could not get any worse, my life took a significant turn on one hot summer day when I had trouble breathing and was forced to leave my home. My mother called 911 as I lay in bed struggling to breathe, wondering if this was the end. I was afraid but silently hoping that my suffering might be coming to an end. The rescue crew arrived and was immediately faced with a dilemma; my half-ton body was unable to fit through the door.

The rescuers demolished the wall of my bedroom in a critical attempt to get me out of the house and then discovered that I was unable to fit inside the ambulance. As my condition continued to deteriorate, the rescuers had to act promptly to get me to the hospital and my only method of transportation was a tow truck. Yes a tow truck! I was hauled away as if I was some sort of broken down vehicle. Embarrassed, afraid, and extremely disheartened, I vowed that if I was able to make it through this experience my life would never be the same, and boy was I right! The horrific experience of having rescue workers tear down the wall in my home was not only significant because the workers were there to save my life, it was symbolic of me breaking away from my past. The demolition of that wall was the beginning of me breaking away from being a prisoner in my own home, me breaking away from obesity related medical conditions, breaking away from immobility, and breaking away from the death grip that the fat had held on my life for so many years. After leaving the hospital I was admitted to a weight loss facility, underwent weight loss surgery, improved my diet and began to exercise regularly.

Since that time, I have lost over 500 pounds. After my weight loss, I was able to attend college, I work, have regained my ability to walk, and I am able to independently support and take care of myself. I have made significant progress toward my weight loss goal and improved my health, but yet find myself faced with another obstacle. After losing over 500 pounds I have been able to improve my mobility significantly, however, I am extremely limited by the extra skin that enclosed 955 pounds of fat. My walking, bending, standing, and sedentary movement is compromised by the extra skin hanging from my body. The extra skin that is restricting my mobility is also restricting my ability to continue reaching my weight loss goal. I am unable maximize workouts and must limit my movement and mobility. I have received approval from my physician to have the skin removed, but need help obtaining the funds required to undergo the surgical procedure. The cost of the procedure and associated fees is $10,000. Although that amount is not a lot of money, it is more than I can afford to pay. I have overcome heart failure, sleep apnea, and weighing nearly half a ton, there is no way a measly $10,000 is going to prevent me from obtaining my goal.

 If you will like to help Catrina CLICK HERE Although I may stumble, struggle, and even fall, I REFUSE TO LOSE. And with your help, I won’t. A wise man I know always says, “You will win if you don’t quit.” I can’t give up and I won’t quit! No amount is too small and any donation helps. If you are you able to help please…..



Do you have your own story to share? Email me at BritBrat813@gmail.com

Outfit Of The Day

Today's outfit of the day is a featuring Torrid (Top) and Curvy Phenoms Boutique (Bottom) , This look is very simple but still wearable for different occasions, from work to a dinner date  on any day of the week. I have been updating my closet with staple pieces such as a stylist black top to pair with any look and a blue skirt, For some reason I have been wanting a blue and hot pink pencil skirt really bad  and I'm still searching for my pink.
The black sheer top was purchased during Torrid's 1/2 off sale and I was able to snag this top and a pair of shoes for under $17.00. I was very pleased with my purchase because I rarely shop Torrid because I'm a bit cheap and about time I'm finished added up the cost for one item plus shipping I have already exited off the website and decided to wait for a sale that I'm sure I'm going to miss, But thank goodness for Instagram and my followers and those I'm following alerting me about the sale at that time. My blue fitted pencil skirt is from a new curvy Boutique I recently blogged about  Click here to read called Curvy Phenoms Boutique, I was very excited to receive this skirt and the beautiful packaging that it came in made the experience even better. This skirt hugs my curves just right , you cant help but feel sexy when wearing it.  I have other plan for both this skirt and top but wanted introduce the two first. Thank for stopping by to view my outfit of the day, Until next post have blessed day and stay curvy, fab & natural.

Go crazy for the camera!!!!

Plus size retailers disappearing?

Today was a sad "Retail Therapy" day for me as I traveled to my local Dots store in Brandon, Fl to replace my favorite black "Go to" shirt. As I walked up to the doors I paid no attention because I was texting and since I come here all the time I can pretty much walk from my car to the stores doors with my eyes closed,  But when I did look up I was immediately shocked and in a bit of a panic, My first words were " Omg what's going on? " as I walked up to a store clerk to have her respond with one word " Bankruptcy" and walked away.  One would think being that us plus sized women already only have very few clothing stores to shop that carries trendy clothing that business would be BOOMING for retailers such as "Dots" where are we shopping?  For me locally I only have Rainbow, Dots, Torrid and Lane Bryant  and of this short list I prefer Dots. Where am I still suppose to shop now?  I guess its time I learn took make my own clothing. I see a lot of online curvy boutiques taking over but who is really going to pay $50 + shipping for one dress everyday?  Plus not all online boutiques can be trusted,  Trust me I have been a victim of the fraud which I will later blog about. For the Dots shoppers the time is now to go rack up for the last time if your locations are not already closed,  The store clerk told me that they will all be clOsed in just a few weeks or less. Right now discounts are only 20%-40% right now but subject to increase very soon,  Knowing my challenging work schedule and seeing the thinning racks in front of me I decided to not wait on the bigger sale and get what I wanted now before it was gone, I hope everyone gets a chance to shop thier last sales.  Here is way i was able to grab today but plan on going back for the purses and clutches soon. HAPPY SHOPPING :(

MORE ABOUT "DOTS" BANKRUPTCY. ..

★ " Dots founder Bob Glick, who opened its first store in 1987, sold the chain to an affiliate of Irving Place Capital in 2011 for an undisclosed price."

★" The Dots chain filed for Chapter 11 protection on Jan. 20, after losing shoppers when the quality of the chain's merchandise declined under prior management."

★ " At the time it filed bankruptcy, Dots operated nearly 400 stores and employed roughly 3,500 people in its stores and at its headquarters, according to court records."