BIRTHDAY SELFIE ALERT

 Hello there, Gentle Readers!  Did you think I had forgotten you?  I could never forget you.  I think of you every day.  Thinking isn’t writing, however, and so I have been egregiously absent, for which I apologize.  You see, my birthday was a week and a half ago, and between some trips and out of town guests and such before and after it, I just haven’t had any time to do, well, anything else.  So I thought that while I’m regrouping and prepping the next post here, I would take a break from my normal reviews and informational posts to do something a little more personal.  Here then is a quick journey in pictures (a lot of pictures, actually, so maybe not so quick – bandwidth hoarders beware) through my last few weeks:

Right before my birthday, I received a visit from the lovely Izabela of Voluptuously Thin: I had never met her in person before, so it was quite the birthday treat.  We tried on eachothers’ bras and clothing, gallivanted about, and generally had a grand old time.  None of my photographers were available (TRAGEDY!), but we tried our best to stage a photo shoot anyway.  There’s a salon here in which all the estheticians wear lingerie, and we decided to join them.  Really I just wanted a cool setting in which to do a review of the Lola Luxe Basque by Bravissimo… But also dressing up together and going out in lingerie is super fun.  So off we went.  We ended up having to wait for an appointment for a while, so we played model in the lobby for a bit (forgive the collage format on the last one; my software is being a right nutter):

But then – oh, the horror! – when we went to head inside, they said no pictures were allowed!  Not even if we made sure to not get the staff in any pictures and show them the shots before we left.  Alas.  We tried to sneakily get some done, but the review will definitely have to be re-shot.  Still, we had a lovely time.

Here’s a quick shot in the basque from home… It is pretty, although not a perfect fit for me, as I had to size up in the body.  But you’ll hear more about that when I actually get to reviewing.  :)

Sadly, Izabela only had time to visit for a few days, and before I knew it she had to head home.  There was more adventure in store for me, however, and the next stop was Los Angeles for some time to distinctly Not Act My (new) Age.  First stop… The Pinup Girl Clothing Boutique!  I was beyond excited to finally get to stop in here, as I am so very in love with PUG clothing and have been beyond eager to figure out what size I am in everything (turns out the answer is: small).  Once I got inside, however, I got an even better idea: a Guide to PUG Clothing for the Curiously Busty here on the ol’ brog!  If you have Breasts of Unusual Size (B.O.U.S. from here on out), even clothing generously designed for curves can sometimes be an issue, so I thought a pictorial guide to PUG showing the best options for Weirdly Shaped ladies might be helpful.  Alas, there were two issues with my grand plan:  1) I hadn’t worn much makeup, as I’d accidentally left my makeup bag in Las Vegas, and 2) the camera my friend was using was still on a setting from the night before, and almost all the photographs turned out to be blurry.  It was very sad, as it was a wonderful time overall, and many of the blurry shots look like they would have been just lovely if they had turned out.  Here are some of the best ones as a preview of the real post to co-  what’s that?  You didn’t think I would plan to go back and re-shoot?  Surely I haven’t been away so long that you’d begin to doubt me so.  I intend to get back to LA as soon as possible, this time with my full hair and makeup arsenal, and I will be giving you all the best damn B.O.U.S. PUG guide you ever saw.  Till then, here are two smatterings of the day:

Oddly enough, my favorite photos were actually of the black canvas underskirt that I tried on under one of the dresses (and will be buying at some point):

The staff of the store was exceedingly pleasant, and I was lucky enough to get to work with, among other fabulous ladies, Doris Mayday, who models for PUG, and the owner/designer herself, Laura Byrnes!  There’s some dedication there, folks; Laura is clearly at the stage of pregnancy where she could be forgiven for wanting to stay home and rest a bit, but there she was, working and making helpful and occasionally hilarious comments about fit (my favorite: “BOOBS!”).  I didn’t think to get a picture with them, as I am a bit stupid at times, but trust me, they are lovely.  I seriously cannot wait to get back there.  And in the meantime, as my birthday treat, I bought the Erin Dress in Lucky Green, which I wore that very night to rave reviews.  Since then, I have been alternately fantasizing about owning the entire collection and mourning the Bombshell Swimsuit in Green, which fit so well in the body and had such a beautiful color that I felt like a movie star in it, but sadly was not even close to able to contain my boobily joobilies.  It will haunt my dreams forever.

*wipes away tears and clears throat*  Right then, moving along…

The next day, we headed to Universal Studios, where I decided to be the star of the movie in my mind and became a superhero for a day, with facepaint and my trusty Urkye Tuba Top, which is like a faithful, bra-strap-hiding sidekick (slightly less so when I am constantly running around like an absolute maniac, but whatever):

…and then the following day, we headed to Disneyland!  This was an extra special treat because we met up with Boosaurus (see picture below!), of whose blog I am a longtime fan and whose body shape is one of the closest to mine of any woman I’ve ever met.  Luckily (if not at all unexpectedly), she is also absolutely delightful in person, and I had a wonderful, magical time in The Happiest Place on Earth with her, her DH, and my traveling companion.

Since we were celebrating my birthday, I didn’t think it so terrible to be princess for a day.  I wanted to wear a tiara, but at first I couldn’t find one, so I got some sparkly Minnie Mouse ears.  But then I also found the Disney Princess tiaras, so I made my own hybrid headpiece.  I did eventually find a more realistic tiara – an absolutely beautiful one – but that is being saved for Photo Shoots Future.  :)

After a reluctant goodbye to the Magic Kingdom, we spent our final afternoon in LA failing to visit a number of shops, as no one had told me that fashion takes Mondays off in Los Angeles, and most of the places I was interested in were closed.  I did get to go by Unique Vintage, though, which was absolutely wonderful and allowed me to finally – finally  – try a few dresses by Stop Staring, a company with whom I have been obsessed for quite a while, despite only having seen them online.  I almost regret trying some on in real life, though, as I was out of birthday cash and now cannot banish from my mind the two I tried that fit me best: the Railene, which I somehow failed to photograph(?!) but which seems to have been designed specifically to fit and flatter my figure (seriously, the fit… I… aghhhhh), and the aptly named Obsession, which I shot in the dressing room (it looks way better in person!  Needs to be Well Photographed!):

As much as I would have liked to just move into the stretch of LA housing all my favorite boutiques, real life beckoned and I headed back to Vegas.  After some more hosting of guests and assorted shenanigans, I’m finally starting to get my normal life back in order.  So that’s it, Gentle Readers.  I guess this is what twenty… er…  twenty-something looks like, eh?  Not so bad, I suppose.

In any case, I’ve missed you all, and I’m happy to be back.  I’ll have another post up in the next few days, something a bit more meaty, and in the meantime, thanks for coming to visit me despite my extended absence.  It’s lovely to see you!

Bisoux, Gentle Readers.

It won’t be so long this time.