vlog： a cosy autumn day, mini ikea haul + kitchen organisation

Hey guys, welcome back to my channel. I hope you're all doing really well. I don't know about you, but shopping on the high street these days literally makes me want to perform some kind of fancy synchronized swim dive straight out of an upstairs window while also simultaneously removing my eyeballs. Actually, that would be quite impressive. Tens across the board. Shutting myself in a weird smelling changing room with dramatic hospital lighting, probably with a door that doesn't quite lock properly so you have to keep your bum against it at all times while you're trying things on, or there'll be like a curtain across it that's not quite wide enough so there's always someone's weird kid just eyeballing you through the gap the whole time. It is quite an experience because the mirrors are not to be trusted, someone's probably left half a chicken nugget on the floor, and whether you like it or not you are forced to observe your own body from all angles. Like, whoever knew it was possible to get cellulite in places that you find out you've got it when you're in a changing room? But let's be honest, the worst part of shopping for clothes is sizing labels and the fact that your own body, your own self, that is totally unique and different from everybody else in the world, is ultimately condensed down to fit into one magical number category. And not only is that idea ridiculous in itself, but that number that you've been categorized into is very rarely even what you're actually expecting it to be. It's very much like a crap boyfriend, it's not what you're expecting, it's nearly always wrong and it absolutely cannot be trusted. It's a confusing and a disheartening experience and if you're anything like me you probably often leave empty-handed with absolutely no nice clothes, but after years of blaming my body I'm finally starting to learn that when I'm in the changing room feeling dejected with a pair of skinny jeans that are supposed to be my size but won't actually go over my bum the size of a small planet, it's not actually my body's fault and it's not yours either. So today I'm here to prove that actually it's the high street's fault for not knowing what they're damn doing when it comes to consistent sizing. This whole inconsistent sizing across high street stores has a lot to answer for when it comes to girls and women having their confidence destroyed by a freaking wrecking ball of self-doubt, along with all the other brain-frying things that we have to take into consideration when we're trying something on, like is this flattering? Does this highlight my assets? Does this hide my flabby bits? We also just constantly have to carry the burden of inevitable bad sizing, which is really unfair when you think about the plethora of other crap that comes with women's fashion. Like I've spent eight or nine years now battling with eating disorders and body dysmorphia and various issues and I can categorically say that high street sizing has played a massive part in some of the worst stints of those issues. I might chuck a few jokes around here and there in this video but it's confusing and it's belittling and it makes you feel so out of touch with your own body. Thinking you are one particular size, feeling confident in that knowledge and then walking into a store to have a label tell you that maybe you're at least one, maybe two or even three sizes bigger can set you so far back in recovery with issues like I mentioned before, but also even in just self-confidence and self-love. That kind of feeling is only going to lead to beating yourself up and berating yourself when in actual fact your figure hasn't changed in the slightest. So back to the high street, there are some shops out there, god bless them, because we need more of them. They opt for straight sizing so you head in, you pick up the size that you confidently feel will fit you nicely, you try it on and hey presto, you're happy as larry, you look bloody great and you got yourself a new outfit for the weekend. Alternatively there's shops that grossly grossly undersize their clothing and everything comes up far too small, yet they're a really good time, those shops, really love shopping in them, really enjoy that, 10 out of 10 would definitely visit again, the worst. And then on the other end of the spectrum, which is equally useless, there is also a thing called vanity sizing which basically involves stores slyly upping the dimensions of their clothes while keeping the size label exactly the same. It's supposed to flatter you and make you want to shop there more often but is it just me that thinks this is mental and a complete waste of time? I just want to pick something up and know that it's gonna fit me, like what a crazy idea, I just want clothes that are cut for my body shape and that I can rely on when I'm stressing about what to wear at the weekend, I want to know that I can go into that shop and pick things up that will fit me. I don't know, I just think back to all the times that I've heard my friends or I felt it myself say that they feel disgusting because they've gone up a size and that they need to go on a diet starting from now to slim back down to that number that they were before, that insignificant number that just means nothing. It makes me angry and really really sad that so much self-worth rests on a number that doesn't even make any sense or say anything fixed or definite about you, like companies basically pluck it out of thin air and we put so much importance on it. When you kind of think about it like that and you say it all out loud, I just think that we deserve better guys, I really do. So that's why this video comes in, my past experiences have found that jeans shopping in particular can be quite the ---- store. I can literally walk into one store and find a size 12 pair of skinnies will fit me like a glove but then I'll walk into another store and find a size 16 pair are like trying to squeeze a hippo into a tube of smarties. So in an attempt to try and make us all feel better about it and ourselves and just to prove a point really because I thought this might be hilarious, I've actually picked up 10 pairs of identical black skinny jeans from 10 different retailers across the UK high street. Each of these skinny high-waisted black jeans, my go-to, are a UK size 14 on the label according to that shop but the big question is how many of these shops are actually making a size 14 that fits a size 14? It's time to find out. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that some will be too big, some I won't even get a toe into, and I'm hoping that once and for all that the number on a clothing label means absolutely nothing and that women's clothing sizing is one giant mess. I can't say I'm looking forward to this, trying jeans on is never fun really is it, let alone 10 pairs consecutively. But if you do enjoy this video, if you enjoy watching me struggle on camera, then please do give this video a little thumbs up, don't forget to hit the subscribe button if you're new, and let's have a go at trying on size 14 jeans from across the high street. Pray for me. Right, jeans are all over here as you can see, draped artistically over the banister. I've just spent a long time trying to figure out the logistics of this because I suddenly realized that if any of these don't fit I'm very much going to be in my pants, so I've opted for a classic and I've got my cycling shorts on. It's just to prevent me showing my bum or vagina on the internet. I may be poor but I'm not that desperate quite yet. Okay so first up we have ASOS jeans. ASOS jeans have been my favourite in the past, they tend to be my go-to when it comes to skinny jeans. ASOS, hey ASOS, I knew you wouldn't let me down, hey girl. So size 14 ASOS skinny black jeans, do you know what, they're actually size 14. These fit like a bloody glove. They're a weirdly stretchy material, I really wasn't expecting them to have as much like give as they have. The material is like, I'll just be a little bit worried that after like one or two or five days of wear without wash, I literally go so long without washing my jeans, I feel like they would lose their suction power a little bit. So maybe if you're going to go for ASOS, go for maybe like an inch smaller than you normally would. ASOS passes the test, congrats ASOS. Okay next, a bit of a classic some would say, Topshop Jamie jeans, size 14, waist 32, leg 32. Normally the thought of shopping in Topshop would fill me with dread and fear, but let's give it a go. There is literally no graceful way to put on skinny jeans, is there? Literally not. Lunge! Oh my god, okay, oh are we in? Crikey, we are just about in. I feel like I'm in a scuba diving suit. I've just about managed to do the button up, but it has made me feel slightly like a sausage in a test tube. Maybe they'd be better if there was some knee rips involved, just so there's a little bit more give, but as plain skinny black jeans, they are quite snug. In all fairness, they do fit, I got them on, but they've definitely come up smaller than the ASOS ones, that's for sure. But hey, I suppose technically they passed the test because they fitted. So Numero Tres is Miss Selfridge denim, these are push-up effect. Excuse me? Sorry, what now? You're pushing up what? What's going up where? What are you doing? Really haven't had the most pleasant of experiences with Miss Selfridge sizes, it tends to make me feel like the BFG every time I enter that store. But hey, for the purpose of research, let's put ourselves through this eternal misery. Come on now, come on now. Oh my god. Okay, I'm one leg in. Is this the most tragic sight you've ever seen? I think it might be mine. Oh my god. I'm ready for my big night out. Um, cool. Good. This is uh, this is good. Good. That's about as good as we're getting here, ladies and gents. I'm literally out of breath, I've tried so hard to get these on. I mean it's tragic times, isn't it, when you just can't even, you can't even make your bum go in. That's, that's as high as they're getting. Yeah, that's it, we're done here. Um, all I can say is that I'm glad I'm filming this rather than trying these on in a Miss Selfridge changing room all by myself and questioning everything about my own body. So that's real fun. Miss Selfridge, get yourself out of here. Get out of here. Straight from the gates of hell, these. Quick hydration break because this is the equivalent of running a marathon, a denim-shaped marathon. Okay, next one is kind of interesting. I've never tried these. These are misguided jeans. Any guesses? I couldn't even tell you. Oh, they're quite stretchy. They're very thin though. They feel a bit like leggings, I suppose. That's jeggings, absolute dirt. Oh, do you know what? I'm not sure about this. They're very, very tight. There you go, mate, you're up. Welcome. Right, we're in. That was a little bit of a workout, not gonna lie. Mainly because the ankles are really small though and I had to really like shove my feet through them to get through. They're super, super thin material. Oh my god, the pockets aren't real. Oh my god, absolute deal breaker. Can't have jeans without pockets, what the hell? You can see how thin they are because you can see the cycling short through it. Yeah, these are a bit naff, to be honest. I think they were pretty cheap but I think it'd be better to just spend another tenner and get like proper jeans. I feel like they're pretty unforgiving and like unflattering. I'm not a big fan of these, to be honest. I feel like I want to take these off right this second. Also, mainly down to the fake pockets. Fake news. Think about how hot and bothered you get when you try one pair of jeans on in a changing room in a shop. This is not okay. Why didn't I think about this? Anyway, we're moving on to a pair that I'm very intrigued by. I've got high hopes for these and I really don't want to be let down. I've had my heart broken too many times. Come on, Primark. So these are the Primark jeans. As you can see, very much a 14. I'm proud. Pray for me. Also, pray for my body temperature to return to normal one day. Put your right leg in. Oh, they're a bit stretchier than I thought. We could be okay here, guys. The legs are in, the calves are in anyway. It's all about the thighs. Oh, come on. You can do it. Don't let my thighs ruin the game. Isn't it weird, the things your body has to do to get into skinny jeans? Why were they ever invented? Why didn't we just do what our parents did and stick with flares? So much easier. And hey, presto, with a little leg kick and a forward lunge. Oh, come on. I haven't even had lunch yet. Oh my God, the zip's not going to do it. That is so tragic. Deep breaths. Breathe in. It shouldn't be this hard. Oh my God, why is this so hard? What the hell? It's not like they're not on. I'm actually looking down the leg now. If I just do this, they are very, very slim fit. I mean, they are some very skinny jeans. Super stretch. Okay, so I guess they're meant to really, like, suck you in. That's definitely what they're doing. I feel like someone has vacuum packed me. But I don't hate it. If I was an emo teenager, these would be the ones I'd go for so far. I've actually just realised that we've reached the halfway point. So just going to put it out there. I think the best so far, ASOS, always a strong contender. But the surprising dark horse in the competition so far, Primark. Can you tell that I'm postponing as much as possible doing this all over again? It's so unbearably, uncomfortably hot. Oh my God. I'm trying to think what's even left. I've got no idea. What day is it? Next up, bit of a rogue choice, perhaps, but still very much a high street contender. We have got the Harper jeans from River Island. In the blue corner, it's the Harper jean. When it comes to River Island, I don't really tend to go in there because I always find that they do quite nice clothes and then they stick a big diamante on the front of it and ruin everything. So I really have no idea what their fit is like. I feel like they're going to be a bit small, but let's find out. Will we die at the thigh? It's all to play for. Do you know what? They're actually a bit roomier than I thought they were going to be. These were the most expensive of the bunch, I think, thinking about it, so they bloody should fit. I think they were 40 quid. Yay! Success! Right, so absolute surprise of the day goes to River Island. They're bloody high-waisted though, isn't it? Look at my armpits. Almost a little bit too much fabric, which is unexpected. I don't know, these bits around the crotch here. Can you see that? If I pull that out and give it a wiggle, what is going on there? It's almost like they think I should have more around here than I do, which is interesting because normally you would think they would give you too little room around there. Actually, no, they even feel a little bit big around my bum. I think they might actually be a little bit too big there, which, you know what? Actually, if I ate a big dinner, we'd probably be all right. Okay, River Island, I see you. I don't hate those results. I don't hate them. Do you know what? Supermarket clothes are well underrated and they're so affordable, so I went for some Georgia Asda. So these are Georgia Asda skinny jeans. I think they're called something weird like Wonderfit. Quite a big claim if you're telling me that these skinny jeans are literally going to make me wonder and marvel at how good the fit is. Oh, these are very stretchy. These are literally made of elastic. That's so weird. To be fair, they're like suctioning to my body in an alarming way. Well, they just absolutely slid on like melted butter. Maybe a little bit too much. I can literally hoist them from about here. So, like, they definitely fit, but what a crazy material. What are these made out of? Are they magic? They're very closely fitted and, obviously, I definitely got into them, but that, like, weird stretchy fabric is leaving me with a lot of room around here. I don't think these really do anything for you because they're basically made of, like, tights. I'm basically wearing a thick pair of tights right now. But, also, fake pockets. Absolute nonsense. Yeah, these are not to be trusted, I feel. I don't trust these. I feel like these are like a snakey friend that you feel like is here to support you at all times, but then after a couple of wears, just goes all, like, saggy and baggy. Sorry, George. It's a no from me. It was fun while it lasted, but I just can't count on you. We're down to the final three, guys. What are we going for here? What are you? Oh, new look. The Dahlias in size 14. Ultra high waist, super skinny. Nothing about me is super skinny, but maybe my jeans will be. Oh, come on. Come on. Come on. Here you go. There we go. We're over the knee. We're on. We're in. We're over the second knee. Good. Yeah. Oh, my God. That was a Oh, my God. Who knew? I thought new look were, like, on the ball. They ain't doing up. Nope. Absolutely no chance. I mean, this is the look I like to go for after dinner, but not while I'm out and about, that's for sure. Oh, my God. I'm so surprised by that. If my crotch was actually sitting there, as it suggests, rather than here, where it actually is, I would have a very low-flying cervix. Right, let me just give this one more quick go, because there's got to be a way. Oh, come on. Right, I might have just about done it. Now that they're on, I very much feel again like I'm in a scuba suit. Like, they are so, so skin tight. That's the highest I can bring my knee. Oh, I don't want to rip them. I don't know, I feel like they're, like, so tight around my knee area that it makes it look like I've got two little bald men stashed in my knees. I've left one potential goodie, and I suspect one potential baddie, like, very bad baddie. Zara Woman with the high waist. That is indeed a 14. So, hmm, £29.99. These better be good. Oh, we've glided in there. An absolute breeze. After a lot of moving and shaking, we're just about up. Are they going to do up? Yeah, they're up. Wahey! Well, this is a bit of a weird one. I haven't really tried on a pair like this before, so the legs literally slid in with no problem whatsoever, but they did struggle a bit getting over the old buttocks, and, um, oh, they feel quite restrictive across my stomach, not gonna lie. We're fine, we're in, but, um, I feel like if I ate bread I might be in trouble. I feel like the fastening is, uh, straining slightly, which isn't the best feeling in the world, I have to say. It's not doing too much for my self-confidence right now. The last thing you want to do, really, is buy a pair of £30 jeans and then find that they're literally straining to contain you. It's not a great feeling, I have to say. All in all, not a great fit. Kind of disappointing, because I put them on thinking that we were onto a surprise winner there. Sorry, Zara. It's a no from me. It's a no from me. We're at the last pair. You can only guess where these are from, can't you? I feel like everyone has their own personal horror stories from H&M changing rooms. I feel like everybody has had that moment where they've tried on their normal size, it's not quite big enough. Tried on the next one, it's not quite big enough. Tried on the next one, still not quite big enough. These are definitely the ones I feel the least confident about. Um, these are H&M's skinny ankle. I asked the woman who was working on the jeans department and she told me that the measurements are like American inches or something. I didn't really understand, I've never heard of that before. Why isn't it just, like, you're selling in the UK, why would you not just put 14 on it? I don't know. But then the lady told me that they come up small, so that's always encouraging when the member of staff literally tells you that it's too small. And so I should probably go for a 30. These were £17.99, so very cheap, but not much good being cheap if you can only get them around your big toe. Oh my god. Are you messing? Oh my god. Are you messing? Are you actually messing? Um. Oh, I've got one leg fatter than the other. I can't even. This is what we're working with, knee-high jeans. I literally cannot even. I'm going to try and do this like this so I can show you. I know it has been in the news this week that H&M are, like, in trouble for this because they're so bad for it. And I think they're sort of dropping everything down one, so their size 12 will now be labelled a size 10. Um, so they're kind of dropping everything down one, but I don't even think the next size would. This is a good look, isn't it? Bloody hell. I think we can all agree. My best outfit of the day to date. Strip, strip, strip. H&M, sort it out. That is shocking. But how mad is it that on paper these are the same as those ASOS jeans? They should be the same size. They should be the same measurements. All of those pairs of jeans should be the same measurements across the board. I mean, that's a bloody laugh that, isn't it? You're absolutely having a laugh with those. Are you messing? I mean, come on. It's a look. It's hot. Oh yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh. Get these bloody things off me. Get in the bin. Get in the bin. Well, that was quite the experience. I'm glad you could all share that with me. I've never looked so sweaty in all my life. What an absolute traumatic rollercoaster ride that was. And here we have the tragic, always emotional sight of a black jeans graveyard. RIP to all involved. Except for H&M. You can't sit with us. None for H&M. Bye! I really hope you guys enjoyed this video. It's something that I've wanted to do for a very long time and I guess the proof is in the pudding. I really wish this video had been trying 10 types of different pudding. Maybe next time. And I just want to say as well that if you take one thing from this video, as well as probably the urge to go and buy a new pair of jeans, does this count as brainwashing? I really hope it's to please not put so much pressure and importance on the number that you see on the label inside your clothing. If you've been stressing yourself out and feeling like you need to fit a certain number and size, please go easier on yourself and be kinder to yourself because that number means nothing. I wasted so much time, literally years of my teens and my early 20s, pressuring myself to fit into a smaller number and I'm just done with it. And I really, really hope that you guys might be as well. And I'll get off my soapbox now. I need to calm down. As always, my favourite part about making videos is chatting to you guys in the comments and I really want to hear what you think about this. I feel like no one is going to be surprised to see that there's so much variety between size 14s across the high street. I'm sure we've all been there. If you feel like you've struggled with this in the past, I want to hear about it. Let me know down in the comments. Let's have a good chat about it. I think that's all I have to say about this one. I need to go and take a cold shower immediately. If you did enjoy this video, it was a little bit interesting, or you found it useful, or you thought, hell yeah, I relate to that, please do give it a little thumbs up. That would be really great. And also, don't forget to hit the subscribe button if you are new. Don't forget you can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram, both at Lucy Jane Wood, and I will see you guys very soon with another video. Bye.