31 December 2009: 12:19
When it comes to party looks, you can’t beat a smokey eye! Sultry eyes are a favourite among celebrities as well with Cheryl Cole, Beyonce and Keira Knightley often seen sporting dark and delicious eye make-up on the red carpet.
It’s also a great way to take your make-up from day to night – just add a pair of false eyelashes, a touch of liner and you’re ready to go straight to the party.
Whether you choose smudged kohl or the more ’60s style liquid liner, the essential item needed for smokey eyes is liner. For the festive season, we’re loving Urban Decay’s glitter eye liner (£12), which is just perfect for that little bit of sparkle.
Eyelashes are also key. If you want to be more natural, make sure you not only layer on the mascara, but also curl them beforehand. Heating your eyelash curlers up with your hairdryer will add to their lusturous affect. Our favourites are from Illamasqua (£17.13), available to buy in Debenhams and other department stores.
No beauty conscious star ever steps in front of the cameras without their false eyelashes and neither should you! You can now even buy Cheryl Cole’s lashes as Eylure have teamed up with Girls Aloud to create their own range, (£4.89)! Cheryl’s are, in her words, “cool and ultra glamorous”. We can’t guarantee that you’ll look like the singer, but they will definitely help improve flutterability.
If you need help applying them, check out Lauren Luke’s tutorial on You Tube, or alternatively some stores do offer a service to apply your eyelashes for you.
So go forth and flutter – and just remember if you’re doing a strong eye, make your lips nice and neutral.
30 December 2009: 11:05
The sales are in full swing, so we’re picking the best bargains to be had! Today, we’ve scoured the shops to bring you our top five women’s fashion bargains.
Our pick from Warehouse is this hot pink jacket, which has been reduced from £90 to £50. Pink is the key colour for next season so invest now!
If you haven’t already snapped up a dress in the fabric of the season – velvet – then now’s the time to do it! Dorothy Perkins has this lovely petrol blue velvet dress on sale now – and is a bargain £17!
The Kurt Geiger sale is a must for all shoeaholics! Lace-up boots are a big trend this winter and this gorgeous skating-style pair have been massively reduced from £180 to £89.
We’ve already spotted the stars wearing embellished knitwear, so we’re going to snap up this beautiful beaded jumper from French Connection, which has been reduced from £110 to £73.
We’ve found the perfect party accessory from the Oasis sale. This emerald green sequin bag is just the right size for all your essentials and will add a touch of glamour to any little black dress. Reduced from £35 to £23.
23 December 2009: 15:00
When we saw Lauren Conrad pitch up on the red carpet in a little grey dress and a black sequin cardigan, we knew we had to follow her lead grab ourselves some glam knitwearl!
It’s the perfect festive fashion statement, which will look just as great on the dance floor at the Christmas party as it will with jeans for those Boxing Day celebrations.
The key is to keep the rest of your outfit simple and let the sequins do the talking! We’ve chosen our favourite three sequinned cardigans on the high street – grab one now to inject a touch of glamour into your Christmas.
L-R: Black embellished cardigan, £85, Topshop; Spot sequin cardigan, £79.99, River Island; Sequin cardigan, £20, New Look
22 December 2009: 16:01
We’ve probably got Lady Gaga and her eccentric dress sense to thank for that ’80s classic, the body coming back into fashion. Back in the day, they were all the rage on the catwalk and suited the sleek, power dressing that was so popular.
Having worn the original bodies however, I’m somewhat reluctant to tip my toe in that trend again. For one, they were really quite uncomfortable and then there was the somewhat un-lady like issue of going to the toilet!
However, the body seems to be back with a vengeance and looks like carrying onto be a big trend for Spring/Summer 2010, with the underwear as outerwear theme that was seen on many of the catwalk shows. The new style bodies do have some plus points – they make layered dressing very easy and
If you do think the body is hot, wear them with jeans, flirty skater skirts and harem pants. Do not, whatever you do, team them with jeggings or leggings – camel toe is not a good look!
18 December 2009: 09:10
Brrr, it’s getting colder and if you haven’t already bought a new winter coat, now’s the time to get all wrapped up. This season, a coat isn’t just a practical thing, but a great addition to brighten up your winter wardrobe.
Forget boring old black and grey and throw caution to the wind, with a bright and beautiful cover up. The shops are full of an array of rainbow colours – from hot pink to lime green, there’s a shade to suit all.
The great thing about colour pop coats is that they can really zing up a boring outfit. One of our favourite tricks is to colour clash our tights – wear red tights with a pink coat for example, or clash green tights with a blue coat. It’s very Marc Jacobs – but without the price tag.
So get all wrapped up and banish the winter blues with one of these colourful coats…
(L-R) Purple cape, £70, Dorothy Perkins; Pink parka, £24.99, Uniqlo; Green coat, £69.99, River Island
16 December 2009: 08:30
Red lips are a beauty classic, and are the perfect party accompaniment to a little black dress. They’re also a favourite with the A-list, with celebrities such as Dita Von Teese, Leighton Meester and Taylor Swift sporting bright red lips on the red carpet in recent months.
Some celebrities, such as Dita, wouldn’t be seen without their iconic red lips, which are a nod back to the days of Hollywood glamour when red lipstick was as common as wearing a hat and matching bag/shoes.
Others such as Taylor Swift are red lipstick converts. Taylor was introduced to the classic look on the cover shoot for Allure earlier this year, and she loved the look so much, she begged uber make-up artist Gucci Westman, to give her a tube of her own!
Fellow red lip lover Scarlet Johansson says “I’m a huge believer in the power of lipstick, especially red – it’s like instant glamour in a tube.” It’s the beauty essential you should ALWAYS carry in your bag as it can brighten up your face, glam up your look and make you feel very confident – not bad for a small tube of lipstick.
Once you’ve found the right colour for you – and we really recommend you visit a beauty counter to get the perfect shade – application is key to this look. The Hollywood look is back in vogue now so line your lips first, then fill in with your chosen shade using a lip brush. Then blot, blot and blot some more for that perfect glam look.
We’ve rummaged around in our favourite red-lipped celebs to find out what shade they’ll be wearing under the mistletoe this year…
(L-R) Queen of the red lips, Dita Von Teese, adores MAC's Russian Red, £18.50;Cheryl Cole favours Max Factor’s Lipfinity in Charming, £9.99; Gwen Stefani loves Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick in Exces de Rouge, £33
14 December 2009: 09:13
Christmas party dressing can be a nightmare. Not only do you need to find something that will make you stand out in a sea of sequins, but you also need to get the perfect dress for your shape. Well worry no more, as we’ve searched the high street for find the perfect frock for your body dilemma!
If you hate your arms… cover them up, but not completely. Look for dresses, like this one from Next (£65) with a chiffon sleeve, which will hide your arms but still look party pretty.
If you hate your tummy… choose dresses that softly skim the problem area, but don’t go for anything too tent-like! We love this gorgeous studded dress from Monsoon (£95), which will hide any bulging bellies, and even allow you to indulge in an extra mince pie or two!
If you hate your thighs or bottom… emphasise your top half and waist, while ensuring the bottom half of the dress skims over your hated areas. This dress from Wallis (£60) is the perfect frock for you!
You hate your legs… choose a floor-sweeping, stunning maxi dress! Long dresses are still big fashion news this Christmas, so make like a celebrity and wear this amazing Topshop one (£75). If you do want to wear a shorter dress, keep it to the knee and wear black opaques.
You want to add curves… if you’re slim and boyish, but want some added va-va-voom, look for dresses with in-built curves, pleating or draping to help add those inches. We love this bright pink party dress from M&S (£35), which will surely make you stand out in a crowd.
11 December 2009: 09:30
Just like us, it seems Sugababe Heidi Range loves a bit of sparkle at Christmas! We spotted her out and about in London this week wearing this gorgeous little number.
Heidi is a girl after our own heart and picked up this dress from the high street at M&S – so for the bargain price of £49.50, you too can get real ‘Babe appeal.
It’s the perfect Christmas party dress as the sequins make it stand out, but the style means it can be dressed up in various ways. If you don’t like your legs, why not wear it over shiny leggings? Or if you’re feeling brave, team with uber-bright tights? It’s also the perfect background for over-sized cocktail rings, statement heels and bright clutches.
9 December 2009: 14:53
It’s all the fun of the fair in these gorgeous new campaign shots for Miss Ultimo Lingerie, starring Peaches Geldof, the face and body of the range.
Available online or in Debenhams, the new range is just perfect for Christmas. Packed with pretty frills and eye-popping brights, the new collection is inspired by vintage carnivals and candy shops and is available from just £8.00.
If you’re hoping for some new lingerie from Santa, this girly and sexy underwear will surely be a welcome gift on Christmas day!
The cute and colourful designs, which include candy stripes and shades of bubblegum blues and pinks, are also the perfect thing to wear under that Little Black Dress. As Peaches says “Clothes are fun but sometimes knowing you’ve got some awesome underwear underneath is better!”
