Red Carpet Ready...

It's that time of year again... It's awards season!


Tinseltown is all a blaze with excitement as the red carpet gets rolled out for all the A-list stars. Starting with the Golden Globes on January 15th and ending with (of course) The 84th Oscars on Feb 26th, Awards Season means that we get to watch our favourite stars make fashion firsts or fashion faux pas all under the media glare. As celebs flock to the Hollywood Hills, beauty salons and stylists are in undated with requests for gown fittings, manicures, pedicures, facials, and no doubt a cheeky bit of Botox! 


However, for us mere mortals, all we can do is look enviously at the pictures, and say things like "Oh I wish I was wearing that beautiful dress" or "I wish I had that gorgeous guy hanging off my arm!"


But, there is a cheaper way of looking Oscars ready, and it all centres around one item: Red Lipstick. A good red lipstick is very hard to find. For most of us it has to be fairly cheap, smooth to apply, long lasting, and in a colour that suits us! The shade I use is by Rimmel in 'Diva Red'. (Available in most Supermarkets, Superdrug & Boots Stores) A few of my friends have borrowed this lipstick for various occasions, and I have to confess, it looked great on all of them! (Each of them having a different skin tone and colouring to me)


When applying lipstick make sure you have soft, kissable lips (moisturise them regularly) and before applying use a lip liner (in a shade close to that of your lipstick) to ensure your lipstick doesn't bleed. Next, keep the rest of your make up simple, I'm talking a slick of liquid or pencil eyeliner and a couple of coats of your favourite mascara! For this make up look the lips need to be the focus, so no bright eyeshadow colours!


This kind of old school glamour makeup look can be worn to just about any occasion; a day of business meetings with a tailored pin stripe suit, a big night out on the town with your favourite LBD, or a first date with jeans and a pretty blouse... The list is endless! You may not be a celebrity, but at least you'll have make up worthy of one!

Dear January...

It's that time of year again; once again we enter the month of January. All the festivities of Christmas have been forgotten, and decorations have been put away. It's a month of new promises, and fresh starts, billed under the premise "New Year New You!". But, for many, January can be a hard, and to be frank, a rather boring month. Extra Christmas pounds haven't been lost; the days are still dark and gloomy. Spring isn't quite in the air yet. Most of us return to work (the end of the month pay check hugely anticipated) and school/studies (the inevitable exams).

However, I say that we need to make the most of this drab month, and turn it into something happy! The last few weeks of winter need brightening up...
Here are a few tips to make the "Worst month of the year" slightly more bearable:

- Banish those winter blues (literally) by digging deep into your cupboards and making a range of healthy, heart warming soups. A bowl of classic vegetable soup served with hot crusty bread is a great meat free alternative, and will hopefully keep the colds and flu away! The best thing is that you can add whatever vegetables you like to it!

- It's funny, but I always find a way to make me feel good is to paint my nails. Nail varnish is a cheap way to update your winter look. A fabulous colour that I often use is the 'Barry M' nail varnish (available in most Superdrug stores) in shade 'Raspberry'. It's a wonderful deep berry red colour that will compliment all skin tones, and jazz up a weekend outfit of jeans and a chunky knitwear jumper. A top tip is paint base coat ('Barry M' also sells a good one of these) on your nails before the actual colour, so it stops your nails from staining.

- Two words Ladies, control panties! These clever undergarments suck you in at the waist, stomach and bottom to give you an altogether tighter, more streamlined silhouette. They can be worn under just about every outfit! A good way to disguise the extra Christmas pounds that you may haven't have lost yet, and to give you a confidence boost.

 - Take advantage of the January Sales! Nearly every retail shop on the High Street offers huge reductions (some up to 75%) on stock during the month of January. And if you haven't yet ventured to the shops, go and see what bargains you can grab! Sales are good ways to find those basic wardrobe staples (items that will carry you through season to season) for a fraction of the price. Underwear, well fitting jeans, knitwear, work wear, LBD's, classic court shoes etc are all hugely reduced, just waiting for a happy shopper to come and snap them up! And, a little bit of Retail Therapy never hurt anyone!