Archive for December, 2009

Beauty, Celebrity Style, Fashion News, Gossip

L’Oreal signs up Diane Kruger as its worldwide spokeswoman

By Andrea Petrou on December 7th, 2009

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It seems to be the day for celebrity endorsements. Not to be out done at the news of Julia Robert’s new title as Lancôme’s new global ambassadress, L’oreal has just announced that it’s recruited Diane Kruger as its worldwide spokeswoman.

The German born actress, whose face “launched a thousand ships” (she played Helen of Troy in case you’re confused), will represent the brand’s new launches in hair care, hair colour and make-up.

Diane said: “It’s a great honour and a huge pleasure to become a Spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris. I admire the brand, not only for the quality and innovation of its products, but also because it represents diversity and excellence across the world, values which are very close to my heart. I am, of course, also delighted to be joining the other L’Oréal Paris Spokespeople, an extremely talented, widely-admired group of people.”

We hope the two latest announcements, featuring the faces, which will launch a thousand brands, don’t spark the next battle of cosmetics. It would be a tight contest.



Celebrity Style, Fashion News, Gossip

Julia Roberts is signed up as Lancôme’s new global ambassadress

By Andrea Petrou on December 7th, 2009

Julia Roberts won our hearts a very long time ago in Pretty Woman and she’s continued to do so ever since, starring in films including Notting Hill and Runaway Bride.

Julia.jpgSo we were really pleased when we heard she’ll not only be gracing our favourite romcoms but also the pages of mags and ad breaks following being signed up as Lancôme’s new global ambassadress.

Following in the glittering footsteps of Kate Winslet, the Hollywood star known for her flawless complexion and big smile will represent Lancôme across the globe, however details are still shaky about what she’ll actually be doing.

Youcef Nabi, president of Lancôme International, told WWD: “By her remarkable personality and career, Julia Roberts is an emblematic woman of her time,”

“Her exceptional talent, her radiance and her strong commitments perfectly echo Lancôme’s values. We are convinced she will embody the brand in the most sublime way possible.”



Fashion News, Gossip

Victoria Beckham’s collection gets stolen

By Andrea Petrou on December 7th, 2009
adidas Originals By Originals David Beckham By James Bond Collection Launch

It’s not been a good few weeks for Victoria Beckham.

Last week we reported she had been advised to undergo surgery for foot and back pains after years of wearing high heels and this weekend £350,000 worth of dresses from her spring/summer collection were stolen during a hijack at Heathrow Airport.

The shipment was headed for New York, where the frocks were due to sell at Neiman Marcus.

Around 50 to 75 of frocks were swiped in what was believed to be a pre planned robbery, and occurred after two thieves followed Victoria’s delivery men to the pick-up point in west London. They made their move after the driver stopped to make another delivery, bursting out of the back on the van with two boxes and leaving the driver in shock.

We hope the collection gets remade in time.



Beauty, Features

My Detox Diary day one: Purifyne 7 day cleansing programme

By Andrea Petrou on December 7th, 2009

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This time last year I was a gym bunny, who ate healthily, ran everyday and thought Mac Donalds was an evil word. However, after settling down, I did what many happy nesting girls would do and ditched the diet and gym in favour of Saturday night TV and egg fried rice.

The running machine, which was once my best friend, has been relegated way beyond the list of pals I might call every two years and although it’s been calling me, I have had no motivation to answer.

Therefore I’ve always been a little bit envious of celebrities. One minute they’re photographed looking a little bit chunky and the next few weeks have snapped back into the size of a beanpole.

Of course this is down to personal trainers, plastic surgery (yes I’m talking to you Britney and Kerry) and personal meal plans, which many of us can only dream about being able to afford, and I’ve used this excuse to make myself feel better.

So when I was offered a weeks detoxing package I jumped at the chance to take a look, especially as many of you will be looking to take some kind of detoxing programme during the new year. In my week long diary I’ll be telling you about my experiences including the good, the bad and the ugly.

I was advised to start my detox plan on Saturday, and for an accurate test I thought I’d weigh myself (9 stone 1) and take my measurements. Hips (34 inches) Bust (erm, well lets just say I wouldn’t be mistaken for Jordan or Pamela Anderson) and waist 26- ok, 29 inches. I was told I would lose around 5-6 kilos as well as appearing bright eyed and more alert by the end of the 7 days.

Purifyne is said to improve the physical state of your body and helps to clarify your mind and prices range from £79.00 for a one day programme to £475 for a 14-day programme.

It’s not cheap and at first glance the package, which consists of various juices delivered straight to your door, vitamins and an enema kit (I won’t put you off your breakfast/lunch, so click here to find out more) looks a little bit like one which, would be more suited in the fridge of a wag or popstar, but then again so does the service.

I met up with the owner, who asked me a range of medical and lifestyle questions to determine what package would suit me. On the first delivery of juices she will also come to you a make you feel comfortable as well as call and text you throughout the programme to make sure you’re ok.

It was decided I would have 4 bottles of juice a day alongside a range of supplements.
So this weekend, instead of gorging on my usual fry up I was drinking juice and herbal teas, topped up with various vitamins.

By 12pm on Saturday I wasn’t feeling too bad and even the smell of bacon wafting through the kitchen did nothing to melt my resolve. But by 2 I was tired and had a headache, thankfully the dreaded hunger pains hadn’t begun, and if I’m honest they didn’t until yesterday afternoon.

This was partly my fault as I didn’t drink properly until the afternoon but the starvation, headaches and general lows made me a bit of a nightmare to live with.

I even had my head in the fridge door at one point smelling the lovely pizza take-away from Saturday night. However after I’d caught up with my allowance for the day I did feel better.

If you are detoxing there are few unwanted side effects, as you are only drinking fruit and veg, but this is something that will happen in any similar program. Apparently the more toxins you have in your body the worse the side effects will be. I don’t think they need to be spelt out, however, all I will say is don’t attempt this if you’ve just moved in with a new partner.

Today is day 3, and at the moment the hunger isn’t lurking. I also feel more awake than I have done in a while. My stomach, although no where near washboard, is also looking decidedly flatter and my mood slightly better.

However, my skin is telling a different story. I’m spotty (I was warned that this may happen as my body cleanses itself), and I’ve developed a very rare cold sore. It’s far too early to say how I’ll feel later, but I’m hoping it can’t get as bad as yesterday.

Read on tomorrow to find out if it did.



X Factor

Dannii Minogue to launch clothing line

By lotte on December 4th, 2009

Dannii gowns.jpg We’re all aware of Dannii Minogue’s love for fashion after watching her strut onto the X Factor stage in a series of striking outfits. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that she’s now planning to launch a clothing line with her friend Tabitha Webb, founder of the handbag company Tabitha bags.

Most celebrities choose to go down the collaborative route with an existing brand, which might have something to do with the helping hand the company gives them with the designing side of things. But Dannii’s chosen to start a completely new fashion business, with their first collection planned to come out for Spring 2010.

As Dannii recently pointed out, she doesn’t have a stylist for X Factor (while Cheryl does), so maybe her fashion skills will extend to designing, too. She’s definitely been pulling off a huge variety of looks for X Factor, and has sometimes managed to put Cheryl Cole in the shade. We’re really looking forward to seeing what she comes up with: judging by these two pictured looks, a few full length gowns could well be in the collection…



Accessories, Gallery

Gallery: Stylish Winter hats

By Andrea Petrou on December 4th, 2009

According to many, the place where you loose the most heat is through your head.

We don’t know if this is an urban myth, but one thing we’re sure of is that we’ll try anything to ensure we stay warm over the freezing winter season. And were not alone, with many celebs including Cheryl Cole sporting a range of hats to keep their barnets and brains warm.

So we’ve decided to put together a gallery of hats, which will not only keep you warm but also look stylish, meaning you won’t be embarrassed to leave it on if you suffer from the dreaded hat hair.

Click on the picture below to begin the gallery.



Affordable Fashions, guess where this is from, Handbags

Highstreet VS Deigner: Max C and Chanel

By Andrea Petrou on December 4th, 2009

Max.JPGHigh street stores are becoming more style savvy, creating clothes and accessories, which almost mirror those designed by high end brands.

Yes the fabric may not be as plush, and they are probably more prone to wear and tear, but, unless they’re classic wardrobe must haves, do you really need anything more? After all fashion changes so quickly.

So we were really pleased when we spotted this Max C bag, which is similar to Chanel’s quilted bowling bag. We would be more than happy to have this stylish high street alternative on our shoulder especially when you consider the whopping price difference.

Max C comes in at a very reasonable £40 compared to Chanel’s £860. Leaving us more than enough left over to get matching shoes and outfits.



Features, Gallery

Christmas party outfits: Trousers and shorts

By lotte on December 4th, 2009

If you checked out our gallery of party tops last week and decided to splash out on one, you might now be stuck for something to wear with it. Trousers have been on the rise in the last couple of years, with a load of new styles (harem, peg, boyfriend) being thrust upon us as the latest must-have. We wouldn’t blame you if you’ve stuck with your trusty skinny jeans, but trust us when we say that trying a new trouser style for a night out can really set you apart from the other party-goers.

We’ve picked out a few of our favourites that are available right now. Remember that trousers are one of the best ways to make that transition from the office to a party, just by adding some heels and a clutch bag. But not all of the looser trouser styles need a heel – flats can look just as good.

Don’t forget too that the humble short can also look amazing for a party taking the place of a skirt. Remember to dress them down though – think like Alexa Chung and wear them with flats and a blouse. Heels and shorts aren’t very often a good combination.

Click on the picture the start the gallery.



Celebrity Style, Trend Alert, X Factor

Get the look: Alexandra Burke’s Love Bullet necklace

By Andrea Petrou on December 4th, 2009

Alex.jpgIt seems Alexandra Burke is following in the steps of her X-Factor predecessor when it comes to style. The songstress, who won the competition last year was spotted at the Spirit of London awards last weekend showing off the latest must-have celeb trend – the Love Bullet.

Love Bullets, which have also been spotted on the likes of Cheryl Cole, Jaime Winstone, Jodie Kidd and Pixie Geldof, is the inspirational idea of designer Martin Jegede.

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The Love Bullet, worn as a necklace, is created by elegantly adorning a decommissioned bullet with a Swarovski crystal, thus transforming a thing normally associated with war and violence to something of style and peace.

And it’s also ethical with at least £1 of each Love Bullet sale donated to the charity GUA Africa, which works with individuals, families and communities in the Sudan to help overcome the poverty and destruction left by war.

We think this is a celeb trend we’ll definitely be following especially as prices start at a very reasonable £30. By it from www.lovebullets.co.uk.



Celebrity Style, X Factor

Leona Lewis opts for high street with Topshop coat and Office boots

By Andrea Petrou on December 4th, 2009

Leona.jpgDespite being an international superstar and earning a good few bob Leona Lewis shows she’s no highstreet snob.

The X-Factor winner was snapped last week looking casual, yet stylish in these gorgeous over the knee suede boots and trendy80′s style leather jackets with studded shoulders.

While most celebs in her shoes would have shunned the highstreet and opted for designer creations, Leona opted to give us all celebrity style hope.

Her jacket is a very reasonable £58 from Topshop and boots £80 from Office. Yes we’re heading to both stores right now.



Models

Vogue Italia’s Twitter-themed cover

By lotte on December 4th, 2009

Vogue Italia.jpg It seems that the Twitter trend is spreading to the world of glossy fashion magazines. Italian Vogue have never been afraid to take risks with their content and covers, as their issue featuring only black models this summer proved. For December they’re producing an issue inspired by Twitter and Twitpic.

The cover features Gisele, Lara Stone, Christy Turlington, Kasia Struss and Natalia Vodianova in photos they took themselves. Glimpses of the editorial inside show a Twitpic-style spread, shot by Stephen Meisel and called MeiselPic, with models casually posing and having fun in what will probably turn out to be really expensive clothes.

Considering a lot of models are already avid Twitterers – Jessica Stam and Chanel Iman regularly update theirs – is Vogue Italia ridiculing their tendency to reveal too much, or just jumping on the Twitter bandwagon?

We’re not sure, but one thing it made us all-too-aware of is how, sadly, we’re never going to look as good as these models in our own uploaded photos. Sigh.



Bargain POTW, Fashion News

The Fashion Pixie bargain hunting website asks the public for help

By Andrea Petrou on December 4th, 2009

shopping.jpgAre you a bargain hunting shopaholic who likes to tell everyone about all the great deals you get? Well now you can spread the word further than your Twitter and Facebook page.

The FashionPixie, is a new site, which is updated daily to alert women to sales from all retailers by compiling the best deals on one website. And it’s looking for people to help gather this information. You’ll be able to submit the latest deals via links on the home page telling everyone where the best sales are on the highstreet and online.

Nicole Snape. a representative for the The Fashion Pixie, said: “There are a huge number of discounts, special offers and sales available throughout the country and, as we all know, the secret of savvy bargain-hunting is to stay ahead of the crowds so it is essential that our community provides up-to-the-minute information.

“As well as our network of regular contributors who will be visiting shops and High Streets in cities throughout the UK and trawling websites and emails, we are also relying on dedicated fashion pixies nationwide to feed us any bargain news they come across which we can then share with the rest of our community.”

If you think you’ve got what it takes to help, log onto the site now, we’ll be keeping an eye out on what you suggest, purely for research purposes you understand.



Celebrity Style, X Factor

X-Factor: What Stacey Solomon wore last Saturday

By Andrea Petrou on December 3rd, 2009

sT1.jpgStacey Solomon is doing us proud on the X-Factor, and, if we dare say it giving the judges a run for their money when it comes to her outfits (although we’re sure Dannii has a part to play here.)

True to stylish form Stacey once again hit the fashion note on the head in two stunning outfits for last Saturdays performances.

Singing a Take That song she stepped out in a gorgeous black dress with gold detailing from, Diane Von Furstenberg. This was teamed up with shoes from Carvella and jewellery by Mawi at Start Boutique.

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She then went back to evening chic for her Elton John performance wearing a red dress from Issa and shoes for LK Bennett.

Her clothing may not be from extremely pocket friendly highstreet stores, but we know Carvella and LK Bennet are definitely stores we’ll be hinting that our other halves visit this Christmas. We really hope this Dagenham starlett makes it to the final and we can’t wait to see what she’ll be wearing if she does.



Celebrity Style, Fashion News, Gallery

Pixie Lott poses for UK InStyle magazine in a range of this season’s trends

By Andrea Petrou on December 3rd, 2009

We’re liking Pixie Lott, alot (sorry) at the moment. Her tunes are sassy and she’s leant her talents to a range of charitable clothing, which looks absolutely amazing.

So it’s no surprise that she’s been snapped for the cover of UK InStyle magazine. Pixie wears a range of this years hottest styles pulling off sequins, lace and military effortlessly

And it seems she’s also a true fashionista. During an interview with the magazine she said: “I’ve always been into fashion. My sister is exactly the same. We get it from our mum. She used to dress us in designer stuff when we were little.”

Click on the picture below to view more snaps of Pixie.



Designer collaborations, Ethical Fashions, Fashion News

Stella McCartney designs t-shirt for World Aids Day

By Andrea Petrou on December 3rd, 2009

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ShinyStyle seems to have taken on a bit of an ethical fashion theme today with our eco-friendly clothing gallery and charity scarves for Fight Cervical Cancer in Style.

Therefore we thought it only right to continue with news of Stella McCartney’s cute new charity tee to mark World Aids Day. The designer has teamed up with Gap to launch this gorgeous white t-shirt with a red printed necklace decoration, with 50% of proceeds going to Bono’s RED fund.

Stella said: “It’s an understatement to simply say I am happy to support World AIDS day with Bono and (Gap) RED. I hope by being part of this I can help in some way, since 1.5 million people still die every year of AIDS in Africa. I encourage people to buy it, they look great and help save lives in Africa.”

The t-shirt goes on sale on Saturday, which has put us in a bit of a queueing predicament, as we’re now not sure whether to wait in line patiently for this or for Sonia Rykiels lingerie range for H&M.




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