Good morrow young LCW readers. Apologies for my absence, I have been on my holidays and sadly the beach does not come with WiFi! I have however returned with beauty wisdom (and a tan to give Fake Bake a run for its money!) from afar.
If like me you have curly yet fine, frizzy hair, I'm sure you will have noticed that a simple dip in the sea can tame your mane into perfectly defined, non-frizzy curls thanks to the saltiness of the water. The same effect can however be recreated on your return to the sea-free urban jungle thanks to some clever marine inspired hair products.
Bumble and Bumble have created the amazing Surf Spray, which contains salt to help you achieve those messy curls as well as seaweed extract to nourish hair at the same time. GHD also do a Sea Spray which comes with all important UVA protection.
If you are feeling frugal though (which I am sure you will be having spent all your Euros on Sangria!) you can make your own! Simply get an empty spray bottle and fill it will mineral water and a tablespoon of good sea salt, and Voila! Home made Sea Spray. You can also add a teaspoon of your favourite conditioner if your hair is extra dry and keep that salon 'imperfect' beach look all year round.
This week, I have fallen completely, head over (now perfectly exfoliated) heels with Soap and Glory's Flake Away Spa Body Polish. With my holidays impending, I decided that some serious body buffing was in order, and now I just can't get enough of this scrub!
Flake Away is packed with sugar and ground peach kernels to provide plenty of exfoliation without being too harsh on the skin, while shea butter moisturises and nourishes the skin as all those nasty dead skin cells are buffed away. Peach and mandarin give it a gorgeous fruity scent which lingers subtly on the skin all day.
This treat of a scrub is available exclusively from Boots for a mere £5.99.
New Look has in the past always lurked towards the lower end of the high street, figuratively speaking, but it has recently looked like it is catching up with its catwalk copying competitors fast and their Autumn-Winter 08/09 collection seems to be further proof of this.
Tartan seems to be one of the dominant trends the high street have latched onto this season, Topshop and River Island having filled their collections with plenty of it, and New Look are in on it too. They have used it on the classic kilt pictured above £18, as well as on shoes for those who just want to give it a little nod without embracing it fully.
Structured sillhouettes filled this years AW catwalks and New Look have channelled the shape stylishly into the gorgeous monochrome coat £60, pictured above.
I have got a few pieces from New Look this Spring-Summer and been pretty pleased with them so I will definitely look forward to stocking up on their super-stylish yet bargalicious Autumn-Winter offerings!
Today I am bringing you lucky LCW readers a little treat with a sneak preview of River Island's Autumn-Winter 08/09 collection.
As was the case at Dolce and Gabanna and Henry Holland, tartan is high on the agenda with plaid skirts and jackets galore. I am a particular fan of the purple tartan kilt pictured above which will be priced at £29.99. Helped along by all the tartan, grunge is a prevailing theme with plenty of vintage style band t-shits and the zip detailed jeans, pictured above, that would give grunge queen Mary-Kate Olsen a run for her money.
Glamour was a dominant theme on the Autumn-Winter catwalks this year, and River Island have mixed it nicely into their edgy collection with a gorgeous emerald green satin blouse priced £29.99 and a cute vintage prom dress, pictured above priced £49.99 which will be perfect for bringing a bit of rock-chick chic to your Christmas party!
Here at The Liner, The Clutch and The Wardrobe, we are big fans of products that use as few artificial and chemical ingredients as possible. Nail Varnish is probably one of the worst offenders when it comes to using artificial ingredients and cheaper products often contain Formaldehyde. Yep that's the same stuff Damien Hirst used to preserved his cut up cow, do you really want to put that on your nails?
Nail Varnish mongers Butter London, who believe 'in colour, not carcinogens' have come up with '3-Free' nail products which are free of the three worst chemical cosmetic culprits, Formaldehyde, Tolulene, and DPT (Dibutyl Phthalate). This however, is not to the detriment of the nail varnish which comes in 45 high fashion, long lasting, boldly coloured shades. They also offer a wide range of nail and hand care products that are '3-Free'.
Visit the ultra-cool 'Anglomania' style website and get yourself hold of some!
I know you all can't wait until the launch of Vaseline's Rosy Lips Lip Therapy, but I may just have found something else to tickle the fancy of all you lip balm fanatics out there!
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare boats amongst their gorgeous line of natural cosmetics, Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer. The luxurious lip balm is made from the same formula as the classic Superbalm which is enriched with avocado oil, and vitamin E. Soothing Lavender and Chamomile soften lips and keep flaky skin at bay while hazelnut oil and shea butter thoroughly nourish lips and keep them free of painful cracks.
The essence of the Sheer Pink Lip shimmer though is the added tint and shimmer, allowing you to add a subtle amount of colour and shine to your look without having to go for a full on gloss. Perfect for that effortless 'no-make up' look we are all coveting this season! The product can also be used on cheeks as a subtle highlighter.
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare are all about getting the best out of natural ingredients so the balm is free of petroleum and scented with fragrant neorli esscence. Perfect for all you chemical conscious beauty junkies out there!
Following a tough and heated competition over the last twelve weeks, Alex was crowned the winner of the competition and dubbed Britain's Next Top Model in last night' s tense finale.
She beat off stiff competition from Catherine and Stephanie who came second and third respectively. While flame haired Catherine has a unique and stunning look, her shots were always more suited to high fashion, whereas Alex nailed this style as well as having a more universal commercial look. Similarly, Stephanie's gorgeously seductive features created some wonderful beauty shots, but didn't translate as well to the catwalk, an area that Alex also mastered proficiently.
Having entered the competition as an awkward teenager, hiding behind straggly hair extensions, Alex made the biggest journey in blossoming into a true fashion model. The shot that seemed to clinch the deal was a striking one of her reclining from a trapeze and looking like she stepped straight out Vogue!
Alex's prize includes a contract with Models 1, a Max Factor campaign and a six page spread and cover with Company magazine, so it looks like we will be seeing plenty more of her soon!
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