BODYAMR’s bold and beautiful show

Whether you consider his beautifully draped silk-jersey evening gowns or tight-as-you-like body-con micro minis, one thing is for sure - designer Amr Ali of cult fashion label Bodyamr does sexiness in spades. It was no surprise then this week's showing of his A/W ’11 collection drew one of the most glam front rows of fashion week's proceedings. Model of the moment, Amber Rose, was in attendance looking bootilicious in an uber-revealing dress, Louise Rednapp was looking fab in faux fur, while the gorgeous presenter Zara Martin, who designed a capsule collection with the label for S/S11, was rocking a super-chic cream dress paired with a statement pout.
It was the bold and beautiful collection though that had fashionistas and journalistas cooing. Inspired by the painting La Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Bodyamr's latest designs came in a rich range of shades including gold, teal, ruby red and midnight blue. Mixing modern tailoring with hot hues is what Bodyamr does best and the models that strutted their stuff on the runway sizzled in billowing drapes, sumptuous velvets and sexy sheer paneled gowns.
Beauty-wise the look was refined: think cashmere skin, lusciously long lashes and a dark, berry red, perfectly lined lip.

You can achieve a similar look using Max Factor’s Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation, Lash Extension Effect Mascara and Lipfinity Lip Tint in Berry Burst.

My Sugarland’s Carboot Sale

Having spent over 15 years dressing the rich and famous, Zoe Lem has collected an eye-popping collection of clothes.

Now she is offering fashionistas the chance to sample the delights of a celebrity stylist’s wardrobe, by transforming her delectable London boutique My Sugarland into an instore Car Boot Sale.

If you have ever visited this delicious little shop, you’ll know that behind its doors lies a beautifully curated Narnia of pre-loved and designer wares.

This week, fashionistas can expect an inspiring mix of new and vintage clothes for gals and guys, plus a treasure trove of props, trinkets and nick-nacks collected over the years.

Designer goodies are nestled in amongst high street pieces, so it’s worth having a good rummage to see what you can find! Elbows at the ready girls!

Prices start from £5. Doors open at 10am. Cash only. Until Sunday February 6.
My Sugarland, 402 – 404, St John’s Street, London. EC1V 4NJ

Pick 'n' mix – vintage style!

Vintage shopping usually requires a good dollop of patience as well as a discerning eye, but if you’re London based and prefer to rifle the rails in haste, be sure to catch the last few days of the Pick ‘n’ Mix Vintage Fair in Bethnal Green.

The concept is simple: Buy either a ‘£10 bag’ or a £20 bag’ and stuff it with as many glorious wares as you can muster!

Let’s face it ladies, one girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure. There is nothing quite as satisfying as stumbling across that perfect one off and then purchasing it for mere pennies.

Happy hunting!

x

Beauty Resolutions for a gorgeous 2011

Stuck in a makeup rut? Brimming with bad beauty habits? Fear not! The New Year is the best time to pursue a brand new you! So arm yourself with these simple Beauty Resoltions and get ready to make 2011 your most glamorous year yet!

Massage daily
Whether she is beautifying a global superstar or catwalk model, top makeup artist Caroline Barnes swears by facial massage as it stimulates circulation and increases the skin's freshness, tone and luminosity. This is something that can easily be incorporated into your daily beauty routine. Simply introduce the technique when applying your day cream, massaging the face in sweeping circular motions and working your way up to around your eyes and forehead to really wake up the face.

Be bold
If you're stuck in a paint-by-numbers beauty rut with a routine reminiscent of Ground Hog Day, make this the year in which you experiment more. While pastels were big news for 2010, 2011 will be all about a complete colour blast - so try your hand at a bright and bold pout or line your lower lid with a flash of neon colour. Try Max Factor's Colour Effects range and get inspired to play with brights! They're the perfect pick-me-up to refresh a tired look.

Drink more water
It sounds simple, but be honest are you regularly glugging your recommended two litres a day? Thought not. Never underestimate the power of H20 for improving not just your looks but your well-being. Regular consumption makes eyes bright, skin clear, flushes your body of toxins and even improves your metabolism.

Embark on a makeup bag detox
Still got a drawer full of eyeshadows and lipglosses that date back to the dark ages? Us beauty buffs tend to hoard our makeup, but it's vital that you bin anything that's passed its sell by date as all products, from lipsticks to eyeshadows, can become a breeding ground for bacteria. If your makeup has changed colour or texture, has seperated or smells unusual it should be consigned to the bin and never keep mascara for longer than four months. Makeup brushes should be washed with warm soapy water at least once a month and left out to dry.

Find the perfect colour match
If you're sporting a shade of foundation that's poorly colour matched to your skin tone it will undermine your entire look! To make sure your face-finish is seamless, always follow the tone from your chest up when choosing your foundation as this will ensure that from head to body the shade is consistent. Whenever you are testing foundations, try to make sure that you apply them in a natural light as unnatural light can fool you in to thinking that your makeup is even when it isn't. Dry skin makes foundation more apparent as it sits on the dead skin cells, so be sure to exfoliate regularly using a gentle, non-abrasive formula. Foundation-wise you might like to try Max Factor's Xperience Weightless Foundation, which has a super-light finish but offers fab coverage. It's yellow-based tones neutralise redness and flatter most skin tones from pale to darl.

Perfect feline flicks
Immaculately lined and subtely winged eyeliner whispers understated glamour, so if you are yet to master the art, make 2011 your year. Max Factor's Masterpiece Glide and Define Liquid Eyeliner makes lining those peeps supremely easy. The dinky applicator is a cinch to control so you can get close to the lash line and create a smooth sweep with one simple motion.

Do you have any Beauty Resolutions? Let us know what they are! x

New Fashion Talent

Fledgling talent puts the freshness into fashion, so I was delighted attend a recent show from the students of the American InterContinental University. From the opening beats and the models' first sultry stalk of the runway, I knew that I was in for a treat.   
 The show exhibited creations from first to final year Fashion Design students, with origins from around the globe and the collections were matched in freshness and diversity.
Highlights included Johnny Wang’s fashion-forward designs which paired bold contrasting hues, lines and textures to a striking and unique effect.
Mona Ali's use of bright canary yellow gave an asymetric maxi gown a loud and lovely edge, while Taylor Scopes-Upton brought theatricaility to proceedings, giving the underwear as outwear look an industrial twist with a structured hoop skirt and bodice in monochromatic tones.
The models' beauty look was similarly avant garde: Flawless skin and nude lips provided a subtle back-drop for a flirtatious focus on snow white feather false lashes - a look that was created by The Session School. While hair was piled high in a whispy bun by the Mayfair salon, Electric Hair.
Key industry figures were invited behind the scenes to view the designs, in the hope that amidst the collections the 'next big thing' might just be waiting...

Johnny Wang

Johnny Wang

Mona Ali

Taylor Scopes-Upton

Get the Look: Christmas Starlet:

With the Christmas break proving to be one of the most busy periods in the party calendar, t'is the season to be sexy!

Top makeup artist Caroline Barnes has developed a fabulous look, which gives sultry smoky eyes an ultra-glam twist. Follow these simple steps and you'll be working a smouldering look fused with a flash of contemporary colour in seconds.

1. Create a perfect party base by applying
Miracle Touch Foundation. Add warmth to the
cheekbones with a sweep of Miracle Blush in
Soft Copper blusher.

2. Apply the matte black from the Precious
Metals Max Effect Trio Eye Shadow along the lash line top
and bottom, over the eyelid and into the socket.
Next, blend in Ultra Violet Dip In Eye Shadow
along the socket.

3. To finish the eyes, apply Glide and Define
Liquid Eyeliner in Black along the lashline and sweep
out and extend the shape of the eye in a ‘v’
before applying two coats of False Lash Effect
Mascara. Define brows with an Eyebrow Pencil.

4. Finally complete the look with Lipfinity Indulgent
for party ready lips which will last all night long.

Get the look: Rebecca Ferguson

She might not have been crowned the X Factor champion, but Rebecca Ferguson was the indisputable queen of cool in both the style and beauty stakes. Week in, week out, her timelessly soulful voice was matched with uncompromisingly elegant and at turns impactful beauty and fashion looks.
While I won’t be able to transform you into a sultry songstress, if you’re looking to capture a little of Rebecca’s je ne sais quoi, follow these easy steps and you’ll be able to recreate her most fashion-forward look within minutes.

1.    You can recreate Rebecca’s flawless complexion using Max Factor’s Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation. The unique solid to liquid formula glides on in seconds for a gloriously refined finish. Apply using the sponge provided, working the formula onto the face in broad sweeping motions.

2.    If you suffer from dark circles under the eyes, use Mastertouch Concealer and then mattify the skin for a chic retro finish with Loose Powder.

3.    Now for the eyes: create a subtle smoke out with Max Factor’s foolproof Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow in Silver Storm. Use the silver/grey hue to shade the eye lid and then contour both the outer corners and the socket using the precision end of the velvety aubergine shade. If you suffer from oily skin be sure to use a good quality primer to ensure that the creamy formula doesn’t crease.

4.    Finish the eyes with Black Kohl Pencil on the inner rim of both the upper and lower lid and add two fluttersome coats of False Lash Effect Mascara in Black to the lashes.

5.    Paint lips in an intense burst of colour using the new Lipfinity Lip Tint Pen in Royal Plum – this season’s most dark, fruity and on-trend shade. The felt-tip style applicator makes it easy for you to define and shade the lips and the non transferable water based formula is perfectly vibrant yet wonderfully light. Best of all the season’s hottest hue looks as lovely on fair faces as it does against darker tones.

6.    Grab a mike and you’re good to go!