Checking out a few of the Royal Wedding outfits

Obviously all eyes were on Kate Middleton's dress for the Royal wedding, but who else was resplendant on the day?

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, Kate Middleton, now Princess Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge wore an ivory gown with the bodice covered in beautiful lace. The lace details on the skirt included the rose (England), thistle (Scotland), shamrock (ireland) and daffodil (Wales)

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Pippa Middleton, the maid of honour, nearly pipped Kate to the post in the fashion stakes. She also chose a dress designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. This ivory slimline dress with cowl neck was simply stunning.

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Carole Middleton, mother of the bride looked cool in her grey blue Catherine Walker outfit, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall effervescent in a champagne and duck egg blue coat dress by Anna Valentine, whilst the Queen was a ray of sunshine in yellow by Angela Kelly. 

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were definitely eyecatching in their Vivienne Westwood and Valentino outfits and Philip Treacy hats. What do you think -Eye-catching in a good quirky way or in bad pantomine way? You decide.

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

The Princess Royal looking blooming in her floral creation.

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Zara Philips shimmered in a silver Paul Costelloe outfit and and sparkled in a Philip Treacy hat.

Image from The British Monarchy of Flickr

 Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen also designed Kate's evening wedding gown. Plainer but still beautiful with its diamante band to show off her tiny waist.  Camilla also kept with her same designer, Anna Valentine, for her light blue evening gown.

Images from The British Monarchy of Flickr

Oska goes Red Hot with their AW11 Collection

Another hot colour in the Oska Autumn/Winter 11 collection is deep chilli pepper red.

This ensemble of mixing fabrics (silk tafetta mid calf skirt with luxurious woollen top and boiled wool coat) but staying in the red with colour will keep you warm whilst looking hot.

But if all over red is too hot to handle, cool down a degree or too with these neutral grey hareem style pants and woollen scarf.

 Or go for this red and light grey faded plaid effect coat.

Instantly become a redhead with this woollen hat.

Oska Cuts the Mustard with their Autumn/Winter 11 Collection

Cutting the mustard is one of the hot colours Oska have injected in to their AW11 collection.

This short sleeved jacket in boiled wool adds a touch of chic and femininity to the casual khaki coloured pants and top.

the short jacket also in boiled wool is soft yet structured which works well with the soft hareem style khaki pants

Layering mustard on to mustard is hot hot hot!

Voluminous long tops with overlapping shoulders and narrow cut sleeves are combined with slender cut trousers

And if that's too much mustard than just adding a mustard scarf will spice up your wardrobe.
Watch out for other AW Oska colours

Available on www.oskastore.com soon

How to choose Flattering Bikinis

Bikinis come in many styles and patterns. Always take into account your body shape when choosing a flattering style for yourself.
Beach Style:
How To Choose Flattering Bikinis

There are all shapes and sizes. If you have a large bust, always go for the under-wired. And the halter neck is quite a good shape for you, very flattering for the cleavage.

We all know that dark colors are slimming such as black, but you don't have to always go for the dark colors. Embrace your curves.

Go for the bright, cheerful patterns. As long as it's under-wired, your bust will have a nice shape so you will look good. If you don't like wearing bikinis because you are conscious of your tummy area, a good option is a tankini.

It covers your actual tummy, gives it a little bit of support and it still counts as a bikini. For the larger women, always go for the high rise bikini bottoms. The reason for this is it covers more of your skin so less flesh is exposed.

If you have a tiny bikini, it will make you look bigger. High rise bikini bottoms will make you look smaller so always choose a high rise bikini bottom. Now, you can go for the high cut.

It always makes your legs look slimmer but high cut, at the moment, is not in fashion so you would really go for the lower cut. You have to be careful with the lower cut because it actually thickens your thighs. It's very good if you're heavier on the top and you've got slim hips because it balances out your proportions.

So if you're what we call an inverted triangle,go for a dark bikini top and bright bikini bottoms. Such is said, the more you can have frills, buckles, actually widens the hips and balances you out. Now, for all those very petite, tiny framed women, you can go for the skimpy bikini.

You look good in the skimpy bikini because what it does, it actually takes the weight from your bust area and it goes to your slim legs, your tiny waist, and your pert bottom. So, a skimpy bikini is really good. If you want to wear something different, you can always wear a bandeau bikini.

That's good for the average size bust, as well. For those who really want to look bigger, go for the liquid filled gel. What it does, it pushes your bust up and so gives you fuller on top and also gives you the cleavage that you may not have.

For the pear shaped figure, I would go for a more detailed top, patterns, frills, or bows, and you always wear a plainer bottom. Now, this has got a little tiny skirt which actually does enhance and hide, camouflages the hips a little bit because of the curves so that's fine. Otherwise, always wear a plain bottom.

This is also a bow connect style which actually gives you a nice fullness on the top so that's quite a flattering one. For the hourglass figures, where your top half and your bottom half are the same and you've got a tiny waist, you can go for the halter neck which is very flattering and also, for the patterned bottoms as well, because you are not trying to camouflage any imperfections. And that is how to choose a flattering bikini.

Lulu Guinness AW11 collection goes Parisian Chic

As if  Lulu Guinness bags aren't chic enough, for AW11 the inspiration was from the 1950's Parisian Couture era, reinterpreting the allure of chic feminine fashion, featuring a mix of heavy thread work and elegant applique on soft leather..

This means lots of studs as in their hero bag -the Studded Bow Wanda. Here the studs just give a hard edginess to an adorable large leather bow.

The season's florals go darker and more sensuous with deep red roses as seen on this Leona clutch bag.

And this deep cherry red colour can be seen in patent on the Eliza doll face bag, transforming Eliza from a brunette in to a glamorous and vivacious redhead. The studded detailing is carried out on to her hair bow.

Lulu's lips clutches also get an edgy make over with the studs.. There is the classic black and who doesn't want cherry lips? The bright red quilted lips patent bag of last season smoulders over in to a deeper burgundy colour..

And through the windows of Lulu's black Couture shop bag, can be seen a cherry red dress and leopard print coat.
Available soon through www.luluguinness.com

Caudalie's Premier Cru - The Eye Cream

In 1933 Mae West famously said ‘peel me a grape’.
In 1995, Mathilde Thomas and husband Bertrand peeled that grape, deseeded it, destalked it, but instead of throwing all this away, with the help of Dr Vercauteren from the University of Pharmacy of Bordeaux, they saw the great anti-oxidant benefits. And so created their own beauty brand called Caudalie with the grape vine as the main ingredient. They chose the name because Caudalie in the wine industry means ‘a unit of measurement of quality and duration the wines flavour stays on the palette – the finer the wine the more caudalies it will have’.

Named after the finest wines, Caudalie created the ultimate moisturiser –Premier Cru, to treat all signs of ageing such as wrinkles, lack of firmness, dark spots, and dullness.
And after the success of their Premier Cru – The Cream, which has become one of the best selling anti-ageing creams in France, they were inspired to turn their dedication to the delicate eye area.
This year sees the launch of:

Premier Cru – The Eye Cream.
Looking luminous in its gold and silver packaging, it does look like the ultimate ‘elixir of youth’ which Caudalie states it is, targeting all visible signs of ageing around the eyes. And if that’s not enough, Caudalie also says this eye cream has an original feature - it can brighten the eye contour sweeping the shadows away and eliminating dark spots.
And how does it do all this? Well it’s in the grapes.
Caudalie has 3 patented ingredients all based on the grapes.
1. Grape seed polypehnols- the most powerful anti-oxidants in the vegetable world. They stop free radicals and are 10,000 times more effective than vitamin E.
2. Resveratrol from the grapevine stalks – identified as the most effective active ingredient for prolonging cellular life by Harvard’s department of medicine.
3. Viniferine from grapevine sap - helps diminish and protect against dark spots by regulating melanin formation.
Other grape ingredients are organic grape water and the nourishing grape seed oil.

Mae West might not have known what she was throwing away when she said ‘peel me a grape’, but now our eyes are opened, Premier Cru will let us still have our peeled grape and eat it without losing the benefits of the skin and stalks.

Cutey Pie Fragrance

For all you beach lovers who still like playing with dolls, go for one of The Perfume Shop’s predicted hottest scents for this summer-Harajuku Lovers G of the Sea. 

The package is so cute; it has ‘G’ dressed up as a mermaid doll. There are crisp surfing top notes of apple and berry, with a summer breeze floral blend of peony, freesia and jasmine in her heart. But it’s her base notes of sundrenched woods, transparent musk and amberwood which make her such a beach babe.

Bare Escentuals dig up the dirt for their new skincare range

Bare Escentuals have decided to dig up dirt for their new skincare range.

 Well to be more exact, they’ve extracted macro and micro minerals from the soil to create a revolutionary ingredient they’ve named ‘Rare Minerals Active Soil Complex’ And it’s not just any old soil, but mineral abundant virgin soil (i.e. hasn’t been tilled) from around different parts of the US to make sure they find the right concentrates of minerals . These are extracted through a unique method which allows them to yield a densely rich concentrate capable of transformational skin-renewing benefits.

They believe Rare Minerals Active Soil Complex to be so revolutionary in the beauty world that they have patented it.  Its unique electrolyte delivery system optimises the skin’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, resulting in smoother and healthier looking skin. And this key ingredient is found in all of their new skincare products which are formulated without synthetic fragrances, artificial oils or parabens. 

The hero of the new range is The Pure Transformation Night Treatment.

This is like make up for bedtime!!!

 I know the most important part is the revolutionary active ingredient it has ,but being  able to even out your skin tone at night by buffing up your skins in a choice of 4 shades (clear, light, medium and tan) is revolutionary in itself. We are told it doesn’t clog up the pores (in fact it has been proven to visibly reduce them) and does not smudge on to your pillow.

This is that gap filled between cosmetics and skin care– it’s a night time treatment to replenish your skin by reducing pores, increasing firmness and improving elasticity over a period of time, plus the added bonus of acting like a light foundation and smoothing out your blemishes.

Now you may think why would you want to put on foundation for bed? Who wouldn’t want to go to bed with a radiant glow and be able to wake up the next morning, peer in to the bathroom mirror and still see that glow?  

Other products in the range include:

A choice of two facial cleansers:

Purifying Facial Cleanser, a light creamy lather to remove make-up and dissolve impurities. This is gentle enough to use for eye make-up removal.

Deep Cleansing Foam, a richer foamy cleanser to deep clean pores and lift away impurities. As the name suggests, this is a deep cleanser so avoid the eye area.

A choice of two moisturisers:

Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for combination skin. This includes the South African resurrection plant known for its skin renewing properties.  

Purely Nourishing Cream for dry skin.  This cream is not your normal clinical white colour, but more of a natural ecru colour which instantly says natural ingredients. The hydrating ingredients include the avocado oil, and for skin conditioning ingredients there is jojoba, pomegranate oil and starfruit to name a few.

A Firming Eye Treatment includes the Masterwort Leaf cultivated in the Swiss Alps where it is known as the Queen of the plants for its transformative benefits. Here it is used for both depuffing (along with caffeine) and skin-conditioning.

Bare Escentuals are really excited about their new ground breaking ingredient and are hoping that you will be too.

Get Hot and Spicy with Vera Wang Anniversary

The allure of the exotic fragrance keeps the temperature rising.

The name and bottle of Vera Wang Anniversary  doesn’t conjure up images of the mystic east, but that’s because our Vera is celebrating her 20^th anniversary her fashion house, so hence the name and is paying homage to the classic Vera Wang bottle, hence the style .

But it’s what inside that counts and like all women who are comfortable in their own skin, she doesn’t need the frills or loud colours to attract attention.

She starts as she means to go on with her top notes of hot blooded Sicilian bergamot, red apple leaves and mandarin oil, all cooled down with a splashed of dew.

Her warm heart is all feminine white gardenia, rose absolute and orange flowers, whilst her simmering base notes brings out the animal in her with creamy orris, silky musks , warm cedarwood and golden amber crystals.

Available from www.theperfumeshop.com

The New BUZZ Around The French Organic Beauty Brand MELVITA

Have you heard the new buzz in Covent Garden?

It is actually from honey bees on the roof garden of St Martin’s Courtyard. Here the French organic beauty brand Melvita,( who also have their London flagship in the courtyard), have installed a small Apiary to help protect the declining bee population.

Why install an Apiary?

 Bernard Chevilliat, the founder of Melvita is an avid beekeeper as well as a biologist and created the beauty range based on products from the beehive. He chose the name from the Latin word Mel meaning honey and Vita meaning life. He also started the Melvita Foundation to protect the environment and bee populations around the world. So it is quite apt to have a small city Apiary above their London flagship store.

When is it happening?

Right now, during Earth Month. The first two hives were installed on 6 April with the help of Camilla Goddard from Capital Bees. During the rest of Earth Month (April) Melvita customers can help to add more hives by purchasing select Melvita products which contain honey. For each of the following products purchased Melvita will donate £1 to the Apiary fund which will raise money to buy new hives and to further encourage the protection of the bees in and around London.

These products are:

Hydrastim – the Honey Hero product.  £22

This hero is an essential multipurpose facial gel for all skin types:

Great as a primer as it plumps out fine lines and wrinkles so smoothing the way for your make up.

No oily residue due to the hydro-regulating Mourera Fluviatilis (extract from an Amazonian river plant) makes is an ideal moisturiser for combination skins.

Used underneath your moisturiser for normal to dry skin makes a quenching skin serum

And also can be used as a hydrating skin mask once or twice a week

Softening Hand Cream £12

The honey ingredient is combined with Calendula Flower Oil which is recommended for rough chapped hands, Harpagophytym (plant from the Kalahari Desert) for soothing properties, Shea Butter for repair and Castor Oil for fortifying.

Apicosma Fondant Body Balm £19

With protective Cocoa and Shea Butters, invigorating Safflower and Sunflower oils and moisturising Thyme Honey and Stevia Leaf, this body cream helps nourish even the most dehydrated of skins.

Softening Shower Gel £9.50

Soap free formula that gently cleanses without drying the skin

Capiforce Hair Mask £18

Sea Beet, Shea, Coco and Para oils help repair damaged hair whilst the Rice Starch, Aloe Vera and Honey help restore shine and Sunflower Oil leave the hair soft to the touch.

The day you should go to the store in droves.

 On the actual Earth Day (22 April) Melvita will be holding a Bee Workshop from 1 – 4pm in their store.  Here you will be able to see some of the bees through a glass observation hive.

Camilla Goddard from Capital Bee and Mikey Tomkins from Sustain Capital Bee Project will on hand to answer any questions about beekeeping. For the kids (big kids too)there will be free face painting, for the adults free hand massages and for everyone free honey tasting.

So put it in your diary and make a bee-line to the store.

19 Slingsby Place St Martin's Courtyard

Just off Long Acre - London WC2E 9AB

Tel: 020 7240 7092

The Melvita range can also be purchased online from www.melvita.co.uk

The Melvita Foundation is devoted to the worldwide protection of nature and safeguarding bees, with a grant of €300,000 to be shared worldwide by initiatives and charities that will help put a stop to the disappearance of bee’s, protect their habitat and promote the development of beekeeping throughout the world.

Camilla Goddard runs Capital Bee which manages apiaries all around London including sites as varied as the Mausoleum in Greenwich, churches in Brockley, a Royal Park and allotment sites. She also provides training for new beekeepers, and is currently working with Sustain to deliver a new scheme in South London to encourage more beekeepers to get started. She is committed to honey bee conservation and takes where possible a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to her beekeeping methods

Vanessa G AW11 Collection for the well heeled woman

Designer Vanessa Gounden presented her AW11 collection at the glorious Banqueting House in Whitehall.

What makes this debut collection different is that Vanessa is not straight out from college; she is in the prime of her life and has used her own colourful and rich life experiences as inspiration for the designs.

Of Indian descent, Vanessa grew up in South Africa on her family’s small holding where she helped cut and prepare roses for sale to florist. Vanessa G the label has taken the red rose as their logo and the rose heads could be seen everywhere at the show, decorating the bar area, the side tables, the catwalk show and even the carpet at the reception was black with digital rose prints.

Due to apartheid growing in South Africa, Vanessa and her family had to leave their livelihood and were removed to a dormitory township with minimal facilities. Here Vanessa played an active role in the trade union movement and served in the Nelson Mandela administration after South Africa’s first democratic election in 1944. This experience equipped Vanessa with high business acumen but also with a strong desire to help those equally deserving but less fortunate.

Her collection takes unique pieces of art from unsung artists and transforms them in to timeless classic which are handcrafted for individuals who are equally passionate about the arts and fashion.

The catwalk was impressive and ran along the sides of the hall with a large facade of coliseum like arches at the front. Inside these arches, lasers projected films of nature (rivers, flowers, skies etc) at the right time to correspond with the prints on the model’s garments. 

Opening the show was the moody monochrome film of clouds with the models wearing grey and white photographic prints with just a touch of pale pink.

The prints were of the sea, clouds, windswept umbrellas, skylines and pink flamingos.

Tights were embellished with hanging sequins, sheath dresses lightly skimmed the body,

trousers were high waisted and slim, and jackets finished at the waist with ¾ length sleeves. Coats ranged from the classic trench to the glamorous 1950’s swagger style.

However the classic trench was given a twist with the digital photographic prints -loved the one in pale blue with the photographic art of woman and umbrella splashing in the sea.

We now swapped black and white film to colour and it was the turn of the florals, greenery and the earth.  Here the models garments merged with the large photographic prints hanging behind them, clearly showing the full picture of the digital prints on the clothes.

 The next stage saw the colour palette change to a striking  black and red combination. The print here of red flora was larger with more background space.  

Vanessa G cleverly includes the different styles of the classic look in her collection, making sure all classic women will find something they love. From the above the knee fitted sheath dress,

the mid calf A line skirt, the pencil skirt

to the cute high waisted retro 50’s full dress which was given an update with a shorter length .

Vanessa G brand is for the upwardly mobile and well-heeled woman who is looking for a new contemporary experience and to own a piece of art through her clothes.  ‘Art’Outure ‘, a mix of Art and Couture -  the ultimate statement of luxury.