beauty

All posts tagged beauty

Get Smart With Nail Art

Posted by Ginny Marriott on November 19, 2012
Posted in: Beauty, Fashion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 comment

It has never been easier to make a statement with fashion, Nail art is proving to be ever popular and a trend that looks to be staying with us for a while.

We are all aware, when it comes to accessorizing, the finishing touches are often the most important, it’s often the small things that can make a big difference to any look.  Wearing a colour popping  fabulous pair of shoes, or a statement necklace is enough to transform a little black dress, from simple to unforgettable in a flash.  Bright red lips made popular in recent times by singers, Gwen Steffani and Xristina Aguilera, both famed for being trend setting fashionistas will glam up any daytime look, in one swipe of a lip brush.  This season we have seen a creative theme across the board with clothes, makeup and shoes,  but the most popular is right there at our fingertips, Nail art.

The colour choices we have  to adorn our nails in is infinite, but now ladies, its time to go that one step further, our nails have become a blank canvas for imagination, colour, and art.

A trend that was only once possible to achieve by taking ourselves to the nail salon, and most likely costing us a small fortune, has now become a trend that we can experiment with, in the comfort of our homes.  More and more labels and cosmetics companies, are being brave and producing a range of nail art products made easy for us to use at home. From a simple high shine metallic silver or gold nail colour, from the likes of Benefit and Channel, to art pens, from Sally Hanson, and L’oreal, which have slim tips, making it easy for us to add a splash of colour, using polka dots and stripes, and lets not forget the magic of the nail foil, Rio nail products and Barry M have a range of intricate patterns already printed on a thin foil that easily coats your nail leaving your nails look like they have had a professional makeover.

The possibilities are endless, from chic to grunge, sweet to quirky, there are no holds barred when it comes to ideas, we have seen nails transformed into strawberries, tuxedo’s, and even computer game characters.

So whatever the occasion, whatever your style, be bold, get those fingernails popping.

Change in Gender Discrimination Laws Prove a Loss For Women

Posted by Ginny Marriott on September 14, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

In just over three months’ time a new law comes into force which will
prevent insurance companies from pricing premiums based on gender. This is
likely to mean higher car insurance premiums for young women, but new
research reveals the majority of those who will be most affected by thhe
change are completely unaware of it.

The EU Gender Directive becomes law on 21st December. Diamond, a specialist
in car insurance for women, surveyed 1,000 women motorists aged under 30
about the Directive, and found that many of them don’t realise how much it
will affect them.

More than half (51%) of those surveyed were unaware of the Directive at all.
When asked when they thought the Directive was coming into force only 16%
correctly knew that it was later this year.. More than a third (36%) thought
it was already the law with 16% saying they thought it came in last year and
20% that it came in earlier this year.

Dave Halliday, Diamond managing director, said: “The EU announced it was
changing the law regarding gender back in March 2011, which might explain
why so many women think it is already in place. However insurance companies
have been given until December this year to make the necessary changes to
how they price premiums.

“Unfortunately the change is likely to result in higher insurance premiums
for young women. This is because from a risk point of view women will have
to be treated the same as men, and young men in particular have the worst
driving record and are the highest risk. Young women, particularly those
aged under 22 should be aware that their premiums will probably be higher
when they come to get insurance from 21st December onwards.”

Years of data clearly shows that young men have a far worse driving record
than young women. Diamond’s own statistics show men under 21 are four times
more likely to have a dangerous driving conviction than women the same age,
and the cost of the accidents they have is worse, on average accidents
involving men under 21 cost 48% more than those involving women under 21.

Despite the EU’s assertion that men and women are the same, Diamond asked
the women surveyed their thoughts on the issue. 72% said they believe men
and women drive differently, while a massive 83% believe men and women think
differently. Not surprisingly only 7% of them believe men are safer drivers
compared with 56% who think women are safer. 37% believe they are the same.

Grace Woodard’s Top Wardrobe Tips

Posted by Ginny Marriott on March 24, 2012
Posted in: Beauty, Famly and Social Life, Fashion. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

SPRING IS COMING: CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER TO REVEAL HIDDEN WARDROBE ASSETS

Top tips to make the most of your wardrobe this spring.   With the clocks going forward this weekend to welcome the start of spring, now is the perfect time to delve into your wardrobe to rediscover clothes from seasons gone by.  Research by home furnishing experts IKEA reveals that on average Brits are hoarding £1,212 worth of clothes in their wardrobes and the official arrival of spring on 21st March is the perfect time to uncover these hidden gems. Despite having wardrobes filled with the latest fashion, almost half of Brits claim to be bored with their clothes and only 3% say they feel excited about choosing a different outfit each day. A third also admit to wearing only 10% of their outfits, resulting in £1,090 worth of clothes left hanging on the rails untouched. According to the survey, we are not making the most of the clothes we already own and the lack of excitement around the contents of our wardrobes is due to poor organisation, as almost half of the nation describes the state of their wardrobe as ‘unorganised chaos’. Almost a quarter admit to grabbing the first thing that comes to hand each morning with a further 23% rotating the same old trusted outfits over and over again.  There are simple, affordable steps that can get your clothes in order this spring.

Bedrooms expert Pippa Swain commented, “Our research shows that despite having a wealth of outfits to choose from, Brits are often left feeling frustrated and uninspired by the contents of their wardrobes. Instead of buying new clothes, money savvy Brits should invest in storage solutions that help rediscover the items they once loved. ”

Grace Woodward

Celebrity stylist Grace Woodward has teamed up with IKEA to give some top tips on how to spring clean and reorganise your wardrobe chaos, she comments: “Just as you have many different roles to play in a day, so does your wardrobe. It needs to organise your clothes, hang them properly, show off your best bits and keep all those things you’d rather forget cleverly hidden away.. The key to great styling and feeling confident about what you wear all starts with your wardrobe – the home of your fabulous fashion and source of inspiration”.

Grace Woodard’s Top Tips for getting the most out of your wardrobe:

1. Clarity is Key: One of the worst wardrobe habits is hoarding clothes that we never wear, I recommend clearing out your wardrobe every year considering the season coming.  If it doesn’t fit or can’t be worked it into an outfit then you need to get rid!

 2. Hang with pride: Once you have de-cluttered the next step is reorganising! It’s important to make the most  of the space within your wardrobe, never over fill – you don’t have to hang everything. .

3. You Are Your Canvas: Making a great outfit is like painting, you are using colour and texture to create something interesting to look at. People think they don’t have time but if you know where to reach in and grab those little extras like accessories then your look becomes more interesting.

4. Kick Off: I encourage people to have a shoe to suit every mood, but we are emotional multifaceted creatures and so the shoe collection can get quite large. Shoe racks and boxes are the key to footloose and fancy free self-expression – a total must for good shoe care too.   Boxes with clear fronts, help keep dust away and make it easy to choose the right pair for your outfit.